Representing himself, Bryan Seaver filed a motion Friday in a Tennessee court asking that a hearing on the order now set for Oct. 9 be delayed by about 10 days.

The serious rift in the country music legend's circle opened and spilled into public view weeks after her Aug. 25 death. She's Alive, the entity founded to manage and protect her estate, accused Seaver in a court petition of threatening to commit violence and destroy Parton’s legacy and business empire. She's Alive is run by Parton's longtime manager Danny Nozell.

The petition names Seaver — who was handpicked by the star to announce her death from cancer — and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services.

Seaver's new motion says “the defendants lack any legal knowledge or skills to proceed in this matter without retained counsel or what, if any, challenges can or should be raised.” It says the delay is necessary because the lawyer he wants to represent him cannot meet with him until Monday, and says he won't object to the restraining order being extended until a new hearing date.

Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles, the judge overseeing the case, has not yet replied to Seaver's motion. In granting the restraining order, she said the court took into account the repeated threats cited in the complaint, as well as the alleged demands for payment and Seaver’s “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.”

In the petition and other court documents filed by She’s Alive, Seaver is accused of sending increasingly threatening messages starting just before Parton's death. She’s Alive terminated Seaver and SAPS in the week before the petition, saying his “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable.”

Seaver has not responded to email and phone messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Parton was a widely beloved country music giant, philanthropist and cultural icon who wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that earned a total of more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.

Decenas de cadáveres de crías han llegado a las playas que rodean la península Valdés, una importante zona de reproducción de la ballena franca austral en la provincia argentina de Chubut. Las ballenas, que fueron cazadas hasta quedar al borde de la extinción en los siglos XIX y XX, ahora se reúnen en las aguas protegidas de la península para parir y amamantar a sus crías.

“Estamos investigando las muertes de las crías de ballena con base en 23 años de monitoreo que tenemos de esta misma población. Eso es lo que nos permite decir que se trata de un evento inusual”, afirmó Marcela Uhart, veterinaria del One Health Institute de la Universidad de California, Davis, que encabeza la investigación como directora del Programa de Monitoreo de la Salud de la Ballena Franca Austral.

La principal hipótesis es que las crías de ballena sufren infecciones por bacterias marinas que pueden ingresar a sus cuerpos a través de heridas provocadas por gaviotas cocineras, señaló Uhart.

Durante décadas, estas aves marinas han picoteado a las ballenas cuando salen a la superficie para respirar, alimentándose de su piel y grasa. Los adultos aprenden a emerger con solo la cabeza expuesta, manteniendo el lomo bajo el agua y fuera del alcance de las gaviotas. Las crías no pueden hacer esa maniobra, lo que las deja vulnerables a los ataques.

Los cadáveres han llegado a la costa alrededor de la ciudad costera de Puerto Madryn, incluso cerca del paseo costero central, donde alarman a residentes y turistas. Los vecinos han reportado cientos, pero los investigadores evitaron dar una cifra de muertes, al indicar que eso quedará claro después de que termine la temporada hacia finales de noviembre.

Uhart y un equipo de biólogos, veterinarios y guardaparques recorren la zona en busca de las crías muertas desde la costa y con embarcaciones, aviones y drones.

El trabajo es espeluznante: fotografían y examinan los cuerpos, compitiendo contra la descomposición para recolectar muestras de piel y órganos que se analizan en una facultad de veterinaria más al norte, en la ciudad de Tandil. Ya se han detectado bacterias en esos tejidos, pero los investigadores aún cultivan muestras para identificar los microbios y determinar si la infección fue la causa de muerte, comentó.

Aun si las bacterias son las responsables, los investigadores todavía deben determinar por qué se han vuelto tan letales este año.

Los cambios en las condiciones marinas, como el aumento de la temperatura del mar, potencialmente vinculados al cambio climático o a El Niño, podrían contribuir a “esta tormenta perfecta en la que esta bacteria es lo suficientemente potente como para superar la inmunidad de los bebés y causar sus muertes”, señaló Uhart. “Así que, en la medida de lo posible, intentaremos identificar al menos qué factores pueden estar desencadenando este evento y haciéndolo tan masivo”.

Según la Comisión Ballenera Internacional, un organismo mundial encargado de regular la caza de ballenas, las ballenas francas recibieron su nombre de los balleneros, que las consideraban los animales “adecuados” (francos) para cazar porque nadaban despacio, se mantenían cerca de la costa y flotaban cuando eran abatidas.

Aunque la caza ilegal continuó hasta la década de 1970, las ballenas francas australes se han recuperado gradualmente desde que obtuvieron protección internacional en 1935. Pero su recuperación sigue amenazada por las mismas presiones que enfrentan las ballenas en todo el mundo: disminución de las fuentes de alimento, enredos con equipo de pesca, derrames de petróleo y colisiones con embarcaciones.

Si se repiten pérdidas de esta magnitud, podrían ralentizar la recuperación de la población. Al precisar la causa de la muerte de las crías, los investigadores esperan encontrar maneras de proteger a esta población vulnerable.

“Si la causa se relaciona con algo que hacemos los humanos, entonces tenemos que cambiarlo”, afirmó Uhart. “No queremos poner en peligro a estas ballenas otra vez”.

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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.

La decisión se produjo después de que los fiscales y los abogados defensores presentaran sus argumentos ante una jueza.

Rivera, de 61 años, fue declarado culpable de todos los cargosincluido no registrarse como agente extranjero ante el Departamento de Justicia y conspiración para cometer lavado de dinero, en mayo. Una asociada, Esther Nuhfer, también fue declarada culpable.

Rivera permaneció con el rostro inexpresivo mientras la jueza Melissa Damian lo reprendía por traicionar la misión de su vida, diciendo que seguramente sus muchos amigos lo habrían juzgado duramente si los millones de dólares hubieran provenido del régimen cubano en lugar de sus aliados en Caracas.

El juicio de siete semanas ofreció una rara mirada al papel de Miami como punto de encuentro para campañas de influencia extranjera destinadas a moldear la política de Estados Unidos hacia América Latina, destacando la reputación de la ciudad como un imán tanto para los defensores de las causas anticomunistas como para la corrupción entre su considerable población de exiliados.

Incluyó el testimonio del secretario de Estado del presidente Donald Trump, el representante Pete Sessions de Texas y un importante cabildero de Washington, todos los cuales testificaron que se sintieron traicionados al enterarse del enorme contrato de consultoría de Rivera con una filial con sede en Estados Unidos de la compañía petrolera estatal de Venezuela, PDVSA.

Los abogados de Rivera planean apelar y en junio solicitaron un indulto presidencial. Rivera enfrenta cargos federales adicionales en Washington, D.C., en un caso relacionado de cabildeo extranjero.

En la audiencia del viernes, los fiscales habían solicitado entre 22 y 30 años de prisión, mientras que los abogados de Rivera, citando un diagnóstico de cáncer de próstata y a los hijos gemelos pequeños del ex legislador, solicitaron ocho años.

El abogado Ed Shohat también argumentó que no había evidencia de que Rivera apoyara personalmente al dictador venezolano Nicolás Maduro.

El juez respondió, diciendo: “Que usted se pare aquí y diga: ‘Los hechos no respaldan las condenas’, no es un buen punto de partida”.

La supervisora de Elecciones de Miami-Dade, Alina Garcia, también estuvo en la corte. Garcia estuvo entre varias figuras prominentes del sur de Florida que anteriormente se ofrecieron a ayudar a respaldar la fianza propuesta de $7 millones USD de Rivera, que un juez federal finalmente rechazó.

Garcia estuvo entre los múltiples amigos del ex congresista, incluido el ex presidente de la Universidad Internacional de Florida y el supervisor de elecciones del condado Miami-Dade, que llenaron la sala del tribunal para mostrarle su apoyo.

Sessions, en una carta en la que solicitaba clemencia y que fue leída en el registro por su jefe de gabinete, dijo que su ex colega en el Congreso dedicó décadas al servicio público, gran parte de ellas enfocadas en defender la libertad y la democracia.

“No creo que sea productivo para la sociedad enviar a David a prisión por mucho, mucho tiempo”, testificó Liliana Ros, miembro de larga trayectoria del comité republicano de Miami.

Durante la audiencia, el abogado de Rivera objetó varias partes del informe previo a la sentencia, incluido el cálculo del gobierno sobre el valor de los fondos lavados y los aumentos relacionados con el papel de Rivera en la seguridad nacional.

Shohat también cuestionó la noticia de una conferencia de prensa del gobierno antes de la sentencia, diciendo que enviaba un mensaje de que los fiscales ya contaban con el resultado.

Shohat calificó de inusual la noticia de la conferencia de prensa y dijo: “Suena como si la Fiscalía de Estados Unidos contara con usted. Y juez, yo también”.

La jueza sentenció a Rivera a 10 años por cinco cargos y a cinco años por dos cargos, pero las sentencias se cumplirán simultáneamente.

Rivera deberá regresar a la corte el próximo viernes, ya que enfrenta cargos separados en un caso de fraude fiscal.

Está previsto que permanezca en la cárcel federal del centro de Miami hasta que concluya ese juicio, momento en el que la jueza dijo que recomendaría que fuera recluido en un campamento penitenciario de mínima seguridad.

The decision came after prosecutors and defense attorneys made their cases to a judge.

Leer en español

Rivera, 61, was found guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in May. An associate, Esther Nuhfer, was also convicted.

Rivera appeared stone-faced as Judge Melissa Damian denounced him for betraying his life’s mission, saying he would surely have been judged harshly his many friends had the millions of dollars come from the Cuban regime instead of its allies in Caracas.

The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami’s role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, highlighting the city’s reputation as a magnet for both anti-communist crusaders and corruption among its sizable exile population.

It included testimony from President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas and a top Washington lobbyist — all of whom testified they felt betrayed when learning of Rivera’s mammoth consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

Attorneys for Rivera plan to appeal and in June applied for a presidential pardon. Rivera faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.

In Friday’s hearing, prosecutors had sought 22 to 30 years in prison, while Rivera’s attorneys, citing a prostate cancer diagnosis and the former lawmaker’s young twin sons, sought eight years.

Attorney Ed Shohat also argued that there was no evidence Rivera personally supported Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

The judge pushed back, saying, “For you to stand here and say, ‘The facts don’t support the convictions,’ is not a good place to start.”

Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia was also in court. Garcia was among several prominent South Florida figures who previously offered to help back Rivera’s proposed $7 million bond, which a federal judge ultimately denied.

Garcia was among multiple friends of the former congressman, including the former president of Florida International University and Miami-Dade County’s supervisor of elections, who packed the courtroom to show their support.

Sessions, in a letter seeking leniency that was read into the record by his chief of staff, said his former congressional colleague devoted decades to public service, much of it focused on defending liberty and democracy.

“I don’t think it’s productive for society by sending David away for a long, long time,” testified Liliana Ros, a longtime Miami GOP committee member.

During the hearing, Rivera’s attorney objected to several parts of the pre-sentence report, including the government’s calculation of the value of laundered funds and enhancements related to Rivera’s role in national security.

Shohat also took issue with word of a government news conference before sentencing, saying it sent a message that prosecutors were already counting on the outcome.

Shohat called word of the press conference unique and said, “It sounds like the U.S. Attorney’s Office is counting on you. And judge, so am I.”

The judge gave Rivera a 10-year sentence on five counts and a five-year sentence on two counts, but the sentences will run concurrently.

Rivera is set to be back in court next Friday as he faces separate charges in a tax fraud case.

He’s set to remain at the federal jail in downtown Miami until that trial is complete, at which point the judge said she’d recommend he be held in a minimum security prison camp.

El ministro de Economía, Luis Caputo, presentó el llamado plan de “pasaporte dorado” en un evento para inversores en París y señaló que se espera que las solicitudes se abran antes de fin de año.

Los solicitantes tienen dos opciones: hacer un aporte no reembolsable de 350.000 dólares al Tesoro argentino o invertir 800.000 dólares en un nuevo bono del gobierno que debe mantenerse durante siete años. Los aportes aumentarían según el tamaño de la familia; se espera que una familia de cuatro pague 500.000 dólares, indicaron funcionarios.

Conseguir dólares es crucial para Milei mientras se prepara para postularse a la reelección el próximo año. El Tesoro argentino enfrenta casi 25.000 millones de dólares en pagos de deuda en moneda extranjera con vencimiento en 2027. Pero, tras haber reducido sus opciones de financiamiento al postergar un regreso a los mercados internacionales de bonos, el gobierno busca fuentes alternativas de ingresos.

Un consorcio de firmas de inversión que asesora al gobierno estimó que el programa de ciudadanía paga podría recaudar hasta 2.500 millones de dólares para Argentina si recibe el número de solicitantes previsto.

Ciudadanía con alcance global

Los llamados programas de “visa dorada” se han vuelto cada vez más comunes entre los países con escasez de efectivo que luchan por atraer a extranjeros con grandes recursos, y alrededor de 60 naciones ofrecen privilegios de residencia a cambio de inversiones únicas. El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, lanzó su propio programa de “tarjeta dorada” para Estados Unidos el año pasado.

Los programas de ciudadanía por inversión van más allá: ofrecen más derechos y un pasaporte que abre puertas en el exterior. Solo alrededor de una docena de países tienen programas activos, entre ellos, algunos pequeños estados insulares del Caribe.

Argentina, una nación de 46 millones de habitantes perteneciente al G-20, hogar de una vasta naturaleza patagónica y de una capital culturalmente vibrante, está a punto de convertirse en el primer país sudamericano en sumarse a sus filas.

“El pasaporte argentino es un pasaporte que realmente se utiliza muy bien, es aceptado en más de 140 países”, afirmó Caputo, refiriéndose a los destinos que los argentinos pueden visitar sin obtener una visa por adelantado, desde China y Rusia hasta el espacio Schengen de Europa y la mayor parte de América Latina.

Para las personas adineradas de países que enfrentan restricciones de visado, ya sea en el sudeste asiático o en el mundo árabe, la ciudadanía argentina podría facilitar los viajes y los negocios internacionales, dijo Kristin Surak, profesora de la London School of Economics y autora de “The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires”.

“No se trata solo de los beneficios que obtienes dentro de Argentina”, sostuvo Surak. “También obtienes beneficios a nivel global en términos de adónde puedes ir”.

Un segundo pasaporte como plan B

Los expertos del sector señalan que la clientela de estos programas cambió desde la pandemia de COVID-19, ya que hay más estadounidenses y europeos —cuyos pasaportes ya ofrecen amplios viajes sin visa— que buscan un punto de apoyo en el exterior como vía de escape en un momento de creciente incertidumbre geopolítica.

“El Cono Sur de Sudamérica es el destino definitivo como plan B. No está de camino hacia ningún lugar estratégicamente importante. Es una región que siempre se mantiene al margen de los conflictos armados globales”, señaló Christian Nesheim, editor de Investment Migration Insider, una revista especializada. “Es autosuficiente en alimentos y en energía”.

Un país con historial de golpes militares, cesaciones de pagos e inflación descontrolada, que durante mucho tiempo llevó a su propia élite empresarial a buscar oportunidades en el exterior, podría parecer un refugio improbable para inversores que persiguen estabilidad. Pero Milei intenta replantear a Argentina como un destino para la riqueza extranjera, recortando el gasto público, desmantelando regulaciones y cortejando inversiones en los vastos recursos petroleros y minerales del país.

Caputo indicó que la idea del programa de ciudadanía por inversión surgió durante la visita de Milei a Sun Valley, Idaho, en julio de 2024, cuando ejecutivos tecnológicos expresaron interés en obtener la ciudadanía argentina.

Milei, que se autodefine como “anarcocapitalista”, ha cultivado estrechos vínculos con multimillonarios tecnológicos de orientación libertaria como Elon Musk, un defensor abierto del impulso de Milei por achicar el Estado. El año pasado, Musk blandió una motosierra que le regaló el líder argentino como símbolo de su propia campaña para recortar el gasto del gobierno de Estados Unidos.

Otro aliado ideológico es Peter Thiel, cofundador de la empresa de software Palantir, quien trasladó temporalmente a su familia a Buenos Aires en abril. Registros corporativos obtenidos por The Associated Press muestran que una empresa vinculada a su firma de inversión, Thiel Capital, es dueña de una mansión de 13,5 millones de dólares en el exclusivo barrio porteño de Barrio Parque. Thiel también obtuvo la ciudadanía de Nueva Zelanda en 2011, recibiendo una exención especial de los requisitos habituales de residencia.

“Creo que esta historia de ‘Peter Thiel en Argentina’ quizá sea una especie de prueba de concepto (para el programa de ciudadanía)”, señaló Philippe Amarante, socio director y jefe de asesoría gubernamental en Henley & Partners, una consultora que ayuda a clientes a obtener pasaportes en todo el mundo.

“Representa esta idea de que las personas independientes, adineradas y exitosas tienen opciones en el mundo. Y si ofreces los entornos y los hábitats adecuados, el ecosistema adecuado, podrían elegirte”.

Los riesgos de vender la ciudadanía

Los programas de pasaporte dorado han recibido críticas desde hace tiempo por su vulnerabilidad a la corrupción. El Grupo de Acción Financiera Internacional, el organismo mundial de vigilancia contra el lavado de dinero, ha advertido que los delincuentes explotan los programas de ciudadanía y residencia para ocultar sus identidades, lavar riqueza ilícita y evadir a la justicia.

En un golpe para la industria de la migración por inversión, el máximo tribunal de la Unión Europea dictaminó en abril de 2025 que el programa de pasaporte dorado de Malta era ilegal, al declarar que la ciudadanía de la UE no podía venderse. Otros países también han eliminado programas de residencia a cambio de dinero, mencionando preocupaciones que van desde el dinero sucio hasta la asequibilidad de la vivienda.

Caputo prometió evitar esos escollos, con agencias de inteligencia y de supervisión financiera que ayudarán a verificar la identidad de los solicitantes, sus antecedentes penales y el origen de los fondos.

El objetivo, dijo, es proteger “el prestigio internacional de la ciudadanía argentina”.

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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.

Hospital staff, her lawyers said, were working to save Pike’s life and as of late Thursday were trying to clear the two doses of the drug that the state uses to execute prisoners.

The stunning failure in Tennessee’s execution chamber on Wednesday has left both sides of the death penalty debate demanding answers. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has ordered an independent review.

The court filing offered the first detailed account of Pike’s condition after an ambulance carried her away from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Wednesday night. Her attorneys said a day earlier that she was in critical condition.

Christa Pike's attorneys point to problems with the IV

Pike’s attorneys said they believed problems with the IV lines caused the pentobarbital to flow into her body instead of her bloodstream.

“Apparently at no point did any member of the execution team realize that the IV lines were not correctly placed or that the veins had blown and that the pentobarbital was, in whole or in part, entering Ms. Pike’s body,” they wrote in the court filing.

Instead of “remedying this failure,” they prepared and administered a second dose of pentobarbital, her lawyers said.

State officials have not offered any explanations about what went wrong.

Tennessee leaders want a review of execution methods

Lee demanded a review of the execution procedures and indefinitely postponed Pike’s execution and another that had been scheduled for this year. Republican Tennessee lawmakers said the state should review whether to stop single-drug lethal injections and consider other options to carry out death sentences.

The execution team worked for an hour to administer the lethal drugs, said Pike's defense lawyer Randy Spivey, who counted at least seven needles in her left arm.

Neither the initial nor the backup dose of pentobarbital worked. Pike was still snoring when the execution chamber’s microphone was cut off more than an hour into the attempt.

Pike’s attorneys asked a state court to order the Tennessee Department of Correction to preserve all evidence from the failed execution.

“Preserving this evidence is essential to understanding what happened, ensuring accountability and protecting Christa’s legal rights,” two of her attorneys said in a statement.

She was 18 when she and her boyfriend tortured and killed a classmate in a jealous rage. She later became one of the youngest women to be sent to death row.

Following the killing, Pike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, her attorneys said.

“It took me numerous years to even realize the gravity of what I’d done. Even more to accept how many lives I affected. I took the life of someone’s child, sister, friend. It sickens me now to think I had the ability to commit such a crime,” Pike said in an earlier clemency petition.

The mother of the 19-year-old woman Pike killed expressed frustration over the failed execution. “I didn’t get justice for my daughter,” Maya Martinez said Thursday.

Problems found with executions four years ago

Four years ago, Tennessee’s governor ordered another independent review into capital punishment after abruptly stopping the April 2022 execution of Oscar Smith. Lee then paused all executions after acknowledging the state had failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested.

Months later, a report found the state hadn’t complied with its own lethal injection process since its revision in 2018, resulting in executions being conducted without proper testing of the drugs.

At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride. The state later switched to using just pentobarbital.

Pentobarbital has been used to carry out death sentences in multiple states and by the federal government.

The review, led by former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton, also found that the state’s unidentified executioner had no formal healthcare training and learned the role mainly through on-the-job experience.

After the release of the report, the Tennessee Department of Correction fired its longtime top attorney and another employee.

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Associated Press writer John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Feridun Sinirlioglu, a 70-year-old former Turkish foreign minister and U.N. diplomat, floated his candidacy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level meeting in New York last week, according to two diplomats briefed on the matter.

The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential process, said the potential candidacy being pushed from Ankara appeared to be serious. Turkey would have to formally nominate Sinirlioglu to begin a process that many inside the world body have described as one of the toughest job interviews in the world.

The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Sinirlioglu currently serves as the secretary-general of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. His current three-year mandate is scheduled to end in December 2027, but the top U.N. job would have a Jan. 1, 2027, start date.

An OSCE spokesperson said Friday that given that Sinirlioglu hasn't been nominated, the organization would not comment.

The OSCE, whose 57 members include the United States and both Ukraine and Russia, was created during the Cold War as a platform for dialogue between East and West. The organization — like the U.N. — has a wide-ranging mandate, including conflict prevention, human rights, election observation and arms control.

The selection of the U.N. secretary-general will be left to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council, especially its five veto-wielding members — the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France — which remain tight-lipped about their preferences. The 193-member General Assembly must give final approval.

If nominated, Sinirlioglu would likely to face obstacles from several corners of the international community, namely its neighbor Greece, which is one of the 10 elected members of the council. Pushback also would be expected from Israel, a close ally of the U.S.

Turkey, which has close ties with the Syrian government and has been providing assistance to Syria’s military, has tense relations with Israel. The rival countries have sought to curb each other’s influence in neighboring Syria.

During a Security Council meeting on Syria last month, Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, blasted Turkey’s military presence in Syria and warned against allowing Syrian territory to become a military platform used to threaten Israel.

“Turkey is following the Iranian proxy playbook. It is deepening its military foothold in Syria, establishing bases and expanding its influence," Danon told the council. "If Syrian sovereignty truly matters to the international community, it cannot apply one standard to Israel and another to Turkey.”

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Liechtenstein reported from Vienna.

In one video, officers ask Mangione to lower the face mask he was wearing to hide his identity.

“That’s 100% him,” one officer says eagerly as they step outside to speak out of Mangione’s earshot.

“I told you, man,” another responds off camera.

Later, an officer searches Mangione’s belongings and smiles widely as she pulls out a gun cartridge, seemingly confirming they’d found their suspect.

The trove of videos comes from Mangione’s Dec. 9, 2024, arrest in Altoona, five days after Thompson, a 50-year-old Minnesota executive, was gunned down as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

A Manhattan judge unsealed the recordings Friday after CNN petitioned for their release. Parts of the videos were shown during a December court hearing as Mangione’s lawyers unsuccessfully sought to get key evidence thrown out, including his initial statements to police and items seized at the time of his arrest.

Mangione pleaded guilty in August to federal stalking charges and faces life in prison when he's sentenced in December. He also faces murder charges in New York state court, though those proceedings have been postponed indefinitely as his lawyers seek to have the case thrown out.

The videos released Friday begin as officers descend on the McDonald’s in central Pennsylvania, nearly 300 miles (483 kilometers) from Manhattan.

They find Mangione, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, seated at a table wearing a ski hat, surgical face mask and winter coat. The officers say they're responding to a call about a suspicious person and ask for his name and identification.

“You’re a little nervous right now. Why are you nervous?” an officer asks at one point.

They order him to put his hands on his head and ask him if he’s been in New York recently. They confront him about a phony New Jersey driver’s license he offers up bearing the name Mark Rosario.

“You’re under official police investigation right now,” one officer warns. “You give a false name to us again, you’re gonna be arrested for false ID.”

When Mangione finally comes clean, they ask why he had lied.

“I clearly shouldn’t have,” he responds as he’s asked to write his real name and spell it aloud.

Other videos show officers patting Mangione down, reading him his rights, placing him in cuffs and taking him to the police station.

As an officer searches him more thoroughly at the station, another officer goes through his backpack.

The officer finds the 9 mm handgun authorities would later confirm was used in the killing, as well as a silencer and another ammo magazine. They also recover the journal that prosecutors would later say revealed Mangione’s intent to “wack” a health insurance executive, as well as his other handwritten notes.

“He has a checklist for today,” another officer says, ticking off the seized items to someone on the phone. “Tomorrow he’s supposed to do an intel check-in and get a survival kit.”

Republican David Rivera has been jailed since jurors found him guilty in May on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of his work for former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ’s government.

Rivera, 61, appeared stone-faced as Judge Melissa Damian denounced him for betraying his life’s mission, saying he would surely have been judged harshly his many friends had the millions of dollars come from the Cuban regime instead of its allies in Caracas.

“Nobody would accept that’s ok and I don’t think this is different,” the judge said. “There’s no dispute this money came from the Maduro regime.”

The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami’s role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, highlighting the city’s reputation as a magnet for both anti-communist crusaders and corruption among its sizable exile population.

It included testimony from President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas and a top Washington lobbyist — all of whom testified they felt betrayed when learning of Rivera’s mammoth consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

Attorneys for Rivera plan to appeal and in June applied for a presidential pardon. Rivera faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.

Prosecutors said betrayal featured coded figures — ‘Sombrero’ and ‘Miss Clairol’

In an indictment unsealed in 2022, prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez — now Venezuela’s acting president — to work Republican connections to get the first Trump administration to abandon its hard line and crippling sanctions on Venezuela.

As part of the charm offensive, Rivera and a co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, sought to manipulate influential friends, including Rubio and Sessions. Their goal was to normalize relations with the new Trump administration even as the Maduro government faced sanctions over serious accusations of human rights violations.

But Rivera and Nuhfer didn’t disclose their lobbying work as required, for fear it would have ended Rivera’s political career as an anti-communist stalwart, prosecutors argued at trial.

“The United States and the public were the true victims of this fraud,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz said in urging a stiff sentence. “He used his position of trust — and betrayed it consistently and repeatedly.”

To hide his work, prosecutors allege, Rivera also set up an encrypted chat group called MIA — for Miami — with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media tycoon Raúl Gorrín, who was subsequently charged in the U.S. with bribing top Venezuelan officials.

Members of the group used playful code words to discuss their activities: Maduro was the “bus driver,” Sessions “Sombrero,” Rodríguez “The Lady in Red,” and their windfall payments “La Luz,” Spanish for “The Light,” according to copies of text messages presented to the jury. Rubio was known as “Miss Clairol,” because rubio means blond in Spanish.

Defense said only missing paperwork made the $50 million contract illegal

At Friday’s sentencing, attorneys for Rivera repeated their trial argument that the former congressman believed he was under no requirement to disclose the work. The three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera’s one-man consulting firm, they said, was focused on luring oil giant ExxonMobil back to Venezuela — commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

“David Rivera does not deserve to die in prison because he failed to file a FARA registration,” defense attorney Ed Shohat said at Friday’s hearing. “If he had filed that paper, that form, everything he did, including the $50 million contract, which totally distorted this case, is perfectly legal.”

Wholly distinct from that consulting work, they say, were Rivera’s meetings with Rubio and Sessions, which were focused on ushering in leadership in Venezuela that would be less hostile to the U.S. – not supporting Maduro in normalizing relations with the U.S.

“There’s not one word in any chat, not one document, not one thing he did to help Nicolás Maduro,” said Shohat.

Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with the affiliate, New York-based PDV USA, as cover for illegal lobbying.

“This is a classic money laundering case,” the judge said Friday in rejecting Rivera’s motion to lower the federal guidelines range.

Where did the money go? A luxury yacht, among other things

The partners tried to hide the work — backdating documents and coming up with sham agreements, like one to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million to a South Florida company that maintained Gorrín’s luxury yacht, prosecutors said.

The political activity included setting up meetings for Rodríguez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas. As part of the effort, Rivera roped in Sessions, who later tried to broker a meeting for Rodríguez with the ExxonMobil executive who took over as CEO when Rex Tillerson became Trump’s first-term secretary of state. After a secret meeting in Caracas with Maduro, Sessions also agreed to deliver a letter from the Venezuelan president to Trump.

The outreach quickly unraveled, however. Within six months of taking office, Trump sanctioned Maduro and labeled him a “dictator,” launching a “maximum pressure” campaign to unseat the president.

And now, nearly a decade later, Rodríguez has emerged as the second Trump administration’s trusted partner after the U.S. military’s ousting of Maduro.

Rubio's former housemate faced scandal before, but Cuban Americans support him

Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator and shared a Tallahassee home with Rubio, who eventually became the Florida House speaker.

Rivera faced earlier controversy, including allegations that he secretly funded a Democratic spoiler candidate in a 2012 congressional race. Last year, federal prosecutors dropped that case after an appeals court threw out a sizable fine imposed by a lower court. Rivera was also investigated — but never charged — for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida Legislature.

Despite all that, Rivera remains popular among Miami’s Cuban American establishment.

Friends of the former congressman, including the former president of Florida International University and Miami-Dade County’s supervisor of elections, packed the courtroom to show their support.

Sessions, in a letter seeking leniency that was read into the record by his chief of staff, said his former congressional colleague devoted decades to public service, much of it focused on defending liberty and democracy.

“I don’t think it’s productive for society by sending David away for a long, long time,” testified Liliana Ros, a longtime Miami GOP committee member.

The league announced that York also was fined $500,000 for violating the league's personal conduct policy. York has not attended any games or league meetings so far this season and was credited with three games served. He is eligible to return on Oct. 20, following the team's game the previous night against Washington. The NFL's fall league meetings begin that day in New York.

York said in a statement released by the team that he accepts the punishment given by the league and apologized for his actions.

“To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry,” he said. "This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility. What I did does not reflect my values or the man I strive to be for my family. While I fell short of the model I want to set for my sons, I now hope to show them the importance of owning up to one’s failures, and that even our worst moments teach us to be better. Leading the 49ers is a privilege, and one I don’t take lightly. Your trust will have to be earned back over time, and I look forward to that work ahead.”

York was arrested in a mobile home park by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after police said he was attempting to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed to be a prostitute.

York was booked into jail and was released after posting a $5,000 bond. York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution, but prosecutors amended that to disorderly conduct. He pleaded no contest to that charge and to possessing criminal tools for using his phone to respond to an undercover online prostitution advertisement.

He was sentenced to one day in jail for both offenses to be served concurrently and was credited with one day served when he pleaded no contest. He also was fined $1,150. Police seized the $160 from York and that was later given to the human trafficking task force as part of the plea. York also completed an online course.

Owners have been previously punished for violating the personal conduct policy. The late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 following a guilty plea to driving while impaired in 2014.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was investigated but not punished by the league after he was arrested in Florida in 2019 for allegedly paying for sex with a woman at a massage parlor. The charge was later dropped after a court ruled that police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the spa.

York spent most of the summer in Ohio, where he grew up near Youngstown and had been away from the team even before his arrest. He had filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May, according to court records.

York took over day-to-day control of the 49ers from his parents in 2008. He became the team’s principal owner in 2024. After some initial struggles under York’s leadership, the team has been a consistent contender since hiring coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in 2017.

The Niners have made the Super Bowl three times under York’s leadership, losing in the 2012 season under coach Jim Harbaugh and the 2019 and ’23 seasons under Shanahan and Lynch.

York also oversaw the building of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The team moved from San Francisco to the new stadium in 2014. The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls, a World Cup and a College Football Playoff title game.

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The Atlanta Braves knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies for a 6-2 win in Game 3 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series on Thursday night, and they'll face the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five Division Series that begins on Saturday.

The other NL matchup is the San Diego Padres vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, who won a franchise-record 103 games this season. The AL bracket features two series between division rivals, including the New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians.

Here's what to know as October baseball continues:

Ohtani's just a hitter for Dodgers vs. Braves

Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani is widely regarded as the best two-way player of all time, but for this year's playoffs, it looks like he'll be limited to making an impact with his bat.

The 32-year-old Japanese superstar has had another excellent season at the plate, batting .275 with 30 homers despite missing a handful of games because of injuries. He was good on the mound this season when healthy, but left knee soreness and right biceps inflammation have limited his appearances.

The Braves have a deep lineup that includes Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies, and the latter three players hit clutch homers to knock off the Phillies in Game 3.

Judge-less Yankees on a roll heading into series vs. Rays

The Yankees were without three-time MVP Aaron Judge — who is dealing with a right calf strain — for the Wild Card Series, but that didn't stop the Bronx Bombers from blitzing their rival Boston Red Sox in a two-game sweep.

Judge's status is still up in the air for the Division Series, but New York has proven it can be successful without him.

The small-market Rays continue to punch above their weight. The lineup is led by Junior Caminero, who hit 42 homers in the regular season.

103-win Brewers take on the surging Padres

The Brewers are more proof that cash isn't everything, dominating the regular season with a balanced offense and impressive pitching staff despite a modest payroll. Flamethrowing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young while do-it-all Brice Turang anchors the lineup.

The Padres underachieved for much of the season but surged in September to make the playoffs. They have a deep, experienced lineup led by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Ty France and Jackson Merrill.

White Sox try to continue turnaround story vs Guardians

The White Sox had arguably the worst season in MLB history just two years ago, losing 121 games to set a modern-day record.

Now they're very much in the hunt for the World Series.

Their versatile lineup includes Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Chase Meidroth, while the pitching staff isn't flashy but has been effective.

The Guardians have one of the game's best pitchers in Parker Messick while Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez lead the lineup.

What is the MLB playoff format?

There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. Four teams have been eliminated now that the Wild Card Series if over.

The Division Series is a best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.

What is the MLB postseason schedule?

Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)

Who are the favorites to win the World Series?

The Dodgers (+210) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+550), Rays (+800) and Yankees (+800) are viewed as the top contenders.

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Díaz-Canel encabezó un podcast junto a su primer ministro Manuel Marrero para hablar de la puesta en marcha de un paquete de 176 medidas que da un inédito mayor espacio a la iniciativa privada aprobadas en junio por el Parlamento.

Entre las iniciativas de la reforma cubana está la ampliación de las empresas privadas a más de 100 empleados, permisos para la constitución de firmas por acciones, intervención de particulares en el mercado financiero y cambiario, la posibilidad de importar y exportar sin intervención estatal, la contratación directa y la ampliación de la entrega de tierras ociosas.

Aunque Díaz-Canel y Marrero reiteraron que el gobierno no pretende girar hacia el capitalismo, esta reforma va en la dirección de apertura económica que por décadas reclamó Estados Unidos a la isla, a la que mantiene bajo un cerco energético desde enero.

“No vamos a detenernos”, dijo Díaz-Canel al rechazar las acusaciones del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump y su secretario Marco Rubio de que la isla es un “Estado fallido”.

Al mismo tiempo rechazó las últimas sanciones impuestas por Estados Unidos que esta semana revirtió el permiso dado por el expresidente Joe Biden para que pequeños emprendedores privados cubanos abrieran cuentas en bancos de Estados Unidos.

No hay una cifra de cuántos empresarios privados cubanos tienen esas cuentas, pero consultoras isleñas independientes dijeron que es una mala señal para el desarrollo de negocios particulares en Cuba.

“En un momento no concebían que un sector no estatal podía tener una relación totalmente natural, protagónica junto al sector estatal”, dijo Díaz-Canel en su programa de internet.

“Ahora están atacando también a ese sector y eso es una expresión cada vez más fehaciente de que no hay ningún interés, no hay ninguna voluntad por beneficiar a nuestro pueblo, que todo es una mentira, que todo es una falacia”, agregó el mandatario.

Las sanciones y el bloqueo energético de Estados Unidos han agravado la crisis económica que la isla sufre desde hace un lustro y han tenido un fuerte impacto en la población con apagones de más de 30 horas, transporte paralizado, cancelación de vuelos y caída de todos los sectores productivos.

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Jail records show Jefry Fuentes Acevedo was arrested Thursday by the Hialeah Police Department on charges of sexual battery of a victim between 12 and 17 years old and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child between 12 and 16 years old.

The victim told investigators she had known Acevedo for approximately three years, according to an arrest report. Local 10 News is not identifying the relationship between the suspect and victim in an effort to protect her identity.

Police said an investigation began Wednesday night after Hialeah police detectives were called to an apartment in the 6200 block of West 24th Avenue in Hialeah regarding a reported “sex offense.”

The victim told police that Acevedo had been sexually abusing her for approximately two years, according to the report. She said she had told her mother about the abuse back in March and that her mother “did not care,” the report states.

In an interview with investigators, the victim described a sexual assault that she said occurred about five or six months earlier while she and Acevedo were alone at the home, police said. She said it occurred when her parents had left to attend a party, according to the report.

The victim told police that she attempted to leave the living room and go upstairs to her bedroom when Acevedo grabbed her and pulled her back, telling her to “stay here,” the report states.

According to the report, Acevedo then pulled the victim closer to him and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

The victim also described another encounter two days later.

She told investigators that Acevedo approached her from behind while she was cooking and repeatedly “positioned his body against her despite her attempts to move away,” according to the report. Police said she eventually went into a bathroom until he walked away.

A second arrest report from Oct. 1, 2025, details additional allegations dating back to when the victim was between 13 and 15 years old and Acevedo was between 17 and 18.

The victim told investigators that approximately eight incidents involving Acevedo occurred, according to the report.

During her account of the first alleged incident, the victim said she was home alone with Acevedo when he took her into his bedroom, the report states.

She told police that he locked the door and placed a table against it before the assault, which left her bleeding, according to the report.

The Oct. 1 report also details an interview with the victim’s 11-year-old brother.

Police said the boy was interviewed by a child protection team and told investigators that he had observed sexual activity involving the victim and Acevedo while he was playing video games.

They said investigators later located Acevedo at his home in Miami Shores and took him into custody.

As of Friday afternoon, Fuentes Acevedo was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Jefry Fuentes Acevedo fue arrestado el jueves por el Departamento de Policía de Hialeah bajo cargos de agresión sexual contra una víctima de entre 12 y 17 años y conducta lasciva y libidinosa contra una menor de entre 12 y 16 años.

La víctima dijo a los investigadores que conocía a Acevedo desde hacía aproximadamente tres años, según un informe de arresto.

La Policía dijo que una investigación comenzó la noche del miércoles después de que detectives de la Policía de Hialeah fueran llamados a un apartamento en la cuadra 6200 de West 24th Avenue en Hialeah por un supuesto “delito sexual”.

La víctima dijo a la Policía que Acevedo había abusado sexualmente de ella durante aproximadamente dos años, según el informe. Dijo que había contado a su madre sobre los abusos en marzo y que su madre “no le dio importancia”, señala el informe.

En una entrevista con los investigadores, la víctima describió una agresión sexual que, según dijo, ocurrió unos cinco o seis meses antes, mientras ella y Acevedo estaban solos en la vivienda, informó la Policía. Dijo que ocurrió cuando sus padres habían salido para asistir a una fiesta, según el informe.

La víctima dijo a la Policía que intentó salir de la sala y subir a su habitación cuando Acevedo la agarró y la jaló hacia atrás, diciéndole que “se quedara aquí”, señala el informe.

Según el informe, Acevedo luego acercó a la víctima hacia él y la obligó a practicarle sexo oral.

La víctima también describió otro encuentro ocurrido dos días después.

Dijo a los investigadores que Acevedo se acercó a ella por detrás mientras cocinaba y repetidamente “colocó su cuerpo contra ella a pesar de sus intentos por alejarse”, según el informe. La Policía dijo que finalmente ella entró a un baño hasta que él se alejó.

Un segundo informe de arresto del 1 de octubre de 2025 detalla acusaciones adicionales que se remontan a cuando la víctima tenía entre 13 y 15 años y Acevedo tenía entre 17 y 18 años.

La víctima dijo a los investigadores que ocurrieron aproximadamente ocho incidentes con Acevedo, según el informe.

Al relatar el primer supuesto incidente, la víctima dijo que estaba sola en casa con Acevedo cuando él la llevó a su habitación, señala el informe.

Dijo a la Policía que él cerró la puerta con llave y colocó una mesa contra ella antes de la agresión, lo que le provocó sangrado, según el informe.

El informe del 1 de octubre también detalla una entrevista con el hermano de 11 años de la víctima.

La Policía dijo que el niño fue entrevistado por un equipo de protección infantil y contó a los investigadores que había observado actividad sexual entre la víctima y Acevedo mientras jugaba videojuegos.

Dijeron que posteriormente los investigadores localizaron a Acevedo en su vivienda en Miami Shores y lo detuvieron.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, Fuentes Acevedo permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

On Monday, the Trump administration lowered Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards that set out how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline. The announcement was made as the Trump administration negotiated with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

About a fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait on a typical day, and the fight over its control has sent energy prices soaring across the globe.

The environmental groups filed the petition for review Friday in the U.S. Court of Appeals against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Jonathan Morrison, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets the rules.

“We’re taking the Trump administration to court for this reckless rollback that prioritizes Big Oil and automaker profits over American families,” Katherine Garcia, director of Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program, said in a statement. “It is unlawful for Trump to turn back the clock on fuel-efficient cars, forcing drivers to waste more money on gas and communities to breathe toxic air.”

The Center for Biological Diversity, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen, along with the Sierra Club, filed the suit.

The Transportation Department and NHTSA earlier this week lowered the standards to an industry fleetwide average of roughly 34.9 miles per gallon for passenger cars and light trucks in the 2031 model year, down from a projected 50.4 miles per gallon under rules set by the Biden administration.

The administration said the change would provide Americans more vehicle choice and encourage consumers to buy newer, safer vehicles. Experts say reducing fuel economy requirements in vehicles does not necessarily lower their cost, nor would it automatically translate to new vehicle sales.

Duffy said the new rule also cuts the “illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn’t want.”

There has never been a mandate that manufacturers sell EVs or Americans buy them; the rules and other cleaner vehicle standards incentivized automakers to sell a mix of electric, hybrid electric and increasingly-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles.

When reached for comment, a DOT spokesperson referred to statements made by Duffy: "This administration understands the freedom of every American family starts with affordable cars. That’s why our new standards will make that dream more achievable by letting auto manufacturers produce the cars that fit families’ needs at a lower price.”

Auto companies and industry groups broadly welcomed Monday's change, saying the rules under the Biden administration were too stringent and did not benefit consumers.

But environmental organizations decried the changes.

“With gas prices at historic highs, Trump picked the worst possible time to roll back federal mileage standards,” David Pettit, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, said in a statement. “Oil companies will profit from less efficient cars, but drivers will take a hit to their wallets and our kids will breathe dirtier air. We’ll all pay the price for more tailpipe pollutants spewing everywhere from playgrounds to wild places. We’re asking the courts to put a stop to this callous giveaway to Big Oil and Big Auto.”

Gas prices have hovered around $4.50 and diesel has hit unprecedented heights in recent weeks, according to AAA.

The DOT said Monday that the rule would cut yearly oil consumption in 2050 by about 1.3 billion barrels as compared with yearly oil consumption in 2024, but NHTSA had estimated the 2024 standards would have saved 14 billion gallons of gasoline from being burned by that year.

Fuel economy requirements have been in place since the 1970s energy crisis, and over time, have led to improved average efficiency in vehicles.

President Donald Trump has made a number of moves to undercut cleaner vehicles in the U.S. These include eliminating electric vehicle tax credits; scrapping vehicle emissions standards; repealing the fines for automakers who don’t meet mileage rules; and attempting to block the nation’s EV charging buildout.

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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Rocco Repetto Taylor of Spain had a 64 at Kingsbarns and was among three players one shot behind, while defending champion Robert MacIntyre kept his cool under a gray sky in Fife for a 65 to get within three shots.

The top names — Jarvis, MacIntyre, Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton — move on to the Old Course at St. Andrews on Saturday before the 54-hole cut is made in the tournament that pairs pros with amateurs over Kingsbarns, St. Andrews and Carnoustie.

Jarvis, who won the Kenya Open and South African Open in consecutive weeks in February, was the final consideration for the International team at the Presidents Cup but was overlooked. His game had gone flat this summer, except for a top 10 at the British Open due to a closing 66.

“It's nice to be back, and I think this week can give me a bit of confidence toward the end of the season,” Jarvis said. “I played two links courses in the past month (Irish Open and Nexo Championship at Aberdeen), and I haven't played particularly well. But I think the finish at The Open really helped. ... I know I can compete when we do play links golf.”

Jarvis was at 11-under 133. M.J. Daffue of South Africa (68 at St. Andrews) and Matthew Jordan of England (65 at Carnoustie) also were one shot behind.

MacIntyre, whom tournament officials reprimanded on Thursday for losing his temper at drone operators, gathered himself at Kingsbarns to get back in the mix.

“It’s just the way I play golf. I’m always on the edge. I’m always pushing to be better,” he said.

Five-time major champion Koepka, coming off a missed cut at Wentworth, had a 67 at Kingsbarns and was in the large group with MacIntyre just three shots behind.

Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the French Open last week for his fourth title of the year, had to settle for a 70 and was five behind. Hatton recovered from his rough start at Carnoustie with a 66 that put him seven shots off the pace.

Michael Stewart of Scotland, the No. 979 player in the world who had been playing a Tartan Pro Tour event that didn't finish until Wednesday, went from a share of the lead to a 71 at Kingsbarns that put him three behind.

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Messi is set to play in a friendly match against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday in a final appearance for the team he led to a World Cup title in 2022.

The Argentine Football Association said the goal of the match is to ensure “the best player in the world gets the home send-off he truly deserves.”

Messi, who announced his international retirement on Aug. 31, flew in from Miami on a private jet with his family, landing in his hometown of Rosario, 300 kilometers (about 190 miles) north of Buenos Aires.

A reunion for World Cup winners

Several fellow 2022 World Cup champions will join the celebrations. However, Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina were unable to attend after Roma declined to release them.

Messi’s decision brings the curtain down on a historic 21-year international career in the Albiceleste jersey, leaving behind a legacy that includes 125 goals and reaching two more World Cup finals — losing to Spain this year and Germany in 2014.

Messi is not taking part in any of Argentina's other games in this international window. The team beat Bolivia 4-0 on Wednesday and will also play Burkina Faso on Saturday.

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Broward County court records identify the suspect as Randall Duffy Walterhoefer, of Fort Lauderdale, who was arrested Wednesday.

According to an arrest warrant, Walterhoefer is accused of entering vehicles belonging to the Avis/Budget rental car business without permission at the airport’s Rental Car Center garage at 600 Terminal Drive.

The warrant alleges six of the vehicle burglaries occurred on Sept. 12.

Among the vehicles listed in the warrant were a 2025 Hyundai Genesis, a 2025 Mercedes C300, a 2026 Mercedes MC3R, a 2025 Kia Carnival, a 2025 Mazda CX90 and a 2026 Cadillac CT5A.

Investigators allege Walterhoefer removed vehicle keys or key fobs from the rental vehicles.

According to the warrant, Walterhoefer is accused of stealing approximately $4,400 worth of property from six vehicles on Sept. 12.

Authorities allege he returned to the airport rental car garage four days later, on Sept. 16, and entered a 2026 BMW X3 belonging to Avis/Budget.

The warrant states approximately $1,800 worth of property was taken from that vehicle.

A judge signed the arrest warrant on Tuesday.

Booking records show Walterhoefer was arrested the following day. He faces seven counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance while unarmed and two counts of grand theft involving property valued between $750 and $5,000.

The warrant set bond at $5,000 for each of the seven burglary counts and $1,000 for each of the two grand theft counts for a total of $37,000.

Los registros judiciales del condado Broward identifican al sospechoso como Randall Duffy Walterhoefer, de Fort Lauderdale, quien fue arrestado el miércoles.

Según una orden de arresto, Walterhoefer es acusado de ingresar sin autorización a vehículos pertenecientes a la empresa de alquiler de autos Avis/Budget en el garaje del Centro de Alquiler de Autos del aeropuerto, ubicado en 600 Terminal Drive.

La orden alega que seis de los robos a vehículos ocurrieron el 12 de septiembre.

Entre los vehículos mencionados en la orden se encontraban un Hyundai Genesis 2025, un Mercedes C300 2025, un Mercedes MC3R 2026, un Kia Carnival 2025, un Mazda CX90 2025 y un Cadillac CT5A 2026.

Los investigadores alegan que Walterhoefer retiró las llaves o controles remotos de las llaves de los vehículos de alquiler.

Según la orden, Walterhoefer es acusado de robar aproximadamente $4,400 USD en propiedades de seis vehículos el 12 de septiembre.

Las autoridades alegan que regresó al garaje de alquiler de autos del aeropuerto cuatro días después, el 16 de septiembre, e ingresó a un BMW X3 2026 perteneciente a Avis/Budget.

La orden señala que aproximadamente $1,800 USD en propiedades fueron robadas de ese vehículo.

Un juez firmó la orden de arresto el martes.

Los registros de ingreso a la cárcel muestran que Walterhoefer fue arrestado al día siguiente. Enfrenta siete cargos de robo en un vehículo desocupado sin estar armado y dos cargos de hurto mayor relacionados con propiedades valoradas entre $750 y $5,000 USD.

La orden estableció una fianza de $5,000 USD por cada uno de los siete cargos de robo y de $1,000 USD por cada uno de los dos cargos de hurto mayor, para un total de $37,000 USD.

It was unclear what episodes from the FBI's past are chronicled in the new “Patel Report.” But the document's existence is in keeping with Director Kash Patel's frequent criticism of the leaders who preceded him as well as with his determination to rid the FBI of agents and other employees he contends have politicized the bureau in the past. Patel's critics, however, accuse him of politicizing the FBI.

Though Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing last year that he would not look “backward,” he has encouraged investigation of former senior officials and has presided over waves of terminations, including of employees who participated in years-old investigations of President Donald Trump, were photographed taking a knee during a 2020 racial justice protest and contributed to a disputed analytical memo about Catholic extremism.

“The Patel Report looks backward because accountability demands it,” says a memo to the workforce signed by the FBI's co-deputy directors, Christopher Raia and Andrew Bailey, that describes the document as marking the “closing of one chapter in our history and the beginning of another complete with a brighter future ahead.”

Bailey announced his resignation earlier this week, and his last day is Friday. The FBI declined to comment on the report.

The message also says: “We cannot change what happened before we arrived. But we can confront it honestly. We can recognize failures instead of protecting them. We can hold people accountable. We can fix what was broken. And we can build safeguards strong enough to ensure the mistakes of the past are never allowed to define this institution again. These steps are consistent with any institution of excellence that is constantly striving for improvement."

It was unclear if the report made recommendations or demanded any action to address past shortcomings.

The FBI message says the report is meant to ”promote fierce organizational accountability” and rebuild “public trust.”

But Patel’s critics say the politically charged investigations into perceived adversaries of Trump that the FBI has started under his watch, as well as the punishment of agents who participated in investigations into the Republican president to which they were assigned, have eroded faith in the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.

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Follow the AP's coverage of the FBI at https://apnews.com/hub/us-federal-bureau-of-investigation.

As of Friday, no confirmed connection to the Islamic Republic had emerged. Britain has not made public any evidence linking Iran to the air-base arrests on terrorism-related charges. And an official who was not authorized to speak to the media said there is currently no evidence of a link between Iran and the cockpit attack.

The investigations are in the early stages. If an Iranian link to the Britain arrests is confirmed, it would underline a strategy that Iran’s government has promoted for decades, using smaller, relatively low-cost attacks to needle and disrupt more powerful adversaries and their economies while causing friction among allies. That strategy is currently on display in the Strait of Hormuz.

If it is confirmed that Iran played a role in targeting the FlyDubai flight, that would represent a dangerous new level in that approach.

Iran denies any involvement

Iran has denied involvement in Sunday’s arrests close to the RAF Fairford air base, which has been used by U.S. bombers to strike Iran. Iranian leaders summoned Britain's ambassador and called on the British government to provide an official explanation.

Police on Thursday arrested a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian citizen on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, while five other suspects were released on bail. Detectives said they found a quantity of an accelerant — gasoline — in vans near the air base, but no explosives.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the U.K. sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident but did not provide details.

In the FlyDubai attack, Iran has not commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that the co-pilot might have links to Iran. Asked whether he had been briefed about any links, Trump said, “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now." He did not elaborate.

But even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the world's most vocal critics of Iran, has said it's too soon to say.

With governments not sharing key details — such as suspects’ identities or possible motives, which are not made public during active police investigations in Britain — speculation risks filling the void.

“When you have this kind of gray area where evidence is lacking, there’s a tendency, especially (by) politicians, the media, etc., to attribute everything to Iran," said Antonio Giustozzi, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defense think tank. "And much of it is true, but not necessarily all of it is true.”

He said the Iranians do not deny that they have cells abroad.

Incidents such as the one at RAF Fairford appear to fit a pattern of attacks designed to apply pressure and signal to U.S. allies that “in this case we did not do anything too terrible, but it wouldn’t be difficult to do something terrible,” Giustozzi said.

He doubted, however, that Iran was involved in the FlyDubai incident: “In terms of strategy, dragging Israel in now brings zero benefit to Iran and only complicates the situation."

Iran praised asymmetric warfare

As recently as the past week, Iranian officials have openly promoted asymmetric warfare as a central strategy.

“Asymmetric warfare means confronting the enemy’s expensive heavy weapons with lower costs and simpler, but more effective and practical defense equipment, and still achieving victory,” a senior Iranian military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, said in comments reported by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Such tactics are based on “self-sacrifice, faith and spirituality,” he said, and called conventional warfare vulnerable to this approach.

Tehran turned to that approach after the Islamic Revolution there in 1979 cut off military and other support from previous allies, including the United States. Iran embraced asymmetric efforts, notably the use of drones, during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and again during the current war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iran's tactics have included a barrage of drone attacks against regional neighbors that host U.S. bases and assaults on ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Small attack boats and mines have also menaced the strait. Armed proxies of Iran have launched attacks in southern Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza and Iraq.

“Tehran understands that it cannot defeat Israel or the United States in a conventional, high-intensity war. Instead, the regime seems to be deploying an asymmetric and attritional response designed not for decisive battlefield victory, but rather endurance and survival,” the Soufan Center think tank wrote earlier this year.

Iran has denied alleged acts of sabotage

Iran has acknowledged some direct military or paramilitary attacks during the war, including against U.S. warships. But the kind of involvement authorities have suggested about the FlyDubai and England incidents is more indirect, making it difficult to confirm and easier to deny.

The allegations echo concerns about the acts of sabotage in Europe that Russia has been widely accused of backing since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has denied them.

Tehran has faced similar allegations in the past. In an effort to "mitigate the risk of retaliatory attacks against Iran, Iranian agents have taken to hiring criminal proxies to carry out attacks at Tehran’s behest,” Matthew Levitt with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who maintains a database of incidents, wrote last year.

In one high-profile case, the U.S. Justice Department in November 2024 disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by a government official before that month's election. Iran's government rejected the report and called it a plot to complicate relations.

More recently, U.K. officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arson and other attacks in Britain and other European countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community or opponents of Iran’s Islamic theocracy. In October 2025, the head of the MI5 domestic intelligence service said his agency had tracked more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots in the past year.

Several suspects as young as their teens have been charged in the U.K. over arson attacks targeting synagogues and Jewish ambulances. Officials say the crimes are often carried out for small sums of money, and that those arrested may have little or no knowledge of the link to Iran. That, too, has echoed alleged Russia-backed attacks in Europe.

In July, Britain banned the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, or IMCR, which it said is an Iran proxy group behind the attacks. The IMCR sprang up online earlier this year and has claimed responsibility for synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.

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Carlos Ysidro was arrested by Key West police shortly before 1 a.m., according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Ysidro is accused of repeatedly calling and texting his ex-girlfriend. When she did not respond, investigators said he went to her home.

Ysidro is accused of repeatedly knocking on the door and looking through the home’s windows, causing the woman to fear for her safety and the safety of her two children, ages 17 and 20, who were inside with her.

The woman called 911 for help, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Ysidro was subsequently arrested on an aggravated stalking charge and was booked into jail.

The Sheriff’s Office said Ysidro has since been terminated from his position. He was hired on Dec. 15, 2025, and was still a probationary employee at the time of his arrest.

“This type of behavior is not acceptable for anyone, especially our employees,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement. “We remain committed to informing the public openly and honestly, regardless of the circumstances, and taking immediate action when something like this takes place.”

Un agente de correcciones de la Oficina del Sheriff del condado Monroe fue despedido después de ser arrestado la madrugada del viernes por un cargo de delito grave de acoso agravado contra su ex novia, informaron las autoridades.

Carlos Ysidro fue arrestado por la Policía de Key West poco antes de la 1 a.m., según la Oficina del Sheriff del condado Monroe.

Las autoridades indicaron que Ysidro es acusado de llamar y enviar mensajes de texto repetidamente a su ex novia. Cuando ella no respondió, los investigadores dijeron que fue a su casa.

Ysidro es acusado de tocar repetidamente la puerta y mirar por las ventanas de la vivienda, lo que hizo que la mujer temiera por su seguridad y la de sus dos hijos, de 17 y 20 años, quienes estaban dentro con ella.

La mujer llamó al 911 para pedir ayuda, según la Oficina del Sheriff.

La advertencia de Jorge García Cuerva se produjo en vísperas de la peregrinación de miles de fieles a la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, el principal templo católico argentino donde el pontífice oficiará una misa en el marco de su viaje al país entre el 8 y el 11 de noviembre.

La visita del papa de origen estadounidense —la primera que hace un líder de la Santa Sede desde los años 80— se enmarca en una gira que incluye a Uruguay y Perú.

“El papa se va a encontrar con una Argentina dividida... donde la descalificación y la intolerancia están a la orden del día, donde duele el porcentaje muy grande de hermanos que lo están pasando mal, de hermanos muy pobres desde hace muchos años”, afirmó García Cuerva a periodistas al término de la celebración de una misa en Buenos Aires.

El recorrido del pontífice en la patria de su predecesor Francisco incluye las ciudades de Buenos Aires, Claypole, Córdoba y Luján. Robert Prevost se reunirá con el presidente Javier Milei, celebrará misas masivas y visitará una cárcel y un hogar para personas con discapacidades, entre otras actividades.

García Cuerva recalcó que Argentina “está en crisis desde hace muchos años” y elogió a sus habitantes “que no bajan los brazos, que siguen luchando para salir adelante”.

“Eso va a ser manifestado mañana, cuando un millón de personas vuelva a apostar por la unidad y caminemos todos a la casa de María en Luján”, dijo sobre la peregrinación que partirá el sábado al templo dedicado a la Virgen de Luján, la patrona de Argentina, situado a unos 75 kilómetros de Buenos Aires. Este peregrinaje se celebra todos los años y congrega a decenas de miles de personas.

García Cuerva ha advertido en otras ocasiones sobre el clima político crispado en Argentina y criticado las agresiones verbales difundidas en las redes sociales por allegados y seguidores del mandatario.

También ha criticado el impacto de las políticas de austeridad de Milei en ceremonias religiosas señalando que el país “sangra de inequidad” y que el gobierno está alejado “de la gente de pie”.

En septiembre, el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos reportó que la pobreza aumentó en el primer semestre del año y afecta al 32,3% de la población. En el segundo semestre de 2025 había sido de 28,2%, el nivel más bajo de los últimos ocho años.

A drug task force in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on Sept. 21.

It’s still not clear whether those substances contributed to either death, but federal prosecutors said both appear consistent with drug overdoses. Two state agencies were working to expedite toxicology reports for the students, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement last week.

Bank records show one of the students, Aidan Hamilton, made multiple purchases in September from a local vape, tobacco and beer store, according to a federal court filing.

On Sept. 24, an informant sent to the store by investigators purchased kratom-based pills from the clerk, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, who warned the informant to “be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them," U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Dassance said in an affidavit.

Authorities later detained Mosleh and his son, Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, who was working behind the counter, and charged them each with one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Scott Davis, an attorney for the elder Mosleh, and A.E. Harlow, Jr., an attorney for Islam Mosleh, said in emails that they had no comment.

Kratom, which comes from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is legal at the federal level, but some state and local governments have banned it, and federal authorities have issued warnings about its risks.

Proponents say that in its pure, ground-leaf form, kratom is a safe, natural herbal supplement that can help manage pain, anxiety and depression and ease the effects of opioid withdrawal. They say the danger is from kratom derivatives, which are often synthetic and can be highly potent. In August, the DEA banned three kratom-related compounds.

Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and the other student who died, Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, were found in different locations, one on campus and the other off campus.

Investigators found opened packages of kratom, or synthetic kratom, labeled “Smax” in Hamilton's room with some pills missing, according to the DEA agent's affidavit. A package of Smax was also found in Strang's room, though the affidavit says he was buying it from a different store.

Yahya Mosleh told the informant who went to the store on Sept. 24 to be quiet when other customers came in and pushed the kratom pills out of sight. When the customers left, he completed the sale, according to the affidavit, again telling the informant to be careful.

La decisión se da un día después del trágico evento ocurrido en una secundaria de la ciudad norteña de Torreón, en el estado de Coahuila, donde dos hermanos gemelos de 18 años, exalumnos del plantel, presuntamente atacaron con machetes y petardos a los presentes e hirieron mortalmente a la subdirectora del centro educativo, Nedi Nevárez González, de 56 años, y lesionaron a dos maestros, un estudiante y una mujer.

Normativa para regular las redes

Tras el lamentar el hecho, Sheinbaum dijo en su habitual conferencia matutina que se creará un grupo de trabajo para que a más tardar la próxima semana se elabore un decreto que obligará a las plataformas a que “bajen de su contenido en el momento que encuentren comunicados o acciones que tiendan a la violencia, al abuso o al acoso”.

Desde hace meses la mandataria ha expresado preocupación por los mensajes que se difunden en las redes sociales, el avance de la inteligencia artificial y el creciente uso de teléfonos móviles por parte de niños y jóvenes, lo que llevó a su gobierno a aprobar el mes pasado una regulación para limitar el empleo de los celulares en las escuelas que entrará en vigor el 3 de noviembre.

“No puede ser que en las redes sociales salgan casos de abuso infantil… y que las redes no hagan nada”, afirmó Sheinbaum al plantear que es necesario que todas las plataformas digitales “asuman su responsabilidad” y eviten la difusión de mensajes violentos.

La mandataria descartó que la regulación implique una censura y aclaró que el grupo de trabajo consultará a especialistas de diferentes universidades para elaborar un decreto consensuado en el que se definirá de manera precisa los contenidos que deberán removerse.

Como parte de la estrategia, el gobierno tiene previsto fortalecer el “programa ABC” de atención de las emociones en las escuelas e incorporar a los padres a esa iniciativa e instalar en los centros educativos buzones confidenciales de denuncia para la detección temprana de situaciones de riesgo, informó el secretario de Seguridad federal, Omar García Harfuch.

El móvil del crimen

Aunque las investigaciones del caso aun están en fase preliminar, el fiscal de Coahuila, Federico Fernández, afirmó el viernes que las averiguaciones apuntan a que los dos presuntos agresores actuaron movidos por un fanatismo.

Fernández dijo a la emisora local Radio Fórmula que los dos hermanos reconocieron en declaraciones a las autoridades que son “pseudofanáticos de delincuentes que han perpetrado ataques similares en otros lugares”. Entre sus pertenencias y publicaciones en redes sociales aparecieron imágenes de petardos y cuchillos de uso militar, entre otros elementos.

El evento de Coahuila se produjo un día después de otro ataque con arma blanca en una secundaria de la ciudad central de Querétaro en el que un joven con dos cuchillos supuestamente agredió a tres trabajadores de la escuela y a un estudiante.

En los últimos años se ha visto un incremento en los ataques en las escuelas mexicanas, según un estudio que ha realizado el investigador de la Universidad de Coahuila, Víctor Sánchez Sandoval. En 2025 se contabilizaron 30 ataques, mientras en lo que va del año ya suman 31 casos, sin incluir los incidentes de esta semana.

Sánchez Sandoval dijo a The Associated Press que aunque aún faltan tres meses para finalizar el año, 2026 ya acumula el mayor registro de ataques en escuelas desde 2000, cuando inició el recuento.

Al analizar qué ha motivado el aumento de los casos, el investigador planteó tres hipótesis: la alta circulación de armas que hay en el país; el repunte de los problemas de salud mental, que se incrementaron especialmente a raíz de la pandemia de COVID-19, y la violencia en las calles mexicanas, que se ha convertido en un “caldo de cultivo” y ha incitado “procesos imitativos” entre los jóvenes.

El investigador señaló que la propuesta de Sheinbaum resulta positiva, pero añadió que para resolver la violencia en las escuelas se debe atender la raíz del problema que, aseguró, son las millones de armas, en su mayoría ilegales, que hay en México.

La policía de Fort Lauderdale informó que el peatón —cuya identidad aún no se ha dado a conocer— fue declarado fallecido en el lugar del accidente, el tren permanece detenido sobre las vías mientras las autoridades llevan a cabo la investigación.

Las autoridades señalaron que el incidente bloqueó por completo varias vías a la altura de la ubicación del tren FEC, incluyendo Flagler Drive en Andrews Avenue, Sunrise Boulevard y Northeast 13th Street.

Se insta a los conductores a evitar la zona y utilizar Broward Boulevard hacia el sur, u Oakland Park Boulevard hacia el norte, como rutas alternativas.

El helicóptero Sky 10 sobrevoló la zona alrededor de las 10:26 a. m. y captó imágenes de la policía de Fort Lauderdale en el lugar, cintas de seguridad acordonando el área y un largo tren de carga detenido atravesando varias calles. Se observó un cuerpo cubierto con una lona amarilla cerca de las vías.

No se han dado a conocer de inmediato otros detalles sobre el accidente.

2 pounds wings, split into wings and drumettes, tips removed

2 tablespoons neutral oil

1 ½ teaspoons diamond kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

⅓ cup granulated sugar

½ cup water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves smashed

fried garlic bits (this can be purchased at any Asia market)

scallions

Heat oven to 375˚F

In a bowl, pat the wings dry with a paper towel. Add the oil, salt and garlic powder and massage onto the wings. Arrange carefully in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side down. Do not line the baking sheet with anything!

Top with a wire rack and press with weights or a heavy skillet. Roast until the fat is melted and skin is bubbly and crunchy, about 45 minutes.

Using a spatula, carefully scrape the wings off the tray and into a bowl. Place the tray across two burners over medium heat and add the water, scraping up the brown bits.

Add sugar to a medium-size pot. Place over medium and cook stirring until caramelized.

Add the water and drippings from the tray, soy sauce and garlic. Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon, 4 minutes.

Scrape glaze over the wings and toss to coat. Top with fried garlic and scallions.

2 jalapenos, small diced (we seeded our jalapenos for a milder dip, leave some seeds and veins in the chilies if you want your dip to be spicier.)

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 4-ounce can green hatch chilies

½ cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted in butter until golden brown

your favorite tortilla chips, for serving

Heat your oven to 400˚F.

Combine the diced jalapenos, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, ½ cup shredded cheeses, hatch chilies and spoon into a small skillet. Top with the rest of the cheese and bake until melty bubbly. Top with toasted breadcrumbs. Serve with tortilla chips.

Romo had been on leave since his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin. He had been the lead game analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage since 2017.

“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways,” CBS Sports said Friday in a statement. “We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward.”

Analyst JJ Watt had joined play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Romo’s absence. Watt will continue in that role now and all other CBS teams will remain the same.

“I’m proud of what I accomplished at CBS Sports over the last nine years," Romo said in a statement. "I approached my role as a game analyst the way I’ve approached everything in my life — with a desire to win and be the best that I can be. I’m going to use this time to take a break, something I’ve never done before, and focus on my health and my family before moving on to my next opportunity. I am grateful for my time with CBS Sports and for the continued support of my family and friends, as well as the NFL community and fans.”

Romo was arrested following a traffic stop as he was driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. He pleaded no contest to a charge of operating while intoxicated on Sept. 1 and issued a statement apologizing for the actions that led to his arrest.

According to Milwaukee County court records, Romo lost his driving privileges for six months and was ordered to complete an alcohol assessment program.

“The past month has been difficult, but it has also been personally significant,” Romo said Sept. 1 in a statement on Instagram. “It has required me to confront and own my mistakes fully — to the Lord, to myself, to my family and now to the public.”

Romo said the multiple back surgeries that led to his retirement as a player “left me with constant, debilitating pain.” He noted that the pain “led to a dependence on pain medication, and my efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol.”

“None of this is an excuse,” Romo said. “These are my failures and I take responsibility for them.”

Romo said he is working with a team of doctors to address his health and “make the necessary changes.”

The 46-year-old Romo made four Pro Bowl appearances during a playing career that ran from 2004-16 and was spent entirely with Dallas.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

For the nachos:

your favorite potato chips, preferably something thick cut or kettle cooked

finely grated Manchego cheese

good quality thinly sliced jamon serrano

Spanish olives stuffed with anchovies or your favorite Spanish-style olives, sliced into rounds

Fresh tomato salsa (recipe below)

Fresh tomato salsa:

2 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes (You can use any ripe tomatoes, just add a few more to get the right ratio)

1 small garlic clove, grated on a mandolin

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

heavy pinch salt

Cut tomatoes in half. Remove and discard any tough core.

Working over a bowl, grate the tomato, flesh side down, against a box grater using the large hole.

Continue grating until you reach the skin. Discard the skin.

Stir in the grated garlic clove, olive oil and salt. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired.

To build the nachos:

Preheat your oven to 325˚F.

Lay out a bag of kettle chips on a baking sheet and place in the oven to warm for a few minutes. Once the chips are warm, remove from the oven and top with grated manchego cheese and let melt a little. You can place the chips back in the oven to fully melt the cheese if desired. Top with thin slices of jamon serrano, Spanish olives and spoonfuls of the grated tomato mixture.

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Fort Lauderdale police said the pedestrian, who has not been identified at this time, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the train remains stopped on the tracks as police conduct an investigation.

They said the crash temporarily blocked several roads at the FEC tracks. The train has since resumed moving, and all railroad crossings north of Andrews Avenue have reopened to traffic.

Flagler Drive at Andrews Avenue remains closed as the investigation continues. Drivers can use Broward Boulevard or Sunrise Boulevard as alternate routes.

Sky 10 flew over the scene around 10:26 a.m. and saw Fort Lauderdale police at the scene, crime scene tape surrounding the area and a long freight train stopped across several streets. A body was covered by a yellow tarp near the tracks.

No other details about the crash were immediately released.

Roger Mariaca pasó la noche en una celda policial a la espera de su audiencia en la que un juez decidirá si lo envía a la cárcel mientras es investigado por los presuntos delitos de organización criminal y enriquecimiento ilícito.

En tanto, senadores y diputados analizaban las pruebas y debatían si destituyen a Mariaca o nombran a un interino. A su vez las autoridades desconocieron al fiscal Luis Montaño y lo acusaron de “usurpar funciones” después de que se autoproclamara fiscal general, dijo el vocero presidencial José Luis Gálvez. Mariaca no renunció tras su detención.

También es buscado el exministro de Gobierno, Eduardo del Castillo, por la supuesta protección al presunto narcotraficante uruguayo Sebastián Marset, capturado y entregado a la DEA en marzo pasado, quien vivía y operaba en el oriente boliviano mientras era buscado en varios países del continente.

En tanto, la madrugada del viernes la policía allanó domicilios de Mariaca y detuvo a su edecán con un botín de un millón de bolivianos (dólares). La víspera se incautaron 3,5 millones de bolivianos (dólares) y unos 10.000 dólares que eran sacados del domicilio del fiscal en una ambulancia, dijo la policía.

“Hemos roto una estructura criminal que era liderada por Mariaca”, sostuvo el ministro de Gobierno, Marco Antonio Oviedo, en la sesión legislativa.

Mariaca fue detenido la madrugada del jueves dos días después de que el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos le revocara la visa acusándolo de “recibir sobornos para favorecer el narcotráfico”. También fueron detenidos otros altos funcionarios judiciales.

La operación fue respaldada por el Escudo de las Américas, la alianza continental de gobiernos de derecha liderada por el presidente Donald Trump contra el crimen organizado que, en una declaración conjunta, respaldó al gobierno de Rodrigo Paz “por sus acciones decisivas para enfrentar el narcotráfico, combatir la corrupción y exigir la responsabilidad de quienes lo facilitan”.

El caso se presenta en un momento complicado para Paz, quien afronta un creciente malestar social por una caída en el poder adquisitivo de los ingresos tras la eliminación de subsidios al diésel que ha elevado el precio de los alimentos. Además, el gobierno se ha visto salpicado por escándalos que afectaron la imagen del mandatario, como el caso de su detenido asesor, el argentino Fernando Cerimedo.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo unveiled the so-called “golden passport” scheme at an investor event in Paris, saying applications are expected to open before the end of the year.

Applicants have two options: make a nonrefundable $350,000 contribution to the Argentine Treasury or invest $800,000 in a new government bond that must be held for seven years. Contributions would increase depending on family size, with a family of four expected to pay $500,000, officials said.

Securing dollars is critical for Milei as he prepares to seek reelection next year. Argentina’s Treasury faces nearly $25 billion in foreign-currency debt payments coming due in 2027. But having narrowed its financing options by holding off on a return to international bond markets, the government is searching for alternative sources of revenue.

A consortium of investment firms advising the government estimated that the paid-citizenship program could raise up to $2.5 billion for Argentina if it receives the expected number of applicants.

Citizenship with global reach

So-called “golden visa” programs have become increasingly common among cash-strapped countries battling to attract deep-pocketed foreigners, with about 60 nations offering residency privileges in exchange for one-off investments. U.S. President Donald Trump launched his own “gold card” program for the U.S. last year.

Citizenship-for-investment programs go further, offering more rights and a passport that opens doors abroad. Only about a dozen countries have active programs, including small Caribbean island states.

Argentina, a G-20 nation of 46 million people home to a vast Patagonian wilderness and culturally vibrant capital, is set to become the first South American country to join their ranks.

“The Argentine passport is highly valued, accepted in more than 140 countries,” Caputo said, referring to destinations Argentines can visit without obtaining a visa in advance — from China and Russia to Europe’s Schengen area and most of Latin America.

For wealthy people from countries that face visa restrictions, whether in Southeast Asia or the Arab world, Argentine citizenship could make it easier to travel and do business internationally, said Kristin Surak, a professor at the London School of Economics and author of “The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires."

"It’s not only the benefits that you get within Argentina,” she said. “You also get benefits globally in terms of where you can go.”

A second passport as a Plan B

The clientele of such programs has shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic, industry experts say, with more Americans and Europeans — whose passports already offer extensive visa-free travel — seeking a foothold abroad as an escape hatch at a time of mounting geopolitical uncertainty.

“The Southern Cone of South America is the ultimate Plan B destination. It’s not on the way to anywhere strategically important. It’s a region that’s always staying out of global armed conflict,” said Christian Nesheim, editor of Investment Migration Insider, a trade journal. “It’s self-sufficient when it comes to food, to energy.”

A country with a history of military coups, debt defaults and runaway inflation that long sent its own business elite seeking opportunities abroad might seem an unlikely refuge for investors chasing stability. But Milei is trying to recast Argentina as a destination for foreign wealth, slashing public spending, dismantling regulations and courting investment in the country’s vast oil and mineral resources.

Caputo said the idea for the citizenship-for-investment program emerged during Milei’s July 2024 visit to Sun Valley, Idaho, when tech executives expressed interest in obtaining Argentine citizenship.

A self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist,” Milei has cultivated close ties with libertarian-minded tech billionaires such as Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of Milei's drive to shrink government. Last year, he brandished a chainsaw gifted by the Argentine leader as a symbol of his own campaign to slash U.S. government spending.

Another ideological ally is Peter Thiel, a co-founder of software firm Palantir who temporarily moved his family to Buenos Aires in April. Corporate records obtained by The Associated Press show that a company linked to his investment firm, Thiel Capital, owns a $13.5 million mansion in the city’s upscale Barrio Parque neighborhood. Thiel also secured New Zealand citizenship in 2011, receiving a special exemption from the usual residency requirements.

“I think that this 'Peter Thiel in Argentina' story is maybe a bit of a proof of concept (for the citizenship program)," said Philippe Amarante, managing partner and head of government advisory at Henley & Partners, a consultancy that helps clients obtain passports around the globe.

“He stands for this idea that independent, wealthy, successful people do have choices around the world. And if you provide the right environments and right habitats, the right ecosystem, they might choose you.”

The risks of selling citizenship

Golden passport programs have long drawn criticism over their vulnerability to corruption. The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.

In a blow to the investment migration industry, the European Union’s top court ruled Malta’s golden passport program unlawful in April 2025, declaring that EU citizenship could not be sold. Other countries have also scrapped cash-for-residency programs, citing concerns ranging from dirty money to housing affordability.

Caputo vowed to prevent such pitfalls, with intelligence and financial oversight agencies helping to vet applicants’ identities, criminal records and sources of funds.

The aim, he said, is to protect “the international standing of Argentine citizenship.”

___

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

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

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

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

Kendrick responded, “He saw a punching bag.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So what does that mean?” Glazer asked.

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

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

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

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

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

Ross also denied the allegation when Local 10’s Jeff Derderian repeatedly asked him if he strangled the woman.

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

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

Ross’ attorneys, Steve Sadow and Bradley Horenstein, released a statement Thursday evening on his behalf, saying he was being “wrongfully accused” and asking the public not to “prejudge” the case.

“William Roberts II, professionally known as Rick Ross, is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear,” the statement read. “The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place. Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course.”

An Okaloosa County jury acquitted Eddie Duran, 38, on Thursday. Duran had faced up to 30 years in prison.

Duran, who is Hispanic, worked for the Okaloosa County sheriff's department in May 2024 when he responded to Roger Fortson's Fort Walton Beach apartment near Hurlburt Field, where the airman was stationed.

The sheriff's office had said the deputy “reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun.” The shooting was captured on the deputy's body camera.

The video shows the deputy banging on the door and stepping aside, seemingly out of view of the door. Twice he shouted: “Sheriff’s office! Open the door!”

Fortson opened the door and could be seen holding what appeared to be a handgun pointed down toward the floor. The deputy shouted, “Step back!” and fired off shots. He then shouted, “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!”

“It’s over there,” Fortson said.

“Drop the gun!” the deputy yelled back.

“I don’t have it,” Fortson said, lying on the ground.

The deputy then called paramedics on his radio.

Fortson later died at a hospital. The domestic disturbance report that led Duran to Fortson’s apartment turned out to be false.

After the shooting, authorities said Fortson was alone in the apartment and on the phone with his girlfriend.

Fortson was assigned as a missions operator to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field. He was a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew, which loads the gunship’s 30 mm and 105 mm cannons during missions.

The State Attorney’s office prosecuted Duran and said in a news release that it accepts the jury’s verdict, which means the state “did not prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror.”

“We understand that this verdict will cause pain, anger, or disappointment for many people, particularly some members of the community who view Senior Airman Fortson’s death within a context of encounters nationally involving law enforcement,” the State Attorney's office said. “Those reactions should not be dismissed.”

Duran was fired after an internal sheriff’s office investigation later determined his life was not in danger when he shot Fortson.

Duran’s attorney, Rod Smith, said the shooting was a police officer safety issue and that Duran went to Fortson’s apartment “to find out what was going on based on a complaint from a neighbor.”

“None of this needed to happen,” Smith told The Associated Press on Friday. “(Fortson) absolutely knew a police officer was at the door. Deputy Duran, himself, was also a victim of a terrible tragedy. He had followed his training. The guy answered the door with a semiautomatic pistol in his hand.”

It is highly unusual for Florida law enforcement officers to be charged for an on-duty killing — it has only happened four times in the last 35 years before Fortson's killing. Even then, only one of those officers was convicted.

“Deputies perform essential and often dangerous work every day, and are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and fair process as everyone else accused of a crime,” the State Attorney’s office said. "At the same time, the authority to use deadly force must remain subject to independent review. Presenting disputed evidence to a jury is part of that accountability and is essential to public trust.”

Fortson’s killing renewed looks at controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and some other states where gun owners can claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as “shoot first” laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in largely killing Black people.

Fortson carried his legally owned handgun to the door of his apartment after hearing banging noises that ended up being a sheriff’s deputy. It was the deputy who opened fire, not Fortson.

A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed last year by Fortson's family against Duran, Sheriff Eric Aden and others, according to Ben Crump, a prominent attorney who represents the family in the lawsuit.

“This is a painful moment for everyone who loved Roger Fortson, and his family is heartbroken," Crump said in a statement. “His family has lived with that loss every day for more than two years, and this verdict is incredibly hard for them.”

___

Williams reported from Detroit.

Trump will be stumping for Republican candidates, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running against former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones for Alabama governor, and state Rep. Rhett Marques, who is seeking to flip Alabama’s newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District. The rally will also give Trump the chance to be surrounded by some of his most loyal supporters as he confronts dismal poll numbers and growing pessimism from his party about their chances of holding onto the House and Senate in November.

“I'm going because you have to thank these states that are with you 1,000% and I haven't been there in a while and I want to just thank 'em," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House Thursday. “I go there because they want to see me there."

Trump held his first mega-rally in Mobile more than a decade ago, drawing what some estimated to be 30,000 people to a college football stadium. The huge crowd made clear that Trump was more than a celebrity candidate and had the potential to make waves in the 2016 primary.

Trump is planning an aggressive travel schedule between now and November, with trips to the most competitive battlegrounds including Ohio and Texas. But his decision to start his tour in deep red states that have garnered relatively little attention this election cycle underscores the challenges he faces.

Alabama is friendly turf as voters have soured on Trump

While Trump maintains a loyal base of supporters who turn out when he is on the ballot, he has become increasingly toxic. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research this week found that only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling his job as president. And when it comes to the economy, most blame him for rising prices.

Trump, however, has repeatedly dismissed concerns about high costs and gas prices as his unpopular war in Iran drags on.

Friday night's rally will offer Republicans the optics of a large, cheering crowd as they try to build enthusiasm. Speakers will include Tuberville and Republican Rep. Barry Moore, who is running for Tuberville's seat, and said the president’s rally “will be the jet fuel we need to win big in Alabama.”

While Republicans remain the heavy favorites in Alabama’s statewide campaigns, they face a more challenging political landscape this year, despite redistricting efforts.

Mobile is near Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures is trying to fend off a challenge from Trump-backed Marques after its lines were redrawn to be more red as part of a larger effort to help the party keep control of the U.S. House.

The district is one of several Democratic-leaning districts across the South that were reshaped to Republican advantage after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this year that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act, a Civil-Rights era law that has increased minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. Figures was first elected to the House in 2024, giving Alabama two Black representatives for the first time in its history.

Trump's rally will also reach Florida voters

Mobile is also next to Florida’s panhandle, a Republican stronghold. Party officials hope the rally will help to bolster Trump-backed candidates there, including Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.

In a meeting on Capitol Hill this week, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told GOP senators that Trump would be campaigning aggressively until the Nov. 3 midterms, with events almost every day.

Friday's rally is also expected to highlight the recent approval of the $3.2 billion Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is appearing with Gov. Kay Ivey at a groundbreaking earlier in the day.

Ivey’s office called the project the largest transportation project in Alabama history and necessary to support Alabama’s Gulf Coast region and beyond.

___

Colvin reported from New York.

The decision by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with top Senate Republicans, was disclosed Friday by four people with direct knowledge of the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy.

The shifting resources signal a lack of confidence that Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman who was President Donald Trump’s choice to run for Senate in North Carolina, can beat Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper.

The moves offer a stark sign of how dramatically the Senate map has shifted just a month before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Republicans entered the cycle believing they had more opportunities to flip Democratic-held seats than they had incumbents at serious risk. Now they are dumping money into states where Trump won comfortably two years ago.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking a second term, is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton, the leader of the nation’s largest United Methodist Church. The Senate Leadership Fund has reserved nearly $8.2 million in advertising to support Marshall over the next month, according to AdImpact, a significant investment in a state Trump won by nearly 16 percentage points in the last presidential election.

Marshall has reserved another $2.3 million and is supported by another $500,000 from other groups. By comparison, Hamilton has reserved just $590,000 in advertising, and he's receiving only a little more than $556,000 in outside help.

Warning signs for Republican incumbent in Kansas

Marshall won his first Senate race by more than 11 percentage points in 2020, the year Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump for president. However, higher fuel costs and other economic concerns have made the state more competitive than Republicans had expected.

“Kansas farmers — including Republicans — are devastated by the war in Iran driving up diesel prices,” said Jeanna Repass, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party.

Former Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden, a Republican, announced Friday that he was endorsing Hamilton. He is the second Republican former governor of Kansas to back the Democrat, after Bill Graves endorsed Hamilton on Sept. 23.

Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, the Democrats' spending arm, said in a statement that “Republicans are scrambling because they know” Hamilton can win.

Marshall's campaign did not provide comment directly responding to the new spending on his behalf.

Senate Republicans lose faith in North Carolina

The Senate Leadership Fund had planned to spend $18 million in North Carolina over the next month, according to reservations tracked by AdImpact. The group has already spent about $32 million there.

Trump campaigned with Whatley last month, saying higher fuel prices were “a very inexpensive price to pay” for preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Though gas prices are near historic highs, they remain below the nationwide record set in 2022.

Trump won North Carolina by just over 3 percentage points in 2024. Republicans have held both of the state’s Senate seats since 2015, even as Cooper won two terms as governor and served from 2017 to 2025.

Jeff Allen, campaign manager for Cooper, said in a statement that they remain focused on “building a campaign to earn every vote.”

Whatley's team defended his chances.

"We feel confident we have the resources to highlight Career Politician Roy Cooper’s 40 Years of Failures and win in November,” campaign spokesman DJ Griffin said.

There's more trouble for the party further south in Georgia. Although Republicans were eager to dislodge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff this year, they're despairing about the chances of their nominee in the race, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

“I don’t think he’s got much of a shot,” Tim Waters, Peach County Republican Party chair, previously said.

It won't be easy for Democrats

Winning the Senate majority could still prove difficult for Democrats. They would need to defeat multiple Republican incumbents in states like Ohio, Maine and Alaska, and there are some concerns that Democrats could fall short in New Hampshire.

The party is also facing a tidal wave of Republican cash, much of it connected to Trump's deep-pocketed political organization.

Semafor was first to report the spending change.

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press reporters John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., and Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.

Conanan buys thoroughbred yearlings annually for his Next Level Stables, and after his young son kept asking about the player known as “Johnny Hockey,” he pledged to name a racehorse after Gaudreau. After going to school in the Columbus, Ohio, area where Gaudreau played his final two seasons with the Blue Jackets, Devon Bradley of Bradley Thoroughbreds had the same idea.

On Saturday, the horses — Johnny Hockey and Gaudreau — will run in the same race at Belmont Park.

“Is that not bananas?” Bradley said.

The winner out of the field of six in the Grade 1 Champagne qualifies for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for 2-year-olds, the championship race that sometimes provides a sneak peek at the Kentucky Derby contenders the following spring.

“Hopefully we can run 1-2 this weekend, either way,” Conanan said. “I know Johnny’s looking down and he sees it.”

Johnny Gaudreau becomes a namesake twice

These two colts were born roughly a month apart in the winter of 2024. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died the night of Aug. 29, 2024, when they were struck riding their bicycles near their hometown in New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding in a tragedy that transcended sports.

Bradley was struck by all the great things that people said about Johnny and registered the names Johnny Hockey and Gaudreau with the Jockey Club.

Watching U.S. players at the Olympics bring Gaudreau's children on to the ice and skate around with his No. 13 jersey after winning gold in Milan was even more inspiration to use one of them. When she forgot to pay to re-up after a year and went to name the son of Nyquist — also a hockey connection for Swedish player Gustav Nyquist — and Free Cover, she saw that Johnny Hockey was already taken.

So, she went with Gaudreau for the strapping horse Bradley Thoroughbreds owns along with Tanglewood Thoroughbreds, Thirty Year Racing, Rodeo Creek Racing, Laura Leigh Stable and Swift Thoroughbreds.

“We needed a strong name: We needed a name that has some meaning, something to kind of give your horse just an extra oomph,” Bradley said. “We just felt like it fit, and I guess the rest is history."

Conanan asked the trainer at his farm in Ocala, Florida, which horse he liked best. The answer made it an easy call.

“He goes, ‘Vin, this horse always tries hard and has a big heart,’” Conanan recalled. “I was like, ‘You know what, I’ll name this one after Johnny.’ Because Johnny as a kid, he wasn’t the biggest player, but he had the biggest heart. So, I was, like, ‘This horse, I think he’s going to be the one.’"

Johnny Hockey and Gaudreau face off

Gaudreau won his debut Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course. The very next day at Monmouth Park on the Jersey shore, Johnny Hockey picked up his first victory in his fifth try.

“My hopes are very high on the horse,” Conanan said. “(Trainer) Antonio Arriaga tells me, he goes: ‘The horse trains unbelievable. He just wants to keep going. He doesn’t stop. He wants to keep going around the track.’"

Gaudreau has Chad Brown, a five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, overseeing his career, with acclaimed jockey Flavien Prat riding. Based on pedigree and performance, the expectations are lofty after just one race.

“I’m thankful that this horse looks like he’s the real deal,” Bradley said. “Hopefully, it’ll bring light to, and kind of continue on, Johnny Gaudreau’s and Matthew Gaudreau’s legacies.”

Gaudreau opened as the second choice on the morning line for the Champagne at odds of 8-5, behind 3-5 favorite U.S.S. Valor. Johnny Hockey is a 30-1 long shot.

Conanan wants to invite Johnny and Matthew's parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, later this fall if his horse pulls off the upset.

"This horse is something special," Conanan said. “I know he’ll go out there and do his best, the same way Johnny would.”

___

See AP’s full horse racing coverage here

The 49th annual awards are set to take place at Washington's downtown arena, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said Friday. Few other details were immediately available, and an explanation for the change wasn't given.

The center's board voted last month to close the iconic performing arts venue along the Potomac River waterfront after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning Trump's name to the building.

Trump has said in social media posts that the center needed to close for safety repairs. But he said the repairs would only happen if the board was allowed to move forward with plans to add his name to the building.

A federal judge has twice said that can’t happen without the approval of Congress, which has allocated $257 million for repairs.

The president hosted the 2025 awards, whose honorees included Sylvester Stallone and George Strait. He said at the time that he would rename the facility the “Trump Kennedy Center,” and not long after workers began adding his name to the building.

The board of trustees, named by Trump, voted unanimously for the change, which has been challenged in court since.

Congress named the performing arts center as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy in 1964, the year after he was assassinated.

The law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.

The Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize people for lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts, was established in 1978. The 2026 honorees are set to be named at a later day, the center's spokesperson said. The event will take place on Dec. 7.

Job Listing: STAFF ACCOUNTANT

WPLG, a top television station in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market, is looking for a versatile, take-charge professional who can execute a broad range of functions. This role performs various duties and multi-tasks across day-to-day Operations, Accounts Receivable and Payroll & Benefits. It involves meticulous planning, coordination of resources, and clear communication to optimize outcomes.

Operations Accounting (interacts with Controller and Operations Accountant):

· Process and apply daily cash receipts accurately. Prepare supporting documentation to ensure a complete audit trail for journal entries.

· Reconcile daily traffic logs and prepare daily sales pacing reports.

· Assist with Capital Expenditures by compiling monthly fixed asset records from vendor payable system.

· Assist in gathering records for fixed asset additions, disposals, reconciliations, and supporting schedules.

· Update monthly journal entries and support schedules.

· Calculate monthly accruals, prepaid expenses, music fees, depreciation and amortization schedules.

· Scan monthly journal entries and support to a shared drive.

· Update excel pivot tables from bank account downloads which are then used to prepare reports for cash disbursement journal entry.

· Reconcile bank accounts and investigate discrepancies in a timely manner.

· Assist with petty cash and safe count reconciliations.

· Collaborate with accounting team on special projects and process improvement initiatives.

Accounts Receivable (interacts with AR Manager):

· Prepare and calculate monthly Local Commissions to send to Sales Managers. Process updates, prepare chargebacks & send them to AR Manager.

· Prepare and calculate monthly National Commissions to send to AR Manager.

· Accounts Receivable Duties

• Apply cash received via ACH, checks, and credit cards.
• Identify and research financial discrepancies & issues, communicate with sales and customers to resolve.
• Prepare monthly Sales Adjustments (credits, debits, refunds, write-offs and misc. adjustments) and update YTD tracker.
• Scan monthly AR records and support to a shared drive.
• Submit required Remedy Tickets and track unpaid invoices over 45 days to resubmit those.

Payroll & Benefits (interacts with HR hub):

· Integrate into the existing payroll hub to process payroll biweekly, including tracking PTO (paid time off).

· Generate biweekly payroll related reports including 401-k contributions.

· Review, reconcile (vs. employee contributions), and approve benefit vendor invoices for payment. Follow up with vendors for discrepancies.

· Gather supporting documentation to complete 401-K and Worker’s Comp. audits.

· Monthly update of EEO record to complete annual EEO Public File Report documenting list of open positions, recruitment sources and activities.

· Maintain and update employee personnel files and forms.

· Remove terminated employee files and organize in storage

· Enter COBRA information for terminated employees.

· Post job openings to external recruitment sources.

· Update new employee power point email and health & wellness census

· Clerical Duties / Admin. Support (e.g. process employee IDs and access cards, filing, copying, emails, password resets, phone calls, employee birthday cards, maintaining and purge storage room documents and supplies.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

· Understanding and knowledge of accounting terms, journal entries and financial statements. Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance required.

· Fluency in Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint); Pivot tables a plus.

· Maintain confidentiality of information exposed to during business process regarding executives, managers, supervisors and other employees.

· Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate a sense of urgency.

· Proven ability to meet deadlines and remain flexible under pressure.

· Solid written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.

· Meticulous attention to detail to ensure accuracy and consistency.

· Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.

WORK ENVIRONMENT and PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

· Requires continuous visual ability on computers for extended periods.

· Requires sitting, stooping, bending and lifting to 25 lbs.

· Ability to work evenings during Open Enrollment Registration, Special Projects or as required.

***All essential functions of this position are not necessarily described in this posting.

***We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, or political affiliation. Any offer of employment is conditioned on successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications, and reference checks. A Valid driver’s license is required.

Please follow link below to apply for Staff Accountant Position:

https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/wplg/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/9065

WPLG/TV

3401 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Pembroke Park, FL 33023

No phone calls please.

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Local 10’s Good News South Florida teamed up with the three-time NBA champions to welcome the nonprofit Mentoring Miracles and foster youth from Genesis Hopeful Haven and His House Children’s Home to the Kaseya Center.

The teens received an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Heat’s home court, taking them through areas including the locker room and practice court and getting an up-close look at the team’s three championship trophies.

“It’s important to us to be able to pass our knowledge down to students in the community and really be pillars for anybody who needs us,” said Salinah On Yeugo, a media specialist with the Miami Heat.

Mentoring Miracles was founded by teenage twin sisters Marianne and Constanza Dominguez with a goal of introducing young people to different career possibilities.

“The purpose of Mentoring Miracles is to expose them to different careers and inspire [them] to choose one that we show them,” Marianne said.

Local 10 first introduced viewers to Mentoring Miracles in July, when the group visited the station’s studios in Pembroke Park.

For some of the foster youth joining them at the Kaseya Center, the Heat tour provided another new experience.

“Those first-time experiences are incredible for our children,” said David Castrillon, development director for His House Children’s Home. “This today was a first-time experience for them and I think many of them are walking away in awe.”

Alonzo Mourning shares a personal message

The experience went beyond touring the arena.

The young people also met Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning, the team’s vice president of player programs and development, who shared his own experiences and spoke about fame, family and faith.

“I want you all to repeat after me: We are all here because of the contributions of others,” Mourning told the group.

Mourning also shared a connection with some of the young people in the room.

“I grew up like a lot of you all,” he said. “I grew up in foster care.”

Mourning told the teens that his accomplishments on the basketball court are not what matters most to him now.

“None of that stuff — points, basketball,” Mourning said. “What matters is how I live my life now.”

He also spoke about his faith and helping others before leaving the group with a challenge for their own futures.

“Dream big and I want you to chase your dreams and make them goals,” Mourning said.

Constanza said Mourning’s story demonstrated to the young people that their backgrounds do not have to determine what they can accomplish.

“Alonzo’s words were really moving,” she said. “As someone who also grew up in the foster care system and was able to reach the NBA, it just shows those kids that no matter what your background is, no matter where you come from, you can always achieve your dreams and goals.”

The teens ended the experience with a message of their own: “Thank you, Miami Heat.”

The Heat will face the Toronto Raptors for the pre-season opener Saturday at 7 p.m. and the game will air on Local 10 -- the home of the Heat.

If you want to watch that and other Heat games, just download the Local 10 Plus Platinum app on your smart TV or phone. It’s free!

• To donate: If you’d like to make a monetary donation toward a Good News South Florida story or project, click here. Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the “additional information” box.
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Good News South Florida de Local 10 se unió a los tres veces campeones de la NBA para recibir a la organización sin fines de lucro Mentoring Miracles y a jóvenes en hogares de acogida de Genesis Hopeful Haven y His House Children’s Home en el Kaseya Center.

Los adolescentes recibieron un recorrido exclusivo detrás de escena de la cancha local del Heat, que los llevó por áreas como el vestuario y la cancha de entrenamiento, además de permitirles ver de cerca los tres trofeos de campeonato del equipo.

“Es importante para nosotros poder transmitir nuestros conocimientos a los estudiantes de la comunidad y realmente ser pilares para cualquiera que nos necesite”, dijo Salinah On Yeugo, especialista en medios del Miami Heat.

Mentoring Miracles fue fundada por las hermanas gemelas adolescentes Marianne y Constanza Dominguez con el objetivo de presentar a los jóvenes diferentes posibilidades profesionales.

“El propósito de Mentoring Miracles es exponerlos a diferentes carreras e inspirarlos a elegir una de las que les mostramos”, dijo Marianne.

Local 10 presentó por primera vez a los espectadores a Mentoring Miracles en julio, cuando el grupo visitó los estudios de la estación en Pembroke Park.

Para algunos de los jóvenes en hogares de acogida que se unieron a ellos en el Kaseya Center, el recorrido del Heat fue otra nueva experiencia.

“Esas experiencias por primera vez son increíbles para nuestros niños”, dijo David Castrillon, director de desarrollo de His House Children’s Home. “Esto fue una experiencia por primera vez para ellos y creo que muchos de ellos se van maravillados”.

Alonzo Mourning comparte un mensaje personal

La experiencia fue más allá de recorrer la arena.

Los jóvenes también conocieron a la leyenda del Miami Heat Alonzo Mourning, vicepresidente de programas y desarrollo de jugadores del equipo, quien compartió sus propias experiencias y habló sobre la fama, la familia y la fe.

“Quiero que todos repitan después de mí: Todos estamos aquí gracias a las contribuciones de los demás”, dijo Mourning al grupo.

Mourning también compartió una conexión con algunos de los jóvenes presentes.

“Yo crecí como muchos de ustedes”, dijo. “Crecí en hogares de acogida”.

Mourning les dijo a los adolescentes que sus logros en la cancha de baloncesto no son lo que más le importa ahora.

“Nada de eso —puntos, baloncesto”, dijo Mourning. “Lo que importa es cómo vivo mi vida ahora”.

También habló sobre su fe y ayudar a los demás antes de dejar al grupo con un desafío para su propio futuro.

“Dream big and I want you to chase your dreams and make them goals”, dijo Mourning.

Constanza dijo que la historia de Mourning demostró a los jóvenes que sus antecedentes no tienen que determinar lo que pueden lograr.

“Las palabras de Alonzo fueron realmente conmovedoras”, dijo. “Como alguien que también creció en el sistema de hogares de acogida y pudo llegar a la NBA, eso simplemente demuestra a esos niños que, sin importar cuál sea su origen, sin importar de dónde vengan, siempre pueden alcanzar sus sueños y metas”.

Los adolescentes terminaron la experiencia con un mensaje propio: “Gracias, Miami Heat”.

El Heat enfrentará a los Toronto Raptors en el partido inaugural de pretemporada el sábado a las 7 p.m. y el partido se transmitirá por Local 10, el hogar del Heat.

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Good News South Florida se transmite los viernes en las noticias matutinas de Local 10 a las 10 a.m. Se retransmitirá los viernes a las 3:30 p.m. y los domingos por la mañana, a partir de las 6 a.m.

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• ‘I am totally innocent:’ Rapper Rick Ross released from jail after being accused of beating, choking ex-girlfriend in Miami Beach
• Police: Video shows baby and 3 kids home alone in North Miami Beach while mother was on cruise ship
• R&B singer Jacquees arrested in Hollywood after being found passed out in vehicle, police say
• Carnegie Mellon announces new Miami campus after historic $3 billion gift from Ken Griffin
• Teen and mother talk about attack involving 7 at Broward school football game
• Father says he called police after finding 4 children alone while mother was on cruise
• Suspect arrested in hit-and-run that killed 10-year-old girl, injured her brother in northwest Miami-Dade
• Feds accuse Miami-Dade corrections officer in organized jail drug-smuggling, gambling operation
• South Florida siblings’ Subway bribery scheme cost franchisees $80 million, feds say
• New Florida laws take effect, bringing changes for drivers, renters and criminal penalties

“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments," the team said in a statement Thursday night. "Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.”

Bell had been the play-by-play announcer for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and the G League’s Valley Suns before the Trail Blazers announced they had hired him on Thursday to replace longtime broadcaster Kevin Calabro.

Hours later, posts surfaced that were apparently made on X by an account with Bell's name from 2012 and 2013. The posts were first reported by KGW-TV in Portland, which said they were made when the 29-year-old Bell was a teenager.

“We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City," the team's statement said. "We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.”

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

• Rick Ross se declara “totalmente inocente” al salir bajo fianza
• Policía: Video muestra a bebé y tres niños solos en su casa en North Miami Beach mientras su madre estaba en un crucero
• Arrestan a cantante de R&B Jacquees en Hollywood tras encontrarlo inconsciente dentro de vehículo, según policía
• Donación de $3,000 millones trae Carnegie Mellon a Miami
• Adolescente y madre hablan sobre ataque que involucró a siete personas en partido de fútbol americano de escuela de Broward
• Padre niega haberle tendido una trampa a madre acusada de abandonar a sus hijos para irse a crucero
• Arrestan sospechoso de atropello con fuga en que muere niña de 10 años y resulta herido su hermano al noroeste de Miami-Dade
• Acusan a carcelero de meter drogas en cárceles de Miami-Dade
• Acusan a hermanos del sur de Florida de estafa en Subway
• ¿Conduces o rentas en Florida? Estos cambios en las leyes te interesan

The extravagant show was attended by Catherine Deneuve, Kate Moss, Hailey Bieber and Rami Malek, while elsewhere at Paris Fashion Week Jennifer Lopez took her seat at Stella McCartney’s rain-soaked gardens. Rihanna turned out for the upstarts at the conceptual fashion house Matières Fécales, which translates as “fecal matter.”

Whatever its financial troubles — and there are many — Paris retained its ability to assemble stellar front rows and impressive staging this season.

Midway through spring-summer 2027, shows crystallized into three stories: glamour on a grand scale; a great undressing; and an industry working couture technique into T-shirts and jeans while asking itself, nervously, who all of this is for.

Full-on glamour at Saint Laurent despite luxury sector losing its crown

Last month, cosmetics giant L’Oréal overtook LVMH as France’s most valuable listed company. It's the first time since 2017 that a non-luxury company has topped the Paris bourse.

Saint Laurent’s parent Kering has returned to growth after a bruising downturn, but Balenciaga remains under pressure and Gucci is still struggling to reverse years of falling sales behind the runway gloss.

At Saint Laurent on Tuesday night, gold was almost the whole story.

Gold looked brittle, fluid, translucent or densely worked. Safari jackets and trenches came in crinkled metallic cottons. Cocktail dresses featured glinting lace, cropped jackets in brocade. Stilettos stood on serpent-shaped heels.

Then came the black finale, led by Polish supermodel Anja Rubik — a reversal of Yves Saint Laurent’s all-gold closing sequence in 1991.

Charlotte Gainsbourg stepped onto the runway to sing, adding an intimate finish to the monumental setting.

Marking a decade at the house, designer Anthony Vaccarello dispensed with his customary interviews and let the collection carry the occasion.

Its retrospective mood invited speculation about a farewell, but the show contained no announcement of a departure.

Chloé shows off textural details; peplum makes a comeback

Two days later, Chloé approached excess through texture.

Chemena Kamali piled broderie anglaise with lace, pearls and tassels, and sent out rainwear and long-brimmed fishermen’s hats in vivid colours. Ruffled sleeves showed an emphatic argument for volume.

The bright outerwear interrupted the sweetness.

The question was how much decoration Chloé‘s promise of easy dressing could comfortably carry.

McCartney’s show, meanwhile, rewarded its damp audience with easy tailoring, coral-like knitted forms and airbrushed dolphins on denim.

Sculptural hems and peplums gave the clothes an underwater buoyancy, while naturalist David Attenborough’s voice supplied the ocean-conservation message.

The peplum, in fact, was one of the week’s quiet constants, turning up sculpted here and stitched into shirting at Balenciaga.

The strongest pieces connected that theme to McCartney’s familiar sporting ease: loose tailoring, drawstring details and clothes with room to move.

Underwear and skimpy swimsuits at some shows

Across the runways, underwear was doing an increasing share of the dressing.

At Tom Ford, Haider Ackermann staged a particularly playful display: sharp tailoring accompanied by bare chests, fishnet, severely reduced swimwear and silk robes. Black swimsuits were more geometry than garment.

A male model in a sweater and pale pink thong carried a vicuña coat draped over a weekend bag.

Ackermann extended the house’s familiar sexual confidence across men’s and women’s clothes, keeping the tailoring precise enough to give all that exposure some structure.

From corsets to cages

At Balmain, Antonin Tron built a stronger second outing around midcentury backstage photographs and their air of glamorous half-dress: corset bodices, garters swinging from miniskirts, bras under shrunken satin bombers, eel skin and animal-patterned jacquards.

His references ranged from Jim Morrison to Michel Foucault’s experiments with LSD in California.

Simulated rain lashed the covered windows of Karl Lagerfeld’s former mansion.

Printing, embroidery and sequins gave the surfaces depth, though their richness sometimes competed with the sensual draping that is one of Tron’s strengths.

Even Rick Owens went boudoir, on his own terms: on a ramp across the Palais de Tokyo’s reflecting pool, he sent out stone-colored column gowns, spiked tulle, crystal-laden footwear and full-body constructions of tulle and elastic.

Couture details for a luxury feel

The question beneath it all was harder to stage: in a downturn, how does luxury justify itself?

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s answer at Balenciaga was technique.

Dense rows of stitching shaped a white shirt into a fitted waist and flaring peplum.

A T-shirt received a similar treatment. Jeans were cut on the bias — diagonally across the fabric — to change their fall.

Shown in daylight at the Tennis Club de Paris, the collection made a persuasive case for putting couture knowledge to everyday use.

Matières Fécales storms the squar

e

Designers Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran took over Place de la République for a show titled “The 99 Percent.”

The collection brought together sari-inspired draping, shredded denim and figures styled to evoke masked demonstrators.

The finale sent out a woman in a gold lamé gown carrying two slumped dummies of white men in suits.

Public access was part of the proposition.

The irony was hard to miss: 99% of the world cannot afford Matières Fécales’ clothes.

Paris had demonstrated how to make people look, but it's the clothes, the industry hopes, that will persuade them to spend.

San Miguel —que fue acusada de traición a la patria, conspiración, terrorismo y asociación para delinquir— indicó en sus redes sociales que el Tribunal Tercero de Primera Instancia dictó una sentencia “declarándome libre de toda responsabilidad penal respecto a los cargos formulados en mi contra".

Agregó que “esta decisión ratifica lo que sostuve desde el primer día de mi detención, el 9 de febrero de 2024: soy inocente”, resaltó la activista hispano venezolana.

La víspera el fiscal general Larry Devoe señaló que el Ministerio Público había pedido la absolución de San Miguel y otras tres personas luego de “un análisis objetivo de los hechos y las pruebas”.

San Miguel —experta en seguridad, asuntos militares y defensa— fue una de las primeras liberadas tras la captura de Maduro en enero en una audaz acción militar estadounidense y después del anuncio de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez de que excarcelaría a un grupo importante de presos políticos. Posteriormente, y con la anuencia del gobierno venezolano, se trasladó a España.

La activista indicó entonces que su excarcelación no se trataba de una libertad plena, sino de una medida cautelar sustitutiva de la prisión.

San Miguel regresó a Venezuela en mayo con el propósito de dar impulso al cierre de su caso en el marco de la Ley de Amnistía que posibilita la liberación masiva de presos por motivos políticos. Esa legislación contempla que aquellos que están en el exilio pueden solicitar la amnistía en los tribunales a través de un representante legal y en la práctica permitió que no fuesen encarcelados a su regreso mientras sus casos eran sometidos a revisión.

San Miguel, de 60 años, estuvo detenida en El Helicoide, una cárcel que funcionaba en una de las sedes del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional y que originalmente contenía calabozos de corta estadía. Organizaciones de derechos humanos locales e internacionales, entre ellas Human Rights Watch, denunciaron en varios informes la práctica de torturas y otras formas de abuso físico y psicológico contra los detenidos en esa prisión. La presidenta en funciones ordenó recientemente cerrar El Helicoide.

La activista dirigió Control Ciudadano, una organización no gubernamental establecida a inicios de 2005 con el fin de promover y ejercer la contraloría ciudadana sobre asuntos de seguridad y defensa. Un año antes de la creación de esa organización San Miguel había sido despedida del gubernamental Consejo Nacional de Fronteras tras firmar una lista que buscaba activar un referendo para recortar el mandato del entonces presidente Hugo Chávez (1999-2013).

Cientos de personas denunciaron que luego de aparecer en esa lista fueron despedidos de sus cargos en el sector público.

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More than 75 bars are participating this year, ranging from neighborhood dives to high-end restaurants.

“It’s 31 days of October and during the 31 days we celebrate all the incredible beverage programs across Miami,” ¡Salud! Miami founder Joshua Wagner said. “Every participating account has a discounted cocktail menu until 10 p.m. And then on top of that, we offer a ton of unique hospitality experiences across the whole city.”

The idea is to give locals a more affordable way to explore Miami’s cocktail scene while encouraging them to try something new.

At American Social in Brickell, bar manager Drew Minson said the restaurant is featuring three cocktails as part of the celebration: the classic Aperol Spritz, the Americano Social and a Sardi Spritz.

“Starting with the Sardi, it’s light, it’s passion fruit, it’s watermelon,” Minson said.

The featured cocktails normally range from $14 to $16 on the regular menu, according to Minson. During ¡Salud! Miami, they are available for $10 throughout October.

The month-long event also comes as South Florida moves beyond its slower summer season, giving people another reason to head back out to Miami’s bars and restaurants.

This year, visitors can also pair their cocktails with Miami Spice, which has expanded into October for the first time in its 25-year history, according to Wagner.

¡Salud! Miami is also planning special events and hospitality experiences throughout the month.

“Every day we will have something going on,” Wagner said. “So follow us on Salud and let us give you a reason to get off your couch, go out and to sip, socialize and Salud.”

Click here for more information about ¡Salud! Miami and its participating locations.

Más de 75 bares participan este año, desde establecimientos de barrio hasta restaurantes de alta categoría.

“Son 31 días de octubre y durante los 31 días celebramos todos los increíbles programas de bebidas de Miami”, dijo Joshua Wagner, fundador de ¡Salud! Miami. “Cada establecimiento participante tiene un menú de cócteles con descuento hasta las 10 p.m. Y además de eso, ofrecemos un montón de experiencias únicas de hospitalidad en toda la ciudad”.

La idea es ofrecer a los residentes una forma más económica de explorar la escena de cócteles de Miami, al tiempo que los anima a probar algo nuevo.

En American Social, en Brickell, el gerente del bar Drew Minson dijo que el restaurante ofrece tres cócteles como parte de la celebración: el clásico Aperol Spritz, el Americano Social y un Sardi Spritz.

“Comenzando con el Sardi, es ligero, lleva maracuyá y sandía”, dijo Minson.

Los cócteles destacados normalmente cuestan entre $14 USD y $16 USD en el menú regular, según Minson. Durante ¡Salud! Miami, estarán disponibles por $10 USD durante todo octubre.

El evento de un mes también llega cuando el sur de Florida deja atrás su temporada de verano más lenta, lo que brinda a la gente otra razón para regresar a los bares y restaurantes de Miami.

Este año, los visitantes también pueden acompañar sus cócteles con Miami Spice, que se ha extendido hasta octubre por primera vez en sus 25 años de historia, según Wagner.

¡Salud! Miami también está planeando eventos especiales y experiencias de hospitalidad durante todo el mes.

“Todos los días tendremos algo sucediendo”, dijo Wagner. “Así que sígannos en Salud y déjennos darles una razón para levantarse del sofá, salir y beber, socializar y celebrar Salud”.

Haga clic aquí para obtener más información sobre ¡Salud! Miami y sus establecimientos participantes.

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Maximo Viani Otoni, 22, of Coconut Creek, was arrested on a grand theft charge on Thursday.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, a collector had bought the Cooper Flagg card, valued at $3,500, from the store VIP Rips and requested expedited shipping.

But staff at the shop, located at 1245 S. Military Trail, couldn’t find it. A BSO arrest report states that through surveillance video, they found that Otoni was the last person to handle it.

Deputies said Otoni admitted to taking the card during a phone call and staffers found it in his mailbox. They said he then admitted he had three other trading cards: two Lionel Messi cards valued at $2,200 and $70, respectively, and a Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo autographed card valued at up to $2,000.

BSO investigators would eventually go to Otoni’s home, where they said he admitted to having six more trading cards, including another Flagg card worth about $2,200, an autographed Caitlin Clark card worth about $1,500 and a Dirk Nowitzki card worth about $2,200.

They said the 10 cards Otoni stole were valued at up to $17,220.

As of Friday morning, Otoni was being held in the BSO Main Jail. He had no listed bond.

Maximo Viani Otoni, de 22 años, de Coconut Creek, fue arrestado el jueves por un cargo de hurto mayor.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, un coleccionista había comprado la tarjeta de Cooper Flagg, valorada en $3,500 USD, en la tienda VIP Rips y solicitó envío urgente.

Pero los empleados de la tienda, ubicada en 1245 S. Military Trail, no pudieron encontrarla. Un informe de arresto de la BSO indica que, mediante videos de vigilancia, descubrieron que Otoni había sido la última persona en manipularla.

Los agentes dijeron que Otoni admitió haber tomado la tarjeta durante una llamada telefónica y los empleados la encontraron en su buzón. Dijeron que luego admitió tener otras tres tarjetas coleccionables: dos tarjetas de Lionel Messi valoradas en $2,200 USD y $70 USD, respectivamente, y una tarjeta autografiada de Neymar y Cristiano Ronaldo valorada en hasta $2,000 USD.

Los investigadores de la BSO finalmente fueron a la casa de Otoni, donde dijeron que admitió tener seis tarjetas coleccionables más, incluida otra tarjeta de Flagg valorada en aproximadamente $2,200 USD, una tarjeta autografiada de Caitlin Clark valorada en aproximadamente $1,500 USD y una tarjeta de Dirk Nowitzki valorada en aproximadamente $2,200 USD.

Dijeron que las 10 tarjetas que Otoni robó estaban valoradas en hasta $17,220 USD.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Otoni permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal de la BSO. No tenía una fianza registrada.

The team did not announce a cause of death.

“We mourn the loss of a true Falcons legend," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement released by the team. “Jeff Van Note dedicated 18 seasons to this franchise and became one of the most respected and beloved players in our history. He embodied toughness, resilience, humility, and an unwavering commitment to his team, qualities that earned him the admiration of generations of Falcons fans.”

Van Note, selected out of Kentucky in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL draft, originally joined the Falcons as a linebacker before being moved to center by then-coach Norm Van Brocklin. He earned the starting job a year later and started 226 of 246 games over his 18-season career. He was a second-team All-Pro in 1979 and 1982.

After retiring in 1986, Van Note became a color commentator and made Atlanta sports radio appearances.

"Jeff’s contributions to this organization cannot be measured solely by his accomplishments on the field," Blank said. "He helped shape the identity of the Atlanta Falcons and left a legacy that will endure for years to come. We are grateful for everything he meant to this franchise and our community. On behalf of the Falcons family, we extend our deepest sympathies to his children, Beau, Ben, and Blaine, and all who are grieving this tremendous loss. Jeff will always hold a special place in the history and heart of the Atlanta Falcons.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

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Manuel Aguilera, 82, was last seen at around 10 a.m. Wednesday at his home in the 600 block of West 88th Street, authorities said.

“He was last seen wearing a white dress shirt, red and black pants, white dress shoes, and a blue face mask with black dots,” police said.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Hialeah Police Department at 305-687-2525.

Manuel Aguilera, de 82 años, fue visto por última vez el miércoles alrededor de las 10 de la mañana en su domicilio, manzana 600 de la calle West 88th Street, dijeron autoridades.

“La última vez que fue visto vestía camisa blanca de vestir, pantalones rojos y negros, zapatos blancos de vestir y una mascarilla azul con lunares negros”, indicó la policía.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre su paradero llame al Departamento de Policía de Hialeah al 305-687-2525.

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The Heat will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 18 at Kaseya Center as part of “A Night in Vice City,” an immersive event celebrating the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI.

The game-night experience will transform the arena into Vice City, the fictional Miami-inspired setting featured in the new game. The Heat are expected to play on a specially designed court, wear a uniform that has not previously been used and incorporate themed entertainment and live elements throughout the night.

The event comes one day before Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to be released on Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The Nov. 18 game will be broadcast right here on WPLG Local 10.

The partnership between the Heat and Rockstar Games began taking shape Oct. 1, when “Welcome to Vice City” signage was illuminated on the roof of Kaseya Center. More details about the event and additional activations are expected to be announced in the weeks leading up to the game.

The Heat also launched a Vice City-themed collection through its Court Culture clothing line. The merchandise is available at Miami Heat Store locations and online.

Tickets for “A Night in Vice City” are available through the Heat’s ticketing website.

Grand Theft Auto VI will be Rockstar Games’ next major release and is set in the fictional state of Leonida, which includes Vice City, a fictionalized version of Miami.

The Heat and Rockstar collaboration brings two Miami-connected brands together just before one of the video game industry’s most anticipated releases.

The Miami Heat begin their preseason at 7 p.m. Saturday when they face the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch that game on WPLG Local 10.

And don’t forget, you can also watch the majority of the Miami Heat’s regular season games, at least 68, on Local 10 next season as WPLG Local 10 and the Heat announced a newly expanded media rights agreement, making Local 10 the home of HEAT basketball across South Florida! CLICK HERE for more information on how to watch!

Los Heat recibirán a los Milwaukee Bucks el 18 de noviembre en el Kaseya Center como parte de “A Night in Vice City”, un evento inmersivo que celebrará el próximo lanzamiento de Grand Theft Auto VI.

La experiencia de la noche del partido transformará la arena en Vice City, el escenario ficticio inspirado en Miami que aparece en el nuevo juego. Se espera que los Heat jueguen en una cancha especialmente diseñada, usen un uniforme que no ha sido utilizado anteriormente e incorporen entretenimiento temático y elementos en vivo durante toda la noche.

El evento se llevará a cabo un día antes de que Grand Theft Auto VI sea lanzado el 19 de noviembre para PlayStation 5 y Xbox Series X|S.

El partido del 18 de noviembre será transmitido aquí mismo por WPLG Local 10.

La alianza entre los Heat y Rockstar Games comenzó a tomar forma el 1 de octubre, cuando un letrero con el mensaje “Welcome to Vice City” fue iluminado en el techo del Kaseya Center. Se espera que se anuncien más detalles sobre el evento y activaciones adicionales en las semanas previas al partido.

Los Heat también lanzaron una colección inspirada en Vice City a través de su línea de ropa Court Culture. La mercancía está disponible en las tiendas Miami Heat Store y en línea.

Los boletos para “A Night in Vice City” están disponibles a través del sitio web de venta de boletos de los Heat.

Grand Theft Auto VI será el próximo gran lanzamiento de Rockstar Games y está ambientado en el estado ficticio de Leonida, que incluye Vice City, una versión ficticia de Miami.

La colaboración entre los Heat y Rockstar reúne a dos marcas vinculadas a Miami justo antes de uno de los lanzamientos más esperados de la industria de los videojuegos.

Los Miami Heat comienzan su pretemporada a las 7 p.m. del sábado cuando enfrenten a los Toronto Raptors en el Scotiabank Arena. Los fanáticos pueden ver ese partido por WPLG Local 10.

Y no olvides que también podrás ver la mayoría de los partidos de temporada regular de los Miami Heat, al menos 68, por Local 10 la próxima temporada, luego de que WPLG Local 10 y los Heat anunciaran un acuerdo ampliado de derechos de transmisión, convirtiendo a Local 10 en el hogar del básquetbol de los HEAT en todo el sur de Florida. Haz click aquí para obtener más información sobre cómo verlos.

Según la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 7:20 p.m. en los carriles hacia el este de la Interestatal 195, cerca de Alton Road.

Los agentes dijeron que la víctima ingresó a la vía y fue atropellada por un autobús que se aproximaba.

El peatón fue declarado muerto en el lugar.

Según los agentes, la vía permaneció cerrada durante la investigación preliminar, pero todos los carriles ya fueron reabiertos.

Nuestros modelos de pronóstico han mostrado poco interés en que la baja presión intente organizarse como algo tropical o subtropical hacia finales de la próxima semana y durante el fin de semana festivo (fin de semana del 10 de octubre), pero, como prácticamente todos los sistemas que podrían formarse en el Atlántico esta temporada, no tendrá un camino fácil hacia su desarrollo.

La fuerte corriente en chorro subtropical, anclada sobre el sur de Estados Unidos y extendiéndose hacia el norte del Golfo, mantendrá un flujo constante de fuertes vientos en las capas altas de la atmósfera cerca de la zona de tormentas, lo que debería limitar cualquier posibilidad de desarrollo tropical al extremo suroeste del Golfo.

Si bien ayer los modelos aumentaron ligeramente su interés por el sistema, desde entonces se han mantenido prácticamente sin cambios, lo que parecieran bajas probabilidades de desarrollo (entre 20 y 30%) por ahora.

Cabe destacar que los modelos han sobreestimado en gran medida el desarrollo de perturbaciones esta temporada y, dada la naturaleza extensa y subtropical del sistema la próxima semana, es prudente mantener cierto escepticismo respecto a que supere los obstáculos de 2026.

Sin embargo, estará en una zona propicia para esta época del año, así que seguiremos de cerca las tendencias la semana que viene.

Como mencionamos en el boletín de ayer, cualquier fenómeno meteorológico que se inicie probablemente será desordenado y desorganizado, con la actividad tormentosa desplazada al este del área de menor presión, especialmente a medida que se desplaza hacia el norte del Golfo y se encuentra con fuertes vientos en las capas altas de la atmósfera provenientes del oeste durante el próximo fin de semana.

Por ahora, esto no es algo de qué preocuparse, pero para quienes tienen intereses a lo largo del norte del Golfo, principalmente desde Louisiana hacia el este, es algo que volveremos a revisar en los próximos días.

No hay amenazas en otras partes del Atlántico

Fay, la tormenta zombi de mayor duración y “más fuerte” de 2026, volvió a aparecer en el mapa de perspectivas del Centro Nacional de Huracanes el jueves por la tarde. El NHC le da solo un 10% de probabilidad de volver a desarrollarse, pero esa oportunidad prácticamente ya pasó.

En otras zonas, ni siquiera las áreas subtropicales parecen presentar ningún candidato potencial a desarrollarse durante la próxima semana o en dos más, y se espera que la situación se mantenga tranquila hasta mediados de mes.

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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at about 7:20 p.m. along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 195 near Alton Road.

Troopers said the victim walked into the roadway and was struck by an oncoming bus.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to troopers, the roadway was closed during the preliminary investigation, but all lanes have since reopened.

President Donald Trump said the diesel release would happen “immediately," echoing a G7 promise to start “immediately” with a “frontloaded substantial release” of diesel within the next 20 days and the rest over four months.

Trump and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and Trump announced the action Friday on social media. The president's approval ratings on the economy hit a new low, according to an AP-NORC poll, as the Iran war and his trade battles have increased U.S. prices for oil and other goods.

Gas prices in the U.S. and abroad have soared during the eight-month-long war, a cost Trump has repeatedly said is worth it for making sure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. The national average for a gallon of diesel in the U.S. was $6.37 on Friday, according to AAA, after hitting a record $6.52 on Sept. 22. Diesel prices have hit records in Europe, too.

The release of diesel in Europe might mean less exports of diesel from the U.S., which could lower prices by 25-50 cents per gallon after a few weeks, said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan research institution focused on energy and economics.

France holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group and made the announcement in a statement released after videoconference talks that Macron presided over. The G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., plus EU representation.

The release follows on from a March announcement that International Energy Agency member countries would release 426 million barrels of oil and products to stabilize the oil market. European Union countries committed about 92 million barrels, a promise weighted toward refined products made from crude such as diesel.

“This common decision and this unity should bring down prices," Macron said. "The volumes we’re releasing should also add liquidity to the market and bring down prices.”

In addition to the rise in the price of the crude oil from which diesel is made, other factors include the decision by Russia to ban exports due to Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. Europe does not import Russian diesel, but other buyers of Russian diesel such as Turkey and Latin American countries must now compete with Europe for available barrels.

Meanwhile refined product shipments from the Persian Gulf producers have fallen due to war damage and blocked export routes.

The statement pushed U.S. oil prices down 2% but “the impact was lessened by lack of clarity on an important question,” said Pavel Molchanov, investment strategy analyst at Raymond James. Is the 100 million barrels in addition to the amount already agreed in March, or “is this the final portion of the existing pledge?” he said.

Some Republicans in the U.S. had called for Trump to ban U.S. exports of diesel to try to bring domestic prices down. But the G7 statement said the group agreed not to limit energy exports to each other. Oil market analysts warn a U.S. export ban could lower prices in the short term but eventually backfire by reducing supplies of gasoline since diesel output can't be lowered without also cutting overall refinery production.

The emergency release could also be a short-term fix with the potential to do long-term harm, said Jim Krane, energy research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute.

“Draining stocks will reduce retail fuel prices for a while, at the cost of leaving Europe with less emergency cover,” Krane said. “At some point in the future Europe and the rest of the G7 will have to refill their strategic reserves. Normally they try to do this when prices are low. Nobody knows when that will happen. It’s a risk.”

With two wars raging that involve attacks on refineries and exports, “it’s not the best time to be frittering away your emergency stocks -- especially when there is no visibility on future prices or peace agreements,” Krane said.

Trump had a conversation overnight with Macron about the need to address rising fuel prices and the availability of petroleum products, according to the French Embassy in the U.S. Macron on Friday then chaired the videoconference of G7 leaders to discuss the issue.

Besides his call with Macron, Trump on Friday called in to the meeting with the G7 leaders to negotiate the release of the European diesel stockpiles, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump on Thursday embarked on what he said would be a 32-day marathon of rallies to try to bolster his party's chances for keeping control of the U.S. House and Senate in the November elections. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with what he sees as a disconnect between his achievements and the public’s view of his work. This week he gave himself an A-plus for his work on the economy but said “we’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion.”

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Leicester reported from Paris. AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report. AP Business Writer David McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany and Cathy Bussewitz contributed from New York.

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Our forecast models have been lukewarm on the low pressure trying to organize into something tropical or subtropical by late next week into the holiday weekend (weekend of October 10^th) but like virtually every would-be Atlantic system this season, it won’t have an easy road to development.

The strong subtropical jet stream anchored over the southern U.S. and extending into the northern Gulf will maintain a river of harsh upper-level winds near the storminess, which should relegate any tropical development prospects to the extreme southwestern Gulf.

While models ticked up slightly in their interest in the system yesterday, they’ve been mostly unchanged since, keeping development odds on the low side (20 to 30%) for now.

It’s worth noting that models have been largely overshooting development with disturbances this season, and with the sprawling, subtropical nature of the system next week, it’s prudent to stay at least a little skeptical to it clearing 2026’s hurdles.

Nevertheless, it’ll be in a favored area for the time of year, so we’ll follow the trends next week.

As we mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, anything that gets going would likely be sloppy and disorganized, with storminess displaced east of the area of lowest pressure, especially as it lifts toward the northern Gulf and encounters strong upper-level winds from the west into next weekend.

For now, this isn’t anything to worry about, but for those with interests along the northern Gulf – primarily from Louisiana eastward – it’s something we’ll check back in on in the coming days.

No threats elsewhere across the Atlantic

2026’s longest-lived and “strongest” zombie storm Fay made yet another appearance on the National Hurricane Center’s outlook map Thursday afternoon. The NHC gives it only a 10% chance of redeveloping but that ship has largely sailed.

Elsewhere, not even the subtropics look to muster up any potential development candidates over the next week or two and things should stay quiet into the middle part of the month.

“Crisco,” the country star's 11th studio album, is a collection of boogie-forward tracks, buoyed by sweeping strings and what sounds like a wink from the dance floor. It's out Friday.

“I’ve spent a lot of my career with fiery songs and heartbreak songs and this record just has a lot of joy on it, and I think that’s just where I am right now in life, too,” Miranda says.

The title track is almost a mission statement: “Baby, we’ve been cookin’ with Crisco/Ain’t we mixin’ country and disco/Stir it around, give it a spin/And it’s a rhinestone world we’re livin’ in.”

“I’ve just never explored that before. I really am a Merle Haggard girl, you know what I mean? I just love three chords and the truth,” says Lambert. “I just felt like I, maybe at this point, earned the creative freedom to try something fun and try something different.”

Lambert has reasons to be smiling

The album release caps a special few months that include getting seven Country Music Association Awards nominations, a disco ball-filled performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards that got attendees up and boogying, and making history as co-writer of the crossover-smash “Choosin’ Texas.”

That tune sung by Ella Langley has gone six times platinum, been crowned Billboard’s official 2026 Song of the Summer and helped her become the only woman to simultaneously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. It was just named the longest-running No. 1 hit in the U.S.

“We never would have thought just sitting there, on a back porch with a couple of beers and guitars, writing a country song, that it would take over like it has,” Lambert says.

“I’m thrilled that ‘Choosin’ Texas’ is a country song and the world is loving it. Like that makes me happy. I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to country music so that alone is like so much happiness for me.”

Lambert and Langley wrote “Choosin’ Texas” with Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor. It's a song exploring what it feels like when someone is falling out of love with you and Lambert can only guess why America has fallen so in love with it.

“It kind of feels like something fresh, but something you’ve also heard before. When you hear it, you’re like, ‘I kind of want to sing along to this, even though it’s the first time you heard it.’ You know what I mean?”

Lambert co-produced Langley’s album “Dandelion,” the first time she's produced another artist, something she says she enjoyed. Langley returns the favor by being featured on the swaggering opening “Crisco” song “Snakeskin Boots.”

“I think the reason that we are drawn to each other is because I see a lot of my young self in her,” Lambert says of Langley. “She’s definitely a pistol. She’s fiery. She knows exactly what she wants. She’s a true artist and songwriter and she’s an inspiring person to be around.”

Lambert also has good news about another fellow country artist, squashing any lingering beef she had with Kacey Musgraves. The two collaborated on “Horses and Divorces” — “Maybe we’re more alike than we think,” they sing — on Musgraves' new “Middle of Nowhere” album.

Miranda points to the “crazy grind of this business” for prompting ebbs and flows in their relationship and the stress during “early stages of your career, trying to really plant your feet in the ground, plant your stake in the ground, and say, ‘This is my spot.’”

“Sometimes it gets tricky when you're navigating that with other female artists and it was really cool to just come together and talk about it and it's, as we say, whiskey under the bridge now.”

‘Crisco’ and how disco and country fused this time

“Crisco” came to life after she and Chris Stapleton wrote and recorded the lovely “A Song To Sing,” their version of “Islands in the Stream,” which earned two Grammy Award nominations.

“We wrote this song a few years ago and it really opened up my mind to exploring different sounds. I think it set us on the path to explore more and got me really curious about parts of country music I hadn’t explored yet, which eventually inspired the entire record,” she says.

The video features Lambert and Stapleton in matching red suits at a roller rink. If you look carefully, you'll see she's wearing a pair of Dolly Parton’s hoop earrings lent out by the late superstar and he's got on a Kenny Rogers necklace.

“I feel like I’ve got to thank her a little bit for this record because that song, that video, that whole day, having a little piece of her around me all day, definitely inspired me for this whole project.”

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Natalie Hemby, who has cut some 40 songs with Lambert over 20 years collaborating, co-wrote and played on five tracks this time, including “Snakeskin Boots.”

“Every record has just been completely different from the next, but I would say this is the most fun era that I’ve had, as far as writing for a project of hers,” says Hemby. “Her star is just shining so bright, as big as Texas, if you will.”

Miranda says country music is in a great spot right now, reminding her of the 1990s when there was something for everyone and a lot of female artists.

“There is finally room for everyone,” she says. “We’re not fighting for like only 30 spots on the chart. And people find music all different kinds of ways now. That has allowed for there to be all kinds of voices out there within our genre.”

___

This story has been updated to correct that Lambert has earned seven Country Music Association Awards nominations, not six.

De cara a la primera vuelta de la votación el domingo, los favoritos son el senador Flávio Bolsonaro, hijo del expresidente ultraderechista Jair Bolsonaro, y el presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, que busca un cuarto mandato no consecutivo.

La conservación de Amazonía ha estado ausente en gran medida de la campaña de este año. Aun así, ambos candidatos representan visiones marcadamente distintas sobre cómo debería gestionarse la selva tropical, y expertos en clima y conservación advierten que una victoria de Flávio Bolsonaro podría revertir las políticas de control de la deforestación que Lula restableció tras asumir el cargo en 2023.

Durante la presidencia de Jair Bolsonaro, de 2019 a 2022, la deforestación en Amazonía se disparó alrededor de un 60%, con más de 45.000 kilómetros cuadrados (17.400 millas cuadradas) talados, según datos oficiales. Con Lula, la deforestación ha caído un 45%, alcanzando su nivel más bajo en más de una década.

Las políticas de Lula para la Amazonía podrían enfrentar oposición en un Congreso conservador

Las políticas de Lula enfrentarían resistencia en un Congreso conservador, donde el agronegocio tiene una gran influencia. Pero su plan amplía en gran medida una agenda de recortes de emisiones y financiamiento de bosques tropicales.

Flávio Bolsonaro se ha comprometido a poner fin a la deforestación ilegal para 2029, un año antes del objetivo actual de Brasil. La meta de Lula va más allá: deforestación neta cero para 2030, lo que significa que cualquier pérdida de bosque, legal o ilegal, tendría que compensarse mediante restauración.

La deforestación y otros cambios en el uso del suelo son las mayores fuentes de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de Brasil, que impulsan el calentamiento global. Los riesgos son especialmente altos en Amazonía, que almacena enormes cantidades de dióxido de carbono y genera humedad atmosférica que ayuda a regular el clima mucho más allá de Sudamérica.

El senador Bolsonaro no ha detallado sus políticas relacionadas con Amazonía, y se ha limitado a decir que su administración intensificaría los esfuerzos contra el delito ambiental y promovería la conservación.

“Flávio Bolsonaro es un defensor del medio ambiente y de quienes preservan los bosques en pie y los ríos limpios”, dijo el equipo de campaña de Bolsonaro en un comunicado enviado a The Associated Press. Señaló que su gobierno crearía incentivos económicos para la conservación y la restauración.

El senador Bolsonaro dice que no cree en el cambio climático

En una entrevista en agosto con Jornal Nacional, el noticiero televisivo más visto de Brasil, Bolsonaro manifestó que no creía en el cambio climático, sino en fenómenos meteorológicos extremos.

“Son eventos cíclicos”, sostuvo Bolsonaro. “La mejor manera de abordar los problemas ambientales es lo que hicimos durante la administración (de Jair) Bolsonaro: aprobar un marco de saneamiento básico para combatir las aguas residuales que pasan frente a la puerta de tu casa”.

Márcio Astrini, director ejecutivo del Observatorio del Clima, una red de grupos ambientalistas, dijo que la deforestación podría volver a dispararse si Bolsonaro siguiera el camino de su padre de desmantelar la fiscalización y debilitar las protecciones.

“El riesgo que enfrentamos es que Brasil podría alejarse de una agenda ambiental positiva hacia una postura más similar a la que ahora adopta Estados Unidos: una de negación del clima”, advirtió Astrini.

Expertos señalan que la palabra clave en la promesa de Bolsonaro sobre la deforestación podría ser “ilegal”. Alertan que su administración podría debilitar protecciones y ampliar las zonas donde el desmonte está legalmente permitido, lo que permitiría que la deforestación aumente mientras, técnicamente, se cumple la promesa.

“Dado su largo historial de promover protecciones ambientales más débiles, existe la preocupación de que actividades que hoy se consideran ilegales simplemente puedan legalizarse y dejen de estar sujetas a fiscalización”, dijo Taciana Stec, especialista en política climática de Talanoa, un centro de análisis brasileño.

En la Amazonía, por lo general, los propietarios de tierras deben preservar el 80% de la vegetación nativa en sus predios. En 2019, Bolsonaro fue coautor de un proyecto de ley que habría eliminado ese requisito, al describirlo como un obstáculo para el desarrollo.

La propuesta se retiró tras la oposición de líderes del agronegocio, que temían que dañara la reputación de la soya y la carne brasileñas en mercados cada vez más recelosos de la deforestación.

El senador Bolsonaro dice que enfatizará la fiscalización, pero persisten las dudas

El equipo de campaña de Bolsonaro incorporó a Marcelo Donnini Freire, un gestor ambiental que ocupó cargos de alto nivel durante los últimos meses de la administración de Jair Bolsonaro, para ayudar a dar forma a su plataforma ambiental.

En septiembre, Freire se reunió con organizaciones ambientalistas, entre ellas, la Coalición Brasileña sobre Clima, Bosques y Agricultura, que aboga por el liderazgo de Brasil en la economía de bajas emisiones de carbono.

Una persona que ha participado en discusiones internas de la campaña, pero que no está autorizada a hablar públicamente, dijo que sería poco probable que un gobierno de Bolsonaro cambie las restricciones actuales a la deforestación en propiedades privadas. Una propuesta así enfrentaría la oposición del agronegocio orientado a la exportación y correría el riesgo de socavar inversiones en proyectos de carbono y biocombustibles.

Sin embargo, podría persistir la presión para aumentar el desmonte entre productores más pequeños con poco acceso a mercados de exportación o a ingresos por créditos de carbono.

Aunque el equipo de campaña de Bolsonaro dijo a la AP que él priorizaría una fiscalización impulsada por la tecnología contra incendios forestales y delitos ambientales, ha hecho campaña por toda Amazonía con promesas de flexibilizar las regulaciones ambientales.

Una herramienta de fiscalización permite que las autoridades impongan sanciones por desmonte ilegal basándose únicamente en el monitoreo satelital. Jair Bolsonaro frenó esa política, y Lula la restableció en 2023. Un proyecto de ley tramitado por la vía rápida, respaldado por la bancada del agronegocio en Brasil, la debilitaría. Flávio Bolsonaro no dijo si preservaría la medida.

Algunos aliados de Bolsonaro han sido multados por infracciones ambientales y han hecho campaña contra la fiscalización. El medio noticioso Sumauma encontró que candidatos en toda la Amazonía habían acumulado alrededor de 33 millones de dólares en multas ambientales, la mayoría, de partidos alineados con los Bolsonaro.

El candidato ultraderechista promete abrir tierras indígenas a la agricultura y la minería

En un mitin realizado en junio en Belém, que fue sede de la cumbre climática de la ONU el año pasado, Bolsonaro prometió “modernizar” las leyes ambientales y facilitar las licencias para la agricultura, la ganadería y la minería. En agosto, hizo campaña en el Territorio Indígena Estacao Parecis, en Mato Grosso, y prometió mayor autonomía para las comunidades indígenas.

“Ellos decidirán qué ocurre en sus tierras”, dijo Bolsonaro en el pódcast Market Makers. “Si quieren cultivar o arrendar su territorio, serán libres de hacerlo. Si quieren autorizar la minería en sus tierras, también podrán hacerlo”.

“Todo esto se hará de manera responsable y con salvaguardas ambientales, respetando sus deseos”, añadió.

Los territorios indígenas son algunas de las áreas mejor conservadas de Amazonía, pero enfrentan una creciente presión de agricultores y de la minería ilegal de oro. Bolsonaro no dijo si su administración establecería reglas de deforestación para tierras indígenas.

Las promesas de Flávio Bolsonaro podrían resonar entre algunos votantes amazónicos

En 2022, Jair Bolsonaro ganó en cinco de los nueve estados de Amazonía Legal de Brasil. Breno Rodrigues de Messias Leite, politólogo de la Universidad Federal de Amazonas, dijo que las promesas de Flávio Bolsonaro de flexibilizar las protecciones ambientales podrían atraer a votantes de la región que ven las normas como excesivamente restrictivas y gravosas para las empresas.

“Aquí nadie piensa: ‘Hay un bosque allá, voy a ir a talarlo’”, señaló. “Pero hay una idea profundamente arraigada en la mente de quienes viven aquí. Primero, se sienten aislados. Segundo, cuando el Estado aparece, llega con mano dura, con sanciones en lugar de infraestructura”.

Si Flávio Bolsonaro gana, agregó Leite, podría impulsar políticas que provoquen un daño ambiental. “Tendrá que responder a su base electoral, que precisamente son los productores rurales. Ese sector quiere una mayor flexibilización de las regulaciones ambientales”.

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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de las fundaciones y las áreas de cobertura que financian en AP.org.

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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.

Coach Stormy Wellington, una influencer de redes sociales que actualmente tiene más de 1.6 millones de seguidores en su página de Instagram, dice que seis artículos —cinco bolsos Hermès y una botella de agua Chanel— fueron sustraídos de su casa en agosto.

“Los compré hace más de seis años y todos significan mucho para mí”, dijo Wellington a Rosh Lowe, de Local 10, el jueves. “Así que, si alguien tiene mis bolsos o sabe dónde están, pagaré una recompensa para recuperar mis bolsos”.

La policía de Miramar arrestó a un estilista de moda de 31 años y lo acusó de robo mayor en primer grado relacionado con propiedades valoradas en más de $100,000 USD.

Pero el jefe de policía Delrish Moss dijo el jueves por la noche que los agentes arrestaron al hombre equivocado.

Moss dijo que el sospechoso acusado de robar las pertenencias de Wellington y el hombre que fue arrestado tienen el mismo nombre de pila.

Según un informe de arresto, Wellington dijo a la policía que descubrió que faltaban los artículos antes de salir para un viaje de negocios. Posteriormente reportó el robo a la policía.

Wellington dijo a los investigadores que le había pedido al presunto responsable que llevara uno de sus bolsos para que fuera limpiado profesionalmente. Dijo que finalmente faltaban seis artículos.

Los artículos estaban valorados en un total de $271,938.60 USD, según el informe de arresto.

La policía dijo que los bolsos fueron localizados posteriormente en un negocio de Aventura que revende bolsos de diseñador auténticos y otros artículos de lujo. Según el informe de arresto, el hombre había llevado los artículos al negocio como préstamo.

Wellington dijo que inicialmente sintió alivio cuando se enteró de que se había realizado un arresto. Pero luego vio la foto policial del sospechoso.

“Ese no es el hombre que robó mi bolso”, dijo Wellington. “Así que ahora tengo que ir a la Fiscalía Estatal y decir: ‘Oigan, ustedes arrestaron al hombre equivocado’”.

Moss dijo que la confusión se originó por información proporcionada a las autoridades en septiembre.

“Se tomó una declaración de una víctima en septiembre”, dijo Moss. “Como resultado de eso, se emitió un not-in-custody, que es algo parecido a una orden de arresto, a nombre de esta persona en lugar del nombre de la persona que debió haber sido arrestada”.

Moss dijo que la persona que presuntamente robó las pertenencias de Wellington sigue prófuga.

“El problema es que el not-in-custody que se emite, que es emitido por la Fiscalía Estatal, tiene el nombre de la persona que está detenida”, dijo Moss. “El nombre debió haber sido el apellido de otra persona”.

Moss dijo que la policía de Miramar se comunicó con la Fiscalía Estatal del condado Broward y con la cárcel después de descubrir el error y trabajó para lograr que el hombre fuera liberado.

“Lo más importante fue que nos pusimos en contacto con la Fiscalía Estatal y la cárcel, y estamos trabajando para liberarlo de inmediato”, dijo Moss. “En el momento en que nos enteramos, estamos obligados a tomar las medidas necesarias para reparar el daño a esa persona”.

La Fiscalía Estatal de Broward dijo a Local 10 el jueves por la noche que la policía de Miramar notificó a los fiscales que la persona equivocada había sido arrestada. Los fiscales luego trabajaron para desestimar el caso y agilizar la liberación del hombre de la cárcel.

El hombre salió de la cárcel el jueves y declinó hacer comentarios. Su abogado dijo al tribunal que su cliente no sabía nada sobre el caso.

Wellington dijo que la persona que ella cree que es responsable era alguien en quien alguna vez confió y a quien consideraba un amigo y miembro de la familia.

“Alguien a quien le pagué siete cifras como empleado robó mis bolsos y todavía le dice a la gente que los va a devolver”, dijo.

Wellington dijo que aún no ha recuperado sus pertenencias.

“Estoy muy frustrada porque, honestamente, después de haber trabajado tan duro y estar pasando por esto, lo mejor para mí en este momento es sentir que se hizo justicia”, dijo.

La persona que Wellington identifica como el presunto ladrón aún no ha sido arrestada en relación con el caso, según la policía.

Se insta a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre el robo a llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

This nice weather will continue for the weekend with only an isolated shower. We will return to our big afternoon thunderstorms on Monday and each day next week.

Head coach Dan Quinn announced the decision Friday after practice at the team’s luxury hotel accommodations outside London.

Daniels returned to practice this week after dislocating his elbow in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. He's been wearing a protective brace and expressed no concerns about further damage.

“He had a great week. It was awesome to have him back on the field in a limited fashion,” Quinn said. “He'll be out. Marcus will start.”

Quinn called Daniels' return to practice “a huge positive step for us and for him."

“We'll assess where we are next week when we get to a full week of practice all the way through,” the coach said.

Last week, Mariota threw three touchdown passes in the 33-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

It’s the second elbow dislocation for Daniels, who missed most of the second half of last season with the same injury.

The third-year quarterback, who led the Commanders to the NFC championship game in his rookie season, had said Thursday he was preparing mentally to start against the Colts and wasn’t worried about re-injuring the elbow.

“That’s what the brace is for,” Daniels said.

The Commanders host the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 11. The team has a bye in Week 7.

“Certainly, anytime you can practice, that’s a big deal,” Quinn said. “So for him to get back, that was a big step for us. Typical for him, he’s more ready than you’d expect. That’s just kind of how he is.”

Quinn was asked what he needs to see to put Daniels back on the field.

“It's really just like an entire group medical performance. Where he’s at, the practice part was a big piece of that today. But next week we’re planning on for him to get a full week of practice. That would be a big deal for us.”

Also Friday, running back Rachaad White (shoulder) did not practice for a third straight day. His game designation will be in the official injury report later Friday. White has rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries through three games. He also has 9 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.

The team signed Austin Ekeler on Monday and the veteran running back “had a good week,” Quinn said. “He’s certainly not a player that you would say, ‘he looks rusty.’ That did not surprise me.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

According to a blog post on Friday by Matt Garman, Amazon’s CEO of its cloud computing arm, Amazon has already spent more than $1 billion in communities with a large data center presence over the past three years.

Garman also said that Amazon is no longer using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies it works with on its projects, and it said it hosts open houses in communities where it operates to share information about what it's doing. He also warned against the spread of what he believes is misinformation about data centers' impact on the environment and energy rates — and he cited the dangers of over 100 moratoriums against these centers being considered across the country.

“If these measures are enacted, the U.S. could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he wrote. “As a country, we can’t afford to find ourselves in that position. There is urgency to this data center build out because we aren’t the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security.”

Garman's pledge comes as data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, have become a hot political issue heading into the midterms as tech giants race to invest more money in expanding these infrastructures.

Small, under-the-radar data centers have been around for decades. But the explosion of artificial intelligence chatbots has resulted in data centers that are bigger than anything just about any town has ever seen. Some of them dwarf football stadiums and factories and consume more energy than small cities.

By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world’s projected electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours, according to a United Nations University report released in June on these buildings' environmental footprint.

Amazon said in July that it now expects to spend $220 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, including on data centers and other technology investments. That’s up from its prior estimate of $200 billion.

President Donald Trump has embraced the building of more data centers, but there is growing wariness from voters. About 6 in 10 Americans support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built, including most Democrats and Republicans.

And a majority of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built.

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Temperatures will be mild, right around 70°, but showers at kickoff are expected to grow steadier during the game.

Field conditions could become a bit sloppy, but hopefully the Canes can overcome these conditions and come home still undefeated at 5-0.

CLICK HERE for the latest forecast updates in South Florida from Local 10’s Weather Authority.

Two of the Southeastern Conference's most productive young quarterbacks will share a field — and the spotlight — when Russell and No. 7 Alabama visit Taylor and 16th-ranked Mississippi State on Saturday.

It's a showcase game for the first-year starters.

Russell has completed 71% of his passes for 1,129 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Taylor has completed 69% for 1,192 yards with 14 TDs and two INTs. His passing touchdowns are tied for most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Russell and Taylor have raised their Heisman stock considerably since the season began. Russell is currently tied for fourth with Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at plus-1100, one spot behind Taylor (plus-750).

Russell is coming off a solid, two-game stretch with the Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 SEC). He threw for 685 yards and seven TDs while completing 77% of his passes against Florida State and South Carolina. He added two rushing touchdowns as Alabama scored a combined 99 points.

“There’s a direct correlation there between his decision-making and how he feels and looks in the back end of the pocket,” Grubb said. “I think just his composure has shown up.”

Taylor’s play has drawn attention from Alabama’s former coach, too.

“If I was coaching right now, I’d be trying to get Kamario Taylor to get in the portal,” Nick Saban said last week on ESPN’s “College GameDay."

Taylor responded by leading the Bulldogs to a 31-24 victory against Missouri and then making it clear how he feels about the program he grew up supporting.

“I don’t like to reply or look at everything like that during the season,” Taylor said. “When people come to me, it’s hard to talk to them how I want to talk to them. But if you know me, you know I bleed maroon and white.”

Taylor now has a chance to lead Mississippi State (4-0, 2-0) to its first win against Alabama since 2007. To do so, the Bulldogs will have to disrupt a young quarterback their own coach sees playing with increased confidence.

“You see a guy that is really playing well beyond his years right now, and he looks very calm, in complete command," Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said.

Lebby said Mississippi State needs to move Russell out of the pocket and tackle well to limit Alabama’s explosive plays. Russell has spread the production around, with Lotzeir Brooks and Ryan Coleman-Williams having 17 receptions apiece.

Alabama faces a different challenge against Taylor, whose ability to attack downfield has helped Mississippi State average 43 points and more than 500 yards.

Taylor has produced 20 completions of at least 20 yards, with nine of his TD passes covering that distance.

“He’s a great quarterback. Obviously, he’s got a cannon of an arm. He can hurt you with his feet,” Alabama safety Bray Hubbard said. “He’s got great receivers around him. He’s got a great back in the backfield. We got to defend him. They’re a great team, and he does a great job commanding their offense.”

Missouri sacked Taylor four times, but he still completed 27 of 38 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Sanfrisco Magee put the Bulldogs ahead with under four minutes remaining. Taylor also has 185 yards rushing — and sets the tone for his team on and off the field.

“He leads the pack. He leads us. Gets us in the check, gets us right and it has shown,” Alabama running back Daniel Hill said. “Just really the leadership he comes in with every day, just pushing the whole offense to do the right things, do the little things, get lined up, things like that.”

Both QBs now enter October with a chance to remain undefeated and add a ranked win to their playoff resumes.

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Las temperaturas serán agradables, alrededor de los 70°F, pero se espera que las lluvias al inicio del partido se vuelvan más constantes durante el juego.

Las condiciones del campo podrían volverse un poco complicadas, pero esperemos que los Canes puedan superar estas condiciones y regresar a casa aún invictos con marca de 5-0.

Click aquí para últimas actualizaciones del clima en el sur de Florida de la Autoridad Meteorológica de Local 10.

El informe empieza a llenar los vacíos sobre lo que pasó cuando el avión se salió de la pista en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, en un accidente que dejó cinco muertos.

La NTSB identificó varios factores que llevaron al accidente. Uno de ellos es que los reversores de empuje del avión no se activaron y que los frenos aerodinámicos estaban recogidos cuando el piloto intentó aterrizar.

Los reversores de empuje son clave para que un avión reduzca la velocidad. La NTSB determinó que no se activaron durante el intento de aterrizaje, pero aún no se ha confirmado si eso se debió a una falla mecánica o a un error del piloto.

Los frenos aerodinámicos también estaban retraídos y bloqueados en su posición de reposo, es decir, no se desplegaron.

El piloto activó manualmente los frenos de las ruedas cuando el avión iba a unas 168 millas por hora sobre la pista.

Unos ocho segundos después, el piloto intentó abortar el aterrizaje para volver a elevar el avión e intentarlo de nuevo. En ese momento, según el informe, al avión solo le quedaban unos 930 pies de pista.

Cuando el piloto trató de volver a frenar, quedaban unos 415 pies de pista. Finalmente, el avión se salió de la pista a unas 130 millas por hora y arrolló a cinco personas que estaban en vehículos estacionados cerca, quienes murieron.

Otro detalle del informe tiene que ver con la experiencia de la tripulación. El capitán obtuvo su certificado de piloto de transporte de línea aérea en mayo, apenas unos meses antes del accidente, aunque acumulaba miles de horas de vuelo.

El primer oficial obtuvo su certificado en abril del año pasado.

Aún falta confirmar si el accidente se debió por completo a una falla mecánica o si un error del piloto influyó.

El informe preliminar también incluye detalles sobre si el clima pudo haber influido en el accidente, además de más información sobre el lugar donde quedaron los restos del avión.

La investigación sigue en curso, y la NTSB continúa analizando lo que ocurrió ese día.

Tourists have long flocked to the bridge over the Vltava River to visit the statue of St John of Nepomuk. Now, visitors are lining up at the nearby Pietà sculpture to recreate an iconic 1988 photograph of music icons Depeche Mode.

The British electro-rock band first crossed the Iron Curtain in March 1988 to play a historic concert in Prague, then the capital of communist Czechoslovakia. They returned that November with renowned Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn, who captured them exploring the city for photographs that later appeared in his book, “Depeche Mode: Strangers.”

One black-and-white image has a particular appeal for fans: Dave Gahan and Martin Gore standing beside the Pietà sculpture.

Fans have been making the pilgrimage for years, but photographs of a mass gathering on the bridge between the band’s Prague concerts in 2024 appear to have helped fuel a modern-day boom.

Currently, the photo recreated by the visiting fans is trending with millions of views on social media.

Jorge Sanchez, from California, and his wife were among the recent visitors.

“Well, I remember seeing the picture from way back, and then I kind of remember, and I looked it up, and I learned that it was here, so I wanted to make sure I took a picture,” Sanchez said.

“I think it fit at the time, you know, with their music, you know, and their message and their music with your personal Jesus and all of that, so it’s kind of fitting.”

Maria Hofer and Lara Hinteregger came from Austria.

“We just saw this on Pinterest or on TikTok, and it’s kind of one of the most famous pictures you can take here in Prague,” Hofer said. “So, we wanted to do it as well,” Hofer said.

“Yeah, and we also like the vibe of the music. We feel like it fits the vibe of the city pretty well,” Hinteregger added.

St John Nepomuk was tortured to death at the request of King Wenceslas IV in 1393 because he refused to violate the seal of the confession and reveal to him the sins of his wife. His dead body was thrown into the river from Charles Bridge.

It is said that touching the polished engravings of the event placed at the pedestal of the Nepomuk statue will bring luck and ensure a return to Prague.

It is not clear if the members of Depeche Mode placed their hands on the Nepomuk statue in March 1988, but they returned later that same year — and their photographs have given fans another reason to follow.

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Associated Press video journalist Stanislav Hodina contributed.

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Coach Stormy Wellington, a social media influencer who currently has over 1.6 million followers on her Instagram page, says six items — five Hermès handbags and a Chanel water bottle — were taken from her home back in August.

“I bought them over six years (ago) and all of them mean a lot to me,” Wellington told Local 10’s Rosh Lowe on Thursday. “So, if anybody has my bags or knows the whereabouts of my bags, I will pay a reward to get my bags returned.”

Miramar police arrested a 31-year-old fashion stylist and accused him of first-degree grand theft involving property valued at more than $100,000.

But Miramar Police Department Chief Delrish Moss said Thursday night that officers arrested the wrong man.

Moss said the suspect accused of stealing Wellington’s belongings and the man who was arrested have the same first name.

According to an arrest report, Wellington told police she discovered the items were missing before leaving for a business trip. She later reported the theft to police.

Wellington told investigators she had asked the alleged culprit to take one of her handbags to be professionally cleaned. She said six items were ultimately missing.

The items were valued altogether at $271,938.60, according to the arrest report.

Police said the handbags were later located at a business in Aventura that resells authentic designer handbags and other luxury goods. According to the arrest report, the man had brought the items to the business as a loan.

Wellington said she initially felt relieved when she learned an arrest had been made. But then she saw the suspect’s mugshot.

“That is not the gentleman that stole my bag,” Wellington said. “So now I got to go to the State Attorney’s Office and say, ‘Hey, you guys arrested the wrong guy.’”

Moss said the mix-up stemmed from information provided to authorities in September.

“There was a statement taken from a victim back in September,” Moss said. “As a result of that, a not-in-custody, which is kind of like a warrant, was issued in this name rather than the name of the person who should have been arrested.”

Moss said the person who allegedly stole Wellington’s belongings remains at large.

“The issue is the not-in-custody that is issued, which is issued from the State Attorney’s Office, has the name of the person who is in custody,” Moss said. “The name should have been another person’s last name.”

Moss said Miramar police contacted the Broward County State Attorney’s Office and the jail after discovering the error and worked to have the man released.

“The most important thing was we got in contact with the State Attorney’s Office and the jail, and we’re working to immediately release him,” Moss said. “The minute we find out, we’re obliged to take the steps to make that person whole.”

The Broward State Attorney’s Office told Local 10 Thursday night that Miramar police notified prosecutors that the wrong person had been arrested. Prosecutors then worked to dismiss the case and expedite the man’s release from jail.

The man walked out of jail Thursday and declined to comment. His attorney told the court that his client did not know anything about the case.

Wellington said the person she believes is responsible was someone she once trusted and considered a friend and family member.

“Someone who I paid seven figures as an employee stole my bag(s) and (is) still telling people he’s going to bring them back,” she said.

Wellington said she has not recovered her belongings yet.

“I’m very frustrated because honestly, for me to have worked so hard and to be going through this, the best thing for me right now is to feel justice,” she said.

The person Wellington identifies as the suspected thief has not yet been arrested in connection with the case, according to police.

Anyone with information about the theft is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Learning when to challenge is key.

The Cincinnati Reds had a net gain of 16.8 runs, according to Baseball Savant calculations of total run value of overturns on challenges. The Los Angeles Angels were next at 14, followed by the Athletics (12.3) and Minnesota (10.1).

Cleveland was 30th at minus-13.4 and several other playoff teams rated poorly by that metric: the Los Angeles Dodgers (26th, -8.5), Tampa Bay (25th, -7.8), the Chicago Cubs (21st, -4.6), Milwaukee (20th, -2.4), Atlanta (18th, -2.1), San Diego (17th, -1.9), the New York Yankees (16th, -2.1) and Houston (15th, -0.8).

Houston's Jose Altuve topped batters with 5.6 projected runs gained, followed by Seattle's Cal Raleigh (4.6), Colorado's Kyle Karros (4.5) and Cincinnati's Sal Stewart (4.4) and JJ Bleday (4.1).

The Cubs' Seiya Suzuki led with 5.7 runs projected lost in defensive challenges, just ahead of the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (5.5), the Cubs' Ian Happ (5.2) and Michael Busch (5.1), and the New York Mets' Brett Baty (3.5).

Milwaukee’s William Contreras led catchers with 5.2 projected runs prevented, just in front of Cleveland's Patrick Bailey (5.1), the Mets' Francisco Alvarez (4.5) and San Diego's Freddy Fermin, Kansas City's Carter Jensen and Drew Romo of the Chicago White Sox (all 4.3).

“It’s like a new muscle for players to learn,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You have instincts over what to do in certain situations. This is a new instinct of knowing when to challenge and instinctively within a second, oh, that’s a ball. What’s the situation?”

There were 10,557 challenges, an average of 4.35 per game, and 5,686 led to overturned decisions.

Catchers succeeded on 59% of their challenges, while batters had a 49% success rate and pitchers — who seldom challenged compared to catchers and batters — were at 40%.

“ABS has really impacted the game,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “It has really changed how more selective some of these lineups are, how more disciplined they are, how we force pitchers to be more aggressive in the zone more than in the past.”

Contreras, Realmuto stand out among players

Contreras led all catchers with 185 challenges, and he also won the most with 105 (57%). Meanwhile, Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto had the highest success rate among catchers with at least 75 challenges at 81%. He was followed by the Cubs’ Carson Kelly (69%), Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson and Colorado’s Hunter Goodman (68% each), and Detroit’s Dillon Dingler (66%).

Realmuto added the first game-ending ABS challenge in postseason history this week, successfully flipping a call to end Game 2 of the Phillies' NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta.

The lowest percentages among those with 75 or more challenges were Alvarez (47%), Fermin, Romo (48%) and Edgar Quero of the White Sox (49%).

Stewart led batter challenges with 51 appeals and won 28 (55%). Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper was next with 47, winning 21 (45%).

On success rate, Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno (68%) led batters with 20 or more challenges, followed by Miami’s Esteury Ruiz (65%), Raleigh (64%), Minnesota’s Josh Bell and San Francisco’s Bryce Eldridge (62% each).

Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela and Colorado’s Willi Castro were at 25%, the lowest success rate among players with at least 20 challenges.

Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz had 686 plate appearances without attempting a challenge, by far the most in the majors by a batter, ahead of Toronto’s Nathan Lukes (450). Díaz has said he’d consider challenging a call in the World Series.

Cincinnati's 62% success rate led MLB, followed by the Athletics and Arizona (60% each), the Cubs (59%), Texas (58%), Detroit and Philadelphia (57% each) and Miami (56%).

Pittsburgh was least successful at 47%, with the White Sox and Cleveland at 49% each, and Baltimore and San Diego at 50%.

“We'll keep tweaking it, keep talking about it every day and keep trying to remind the players when we have challenges, when we don’t, when’s a good time, when’s not a good time,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said.

Players were more aggressive with ABS challenges in late innings

Knowing teams lose their right to challenge after two incorrect appeals, players used ABS less often early in games.

There were more challenges in the ninth than any other inning — sometimes because teams knew there would be no later innings to save them for — even though many games end without the bottom half. ABS was used in 1,366 ninth-inning challenges, with a 40% success rate.

“Having one in your pocket is kind of — it’s nice to know you have it,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said.

The average for innings 1-3 was 1,005 challenges with a 61% success rate.

Teams also got more aggressive as the season went on. Challenges per game rose from 3.76 in March to 4.60 in August and 4.61 in September, with most of that increase in catcher appeals.

“You can overthink it if you let yourself,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “You start talking about saving it for certain situations, it probably doesn’t end well. My message was the lower the leverage, the more certainty you have to have.”

Overturn rate for umpires most often behind plate ranged from 42-66%

Andy Fletcher had the highest overturn rate among umpires with more than 100 challenges, getting reversed on 80 of 121 (66.1%), according to taptochallenge.com. Rob Drake was next at 64.6%, followed by Cory Blaser (64.1%), Adrian Johnson (64%), Manny Gonzalez (62.5%) and Mike Estabrook (61.7%).

Jansen Visconti had the lowest overturn rate among those with triple-figure challenges, reversed on 43 of 102 (42.2%). He was just ahead of Mark Ripperger (44.3%), James Jean (44.9%), Ryan Additon (45%), Nestor Ceja (46%) and Alex Tosi (46.9%).

“When it gets overturned by less than a 10th of an inch, they do not like it,” Realmuto said of umpires. “When it’s that small, they don’t like it. That’s for sure.”

Video review success rate drops

Among video review used for other decisions such as safe/out calls, the 52.9% success rate was down from 54.8% in 2025 and 53.7% in 2024 and up from 48.5% in 2023.

There were 1,294 team challenges, an increase from 1,197 in 2025. Among the challenges this year, 243 calls were confirmed (18.8%) and 367 were allowed to stand (28.4%) when there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn them. The average time of a review was 1 minute, 25 seconds.

Kansas City was the most successful club, overturning calls in 23 of 33 challenges (69.7%). It was followed by Philadelphia (68.1%), Cleveland (67.4%), Milwaukee (65.9%), Arizona (64.1%), the Mets (62.5%) and St. Louis (61.5%).

San Francisco was the least successful, winning only 14 of 45 for 31.1%. Texas was at 36.6% and Pittsburgh at 38.6%.

After initially starting video review in August 2008 for home run calls, MLB vastly expanded replays for the 2014 season.

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AP Sports Writers Charles Odum and Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Heading into the first round of voting on Sunday, the front-runners are Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth, nonconsecutive term.

The conservation of the Amazon has been largely absent from this year’s campaign. Still, the two men represent starkly different visions of how the rainforest should be managed, and climate and conservation experts warn that a victory by Flávio Bolsonaro could reverse the deforestation-control policies Lula restored after taking office in 2023.

During Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with over 45,000 square kilometers (17,400 square miles) cleared, according to official data. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen 45%, reaching its lowest level in more than a decade.

Lula's Amazon policies could face opposition in conservative Congress

Lula’s policies would face resistance from a conservative Congress, where agribusiness holds significant sway. But his plan largely extends an agenda of emissions cuts and financing tropical forests.

Flávio Bolsonaro has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2029, a year ahead of Brazil’s current target. Lula’s goal goes further: zero net deforestation by 2030, meaning any forest loss, legal or illegal, would have to be offset through restoration.

Deforestation and other land-use changes are Brazil’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which drive global warming. The stakes are especially high in the Amazon, which stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generates atmospheric moisture that helps regulate weather far beyond South America.

Sen. Bolsonaro has not detailed his Amazon-related policies, saying broadly that his administration would intensify efforts against environmental crime and promote conservation.

“Flávio Bolsonaro is a defender of the environment and of those who preserve standing forests and clean rivers,” his campaign told The Associated Press in a statement. It said his government would create economic incentives for conservation and restoration.

Sen. Bolsonaro says he doesn't believe climate change is real

In an August interview with Jornal Nacional, Brazil’s most-watched television newscast, Bolsonaro said he did not believe in climate change, but rather in extreme weather events.

“Those are cyclical events,” Bolsonaro said. “The best way to address environmental issues is what we did during the (Jair) Bolsonaro administration: approve a basic sanitation framework to combat the sewage flowing past your front door.”

Márcio Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory, a network of environmental groups, said deforestation could surge again if Bolsonaro followed his father’s path of dismantling enforcement and weakening protections.

“The risk we face is that Brazil could move away from a positive environmental agenda toward a position more similar to the one now adopted by the United States — one of climate denial,” Astrini said.

Experts say the key word in Bolsonaro’s deforestation pledge may be “illegal.” They warn his administration could weaken protections and expand where clearing is legally permitted, allowing deforestation to rise while technically honoring the pledge.

“Given his long history of advocating weaker environmental protections, there is concern that activities now considered illegal could simply be legalized and no longer subject to enforcement,” said Taciana Stec, a climate policy specialist at Talanoa, a Brazilian think tank.

Landowners in the Amazon generally must preserve 80% of the native vegetation on their properties. In 2019, Bolsonaro co-sponsored a bill that would have ended that requirement, describing it as an obstacle to development.

The proposal was dropped after opposition from agribusiness leaders, who feared it would damage the reputation of Brazilian soy and beef in markets increasingly wary of deforestation.

Sen. Bolsonaro says he'll emphasize enforcement, but questions remain

Bolsonaro’s campaign tapped Marcelo Donnini Freire, an environmental manager who held senior positions during the final months of Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, to help shape its environmental platform.

In September, Freire met with environmental organizations, including the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, which advocates for Brazilian leadership in the low-carbon economy.

A person who has been part of internal campaign discussions but is not authorized to speak publicly said a Bolsonaro administration would be unlikely to change current deforestation restrictions on private properties. Such a proposal would face opposition from export-oriented agribusiness and risk undermining investments in carbon projects and biofuels.

Pressure for increased clearing could persist, however, among smaller producers with little access to export markets or carbon-credit revenue.

Although Bolsonaro’s campaign told AP he would prioritize technology-driven enforcement against wildfires and environmental crimes, he has campaigned across the Amazon on promises to loosen environmental regulations.

One enforcement tool allows authorities to impose sanctions for illegal clearing based solely on satellite monitoring. Jair Bolsonaro halted the policy, and Lula restored it in 2023. A fast-tracked bill backed by Brazil’s agribusiness caucus would weaken it. Flávio Bolsonaro did not say whether he would preserve the measure.

Some Bolsonaro allies have been fined for environmental violations and campaigned against enforcement. News outlet Sumauma found that candidates across the Amazon had accumulated about $33 million in environmental fines, most of them from parties aligned with the Bolsonaros.

Far-right candidate pledges to open Indigenous lands for farming, mining

At a June rally in Belem, which hosted last year’s U.N. climate summit, Bolsonaro vowed to “modernize” environmental laws and ease licensing for farming, cattle ranching and mining. In August, he campaigned in the Estacao Parecis Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso, pledging greater autonomy for Indigenous communities.

“They will decide what happens on their lands,” Bolsonaro told the Market Makers podcast. “If they want to farm or lease their territory, they will be free to do so. If they want to authorize mining on their lands, they will be able to do that as well.”

“All of this will be done responsibly and with environmental safeguards, while respecting their wishes,” he added.

Indigenous territories are among the Amazon’s best-preserved areas but face growing pressure from farmers and illegal gold mining. Bolsonaro did not say whether his administration would establish deforestation rules for Indigenous lands.

Flávio Bolsonaro pledges may resonate with some Amazon voters

In 2022, Jair Bolsonaro carried five of the nine states in Brazil’s Legal Amazon. Breno Rodrigues de Messias Leite, a political scientist at the Federal University of Amazonas, said Flávio Bolsonaro's promises to loosen environmental protections may appeal to voters in the region who see the rules as overly restrictive and burdensome to businesses.

“Nobody here thinks, ‘There’s a forest over there, let me go cut it down,’” Leite said. “But one idea is deeply ingrained in the minds of the people who live here. First, they feel isolated. Second, when the state shows up, it comes with a heavy hand, with sanctions rather than with infrastructure.”

If Flávio Bolsonaro wins, Leite added, he could pursue policies that result in environmental damage. “He will have to respond to his electoral base, which is precisely rural producers. That sector wants further loosening of environmental regulations.”

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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.

In the last several months, we have witnessed Secretary of State Marco Rubio continuing to sanction top officials of the Cuban government and their organizations, trying to force them to change or come to the table and negotiate with the U.S.

On the other hand, we just learned that the White House authorized a sale of 3.2 million barrels of oil to Cuba supposedly going to Cuba’s private sector. Are you kidding?

When dealing with Venezuela and Cuba, Trump has clearly shown that making money is more important than regime change in these two countries.

Oct. 1: Robberies and delinquencies increase in Cuba

According to Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez (14yMedio), this past Monday a bank was robbed in Lawton, Cuba in the middle of a major power failure.

The robbers got away with the money that was to be paid the next day to people who had retired. At the same time, many solar panels that have been installed around Cuba to help with the growing electrical shortages are being stolen at night by robbers.

The Cuban government is concerned that as socio-economic conditions continue to get worse on the island nation, these practices will increase. So far, no one has been caught.

The new sanctions announced Tuesday directly have an impact on the small and mid-size private enterprises that are allowed by the Cuban government new economic reforms introduced a few months ago. Under the new sanctions, these businesses will not be allowed to have bank accounts in the U.S.

In addition, the new sanctions will prohibit educational exchanges and “people to people” contact that have been used for tourism purposes.

The Cuban government was quick to react by saying that these new U.S. sanctions further hurt the Cuban people. Cuba continues to deny that their own system is mostly responsible for the current poor socio-economic conditions on the island nation.

Sept. 29: Secretary Rubio sends a clear message to Cuba

On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a stern and clear message to the Cuban government. “Do not think that you can wait out the end of this administration. Change your government or you will face the consequences.”

I do not believe, given the problems in the Middle East, that the U.S. will open another military front. Although even if they do, it will not take long for the U.S. to take out Cuba’s military.

The problem is what do we do after with the island? I do not believe Cuba is ready for a democratic government.

Sept. 25: Cuba denies negotiations with U.S.

President Trump announced two days ago that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has started negotiations once again with members of the Cuban government.

Cuba’s Vice Minister Fernández de Cosio was quickly to react and make it clear that such negotiations are not true.

In the meantime the support amongst the Cuban-American and Venezuelan community for Trump is eroding fast ahead of the midterm elections.

Sept. 24: The Trump administration needs a lesson in simple mathematics

At a press conference Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in reference to Cuba that we cannot expect to change a country that has been under a totalitarian regime for 60 years in six months. First, Mr. Secretary, this coming Jan. 1 will mark 68 (2027-1959= 68) years since the Castro’s took over power.

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Trump, Rubio and the Cuban American members of Congress from South Florida have said multiple times that by the end of 2026 the Cuban government would fall. Now they say by the end of 2029. Maybe the 6 was reversed from the beginning.

Secondly, we captured Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela this past January. The following week, President Trump said that in two weeks (a week has 7 days. 7x2=14), Cuba would be next. Let’s check the math, Mr. President. It’s been eight months since the capture of Maduro. That’s about 240 days.

The foreign policy of this administration continues to be a disaster. We have 101 ambassadorial appointments open around the world out of 196. 40 appointees are waiting Senate hearing and confirmation. But their qualifications are so bad they probably will not be confirm. 95% of President Trump’s ambassadorial appointments are political with limited international relations and diplomatic knowledge.

Furthermore, 42 times the Trump administration has announced a cease fire with Iran because both nations were close to a deal. So far the war goes on with no clear exit strategy.

In the meantime, Cuban Americans and Venezuelans in South Florida have realized that the Trump administration strategies are just a game with empty promises.

There is still time to correct your calculations but you are running out of time, mid-term elections are around the corner. Do the math.

Sept. 22: Trump calls Cuba ‘failed state that will fall’

This morning, President Donald Trump addressed the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting.

In his speech, he called Cuba a “failed state that will fall.” He further stated that “communism will never come to the U.S. but liberty will soon come to Cuba.” Trump further stated that Cuba represents a threat to U.S. national security -- all these accusations without giving any specific details.

Sept. 22: Wealthy, influential Cuban-Americans with ties to Trump planning for ‘post-communist’ Cuba if regimes falls

According to an article by the Wall Street Journal, wealthy and influential Cuban-Americans with ties to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been meeting in lawyer offices and hotel conference rooms to plan for a “post-communist” Cuba if the regime were to fall soon.

The “change” model seems to first attempt to stabilize Cuba by restructuring the economy that could possibly lead to a new form of government.

Many of these individuals are planning to personally play a role in rebuilding Cuba. These individuals run wealthy businesses. However, for the most part, the opposition groups in South Florida have been left out of these conversations or any role they might play in the future of Cuba.

Sept. 21: Cuba’s leadership continue to blame their problems on everybody else except themselves

Cuban Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio made a surreal statement yesterday, claiming that everyone at the top of the Cuban government leadership get, on average, two hours of electricity per day.

We know that most of Cuba’s inner circle of power have generators or solar panels that provide them electricity around the clock each day.

What Fernandez de Cossio does not admit is that the electrical problem has been caused by the Cuban government not being able to fix the outdated electrical plans that are the cause of the problem.

Sept. 18: Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar breaks with Trump over immigration policy

After supporting President Donald Trump’s policy on immigration, Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar issued a video yesterday criticizing Trump.

The Department of Homeland Security was quickly to react and say that the Trump administration will continue enforcing the policy.

We need to ask ourselves whether Salazar’s change of heart has to do more with political survival since she faces a tough race in the midterm elections this coming November from well known South Floridian Eliott Rodriguez (D).

Sept. 17: Cuba is not Venezuela

A new poll recently done by FIU, inside Venezuela and Cuba, show how different the situations are for U.S. foreign policy.

The poll shows that 90% of Venezuelans want free and democratic elections this year, which I do not believe the current Interim President Delcy Rodriguez will agree to. I’m also sure that she will use Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s plan of “stabilization, recovery, and transition phase” to say that the first stage has not been fully accomplished. There was no timetable put on the plan.

The case of Cuba is very different. The population wants their economic and social needs met before political reforms, which goes to my argument that Cuba has a very short history of democratic governments.

So to remind our local members of Congress. To say that “we must return Cuba to democracy” will not happen anytime soon.

Sept. 16: Rubio’s latest actions on Cuba

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently sent more humanitarian aid to Cuba, and it is being distributed by the non-governmental organization (NGO) associated with the Catholic Church, Caritas of Cuba.

At the same time, Rubio warned international banks and businesses not to collaborate with any Cuban business entities that have been sanctioned by the U.S.

Secretary Rubio also called for the Cuban government to change and become a democracy.

By now, we should understand that changing governments like Cuba, which have been under totalitarian control, is not easy and will take time. Especially countries like Cuba that, in their political history, have had unsustainable democratic governments.

Sept. 15: Cuba becomes a betting market for U.S. prediction markets

Cuba has become a betting market in the USA.

The betting site Polymarket shows how people in the U.S. are betting on everything from the removal of Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel from power to when and if the U.S. will invade Cuba or make an economic agreement with Cuba.

The last prediction is whether the U.S. will go and get indicted Cuban leader Raúl Castro.

Sept. 10: Russia denies Cuba full membership in BRICS

BRICS is an organization of 11 emerging economies around the world. The organization works to influence their global importance and reshape economic governance.

The membership includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Partner nations include Belarus, Cuba, Nigeria and Thailand.

The Russians turned down Cuba for full membership into the organization because of Cuba’s poor economic conditions and poor predictions by economists moving forward.

Sept. 9: Cuba and the U.S. stuck in diplomatic rhetoric

Cuba’s Brigadier General Emir Mesa Corona, who is in charge of personal security at the Ministry of Interior, sent a strong message to the U.S. not to even think of trying to kidnap Raul Castro or anyone in Cuba’s government or they will face serious consequences.

At the same time, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla admitted that backroom negotiations with the U.S. continue but the U.S. will not soften their positions. Cuba wants the economic embargo lifted while the U.S. wants regime change.

Sept. 8: Blind passion for Cuban politics leads to a political circus between Miami, Havana and DC

As a little boy growing up in Miami, I remember when every presidential candidate from both political parties would come to campaign in Miami and promised that if elected, they would work to see a “Free Cuba.” They would end their speeches with “Viva Cuba Libre.” Local politicians representing different municipalities in Miami-Dade would talk about U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba like they controlled it, and yet, they had nothing to do with it within their scope of responsibilities. But it got them the votes they needed to be elected and remain in power, while political leaders in Cuba continued to blame everything wrong on the island on the U.S. economic embargo, or as they call it, “the blockade.”

On Jan. 3, the U.S. military captured Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela with the assistance of their current Interim President Delcy Rodriguez and brought him to the U.S. to face justice. Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump announced that Cuba would be next.

The Trump administration began to sanction Cuban organizations and individuals of the government in an attempt to squeeze them out of power. So far, they are still in power. The Cuban government began to prepare for a U.S. invasion. To this date, it has not happened and probably never will.

On May 20, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Raul Castro for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996 in a theater-like political rally at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. So far nothing has happened and nothing is going to happen. There is no Delcy Rodriguez in Cuba. A week ago, many media outlets across Miami reported, based on sources from inside the island, that Raul Castro was gravely ill. This past weekend, Raul reappeared surrounded by Cuba’s military elite.

Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the three Cuban-American members of Congress from South Florida had announced that by the end of 2026, Cuba would fall. Now it has been pushed back to 2029. Furthermore, Rubio recently said that the problem in dealing with Cuba is the Helms-Burton Law (Senator Jesse Helms and Richard Burton, both Republicans) that was enacted by Congress in 1996, also with the hard work of the late Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The three Cuban-American members of Congress made it clear that the goal was to return Cuba to democracy. What democracy? Cuba did not have a democratic government before Fidel Castro took power. How much do they really know about Cuban history? Or is it just a play on words and empty promises?

So as time passes each day, the Cuban-American community is beginning to ask itself, what is really going on in D.C.?

It would not surprise me that in the near future the Trump organizations would negotiate to buy the empty Melia Hotels in Cuba and put the Trump name on them. After all, we now own a big chunk of Venezuelan oil and there was no regime change as promised.

Will we ever learn? How much longer are we going to be blind by our passion?

Sept 6: Raul Castro makes public appearance

After much speculation about Cuba’s Raul Castro being close to death, the Cuban leader showed up at a military event yesterday accompanied by his grandson, Raulito, and Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Sept 3: Raul Castro stable, according to sources

Sources in Cuba say Raul Castro, 95, is stable despite reports about his declining health. According to sources, retired General Abelardo Colome Ibarra, known as “ El Fury,” is currently in worse condition. Colome Ibarra was head of the Ministry of the Interior and highly respected by the Castro brothers and the Cuban military.

Sept 3: President Trump’s hands are tied with regard to Cuba, Rubio says

After months of saying Cuba would be next, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that the president’s hands are tied because of the Helms Burton Law which requires no normalization between the U.S. and Cuba unless there is regime change and a move towards a democratic government.

Even if Raul Castro was to die in the near future, I do not expect regime change.

Only the U.S. can change the Helms-Burton Law and I don’t expect that to happen anytime in the near future or after the mid-term elections.

Sept. 2: Children in Cuba start new school year amid more challenges than any other year before

Children in Cuba started the new school year Tuesday facing a lack of supplies, books, uniforms and teachers, and buildings that are falling apart, along with a lack of food to feed the children.

According to the Cuban minister of education, this will be a very challenging year unlike any others.

Cuban education was once one of the big accomplishments of the revolution. However, it was also used to indoctrinate the students in an ideology that no one on the island nation believes anymore.

Sept. 1: Raul Castro hospitalized, sources say

Reliable sources inside Cuba have informed me this afternoon that Raul Castro has been hospitalized. We need to be careful and not to over speculate what might happen until further notice.

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.

The Group of Seven industrial nations said Friday that they plan to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products in the coming weeks, starting with “substantial” amounts of diesel after the fuel recently hit record high prices in the United States. President Trump and the GOP face pressure to address surging prices ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, Trump’s immigration policies are finding renewed attention in the Supreme Court, which agreed Thursday to review his administration’s denial of bond hearings for immigrants during its sweeping crackdown. The justices will consider whether immigrants who've been living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to determine if they should remain detained while challenging their possible deportation.

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More than a million votes already cast in midterm elections

More than 1 million votes have already been cast in this year’s midterm elections as both parties work to boost turnout in the races’ final stretch.

So far, 1,050,990 advance ballots have been returned in elections that will determine which party controls Congress, according to an Associated Press tally.

The numbers underscore that time is running out as candidates barnstorm their districts and as the parties dump more money into battleground states.

More than 58 million votes were cast before Election Day in 2022 and more than 97 million before Election Day in 2024.

Lincoln aircraft carrier due home after record deployment supporting Iran war

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is slated to return home to California next Thursday, the Navy announced Friday, following a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war and intense scrutiny over ship conditions.

Reports emerged of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as shortages of food and hygiene products. Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs said she recently visited the ship and spoke to sailors and Marines who shared stories of “their struggles to wash clothes, get medicine and health care, and eat enough food.”

President Donald Trump had downplayed reports about conditions on the Lincoln, which left its homeport in November, arrived in the Middle East in January, and spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 260 days.

In August, Trump said the sailors endured a “good period of time” but added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.”

Senate Republicans plan to spend over $8 million in red Kansas, pull back from North Carolina

Senate Republicans’ top spending group is pouring more than $8 million into Kansas while pulling back from North Carolina, once expected to be one of the most competitive races this cycle.

The Senate Leadership Fund now plans to spend more than $8 million in Kansas over the next month, according to AdImpact. President Donald Trump won the state by nearly 16 percentage points in 2024.

The spending shift is a stark sign of how dramatically the Senate map has changed just a month before the midterm elections. Republicans entered the cycle expecting more opportunities to flip Democratic-held seats than races where they would be forced to defend their own.

Kelly says Hegseth’s Pentagon ‘focused on the wrong thing’

Sen. Mark Kelly has harsh words for Pete Hegseth and the changes he’s looking to bring to the Pentagon.

Asked about the defense secretary’s “ state of the force speech,” in which Hegseth rolled out a number of major shifts for the department he leads, the military veteran and former astronaut said Hegseth was “focused on giving speeches about killing people in lethality and insulting some service members” instead of “professionalism and training and improving our combat capability.”

Kelly is stumping for midterm Democrats this week in South Carolina, which holds the party’s first presidential primary, as he mulls a potential 2028 White House bid. He spoke to reporters Friday after an event in Mauldin.

Kennedy Center Honors to be held at Capital One Arena amid fight over adding Trump’s name

This year’s Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington’s Capital One Arena, not the riverfront building that’s been at the center of a legal fight over adding President Trump’s name to the building.

The 49th annual awards are set to take place at Washington’s downtown arena, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said Friday. Few other details were immediately available, and an explanation for the change wasn’t given.

The center’s board voted last month to close the iconic performing arts venue along the Potomac River waterfront after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning Trump’s name to the building.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders one day ‘stand-down’ to encourage military vote

Hegseth made the announcement in a video in which he said the move was “apolitical.” It’s his latest effort to encourage Republican-leaning military members to cast ballots ahead of what’s shaping up to be a challenging election for the party.

Earlier this week, Hegseth said that if every member of the military cast ballots, they could out-vote heavily Democratic cities like Boston and Detroit. His department was also sued Thursday by Democrats over a quiet change that makes it harder for Democratic-leaning overseas civilians to cast ballots. Earlier this year, the Army reduced the number of its voting assistance officers.

Hegseth has also announced that the Defense Department will provide cybersecurity for November’s election, a function previously done by a civilian agency that’s been gutted by Trump’s budget cuts after its prior leaders challenged Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Iowa lawmakers to vote on raising tax incentive cap for a $15B steel plant

Iowa lawmakers returned to the Statehouse on Friday to consider expanding the ceiling on state tax incentives in an effort to secure a $15 billion steel plant project for the state.

President Trump announced the plant Monday alongside Iowa elected officials, heralding the project as a major economic and national security investment.

Five weeks before the midterm elections, Republicans seized on the promise of good-paying jobs and a central role for the heartland in the push for American steel manufacturing. It’s celebrated as an opportunity for southeast Iowa, an area along the Mississippi River that once thrived as a hub for industry but has since suffered from shuttered facilities and dwindled populations. Still, the deal and the tax abatements it could carry have also been met with some skepticism in rural Iowa and Des Moines alike.

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Hiring slipped and unemployment rose last month in the final jobs report before midterms

U.S. businesses and other employers added just 29,000 job in September, down from a revised 133,000 in August and far fewer than economists had expected. The unemployment rate rose to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1%, the Labor Department said.

Job gains in July were revised lower to show employers shed 10,000 jobs that month. Average wages rose 3% in August from a year earlier, the slowest pace in five years. Americans’ paychecks are trailing inflation.

The jobs report underscores the political challenge for Trump and congressional Republicans: Unemployment is low and layoffs are rare, but stubbornly high inflation is eroding consumers’ ability to afford things like gas, food, and housing. A recent AP-NORC poll found just 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living.

Trump: Europe agrees to release diesel reserves ‘immediately’ as fuel prices hover near record highs

President Trump said Friday that Europe has agreed to release some of its diesel reserves “immediately,” as the president and his Republican Party face pressure to address surging prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Trump announced the action on social media without offering details on which countries were releasing reserves or at what volumes. Trump writes, “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil.” Trump says, “The process will begin immediately.”

The president faces lagging approval ratings as the Iran war and his trade battles have increased U.S. prices for oil and other goods.

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Households will pay more for energy because of Trump’s policy changes, think tank says

Households in the contiguous United States will pay thousands of dollars more for energy through 2040 because of federal policy changes since Trump returned to office, according to modeling released Friday by a nonpartisan think tank.

The Energy Innovation analysis found that households will pay an average of $6,500 more for energy, cumulatively through 2040. In five states, households will pay roughly $9,000 more: Oregon, Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming.

The California-based think tank says there’ll be more demand for natural gas for electricity because the administration is canceling new clean energy projects and there’ll be more demand for gasoline for transportation because Trump and Congress are revoking policies that encouraged or created incentives for more efficient and lower-emissions vehicles. Higher demand drives prices up.

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Trump administration says it has no plans for ICE officers at polls. Activists are preparing, anyway

With early voting already underway, a question worrying some voters is what role — if any — immigration enforcement officers might have at polling places through Election Day.

Department of Homeland Security officials say they don’t plan to send immigration enforcement officers en masse to patrol the polls and dismissed concerns that they plan to do so as “fearmongering.” Election legal experts say federal law clearly prevents the government from deploying any armed troops, agents or officers to election sites except to “repel armed enemies of the United States,” a high bar to clear.

But organizations who represent Latino, Black and Asian American voters say the rhetoric and ICE’s own activity make them worried at a time the number of immigration arrests is soaring as President Trump carries out his mass deportation agenda.

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Trump tried to make an ally out of fishermen. Some have started to turn on him

John Evich, a commercial fisherman in Washington and Alaska, has voted for President Donald Trump three times, viewing him as someone who would fight for his industry.

But these days, Evich is weary of the high cost of doing business at sea, with fuel prices rising and trade hostilities with Canada jeopardizing markets for the crabs that he pulls off the ocean floor.

“If somebody came along that was going to do a better job, I would vote for them in a heartbeat,” he said.

Evich’s sentiment, echoed throughout the U.S. seafood industry, is another piece of a political puzzle that’s working against Trump in the midterm elections. Dissatisfaction among commercial fishermen could cause collateral damage for Republicans in competitive races in Washington, Alaska and Maine.

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Trump blitzes toward the midterms with campaign rallies across the country

President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail as he seeks to shore up lagging enthusiasm in his party ahead of next month’s midterm elections.

He could have their work cut out for him, though.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low.

Republicans have expressed growing pessimism about their chances in the election, which will determine control of Congress, as the president has repeatedly dismissed concerns about high costs and gas prices as his unpopular war in Iran drags on.

According to Trump, his party has merely done a poor job of public relations in promoting his administration’s accomplishments.

“Maybe we’re doing a bad job selling it,” Trump said while campaigning in Texas.

Robin Comfort said he drove his car through the flooded streets and quickly realized he shouldn’t have.

“Well, I drove my car down the street and I shouldn’t have. There was too much water in it and (it) just went into the engine, I guess,” Comfort said.

Comfort had been waiting for assistance for a few hours.

He said he had been living in Pompano Beach and that it was barely raining when he left.

For some drivers, the flooding became an unexpected problem.

“You have this constant issue. Why hasn’t something happened about the flooding? Like you guys are aware of it,” one woman said as she waited for roadside assistance.

Resident Allie Scholey said she had never seen flooding like this before.

“Like I’ve never seen flooding like this, and it’ll be here for hours, so I guess I’m stuck inside,” Scholey said.

The flooding also caused problems for people traveling to and from work in the Victoria Park area.

And while some people were stuck, one man appeared to embrace the conditions, riding his motorcycle through the flooded streets while another man decided to ride a wave.

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The report is beginning to fill in gaps about what happened when the plane overshot the runway at MIA, killing five people.

The NTSB identified several factors leading up to the crash. One was that the plane’s thrust reversers did not deploy, while the speed brakes were also stowed when the pilot attempted to land.

Thrust reversers are critical for helping an airplane slow down and decelerate. The NTSB found they were not activated during the landing attempt, but it remains unconfirmed whether that was caused by a mechanical failure or pilot error.

The speed brakes were also retracted and locked in their stored position, meaning they were not deployed.

The pilot manually deployed the plane’s wheel brakes at a ground speed of about 168 mph, the report stated.

According to the report, about eight seconds later, the pilot attempted a go-around maneuver in an effort to get the plane back into the air and land again. At that point, the report says the airplane had only about 930 feet of runway remaining.

When the pilot attempted to reapply the wheel brakes, the plane had about 415 feet of runway left, the report stated. The aircraft eventually overshot the runway while traveling about 130 mph, hitting and killing five people who were parked nearby, officials said.

Another detail in the report involves the flight crew’s experience. According to the report, the captain earned his airline transport certificate in May, just a few months before the crash. He still had thousands of hours of flight experience.

The first officer earned his certificate in April of last year.

It remains to be confirmed whether the crash was completely the result of a mechanical failure or whether pilot error played a role.

The preliminary report also includes details about whether weather may have affected the crash, as well as more information from the wreckage scene.

The investigation is ongoing, and the NTSB is continuing to examine what happened that day.

Lago, who has served three terms as mayor, says he has focused on keeping the city’s streets safe and clean.

“I gotta prepare myself to work on your potholes and public safety and make sure your trash is picked up,” Lago said.

Lago also points to the city’s bond rating and says he has been a good watchdog for taxpayer dollars. On housing affordability, he says there are opportunities in North Gables for residents to move into smaller apartments and homes that are less costly than those in the central and southern parts of the city.

Cancio says he has spent decades in Coral Gables and believes his experience as an attorney would be helpful when negotiating with city commissioners. He says helping residents connect to sewers could also help reduce costs.

“That would be a great help because, again, everyone is rich, but they are not,” Cancio said. “You have to maintain your house and it costs a lot of money.”

Cancio says he is a problem solver who tackles issues head-on.

Holmes, a Coral Gables native, describes himself as the outsider in the race. His top issue is the high cost of living in the city, which he says is personal.

“A member of my family is on the verge of homelessness because of affordability. Well, if there was ever a time to support housing, this is it,” Holmes said.

Lago says keeping a lid on property taxes would remain a focus.

“We’ve been very good stewards of the residents’ money while having the second-lowest millage rates of a full-service city in Miami-Dade County,” Lago said.

Cancio says he believes he could do a better job leading the city.

“There are a lot of people living in the Gables that could do a better job, and I’m one of them,” Cancio said. “I can do a better job than what they do.”

Holmes also says immigration reform is a top priority on his agenda.

“It’s painful. There are consequences, but we don’t want to really help ICE arrest the wrong people,” Holmes said.

Divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department found the victim's body Thursday in the wreckage of the helicopter after searching more than 156 square miles (404 square kilometers) over 23 hours, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Relatives of the missing person told ABC7 that the woman was being transported from Catalina Island to the mainland for medical care after having an allergic reaction. They also said her 20-year-old son went with her in the helicopter to help translate.

The helicopter with five people aboard went down shortly after takeoff and hit the water not far from the island, officials said. The cause is not clear and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

First responders pulled four people from the water on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that authorities were not yet identifying the victims by name. But he described the two people who died as the male pilot and a female nurse. He also said another medic and a fourth person, a man, were hospitalized.

Luna said the helicopter wreckage was about 200 feet (60 meters) deep in the water.

The helicopter’s operator, REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento, confirmed that two of its crew members died and a third was recovering at a hospital. The company declined to provide more details.

“In the days ahead, our focus will remain on caring for our people, supporting their families and honoring the lives and service of those we have lost,” REACH said in a statement.

A memorial service was held on the island to honor the victims.

The crash came 11 days after a firefighting helicopter went down, killing two pilots in Yosemite National Park in California, and two weeks after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing two people.

Emergency personnel were called to the Catalina crash shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two, in stable condition, were brought to hospitals on the mainland, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The helicopter landed on the island shortly after 7 p.m., following a 24-minute flight from an airport in Oceanside, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

The NTSB identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2 and said it would be brought to a secure facility for evaluation, a board spokesperson said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the crash a terrible tragedy.

“The people who were on board dedicated their careers to saving lives. They are heroes,” she said in a social media post.

“Just about every week, I dial up Georgia mayors and pastors and farmers to find out how I can help,” Ossoff said at a recent campaign rally for his reelection bid against Republican Rep. Mike Collins.

Up the Eastern Seaboard, Maine Sen. Susan Collins keeps a regular itinerary of local events, including ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings for projects she helped finance as Senate Appropriations Committee chair.

“There’s not a community in Maine that can’t say Susan helped us,” intones the voiceover in a campaign ad for Collins. The five-term senator, who's not related to the Georgia congressman, is facing Democratic former state legislative leader Troy Jackson in November.

The two senators — Ossoff the Democrat, Collins the Republican — began this election cycle widely viewed as their respective parties’ most vulnerable members. But as Republican Donald Trump's second presidency and partisan fights on Capitol Hill dominate national political conversation, the senators' campaigns have played out differently than expected in part because of the more mundane part of their jobs: helping the people back home.

“We in the political world tend to think about the strength of incumbency through the lens of fundraising and national media attention, and those do matter,” said Republican Chris Hartline, once a top adviser at the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. “But the ability to help the local communities you actually represent still matters.”

For Ossoff, it means attracting endorsements from Republican officials, including Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson, that have made it harder for Mike Collins to land attacks claiming that the liberal first-term senator from Atlanta doesn’t represent Georgia. For Susan Collins, it means a go-to buffer argument as she runs with the weight of Trump’s lagging popularity and her support for various parts of his agenda.

A month from Election Day, Ossoff has gone from a top GOP target to a widely perceived favorite to defend a seat that Democrats cannot afford to lose as they try to regain a Senate majority. And as Republican incumbents like Ohio Sen. Jon Husted are increasingly viewed as underdogs, strategists in both parties still view Susan Collins’ race as a tossup.

Ossoff draws begrudging respect from Republicans

Ossoff and his aides say the senator tries to deliver on every aspect of what Washington calls “constituent services.”

That could mean federal appropriations, disaster assistance or nuts-and-bolts matters like assisting a voter who is seeking Social Security disability benefits or a missing Social Security check. It includes surprise notes of congratulations or condolences to constituents — something Ossoff sends even to aides of Republican elected officials.

Endorsing Ossoff earlier this year, Matheson, the Valdosta mayor, described himself as a lifelong conservative. But he praised Ossoff for his Helene response. The senator recalled “going block by block” with the mayor and serving “hot meals to folks who had just lost their homes.”

Ossoff points to money secured for a dialysis center in nearby Tifton, Georgia. Mayor Julie Smith, another Republican, has endorsed Ossoff, too, explaining that “he’s been very good for south Georgia.”

Courtney Eskew, whose husband, Joshua, was injured during an Army tour in Afghanistan, pointed to Ossoff’s work for veterans’ care. The couple both grew up in Republican households but said they were volunteering for Ossoff’s campaign.

“Senator Ossoff has been passionately vocal about VA funding, and any time we’ve needed to call to advocate or to ask a question about benefits, his office has done everything we needed,” Eskew said after the couple attended an Ossoff event.

Eskew said it’s a powerful counter to opponent Mike Collins’ attacks that Ossoff is too liberal for the historically conservative state.

Ossoff “doesn’t vote the way I want him to vote” on contentious issues, added Chan Jones, who chairs the Georgia Republican Party’s 8th Congressional District committee. “But as far as the office and the way they’ve carried themselves and handled other aspects of the job, I can’t knock that.”

Jones has his own example as a member of the Bleckley County Recreation Board.

“We were having some trouble with a federal grant,” he said, adding that one call to the senator’s office fixed the issue.

Mainers must decide the value of seniority

Susan Collins is relentless in promoting money she’s steered to Maine — for community colleges and hospital expansions or hyperlocal examples like a program to control the spruce budworm, a threat to the state’s forests and timber industry.

“That will go away with a freshman senator,” she said at a Maine manufacturing conference earlier this year. “It took me years to climb the ladder of seniority.”

No project is too small for her argument. In late August, she attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the rehabilitation of St. Croix Apartments in Calais, a city of about 3,000 residents on the Canadian border, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Portland. It’s in a conservative part of the state where GOP candidates need heavy turnout to win statewide.

Collins was there to highlight $3 million she secured to restore 26 affordable housing units for low-income seniors.

“The renovated St. Croix Apartments will provide seniors with safe and affordable homes close to the family, friends and community they love,” Collins said.

The amount is a pittance within appropriations bills measured in the billions. But it’s the kind of work many Maine residents associate with the veteran lawmaker.

In the same campaign stretch, Collins visited a child development center in Bangor to highlight Head Start funding. In the summer, she walked in the Casco Days Grand Parade to raise money for the local fire association and stopped by the dedication of a new fire station in the town of Sweden, population 400.

At the same time, Collins has maintained a stretch in Washington of more than 10,000 consecutive votes — a streak she connects to those results back home.

Collins and Ossoff are following an old script

There are recent examples of candidates succeeding by doing what Collins and Ossoff are trying.

The late Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, another powerful committee chairman, withstood a fierce Republican primary challenge to win his final election in 2014 by coaxing Democratic crossover voters in part because of his decades of appropriating money.

Hartline, who worked for Senate Republicans in 2022, pointed to Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson as a bright spot in an otherwise tough cycle for the party.

“Johnson knew every corner of Wisconsin because he’d been there,” Hartline said.

Collins, especially, needs that dynamic to outweigh national circumstances.

Democrats, Jackson included, have hammered her for not having done enough to shield Maine from Trump’s tariffs — which she has criticized — and for backing the Iran war, which has raised fuel prices.

But even Jackson supporters recognize Collins’ ability to win five elections when Maine has opted for Democrats in every presidential contest.

Warsame Dualeh, a 45-year-old Jackson supporter, mused about weak opponents — though Collins has drawn aggressive Democratic opposition over the years. And then he acknowledged that the federal money pipeline “very well could be” the reason for Collins’ durability.

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Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.

Nothing is publicly known about the motive of the co-pilot, who came close to crashing the aircraft and killing all 182 people aboard Wednesday’s FlyDubai flight from Dubai. A regional investigation is underway.

The UAE has canceled all flights to Israel, complicating travel for hundreds of passengers who fly between the countries on a typical day. Israel and the UAE agreed on repatriation flights, beginning Friday, to bring back passengers stranded in the UAE after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended, according to an Israeli official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The first repatriation flight left the UAE shortly before 11 p.m., according to the Dubai International Airport website.

The Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv listed carriers Arkia and Israir with flights scheduled to arrive from Dubai late Friday and early Saturday. El Al was expected to fly passengers from Dubai to Israel on Sunday.

Dubai has been a popular destination for Israelis since Israel and the UAE established ties in 2020 as part of the Trump administration's Abraham Accords to normalize ties between Israel and Arab countries.

Trump says he'll hit Iran ‘very hard’ if it had a hand in the attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his claim on Friday that the co-pilot, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani citizen, had undergone "Islamist radicalization" but provided no evidence to back the assertion.

“We are now investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a video message.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that early information he's received suggests links between the attack and Tehran but did not elaborate. Trump also said that if it is determined that Iranian agents were behind the attack, the United States will “hit them very hard.”

Israeli investigators are involved in the probe but the Emiratis are in the lead, according to an official who wasn’t authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s unclear if the attacker was part of a group, said the official, adding that there is currently no evidence of a link with Iran.

UAE senior diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash on Friday called the FlyDubai attack a “dangerous terrorist act” in a post on X. He credited the flight captain for preventing a catastrophe.

The moment is a test for the UAE government, which has burnished a reputation for building effective measures against extremist activities but has also bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses.

“The Emiratis are going to be interested in protecting their reputation,” said Jon Alterman, chair of Global Security and Geostrategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “They believe people should see them as a place that’s very secure, not a place that has serious lapses.”

The FlyDubai flight plummeted to 15,000 feet

Details of the harrowing flight, which made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, continue to emerge.

Smit Machchhar, the wounded captain who has been hailed as one of the heroes of the flight, and the co-pilot were transferred on Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, the kingdom said.

Machchhar is recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital. He spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised video call Friday, describing the terror he faced after being attacked in the closed cockpit.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” he said, his head bandaged, as he broke into sobs. “I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”

The first signs of trouble came more than two hours into the flight when the aircraft suddenly dropped to 16,600 feet — the sharpest altitude drop recorded by data tracking platforms. But moments before the nosedive, passengers seated near the front of the plane heard sounds of a fight inside the cockpit, said passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row.

Seconds later, it ascended to 21,725 feet before soon dropping back to 15,000 feet, which it maintained until safely landing more than an hour later.

“The plane started going down very quickly and we all went back backwards, like the gravity took us backwards,” Schlichter said. The shouting of the children as the plane plummeted, he added, was “horrific.”

“One of the things that I will never forget is the shouting of the children,” Schlichter said. “I could hear the children shouting, ‘We don’t want to die! We don’t want to die!’ ”

The captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 — with 174 passengers and eight crew members, most of them Israelis — descended sharply.

The passengers wrestled the co-pilot from the cockpit and onto the floor of the main cabin where they bound his hands with headphones. They laid the wounded pilot inches from him, and a dentist attended to his wounds. Schlichter and the dentist, Dr. Shota Musayev, both said there was no visible knife or other weapon at the front of the aircraft.

“I could see all the blood on the floor, and I couldn’t believe he would still be alive because he had so many injuries,” Schlichter said of the captain.

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Madhani reported from Jerusalem. AP writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Brussels, Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed reporting.

“I’ve never said it’s going to be easy,” Hilton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s obviously an uphill battle. I still see this as a winnable race.”

With mail ballots scheduled to arrive at homes in early October, the former Fox News commentator is angling to pull off what would be one of the great upsets in California record books against Democrat Xavier Becerra. Aligned against him in the heavily Democratic state are the weight of recent history, a national electorate that has soured on President Donald Trump and, perhaps inescapably, basic math.

Any Republican starts at a disadvantage. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a staggering 4.6 million voters, a margin approaching 2-to-1 statewide. Trump — who has endorsed Hilton’s candidacy — is widely loathed outside his conservative base in a state the president often depicts as representing all that is wrong in America.

“I like Steve a lot, but the math is very hard,” says GOP consultant Mike Murphy, who advised the last Republican to hold the office, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was elected to his second term in 2006.

“I think the most relevant equation is how many cases of beer you have to drink to be drunk enough to think it’s doable in this election cycle with the Trump dynamic and the registration advantage the Democrats have,” Murphy wrote in an email. “My model starts at four cases.”

A Democratic reckoning that has never come

For years, Republicans envisioned that one day the state’s Democratic ribs would crack, as voters faithful to the brand grew weary of wallet-sapping taxes, the nation’s top gas prices, an unchecked homeless crisis and home prices and rents that drain family budgets.

“We will win because the argument for change is irresistible,” the Britain-born Hilton says.

To defeat Becerra, Hilton will need to upend what has become a familiar pattern in California general elections. Frequently, Democratic statewide candidates pull in roughly 60% of the vote on Election Day. Rival Republicans, around 40%.

Part of Hilton's challenge is overcoming the baked-in notion that California's political DNA is immutable.

“We just need to overcome the sense that after 20 years of one party running everything, it is actually possible to get change. That’s the biggest thing I think we’re fighting against,” Hilton said.

He repeated that message again during a Wednesday debate on CNN, the only television matchup scheduled for the general election.

In his pursuit of a breakthrough, Hilton has anchored his campaign to making California more affordable, including bringing gas prices down to $3 a gallon. Yet he doesn’t appear to be gaining the traction he needs to catch the Democrat. A September poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies found that Becerra had a sizable lead over Hilton.

Some of his proposals are clearly crafted to snag voters’ attention, even if it is not clear how some would clear a Democratic-controlled legislature or other regulatory hurdles. Among them: cut in half residents’ utility bills, now among the nation’s highest; eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings; and abolish the much-maligned Department of Motor Vehicles.

He believes about a quarter of the vote is up for grabs, including people who have voted for Democrats but aren't rigidly faithful to the party — largely working-class voters and those without a college education. He sees room to pick up more votes among Latinos and women, too. And he will need a heroic turnout from Republicans.

At the same time, he has been campaigning in the Los Angeles area — the state’s Democratic nucleus, where statewide elections can be won or lost depending on turnout.

Becerra argues that Hilton will be little more than another loyalist for the Trump administration, imposing the president's conservative agenda in California.

Fewer competitive races in a polarized nation

The number of truly competitive races nationwide has dwindled as many states veer to the political left or right. Up until the late 1980s, California was for many years a reliable win for the GOP in presidential elections. But a growing immigrant population and a shifting economy — including the collapse of the defense industry and the rise of Silicon Valley — transformed the state and its voting patterns.

Bedrock issues that define the California electorate — including widespread support for abortion rights and environmental protection — could make it difficult for some voters to consider backing a GOP candidate, especially in the Trump era.

After months of turmoil with a large field in the June primary election, the contest to succeed the outgoing Newsom has settled into a stolid affair. With numbers on his side, Becerra’s low-key campaign is an acknowledgment that if he avoids mistakes, he is likely to get the job.

Still, polling conducted in early September by the Public Policy Institute of California found about half of voters think the state is moving in the wrong direction while a majority think economic conditions will be bad over the next year.

California — where Democrats hold every statewide office and dominate the legislature — has one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates. Its gas prices are the highest in the nation, and its utility prices near the top nationally. Home prices often soar into the seven digits. After decades of meteoric growth, the population has essentially flatlined, with California expected to lose a congressional seat as states like Florida and Texas grow at a faster pace.

One Republican who got close in recent years is Lanhee Chen, who picked up nearly 45% of the vote in his 2022 race for state controller. For Hilton to be successful “he has to turn it into a referendum on one-party governance,” Chen said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top diplomat said officials have received separate proposals for a partial truce with Russia from the United States, India, Turkey and Egypt. The proposals envision halting attacks on energy infrastructure, which have caused fuel shortages in Russia and power outages in Ukraine, and on Black Sea shipping needed to get vital grain exports to world markets.

The Russian strikes forcing the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges caused traffic logjams and appeared to be a new tactic in its campaign to torment the city’s residents. Previously, Russia has hit apartment blocks, supermarket warehouses, gas stations and data centers, among other targets, in an escalation of attacks.

Oleksandr Pihalo, a Kyiv resident, said traffic was “jammed solid” and it took him 45 minutes to cover 4 kilometers (2 ½ miles). “It’s a total mess on the road today,” he told The Associated Press.

One of the three bridges was hit again on Friday afternoon, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said.

Civilians “are bearing the brunt of this war,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said in Geneva on Friday.

“The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that is growing and intensifying by the week, causing unfathomable pain to civilians,” he said. “Across Ukraine, people are living in constant dread.”

While the aerial war has intensified in recent months, fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line snaking through northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has been virtually deadlocked. Russia invaded its neighbor more than 4 ½ years ago, and there are no concrete signs that a peace settlement might be possible.

However, Ukraine has this year made some progress against Russia’s bigger army, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Russian forces lost control over almost 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of Ukraine between March and September, the Washington-based think tank said in a report late Thursday. Also, it said that the Russian military suffered over 46,000 casualties in September, the highest monthly number this year. It did not say how many Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded.

Zelenskyy says sanctions can stop Russian drones and missiles

Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, striking Kyiv and eight other regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Almost half of the drones were the jet-powered type that are especially hard to stop, he said.

A drone hit a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv, killing one person, he said. At least four people were reported wounded elsewhere.

Zelenskyy repeated his appeal for foreign countries to close loopholes in international sanctions on Russia and to add more restrictions on its trade. He said Russia's drones and missiles are “critically dependent” on foreign components.

“Every Russian drone can actually be stopped right at the production line,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

Ukraine has also bombarded Russia with the long-range drones and missiles it now produces, aiming at military manufacturing plants and oil refineries.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses overnight downed 646 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

One person was wounded in Russia’s southwestern Volgograd region, Gov. Andrei Bocharov said. The attack targeted “industrial infrastructure,” he said, without providing details.

Ukraine is ready for a truce on energy strikes and the Black Sea

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the partial truce proposals presented to Kyiv by four countries were the first time India has offered to play a role.

India is trying to balance its ties with Russia against its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers. A new U.S. sanctions package on Russia could impose up to 100% tariffs on New Delhi as a major importer of Russian oil.

Sybiha said Kyiv is ready to accept a ceasefire if it stops Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid — as well as Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries — and on cargo vessels exporting grain and other farm products through the Black Sea.

“We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in that combination. Energy and a ceasefire in the Black Sea,” Sybiha told reporters Thursday, in comments embargoed until Friday.

He repeated Ukraine’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire on the front line. But Moscow has rejected a ceasefire, saying a comprehensive peace deal must be agreed rather than a temporary truce.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Friday that Ukraine attacked four Russian oil refineries overnight, but air defenses fended off the attacks and key equipment wasn’t damaged.

The government and companies have worked hard to improve protection of refineries, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed in August that the state can temporarily seize control of critical infrastructure facilities if private owners fail to protect them or rebuild them after Ukrainian strikes.

It wasn't possible to verify either side's claims.

Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles, Ukraine says

Sybiha said Ukraine is requesting some 300 Patriot missiles from partner countries because intelligence services estimate that Russia is holding 600 ballistic missiles in reserve and can produce up to 140 ballistic missiles per month.

The U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems can effectively defend against ballistic missiles, which fly fast and drop steeply, but they are in short supply due to the Iran war.

Ukraine needs more funding and quickly, foreign minister says

Ukraine urgently needs funding in order to contract future drone production, so there are no gaps in supply at the beginning of next year, Sybiha said.

Kyiv faces a projected budget deficit of roughly $27 billion this year, although the European Union has promised to help meet its financial requirements.

The European Commission announced Friday it had disbursed €2.9 billion ($3.3 billion) to Ukraine in its latest batch of financing. Zelenskyy said the amount would help Ukraine’s financial stability and strengthen its defense.

Russia is also facing economic and financial challenges due to high military spending and debt.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. AP reporter Vasilisa Stepanenko contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely — and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. Updated COVID-19 shots are available now, plus shots for people especially vulnerable to another winter risk called RSV.

While these infections make many people feel miserable for a few days before they recover, every year flu alone causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. and kills tens of thousands.

Vaccination isn’t “a guarantee that we’re going to prevent illness. But just like the seat belt in your car, it decreases risk” of the worst outcomes, said Dr. Ryan Stanton of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Fall vaccine advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its independent advisory panel. But this year that panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle and the CDC hasn't updated its flu advice.

Now doctors’ groups are filling the gap: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have posted vaccination guidelines for their patient populations plus the scientific evidence behind them.

Here's what to know:

Just about everyone should get vaccinated against flu

Just about everybody starting at age 6 months needs flu vaccination, the medical societies agree. But flu is particularly dangerous for people 65 and older, pregnant women, young children and people of any age who have chronic health problems, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease and weak immune systems. The last two flu seasons brought unusually high numbers of child deaths, the vast majority of them in unvaccinated kids.

The vaccines don't block all flu infections, but they do help prevent the worst outcomes, decreasing older adults' hospitalizations by 31% last year, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group based at the University of Minnesota.

Here's how to pick from the multiple flu vaccine options

Three “enhanced” flu vaccines are designed to better protect seniors. The American Academy of Family Physicians urges them to choose one — “but do not delay your vaccination if that one’s not available,” said AAFP’s Dr. Sarah Nosal.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new choice for people ages 50 and older, the first flu vaccine made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. One study found Moderna's mFlusiva was 27% more effective against symptomatic illness among 50- to 64-year-olds than a standard shot.

The shot-averse could choose a nasal spray, FluMist, if they're ages 2 to 49 and meet other health criteria.

The latest on COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 shots once were recommended for just about everyone by federal health agencies, but like last year, the FDA has only formally approved them for higher-risk people — those ages 65 and older or younger people with at least one health condition that increases their risk.

Still, the family physicians recommend all adults get a COVID-19 vaccination, especially seniors and those with other risk factors. Adults 65 and older should get a fall dose and then a second dose six months later, as immunity wanes over time, Nosal said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a COVID-19 shot for all children ages 6 months to 23 months, and for older kids with high-risk conditions. It also supports vaccination for any child whose parent wishes it.

With millions of shots administered, there’s no evidence that coronavirus vaccination during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage or other problems, “so please get the vaccine,” said ACOG’s Dr. Christina Davidson.

Depending on age, people can choose a shot from Moderna, Pfizer, or the only non-mRNA version from Novavax and Sanofi.

Just like with flu vaccines, these shots are better at preventing severe disease than mild cases. The Vaccine Integrity Project said last fall’s COVID-19 shots cut the risk of hospitalization by 53% in seniors and slashed emergency room visits for very young children.

Common side effects for flu and COVID-19 vaccines are mild and temporary, such as sore arms, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, and mild fever. They occurred somewhat more often with the new mFlusiva than with standard flu shots.

Here's where you can get vaccinated

While pediatricians and some clinics offer both flu and coronavirus shots, they're available for most ages through pharmacies. For example, Walgreens says it now offers both shots for ages 3 and older, no prescription needed.

Medicare covers the fall shots and most private health insurers say they plan to continue doing so through 2027. If you want to choose mFlusiva, the new Moderna flu option, make sure to double check that your insurance covers it.

When to get vaccinated

Flu experts say October is best, although vaccinations will remain available through the fall — just remember it can take two weeks for protection to kick in. COVID-19 cases rose in the late summer and usually do again around the winter holidays. Some experts say it's also OK to time the coronavirus shot a few weeks ahead of an event you wouldn’t want to miss because of illness, like a special trip or get-together.

RSV is a nuisance for many, but it can be deadly for some

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, typically is a cold-like nuisance during the fall, winter and early spring. But it can be severe, even life-threatening, for infants and older adults.

The family physicians recommend a one-time vaccination for adults 75 and older, people 50 to 74 who are at increased risk, or younger people with weak immune systems.

It’s also recommended during late pregnancy to protect infants born during RSV season. Separately, the pediatricians recommend a vaccine-like medication for those infants whose moms weren't vaccinated and some other high-risk babies.

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The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and 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.

But earlier this year, the Navy reservist and his friend shoveled a six-carat diamond from a field in Arkansas where he's found over 300 gems so far. And this one is like nothing he's dug up before — Pearadin claims collectors have told him it could be worth $1 million.

At least one experienced appraiser told The Associated Press that a diamond of such size and quality could be worth a fourth of that — still an impressive find.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Pearadin said as he livestreamed the discovery on TikTok. “Holy crap, we got a big one!” he yelled after rinsing gravel from a bucket and then flipping the pile onto a table to expose the shiny facets of a 6.03-carat diamond.

Roughly the size of a fingernail, it’s the largest diamond found this year at Crater of Diamonds State Park. More than 37,000 diamonds have been discovered since the former open-pit diamond mine became part of a state park in 1972.

The largest diamond found at the park, 'Uncle Sam,’ weighed 40 carats

The park charges a $15 entry fee to fill a 5-gallon bucket with rocks, and people can keep any gemstones they find. Most are small and worth maybe a few hundred dollars. The largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States, a 40.23-carat stone called the Uncle Sam, was found at the park in 1924.

Pearadin, originally from Missouri, has been trying his luck at the park since 2013, even moving to nearby Murfreesboro to support his hobby — “I love it that much,” he told The Associated Press. He's sold most of his diamonds online.

Most of the 400 to 800 diamonds found at the park annually weigh about a quarter of a carat, according to park interpreter Sarah Bivens. But there have been some bigger ones, said park assistant superintendent Waymon Cox: In 2020 a 9-carat diamond was found by an Arkansas bank manager, and in 2024 a French man unearthed a 7-carat diamond.

Diamonds are found in few places in the US

Diamonds are crystallized under tremendous pressure and heat deep inside the Earth and then thrust to the surface through volcanic activity before they’re scattered by water or wind. These natural diamonds are often cloudy and oddly shaped, and lose about 25% of their weight as they're cut and polished into what a jeweler would sell, according to Nathan Renfro, senior manager at the Gemological Institute of America.

Renfro said the U.S. has only two known primary deposits of diamonds — places where columns of once-molten volcanic rock have reached the surface — Crater of Diamonds and Colorado’s Kelsey Lake, where the land was reclaimed after a commercial mining operation went out of business years ago.

Today, that leaves the Arkansas park as one of the only places in the world where anyone can hunt for diamonds and take their finds with them.

“It’s a pretty remarkable operation that that’s available to the public,” Renfro said. “Most diamond mines are super high security.”

So can Jack finally get a big payday?

A typical .17-carat diamond from the park can sell for around $700, said certified gem appraiser Laura Stanley in Little Rock. But a high-quality six-carat yellow diamond from the park can sell for about $250,000, she said, partly because of their origin.

“They are their own entity,” Stanley said. “It’s the only place in America where you can go find your own diamond and you can’t compare that to a diamond from anywhere else.”

The Uncle Sam crystal was cut and polished into a 12.42-carat diamond gifted to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where it's on view in the “Great American Diamonds” exhibit.

Pearadin named his latest and biggest find the “American Dream.”

“It’s just this massive, gorgeous yellow diamond,” Pearadin said. He plans to split the profits with fellow gem hunter Michael Schumacher of Wisconsin, who helped fill the bucket that held the stone, and open his own crystal mine.

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Turbay is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was running in Israel’s upcoming election is withdrawing his candidacy following comments about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

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

Wounded captain says he had to get back up to save passengers

The FlyDubai captain told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save everyone on board, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot and the aircraft plunged into a steep descent.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” Capt. Smit Machchhar said from a hospital in Abu Dhabi. “I was fighting for my life. At one point I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives.”

Machchhar was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with 182 people on board, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Israel was set to begin repatriation flights to bring back passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates after commercial travel between the two countries was suspended following the attack.

— More coverage on the attempt to crash the plane is available here.

Tanker struck in the Strait of Hormuz

In the Strait of Hormuz, a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” while transiting outbound through the waterway, the British military said Friday, adding that the attack caused a “small fire and blackout onboard.” There were no reported casualties, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said. The fire was extinguished and the tanker continued its transit.

UKMTO did not identify the tanker and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Four tankers have recently been hit by projectiles in the critical waterway, bringing the total to five with Friday’s incident, UKMTO said.

Overall ship traffic remains below prewar levels in the Strait of Hormuz, as do shipments of energy products, even though Iran has lost its near-complete chokehold over the crucial waterway thanks to the U.S. Navy's efforts to shepherd oil tankers through the strait. That, along with various pipelines, has allowed Gulf countries to restore oil exports to nearly prewar levels.

Israeli strikes kill 3 people in Gaza, local health officials say

Three Israeli strikes in Gaza City and central Gaza killed three people and wounded at least one other on Friday, according to health officials at Gaza’s hospitals.

Two strikes in Gaza City killed one person each, while another strike in central Gaza killed a third, officials said.

Israel’s military acknowledged carrying out the strikes, saying that it was hitting militants in those areas, without elaborating.

Fighting in Yemen as UN raises humanitarian concerns

In Yemen, intense fighting engulfed a residential area in Taiz City as clashes between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces raised concerns over a worsening humanitarian situation.

The World Food Program warned that renewed fighting in Yemen is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in a country suffering from severe hunger.

WFP director Matthew Hollingworth said that almost three out of four households are unable to meet their basic food needs.

Shelling Friday by the Houthis on the residential neighborhood of Wadi al-Qadi in Taiz City injured several people, according to an Associated Press reporter in the city.

Separately, Saudi Arabia said Friday that it intercepted three ballistic missiles, launched by the Houthis, over the city of Khamis Mushait. The statement, by Saudi spokesman Gen. Turki al-Maliki, did not specify when the attacks occurred or report any immediate damage. A fourth projectile, also blamed on Houthi rebels, fell on a school in the city of Najran, causing material damage, Saudi Civil Defense said. No injuries have been reported.

Palestinian running in Israel’s upcoming election withdraws candidacy

In Israel, the chairman of the left-wing Balad party said he would withdraw from Israel’s upcoming election after the country’s Supreme Court president said a majority of justices were prepared to uphold his disqualification.

Sami Abou Shehadeh’s candidacy was challenged over an editorial he wrote in the newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The article did not condemn Hamas and argued that it was surprising violence hadn’t erupted earlier given conditions in Gaza.

In a subsequent article, Abou Shehadeh, a former member of Israel’s Knesset, called Hamas’ attack both unacceptable and a crime. He said he hadn’t known the scale of the violence when he wrote the first article.

The court weighed whether his remarks violated an Israeli law barring candidates who reject Israel’s existence, incite racism or support armed struggle against Israel. His lawyers said that barring him would reinterpret the law and create a new threshold.

About 20% of Israel's citizens are of Palestinian descent.

Israeli troops block olive harvest in West Bank

Israeli soldiers have barred Palestinian farmers and activists from harvesting olives in the northern West Bank, according to video footage obtained by The Associated Press.

The footage showed soldiers firing shots in the air and tear gas toward the Palestinian farmers and activists, while settlers were also seen in the area.

Israel's military said troops were deployed following reports of a confrontation, which was dispersed. It added that a security official at the scene fired shots into the air earlier, without elaborating. The military said no one was injured.

The olive harvest season in the West Bank is usually marred by tensions between Palestinian farmers and settlers. Israel has imposed new rules this year, prohibiting Palestinians from harvesting in what’s known as Area C, which is under Israeli security control and encompasses the majority of the territory’s agricultural lands.

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An earlier version of this story mistakenly said that a fourth projectile reported by Saudi Arabia Friday was not attributed to anyone in particular; it was blamed on Houthi rebels.

“The club’s firm position,” read a short statement from City, “is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”

City has protested its innocence throughout the long-running case, which dates back to 2018 and reached a milestone Tuesday, when the Premier League published a verdict saying the Abu Dhabi-controlled club was “guilty of all charges related to serious breaches” of the competition’s financial rules from 2009-18.

City has yet to receive a punishment. According to the Premier League, potential sanctions could be a reprimand, fine, points deduction or, in the worst case, expulsion from the competition. No team has ever been expelled from English soccer’s top flight.

City officials said they would lodge an appeal and that was filed on Thursday evening, the club said, ahead of Friday’s deadline.

“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” City said, using language from previous statements on the case.

In its own statement, the Premier League said City had “appealed the decision” of the commission and that the appeal hearing “will remain private and confidential until publication of the outcome is permitted.”

The appeal hearing should be over within 12 weeks

Premier League regulations state that the chair of the three-person investigatory panel that found against City has to appoint the new appeal board. That also will consist of three people, one of whom “shall have held judicial office,” the league’s rules state.

The appeal hearing should take place within 12 weeks of the date the appeal was filed, and cannot exceed a length of five consecutive days.

“An appeal board has wide discretion in respect of the appeal,” the league said, “and may allow it, dismiss it, or make any other order that it thinks fit.”

Any punishments in the case will be addressed in a separate, confidential hearing undertaken by the investigatory panel. There has been no word whether sanctions can be imposed before the decision of the appeal is reached.

The Premier League has only said its intention is that the process is concluded “as soon as possible.”

City’s $1B rule-breaking using ‘sham’ commercial deals, according to commission

City was found to have systematically broken the Premier League’s financial rules for nearly a decade in what the competition’s chief executive, Richard Masters, described as the most significant disciplinary case in the league’s history.

The investigatory panel found that City artificially inflated its revenue — using what the league has called “sham” commercial deals — by more than $1 billion from 2009-18 to circumvent financial fair-play rules that restricted rival clubs, and allowing City to buy some of the best players in the world.

That was the foundation of a long and unprecedented period of success in which City changed the landscape of the world’s most popular soccer league, with the northwest club winning eight league titles from 2012-24.

City committed almost all of the 115-plus violations, the commission found: 80 from 2009-18 for alleged financial misdeeds and another 35 from 2018-23 for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation.

Source of sponsorship could be focus in appeal

City is likely to focus part of its appeal around the issue of how its Abu Dhabi-based sponsorship deals were funded.

The commission found that sponsors in Abu Dhabi only paid 119.25 million pounds ($158.4 million) of the 949.94 million pounds ($1.26 billion) stated in club accounts, with the remaining 830.69 million pounds ($1.1 billion) being paid by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the private company of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan that bought City in 2008.

Sheikh Mansour is a member of the United Arab Emirates’ ruling family.

City contended that “no part” of the deals were funded by the ADUG and that, instead, the Abu Dhabi government — which owned the sponsors — had helped to fund the deals “from time to time.” And so in City’s opinion, that source of extra funding was misunderstood, the commission wrote.

The panel rejected that explanation by City as untrue, concluding it was “concocted well after the event” to disguise the source of funding.

In an internal video to City staff — obtained by broadcaster Sky News — City chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation: that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true.”

English soccer's governing body makes first comments in case

On Friday, the Football Association — the governing body of soccer in England — expressed concern that the “integrity” of the game had been affected by the scandal.

In its first reaction to the case, the FA said: “The independent commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.”

The FA added that it would “continue to monitor developments closely” and would not comment further because proceedings were ongoing.

Britain’s tax authority urged to weigh in as Burnham clarifies comments

The City case is currently a soccer disciplinary proceeding, not a criminal investigation. On Thursday, a cross-party committee of lawmakers called on Britain’s tax authority to look into the findings of the independent panel in case they require closer scrutiny regarding any tax implications.

The chair of the Treasury Committee, Dame Meg Hillier, wrote to the permanent secretary of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), saying: “While I acknowledge that taxpayer confidentiality may inhibit what you can disclose, I would welcome reassurance from HMRC that you are seized of the importance of these issues and the public interest in the case.”

In another example of the widespread impact of the scandal involving City, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been repeatedly asked his view on the issue.

On Wednesday, Burnham said he would be “really concerned” to lose City’s Abu Dhabi ownership from English soccer, saying they had been a “huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and of City as a global force, while also saying he was not getting involved in the process.

Burnham was formerly the mayor of Manchester.

On Thursday, Downing Street sought to clarify that the prime minister viewed the ruling as “serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.”

“If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences,” Burnham’s office said in a statement, which stressed that the independent process was ongoing.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The setback sparked speculation in Spanish media that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could consider bringing forward elections from next year. His office did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press regarding a possible snap election.

Sánchez spoke at the end of a five-hour parliamentary debate, making a last-gasp appeal to lawmakers to vote for the measures that he called “necessary.”

“What is behind these decrees is the desire to instill order and a sense of humanity in a market that if we do not rein it in will destroy our society,” Sánchez told the other 349 members.

“Do the right thing, or history will judge you, and sooner than you think,” Sánchez concluded before each lawmaker voted by roll call.

His plea fell on deaf ears. The Catalan separatist party Junts carried out its announcement made hours before that it would vote against both decrees. That doomed the measures when combined with the “No” from the center-right Popular Party and far-right Vox.

The votes were loudly jeered by protesters who had gathered nearby, while people seated in the public tribune of the chamber shouted “Vulture funds govern the congress!”

Oriol Bartomeus, a professor of political science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said that uncertainty now overhangs Spanish politics because Sánchez has good reasons to both call elections in two months time, as well as to hang on until next year.

Sánchez, while a popular progressive leader internationally, has been surrounded by a series of legal cases against his Socialist party and even his family, which all deny any wrongdoing. His government has also been harshly criticized for a migration crisis in Ceuta.

“It is clear that the issue of housing is more favorable than corruption,” Bartomeus told the AP. “But if he calls elections now, he has to wait 54 days to hold them, and in that time absolutely anything can happen.”

The decrees followed public uproar over the eviction of an elderly woman

The first of the rejected decrees included a package of measures the government said would stop evictions of vulnerable people, make real estate speculation harder and provide tax incentives to encourage renting. The second decree was intended to make residential leases automatically renewable by tenants.

The main protest group, the renters association Sindicato de Inquilinas, said it was calling for more protests on Saturday and pushing for a general strike.

The government decrees were intended to quell a public uproar following the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman last week in Madrid that sparked protests and a camp-in that has occupied Madrid’s most important square ever since.

Outside the parliament, protesters held up homemade signs with images of vultures on them, denouncing the real estate speculators they blame for driving up prices.

Protester Carla Cremonte, a 34-year-old office worker, lamented that the right-wing parties had united to “vote against the interests of the majority of people who are here, of the workers of Spain.”

“I don’t know what might happen, whether elections will be called, but in the streets we will continue fighting and the atmosphere is one of a general strike,” she said.

The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the past 10 years. The average price per square meter has risen from 8.20 euros in 2016 to 15.1 euros ($17.15) this year, according to the real estate website Idealista.

The elderly woman whose eviction sparked the protests, Maricarmen Abascal, has become a symbol for the fight for lower housing costs in the southern European country, where many people are priced out of buying a home and are being squeezed by a small rental market.

The company that evicted her finally caved under immense public and political pressure this week and said that she can return to the apartment. Abascal is currently in a hospital since being removed from her home on a stretcher, but her lawyer said she is happy to know she will be going home.

It is unclear where the government will go from here. It could work on fresh legislation — unless, of course, Sánchez pulls the trigger on an election.

Catalan separatists scuttle housing decrees

Junts is one of a group of small parties that Sánchez needed to woo when he formed a new government in 2023. It has proven to be a prickly political partner ever since. Its leader, the separatist Carles Puigdemont, has resided in Belgium since fleeing Spain after leading a failed bid to make northeastern Catalonia an independent nation in 2017.

Spain’s Housing Minister, Isabel Rodríguez, appealed to Junts from the lectern, saying that her ministry had “incorporated 90% of your proposals. Vote for the decrees or at least abstain.”

But Míriam Nogueras of Junts said that the decrees would only lead to owners removing their properties from the rental market, and thus driving up prices even further.

“These decrees still allow speculators to buy property and to evict people,” Nogueras said.

Junts urged the government to negotiate amendments. The government refused.

“This is not a failure of all of us," Juan Bravo of the Popular Party told Rodríguez. “This is your failure and that of Sánchez’s entire government.”

The center-right Basque party and the tiny Coalición Canaria, whose support the government also needed, also voted against the second decree after backing the first one. They both criticized the government for rushing to act via decree instead of crafting legislation with other parties.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

The latest figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday showed that 4,018 people have died among 8,300 cases recorded since the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.

Some health workers, meanwhile, gathered at the epicenter in Ituri Province to demand payment for wages owed them. The protesters, who included surveillance team members, waved placards saying, “No money, no data!” and “No payment for months.”

Some of the workers haven't been paid for August and September, said Biongi Beiza, one of the protesters in Bunia, Ituri's capital. “There is no explanation from the administration,” he said.

Congolese authorities did not immediately address the issue. Front-line workers have gone on strike several times since the outbreak began, further hampering efforts to contain the disease.

A senior U.N. official said an Ebola-hit displacement camp housing a transit center for infected patients was burned by soldiers earlier this week as they were looking for weapons in Kigonze, on the outskirts of Bunia, forcing 19,000 people in the camp to flee.

Creating such transit and treatment centers has been a struggle, requiring money and staff, all of which are in short supply, said Julien Harneis, the U.N. senior Ebola coordinator. "When we lose a center, that means we lose capacity, we lose investment, and we have to start again. And above all, it means that people do not get access to the care that they really need,” Harneis said.

Infected aid worker evacuated to the Netherlands

An aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontières, known in English as Doctors Without Borders, was infected with Ebola while working in Congo, the group said in a statement.

The worker arrived in the Netherlands late Thursday on a special medical flight and was transferred to a high-level isolation unit, the Leiden University Medical Center said in a statement.

“The human cost of this crisis is unprecedented in the DRC, with communities facing the largest Ebola disease outbreak ever recorded in the country,” MSF said.

At least 50 health workers have died after contracting the virus.

Mobile labs are helping detect cases quickly

One way local authorities have tried to contain the outbreak is through mobile laboratories. In Butembo, an Associated Press journalist watched a medical team operating one such lab near an Ebola treatment center on Thursday.

Test results that used to take 72 hours can now be obtained in six hours with the mobile labs, said Lota Kalubi, a doctor at the treatment center.

The labs have also made it easier to get to locations usually difficult to reach, said Michel Ngimba with the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Butembo. “So we can go, if today we have an emergency, for example, in Katwa, we can start up the vehicle, and we can move the lab to Katwa,” said Ngimba.

Insecurity and community resistance are hampering containment efforts

The World Health Organization has recently raised the alarm about the virus’ rapid spread into new health zones, stretching limited resources. The current outbreak is on track to exceed the deadliest on record, West Africa’s regional outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which killed 11,000 people, WHO has said.

The number of newly confirmed cases is falling, but that could be attributed to insecurity and challenges in getting communities to cooperate in some of the hot spots, Africa CDC said on Thursday. While the spread of the disease has slowed in some areas, it has accelerated in others.

Confirmed cases fell from around 850 cases and 470 deaths a week in mid-July to an average of 490 cases and 230 deaths in September.

A Congolese politician was beaten to death earlier this week in one of the emerging hot spots after defending government measures to deal with the outbreak, highlighting tensions and mistrust in communities.

Authorities last month launched a village-centered approach that involved working with local leaders to educate people about the virus, but those efforts face resistance from residents who dismiss Ebola as a hoax. There is also deep distrust in the country’s government for reasons including how it’s managed past Ebola outbreaks and chronic corruption.

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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria. Sebastien Kitsa Musayi in Butembo, Congo, Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, and Mike Corder in the Netherlands contributed.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised video call that he knew he had to get back on his feet to save his passengers.

“I had so many wounds. I had fallen down,” he said from the hospital, his head bandaged and tubes in his nose, before breaking down as he recalled the attack.

“I was fighting for my life. At one point, I realized that if I didn’t get up … then passengers would lose their lives,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is from Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday’s attack but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, witnesses and Israeli authorities said. He has been hailed as a hero, with world leaders saying he helped avert a disaster.

The flight, carrying 182 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia for an emergency landing. FlyDubai said Wednesday that the jet was secured by on-duty crew members “who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.” A regional official said the crew members were pilots in training.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Modi told Machchhar his “courage, patience, and presence of mind” saved many lives.

Machchhar said his flying experience allowed him to sense the plane’s steep descent even after he was knocked down by the attacker.

“I have been flying planes for 17 years and serving as a captain for the last 11 years. I can sense exactly what is happening with the aircraft even with my eyes closed. When I was down, I could feel that the aircraft was plummeting,” he said.

Machchhar said that during those difficult moments, he recited the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman, the monkey god, and traditionally recited as a prayer for strength and courage.

“Lord Hanuman gave me courage,” he told Modi.

Machchhar, who is married and has two children, has worked for FlyDubai for about four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet.

Philip Kean, CEO of Mainland Air, the New Zealand flight school where Machchhar trained, said pilots are taught how to take over if a fellow crew member becomes incapacitated. But the training does not typically prepare them for a stabbing attack by a colleague, he told The Associated Press on Friday.

“I don’t think there’s much in the handbook for being stabbed,” Kean said.

“You’re friends and you’re flying together,” he said. “Nobody would expect … a person to have a go at you like that.”

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Associated Press journalist Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.

The blues great was celebrated Thursday night with a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where a lineup of guest musicians and a house band led by Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan had the audience on its feet for much of the three-hour-plus “Buddy's Got the Blues” concert.

Guy himself was only on stage part of the time, but his name was heard throughout, and his spirit always present. One of the last of the Chicago bluesmen who thrived in the mid-20th century, Guy has become so much the ideal of the genre that musicians didn't need to perform his songs to summon his legend.

John Mayer, with an ache in his voice on Otis Redding’s “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” and Eric Gales and Joe Bonamassa jamming on the Jimmy Reed standard “Baby What You Want Me to Do,” seemed as fitting as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks reviving an old Guy-Junior Wells favorite, “Messin’ with the Kid.”

But no one was going to top the guest of honor. Guy, wearing a dark cap, dark pants and a polka dot shirt, opened the show with a long, raunchy acoustic workout of John Lee Hooker's “I'm in the Mood” and only seemed to get friskier after bringing out his electric guitar.

He leered and joked with longtime friend Shemekia Copeland on a duet of “Rock Me Baby,” left no doubt about the meaning of “to buzz all night long” in Slim Harpo's “I'm a King Bee” and carried on a lot more when joined by one of his few contemporaries, Bobby Rush, just a month away from his 93rd birthday. Everyone came on at the end for an all-out, self-fulfilling “Got My Mojo Workin.'”

Guy is still making plans. His team announced this week that he has a new album out next year, produced by Jordan and featuring multi-instrumentalist Ivan Neville, bassist Willie Weeks and others who played at Radio City Music Hall.

Guy didn't seem at first to have a lot on his mind Thursday besides the next double entendre or the next profanity. “Help me f—k up this song,” he liked to call out. But the tributes offered by the younger performers and the presence of Rush, who testified that he would have walked from Mississippi just to be here, left him moved and near tears.

“I didn’t think this many people would be coming out for a 90 year old man,” Guy said, after confiding he didn't have the strength to blow out that many “f—kin' candles” on the cakes brought out at the end. “This is the greatest day I ever had in my life.”

A deal that was a disaster for four years is suddenly producing some hits.

After Browns owner Jimmy Haslam called the trade “a big swing and miss,” Watson beat out Shedeur Sanders for the starting job. It appeared the experiment would only last two weeks and Sanders would start the home opener in Week 3 in front of the fans Watson called out in training camp for cheering when he got hurt in 2024.

But Watson led the Browns to a comeback win on the road in Tampa Bay in Week 2. And another one at home against Carolina last week. And another one at home over AFC North rival Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

That’s three straight comeback wins in the fourth quarter for Watson and the Browns, who lead the division with a 3-1 record.

“There’s belief, hope, determination,” Watson said on Amazon Prime Video after the game. “Those guys look at me and they just want me to lead the ship. I told them to believe in me, do what I ask and I’m gonna make a play when the ball and opportunity come and that’s what happened.”

The Browns shocked the football world in 2022 when they traded a slew of draft picks, including three first-rounders, to get Watson from the Texans. It was even more stunning when they gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million, five-year contract. It was a record for most guaranteed money until Josh Allen and the Bills broke it in 2025.

Watson was suspended the first 11 games of his first season because more than two dozen female massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct, harassment, and assault during private massage therapy sessions in Texas.

He didn’t play well when he came back and made just 19 starts, going 9-10 before he tore his right Achilles tendon in October 2024 and tore it again while rehabbing.

“It’s a credit to him to work as hard as he did for 22 months,” Browns first-year coach Todd Monken said. “Had no reason. He had already had a great career. To work to get to this point, I told him: ‘We were gonna introduce you last.’ Isn’t that super cool? Really credit to him. Nothing to do with me. Credit to him and the guys around him.”

Watson was 24 of 33 for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 27-24 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers on Thursday night. He’s completed 69.6 % of his passes for 855 yards, eight TDs and two picks with a passer rating of 104 in four games.

Watson is finally playing like the quarterback who went to three Pro Bowls in four seasons in Houston.

“We’ve been seeing it in practice all year, all camp,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward said. “We knew what we had in the locker room, just competing against him in practice and he’s been coming out here and showing it so we believed in him the entire time and he’s proven us right and proven himself right.”

Watson has come a long way in a few weeks. After a poor performance in a lopsided loss to Jacksonville in the season opener, it seemed going into Week 2 that he was possibly going to make his last start. But he made the most of it, beginning a streak of comebacks.

Watson’s wife, Jilly Anais, watched his postgame news conference in Tampa Bay off to the side. She was ecstatic to celebrate, telling Watson he deserved to win.

The couple walked out of the room with big smiles. Watson hasn’t stopped smiling. Same goes for Browns fans, who aren't complaining about Watson anymore.

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“I didn’t want to put him in that position because I knew that even if he was hanging, he would tell me yes,” Weiss said. “So I was not going to bring it up.”

Weiss didn't have to worry. Sale was not going to make Weiss ask.

“Literally as soon as I stepped in my office this afternoon, he was sitting in the chair across from my desk, and he looked at me and he said ‘I feel amazing.’ That's what he said. I said, ‘Well, let’s talk.’”

That talk led to Sale recording the final four outs of the Braves' clinching 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.

Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 win in Tuesday’s series opener, struck out Bryce Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp.

“I was hoping he only had to go one, but he had to get to four outs,” Weiss said.

“But what a warrior, man. This guy, I’ve run out of superlatives for Chris Sale. Been talking about him all year. He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around. When you take everything into consideration, teammate, competitor, performer, work ethic, all those things, he’s as good as I’ve ever been around.”

Weiss said the discussion with Sale in his office did not include any mention of how pitching in relief on Thursday night could affect the left-hander's availability for a possible start on Sunday in Game 2 of the NL Division Series at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Even without the work in relief to close the Wild Card Series, four days' rest would be less than Sale often was given in the regular season, when he was 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA. Sale, 37, often was given extra rest and that helped him stay strong and record 200 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings.

When asked if Sale was an option for Sunday's game, Weiss said “I don't know. I have no idea. We weren't even worried about that. We haven't even talked about that. We didn't look past tonight.”

The Braves had Sale and Tyler Mahle start the first two games against the Phillies. Mahle allowed only one run in seven innings in Wednesday's 4-3 loss in 10 innings despite suffering an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup. Weiss was concerned Mahle wouldn't be able to make the start and said Mahle felt better Thursday though still felt some discomfort.

Reliever Ray Kerr allowed only one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings as the opener on Thursday night and likely will be part of the Braves' plans against the Dodgers.

Kerr's strong performance against the Phillies was an important boost for the Braves' depleted rotation.

“I was feeding off the crowd from the first pitch of the game,” Kerr said. “They motivated me to keep going, throw even harder, throw even more. Every time I threw a strike, they were yelling, so I have to give it up to the fans.”

Left-hander Martín Pérez would have been part of the postseason rotation before landing on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 24 with lower back inflammation. The Braves also have lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep this season.

Weiss said “There’s nobody on the planet that had us" in the postseason when the injuries included such projected frontline starters as Schwellenbach and Strider.

“Nobody had us making the playoffs,” Weiss said. “These guys have overcome so much. ... It’s guys like Ray Kerr and everybody else that step up and perform when the stakes are highest. It’s such a great group."

Right-hander Bryce Elder threw off the mound on the Braves' workout on Monday before the start of the Wild Card Series and could be close to returning from the injured list after having surgery on his right knee on Sept. 7. Other possible options include AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie.

Following games Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles, the best-of-five division series shifts to Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday, if necessary. A fifth game, if necessary, would be played in Los Angeles.

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With the Yankees leading Boston 2-1 on Wednesday night, Jones reached leading off the sixth after swinging over Garrett Crochet's sweeper in the dirt. Jones reached on the wild pitch and scored to spark a six-run inning that ended when he swung over Garrett Whitlock's slider. New York went on to a 9-2 win for a two-game sweep and a Division Series matchup with AL East champion Tampa Bay.

The Elias Sports Bureau said Thursday that no player had ever scored in a postseason inning he started and ended by striking out. Elias also determined no player had done that in the regular season since the expansion era began in 1969.

“Baseball can be a wacky sport,” Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger said. “You see something new every day.”

Jones sprinted to first base when Crochet's sweeper bounced off Adley Rutschman’s chest. The catcher picked up the ball and threw to first, where umpire John Libka signaled that Jones was out. The Yankees appealed and the call was reversed by the video umpire at the commissioner’s office.

“It’s a great thing to be able to get on the bases I guess any way possible, but I was always told if you run hard, good things are going to happen, and that turned out to be the case,” Jones said.

It turned out to be perhaps the key moment of the game.

“I couldn’t believe he was there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I saw the ball squirt away a little bit. I didn’t think that much of it, and looked up and I was, like, ’Oh, he’s safe.'"

Jones stole second and kept going to third when Rutschman’s throw skipped into center field for an error. New York then broke open the game on rookie George Lombard Jr.'s RBI single against Crochet, Austin Wells' sacrifice fly against Whitlock, Ryan McMahon's run-scoring groundout and a three-run homer by Bellinger that followed an intentional walk to Ben Rice.

A third-generation major leaguer who has been around big league clubhouses since he was a toddler, Boone was asked after the game whether he had ever struck out twice and scored in the same inning.

“Probably," he said, rubbing his chin.

Then, he pointed a finger as his eyes brightened.

“Ah, in the regionals my junior year, I led off, I made two outs and walked," he said, before breaking into a smile and adding: "I'm assuming I scored.”

Southern California's media information department was able to find the documentation proving Boone was correct.

In the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 28, 1994, Boone led off for the Trojans and played third base against UNC Greensboro. He flied out to right field leading off the first inning and the next seven batters got hits as USC took a 7-0 lead.

After a groundout, Boone walked and came around to score on a single by fellow future major leaguer Gabe Alvarez. With the Trojans ahead 13-0, Boone hit a bases-loaded, inning-ending flyout to right as the 19th batter of the inning.

Southern Cal won 25-9 but lost to LSU the next day in the regional final.

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Clark was in the middle of the action this time, but the result was the same after Las Vegas eliminated Indiana 94-83 in Game 3 of the first round Thursday night.

“I'm just proud of this group," Clark said. “We weathered a lot. There's always so much outside noise, a microscope on how we perform every single day. A lot of really good moments. A lot of tough moments, too, where we felt we probably gave a lot of opportunities away. It's what hurts a little bit. We could've put ourselves in a better spot going into the postseason.”

The Fever had the chance to possibly get home-court advantage in the first round, but went 4-4 to end the season and entered the playoffs with the sixth seed. That put them up against the third-seeded Aces, who have won three of the past four WNBA championships.

Even Las Vegas isn't scrutinized as much as Indiana, mostly because of Clark's presence. To many, she is the face of the league, even though the Aces' A'ja Wilson likely will extend her record for MVPs to five.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver referred to Clark as a “political football” in July, and many of her fans claim she gets officiated differently than other players, that opponents are free to be more physical with her.

Those fans could cite what happened in the fourth quarter as such an example when Clark suffered a bloody mouth after taking a shot to her face. She pleaded her case to the officials, but no foul was called, and Clark fiddled with what appeared to be a loose tooth in the postgame news conference.

“Your guess would be as good as mine,” Clark said on why there was no foul.

Now she and Fever head into the offseason.

Clark spoke before the game that expectations are for them to win the championship at some point, and she said she believed the Fever have the talent to accomplish that. She spoke afterward of the parity in the league and said any team in the playoffs can win the title.

The Fever came close to beating Las Vegas and maybe making a run at it, twice cutting the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter.

But after the Fever scored 31 points in the first quarter, they didn't have more than 18 in any of the three remaining periods.

Clark scored 11 points in the opening quarter, making 4 of 7 shots that included 3 of 6 from 3-point range. After that period, she scored seven points while making 2 of 11 baskets and missing all six 3-point attempts.

“They made it difficult, but we've made a lot of those shots throughout the year, too,” Clark said. “At the same time, we were right there despite some of the poor shooting.”

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