According to Hollywood police, officers responded to the school, located at 1901 N Federal Highway, following a “security concern.”

Police later confirmed that a student had been detained and all students and staff members were safe.

According to a couple of seniors at the school who spoke with Local 10, a fellow student was going through security but didn’t want to be patted down so he ran into the school.

They said the campus was placed on lockdown as officers searched for the student.

“I was just coming here to pick up my cap and gown because I’m a senior and all and there was police everywhere and I was like, ‘What’s going on everybody?’” Jada Harris said. “I’m standing right there and then the kid -- he jumped over that gate exactly, trying to walk it off all cool, but they got him. They made sure they got him.”

Police said the lockdown has since been lifted and the school day resumed as normal.

They confirmed the student was arrested on a charge of disruption of a school function.

BCPS released the following statement after the incident:

“This morning, a student ran through the school’s metal detector screening area. In response, staff immediately activated their panic button, which initiated a lockdown. The District’s safety protocols worked as designed, and law enforcement responded promptly to assist. We appreciate the quick actions of our staff and the support of our law enforcement partners in helping ensure the safety and security of our students and employees."

In Florida, the average price for regular gas is $4.47. With summer travel on the horizon, Local 10 and Tropical Financial Credit Union are teaming up to bring drivers some relief.

“Right now, a lot of people across South Florida are feeling the pressure of everyday expenses, and even something as routine as filling up the gas tank can create real stress,” said Richard Shaw, Tropical Financial Credit Union President & CEO. “We wanted to do something simple but meaningful to help lighten the load, which is why we partnered with Local 10 on this gas card giveaway.”

All you have to do to sign up is complete the contest form below to be eligible to win a $100 fuel gift card. The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 31, at 11:59 p.m.

From June 1 through June 5, we will give away $2,500 in fuel gift cards to 25 Local 10 viewers. The winners will be chosen at random and five will be announced each day during our 6 a.m. newscast.

Sign up today for a chance to receive your “Prize at the Pump.”

“Even a little relief can make a difference, and we want people to know we’re here for them,” added Shaw.

June 1 winners:

• Bernard Hardge
• Dawn Cochran
• Alicia Gomez
• Nathaniel Jackson
• Carolina Guerrero

June 2 winners:

• Carol Burns
• Raul Sobrino
• Erik Von Dyck
• Imani Scott
• Karol Geimer

June 3 winners:

• Judson Walker
• Michelle Galanter
• Alain Perez
• Tywana Greene
• Noris Milian-Carpintero

The narrow upset Tuesday revealed cracks in Trump's coalition in the deep-red state, encouraging Democrats who are hopeful they can flip control of the governor's office this year. It also marked a potential breakthrough moment for the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has clashed with the Trump administration over its embrace of pesticides and backed Lahn's message in favor of regenerative farming and against large agricultural corporations.

“I will take on the big ag cartels. I will break up their monopolies, and I will get Iowa farmers a fair deal," Lahn said in his victory speech late Tuesday.

Members of the MAHA movement, a diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with priorities ranging from ending vaccine mandates to promoting healthy soil and organic food, cheered the win as a sign their political message was resonating with voters.

“This election is a signal that pro-pesticide does not mean pro-farmer,” said Tony Lyons, the president of the Kennedy-aligned MAHA PAC, which endorsed Lahn. “Zach Lahn made transitioning away from toxic chemicals the cornerstone of his campaign and won this election decisively with strong farmer support.”

Lahn, little known before his run, carved out a MAHA fandom

Lahn, a farmer and former conservative political director, was relatively unknown in Iowa until he launched his campaign in November. During his campaign, he championed policies that appealed to Iowa's conservative grassroots supporters, like a total ban on abortion and keeping liberal ideology out of school classrooms.

Lahn, who owns an investment company and lives on a farm in eastern Iowa that had been in his family for a century, capitalized on activists’ skepticism toward Feenstra, criticizing him for not showing up to debate his primary opponents and spending limited time on the campaign trail.

But he also carved out a niche in the MAHA movement, vocally rebuking the consolidation of farmland in the hands of corporate owners and acknowledging health concerns involving farms and poor water quality.

Iowa, an agricultural stronghold, has a powerful farm lobby that has opposed mandatory rules about curbing chemicals in water. But dangerously polluted drinking water has become an increasingly urgent issue as runoff from farmland has caused surging nitrate levels that have required expensive filtration in Des Moines, the state's capital city.

Lahn said in a debate in May that water treatment system upgrades were a “Band-Aid.” He said his goal as governor would be to “decrease the nitrate load in the water in the future so we have less stress on that system.”

In recent months, activists in the MAHA movement loudly backed Lahn as they grew increasingly impatient with the Trump administration and its Environmental Protection Agency for actions they view as antithetical to making America healthier.

Earlier this year, they revolted after Trump issued an executive order aimed at boosting the production of a controversial herbicide ingredient known as glyphosate. They also organized a protest at the Supreme Court in April to protest glyphosate producer Monsanto's Trump-backed effort to shield itself from lawsuits.

Lahn has opposed liability shields for pesticide companies. He leaned into campaign points tied to those issues during his primary victory speech Tuesday night.

“Iowa has the fastest growing cancer rate in the world,” Lahn said. “We all know something is terribly wrong. But too many politicians from Washington, D.C., to Des Moines have had their heads stuck in the sand while big ag and big pharma printed money. This will not go on when I’m governor.”

MAHA figures reacted to Lahn's victory by cheering it as their own.

“MAHA has done its job proving it’s politically radioactive to stand with chemicals over children,” Turning Point USA podcaster Alex Clark said on social media. “Iowa knows pesticides are causing cancer which is exploding in their state. Tonight they opted for change.”

A setback for Trump after repeated victories

Trump had stayed quiet on Iowa's gubernatorial race until last week, when he praised Feenstra as “MAGA all the way” and said he would “fight tirelessly” for the state on issues including the economy, border security and support of law enforcement.

The power of the president's endorsement had been proven earlier in the primary season, when it helped defeat two senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

But Feenstra's loss marks a setback for the president, and it creates an opening Democrats are sure to try to seize.

State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat currently holding statewide office, is the party’s nominee for governor. Unopposed in the primary, Sand has been able to hone his moderate message, remind voters of his rural upbringing and amass an $18 million campaign fund.

Feenstra conceded his race to Lahn on Tuesday, signaling he was open to joining forces for the good of the party. He said he called Lahn to tell him to “carry the torch.” Lahn, looking ahead to November in his victory speech, indicated he'd campaign against Sand with a traditional conservative talking point.

“Rob Sand wants you to believe he’s a moderate,” he said. "We’ve seen this movie before.”

___

Swenson reported from New York.

Hardest hit would be Asian economies that depend on crude oil, fuel and natural gas from the Persian Gulf, supplies that have been largely choked off by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the risk of Iranian attack. And poorer countries where people spend more of their incomes on fuel and food would also be severely affected, the OECD said.

But the consequences of sharply higher energy prices and inflation would be felt around the world. Global growth would slump to levels not seen except for major setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis and recession of the late 2000s. Under the OECD's prolonged disruption scenario, global growth slows from 3.4% last year to 2.1% this year and 1.8% in 2027, potentially pushing some economies into or close to recession.

Under a different OECD scenario for a time-limited disruption, in which energy production and shipments from the Gulf start to return to pre-war levels in the middle of this year, growth would slow to 2.8% this year and rebound to 3.1% next year.

“The global economy entered 2026 with robust momentum, but the outlook has weakened significantly since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, with effects likely to be felt for some time," OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “The longer the disruptions last, the larger the economic and social costs become.”

Cormann warned that government spending aimed at relieving energy costs needed to be aimed at those most in need and temporary, to avoid running up excess government debt and preserving incentives to save energy.

Despite repeated outbreaks of violence, a declared ceasefire in the war between the US and Iran remains officially in place. The ongoing risk to shipping however means that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled to a trickle, down more than 90% compared to before the war. That has disrupted about a fifth of the world's supplies of crude oil and fuel products as well as of natural gas.

The OECD report follows a UN study warning that higher energy prices will impact almost billion people in poorer countries and small island states that depend on imported fuel, forcing tradeoffs between covering energy bills and investing in essential public services. More than 30% of people in those countries already live below the extreme poverty line, defined as living on $3 or less a day.

The OECD is an international intergovernmental organization and policy forum of 38 democracies with market-based economies, headquartered in Paris.

Most of the GOP primary challengers Trump has endorsed as he culls his party of politicians deemed insufficiently loyal have been successful, knocking off incumbents in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas, but in a setback Tuesday night, he couldn't lift Rep. Randy Feenstra to victory in Iowa’s Republican primary for governor, setting up what Democrats see as one of their best opportunities to pick up a governorship this year. See other AP coverage of Tuesday's primary results here.

The Latest:

Trump’s Education Department is backing away from addressing civil rights for Black students

For generations, the federal government enforced civil rights laws with an eye toward remedying historic, systemic discrimination against Black people and other people of color. The Justice Department pressed schools to desegregate. The Education Department worked to promote equal opportunity and held schools accountable for racial bias.

But under the Trump administration, efforts to address deep-rooted inequities for students of color are being cast as discriminatory against white students. Programs that have long withstood legal scrutiny are now quick to be deemed “ illegal DEI ” — diversity, equity and inclusion — by the White House. Schools that do not comply have faced threats to their funding, and in some cases, lost federal grants.

Civil rights attorneys describe the administration’s actions as a complete inversion of legal history.

The U.S. government has opened investigations or joined litigation over a wide range of efforts to address racial inequality. The Justice Department is investigating programs to increase the number of teachers of color in Rhode Island and Iowa. And grants to districts to train teachers or recruit school mental health workers have been discontinued for mentions of diversity in recruitment.

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Trump signs an executive order that invites vetting of top AI models for national security risks

Trump signed an executive order on oversight of artificial intelligence Tuesday, less than two weeks after postponing a White House ceremony over his concerns that a similar policy could dull America’s technological edge.

The order establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. Participation by AI developers would be voluntary, the order says.

“Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies,” the order says.

It was not immediately clear to what extent the order differed from the one Trump declined to sign on May 21.

The order says the government would have only 30 days to review an AI system, a shorter time frame than some in the industry were expecting. A longer time period might have been seen as too burdensome for a fast-moving and highly competitive industry.

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US says it plans extra tariffs of 10% or more for most trading partners after forced labor probe

The Trump administration is proposing that tariffs of 10% or more be imposed on products from dozens of major trading partners following a probe into imports of goods allegedly made with forced labor.

The report released early Wednesday by the U.S. Trade Representative said Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United Kingdom and some other countries and territories would face 10% additional tariffs for allegedly failing to enforce a forced labor import ban.

A 12.5% additional tariff would be imposed on China, Japan, India, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland and dozens of other countries.

“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

He added that “each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labor globally.”

The USTR said failure to prevent such imports is “unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce.”

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Trump administration is scrapping $1.8B fund meant to compensate president’s allies, Blanche says

The Trump administration is scrapping plans for a $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated allies of the Republican president, the Justice Department’s top official said Tuesday in retreating from a program that faced a fierce political backlash that had threatened to stall key elements of the White House agenda.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in response to questions at a House hearing on the Justice Department budget.

“Not moving forward ever?” asked Rep. Grace Meng, a New York Democrat.

“Correct,” Blanche answered.

The blunt declaration marked an extraordinary and rare Trump administration turnabout in the face of mounting political opposition to a fund that officials said was meant to compensate people who believe they have been improperly targeted by the criminal justice system. Since the establishment of the fund two weeks ago, it’s been paused by a judge and lambasted by Democrats and Republicans alike, who said they were troubled by a lack of oversight and the potential for payouts to participants in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

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He's been known in the United States for centuries as the English ruler who lost the American colonies. You might remember him as the maniacal monarch from the Broadway musical or the subject of the 1990s play and film, “ The Madness of King George.” Americans of a certain age would recall him as the tyrant who taxed them without consent in the song, “ No More Kings."

Except the runup to the Revolutionary War didn't happen quite that way — a point worth noting in this age of disinformation, misinformation and “alternative facts.” In George's time, Parliament approved laws and taxes, as it does now. And that list of 27 complaints against the king in the Declaration of Independence? Mostly “wartime propaganda,” according to British historian Andrew Roberts, who says all but two crumble under scrutiny.

Historians now generally agree: George was not mentally ill during the Revolution.

“Truth became the first casualty of the American War of Independence, as it is in most wars," Roberts wrote in his 2021 biography, “The Last King of America.” “The American Revolution is a testament not to George III's tyranny, which was fictitious, but to Americans' yearning for autonomy.”

America's backstory, as told by the Founders, is up for review

The American origin story is rooted in the notion that George III was its vanquished villain, an irrational tyrant who oppressed the American colonists. Scholars began pushing back against that narrative before the United States' bicentennial, with the Prince of Wales writing a spicy rebuttal in 1972.

“If the average schoolchild remembers anything about history after leaving school, he will remember that George III was mad,” that prince, now King Charles III, wrote in the foreword to a biography on his five-times great grandfather. “If he is American as well then madness is often given as a reason for the 'irrational' behavior of the King toward the Colonists, making it necessary for them to declare independence."

Perhaps, he closed, "Americans will soon come to see the true George III without bias and traditionally held opinions."

George inherited the throne from his grandfather in 1760, at age 22, and with it an empire that stretched from England into North America and to Asia. He saw himself not merely as England's ruler but the father of his subjects — duty-bound to be their role model. In family and British life, he emphasized order, integrity and an Enlightenment-era curiosity about art, books and the natural world.

George was, like every British king since, a constitutional monarch — meaning that he had influence and selected the prime minister, but Cabinet members and the House of Commons passed laws and budgets. George's job was to assent to the policies passed by Parliament. So it can be argued that he went along with what the colonists saw as Britain's oppressive and coercive policies, such as the Stamp Act of 1765, the first direct tax on the colonies.

The future founders condemned the move and popularized the war cry, “No taxation without representation.” As Britain saw it, the members of Parliament represented the colonies. The colonists argued that they were represented by their elected colonial assemblies, which already taxed them. After they imposed damaging boycotts on British goods, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 — but followed that same day with an act saying the British Parliament could legislate for the colonies.

In the decade that followed, relations soured. Not helping was Parliament's passage of the Tea Act in 1773, to which revolutionaries responded by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. That shocked George, who the next year approved Parliament's acts designed to rein in Massachusetts' ability to govern itself.

The Continental Congress met and petitioned the king, as “your majesty’s faithful subjects,” for relief. George stood with Parliament.

In April 1775, the “shot heard ’round the world” rang out from a clash between militiamen and British troops in Lexington and Concord, launching what Brits widely call the American War of Independence — the Revolutionary War.

George III’s archives went public in 2015 — and fueled a shift on “the king’s malady”

Queen Elizabeth II released the uncatalogued Georgian Papers, 280,000 from the period held at Windsor Castle, and later put them online as part of a five-year project to digitize the records. What emerged was a detailed reappraisal of a monarch who kept charts, lists, letters, speeches and notes — including dates and the time of his writings — tracking a long list of administrivia: crop yields, botany, land management, household stores and expenses and closely tracked the politics in Parliament.

But the 2015 archives released something else: more detail on medical notes, including doctors orders, treatment reports, observations by others of George's behavior during his illnesses. Those raised questions on the cause of what historians had called “the king's malady.”

The long-accepted theory that George suffered from porphyria, a physiological metabolic disorder, was wrong, Roberts wrote in 2021. His analysis of 100,000 Georgian documents and 21st-century medical research pointed to bipolar affective disorder Type 1 — defined in part by at least one severe manic episode. George had been known to suffer extended bouts of mania after 1788.

As America turns 250, George's story is told differently — even in America

Dig into the American Revolution in 2026 and you won't find much, if any, suggestion that George was "mad" during the war years. If anything, the story during the semiquincentennial casts George as more of a whole person than the tyrant depicted in the ad hominem complaints peppered throughout the Declaration of Independence.

The Library of Congress' exhibit is titled, “The Two Georges,” the king and George Washington, “Parallel lives in an age of Revolution.”

And the first gallery in the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia is begins 15 years before the Revolution, when Americans had great affection for George III and showed it by posting royal symbols on items ranging from drinking vessels to fire backs and a royal coat of arms that probably hung in the city's courthouse.

“We make the point that he was literally called ‘the king of liberty’ in popular culture, said R. Scott Stephenson, the museum's president and CEO. "This was not a despot in anyone's minds.”

Charles name-drops George III during his speech to Congress

On April 29, Elizabeth's son, King Charles III, twice name-dropped George III from the rostrum at the heart of American democracy. First, he endorsed the “Tale of Two Georges” theme, noting that George III was his five-times great grandfather.

“King George never set foot in America,” he said lightheartedly, “and, please rest assured, I am not here as part of some cunning rear-guard action.”

None of the modern-day patriots in his audience — elected members of Congress whose forebears rejected the rule of George III — batted an eye or booed.

That night, Charles invoked his ancestry by name again at a White House state dinner in a further celebration of America's 250th birthday. “As the direct descendant of King George III,” Charles said, “I know this is a nation that never gives up.”

That's true of some Americans and the narratives they prefer, according to Roberts. Asked whether his findings took hold in the American psyche, he responded by email: “Nothing will dislodge the Americans from their desire to see GIII as an evil dictator.”

Boosting The Never Forget Fund's latest appeal, announced Wednesday, is Mike Bloomberg. The former New York City mayor, who has rallied hundreds of millions of dollars toward the 9/11 Memorial and Museum as its chair, pledged to match the next $25 million in donations through his Bloomberg Philanthropies. Organizers already secured the first $25 million through unspecified initial gifts.

Officials count about 97 million memorial visitors and nearly 28 million museum attendees since they opened in 2014 at the site where hijacked jetliners destroyed the World Trade Center's twin towers in lower Manhattan. But recent years have seen a budget crisis following pandemic closures and interest from the Trump administration in taking control of the site.

Beth Hillman, the organization's president and CEO, says they need a permanent funding source to reach the roughly 100 million Americans born after the attacks. The goal is to frame the aftermath as one that inspired selfless acts of service and provide basic facts through new on-site exhibits and classroom materials.

“The ongoing importance of remembering 9/11 is to remind people that they can come together even in the face of incredible loss,” Hillman told the Associated Press.

The legacy of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people remains hotly contested. Younger generations have only ever known the existence of airport screenings, immigration enforcement officers and other security measures pursued afterwards by the U.S. government. Many engage with the events through popular memes of the photograph showing then-President George W. Bush learning about the developments. Conspiracy theories abound about what government officials knew in their leadup.

Also debated is the notion of unity advanced by the memorial and museum. The Sept. 11 attacks fueled 20 years of war abroad that grew increasingly unpopular as the death toll rose. Young American Muslims growing up under their shadow have faced hostility, mistrust and suspicion.

As the 25th anniversary approaches this September, Hillman sees a “compelling story of service, of hope, of resilience, of coming together” for the people who didn't live through that period. Those stories will be told in an exhibit called “In Their Honor." Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, she noted, was among the many chefs who prepared meals for first responders in the months following the attacks. Theater workers brought their lights to power the blacked-out area around ground zero. Victims' family members started social services organizations such as 9/11 Day to inspire volunteering in memory of their lost relatives. They also want to inform more people of the first responders who developed chronic illnesses and still face barriers to care.

The funds raised by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will ensure free museum access continues for students, first responders and veterans, according to Hillman, who said “we don't want the price to be a barrier to them.” Standard adult admission currently costs $36. The nonprofit's website notes that it “relies primarily on ticket sales to help fund its operational costs.”

The organization plans to reach more educators with the funds. As teachers enter the workforce without lived experiences of Sept. 11, Hillman said they want to help prepare lesson plans. The nonprofit runs summer teachers' institutes, offers professional development programs and remakes a 30-minute film each year with firsthand stories.

Hillman acknowledged a greater “degree of distraction and confusion” today than in the past when it comes to efforts to memorialize recent historical events. She sees a need to give “simple representations of what happened." The March/April issue of The National Council for the Social Studies' magazine, which was guest edited by 9/11 Memorial and Museum staff, features a timeline of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

"9/11 is heavy and compelling and full of inspiring stories,” Hillman said. "But also, just a trusted set of what happened on that day, of materials that can convey the basics of it — that’s the beginning of people learning and starting to understand, too.”

Alex Edgar, a Gen Z civic leader who is working with a group called Made By Us to amplify youth voices ahead of the United States' 250th birthday, sees value in emphasizing the power of service. His peers, he said, have “never really seen a country that has worked” or one that “really lived up to the promise of America.” He finds that narratives about overcoming division to accomplish shared goals serve as an antidote to the political polarization frequently experienced by young people.

But he emphasized that those narratives must permeate classroom walls and museum doors.

“They invite young people to consider what’s preventing us from using any of the issues of our time as a rallying cry for folks to come together across backgrounds to build the type of country, the communities, that we want to live in,” he said.

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

It’s part book club, part social club — and proof that a shared story can bring strangers together.

Founder Maalik Nelson launched Maalik Meets book club on Instagram, inviting friends to read and discuss books together. He started it organically, through his own love of literature.

“When it started, it just legitimately was like my closest five, six, seven friends. I started to choose more and more intentional books that I thought the community would want,” said Nelson. “The group went from like 10 to 20, then the next month it went from 20 to 30, then 30 to 50 and it continued to grow as the months went on.”

Currently, the club gathers monthly at Dale’ Zine in Miami’s design district, an independent art bookshop and gallery hosting meetups that also has its own Instagram page.

Members read the same book, then come together to share perspectives, reactions and interpretations. The format is intentionally simple and the books reflect the times.

“We all read a book. We all read the same book. You have stuff to say. You don’t need me,” said Nelson. “I let them talk and let them do their thing and then in the middle we have more of a structured discussion.”

This month’s selection was “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke.

For longtime members and first-time visitors alike, the discussion revealed a central truth of the club: no two readers experience the same story the same way.

“We can read the same book and everybody will get something completely unique out of it and it’s incredible every time cause they will see something that you’ve never seen before,” said club member, Andrew Mendez.

There’s no professor at the front of the room. No panel. No lecture. Just conversation.

While books may be the reason people show up every month, they’re often not the reason people come back.

Maalik Meets has become much more than just a book club. The group hosts cookouts, panel discussions and social gatherings designed to keep connections growing beyond the page.

In an age driven by likes, followers and algorithms — members say they’re building something more personal. Many show up for the books, but stay for the people.

Next month’s selection is “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by James Baldwin.

To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

Andrew Gillman is the general manager of the Echo Brickell Residences, located at 15th Street and Brickell Avenue.

“I was shocked that it came so close to hitting those girls,” he said of the latest incident.

Gillman said close calls like Saturday’s crash have been alarmingly common.

“This is the seventh or eighth time in the last four years,” he said.

Past incidents include an SUV rolling down the sidewalk in the middle of the night and another car careening and crashing into a palm tree.

Gillman says a scooter driver also lost control and was killed there several years ago.

“I don’t feel safe where I’m standing right now,” he said.

Neighbors are urging city leaders to evaluate the intersection and install barriers to protect pedestrians and the building.

“We want to resolve this and not have anybody lose a life over this because it hasn’t been addressed,” said resident Michelle Pasko.

Darrin Gurksy is an attorney for the Brickell Condominium Association.

“We’ve offered to pay for bollards. We think that would resolve a lot of the issues based upon how this drive comes through over here, and that’s our hope,” he said. “We’ve reached out to the city before, previously, because we’ve had vehicles that have actually driven up our stairs before.”

Added Pasko: “We have cafes on both corners of our building. There’s mothers with baby carriages and people walking their pets.”

Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo provided Local 10 News the following statement:

“Public safety is always our top priority. We received our first direct communication on this matter over the weekend and responded immediately. At this time, we are coordinating a meeting with the residents who reached out so we can better understand their concerns and discuss potential solutions.

“Any incident that puts pedestrians at risk is concerning, and we are grateful that no one was seriously injured in this crash. We take resident concerns seriously and will continue working with the appropriate city departments, law enforcement, and community stakeholders to evaluate conditions and identify any measures that may improve safety.”

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The purpose of the massive release would be to help eradicate disease.

It’s a program called De Bug that would release male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacteria.

When those males mate with wild females, the eggs won’t hatch, so the population of disease vectors declines.

The Florida Keys has already been on the front lines of similar mosquito technology.

This will be the second year using infected mosquitoes in a pilot program.

Mosquito experts and home service companies like Mosquito Joe said using an arsenal of tools is vital.

“Mosquitoes are a public health issue,” said Mosquito Joe co-owner Yoel Gutierrez. “They bring Zika, chikungunya, West Nile virus.”

Officials in Miami-Dade and Broward counties say Google has reached out to them.

A similar program in 2018 was deemed a success in Miami-Dade County, but it was expensive.

Google is trying to get approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, which is accepting public comments on the proposal through Friday.

Sanmu Chen tried to tie the red thread to a street signpost in Causeway Bay, a busy shopping district, close to a park that for decades hosted an annual candlelight vigil on June 4 to mourn the victims of the crackdown that ended student-led protests in Beijing in 1989.

Hong Kong was for decades the only place in China where a large-scale public commemoration of the crackdown was held. But those once-massive annual vigils were banned in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and public acts to mark the Tiananmen Square killings have become increasingly sensitive in the city in recent years.

Chen said his thread was 6.4 meters long, an apparent reference to the June 4 crackdown date.

Police officers stopped and searched Chen's bag before letting him go free. When asked by a reporter about his gesture with the red thread after his release, Chen said it was meant to express condolences to those who died.

“It's abnormal when people monitor you when you are saying or doing something,” he told reporters.

Chen had been detained at least twice on Jun. 3 in recent years. In 2024, he was briefly detained by police after he appeared to write the Chinese characters of “eight nine six four” — a set of numbers referencing the date of the crackdown — with his hand in the air.

Police also detained Chen on the same day in 2023 around the same area, where he chanted “Hong Kongers, do not be afraid. Don’t forget tomorrow is June 4.”

As night fell, another artist, Chan Mei-tung, stood outside a nearby department store holding up a question-mark-shaped balloon. Police officers also stopped her quickly and escorted her back to the subway station.

Under then-leader Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese military was sent to Beijing's Tiananmen Square to end weeks of student-led protests on the night of June 3-4, 1989. Soldiers fired live rounds and hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers.

Annual vigils in Hong Kong's Victoria Park used to attract tens of thousands of people each year until the event was banned in 2020 during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.

That was the same year Beijing imposed a national security law in the city following massive anti-government protests in 2019. Since then authorities have increasingly silenced dissent. Many leading activists were arrested and some vocal media outlets shut down. Dozens of civil society groups disbanded, including the one that organized the vigils.

Three former vigil organizers were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under the national security law. Two of the former organizers went on trial and are waiting a verdict, possibly in July. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Their co-defendant entered a guilty plea, which can typically result in a sentence reduction.

The Hong Kong and Beijing governments said the security law is crucial for the city’s stability. Hong Kong authorities said the law clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security.

After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the former vigil site was occupied instead by a carnival organized by pro-China groups. Some people who tried to commemorate the event near the site on Jun. 4, the crackdown’s anniversary, were detained.

The five-day carnival began Wednesday. The muted expressions in Hong Kong underlined the decline in civil liberties promised by Beijing when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

As public commemoration faded in Hong Kong, overseas communities were carrying the torch to keep memories alive by hosting vigils and rallies in places like London and Canada.

___

Associated Press video journalist Alice Fung contributed to the report.

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According to authorities, an 85-year-old Coconut Creek resident received a phone call that she had won a prize.

“I was supposed to get $7 million and a car,” the victim told officers.

Police said family members of the victim contacted them after she sent two checks, one for $2,500 and one for $1,000, to alleged scammers in Washington state.

Then, on Friday, officers had to intervene as the woman was about to send more money to suspected scammers. They found her at a pottery class and stopped her before she could send it.

“In this particular case, the elderly resident had already completed a series of financial transactions when her family discovered that she was getting ready to pass more money,” said Coconut Creek Police Department Detective Clint Corey.

Corey had advice for residents who end up being contacted by scammers.

“Just don’t answer the phone -- force the caller to leave a message,” he said. “And then you can decide how you want to respond, and you can keep more money in your pocket at the end of the day.”

On the standard cover, Williams is depicted in a body position similar to his pivotal, scrambling, fourth-and-8 jump pass to Rome Odunze in a stirring comeback victory over Green Bay in a wild card playoff game on Jan. 10.

With his arm cocked to throw and his feet spread, Williams appears to soar above a silhouette of the Chicago skyline that is set against a blue backdrop.

The deluxe edition features a tight shot of Williams with arms crossed over his white game jersey, a dark, night-like background and snow falling around him.

Being featured on the game's cover is “like my childhood dream was coming true,” Williams said. “I grew up playing Madden and imagining what it would be like to be part of the game."

Williams and the 2025 Bears became synonymous with late-game theatrics last season, staging more than a handful of comeback victories to go with some dramatic comeback bids that came up just short — including their season-ending playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

In 17 regular-season games, Williams passed for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his second season since being drafted first overall out of Southern California.

___

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

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Michael Enriquez, 53, had a “sexual relationship” with a student at American Senior High School, which started in May 2025.

Deputies said Enriquez and the student, who was 17 at the time, went out after school twice last year -- once in May and once in June – at which time they engaged in sex acts together.

“He’s disgusting,” a student at the school told Local 10 News. “The girl knew what she was doing, but he is a grown man. He knew what he was doing 20 times more -- he’s been there, done that -- it’s all wrong.”

According to authorities, Enriquez and the victim did not communicate over summer break, but when the new school year began in August 2025, the two resumed their “sexual relationship.”

Authorities said their final encounter occurred on May 14, 2026, which was the only time they had sexual intercourse.

The victim was 18 at the time of their final sexual encounter, according to Enriquez’s arrest report.

Authorities did not disclose how they were alerted to the alleged crimes or how they discovered the dates and details.

“It’s scary that someone who deals with so many students could be talking to a girl maybe my age or maybe a little older, because we usually trust teachers, we talk to them a lot. We don’t know if the girl was going through something, if she thought that was the only way,” Samira Gonzalez, who is a freshman at the school, said.

“Definitely as an adult, you should know where to draw the line,” a student named Christopher told Local 10. “You have these young ladies -- they’re probably fearing right now.”

Enriquez appeared in bond court Tuesday where he was ordered held without bond and ordered to stay away from the victim and from the high school.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that Enriquez will be fired.

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware of the arrest of an employee from American Senior High School. Upon learning of the suspected behavior, the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department initiated an investigation, which resulted in his removal from the school site and his subsequent arrest by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. The type of behavior this individual is accused of will not be tolerated, as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees. The District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the District. At M-DCPS, the safety and well-being of all students remains our top priority.”

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

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Jose Zamora is facing a slew of charges, including attempted kidnapping with a firearm.

Port St. Lucie police said it happened Sunday morning outside the First United Methodist Church on Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard.

Police said Zamora wanted to talk to the victim and tried to force her into his car at gunpoint.

“Several witnesses witnessed what was going on and intervened,” said Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemzyck. “The courage that they displayed helped disarm a very dangerous escalating situation. The suspect did remove a firearm and placed it at the victim’s side and tried to force her into the vehicle.”

Then, they say Zamora took off and drove to Hialeah.

The victim felt some pain but did not have any visible marks or bruises, police said.

According to authorities, the victim lived with Zamora in Hollywood before moving to Fort Pierce together, and by last December she wanted him out of the house because he became aggressive towards her.

“They had a prior romantic relationship which had ended, and it ended allegedly due to some infidelities,” said Niemzyck. “But he has a significant violent criminal history to include past attempted kidnapping.”

Police said the victim got a protective injunction against Zamora in March after he was arrested for a weapons violation.

Niemzyck said those details gave them cause to believe he would have harmed the victim.

“He’s a convicted felon prevented from having a firearm,” he said. “He’s got a dangerous past. So, the family of his believed that he was a danger to himself as well as her. Actually, he was considered a potential suicide by cop suspect.”

Investigators said they used license plate readers to track Zamora down.

He’s currently locked up in the St. Lucie County Jail in Fort Pierce on a bond of $750,000.

The report released early Wednesday by the U.S. Trade Representative said Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United Kingdom and some other countries and territories would face 10% additional tariffs for allegedly failing to enforce a forced labor import ban.

A 12.5% additional tariff would be imposed on China, Japan, India, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland and dozens of other countries.

“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

He added that “each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labor globally.”

The USTR said failure to prevent such imports is “unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce.”

This latest barrage of tariffs is likely to unsettle key trading partners that have been hit by waves of tariffs since President Donald Trump returned to office early last year.

Just two weeks ago, the European Union approved a tariff deal with the United States to cap tariffs on most EU exports at 15% following intense debates among the EU’s 27 nations and threats by European lawmakers to block the agreement.

Trump recently returned from a visit to China, where he and its leader Xi Jinping discussed expanding market access for American businesses in China and increasing Chinese investment into U.S. industries. The two leaders agreed to set up separate boards of trade and investment — though few details were provided.

A Chinese government spokesperson denied the forced labor allegation and called for resolving economic issues through dialogue, saying a trade war doesn’t serve anyone’s interests.

“There is no such thing as forced labor in China, and we oppose using it as an excuse to engage in political manipulation,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing.

The new tariffs would not take effect immediately. They are subject to public comment and review. Public hearings on the proposed duties are due to begin on July 7.

The investigation into alleged failure to prevent imports of goods allegedly made by forced labor was conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The strategy would enable Trump to skirt limits on his tariffs imposed by the Supreme Court.

It found that 60 countries investigated had failed to enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

The report defined forced labor as “work or service exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily.”

It cited an estimate by the UN’s International Labor Organization that as of 2021, 27.6 million people were engaged in forced labor.

Rice imported from Myanmar, tobacco from Malawi, beef from Brazil, and cotton and polysilicon from China were among the many products it said are prone to involving forced labor.

The U.S. has long said imports of goods that include material from China’s far-western Xinjiang are at risk of using forced labor. Beijing denies allegations of forced labor in the Muslim majority region.

The Supreme Court ruled in February that Trump had overstepped his authority by using a different law – the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 – to impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners.

The Trump administration has said it would appeal a federal judge’s order making all companies that paid the duties on those earlier tariffs eligible for refunds.

Earlier this week, the administration separately proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil, charging that the world’s 10th-biggest economy engages in trade practices that are “unreasonable’’ and that “burden or restrict U.S. commerce.’’

The USTR said its investigation showed Brazil had lax anti-corruption enforcement and unfair tariffs of its own, among other things.

In its nearly 100-page report on forced labor, the USTR said that even if a country enforces a ban on forced labor domestically, importing goods made with forced labor violates the rules of fair trade.

It said some key items would be exempt from the additional tariffs or subject to lower tariffs, including certain textiles, tomatoes, bananas, coffee and some metals.

___

AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

The unseeded Chwalinska came through three qualifying rounds to become only the second Polish woman to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros, along with four-time champion Iga Swiatek.

Kalinskaya's wild shot at the net gave Chwalinska a match point and she converted it when Kalinskaya's big forehand from the back of the court went out.

The 24-year-old Chwalinska put her hand over her mouth and then her face in her hands in near disbelief.

“I honestly don't know what's going on. Every single match here is kind of crazy for me,” she said. “I was definitely nervous. I'm stressed of course but I try and focus on my job, on my game.”

Chwalinska had never been beyond the second round at any major before this tournament.

“I'm playing against the best players in the world," she said. “I won't compare myself to them.”

Her next opponent will be the winner of Wednesday’s last remaining women’s quarterfinal between top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up, and No. 25 Diana Shnaider.

Whatever happens next, she has already doubled her career earnings.

Chwalinska's total prize money before this tournament was $864,030 and reaching the last four here earns her 750,000 euros (about $872,000).

Windy conditions

After they traded early breaks of serve amid blustery conditions with the roof open on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Chwalinska led 5-1 until Kalinskaya broke back in the seventh game, having saved a set point, then held for 5-3.

Kalinskaya saved another set point at 40-30 down in the following game, then used her strong backhand to break a nervous-looking Chwalinska's serve again.

A fan waved a Poland flag when Chwalinska held in the 11th game to stem Kalinskaya's comeback. The flag was raised again when she won a 25-stroke rally to move 5-3 up in the tiebreaker, and she clinched the first set at the third opportunity when Kalinskaya’s two-handed backhand sailed long.

“I feel like I was fighting against the wind, against the weather conditions, plus against her. Being lefty, it was very tricky today,” Kalinskaya said. “It was cold today, so the ball was going slower. I couldn’t use my speed, my power. So it definitely was an advantage for her today, for her game style.”

Chwalinska secured a double break of serve to lead 4-1 in the second set, but dropped her serve when serving for the match at 5-2.

It made little difference as Kalinskaya’s flagging serve soon gave her another chance.

Men's matches

In the two remaining men's quarterfinals, No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime took on No. 10 Flavio Cobolli before unseeded Italians Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi faced off.

All of Wednesday's matches were held on Chatrier.

Second-seeded Alexander Zverev and No. 26 Jakub Mensik won their quarterfinals Tuesday and will meet in the semifinals. ___

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

Tesla’s best-selling EV gets a round of updates for 2026 that include revised styling, a smoother ride and a more upscale cabin. But Toyota’s all-electric SUV shouldn’t be counted out. It has been thoroughly overhauled for 2026, and the result is a much more compelling proposition than the outgoing model. Edmunds’ experts put these two electric SUVs head-to-head to find out which one deserves a spot in your driveway.

Range and charging

Formerly known as the bZ4X, Toyota’s first all-electric SUV has been so extensively revised that it now carries a new name. Pleasingly, range has improved considerably. The front-wheel-drive version of the 2026 bZ can go up to 314 miles on a single charge, according to EPA estimates. Edmunds has verified that in its own independent testing, with a test bZ covering 331 miles, an impressive result for a small electric SUV.

As with the bZ, different versions of the Model Y have varying range estimates. The longest comes from the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, which can go an EPA-estimated 357 miles. Edmunds hasn’t range tested that Model Y version, but other tested Model Ys have matched their EPA estimates.

Edmunds also tested the bZ and Model Y for charging speeds at a public fast-charging station. Both SUVs yielded similar results and could potentially add up to about 100 miles of range in 15 minutes. The Model Y is a bit more convenient to charge at Tesla’s nationwide network of Supercharger stations, however.

Winner: Model Y

Driving experience and interior space

The Tesla Model Y remains one of the more engaging electric SUVs to drive. It accelerates quickly, has a smooth ride, and feels sporty and stable when going around corners. The cabin is well insulated from road and wind noise, and the front seats offer a wide range of adjustments for comfort during longer drives.

While the outgoing bZ4X felt sluggish, the bZ flips the script with brisk acceleration in both single- and dual-motor configurations. The front-wheel-drive bZ actually outpaced the base Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive in Edmunds’ 0-to-60 mph testing, while an all-wheel-drive bZ trailed just behind the Model Y All-Wheel Drive in the same test. The bZ also has a comfortable ride over bumps, but it doesn’t feel as composed as the Model Y when cornering.

Interior space is significantly better in the Model Y. It has more rear legroom, which allows adults to be more comfortable and provides extra space for installing bulky rear-facing child safety seats. The Model Y also has more cargo space and a few more useful spaces to store small items.

Winner: Model Y

Technology

Tesla’s infotainment system remains a highlight, with a clean interface and quick response. Dual wireless chargers add convenience, and Tesla’s advanced driver assistance features help set it apart. The Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature is particularly notable for allowing for hands-free driving on both highways and city streets. However, the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration may be a sticking point for some buyers.

Toyota counters with a new 14.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s easy to use and supports wireless connectivity Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Dual wireless phone chargers are up front, and a total of four fast-charging USB-C ports are on board. Standard driver assistance features are comprehensive. The bZ also has a hands-free driving feature, but it only works at low speeds on the highway.

Winner: Model Y

Pricing and value

The base Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive starts at $41,630, including destination. However, it’s missing some features you’ll probably want in an EV. The Premium version of the Model Y is what you want because of its added power, slightly greater range and a more upscale interior. A Model Y Premium All-Wheel Drive costs $51,630.

The Toyota bZ starts at $36,495 and comes well equipped for the price, especially when you consider the improved performance and range now on offer. The top-line bZ Limited adds even more features and is comparable to the Model Y Premium. It costs $46,895 in its available all-wheel-drive configuration.

Winner: bZ

Edmunds says

The Toyota bZ’s improvements make it a far more appealing electric SUV than before, and its low starting price strengthens its appeal for value-focused buyers. That said, the Tesla Model Y continues to set the benchmark in this segment with its superior technology, performance and overall refinement. While Toyota has made meaningful progress, the Model Y remains the better choice.

_____

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Bradley Iger is a contributor at Edmunds.

According to MDSO, Doral police responded to a home in the gated Doral Isles community in the area of Northwest 111^th Court and 72^nd Terrace just after 7:30 p.m. after receiving a call to check on the welfare of the people who live at the home.

Authorities said officers entered the house and found a man, woman and two girls who were all unresponsive.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel also responded to the home and pronounced all four dead at the scene.

MDSO Homicide Bureau detectives have taken over the investigation into the deaths.

No other details were immediately released.

The New York company raised its outlook Wednesday and shares rose more than 3% before the opening bell.

“We're off to a strong start to the year, ” said CEO Tony Spring, who is in the third year of an attempted turnaround of the storied retailer. “We're operating with discipline and focusing on what matters most — our customers.”

Comparable sales — sales at established online channels and stores— rose 3% during the first quarter. That was higher than the 1.8% gain during the final quarter of 2025 and it was the strongest first quarter for such sales in four years, the retailer said. Macy's stores posted a comparable sales increase of 1.6%, while the company's Bloomingdale's stores delivered a 10.2% increase, its highest first-quarter sales volume on record. Bluemercury, the cosmetics chain also owned by Macy's had a 6.4% comparable sales gain.

It’s the latest encouraging sign for Macy’s, which had been mired in a yearslong sales slump. Under Spring, who took over the top job in early 2024, Macy’s has closed unprofitable stores and spent millions modernize others. The company has beefed up customer service. It’s also been trying to differentiate its luxury business from its rivals with exclusive merchandise.

Some of the outsized performance at Bloomingdales has been attributed by retail analysts to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Saks Global, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Still, Macy’s is contending with the same challenges faced by its the retailer sector as a whole.

U.S. retailers have spent months navigating an uncertain economic environment, from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to the impact of soaring gasoline prices due to the Iran war. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has been above $4 per gallon since March, according to according to AAA. A gallon costs 40% more than than it did before the war. The latest batch of earnings reports from major retailers underscore how shoppers are under increasing financial strain as they try to factor in higher prices for gasoline, groceries, utilities and almost everything else.

Spring told The Associated Press in a phone call Wednesday that the company is closely monitoring events given the uncertainty about the U.S. economy, but there's been no noticeable pullback in customer spending since gas prices started rising.

He reasons that Macy's improved assortment and perceived value are landing with customers. There have been strong sales in prom dresses, men's shoes, dresses and fragrances. Spring, however, noted disappointing furniture sales with shoppers continuing to put off purchases of big ticket items.

“Despite the choiceful consumer, despite all the things that are going on that we read about every day in terms of the geopolitical, macroeconomic environment, fashion and newness and the consumer’s desire to indulge is still happening,” Spring told The AP. “And we’re very pleased that we are taking share.”

Spring said that higher income shoppers continue to spend freely, boosted by gains in the stock market, while the middle income shopper has remained more selective. He said the lower income customers continue to struggle but are focusing on Macy's designated areas for heavily discounted merchandise.

Macy’s reported net income of $63 million, or 23 cents per share, in the quarter ended May 2. Adjusted earnings per share was 13 cents, a dime better than Wall Street had expected, according to FactSet.

That compares with a $38 million profit, or 13 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose to $4.68 billion from $4.6 billion in the year-ago period. Revenue this quarter also edged out projections on Wall Street.

The company now expects annual net sales of between $21.5 billion and $21.75 billion, up from previous guidance of $21.4 billion to $21.65 billion in March. Macy’s upped its projections for comparable sales, saying on Wednesday that they will likely increase between 0.5% and 1.2%. The company in March predicted a decline of 0.5% to a gain of 0.5%.

It also now anticipates earnings per share for the year to be in the range of $2 to $2.20, up from its previous guidance of $1.90 to $2.10 per share.

For the full fiscal year, analysts were expecting $2.09 per share on revenue of $21.6 billion, according to FactSet analysts.

The rare albino buffalo became a sensation when a farmer noticed that his blond tuft of hair resembled the distinctive locks of the U.S. president. After a video of the pale horned mammal went viral on social media, large numbers of people started showing up at the farm outside Dhaka to see him for themselves.

The animal was originally meant to be slaughtered for the Muslim festival of sacrifice. But citing security concerns, the government ordered him transferred to the zoo in the capital, where large crowds are now braving sweltering heat to see him.

On Tuesday, visitors pressed against the fence of the buffalo's enclosure, filming with their phones as some fathers hoisted small children on their shoulders for a better view.

A zoo worker pampered the animal, brushing his hair to one side and hosing him down with water to keep him cool as fans blew on him.

“There is a resemblance to Donald Trump in its eyes, hairstyle, and skin color,” said Mohammed Nasim, a student in Dhaka. “And just as Donald Trump has a distinctive personality and lifestyle, this buffalo, after going viral, is now living a similar kind of life, enjoying a lot of attention and special treatment.”

Local media reported that the exhibit initially included a sign that said “Donald Trump,” which has since been removed. The zoo curator was fired on Saturday, though no official cause was given for the dismissal.

Some clearly found the naming in poor taste.

“Giving a farm animal the name of one of the world’s most influential leaders was certainly the wrong thing to do," said Dhaka resident Mohammad Joynal Adedin, who visited the zoo to see the buffalo anyway. “It seems disrespectful. I think the farmer who did this made a poor decision.”

The buffalo was sold ahead of Eid al-Adha, the “Feast of Sacrifice.” When Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed ordered police to take it into custody, the authorities refunded the buyer.

"Since before Eid, I had been seeing posts on Facebook saying that ‘Donald Trump’ would be sacrificed. Later, I heard that instead of being sacrificed, it had been placed in a zoo,” said Mohammad Habibur Rahman, a visitor to the zoo from the southwestern Bangladeshi city of Jashore.

“So, I thought I would come to the zoo and see ‘Donald Trump’ for myself," he said.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it was ordering Google to give online publishers the option, in what it called a “world first.”

The watchdog is seeking to loosen the U.S. tech giant’s stranglehold on the U.K’s online search market by using new digital powers to force changes to the company’s business practices.

Under the decision, Google will have to give publishers “effective tools” to prevent their content from being used to power the company's generative artificial intelligence services and its AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Google will also have to properly cite publisher content in AI-generated search resulted by using clear links, and let publishers opt out of having their content used to fine-tune AI models.

The watchdog said the decision will give publishers a stronger hand when negotiating content deals with Google. Publishers are defined as anyone who puts content on the web that's available to people in Britain.

The CMA's ruling was expected, because it had released draft proposals at the start of the year after using its new digital powers to label Google a “ strategic” player in online search advertising.

It previously found that news publishers had suffered a drop in traffic since Google rolled out its AI Overviews - summaries that appear at the top of some search queries - because fewer users are clicking through to the original articles.

The watchdog said its requirements will also apply to big changes that Google unveiled in May, which further embed AI in the company's search services.

Google is “engaging with regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve," the company's general manager of search ecosystem, Mrinalini Loew, said in a blog post.

“Today, we’re beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features.”

CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the measures will result in “fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers” and will help tens of millions of British users “better understand and trust the information presented to them.”

It’s fair to say the appointment of Thomas Tuchel was not universally well received.

“I’m sorry I have a German passport,” the serial-winning former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach quipped at his official unveiling in 2024.

He had woken that morning to some unflattering headlines in the British media.

The Daily Mail described it as a “dark day for England” and said the national team had gambled on a “GERMAN.”

The leader of the right-wing Reform Party Nigel Farage asked on X: “Why can’t we have an English manager?”

Never mind that Tuchel was a Champions League winner who had lifted trophies in three different countries. Or the fact that England has gone down the foreign route before: a Swedish coach in Sven-Goran Eriksson and an Italian in Fabio Capello. And in the days before Tuchel’s appointment, there were rumors that Pep Guardiola was also a leading candidate.

Historic rivals

A point of contention was the fact that Germany has long-been England’s biggest soccer rival. Since winning the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany, England has often struggled against the Germans in major tournaments. Some England fans have brought 20th-century history to the rivalry with provocative chants taunting Germany about World War II.

Debate about Tuchel's nationality, however, dissipated quickly, helped by his easy-going charm when dealing with the media and a perfect winning record during England's World Cup qualifying campaign.

According to professor Jan Rüger, author of the upcoming book “Great Powers: A History of Britain and Germany,” the wider reaction to Tuchel's appointment points to a change in Anglo-German relations after the tensions that prevailed in the decades following two world wars.

“There were questions, but it certainly hasn’t turned into an ongoing saga in the way in which it would have in the 1990s or even around the turn of the century,” Rüger told The Associated Press. "Then it would have been unthinkable to have a German manager.

“Germany really isn’t the bad guy anymore. That’s long since passed. I don’t think it works portraying Germany as the bogeyman.”

England coaches face fierce criticism

Time will tell if Tuchel is portrayed as a hero or villain at the World Cup. If England fails, his nationality might be raised again. But England managers of the past have been the subject of brutal criticism by fans and media, regardless of what it says on their passport.

Tuchel's predecessor Gareth Southgate was widely credited with making England fans fall back in love with the national team during his eight-year spell, yet he faced a torrent of abuse from sections of supporters during the 2024 European Championship, with plastic beer glasses thrown in his direction after one match.

Southgate departed after leading England to back-to-back Euros finals and the World Cup semifinals in 2018.

He goes down as the nation's second most successful manager after Alf Ramsey, who led England to World Cup victory in 1966.

If Tuchel can end England's trophy wait, he would become a national treasure.

“Everyone in the squad, the staff, everyone believes we can win it,” midfielder Kobbie Mainoo said.

Difficult decisions

Tuchel stunned some fans and players with his squad selection for the World Cup, leaving out big names including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It was evidence that he would not be swayed by public opinion, which has been a criticism of previous coaches.

“Everything I know about international football tells me that tournaments are won by teams, not individuals,” he said. “What we’re trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team."

Midfielder Jordan Henderson was one of the surprise inclusions at the age of 35.

“I know everybody likes to speak about players that aren’t here, unfortunately that’s the case with every England squad really," Henderson said. “There’s so many good players, so much talent, but for us as a squad here, it’s about being together and we’re here for a reason and it’s about bringing that, being the best version of yourself, being best version individually and collectively, working every day to achieve our dreams.”

A proven winner

Tuchel is the 14th coach tasked with the challenge of ending England's trophy drought, which now stretches to 60 years.

After Southgate's departure the English Football Association said it was looking for a candidate to “win a major tournament”. That might sound obvious, but even coaches who had won big prizes with club teams such as Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, Eriksson and Capello could not emulate that success with England.

Southgate got closer than anyone since Ramsey despite a modest coaching career before being handed the national job.

His success appeared to be grounded in developing a connection both within his squad and with supporters. As a former player who missed a penalty in a semifinal shootout defeat to Germany at Euro 1996, his emotional understanding of what it means to represent England appeared to resonate with a new generation.

As a foreign coach — albeit one who coached in the Premier League with Chelsea — Tuchel cannot bring that same dynamic to the role.

He does, however, fit the description of a winner of major tournaments, having led Chelsea to the Champions League in 2021. He was also Champions League finalist with Paris Saint-Germain.

He won league titles in France with PSG and Germany with Bayern Munich.

In Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, he has three of the biggest stars in European soccer and enough talent at his disposal that he felt able to leave out the likes of Foden and Palmer.

“I love the difficult decisions and I love the tough decisions because they bring in the end clarity, they bring a certain edge, and it’s what you need to go all the way," Tuchel said. “From day one, we said we will always try to select and build the best group, which is maybe not necessarily just to collect the best talents.”

___

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

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

But even as the U.S. president acknowledged the tensions, he insisted that his relationship with Netanyahu was solid and they connected, in part, because they're both “wartime” leaders.

“We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump told The New York Post’s “Pod Force One.”

The president's acknowledgement of the tense call with Netanyahu that involved expletives is a sign of the growing pressure he faces to resolve the Iran war, as higher energy prices and economic uncertainty are harming Republicans going into midterm elections and hampering global commerce.

But Trump remained noncommittal about a timeline for settling the conflict, saying the Strait of Hormuz might stay blocked through the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7. He has insisted that Iran stop any efforts that could lead to a nuclear weapon and that the strait be reopened for the shipments of oil and natural gas.

“I don’t know. I mean, I think it could be (closed through Labor Day), but I think it’s unlikely. I think that we’ll have it. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly,” Trump said.

The U.S. president added that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his late father, is “involved” in peace talks for ending the war.

“They have a lot of respect for him,” Trump said in the interview with “Pod Force One.”

Trump said that Khamenei is not doing well due to injuries sustained in an airstrike, but “they say he’s giving approval because that’s the way it has been for a long, long time." Khamenei's father was killed as part of airstrikes when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of March.

Still, the path toward a durable ceasefire remained unclear as hostilities continued in Lebanon.

An Israeli strike Wednesday hit a car on a busy highway just south of Beirut, hours before the second day of talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington are set to take place.

The strike in Khaldeh came without warning, and it was not immediately clear if the person targeted was killed. Israel usually says it targets members of the Hezbollah militant group in these drone strikes.

Israel and Lebanon on Monday reached a U.S.-brokered agreement where Israel would not strike Beirut's southern suburbs and Hezbollah would end its attacks on northern Israel. The agreement was made hours after Israel announced that it was going to launch strikes across the sprawling urban neighborhoods near the Lebanese capital in what would have been the most intense strikes since a nominal ceasefire went into effect on April 17.

The State Department said progress was made during the first day of talks on Tuesday. Lebanon hopes to widen the scope of the ceasefire so it becomes comprehensive across the country. Israel wants to disarm Hezbollah immediately before it ends its operations in Lebanon and withdraws its troops from dozens of villages and towns.

Not long after the strike on Khaldeh, the Israeli military said it intercepted what it called a hostile aircraft coming from southern Lebanon, but did not immediately blame Hezbollah. Hezbollah has not claimed a cross-border attack since the agreement.

Israeli military warning rattles coastal city

Israeli strikes over southern Lebanon continued, especially in and around the battered cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh. Overnight, two strikes near Tyre killed four Syrians and two Palestinians.

Israel overnight warned the Christian neighborhoods in the coastal city of Tyre that Hezbollah members are among them. Many Lebanese Shiite Muslims fled to those areas in recent days because they were spared from the aerial bombardment along the Mediterranean coast.

After the warning, the Lebanese army deployed to the Christian district of Tyre in an effort to prevent Israeli attacks there and to show that Hezbollah has no armed presence in the area.

Israel launched an invasion of southern Lebanon days after the latest war was sparked on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israeli troops have pushed deeper into Lebanon over the past week, as Hezbollah continues to claim rocket and drone attacks.

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon and displaced 1.2 million people. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, at least 27 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.

Among the 27 killed was a soldier in southern Lebanon, whose death was announced late Monday by Israel’s military. It added that seven more soldiers were wounded in the incident, three of them severely.

Hezbollah’s use of hard-to-detect fiber-optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond.

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Boak reported from Washington.

Trump announced he'd now be the headlining act of the Great American State Fair.

That put to rest any possible scenario where a president who has built his personal and political persona on seizing the spotlight might cede the stage to avoid overshadowing a national celebration bigger than himself. It also offered a peek into how the president is likely to approach hosting the upcoming World Cup.

From his reality shows before becoming a politician, to hours spent entertaining at events in ways planned and impromptu, to proudly showing off his various properties and efforts to overhaul the White House, the president relishes hosting. Last year he even jokingly mused about leaving the presidency to do it again full time on TV.

Trump can be a gracious, personable and highly watchable master of ceremonies — but he's also one who tends to make every event about himself.

“The president has an outsized personality,” said Timothy Naftali, former director of Richard Nixon’s presidential library and professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “There’s a predictability to the way in which the president frames his actions — or any actions around any event associated with him — and that’s just part of who he is, and his makeup and his professional background.”

Exhibit A is the fair, which begins June 25 and was supposed to feature concerts but now will be kicked off by a Trump rally. That will follow a UFC bout at the White House on June 14. Trump is a longtime cage match fan and the event marks his 80th birthday, but the president has sought to bill it as part of the anniversary festivities.

Many presidents relished hosting — but not like this

Andrew Jackson threw open the White House for an 1829 Inauguration Day bash so unruly that staff eventually dispersed the crowd by moving tubs of whiskey and ice cream to the lawn. Franklin D. Roosevelt mixed pre-dinner cocktails for friends and aides at White House gatherings he playfully dubbed “The Children’s Hour.” Audrey Hepburn was among the luminaries Ronald Reagan hosted at the White House.

Trump frequently had first-term dinners with business leaders but has more fully embraced the role since returning to the White House. He built a patio area similar to one at his Mar-a-Lago estate and frequently travels to Florida and his properties in Bedminster, New Jersey, and Sterling, Virginia, to headline fundraisers and other swanky gatherings.

Asked if Trump might overshadow events meant to bring the country and the world together, White House spokesman Davis Ingle pointed to the president's efforts to lead extensive renovations at the White House and around Washington. He said in a statement that the “historic beautification" gives the city "the glory it deserves during our nation’s historic semiquincentennial celebration — something everyone should celebrate."

Still, Trump has found unprecedented ways to inject himself into the anniversary.

The State Department is issuing passports with the president's picture and officials have designed a new $250 bill with his likeness. The Trump Organization, being run by Trump's children while he's president, applied to trademark “Trump 250" logos and other merchandise.

The U.S. Mint is also producing a 24-karat gold commemorative coin with Trump’s face, though that recalls a half-dollar silver coin bearing the likeness of President Calvin Coolidge to help mark America's 150th anniversary in 1926.

Past presidents had starring anniversary roles

Ulysses S. Grant opened a Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. Richard Nixon, in 1971, inaugurated a five-year “Bicentennial Era” ahead of the 200-year mark, though he resigned before the big day arrived.

Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, then in the midst of an ultimately unsuccessful reelection campaign, began the week of July 4, 1976, by inaugurating the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and attending a Kennedy Center event featuring Bob Hope, OJ Simpson and others reading patriotic texts.

On Independence Day, Ford spoke at historic Valley Forge, then traveled to Philadelphia's Independence Hall, declaring, “Liberty is a living flame to be fed, not dead ashes to be revered.“ He also went to New York Harbor for a tall ship parade, presided over naturalization ceremonies at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate and hosted a state dinner for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Still, “while Ford certainly hoped to use the bicentennial to promote his reelection campaign, he didn’t do it in such a self-aggrandizing, self-centered, narcissistic way,” said Marc Stein, a history professor at San Francisco State University and author of “Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s.”

Ford, added Naftali, “knew when to step out of the limelight and make sure the focus was on what mattered, which was the United States of America and the Declaration of Independence."

Trump, by contrast, “generally has contempt for norms” and rarely mentions “the great sweep of history,” Naftali said.

Dueling anniversary planners as Trump pushes to revise history

Congress charged a national organization, America250, with planning commemorative events. Ahead of the 2024 election, the group drafted a memo asking whomever the incoming president was to mobilize federal agencies and welcoming presidential involvement in events and initiatives.

Asked about Trump, America250 Chair Rosie Rios said the group “has had a very supportive and collaborative relationship with the organizations planning initiatives on behalf of the president.”

But Rios' organization is separate from Freedom 250, a mix of public and private partnerships which the Trump administration established to fund and prepare anniversary events — which has caused confusion.

America250 aims to "inspire our fellow Americans to reflect on our past, strengthen our love of country, and renew our commitment to the ideals of democracy through programs that educate, engage, and unite us as a nation."

That might seem a departure from the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order Trump signed last year. It sought to beat back a “revisionist movement” responsible for “replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

Stein, now serving a one-year term as president of the Organization of American Historians, is helping organize “We Want More History,” a push to coordinate local events celebrating the public's love for the subject in fact-based ways.

He said Trump's version of history is "closer to propaganda, and it’s closer to cheerleading.”

World Cup gives Trump another platform to play host

The president has similarly taken his exceeding-normal-limits approach to the soccer tournament the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada.

He created a federal World Cup task force, and leads it. He collected a peace prize from soccer's governing body, FIFA, and said he'd be on stage to present the tournament's golden trophy to the winning team.

Trump even oversaw the tournament's draw at the Kennedy Center, which he's sought to rename for himself, sparking legal challenges.

He returned to the same building to headline December's Kennedy Center Honors, noting, “We never had a president hosting the awards before." He later posted on social media, "Would you like me to leave the Presidency in order to make ‘hosting’ a full time job?”

Naftali noted, “Whatever filters there were in the first term — and there weren’t many — are gone."

“It’s undiluted Donald Trump."

Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares late Tuesday by some of the hundreds who attended a protest in the southern English coast city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December. Two people were arrested and 11 officers and a police dog were injured, police said.

Nowak's death has triggered debates about policing and knife crime and has spurred claims by far-right activists and politicians that there is bias against white people in the justice system.

Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who is Sikh, falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist assault by 18-year-old Nowak, who was white. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded man as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that the case had left “serious questions to answer, including how accusations of racism informed police thinking." But he called the street violence “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Nowak's family had "made a powerful call to us all yesterday to not let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred or tension.

“There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law,” she said.

Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder and sentenced Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. The judge said he didn’t believe Nowak had said anything racist to his attacker.

After the sentencing, police released video showing officers dismissing Nowak when he told them he had been stabbed and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates allegations of police wrongdoing, is probing the actions of the officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it will review its anti-racism guidance in the wake of the killing.

After the sentencing hearing, the victim’s father, Mark Nowak, said the case was not about racism or religion, and that he wanted his son’s death to lead to safer streets and not to be used to create “further division, hatred or tension.”

But Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said on Tuesday that it was an example of so-called two-tier policing — a popular far-right talking point that claims ethnic minorities are better treated than white people.

Farage urged people to respond to the incident with “pure cold rage,” and said, “white lives matter just as much as Black lives.” X owner Elon Musk and British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, have also expressed outrage at the crime.

Some politicians have called for Sikhs to be banned from carrying ceremonial knives, known as kirpans. The judge said Digwa had a small kirpan but also had an 8-inch (21-centimeter) sheathed Sikh dagger that was used as the weapon to kill Nowak.

Hampshire Police chief constable Alexis Boon said he understood the “desire for answers and accountability.”

“But that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets, causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,” he said.

The drones flew more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to hit the terminal, Zelenskyy said on social media. Clouds of black smoke rose over the city’s port after the attack. St. Petersburg is Russia’s second-largest city and is where Putin was born.

Russian authorities said only that the Ukrainian drone strike targeted the city’s infrastructure, without providing further details. The airport of St. Petersburg briefly suspended flights overnight because of the attack. Authorities also cut off mobile internet services.

With the front line changing little as swarms of drones hinder battlefield movement, both sides have sought an edge by increasingly launching long-range strikes. The war that followed Russia’s invasion of its neighbor has now stretched into its fifth year, with no end in sight.

Ukraine's drone successes embarrass Putin

The latest strikes are an embarrassment for Putin, weeks after he pruned back an annual Victory Day parade in Moscow due to fears of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Putin is set to speak on Friday at the economic forum in St. Petersburg that the Kremlin views as a prestige event. The gathering has for decades been Russia’s leading event for attracting foreign capital. It is sometimes called Russia’s Davos, likening it to the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.

Major Western investors and officials have stayed away since Russia invaded Ukraine more than four years ago. Saudi Arabia is a special guest country this year and is due to send a large business delegation.

The strikes came a day after Russian forces launched a massive drone and missile attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 22 civilians and wounding 138, as Moscow followed through with its threat of escalating its regular barrages.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia’s deep strikes have already taken on a “systematic” character.

Ukraine needs more air defense help

Ukraine is short of American-made Patriot air defense missiles, in part because of U.S. stocks depleted by the Iran war, leaving it vulnerable to Russia's ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy on Wednesday expressed frustration with his own government's officials, saying there is an agreement “at the highest political level” for the purchase of Patriot systems but implementation is being held up by financial, legal and technical considerations.

“The wait has taken too long,” he said on social media, demanding that officials unblock the purchase or there will be “serious personnel decisions.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with officials that likely will cover air defense needs.

Ukraine’s own long-range attacks are aimed at diminishing Russia’s oil production, which is a key source of funding for Moscow, and disrupting weapon production.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil facilities at the port of St. Petersburg and nearby ports.

Ukraine also strikes a Russian naval base and a weapons plant

Ukrainian drone attacks overnight also hit the Kronstadt naval base, an old base for Russia’s Baltic Fleet, and a manufacturing plant involved in weapon production in Russia’s Tambov region, 600 kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 354 Ukrainian drones overnight.

In the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a Ukrainian strike hit a bus that was traveling from Moscow to Crimea, killing seven and injuring 11, according to the Kremlin-appointed head of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin.

In the Smolensk region, two firefighters were killed by a Ukrainian drone attack, according to the regional governor, Vasily Anokhin. He said two other firefighters and a local resident were injured.

Meanwhile, Russia fired 198 long-range drones at Ukraine last night, according to Ukraine’s air force, with air defenses neutralizing 189.

Authorities in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region said that over the previous 24 hours one civilian was killed and 15 more were injured, including three children, by Russian strikes.

In the southern Kherson, Russian overnight shelling and drone strikes killed an 86-year-old woman and wounded five other people, according to regional authorities.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Uncle Robbie Thorpe, 68, turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Victoria state after two lower courts rejected his bid to launch a private prosecution against the king in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. Indigenous Australians use the titles uncle and aunt as marks of respect for community elders.

His case alleges the monarch, who is also Australia’s head of state, the Australian government and its institutions were perpetuating a genocide of Indigenous people by maintaining systemic disadvantages on multiple socioeconomic levels, making them the most underprivileged minority in the country.

Indigenous Australians account for 4% of the population. They die younger than other Australians, suffer worse health problems, and are more likely to be imprisoned and unemployed than other groups, according to official statistics.

Thorpe told The Associated Press if he exhausts his legal options in Australia, he would take the offense under the Genocide Convention to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands.

“It’s clear that they’re unwilling, unable, reluctant to deal with these international legal issues like genocide,” Thorpe told the AP before the hearing, referring to the Australian judiciary.

He later told the judges Indigenous people were dying because their disadvantage in Australia was compounding.

“The Crown is responsible for all this mess,” Thorpe said. “Australia’s got away with genocide of Aboriginal people since they arrived here."

The British colonized Australia in 1788 and violently seized Indigenous people’s land without a treaty.

“They totally failed to prevent (genocide). That’s the crime here. They failed to prevent genocide knowingly and they failed to punish anyone for it,” he added.

The British punished Indigenous people for speaking their language and for practicing their cultures in a bid to make them Christian and Western. Generations of children were taken from Indigenous families in now-discredited assimilation policies.

Thorpe wore a traditional possum-skin coat in court and carried a feather from an Australian wedge-tailed eagle, an Indigenous totem.

He requested to be addressed in court as Uncle Robbie or by his tribal name Djuran Bunjileenee.

Justice Karin Emerton, the court’s presiding judge, referred to him as Uncle Robbie.

The king was identified in court documents as Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor.

Thorpe is attempting to charge the king under Indigenous law that has existed for more than 65,000 years, state common law and federal criminal law, court documents show.

In dismissing Thorpe’s appeal last year, a judge ruled that a magistrate was not allowed to consider Indigenous law and genocide was not an offense under common law.

The federal attorney-general would have to sign off on any genocide prosecution under federal law, the judge ruled.

Following a two-hour hearing on Wednesday, Emerton said the three judges would deliver their verdict at a later date.

If Thorpe loses, his final option would be Australia’s High Court before attempting to have the king prosecuted in The Hague.

About 65% of U.S. adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, down slightly from 71% in 2022 and 2023.

Most of the change is due to dropping acceptance among Republicans. In the new survey, which was conducted in May, only 37% of Republicans say same-sex marriage should be legally valid, while 35% say gay and lesbian relations are “morally acceptable.”

The views of Democrats and independents are largely stable in the findings released Wednesday, with most in both groups saying same-sex marriage should be legal and that gay or lesbian relations are moral.

The widening partisan divide is also reflected in policy around LGBTQ+ issues across the U.S., particularly regarding transgender people, and a rising push in some states to ban same-sex marriage.

Recent shifts have been subtle and partisan

The downtick in support for same-sex marriage, while slight, is still striking because of how dramatically American views on the issue have shifted over the past few decades.

According to Gallup’s trend data, only 27% of U.S. adults supported legal same-sex marriage in 1996. Since then, support for same-sex marriage rose steadily until a few years ago, when it peaked with around 7 in 10 U.S. adults saying same-sex marriage should be legal.

Opinion about the morality of same-sex relationships followed the same pattern. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults said same-sex relations were morally acceptable in 2001. That increased nearly 30 percentage points over the next two decades.

Over the past few years, Gallup's data has shown signs of a shift in the other direction. In addition to the slight decline on same-sex marriage, the new poll also found that 62% of U.S. adults view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, down from 71% in 2022.

Same-sex marriage remains recognized nationwide

Same-sex marriage has been recognized nationally since a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. That case capped a 12-year run in which court rulings and state laws recognized it in most states.

By last year, there were more than 800,000 married same-sex couples, according to data compiled by the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law.

The pushback has never stopped, though. A call to overturn the 2015 reached the Supreme Court last year, invoking the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who has called for undoing it. The court turned away the appeal without comment.

Last year, the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly called for reversing the ruling that led to nationwide marriage recognition and imposing a ban.

Lawmakers in at least 11 states introduced legislation for their current or most recent sessions calling on a ban on same-sex marriage, according to an Associated Press analysis of bills compiled by the legislation tracking service Plural. Most didn't pick up momentum. But the Tennessee House passed a measure to allow private citizens and organizations not to recognize the unions; Idaho's House passed a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to undo the 2015 decision.

A similar number of states have had measures aimed at protecting same-sex marriage introduced recently.

Acceptance of transgender people is also down

In a sign that views of LGBTQ+ issues may be shifting more broadly, the new Gallup poll found that about 4 in 10 Americans view changing one’s gender as morally acceptable, down from nearly half in 2021.

The rights of transgender people have been a hot-button political issue this decade.

Most Republican-controlled states have adopted laws in the last five years to bar gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors, restrict which school bathrooms transgender people may use and bar transgender girls and women from some sports competitions.

Trump has signed executive orders seeking some of the same policies on a federal level.

This week, one of those policies suffered a blow when a court ruled that the military illegally banned transgender troops.

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The Gallup poll, conducted May 1-17, was based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,001 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

His name and face became synonymous with the 1959 revolution led by his brother, Fidel Castro. Decades after the triumphant revolution, Fidel Castro stepped down, and Raúl Castro served as Cuba's president for 12 years.

He formally retired from politics in April 2021 but still serves as general of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, has a seat in the National Assembly and is considered to play a central role in rising tensions with the U.S., which recently indicted him.

Here’s a look at the life of a man known as the “hero of the Republic of Cuba.”

Raúl Castro became involved in politics early

Castro was born on June 3, 1931, in the village of Birán in eastern Cuba. He was the fourth of seven children; his mother was Cuban and his father Spanish.

As a child, he attended school in Santiago de Cuba but later moved to Havana, where he began studying law at the university and became deeply involved in student politics, opposing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

By 1953, he was part of a group that attacked military barracks in Santiago de Cuba as part of a failed effort to overthrow Batista. He was charged, jailed and later released, fleeing to Mexico, where he joined the guerrilla group that would soon unseat Batista.

After a victorious revolution in 1959, Castro was appointed minister of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces and oversaw battles in Africa and Latin America that rankled some U.S. Republicans.

Many Cubans, including María Cristina Barrio Ramos, a 62-year-old teacher who lives in Havana, praised him for his actions.

“He gave us everything so that we could be free,” she said. “We owe our freedom and dignity to him.”

In October 1965, Raúl Castro became the second secretary of the Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party. At the time, Fidel Castro lauded him in a speech.

“It is a privilege for me that, in addition to being an extraordinary revolutionary figure, he is a brother,” Castro said as his sibling stood up and smiled as the crowd around him applauded.

Fidel Castro was known for praising his brother: “Everyone who gets to know him and become close to him realizes his humanism, his great character, and his feelings; they are surprised by the image of Raúl as belligerent, aggressive and harsh, when they see the feelings of friendship, affection, and love he is capable of having for people. And he has been a great mentor and a great educator.”

Castro rises to power after brother’s health worsens

In 2006, Fidel Castro’s health began to decline, and Raúl Castro was temporarily handed power in late July of that year until Cuba’s National Assembly elected him as president in February 2008.

In the years that followed, Castro proved himself to be more liberal than his brother, allowing private enterprises to operate in Cuba while former U.S. President Barack Obama lifted restrictions on remittances and family travel, and allowed U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba under certain conditions.

By 2015, the U.S. and Cuba restored diplomatic relations and reopened embassies. A year later, Obama traveled to Cuba to meet with Castro. That same year, commercial flights between the two countries restarted.

During a historic 2016 press conference in Havana, Castro famously tried to raise Obama's left arm, whose hand went limp in an image that went viral.

Under Castro, Cuba also entered negotiations with Russia’s government in June 2014 that led to the cancellation of 90% of a multibillion-dollar debt dating from the time of the Soviet Union.

In 2018, Raúl Castro left the presidency in the hands of Miguel Díaz-Canel, marking the first time in decades that a person without “Castro” as their last name took control of the government.

In April 2021, Castro announced he would not seek another political position. Since then, he has made only sporadic public appearances.

Castro retires but remains a high-profile figure

Ever since officially retiring from politics, Raúl Castro has appeared in public only sporadically, but he is believed to still wield power behind the scenes even as he leads a discreet life.

His grandson and bodyguard, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a Caribbean summit earlier this year. Since then, Cuban and U.S. officials have confirmed talks, but tensions between the two countries remain high.

Raúl Castro was last seen at a May 1 rally that drew tens of thousands of Cubans. He was dressed, as usual, in olive green military garb and stood at the side of Díaz-Canel. Behind him was Castro's grandson.

Almost three weeks later, the U.S. government indicted Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles over Cuban waters. He faces charges including murder and destruction of an airplane.

While the government and its supporters have condemned the indictment, Raúl Castro has remained mum.

As his birthday approached, social media was flooded with the hashtag #RaúlesRaúl, a political figure who has long been adverse to birthdays, monuments and statues, just like his brother.

The Cuban Embassy in the U.S. noted on X: “Not many people have the privilege, the health, the stoicism — and if you like, you can also add: that quintessentially Cuban stubbornness — to reach the age of 95.”

Meanwhile, Cuba's Communist Party posted several videos Tuesday on X of Cubans praising Castro.

“To talk about Cuba, you have to talk about Raúl,” said Digna Guerra, director of the island’s national choir. “He represents Cuban identity, he represents the Cuban people, he represents the revolution, which for us has immense significance. … Thank you for existing.”

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Associated Press videographer Ariel Fernández contributed.

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

The program delivered on a campaign promise of President Prabowo Subianto and aimed to fight malnutrition by feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women. But it has come under steep criticism due to high costs and cases of food poisoning among schoolchildren who ate the meals.

Prabowo fired Dadan Hindayana on Tuesday and replaced him with the agency's deputy chief. Investigators searched the agency’s offices early Wednesday.

Before Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office made Wednesday’s arrest announcement, Hindaya could be seen being led out in handcuffs, wearing a detainee red vest and a black shirt, and escorted into a green prison van.

Prosecutors also arrested two other suspects, Sony Sonjaya, the Deputy Head of the Nutrition Provision Division and Lodewyk Pusung, the Deputy Head of the Organizational Development and Institutional Relations Division. Both were fired on Tuesday.

Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, AGO’s Director of Investigation, told reporters that based on the “examination ... and two pieces of sufficient evidence,” the three were named as suspects “in the criminal investigation of corruption related to the management of the Free Nutritious Meal program at the National Nutrition Agency for the 2025–2026 period.”

The Free Nutritious Meal program is implemented through foundations operating in schools. Investigators allege these foundations were used to facilitate criminal activities and were linked to agency officials and employees. Despite failing to meet the eligibility requirements to become program partners, they were allegedly approved by manipulating the agency’s partner verification system, with the suspects' help, Nahdi said.

“These foundations receive incentives worth billions of rupiah every day,” he said, adding that investigators are still calculating the damage to state coffers.

Minister of the State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi said the three suspects were dismissed for failing to adhere to "standard operating procedure ... implementing governance, including maintaining food quality."

Hadi stressed the government's continuing commitment to the free meals program. “Services to the public must not be disrupted in any way,” he told reporters Tuesday

The meals program is expected to cost $28 billion through 2029.

One of Prabowo's goals was to fight malnutrition and help farmers by purchasing their harvests, but critics had questioned whether the program was affordable and logistically possible in a vast archipelago of more than 282 million people.

The building in the Malviya Nagar neighborhood in the southern part of the city had a restaurant on the ground floor and a hotel above. The predominantly residential area is densely populated and is popular with students and young professionals.

The blaze was extinguished with the help of eight fire engines, and more than 40 people were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, Delhi police said in a statement.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Images from the scene showed firefighters trying to douse the blaze as thick smoke billowed from the building. Some people trapped inside were seen hanging from windows and shouting for help as flames and smoke swept through parts of the building.

Local residents also joined rescue efforts, helping evacuate people trapped inside and carrying some of the injured to safety.

Some of the victims were foreign nationals who had traveled to India for medical treatment, local media reported. Many foreign patients travel to New Delhi for medical treatment and often stay in nearby hotels or residential accommodation during their visits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the deaths, his office said in a post on X. It also said that the families of those killed would receive 200,000 rupees ($2,088) each in financial assistance.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

Semiofficial Iranian news agencies have said Tehran had stopped communicating with mediators about extending the ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel. A regional official said Iran wanted a separate ceasefire in Lebanon enforced before returning to talks. U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations continued.

The talks have dragged on for weeks, and exchanges of strikes in the Gulf region and Israel’s broadening war with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon are further strains.

Iran maintains its hold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world’s oil and natural gas and related products like fertilizer — and the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Global fuel prices remain high, and the effects of the conflict are felt well beyond the region.

An Indian national is killed at Kuwait's main airport

Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said “a number of hostile drones” targeted a passenger building at Kuwait International Airport, which had opened only Monday after a months-long closure because of the war, which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Authorities said one person was killed and 63 were wounded, including passengers and workers. Health Ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Sanad said some suffered serious injuries. India’s embassy said the person killed was an Indian national.

Kuwait's Defense Ministry said it destroyed over a dozen missiles and a similar number of drones from Iran. The Foreign Ministry said Kuwait reserves the right to respond to Iran and will “neither accept nor tolerate” the attacks.

The airport partially reopened later, with Kuwait Airways flights resuming at a different terminal, according to civil aviation authorities. No other flights were operating.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said two Iranian missiles fell apart en route to Kuwait and that it “downed multiple drones” targeting American forces in the country.

The military also said U.S. and Bahraini forces intercepted missiles aimed at the Gulf kingdom, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet. Bahrain’s Defense Ministry said its military intercepted and destroyed three missiles and a number of drones fired by Iran.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged that it targeted the headquarters of the 5th Fleet and U.S. military facilities in another country, but did not name Kuwait.

Both the U.S. and Iran said they were retaliating for earlier attacks or attempted attacks.

The U.S. military also said it launched strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. strikes on the island, where it said a telecommunications tower was struck, and other previous strikes. It called them “acts of aggression” that it said violated the ceasefire.

A senior Emirati diplomat called for “a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf position” against Iran following the attacks. “This aggression does not target a specific state, but rather all of us,” Anwar Gargash wrote on X.

Trump calls reports of cessation in talks ‘false’

Iran’s Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both believed to be close to the Guard, on Tuesday reported that Iran’s negotiators have stopped communicating with ceasefire mediators as tensions flare in Israel’s separate but related fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A regional official involved in the mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, told The Associated Press that Iran had not communicated on Tuesday after saying a ceasefire needed to be enforced in Lebanon for negotiations to continue.

Trump called reports of a cessation in talks “false and erroneous.”

“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago and today,” Trump said in a social media post Tuesday.

The war is increasingly tied to Israel’s war in Lebanon

Israeli forces have moved deeper into Lebanon than at any time in over a quarter-century, while Hezbollah has launched rocket and drone attacks. The declared ceasefire in Lebanon is officially in place and no side has formally withdrawn or declared it over even as attacks continue.

Lebanon has emerged as a sticking point in Trump’s efforts to sign a ceasefire deal with Iran. Tehran insists that any larger potential truce must quell the fighting in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to keep the issues separate and is under domestic pressure to strike Hezbollah as he prepares for elections this fall.

The fighting has exposed a rift between close allies Israel and the U.S., with the U.S. pushing for restraint.

In a podcast interview released Wednesday, Trump confirmed a report that he had called Netanyahu “crazy” Monday in a phone call peppered with an expletive. Trump told The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” that he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel's fight with Hezbollah was holding back talks with Iran.

Still, Trump said his relationship with Netanyahu was solid, and “we’ve worked very well together."

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi, Sam Mednick in Jerusalem, and Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

The league debuted a new spot — “History is Calling” — promoting the Finals early Wednesday, hours before the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks were set to begin this year's title series.

Britell — the composer known for “Succession,” “Moonlight” and “Andor” — envisioned a piece that, the league said, “draws inspiration from the emotional progression of basketball, from anticipation and momentum shifts to the defining moments that shape outcomes.”

Nas provides the voice, with nods to the 80-year history of the league and what it takes to get to the NBA Finals.

“Thirty teams start this journey, but only two are left standing,” Nas begins. “The math is simple. The quest, anything but. This isn't just a series. This is legacy. Everything's on the line, because history is calling. This is the NBA Finals.”

The NBA said Britell's score “marks the first expression of the league’s new signature audio identity,” and that Britell and Nas will have an expanded partnership with the league going forward.

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

New York's Jordan Clarkson and San Antonio's Dylan Harper — who'll face off in the Finals that start Wednesday — were both born in the U.S., but both have links to the Philippines through their mothers. And Clarkson raved about Harper, whose rookie year has been nothing but impressive.

“He’s been really good throughout the whole year,” Clarkson said. “I’ve been watching him, keeping up with him, as well. Him being so young and having so much poise throughout this whole playoffs, it’s a great sight to see a young star coming in this league and doing what he’s doing.”

The significance of this isn't lost on Harper either.

“I think me and him get to do something really special, representing our country, where we’re from, represent everything on the biggest stage in basketball,” Harper said. “I feel like over there in the Philippines, basketball is probably the biggest thing. I think we’re very excited for that and we’re just very blessed and grateful to be in this position.”

Not a lot of Finals history

Only six players on the Knicks and the Spurs have appeared in previous NBA Finals games.

San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes played in 13 for Golden State, Luke Kornet played in six for Boston and Kelly Olynyk played in five for Miami.

For New York, Mikal Bridges played in six for Phoenix, Dillon Jones played in three for Oklahoma City and Jordan Clarkson played in two for Cleveland. Another member of the Knicks — OG Anunoby — was with Toronto for its run to the 2019 NBA title, but did not play in any of those six games.

Combined, those six players with past Finals experience have scored 265 points in the title round.

Don't expect overtime. Or a lot of close games.

The last 44 NBA Finals games have all ended in regulation, the longest run without overtime in the title series in league history. There was a 34-game stretch without an overtime game from 1984 through 1990.

Of course, it's tough to have a shot at going to overtime when games aren't close down the stretch. Out of the last 81 Finals games, 50 have been decided by double figures.

The division champion stat

An annual reminder: Division championships mean nothing anymore ... until the NBA Finals.

If San Antonio wins the NBA title, it will mark the 14th time in the last 15 seasons that a division champion has wound up winning.

The only exception in that span was Golden State in 2022. Before that, the last team to not win their division but win the NBA title was Dallas in 2011.

The Knicks were second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston this year, so they're trying to buck this trend.

Welcome back, Mike Brown

It's been 19 years, but Mike Brown is back in the NBA Finals as a head coach. The New York coach took Cleveland to the title round in 2007 — getting swept by San Antonio that year.

Just by getting here this year, Brown joins an exclusive club of coaches to take multiple franchises to the NBA Finals.

Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers, New York, Miami) and Alex Hannum (St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco) took three franchises to the Finals. Brown joins Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, KC Jones, Bill Fitch, Gene Shue, Bill Sharman and Red Auerbach on the list of those to take two different franchises to the title round.

Wemby's amazing year

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama has had a postseason like no one in league history, and his totals are only going to get more impressive.

So far in these playoffs, Wembanyama has 394 points, 183 rebounds, 100 made free throws, 60 blocked shots and 30 3-pointers.

That's just the playoffs. Only 19 players — him included, of course — had those totals over the entirety of this regular season. (No Spurs player has ever had a regular season with all those numbers, except Wembanyama.)

And since 3-pointers came into play, nobody in NBA history has ever done all that in the same postseason, until now.

If this goes 7 games ...

If this NBA Finals goes the seven-game distance, Spurs players Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie might tie an NBA record.

Or break it, depending on how you count.

Johnson and Champagnie both enter these NBA Finals with 100 games played so far this season. That's seven shy of the NBA record for games played in a season — shared by Charles Oakley and Tayshaun Prince.

They both played 107. But Johnson and Champagnie also played in the NBA Cup title game, which means they would have technically played in 108 games this season — though the league doesn't recognize the Cup final in any statistics.

Money matters

The Spurs and Knicks are playing for $5,157,417 in bonus money. That's the difference between winning and losing the NBA Finals out of the league's playoff pool, which topped $35 million this season.

The Spurs have already secured $6,594,508 out of that pool this season. The Knicks have clinched $6,438,024.

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

This time, he was on the wrong end of a play to forget.

Adell misplayed a flyball into a bizarre home run off his head Tuesday, a fielding blunder reminiscent of José Canseco's embarrassing gaffe 33 years ago with the Texas Rangers.

Adell reached up to catch TJ Rumfield's deep fly for the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning, but the ball grazed the outside of his glove before bouncing off his head and over the wall for a solo homer.

“I was toward the line and I felt like I had a little bit longer way to go than I normally do on a route like that and just missed it,” Adell told MLB.com. “It hit off my hat. I don’t know if I overran it and took a step over. But it was kind of the icing on the cake because I was (bad) all the way around the whole day today.”

There was brief confusion on the field when the ball caromed off a digital scoreboard above the fence and back into the outfield. Rumfield stopped at second base, initially unsure of the ruling, before proceeding around the bases to give Colorado an 8-0 lead on the way to an 8-2 victory.

“It’s one of those things where how it happened looks crazy,” said Adell, who also went 0 for 4 at the plate with two strikeouts. “It looks like I’ve never played in the field before, which is disappointing, because it’s beyond the truth. But it is what it is. I’m the only one that really knows what happened. I was out there, and it happened to me, so it is what it is. I’ve got to just keep going, and as a team, we’ve got to keep going.”

It was similar to an infamous play on May 26, 1993, when Canseco lost track of a long drive hit by Cleveland's Carlos Martínez. The ball bounced off Canseco's head and over the right-field wall for a home run.

Rumfield's gift homer ended the night for Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez, who gave up three homers and eight runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The play also stood in stark contrast to some of Adell's fielding exploits this season, including that April game in which he stole three would-be homers from the Mariners — including one in the ninth inning — to preserve a 1-0 victory for the Angels.

After that one, former Gold Glove outfielder Torii Hunter, now a special assistant to the general manager for the Angels, said Adell had “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”

“He robbed three homers in one night this year, so it’s baseball, and it’s a crazy game,” Rodriguez said. “Things happen. Obviously, he didn’t do that on purpose. All you can do is really just move on.”

Adell struggled at times with fielding early in his major league career, including a play during the 2020 season when a deep drive by Rangers outfielder Nick Solak bounced out of Adell's glove for what was ruled a rare four-base error. But Adell has had far more fielding highlights than lowlights since, and he was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024.

“Jo’s made great strides defensively from when I played with him,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “And obviously, he had the night he robbed three home runs. So I look back at the strides that he’s made defensively. It was a tough play tonight, but at the same time, the strides that he’s made defensively have been great.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Matt Olson marked his 844th consecutive game with a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning, giving the Braves a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Olson's towering shot — his 17th homer of the season — got a big assist from a strong breeze blowing toward the right-field corner. The slugging first baseman thought he got under the ball, but it kept drifting and drifting — until it barely cleared the tall brick wall.

“I did not" think it was a homer, Olson said. “Luckily, we had some wind blowing out that way.”

Appropriately, Olson took a starring role on a day that Major League Baseball marked the 85th anniversary of Gehrig's untimely death from ALS at age 37 — a disease that is forever linked to the Iron Horse and cut short his then-record streak of 2,130 consecutive games.

Olson, who also doubled and came around to score a run that gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead in the third, has played in every game going back to May 2, 2021 — the longest active run in the big leagues.

“We've talked about the streak,” he said. “It's not something I'm hanging up on a pedestal. But to be able to show up and play while I'm able to, I want to.”

Braves manager Walt Weiss praised Olson's durability and couldn't think of higher praise than being compared to Gehrig.

“Lou Gehrig was one of my all-time heroes,” Weiss said. “I made all four of my sons do their fifth-grade book report on Lou Gehrig. That was mandatory in our house. What a legacy he left behind. And you've got our iron man hitting the game-winning homer on Lou Gehrig Day, so very appropriate."

Olson was acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Athletics ahead of the 2022 season after the Braves couldn't agree on a new contract with longtime first baseman Freddie Freeman.

It was huge shoes to fill, but Olson has been highly productive since joining the Braves. He hit a franchise-record 54 homers in 2023, and is on pace for another big season for the team with baseball's best record at 41-20.

“He's rock-solid in every way," Weiss said. “He's so reliable.”

Olson said there's a simple reason that he prefers playing every day, eschewing even the occasional day off.

“I just don't like sitting,” the 32-year-old said with a smile. “I've had days off in the past and, man, it sucks sitting there and watching everybody else play. Sure, you're tired sometimes. But I just think you have a commitment to your teammates and the fans and yourself and the organization. If you can go, you should go.”

His playing streak is the longest in the big leagues since Miguel Tejada had 1,152 consecutive games from 2000-07. Of course, Gehrig's record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr., who played in 2,632 consecutive games during his Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Orioles.

Like Weiss, Olson appreciates what Gehrig meant to the national pastime and especially how he brought more attention to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurological disease that has no known cure.

“I know people from my area who've been affected by it," Olson said. “A brutal disease. Every time we get a chance to bring some awareness to it and do something to help people who are really affected by it, we're all for it.”

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

The pact struck in 2022 with the Solomons’ then-Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare created fears in the United States and among allies including Australia that it would allow the Chinese navy to build a base in the South Pacific.

Before Wale became prime minister in a parliamentary vote May 15, he had called for the detail of the treaty to be made public.

Wale said Wednesday he had only been provided with a copy a few days ago and after he had “removed certain people from key positions.” He didn’t identify those people.

“I haven’t had a good look at it. I’ve had a look at it,” Wale told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra.

“I’ve been praying and fasting about it. … There is a nondisclosure clause in it, so I couldn’t show it to you right away. But we are going to be reviewing (the treaty), as we are reviewing other security agreements that we have with many other countries,” he added.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China was “ready to work with the new government of Solomon Islands to expand pragmatic cooperation in various fields so as to better benefit the two peoples.”

Wale was visiting Australia in his first overseas trip since he became leader of his nation of 700,000 people, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Australia.

Wale and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese announced their governments would negotiate a comprehensive strategic treaty that would elevate the bilateral relationship and cover security and economic issues.

Wale’s predecessor, Jeremiah Manele, had resisted Australia’s efforts to forge closer ties, but Wale said the two governments had decided to “reset” the bilateral relationship.

“We acknowledge that there’s been some problems in the past few years,” Wale said.

Albanese said Australia should be the Solomons’ primary security partner, rather than China.

“We have said very clearly we want Australia to be the security partner of choice in our region and we want the Pacific family to look after our security in this region,” Albanese said.

Wale said the regional looking after its own security was "the direction we want to take.”

China has provided police instructors to the Solomons as part of their bilateral deal. The Solomons doesn’t have a military, so police there have a larger security role than in countries with defense forces.

The Solomons provided China with a diplomatic coup in 2019 when Sogavare’s government switched official recognition to Beijing from Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy China claims as part of its territory.

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Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

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Ultimately, commissioners unanimously approved the resolution allowing the city to take action against BSO to help begin the transition, including bringing in “outside legal counsel” and possibly “filing litigation against” the sheriff’s office.

The city said it was necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the city.

The move came as Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony sent out a storm of social media videos and a flyer, warning Deerfield Beach residents about the split.

“When this starts and these men and women are removed from those areas, there’s no coming back,” Tony said in a video posted to social media. “When I pull 50 (deputies) out, they will be reassigned.”

City officials have been working on starting the city’s own police and fire rescue departments before September 2027, when BSO stops working for the city.

Deerfield Beach Mayor Todd Drosky said it’s essential for the city to be legally protected over the city’s fears that Tony will pull deputies out of the city early.

“Any implication by the sheriff otherwise, to not provide services at any date before then, is a breach of our contract,” said Drosky.

The city has been transitioning away from BSO, after relying on the agency for more than three decades.

The city has named both a transitional fire chief and a transitional police chief, both of whom spoke at Tuesday’s meeting.

The city streamed the commission meeting on YouTube.

Related document: The commission meeting’s agenda

Related reports

• Tony talks Deerfield Beach split with BSO, command staff shakeup
• Deerfield Beach commission votes to cut ties with BSO
• ‘It’s all happened so quickly’: Deerfield Beach residents still have questions about city’s split with BSO

La Ley fue aprobada con los votos de 147 de los 160 diputados que integran el Congreso y entrará en vigor tres meses después de su publicación.

La nueva medida tiene como objetivo brindarle al sistema financiero guatemalteco más herramientas de control y prevención del lavado de dinero proveniente de delitos como el narcotráfico, el terrorismo de pandillas y la corrupción.

La iniciativa fue aprobada después de varios meses de debate y de una disputa interna de la oposición entre el partido VAMOS del expresidente Alejandro Giammattei y el partido VALOR que buscaba debilitar la propuesta.

El diputado Allan Rodríguez, de VAMOS, cabildeo para evitar la aprobación de esta ley. Fue sancionado por el Departamento del Tesoro estadounidense en 2022 por utilizar “su autoridad como presidente del Congreso para otorgar subvenciones para la construcción a cambio de sobornos”.

El GAFI, un organismo intergubernamental creado por el G7 encargado de establecer los estándares internacionales y promover políticas para combatir el lavado de activos, la financiación del terrorismo y la proliferación de armas de destrucción masiva, ya había advertido que el país podría quedar aislado si no endurecía sus leyes para hacer frente a estos delitos.

Samuel Pérez, diputado ligado al oficialismo, dijo a The Associated Press que la aprobación de la ley le otorga herramientas al Estado guatemalteco para investigar y detectar este tipo de delitos.

“Pero sobre todo, evita que estos crímenes sigan ocurriendo, también evita que se afecte las remesas si hubieran bloqueos a bancos que no combatan estos delitos con estándares internacionales”, dijo Pérez.

Sobre los obstáculos a la aprobación de la ley, Pérez dijo que se debían a que "hay varios diputados que se dedican a lavar dinero por diferentes motivos, como dinero proveniente de delitos de pandillas, del narcotráfico o de actos de corrupción cometidos por alcaldes o de fondos de obras públicas, como ha ocurrido en el pasado.

Pérez aseguró que la delincuencia encuentra nuevas vías y formas para burlar a las autoridades, por lo que el Estado también debe modernizarse.

La Oficina del Departamento de Estado de Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental de Estados Unidos señaló la semana pasada en la red social X que el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump apoya a los países del hemisferio que realizan esfuerzos para fortalecer sus leyes contra el lavado de dinero.

“Una de las mayores amenazas para la seguridad en nuestro hemisferio es el lavado de dinero, que resulta esencial para que los carteles y los narcoterroristas conviertan el tráfico de drogas, la trata de personas y otras actividades ilícitas en los fondos que necesitan para financiar la violencia que ejercen contra nuestras sociedades”, indicó la agencia.

The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences said the “bill leaves critical issues unresolved,” including not “meaningfully” preempting state laws with a federal one, which has long been considered a key element for a measure to get support from the NCAA and the conferences.

In an interview last week, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who drafted the bill with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told The Associated Press “the bill is drafted to preempt state laws that conflict with the provisions in this bill.”

The SEC-Big Ten statement came out less than 24 hours before a scheduled hearing about the bill in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. Cruz chairs the panel and Cantwell is the ranking Democrat.

The legislation has received support from the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences, but the Big Ten and SEC, as the two richest leagues that also have decision-making power over the future of the College Football Playoff, hold the biggest cards.

One of the bill's key provisions would give conferences an option to pool their media rights — an idea the Big Ten and SEC have long claimed would not result in a financial windfall that proponents suggest. The leagues' statement did not speak to that issue.

A spokesperson for the Commerce Committee that Cruz chairs acknowledged the Big Ten-SEC position.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

The move deepened the turmoil at the nation's most influential TV news program, days after a leadership overhaul.

Pelley, 68, criticized management Monday during a fiery staff meeting with Nick Bilton, the program's new executive producer installed by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website.

In a termination notice obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press, Bilton, a technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, accused Pelley of carrying out an “ambush” against him.

“Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” the letter states.

Pelley said in a statement that “60 Minutes” has lost its DNA under new management. He accused them of asking him to “inject falsehoods and bias” into his work, without sharing specific details.

Pelley is accused of a ‘performative display of hostility’

Status, which said it had a recording of the Monday meeting, reported that Pelley had said Weiss was brought in to kill the news outlet, “and she’s doing exactly that.” Weiss was not present for the meeting.

Pelley reportedly grilled Bilton about the firings last week of Bilton’s predecessor, Tanya Simon, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

Alfonsi had criticized Weiss last year for postponing a segment about deportees sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Pelley said in his statement that those colleagues “stood for fairness against the forces of political bias.” He also accused CEO David Ellison of casting aside the show's reputation “apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.” Ellison, an ally of the Republican president, has owned CBS since 2025, when its parent company, Paramount, merged with Skydance Media.

In the dismissal letter Tuesday, Bilton said Pelley’s “performative display of hostility” demonstrated that he has “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”

An uneasy stretch for CBS News

Since Weiss took over the network's news operation last October, it has traveled a bumpy road.

Pelley's termination came just five days after Weiss, who has become a polarizing figure in the media world since taking the reins, told staff in a memo that it was time for a “new approach” at the top-rated newsmagazine.

In the memo, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said their goal for “60 Minutes” was “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.” That could include extending the show beyond a 60-minute broadcast, they said.

“60 Minutes” first aired in 1968 and is the longest-running prime-time show in TV history. Its investigative journalism and probing interviews, sometimes with unwilling subjects, have given it the reputation of uncompromising journalism — precisely the trait that Pelley said he feared was under assault.

Pelley started working for CBS in 1989. He was its chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999, during Bill Clinton's presidency, and anchored “CBS Evening News” from 2011 to 2017. He has won 51 Emmy Awards, according to his CBS bio.

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Video from Sky 10 shows that the biker crashed into an apparently-parked hearse at Angels of Paradise Mortuary, located at 2796 NW 46th St. in the unincorporated Brownsville area.

The property is owned by the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Brownsville.

Dispatch records showed the wreck happened at around 3:15 p.m.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a preliminary investigation showed that the motorcyclist lost control of his bike and crashed into the Cadillac.

Authorities said that medics took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

MDSO deputies remained at the scene Tuesday afternoon investigating the crash.

Las fuertes lluvias paralizaron el tráfico en las calles de la ciudad y provocaron la cancelación de cientos de vuelos, mientras que los servicios de trenes fueron suspendidos o sufrieron retrasos. Más de 5.000 viviendas se quedaron sin electricidad, según Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, que presta servicio a la región de la capital.

En el centro de Tokio, se recomendó a los residentes cerca del río Zenpukuji que se refugiaran. Imágenes de televisión mostraban el agua turbia crecida a punto de desbordarse.

La Agencia Meteorológica de Japón informó que la tormenta tropical Jangmi se encontraba al este de la ciudad de Shima y avanzaba hacia el noreste a media mañana, con vientos máximos sostenidos de 90 km/h (55 mph).

La agencia emitió la advertencia de inundación de nivel más alto en varias zonas del centro y el este de Japón, e instó a las personas que viven a lo largo de ríos y en áreas vulnerables a trasladarse a terrenos más elevados por seguridad.

La tormenta dejó 50 centímetros (20 pulgadas) de lluvia en las últimas 24 horas en la zona de Owase, en el centro de Japón. La AMJ indicó que se esperaban hasta 20 centímetros (8 pulgadas) hasta la mañana del jueves en algunas áreas, incluida Tokio.

Jangmi tocó tierra en la prefectura de Wakayama con fuerza de tifón, con vientos de 126 km/h (78 mph), antes de internarse en tierra y debilitarse de forma significativa. Se pronosticó que mantendría fuerza de tormenta tropical durante gran parte del día.

El tifón había golpeado antes la isla meridional de Okinawa y dejó a 15 personas con heridas leves. ___

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

The dismissal comes a day after Pelley slammed the show’s editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, during a staff meeting Monday, accusing her of trying to “kill” “60 minutes.”

The show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton sent a note to Pelley on Tuesday saying he was terminated for cause, effective immediately.

Pelley reportedly took aim at Weiss after the network fired the program’s veteran executive producer and replaced her with Bilton.

The New York Times reports that it obtained audio of the meeting, saying Pelley accused Weiss of having no qualifications for her job and called Bilton’s qualifications “slender.”

Bilton is a documentarian and former tech reporter for the New York Times and Vanity Fair.

Sources say Pelley’s comments received mixed responses from staff members.

A CBS news spokesperson declined to comment, and Pelley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a wide-ranging interview with “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg to promote her White House memoir, the former first lady said Tuesday that she had put life in perspective after her husband, former President Joe Biden, was diagnosed with prostate cancer that spread to his bones.

She said she is no longer angry about the way Democrats pressured her husband to end his reelection bid after performing disastrously in a 2024 debate against Republican Donald Trump.

“No, I’m not angry. I mean, what’s the purpose of anger now?” Jill Biden said at the first event for her book, held at the 92nd Street Y in New York following publication earlier Tuesday.

‘I think we were partly in denial’

Jill Biden wrote in the memoir, “View from the East Wing,” that addiction wasn’t something she and her husband talked about. “I think we were partly in denial,” she acknowledged, adding that she wondered why someone who had a family that loved him, a good education and a lucrative career would turn to drugs.

“It’s hard for me to say this, but Hunter was a drug addict,” she said Tuesday.

She said Hunter's spiral into addiction was “a really hard time for our family to go through.” Hunter Biden started abusing alcohol and drugs after his older brother, Beau Biden, died in 2015 of an aggressive form of brain cancer. Hunter has now been sober for several years, she said.

“I'm sorry that I didn't talk about it a little bit more,” she said on stage.

Jill Biden spoke about how proud she is of Hunter for turning his life around, becoming an artist and helping other recovering addicts.

“And I hope that by talking about it more as I go forward I hope that it offers other people hope,” she said. “It is such a tough, tough thing to deal with.”

Hunter Biden wrote about his addiction to drugs and alcohol in a memoir of his own, published in 2021.

His addiction led to federal charges that he lied about his drug use on forms he used to buy a gun. He was convicted after a trial and faced prison time but ultimately received a pardon from his father, who had repeatedly insisted that he wouldn’t use the powers of the presidency to spare his son — until he changed his mind just before turning the office over to Trump, who had talked about exacting “retribution” against those he perceived to be his political enemies.

Fighting cancer has been tough, too

Jill Biden has said she was angry over how the Democratic Party treated her husband after the debate — but has since put that aside after Joe Biden was diagnosed a year ago with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones.

“I think Joe's cancer diagnosis, it really puts life into perspective and you really do appreciate each and every day and a lot of anger that you have, you think, 'What's the point?' You know, ‘What is the point?’ she said. ”And I think that's why Joe and I try to, you know, just take each day that comes and try to find the joys."

The former president, 83, was in the audience for the event, along with many other Biden family members, and received a couple of standing ovations from the packed house.

She said when the doctor told them that her husband of nearly 50 years had a problem, “I never ever thought it was going to be prostate cancer.” She said that type of cancer is one thing, but it becomes “a whole different ballgame” after it attacks the bone.

She didn't go into the details, but suggested the former president's cancer treatment is taking a toll on him.

“Joe's here tonight. You see him. He looks handsome as ever,” she said. "But, you know, cancer drugs, cancer treatments have their consequences and I think those consequences are pretty tough.”

Living in a ‘fishbowl’

Biden, who turns 75 on Wednesday, described some of her favorite memories of life in the White House, including weekends at Camp David and working with military families.

She said the hardest part of the role of first lady, in her experience, is the loss of privacy.

“You really do live in a fishbowl,” she said. “Everybody knows everywhere you are. It's the truth. I couldn't even walk downstairs to my office."

She mimicked how U.S. Secret Service officers would speak into their devices as she walked through the White House, using their code name for her.

“'Capri on elevator. Capri walking down hallway. Capri walking up steps. Capri walking outside,'” Jill Biden said, as the audience laughed. She also cited the scrutiny of her clothes, including one time she was photographed in Washington with her hair pulled into a ponytail by a scrunchie.

’I wore a scrunchie and they wrote about it," she said. "Who cares?”

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.1% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.3% lower. Nasdaq futures rose 0.2%.

Macy's jumped 3% after the iconic New York department store easily surpassed first-quarter profit forecasts and raised its outlook. It was the fourth consecutive quarter of comparable sales gains for Macy's, which said an overhaul of its merchandise and better customer service is resonating with customers.

GameStop, the video game retailer and “meme” stock darling, jumped 13.6% after it nearly doubled Wall Street's profit expectations and announced a $2 billion stock buyback.

The broader market's rally in recent months has been largely due to strong profit reports from U.S. companies and to hopes that the U.S. and Iran will reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That would allow oil to flow freely again from the Persian Gulf and hopefully lower its price, which has added costs for consumers and businesses.

Following a two-week retreat, oil prices have resumed their climb, jumping 10% already this week. On Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil advanced $2.16 to $95.22 per barrel.

Brent crude oil, the international standard, climbed $2.22 to $98.22 per barrel Wednesday.

At midday in Europe, Germany's DAX lost 1%, the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.4% and Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.3%.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 2.5% to 68,402.13. Shares in computer chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron gained 13.4%, while those for chip testing equipment maker Advantest gained 5.1%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.6% to 25,633.21, while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.2% to 4,083.97.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7% to 8,785.70.

Taiwan's Taiex gained 2%, while in India, the Sensex lost 0.9%.

Markets in South Korea were closed for a holiday.

The justices granted the state’s emergency appeal to use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority-Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts. The three liberal justices dissented.

The high-court order is the latest development in a redistricting frenzy that is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections. It comes a day before an important deadline that Republican Gov. Kay Ivey had already extended in the state’s desire to use the map in special primary elections in August.

The state’s Republican leadership went to the Supreme Court last week, the day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use its preferred map.

The lower court had ordered Alabama to use the same court-drawn map it used in the 2024 elections that sent two Black Democrats to Congress. Black residents comprise a majority or close to it in two of the state’s seven congressional districts.

"The Supreme Court’s decision gives cover to Alabama and others to deliberately and openly discriminate against Black voters without fear of any consequence. The Court’s shameless decision to reinstate an intentionally racially discriminatory map defies any thoughtful or consistent application of the law,” Deuel Ross, director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said Tuesday night.

He said the fund will “continue to throw all of our resources into the fight to ensure that Alabama voters have the fair representation that they deserve.”

Shortly after the court acted, Ivey confirmed that the state will use the map in special congressional primaries in four districts on Aug. 11.

“The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best. Today’s decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections. Alabama is doing our part to keep America strong, and I am proud our state continues to fight the fight to ensure activists do not get the final say,” Ivey said.

“I will see y’all at the polls August 11!” she said.

The order is the latest development in the fallout from last month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The Alabama cases stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it.

After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map’s use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, and Ivey set the new special August primaries in the districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination.

It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The panel was wrong, the high court’s conservative majority wrote in an unsigned opinion that said the lower court “did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith.”

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor chastised her colleagues for enabling what promises to be “a chaotic election, held under a never-before-used congressional map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians.”

The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. The map put into place by Tuesday’s order gives the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat.

___

Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

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The plan would raise the state’s $50,000 homestead exemptions to $250,000.

The governor is not getting everything that he wanted as the bill heads to his desk: The biggest change is that school funding is protected, meaning property taxes will not go away entirely.

Changes also include removing a trust fund for struggling smaller counties, which had no funding source to begin with and taking away money earmarked for the state to sell the plan to voters.

DeSantis faced scrutiny in 2024 for using taxpayer funds to campaign against ballot measures legalizing marijuana and protecting abortion rights.

“Voters deserve to know what they’re voting on without bias,” State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, said Tuesday.

And the elephant in the room: Why this? Why now, with so many details left open?

“Why the rush? Why three days? Why not ask for actual numbers?” State Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, asked.

State Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Martin County, responded, “We have been working on this issue for over a year and a half. We have met with people from Pensacola to Key West. However, we currently have a proposal from the governor, and that’s what we’re hearing during this special session.”

Skeptics have raised concerns about shortfalls for critical government services, leading residents to pay the costs of running local government one way or another.

“They can charge a fee for the mosquito district to come spray your neighborhood,” Berman told Local 10 News. “I really worry that this is a switch that you’re not getting a tax break, you’re just going to end up paying for it through other fees.”

And you know what’s coming, no doubt there will be these huge voter information guides and awareness and education as we head to November, and Florida voters decide whether or not to make the most significant tax cuts in recent Florida history. I’m Glenna Milburgh, live in Tallahassee today, Local 10 News,

But Republicans have criticized how local governments spend taxpayer funds.

“We do believe that local governments are going to have tough decisions to make and I trust that our local elected officials will make the right decision,” House Speaker Danny Perez, R-Miami-Dade, said.

As with any amendment to the state constitution, it would require 60% of the vote to pass in November.

Kalshi, the online prediction marketplace, referred Santos to the Department of Justice after detecting suspicious trades made by the former congressman ahead of Trump’s Feb. 24 speech, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Kalshi also reported the trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal regulatory body that has vowed to crack down on insider trading in prediction marketplaces.

The Justice Department and the CFTC didn't immediately respond Tuesday to inquiries from the AP.

Santos also did not respond to text messages or phone calls.

The referral was first reported by NPR. Santos told NPR that he wasn't aware of the investigation. He declined to say whether he had a Kalshi account.

“I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no,” Santos told NPR.

The convicted ex-congressman had repeatedly discussed his intention to attend the State of the Union, which came just four months after he was granted clemency by Trump in a fraud case that led to his expulsion from the U.S. House.

On the eve of Trump's speech, Kalshi put the odds of Santos attending at close to 75%.

Then, minutes into the speech, Santos posted on X that he had been waylaid at the airport. Immediately, several social media users accused him of running another scheme.

“Santos talking to his accountant and telling him to open his Kalshi account and bet all his money on No,” one user wrote, alongside a meme of Al Pacino counting money in the movie Scarface.

In March, Santos addressed the complaints on his podcast.

“I guess people lost money,” he said. “Some people made unexpected money. That’s to show you how fragile these markets are.”

Santos, who won office as a Republican after inventing a bogus persona as a Wall Street dealmaker, was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft in 2024.

After serving just 84 days, he was ordered released by Trump, who called Santos a “rogue” but said he didn’t deserve a harsh sentence and should get credit for voting Republican.

Prediction markets, including Kalshi and its chief rival Polymarket, have drawn scrutiny as their businesses have expanded — with some lawmakers urging the platforms to do more to guard against insider trading.

Both companies have said they are reporting suspicious trades to federal regulators. Some investigations have led to criminal charges. In April a soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was charged with using classified information to win more than $400,000 predicting the date of his capture on Polymarket.

In April, the Senate approved a bipartisan resolution to prevent its own members from using prediction markets.

Their latest deal is among the biggest and the riskiest — and it's totally their style.

Myles Garrett walked into the Rams' training complex in Woodland Hills on Tuesday after LA gave up budding star Jared Verse and three high draft picks to complete one of the NFL's biggest trades in recent seasons.

“To acquire a player like this, these things don’t come up often,” coach Sean McVay said.

Yet this bold deal for arguably the greatest pass rusher of this generation is only the latest in the line of blockbuster trades engineered by Snead. In the past 10 years alone, he has maneuvered to get Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Trent McDuffie, Brandin Cooks and other veterans for trade prices that would have been too steep for many front offices.

The Rams have spent a decade chasing rings with an urgency that screams “win now,” but is actually rooted in an organizational confidence that McVay's coaching ability will make up for the sacrifices necessary in draft capital and veteran talent.

“You’re always threading that needle for sustainability, trying to win consistently,” Snead said Tuesday. “But it’s a hard one to thread.”

McVay is all in on the Rams' organizational urgency, since the coach is often the most aggressive voice in Snead's ear to get big deals done: “I'm not the most patient person,” McVay said with a smirk.

“To be able to add players like (Garrett) is so rare,” McVay added. “We feel really fortunate that this feels very similar to when we were fortunate enough to acquire a player like Matthew Stafford. Things like this don’t present themselves, and we wanted to be aggressive.”

These opportunities might be rare, but the Rams have seized a whole lot more of them than other teams — and they were already a top Super Bowl contender even before they landed Garrett.

Snead addressed Los Angeles' primary weakness three months ago by acquiring McDuffie, making him the NFL's highest-paid cornerback and re-pairing him with free-agent signee Jaylen Watson, his longtime Chiefs teammate.

But even with a defensive line featuring four above-average players all still on their rookie contracts, Snead and McVay wanted to improve.

The GM made contact with Browns counterpart Andrew Berry after the team adjusted Garrett's contract in a way that signaled a deal was possible for the All-Pro who had just set the NFL's single-season sacks record.

“Andrew and I have a good relationship, (and) we like talking football a good bit,” Snead said. “So I would pester him a little bit, probably jokingly at first. Kept doing that, and then we began talking a little more seriously.”

Snead hoped to do the deal only with picks, both before and after the current draft. Berry wanted Verse, the budding young star and the only first-round pick that Snead had actually made between quarterbacks Goff (2016) and Ty Simpson (2026).

Although both Snead and McVay claim they were reluctant to part with Verse, the Rams finally agreed with the backing of owner Stan Kroenke, who has been fully supportive of his front office's uncommon urgency.

Garrett was eager to join this franchise's lineage of superstar pass rushers stretching from the Fearsome Foursome to Aaron Donald. But he also agreed to the trade because after nine seasons in Cleveland, he finally wanted to play for a consistent contender.

That's what the Rams have been ever since McVay took over in 2017 — racking up eight winning seasons, seven playoff berths, four NFC West titles, three conference title game appearances, two Super Bowl berths and one ring.

“It just came down to the timing of everything," Garrett said. “What does it look like to be a winner now, and to have the opportunity to do that immediately? That was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

The Rams' aggression doesn't just apply to trades: Snead and McVay have also shown no hesitation to drop good players and franchise icons when they deem it necessary, either for reasons financial or competitive.

They've released Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp and star running back Todd Gurley, and they traded Goff and receiver Robert Woods before the contract extensions they had received from the Rams had even started.

Those moves often feel heartless to fans, and players like Goff and Kupp have expressed public dismay about the way Snead and McVay moved on from them. But everyone eventually seems to understand that this is how the Rams do business.

That includes Woods, a stalwart five-year contributor and a locker-room leader on McVay's early teams after signing as a free agent in 2017.

The Southern California native hurt his knee in practice midway through the 2021 season, forcing him to miss the Rams' Super Bowl championship run — and Snead traded him to Tennessee a month after the trophy was raised.

Woods bounced around the NFL for four more seasons before retiring earlier this year — and he quickly returned to the Rams as an assistant coach.

___

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

Misted in rain, they fastened ceramic nametags onto mesh that covered a cobblestone wall at Omma Poom Park — meaning “mother’s embrace" — in Paju, South Korea.

More than 900 tags, suspended like unmailed letters, formed a quiet monument to years of mass child-parent separations that has created what's likely the world’s largest diaspora of adoptees.

“There are so many tiles that hang, and yet that is merely a small fraction of us that exist,” said Nicole Rieth, adopted to Michigan when she was 4 months old, in January 1989.

“As far as connecting with my birth mother, it’s not about gleaning specific information from her or even necessarily seeking a relationship. I’ve just always wanted to know who I looked like, because I’ve never had that before.”

Each nametag, hand-painted by an artist, carries the adoptee’s name, birth year and birthplace. Colors mark the decade of adoption, and most are red and sky blue, for the 1970s and 1980s, when foreign adoptions peaked. White is for adoptees who died without reunions.

One laminated note fluttered among the tags, left by anonymous parents searching for a child named “Bora.”

“You are not alone. You have a mother and a father,” it said. “I’m so sorry and I love you.”

Resurfaced pain

Paju, which sits near the North Korean border and once hosted U.S. military bases, carries a long memory of foreign adoptions, which began in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War with mixed-race children born to Korean women and American soldiers, regarded as outcasts at home.

Adoptions surged in the 1970s, when the focus shifted to fully Korean children, typically born to unwed mothers or impoverished families. Thousands were sent annually to the West for decades through the mid-2000s, including more than 6,600 a year during the 1980s, when Seoul’s former military dictatorship aggressively sought to reduce mouths to feed.

Omma Poom opened in June 2025 after a yearslong campaign by Paju-based photographer Lee Yong-nam and Me & Korea, an adoptee support group.

Lee, 72, said his interest in adoption issues grew from searching for a Black-Korean childhood friend likely adopted to America.

“Adoptions continued unchecked and now the pain is surfacing,” he said of the visitors, who are mostly younger than the war generation.

1,000 letters to birth mothers

On a hill overlooking Omma Poom, a converted U.S. army building serves as a museum, where some 1,000 profile pages — each containing an adoptee’s photo, birthdate and message to a birth mother — are stored.

One of the profiles belongs to Angela Lee-Pack, adopted to Canada in 1971 at age 2.

“I think about you every day and only wish the best for you,” she wrote to her Korean mother. “I hope one day I will be able to know who I am.”

Growing up in Ontario, Lee-Pack says she endured severe abuse from her adoptive mother, including being locked in a closet without food. She says she was later abused in another home, left at 15, and struggled for years before finding stability as an adult.

Lee-Pack has visited South Korea twice while searching for her birth mother, putting flyers across Seoul and Jeonju.

During her first trip in 2019, a man reached out, believing Lee-Pack was the daughter of a late uncle. The lead unraveled slowly and painfully. The man later found a woman in her 70s whose background appeared to match. But she denied giving up a child and refused contact. Lee-Pack collapsed in her hotel room and cried.

“Every time I look in the mirror I wonder who she is and what she looks like,” she said of her birth mother. “The thoughts never end.”

Lost connections

Rieth says that becoming a mother to two sons led her to begin looking for her birth mother.

According to her adoption file, Rieth was the third child of a couple who relinquished her shortly after her birth in 1988, citing financial hardship during a time when Seoul was actively pressuring families to have fewer children.

Rieth began searching for her biological family in 2024, but letters her adoption agency sent to her birth mother’s last known address went unanswered.

She is now pursuing another search through the National Center for the Rights of the Child, a government office. She wants her sons to know the heritage she grew up without.

“I kind of don’t want to allow myself to hope because the whole journey has been a roller coaster of hoping, finding something out, and diving down into hopelessness, getting a glimmer of a maybe,” she said. “And yet I want to exhaust every effort ... so that there are no regrets.”

Deep scars

During the peak of adoptions, authorities largely ignored rampant fraud, including illegal child procurements from hospitals and orphanages and manipulation of children’s origins. Many were falsely labeled as abandoned orphans to ease placements with Western families.

The deception left generations of Korean adoptees not knowing who they were, where they came from, whether they had been loved, abandoned or stolen.

On the other side were birth mothers pressured to surrender children born out of wedlock, separated from them without consent, or left searching for decades before learning they had been sent overseas under falsified records.

The gathering at Omma Poom came shortly after a group of birth mothers asked South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the alleged illegal adoptions of their children, adding to hundreds of fraud and abuse claims filed by adoptees.

Adopted in 1993 to Michigan, Jalyn Smith's agency in 2021 located her birth mother, who, according to the file, had relinquished Smith after separating from her biological father. The woman declined contact.

Five years later, Smith is pursuing the search again.

“Hanging it up, I felt proud,” Smith said about her name on Omma Poom’s wall. “I feel proud to be part of this community, though it comes with a lot of conflicting feelings of sadness and anger and grief.”

The senator told reporters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that he thinks the appearance on the state's primary ballot of another Republican with the same name is a dirty political trick coordinated by Democrats and the campaign of his chief rival for the seat, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. He threatened a lawsuit to get to the bottom of it.

“Everybody in Alaska knows I’m Dan Sullivan-R. So he’s trying to do that. Why?" the senator said of the other Dan Sullivan. “He’s not an R. He’s purposely trying to trick my constituents to rig the election for Peltola.”

A spokesman for the Peltola campaign, Harry Child, said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." Jenny-Marie Stryker, executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, said her organization “is in no way affiliated with either Dan Sullivan.”

The kerfuffle over the dueling Dan Sullivans on Alaska's August primary ballot has drawn the attention of state and national Republicans. They claim that adding a second Dan Sullivan to the ballot will sow confusion among voters who support the incumbent and help Peltola.

In Alaska's primary, the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the ranked-choice general election.

Blake Murphy, an attorney for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, sent a letter dated Monday to Alaska election officials outlining concerns about the potential for voter confusion. Murphy also raised questions about the party affiliation of the challenger, calling the other Dan Sullivan a “sham” candidate.

Murphy wrote the NRSC could consider legal action “to ensure that the Alaska electoral process remains fair.”

Carmela Warfield, the state Republican Party chair, said in a statement accompanying Murphy’s letter that until recently, the challenger was registered as undeclared. In previous years, ballots have not identified which candidates were incumbents.

A spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Elections, Steve Kirch, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter and said a records request would be required to get details of the challenger Sullivan’s voter registration history.

Sullivan, the incumbent senator, is an ally of President Donald Trump and is seeking a third term. He and Peltola are the highest-profile candidates in a race that’s being closely watched nationally as Democrats try to retake the Senate majority in this year’s midterm elections.

State election officials certified a Republican Dan J. Sullivan, from the southeast Alaska fishing community of Petersburg, as one of the candidates in the U.S. Senate race. Efforts to reach him were not immediately successful on Tuesday, and he did not appear to be registered with the Federal Election Commission.

His campaign website says he is a Midwesterner who moved to Alaska to work for the U.S. Forest Service and has been in Petersburg for nearly 50 years. After becoming disillusioned with what he saw as government inefficiency and “lack of long-term thinking,” he switched careers and became an elementary school teacher, the site says.

The challenger Sullivan said on his campaign website that the state deserves a senator who “puts Alaska first every single day. That’s the commitment I’m making to the people of this state, and together, we’re going to elect a Sullivan that actually stands up for Alaska.”

Sen. Sullivan, emphasizing his words with an expletive, told reporters in Washington that having the second Sullivan on the ballot was a scandalous attempt to trick Alaskans: “That's an insult."

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Freking reported from Washington.

Halberstam, 74, spent nearly five decades working in sports broadcasting and management.

He served as the Heat’s radio play-by-play voice from the franchise’s inaugural seasons in 1992 through 1998, helping introduce the expansion team to South Florida fans.

Before joining the Heat, Halberstam was the play-by-play announcer for St. John’s men’s basketball from 1982 to 1992. His Wikipedia states that he later moved into sports media management, serving as executive vice president and general manager of Westwood One Sports from 2002 to 2008.

Halberstam was succeeded as the Heat’s radio voice by Mike Inglis, who later passed the role to current broadcaster Jason Jackson.

Halberstam in 2011 joined the Nova Southeastern University Sharks Athletics family as its Men’s Basketball play-by-play announcer.

In addition to his broadcasting career, Halberstam was also an author and longtime sports executive.

Security cameras have recorded at least three nighttime instances where groups of people entered or exited sewer tunnels via maintenance holes on streets in Brooklyn and Queens.

In one video, taken early Friday morning in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, a group of roughly seven people were recorded popping out of a maintenance hole in the middle of an intersection, in full view of passing cars.

Some wore headlamps and carried what appeared to be shovels and other tools. One narrowly missed getting run over by a vehicle as they pulled themselves out of the ground.

In another video, a group of about seven people could be seen emerging from a maintenance hole around 2 a.m. on a quiet street in Brooklyn's Gravesend neighborhood. They made their way to a couple of parked cars and pulled out fresh clothes to change into. Police say the group entered the sewers about 11 p.m., meaning they could have been underground for three hours.

On May 5, three people dressed in waterproof hip waders and other protective gear pried open a maintenance hole cover and descended into the sewer on a street in Queens. The last person pulled the cover shut as approaching cars slowed to a stop.

Aki Jakupovic, the owner of an auto detailing shop, said his shop’s surveillance cameras recorded that group of sewer spelunkers. He said he couldn’t venture a guess as to what the people did below ground but worried they were “up to no good.”

The city Department of Environmental Protection said it inspected the sewers at both Brooklyn locations and verified the sewer infrastructure wasn’t damaged. The incident in Queens is still under investigation, the agency said.

Rob Wolejsza, the department’s spokesperson, stressed that entering the sewers is not only illegal but “extremely dangerous.”

“Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces,” Wolejsza said in a statement. “For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.”

Last month, a woman fell into an open maintenance hole on a busy street in midtown Manhattan and died. Utility officials said the hole cover had been dislodged by a truck.

Police, meanwhile, said they don’t believe there’s any threat to public safety after conducting a thorough sweep of the areas. There have been no reports of injuries and no arrests, and the investigation is ongoing, the department said.

On Tuesday, at the busy intersection in Williamsburg where the second group was spotted, resident Anthony Purdie said he isn’t convinced it was simple curiosity that drew the group to explore the sewers in the cover of night.

“They look like they were looking for something important, like money, or for doing some type of hurting,” he said. “Ain’t no fun and games. I mean, seven grown adults going down there? Got to be something, man.”

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

Now a member of a Los Angeles Rams team favored to raise the Lombardi Trophy next February, Garrett is ready to fill the one glaring hole in his football resume.

“Since the very beginning, it’s always been about winning. … And to have an opportunity to do that immediately? That was the opportunity that was too difficult to pass up,” Garrett said at his introductory news conference Tuesday, one day after the blockbuster deal that sent him from Cleveland to Los Angeles.

Garrett had been to the playoffs with the Browns in 2020 and 2023, which were his only two winning seasons in Cleveland after being drafted first overall in 2017. With the Rams, the 30-year-old defensive end has joined an organization that has reached the postseason in seven of head coach Sean McVay’s nine seasons in charge, won the Super Bowl following the 2021 campaign, played in another, and came agonizingly close against Philadelphia and Seattle teams that ended up winning it all the past two seasons.

The Rams spent the offseason loading up for another Super Bowl push by addressing the defensive deficiencies that cost them in the 31-27 NFC title game loss to the Seahawks. They traded for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, signed fellow Chiefs defensive back Jaylen Watson in free agency, and capped it by acquiring a two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and five-time first-team All-Pro in Garrett.

The moves have Garrett expecting big things.

"I see a position to solidify myself here as well among the very greats,” he said.

Following a season where he set the NFL single-season record with 23 sacks and also had a career-high 33 tackles for loss, Garrett believes the Rams’ structure and support could allow him to reach even greater heights. He joins a defense that already ranked in the top 10 in points allowed and sacks, and Garrett expects an offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was voted NFL MVP after throwing for 46 touchdowns, to give him plenty of chances to close games out in the fourth quarter.

Those opportunities were few and far between in Cleveland, where Garrett had 125 1/2 sacks in 134 career games. The Browns went 58-90-1 during Garrett's time there.

“I mean, that did play into the decision as well, knowing I have the ability, you know, late game, to pin my ears back, not just because we need a play to be made, but because we have the lead and it’s obvious passing downs, being able to make those game-changing plays to win the game for us, those are things that appealed to me,” Garrett said.

Garrett has already taken steps to get comfortable in his new surroundings, striking a deal with nose tackle Poona Ford to secure the No. 95 jersey.

Garrett is also looking forward to getting in touch with NBA superstar LeBron James, who has spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, for more information about the city. Garrett described James as a “positive force in my life,” having received advice and mentorship from the Akron, Ohio, native and four-time NBA champion over the years since joining the Browns.

Garrett already has some familiarity with the region. His girlfriend, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, is from Torrance, California, in Los Angeles County. His father, Lawrence, was born in Los Angeles.

For all the initial excitement surrounding the trade, Garrett understands it will ultimately be judged by how he and the Rams fare on the field.

“Nothing changes for me,” he said. “I don't feel any pressure to be anything else, be anything different. As long as I'm myself and I come here to work every day and I'm a leader, the success will follow.”

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

His family said in a statement that Bryson died Tuesday evening, days after having a stroke.

“While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit,” the family's statement said. “His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”

Internationally celebrated for his Disney classics, Bryson also built a career over five decades as one of R&B’s premier balladeers, recording hits including “Feel the Fire,” “I’m So Into You" and “Can You Stop the Rain."

“For more than five decades, Peabo’s extraordinary voice served as the soundtrack to some of life’s most cherished moments,” the family's statement said. “His music carried generations through joyful celebrations, great love stories and enduring moments of comfort and inspiration.”

Born and raised in South Carolina, the singer, songwriter and balladeer launched his career with the group Moses Dillard and the Tex-Town Display in the 1970s. Shortly afterward, Atlanta label Bang Records signed him as a solo artist.

He recorded for Capitol, Elektra and Columbia Records and became one of music’s most sought-after duet partners. Aside from Belle and Dion, he also collaborated with artists including Roberta Flack and Natalie Cole.

His duet with Flack, “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” became one of the defining love songs of the 1980s, while “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” helped expand his audience beyond R&B radio. He later scored No. 1 R&B hits with “Show & Tell” and “Can You Stop the Rain.”

Beyond music, Bryson appeared in stage productions including “Raisin,” “The Wiz” and “Porgy and Bess.” In 2018, he returned with “Stand for Love,” his 21st studio album, produced by hitmaking duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Bryson had a stroke in late May and was placed under medical care.

“At this time, the family requests privacy as they navigate this deeply personal moment together,” a statement from his representative read at the time. "The thoughts, prayers and love of friends and fans are welcomed and deeply appreciated.”

In 2019, Bryson made a full recovery after having a heart attack.

Comedian and television host Loni Love said she worked with Bryson on a cruise ship last year and spoke with him for hours on the deck one night after she noticed him sitting alone.

“He shared incredible stories, spoke passionately about his music, and had such a deep love for his craft,” she wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “I am so grateful to have had that special moment with him.”

Bryson's family said memorial and celebration-of-life arrangements will be announced at a later date.

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This story has been updated to correct that Bryson sang “Beauty and the Beast” with Dion and “A Whole New World” with Belle, not the other way around. It has also been updated to correct a misspelling of “Aladdin."

The buoy 80 meters (260 feet) below the water's surface will be removed June 16 from the Ocean Observatories Initiative — a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million that has continuously collected real-time data for more than a decade. But last month, the National Science Foundation announced it would dismantle most of the system, pulling instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027.

Funded by the foundation, the observatories have tracked everything from ocean circulation and marine ecosystems to climate change and extreme weather. Its data has been freely available and has informed more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run for another 15 to 20 years.

In an emailed statement, the foundation said the decision is not a cancellation, but a “descoping” aligned with a “wider strategy of a nimbler approach to prioritize support for evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies, as well as smart lifecycle management within its research infrastructure portfolio.” The foundation added that its decision drew in part on a 2025 National Academies report on the future of ocean science.

But for the scientists who built and operated the system — and the researchers, educators and students who rely on its data — the timing feels particularly punishing.

An El Nino event, which disrupts weather patterns and supercharges marine heat waves, is predicted to arrive along the Pacific coast this summer. One marine heat wave is already pushing unusually warm water off California.

Without the Oregon and Washington moorings and the network of underwater gliders the Ocean Observatories Initiative operated in the region, researchers say they'll lose much of their ability to measure what's happening below the surface, which is precisely where the most significant oceanographic signals are.

“It’s a crippling loss of information,” Ed Dever, a professor at Oregon State University who helped lead the initiative’s Pacific Northwest operations, told The Associated Press Tuesday. Scientists can get some data from the surface, such as temperature and the distribution of chlorophyll, which drives photosynthesis in plants, but information below cannot be gathered from satellites alone, including low oxygen zones.

The initiative launched in 2015 after more than a decade of community planning and construction. It was designed as a 25 to 30-year project, built in part around the oceanographic consensus that detecting meaningful climate signals requires at least three decades of continuous data. “We’ve just got to the 10 year record,” Dever said, “which will give you some hints, but it won’t continue on.”

One significant piece will remain: a seafloor cable network managed by the University of Washington off the Pacific Northwest coast, which will continue providing data on volcanic and seismic activity in the region.

Scientists had seen warning signs as the administration’s proposed 2026 budget included a 55% cut to the science foundation. Official word to begin shutting down arrived in early May.

The initiative was coordinated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in collaboration with the University of Washington and Oregon State University, as well as past partners including Rutgers University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The initiative operated on roughly $48 million a year, not including the cost of research vessels, which adds substantially to the overall price. Prior to budget cuts, which began in 2025, around 60 to 70 people worked directly on the project across its partner institutions, Dever said.

“What’s happening with the Ocean Observatories Initiative is not unique,” he said. “This is just one of a number of science facilities that is being dismantled at the present time. It seems to really mark the end of a federal commitment to basic scientific research — a commitment that has served this nation very well for the last 70 years.”

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Alexa St. John contributed to this report from Detroit.

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Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram: @ahammergram.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

More rain is expected Wednesday. In fact, showers could get an early start before soaking storms develop through the day. The combo of dreary, soggy weather and north-northeast winds likely will keep high temperatures a few degrees below “normal.” Mid 80s are forecast. The average high for Miami this time of year is 89°F.

A criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in Detroit against Vincent Munster, who is chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and Claude Kwe, who works with him.

Munster and Kwe were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January after a flight from Paris and nine days in the Republic of Congo. An outbreak of the mpox disease has been linked to more than 2,000 deaths in Congo, a vast region in central Africa, though a two-year outbreak was declared over in April.

Munster “adamantly denied” returning to the U.S. with biological materials or samples, the FBI said in a court filing.

But tests subsequently revealed that Munster and Kwe were traveling with vials of deactivated mpox, the FBI said, yet they had failed to declare them or obtain the necessary permission.

"Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” said Marcus Sykes of the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Munster and Kwe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. They are expected to appear in federal court in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday.

“This matter is currently under investigation, and NIH is cooperating fully with law enforcement and appropriate authorities,” said the National Institutes of Health, which oversees the lab. “Because this is an ongoing investigation and personnel matter, we are limited in what additional information we can provide at this time.”

There was no mention in the government's court filing about why Munster and Kwe may have wanted to bring the deactivated mpox virus to their lab. But they are virologists who have worked extensively on mpox research, the FBI said.

Munster told investigators at the Detroit-area airport that any necessary documents were in his laptop, “but you don't need them. I do this all the time,” the FBI quoted him as saying.

“It is reasonable to believe that Munster's statements regarding the possession of the required documentation to (customs officers) were materially false,” the FBI said.

The most common symptoms of mpox, according to the World Health Organization, are a rash and fever, but it can sometimes cause serious illness. Most people recover fully.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 during outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys. Until a few years ago, most human cases were seen in people in central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the virus was confirmed to spread via sex for the first time and triggered outbreaks in more than 70 countries that had not previously reported mpox.

El propósito de la liberación masiva sería ayudar a erradicar enfermedades.

Es un programa llamado De Bug que liberaría mosquitos machos infectados con Wolbachia, una bacteria de origen natural.

Cuando esos machos se aparean con hembras silvestres, los huevos no eclosionan, por lo que la población de vectores de enfermedades disminuye.

Los Cayos de Florida ya han estado en la primera línea de una tecnología similar contra mosquitos.

Este será el segundo año usando mosquitos infectados en un programa piloto.

Expertos en mosquitos y empresas de servicios para el hogar como Mosquito Joe dijeron que usar un arsenal de herramientas es vital.

“Los mosquitos son un problema de salud pública”, dijo el copropietario de Mosquito Joe, Yoel Guitierrez. “Transmiten Zika, chikungunya, virus del Nilo Occidental”.

Funcionarios de los condados de Miami-Dade y Broward dicen que Google se ha comunicado con ellos.

Un programa similar en 2018 fue considerado un éxito en el condado de Miami-Dade, pero fue costoso.

Google está intentando obtener la aprobación de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental, que está aceptando comentarios públicos sobre la propuesta hasta el viernes.

A victory by Lee's Democratic Party had been widely expected because its main rival, the conservative People Power Party, remains in disarray after President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office and sentenced to life in prison over his martial law debacle in late 2024.

The joint exit polls by South Korea’s three major TV stations — KBS, MBC and SBS — showed the Democratic Party was forecast to win at least 11 of the 16 mayoral and provincial gubernatorial posts up for grabs in Wednesday's elections. The polls suggested the PPP had a clear lead in only one race, while the other four races were too close to call.

“The conservatives’ support base has been fractured and weakened in the wake of Yoon’s impeachment, while the liberals’ support base has grown stronger," said Jeong Han-Wool, director of the Korean People Research Institute. “A win by the ruling party would help provide the Lee government with a considerably stable political foundation."

Election win would give Lee a further boost

Thursday will mark one year in office for Lee, who won a snap election triggered after Yoon's ouster. Lee's approval ratings still hover over 60%. He's been credited with what he calls “pragmatic diplomacy” that eased concerns that his rule would hurt ties with the U.S. and Japan. His popularity has also been attributed to a booming stock market and efforts to be more transparent about his decision-making procedures.

Whatever the outcome of Wednesday’s election, Lee’s foreign policy agenda will likely remain unchanged. The Democratic Party would also maintain its majority status at parliament, though 14 new members of the 300-member National Assembly will be chosen in by-elections on Wednesday.

With more allies at mayoral and gubernatorial posts, Lee could pursue his regional policies more easily and effectively, given 14 of the 16 regional leadership posts are currently held by the PPP, said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership.

That will help his party's preparations for the 2028 parliamentary elections, Choi said.

Much attention is focused on Seoul’s mayoral race

The Seoul mayoral election is considered the most important one. Without winning it, experts said the Democratic Party couldn't claim an outright victory in overall elections, no matter how many races it won.

The race pits the Democratic Party’s Chong Won-o, a former Seoul district head who rose after Lee publicly praised his governance last October, against current mayor and political heavyweight Oh Se-hoon with the PPP.

The exit polls showed Chong running ahead of Oh by 5.4 percentage points.

On Tuesday, Oh accused Chong of relying on “the president’s coattails,” while Chong slammed Oh over what he called the mayor’s incompetent and irresponsible governance style.

Election results are crucial for the conservative opposition

The PPP is still struggling with internal feuding between reformists who joined the Democratic Party-led push to impeach Yoon and his loyalists who attempted to protect the embattled leader.

Among the candidates running for the parliamentary by-elections is Han Dong-hoon, leader of the reformist faction who was eventually expelled from the PPP. Pre-election surveys show Han, now an independent, holding a slim lead over the Democratic Party’s Ha Jung-woo, a former Lee adviser on artificial intelligence, in a race in Busan, the country’s second biggest city.

Jeong, the institute director, said that a Han victory could help anti-Yoon reformists regroup and emerge as a new force among the struggling conservatives in South Korea. But Choi said Han’s win could worsen a divide in the conservatives because Yoon loyalists would feel a sense of crisis and close ranks further.

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The thunderstorm moved over western Miami-Dade County with damaging winds of 60 mph and hail. The winds later lowered to about 30 mph.

The storm moved northeast from Kendall to impact Coral Gables, Sweetwater, Westchester, Doral, and Hialeah Gardens.

In Broward County, there was a special weather statement in effect for Pembroke Pines and Miramar.

In Palm Beach County, a special weather statement was also in effect for Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, and North Palm Beach.

Rain and hazardous marine conditions were also in the area’s weather forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

For a look at the local live radar and the local hour-by-hour forecast, visit this page.

Los legisladores de Florida aceleraron el plan del gobernador Ron DeSantis para poner recortes de impuestos a la propiedad en la boleta de noviembre, con la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado aprobándolo a primera hora de la tarde del martes.

El plan elevaría las exenciones de vivienda principal del estado de $50,000 USD a $250,000 USD.

El gobernador no está obteniendo todo lo que quería a medida que el proyecto llega a su despacho: el cambio más importante es que el financiamiento escolar está protegido, lo que significa que los impuestos a la propiedad no desaparecerán por completo.

Los cambios también incluyen la eliminación de un fondo fiduciario para condados pequeños con dificultades, el cual no tenía una fuente de financiamiento, y la retirada de dinero destinado para que el estado promueva el plan ante los votantes.

DeSantis enfrentó escrutinio en 2024 por usar fondos de los contribuyentes para hacer campaña contra medidas en la boleta que legalizaban la marihuana y protegían los derechos al aborto.

“Los votantes merecen saber sobre qué están votando sin sesgos”, dijo el martes la senadora estatal Lori Berman, demócrata de Boca Ratón.

Y el elefante en la habitación: ¿Por qué esto? ¿Por qué ahora, con tantos detalles aún sin definir?

“¿Por qué la prisa? ¿Por qué tres días? ¿Por qué no pedir cifras reales?”, preguntó la representante estatal Robin Bartleman, demócrata de Weston.

El representante estatal Toby Overdorf, republicano del condado de Martin, respondió: “Hemos estado trabajando en este tema por más de un año y medio. Nos hemos reunido con personas desde Pensacola hasta Cayo Hueso. Sin embargo, actualmente tenemos una propuesta del gobernador, y eso es lo que estamos escuchando durante esta sesión especial”.

Los escépticos han expresado preocupación por posibles déficits en servicios gubernamentales esenciales.

Pero los republicanos han criticado cómo los gobiernos locales gastan los fondos de los contribuyentes.

Como ocurre con cualquier enmienda a la constitución estatal, necesitaría el 60% de los votos para aprobarse en noviembre.

Según la resolución, estas medidas incluyen la contratación de “abogados externos” y la presentación de una demanda contra la BSO.

Los funcionarios municipales han estado trabajando para establecer sus propios departamentos de policía y bomberos antes de septiembre de 2027, fecha en que la BSO dejará de prestar servicios a la ciudad.

La ciudad ha estado reduciendo su dependencia de la BSO, tras más de tres décadas de servicio.

La ciudad planea transmitir la reunión de la comisión a las 7 p.m. por YouTube.

Documento relacionado: El orden del día de la reunión de la comisión

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Officers responding to a call of a bomb threat arrived at the scene around 1 p.m. at the Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield, and discovered a man had barricaded himself inside “with several community members,” the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement.

Through negotiations, two of the hostages were released and the rest are in “good health,” city police Sgt. Eric Celedon said.

“We have every single resource at our disposal out here to bring this to the safest resolution possible,” he said.

Nearby buildings were evacuated, including city hall and the police headquarters, and some roads were temporarily closed, according to officials. Officers established a perimeter around the building and nearby businesses, authorities said.

Celedon warned the public to stay out of the area, explaining that this is still a very active situation.

A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said its branch is on the ground floor of the building and is currently empty. The company is working with authorities.

The department's crisis negotiation team was in contact with the suspect by telephone.

About a dozen police cars were on scene along with one tactical vehicle and multiple emergency responders, and FBI agents were on the scene.

Jacob Davidson, a livestreamer known as Dad’s Gone Live, was a block from the bank at his family’s tattoo shop when he started getting calls from his subscribers alerting him to the bomb threat.

“I went into the bank’s parking garage and watched the cops enter the back of the bank. This is the biggest police presence I’ve ever seen in this town,” Davidson said. “Now I’m watching them set up the trauma tents with the green, red and yellow tags, and black tags too, along with a command center about a block away.”

By Tuesday night, his livestream captured through a window in the building a woman rocking back and forth before crouching further down below the window. Later, two hands could be seen waving.

Law enforcement agencies often protectively set up trauma tents — which are color-coded to help sort people based on the severity of injuries — just in case they become needed during an emergency situation.

Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh said she is closely monitoring the situation.

“The best way the public can help at this time is by avoiding the area and allowing law enforcement officers, negotiators, and other trained professionals the space and opportunity to safely carry out their duties,” she said in a statement.

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Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed.

“Aaron is a guy that I stay really close in touch with, and I know the respect that he has for Myles,” McVay said. “Talked to him about the opportunity to be able to bring (Garrett) on board. If Aaron decides he wants to dust them off at the age of 35, I bet you he could still do it at a pretty high clip.”

While the Rams would never close the door on Donald's possible return to the NFL, McVay confirms it's entirely up to the superstar defensive tackle to open that door if he wants to play alongside Garrett.

The possibility of Donald's return from two seasons in retirement became a hot topic almost immediately after the Rams swung their blockbuster trade Monday to acquire Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Now 35 years old, Donald walked away in March 2024 after a prolific 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams.

ESPN personality Pat McAfee stoked the idea on Tuesday when he said he had texted about a comeback with Donald. McAfee said Donald told him that Garrett’s arrival in LA “for sure got me thinking,” and that he’s “gotta see if that fire can light back up.”

Donald racked up eight All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowl nods, three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Super Bowl ring during 10 seasons in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He went out near the top of his game with a franchise-record 111 sacks as the NFL's best interior pass rusher, saying he was ready to step back from the daily grind required to maintain that level of play.

But because Donald retired at a relatively young age for defensive linemen, his possible return has been a topic of conversation for two full years in Los Angeles, where the Pittsburgh native still spends most of his time with his family. Rams fans openly pined for his return last season while the team appeared capable of making a second Super Bowl run, but Donald resisted the lure.

Donald even worked out with Jared Verse, the first-round pick and rising star edge rusher who was traded to Cleveland along with three high draft picks. The Rams gave up a fortune to get Garrett, the two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and one of Donald's very few peers in the 21st century.

Garrett has previously spoken of his respect for Donald's game, and the Rams' new superstar nodded along Tuesday while McVay praised Donald.

The Rams' defensive line is already strong, with Garrett joining 12-sack edge rusher Byron Young and strong interior linemen Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford. Garrett has already secured his No. 95 jersey from Ford, who wore it with the Rams last season.

“There was a conversation,” Garrett said with a laugh.

“A conversation and a couple of bucks?” McVay interjected.

“Maybe more than a couple of bucks,” Garrett said with a laugh. “He was open to it.”

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

His testimony to Congress comes more than a month after The Associated Press and other outlets reported that war-torn Congo was among the countries where the U.S. was considering sending the 1,100 Afghans and relatives of American service members who have been stranded in Qatar for more than a year.

Advocates have said the other option would be for the refugees to go back to Afghanistan, where they face likely reprisal from the Taliban.

Democrats on House and Senate committees questioned Rubio during an annual budget hearing about why the U.S. has not followed through on its promise to take in the hundreds of allies who had been rigorously vetted before President Donald Trump signed executive orders in January 2025 that targeted asylum and refugee cases.

“We’re obviously operating right now under a directive that prohibits the entry of Afghans into the United States,” Rubio said. Despite the restrictions, he said officials had been “engaging every single day” on this issue and that several countries have already indicated their willingness to take in some of those waiting in limbo.

Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York, told Rubio that regardless of U.S. immigration policy, Congo would be “a death sentence” for those living at the camp in Doha, including Afghans who served as interpreters and with Special Operations Forces as well as the immediate families of more than 150 active-duty U.S. military members.

The African country has been battered by decades-long fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebels in its eastern region and is now at the heart of an Ebola outbreak.

“Can we rule out deporting people to conflict zones?” Meng asked Rubio. After some deflection, he responded that he doesn't think any of the countries being discussed would be conflict zones.

But he added that the issue remains how many Afghans other countries will take.

“I don’t think there’s one country that’s going to take all 1,000, but it has to be countries that are willing to assume some of this responsibility and numbers that are manageable to them, but also places that give more options to these individuals that they would be comfortable going to," Rubio said.

Negotiations between the U.S. and willing countries, including Botswana and Malaysia, started months ago, according to Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran who heads a coalition that supports Afghan resettlement efforts called #AfghanEvac.

VanDiver and other advocacy groups have blasted the administration's handling of Afghan allies over the last 18 months, saying the U.S. is abandoning those who served alongside U.S. forces during America's longest war.

“These are not strangers. They are the spouses, the children, and the parents of men and women wearing our uniform right now,” VanDiver said in a statement Tuesday. “We told them, with the full faith of the United States, that if they stood with us we would stand with them.”

He added, “That promise did not come with an expiration date, and it did not come with conditions.”

Rubio defended some of those conditions, including why Afghans, who have gone through some of the most rigorous vetting and biometric tests, are facing hurdles while the administration has made the U.S. refugee program a vehicle to allow in Afrikaners — a group of white South Africans descended mainly from Dutch settlers.

“Everything we do has to be geared by the national interest, and it is in our national interest if we are allowing people to enter our country — be people who can quickly assimilate into society and be successful,” Rubio said.

Meng pushed back on that notion, saying there is a large Afghan population in her district in Queens, New York, who have assimilated, contributed and paid taxes.

“We’ve already assumed a lot of Afghan refugees, as you said, you have them in your district. We’ve already assumed a large number in the past," Rubio responded.

La tormenta eléctrica se desplazó sobre el oeste del condado Miami-Dade con vientos dañinos de 60 mph y granizo.

La fuerte tormenta se movió hacia el noreste desde Kendall para impactar Coral Gables, Sweetwater, Westchester, Doral y Hialeah Gardens.

En el condado Broward, existía la posibilidad de que la tormenta afectara el área de Hollywood durante la noche del martes.

Para ver el radar local en vivo y el pronóstico local por hora, visita esta página.

Harrell, de 35 años, impactó y destrozó una cabina de peaje en Dunlawton Avenue donde trabajaba Tammie Jo Baker, según el sheriff del condado Volusia, Mike Chitwood.

“Estando junto al camión, había un fuerte olor ... a alcohol”, dijo Chitwood durante una conferencia de prensa.

Un testigo también grabó un video de los agentes arrestando a Harrell, de Ormond Beach, después de que la camioneta se quedara atascada en la arena y el agua.

Tammie Jo Baker tenía 62 años; “a un par de semanas de cumplir su 63 cumpleaños”, dijo Chitwood.

Chitwood dijo que Harrell fue detenida bajo la Ley Baker para una evaluación de salud mental por declaraciones que hizo mientras estaba bajo custodia.

Mira la conferencia de prensa

Stars officials announced Tuesday the signing of a nonbinding letter of intent to build a new hockey-specific arena and entertainment district about 20 miles north of the downtown American Airlines Center, which they have shared with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks since it opened in 2001.

The leases at the AAC for both teams expire in 2031. The two franchises have been in a legal dispute about their partnership agreement and management of the building.

The Stars made their intentions known a day after the Mavericks said they have a preliminary agreement on a site for their own new arena about 10 miles north of downtown, but still within the Dallas city limits. The NBA's team deal is for 104 acres on the former site of Valley View Mall, which was demolished three years ago.

A new arena for the Stars is expected to be part of a large-scale redevelopment project at The Shops at Willow Bend, where the last enclosed mall built in Texas is set for demolition.

The Stars submitted their letter of intent to the city of Plano, which placed it on the City Council agenda for consideration at its next meeting Monday. The letter includes plans for the mixed-used project as well as design and construction of the arena.

“This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said in a statement. “We eagerly await the vote by the Plano City Council and look forward to continuing the conversation to be part of the redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend.”

That mall on about 90 acres opened in 2001, and there are open restaurants and parking garages in the area. The new arena would anchor the redevelopment that could include sports, entertainment, retail, dining and public gathering spaces.

The NHL franchise was known as the North Stars before moving south from Minnesota and beginning play in Dallas for the 1993-94 season. The Stars in 1999 became the first of hockey's Sun Belt teams to win a Stanley Cup title.

The Stars won that championship while still playing at Reunion Arena, a building they also shared with the Mavericks after first moving to Dallas. The site of that downtown arena, which was fully demolished in 2009, is about a mile from the AAC.

The NFL's Cowboys were in Dallas during the franchise's first 11 seasons at the city's Cotton Bowl (1960-70), but moved to Texas Stadium in Irving in 1971, the season of their first Super Bowl title. They have played since 2009 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which is halfway between the downtown areas of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Arlington is also home to the MLB's Texas Rangers, the franchise that began as the Washington Senators in 1961. The Rangers are in their third stadium in Arlington since moving there in 1972. Globe Life Field, their retractable-roof stadium adjacent to AT&T Stadium, opened in 2020.

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

En el video de vigilancia recién divulgado, se puede ver a un empleado del condominio corriendo para verificar el estado de Justin Zelin momentos después de que cayó desde un balcón ubicado más arriba.

Todo ocurrió el 15 de febrero en los condominios Akoya, ubicados en el 6365 de Collins Ave. en Mid-Beach.

Tres días antes, imágenes de video captaron a un hombre que parecía ser Zelin entrando al edificio con Corey Hutterli, de 37 años, quien llevaba lo que parecían ser varias botellas de alcohol.

Hutterli se convertiría rápidamente en el principal sospechoso la noche de la muerte de Zelin.

Antes de que Zelin cayera desde su balcón, llamó a la policía tras involucrarse en un altercado con Hutterli.

Los investigadores dijeron que se podía escuchar a la víctima durante la llamada diciendo “aléjate de mí, Sasha”, un alias por el que, según dijeron, era conocido Hutterli.

Desde entonces, las autoridades han acusado a Hutterli de empujar a Zelin desde el balcón del condominio.

“Durante un altercado físico, Hutterli provocó que la víctima Zelin falleciera debido a un trauma contundente por la caída desde una altura”, señala un informe de arresto.

En la planta baja, las cámaras corporales estaban grabando mientras los agentes localizaban el cuerpo de Zelin.

Arriba, los agentes dentro del condominio de Zelin dijeron que encontraron a un Hutterli desaliñado saliendo del apartamento de la víctima usando solo calcetines, con cortes en su cuerpo consistentes con haber estado involucrado en una pelea.

Los investigadores dijeron que recolectaron evidencia de la camisa y la mochila de Hutterli, que contenían ketamina y fragmentos de su propia barba.

Hutterli permanece detenido en el Centro de Detención Metrowest sin derecho a fianza, enfrentando cargos de asesinato en segundo grado, robo con agresión o lesiones, posesión de una sustancia controlada y posesión de parafernalia de drogas con intención de uso.

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During jury selection in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez asked potential jurors what they already knew about the case and whether they had recently seen or heard anything about it.

Several prospective jurors said they knew only basic details, including that a fatal boating crash occurred and that a teenage girl died. Others said they recalled media reports that alcohol may have been involved.

As questioning continued, some prospective jurors disclosed connections to schools and communities tied to the case.

Passengers aboard Pino’s boat included his wife, his teenage daughter and 11 of her friends, many of whom attended private schools in Miami-Dade County.

One prospective juror said they graduated from a local private school around the time of the crash and were familiar with some of the students involved.

Another said references to schools and witnesses brought back memories of seeing posts and articles about the incident shared on social media.

A third said their child participates in youth sports with students from schools connected to the case.

Investigators said the boat struck a channel marker while returning from an outing on Biscayne Bay. Seventeen-year-old Lourdes Academy student Lucy Fernandez drowned after the crash.

Tinkler Mendez also addressed concerns that a prospective juror had been viewing a news report about the case on a cellphone while waiting outside the courtroom.

Another prospective juror reported hearing the report but said it was not loud enough for everyone in the area to hear.

Tinkler Mendez reminded prospective jurors to avoid news coverage and social media discussions related to the case as jury selection continues.

Durante la selección del jurado en una corte de Miami-Dade, la jueza Marisa Tinkler Mendez preguntó a los posibles jurados qué sabían ya sobre el caso y si habían visto o escuchado recientemente algo al respecto.

Varios posibles jurados dijeron que solo conocían detalles básicos, incluyendo que ocurrió un accidente fatal de bote y que una adolescente murió. Otros dijeron que recordaban reportes de medios que indicaban que el alcohol pudo haber estado involucrado.

A medida que continuó el interrogatorio, algunos posibles jurados revelaron conexiones con escuelas y comunidades vinculadas al caso.

Los pasajeros a bordo del bote de Pino incluían a su esposa, su hija adolescente y 11 de sus amigas, muchas de las cuales asistían a escuelas privadas en el condado Miami-Dade.

Un posible jurado dijo que se graduó de una escuela privada local alrededor de la época del accidente y que estaba familiarizado con algunos de los estudiantes involucrados.

Otro dijo que las referencias a escuelas y testigos le trajeron recuerdos de haber visto publicaciones y artículos sobre el incidente compartidos en redes sociales.

Un tercero dijo que su hijo participa en deportes juveniles con estudiantes de escuelas vinculadas al caso.

Los investigadores dijeron que el bote golpeó un marcador de canal mientras regresaba de una salida en la bahía de Biscayne. Lucy Fernández, estudiante de 17 años de la Lourdes Academy, se ahogó después del accidente.

Tinkler Mendez también abordó preocupaciones de que un posible jurado había estado viendo un reporte de noticias sobre el caso en un teléfono celular mientras esperaba fuera de la corte.

Otro posible jurado informó haber escuchado el reporte, pero dijo que no era lo suficientemente alto para que todos en el área lo escucharan.

Tinkler Mendez recordó a los posibles jurados que eviten la cobertura de noticias y las discusiones en redes sociales relacionadas con el caso mientras continúa la selección del jurado.

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Corey Hutterli, 37, of Parkland, had his hearing reset for Wednesday, where his relatives are set to make the case for him to get bond.

Police said the killing of Justin Zelin, 35, happened on Feb. 15 at the Akoya Condominium, located at 6365 Collins Ave. on Mid-Beach.

Investigators say Zelin called 911 less than 10 minutes before his death about an altercation with Hutterli.

And investigators say they could hear Zelin telling Hutterli to get out of his apartment, calling him by his alias, “Sasha.”

Officers say they found Hutterli still inside Zelin’s condo with no shoes on and cuts on his body consistent with a fight.

During a past court appearance, his attorney argued it’s purely circumstantial evidence with no eyewitnesses.

Hutterli’s hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Noon report:

Corey Hutterli, de 37 años y residente de Parkland, tuvo su audiencia reprogramada para el miércoles, cuando sus familiares presentarán argumentos para que se le otorgue la fianza.

La policía dijo que el asesinato de Justin Zelin, de 35 años, ocurrió el 15 de febrero en el condominio Akoya, ubicado en 6365 Collins Ave., en Mid-Beach.

Los investigadores señalan que Zelin llamó al 911 menos de 10 minutos antes de su muerte por una pelea con Hutterli.

Y los investigadores dicen que pudieron escuchar a Zelin diciéndole a Hutterli que saliera de su apartamento, llamándolo por su alias, “Sasha”.

Los agentes dicen que encontraron a Hutterli todavía dentro del condominio de Zelin, sin zapatos y con cortes en su cuerpo consistentes con una pelea.

Durante una comparecencia anterior en la corte, su abogado argumentó que se trata únicamente de evidencia circunstancial sin testigos presenciales.

La audiencia de Hutterli está programada para la mañana del miércoles.

Informe del mediodía:

Sky 10 sobrevoló la casa alrededor de las 11:45 a.m., cerca de la cuadra 1800 de Southwest 82nd Street, en el área de Westchester, mientras los equipos trabajaban para extinguir las llamas, que aparentemente comenzaron en el patio trasero.

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Los funcionarios de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue dijeron que los bomberos llegaron a encontrar humo denso y llamas provenientes de una “casa unifamiliar”.

“Las cuadrillas combatieron el fuego desde dos ángulos y lograron extinguirlo, dijo el jefe de MDFR Jess Suarez. “Afortunadamente, todos los ocupantes estaban fuera de la estructura en ese momento.”

Los funcionarios dijeron que el incidente fue elevado a una “primera alarma” antes de que las cuadrillas extinguieran el incendio. En la escena se observaban una malla de patio y paneles solares dañados.

Vecinos le dijeron a Saira Anwer de Local 10 que un esposo y una esposa viven en la vivienda con sus dos hijos.

Ellos dijeron que cuando se desató el incendio, un niño y el abuelo del niño estaban en casa, pero pudieron escapar mientras la central recibía múltiples llamadas al 911 y las cuadrillas llegaron rápidamente para extinguir las llamas.

“Es aterrador”, dijo la vecina Tabassum Alam. “No sabes cuál fue la razón del incendio, pero podría pasarle a cualquier otra persona”.

No se han reportado lesiones, y la causa del incendio permanece bajo investigación.”

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Christopher Baldner, 47, of Catskill, was taken to jail immediately after the sentencing in Ulster County, about 84 miles (136 kilometers) north of New York City.

Baldner was convicted in March of manslaughter in the December 2020 death of 11-year-old Monica Goods, who was in the SUV. He was previously acquitted of murder and reckless endangerment.

According to prosecutors, Baldner rammed the SUV twice on the New York State Thruway, causing it to lose control and flip over. Baldner’s attorneys said the crash occurred after the SUV cut off the trooper as he pulled alongside during the pursuit.

Baldner pulled Monica Good's father, Tristin Goods, over for speeding on the highway near Kingston just before midnight on Dec. 22, 2020. Goods, his wife and two daughters were heading north from New York City to visit family.

Baldner and Goods argued, and the trooper pepper-sprayed the inside the vehicle. Goods drove off and Baldner pursued.

Baldner’s lawyers said Goods collided with the trooper's car twice during the pursuit. An accident reconstruction expert for the defense testified that Goods lost control of the SUV when he overcorrected after “a very minor impact."

Baldner retired in 2022 after almost 20 years with the state police.

Según las autoridades, una residente de Coconut Creek de 85 años recibió una llamada telefónica en la que le decían que había ganado un premio.

“Se suponía que iba a recibir $7 millones y un auto”, dijo la víctima a los agentes.

La policía dijo que familiares de la víctima los contactaron después de que ella enviara dos cheques, uno por $2,500 USD y otro por $1,000 USD, a presuntos estafadores en el estado de Washington.

Luego, el viernes, los agentes tuvieron que intervenir cuando la mujer estaba a punto de enviar más dinero a los presuntos estafadores. La encontraron en una clase de cerámica y la detuvieron antes de que pudiera enviarlo.

“En este caso en particular, la residente de la tercera edad ya había completado una serie de transacciones financieras cuando su familia descubrió que se estaba preparando para enviar más dinero”, dijo el detective del Departamento de Policía de Coconut Creek, Clint Corey.

Corey dio consejos para los residentes que sean contactados por estafadores.

“Simplemente no conteste el teléfono, obligue a quien llama a dejar un mensaje”, dijo. “Y luego usted puede decidir cómo quiere responder, y puede quedarse con más dinero en su bolsillo al final del día”.

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Sky 10 flew over the home around 11:45 a.m. near the 1800 block of Southwest 82nd Street in the county’s Westchester area as 50 fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze, which appeared to have started in the backyard.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a “single-family home.

“Crews attacked the fire from two angles and were able to extinguish the fire, MDFR Chief Fire Officer Jeff Suarez. “Fortunately, all the occupants were out of the structure at the time.”

Officials said the incident was upgraded to a “first alarm” before crews extinguished the fire. A patio screen and damaged solar panels were visible at the scene.

Neighbors told Local 10’s Saira Anwer that a husband and wife live in the home with their two children.

They said when the fire broke out, a child and the child’s grandparent were home but were able to escape as dispatch received multiple 911 calls and crews quickly arrived to extinguish the flames.

“It’s scary,” said neighbor Tabassum Alam. “You don’t know the reason what was the fire but it could happen to anyone else.”

No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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The investigation would lead police to some sensational findings.

The attack turned out to be linked to a $245 million Bitcoin heist the month before involving the couple's son. And this week, a California cryptocurrency mogul who authorities say called himself “The Godfather” and had previously hired off-duty sheriff’s deputies to strongarm his enemies admitted to orchestrating the attempted abduction to get a piece of the son's stolen loot.

The California man, 25-year-old Adam Iza, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison term of at least 14 years when he's sentenced.

Iza’s lawyer, William Paetzold, didn't immediately respond to Tuesday phone and email messages seeking comment.

The case is part of an increasing trend worldwide of cryptocurrency theft spilling over to violence.

Nightclub fight spawns kidnapping plot

A month before the abduction attempt, one of Iza's alleged co-conspirators got into a beef with the couple's son, Veer Chetal, at a Miami nightclub, according to an FBI affidavit. The man, James Schwab, then told an acquaintance to rob Chetal and his friends at their Miami rental home, authorities said. It's not clear if the robbery happened.

Schwab's lawyers didn't immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.

Then came the Bitcoin heist. A few weeks after the nightclub fight, Chetal and two other men hatched an elaborate online scheme that involved impersonating technical support staff for Google and a cryptocurrency exchange. They managed to steal 4,100 Bitcoins — worth about $245 million at the time — from a Washington, D.C., resident, according to court documents.

The trio lived large after the theft, spending millions of dollars on cars, clothing, jewelry, rental mansions and nightclub parties before being arrested, prosecutors said. Chetal pleaded guilty last November and awaits sentencing, while the two other men have pleaded not guilty.

Iza and Schwab, meanwhile, came up with the idea to take Chetal's parents hostage in a bid to snatch some of his ill-gotten riches, the FBI said, citing information from informants. Schwab and Iza's brother, Saif Faiq, also were charged in the kidnapping attempt and pleaded not guilty.

They recruited six other men to go to Connecticut, paying for their travel and lodging, authorities said. A week after the Bitcoin heist, the group surveilled Chetal's parents hours before the kidnapping, according to court records.

Abduction quickly goes awry

Sushil and Radhika Chetal were driving in the Lamborghini on Aug. 25, 2024, near Danbury High School when they were rear-ended by a car. A white van then pulled in front of the SUV and several men surrounded them, police said.

The men pulled the Chetals out of the SUV and forced them into their van, beating Sushil Chetal with a baseball bat and dragging Radhika Chetal by her hair. The couple were bound with duct tape and the van drove off, according to court documents.

After witnesses called police, officers soon spotted the van and a chase ensued. The van eventually crashed and four of the men got out and fled on foot but were arrested shortly thereafter. The other two men were later found at a home the group had rented in a nearby town. The Chetals were taken to a hospital and released.

The six men, all from Florida, have pleaded guilty in connection with the kidnapping. Two have been sentenced to 11 years in prison and the others await sentencing.

How the ‘Godfather’ went from a Bel Air mansion to federal charges

Before Iza's arrest in the Connecticut case, he was under investigation by federal authorities in California for extorting money and property from victims in Los Angeles and elsewhere, court records show. He was charged in that case a month after the kidnapping and later pleaded guilty.

Iza, also known as Ahmed Faiq, was living in a mansion in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, calling himself The Godfather while running a crypto trading company, Zort. While stealing millions of dollars and funneling it through shell companies, Iza spent freely on luxury cars and other extravagances, including cosmetic surgery to lengthen his legs, prosecutors said.

Beginning in August 2021, Iza paid around $100,000 a month for his personal protection to a private security firm founded by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy that also employed other deputies, prosecutors said.

Iza, authorities said, hired off-duty deputies to act as enforcers against people with whom he had personal and business disputes. He used the deputies to extort, intimidate, set people up for arrest and abuse the legal process, prosecutors said.

The deputies used law enforcement databases to generate information about Iza's enemies and obtained search warrants under false pretenses, authorities said. On one occasion, two deputies held a victim at gunpoint inside Iza's home, pressuring the victim to transfer $25,000 to Iza's bank account, prosecutors said.

When he pleaded guilty in that case in January, Iza also admitted to stealing more than $37 million by fraudulently accessing the business manager accounts of Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, and their lines of credit from 2020 to 2022. He awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy against rights and tax evasion.

His attorney in California, Josef Sadat, declined to comment Tuesday.

Several deputies also were charged in the investigation.

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Harrell, 35, had struck and crushed a toll booth on Dunlawton Avenue where Tammie Jo Baker was working, according to the Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

“Being up at the truck, there was a heavy odor ... of alcohol,” Chitwood said during a news conference.

A witness also recorded a video of deputies arresting Harrell, of Ormond Beach, after the pickup truck stalled in the sand and water.

Jo Baker was 62; “a couple of weeks shy of her 63rd birthday,” Chitwood said.

Chitwood said Harrell was detained under the Baker Act for a mental health assessment over statements she made while in custody.

Watch the news conference

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A parenting app created by a South Florida mother aims to provide another option.

Michelle Brown, CEO and co-founder of iHelpMoms, said the app was designed to help parents navigate common challenges related to sleep, potty training, feeding and behavior while connecting them with expert guidance.

“IHelpMoms was designed to help parents through the most common parenting challenges that we all go through, and we have created an app that is for sleep, potty training, feeding and behavior,” she said.

Brown, a mother of three, said the idea for the app stemmed from her own struggles with postpartum depression after the birth of her child.

“Honestly, I felt like I had gotten hit by a Mack truck,” Brown said.

Despite taking classes and seeking support, Brown said she struggled with breastfeeding and felt overwhelmed by conflicting advice.

“I could not make more than a half an ounce of milk, and everyone was telling me power pump or try this feeding technique, and it just kept pushing me down underneath postpartum depression more and more and more,” she said.

The experience inspired her to create a platform where exhausted parents could quickly access information and support.

“That’s always my mentality in building the app — how can a very exhaustive parent just do a one click to get a plan in 60 seconds to get through the day, to track easily with one click, to find a milestone development, to give them hope and finally to connect them to our iHelpMoms certified coaches in one click,” Brown said.

The app includes five certified coaches with specialties ranging from mental health and relationships to children’s behavioral issues.

Rebecca Crowers, one of the app’s certified coaches, said the goal is to provide parents with personalized guidance.

“When she opens up the app and she clicks on behavior, she can answer a few questions, which literally takes one minute, and after she does that, it’s a real plan for her real life,” Crowers said. “That’s the most important thing is, we meet moms right where they are.”

Crowers, a mental health expert and biblical counselor, said one of the most important pieces of parenting advice she gives is simple.

“Regulate yourself first,” she said. “When we’re calmer, our kids feel that.”

Brown said another feature allows parents to receive guidance through a real-time chat system guided by experts.

“One of the most important things I found when I was sitting rocking the baby that wasn’t sleeping is I needed someone to chat with,” she said. “So we created an online real-time chat that is guided by our experts so the mom can type their question there and it’s going to give you a real-time solution for that moment of your life.”

The app also offers tools that track milestones and child development.

Chelsea Parra, a mother who uses iHelpMoms, said the app has helped her stay informed about her child’s growth.

“It is so accurate to what I am going through in real time with her age,” Parra said. “I go to the other parts too because it’s great to log food and diapers and eventually when she’s potty training, I’m sure I’ll use that a lot.”

Brown said the app is also designed to recognize that parenting styles vary from family to family.

“There’s no one right way to be a mom,” Brown said. “We really help parents cultivate how do you parent. Do you want to be an attachment parent? Are you a more modern balanced parent? Are you a high-achiever parent? What outcome and what style of parenting?”

For Brown, the mission behind the app is personal.

“I was actually born into an orphanage in Calcutta, India, and I was four pounds, severely malnourished, and it was just a very dire situation,” Brown said.“And I actually got saved out of the orphanage by an amazing family that adopted me.”

Brown said those experiences continue to shape her work.

“I never want another mom to feel alone like my mom, and I never want another mom to feel like a failure like I felt, because I couldn’t make the milk, and I couldn’t get my baby to sleep, and I just constantly felt like I was failing all the time,” she said. “My greatest hope is that the iHelpMoms app can be that hope in a mother’s pocket.”

Brown said she is happy to work with pediatricians in developing the app, but stressed that it is not intended to replace medical care.

Parents who believe their child is sick or something may be wrong should contact their pediatrician.

Click here to read more stories from Local 10’s Mom to Mom collection.

Una aplicación de crianza creada por una madre del sur de Florida busca ofrecer otra opción.

Michelle Brown, CEO y cofundadora de iHelpMoms, dijo que la aplicación fue diseñada para ayudar a los padres a navegar desafíos comunes relacionados con el sueño, el entrenamiento para ir al baño, la alimentación y el comportamiento, mientras los conecta con orientación experta.

“iHelpMoms fue diseñada para ayudar a los padres a través de los desafíos más comunes de la crianza que todos atravesamos, y hemos creado una aplicación que es para el sueño, el entrenamiento para ir al baño, la alimentación y el comportamiento”, dijo.

Brown, madre de tres hijos, dijo que la idea de la aplicación surgió de sus propias dificultades con la depresión posparto después del nacimiento de su hijo.

“Honestamente, sentí como si me hubiera atropellado un camión Mack”, dijo Brown.

A pesar de tomar clases y buscar apoyo, Brown dijo que tuvo dificultades con la lactancia materna y se sintió abrumada por consejos contradictorios.

“No podía producir más de media onza de leche, y todos me decían que hiciera power pump o que probara esta técnica de alimentación, y eso solo me seguía hundiendo cada vez más en la depresión posparto”, dijo.

La experiencia la inspiró a crear una plataforma donde los padres exhaustos pudieran acceder rápidamente a información y apoyo.

“Esa siempre ha sido mi mentalidad al construir la aplicación: cómo puede un padre muy exhausto simplemente hacer un clic para obtener un plan en 60 segundos para salir adelante durante el día, para llevar un registro fácilmente con un solo clic, para encontrar el desarrollo de un hito, para darles esperanza y finalmente conectarlos con nuestros coaches certificados de iHelpMoms con un solo clic”, dijo Brown.

La aplicación incluye cinco coaches certificados con especialidades que van desde la salud mental y las relaciones hasta los problemas de comportamiento infantil.

Rebecca Crowers, una de las coaches certificadas de la aplicación, dijo que el objetivo es brindar orientación personalizada a los padres.

“Cuando ella abre la aplicación y hace clic en comportamiento, puede responder algunas preguntas, lo cual literalmente toma un minuto, y después de eso, es un plan real para su vida real”, dijo Crowers. “Lo más importante es que nos encontramos con las madres exactamente donde están”.

Crowers, experta en salud mental y consejera bíblica, dijo que una de las piezas más importantes del consejo de crianza que ofrece es simple.

“Regularte a ti mismo primero”, dijo. “Cuando estamos más calmados, nuestros hijos lo sienten”.

Brown dijo que otra función permite a los padres recibir orientación a través de un sistema de chat en tiempo real guiado por expertos.

“Una de las cosas más importantes que descubrí cuando estaba sentada meciendo al bebé que no dormía es que necesitaba a alguien con quien chatear”, dijo. “Así que creamos un chat en línea en tiempo real guiado por nuestros expertos para que la mamá pueda escribir su pregunta allí y te dará una solución en tiempo real para ese momento de tu vida”.

La aplicación también ofrece herramientas que rastrean hitos y el desarrollo infantil.

Chelsea Parra, una madre que usa iHelpMoms, dijo que la aplicación la ha ayudado a mantenerse informada sobre el crecimiento de su hijo.

“Es tan precisa con lo que estoy viviendo en tiempo real con su edad”, dijo Parra. “También voy a otras partes porque es genial para registrar comida y pañales y eventualmente cuando esté aprendiendo a ir al baño, seguro lo usaré mucho”.

Brown dijo que la aplicación también está diseñada para reconocer que los estilos de crianza varían de familia en familia.

“No hay una sola forma correcta de ser mamá”, dijo Brown. “Realmente ayudamos a los padres a cultivar cómo quieren criar. ¿Quieres ser una madre de apego? ¿Eres una madre más moderna y equilibrada? ¿Eres una madre de alto rendimiento? ¿Qué resultado y qué estilo de crianza?”

Para Brown, la misión detrás de la aplicación es personal.

“Nací en un orfanato en Calcuta, India, y pesaba cuatro libras, estaba severamente desnutrida, y era una situación muy crítica”, dijo Brown. “Y en realidad fui rescatada del orfanato por una familia increíble que me adoptó”.

Brown dijo que esas experiencias continúan moldeando su trabajo.

“Nunca quiero que otra madre se sienta sola como mi madre, y nunca quiero que otra madre se sienta como una fracasada como me sentí yo, porque no podía producir leche, y no podía lograr que mi bebé durmiera, y constantemente sentía que estaba fallando todo el tiempo”, dijo. “Mi mayor esperanza es que la aplicación iHelpMoms pueda ser esa esperanza en el bolsillo de una madre”.

Brown dijo que está feliz de trabajar con pediatras en el desarrollo de la aplicación, pero enfatizó que no está destinada a reemplazar la atención médica.

Los padres que crean que su hijo está enfermo o que algo podría estar mal deben contactar a su pediatra.

Haz clic aquí para leer más historias de la colección Mom to Mom de Local 10.

Video de Sky 10 muestra que el motociclista se estrelló contra una carroza fúnebre aparentemente estacionada en Angels of Paradise Mortuary, ubicada en 2796 NW 46th St. en el área no incorporada de Brownsville.

Los registros de despacho mostraron que el choque ocurrió alrededor de las 3:15 p.m.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, una investigación preliminar mostró que el motociclista perdió el control de su moto y chocó contra el Cadillac.

Las autoridades indicaron que los médicos lo trasladaron al Hospital Jackson Memorial en estado crítico.

Agentes de la MDSO permanecieron en la escena el martes por la tarde investigando el accidente.

A victory would put him in the conversation as the greatest New York Knick ever, and at the same time earn New York sports immortality status.

After just four years, he is all over the record book for a Knicks franchise that has been around for all 80 NBA seasons. He is already third on its career list in playoff points. The Knicks have advanced in the postseason every year since Brunson arrived in 2022, after winning one series in the two decades before.

Now they are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, with a shot to win their first title since 1973.

Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed — in some order — are widely regarded as the top players in franchise history. If Brunson can lead the Knicks to the title now, there’s an argument he could be the best of them all.

“Well, right now a lot of people say he’s the greatest Knick ever because of getting them to the finals and obviously if he wins a championship,” Frazier said. “So I don’t think he’s the greatest Knick ever — I always say it’s Willis, and Willis said it’s Patrick, and Patrick says it’s Patrick. So he would definitely be on Mount Rushmore. We’ll put him up there if he can bring this title.”

Brunson is averaging 26.9 points in the postseason, slightly up from his 26 per game in the regular season. The Eastern Conference finals MVP is making history just by reaching the finals, as he and his father, Rick, a Knicks assistant who played for them in 1999 when Jalen was just shy of 3 years old, will become the first father-son duo to play in the finals for the same franchise.

None of this was expected when Brunson signed in New York. This wasn't Victor Wembanyama arriving in San Antonio from France as the No. 1 pick in the draft as a 7-foot-4 giant whose array of skills made it easy to forecast that he could become one of the greats of the game.

Brunson stands just 6-2 and doesn't appear to be blessed with explosive speed. That's how a two-time NCAA champion and college player of the year at Villanova ended up as just a second-round pick in 2018. He landed in Dallas at the same time as Luka Doncic, and seeing how easy the Slovenian sensation made the game look had Brunson wondering about his own abilities.

“It made me kind of question myself to see how hard I actually had to work to be in the position I wanted to be,” he said.

He was largely a backup in his four seasons in Dallas before the Knicks spent more than $100 million to pry him away. It's probably the best decision they ever made — and with what Brunson has done in New York at that low cost for a now perennial All-Star, one of the best free agent moves any team ever has.

The Knicks have just two NBA titles, and the wait for a third has lasted so many generations that Brunson would easily join New York sports icons such as Joe Namath, Derek Jeter or Reggie Jackson, still celebrated around the five boroughs long after their championships, if he can win just one now.

Get it and the second-team All-NBA pick would be confirmed as a superstar. Of course, the opposite could happen. If Brunson struggles against the Spurs' good defensive guards and the Knicks lose, there will be critics quick to say they need more because Brunson just isn't quite a 1-A.

“I mean, I don’t really care what people say, so at the end of the day I’m not going to base my judgment or evaluation of him as a player off people that never played the game and just never been in that situation,” teammate and close friend Josh Hart said. “So I know he doesn’t really care about it, I don’t really care about it. At the end of the day those quote-unquote people are irrelevant.”

Around New York, it's clear the respect Brunson commands. Mets slugger Juan Soto hit a home run and performed the hand gesture Brunson uses to celebrate a 3-pointer. Jets coach Aaron Glenn said the impact the captain has on the club is evident.

“I mean, you can tell that the leadership, the fight, everybody follows that, and it’s easy to follow that,” Glenn said. “He’s a guy, and I continue to say this, that leadership really comes down to one word and that’s ‘influence.’ You really see the influence that he has, and it’s not always verbal. It’s a lot of just what he does and how he operates.”

Brunson doesn't seem to seek the spotlight and will never ooze coolness like Frazier, the stylish “Clyde” known for his colorful suits. But a title puts him in the same club, and membership has long-lasting benefits.

“I can’t walk the street, it’s like I’m in a parade. Anywhere I go people are like, ‘Oh, there he is, there’s Clyde! There’s Clyde!’” Frazier said. "So if these guys win another title — man, I can’t spend money now in New York. I’ll never have to spend money again in this city.

“And that’s what I want to show the players. Hey man, I’ve been doing this for 50 years. Fifty years just for winning two titles! So you guys can have it if you just win one title.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey contributed to this report.

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

El arrestado en el incidente es Jose Zamora, quien enfrenta una serie de cargos, incluido intento de secuestro con arma de fuego.

La policía de Port St. Lucie dijo que ocurrió el domingo por la mañana afuera de la iglesia First United Methodist en SW Prima Vista Boulevard.

La policía dijo que Zamora quería hablar con la víctima e intentó obligarla a subir a su auto a punta de pistola.

“Varios testigos presenciaron lo que estaba ocurriendo e intervinieron”, dijo el jefe de la policía de Port St. Lucie, Leo Niemzyck. “El valor que demostraron ayudó a desactivar una situación muy peligrosa en escalada. El sospechoso sacó un arma de fuego y la colocó al lado de la víctima e intentó obligarla a subir al vehículo”.

Luego, dijeron que Zamora huyó y condujo hasta Hialeah.

La víctima sintió algo de dolor pero no tenía marcas visibles ni moretones, dijo la policía.

Según las autoridades, la víctima vivía con Zamora en Hollywood antes de mudarse juntos a Fort Pierce, y para diciembre pasado ella quería que él saliera de la casa porque se volvió agresivo con ella.

“Ellos tuvieron una relación romántica previa que había terminado, y supuestamente terminó debido a algunas infidelidades”, dijo Niemzyck. “Pero él tiene un historial criminal violento significativo que incluye un intento de secuestro previo”.

La policía dijo que la víctima obtuvo una orden de protección contra Zamora en marzo después de que fue arrestado por una violación de armas.

“Niemzyck dijo que esos detalles les dieron motivos para creer que él habría dañado a la víctima”.

“Es un delincuente convicto”, dijo. “Tiene un pasado peligroso. Así que la familia de él creía que era un peligro tanto para sí mismo como para ella. De hecho, fue considerado un posible sospechoso de suicidio por policía”.

Los investigadores dijeron que usaron lectores de placas para rastrear a Zamora.

Actualmente está recluido en la cárcel del condado St. Lucie en Fort Pierce con una fianza de $750,000 USD.

And by midway through the opening period, they were down two goals against a fast-skating Carolina Hurricanes team riding the energy from a buzzing home crowd.

No matter. And no panic. Not with these tested Golden Knights.

Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sissons and beat Frederik Andersen from the slot with 3:24 left in the third period, lifting the Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night’s opener of the Stanley Cup Final.

“I've said it all through the playoffs: it's a find-a-way league,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “We found a way tonight.”

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already having taken home ice away from the Hurricanes as it chases a second Cup title in four seasons.

“Momentum swings happen quickly,” Tortorella said. “We want to keep the momentum on our side, so there’s no question we’re looking to get two.”

Hertl’s finish off Sissons' feed from the right faceoff circle broke a 4-4 tie and pushed the Golden Knights ahead in an entertaining, back-and-forth start on the sport’s biggest stage. It marked Vegas’ seventh straight win of the playoffs, starting with the last two games of the six-game second-round series against Anaheim and then the shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

That series included Vegas erasing a 3-0 deficit to take Game 3, and now the Golden Knights have followed by rallying from another multigoal deficit — this time 2-0 in the opening period — against the team that finished second only to the Avs in the regular season.

“It was a terrible start,” said center William Karlsson, who capped a run of three straight goals that pushed Vegas to a 3-2 second-period lead. “Just like it was against Colorado, a lot of time left. We always believe.”

Things changed after Tortorella gathered his team around the bench during a TV timeout after the Hurricanes had sprinted out to their lead, coming as Vegas had a slow start out of its six-day break while waiting for Carolina to close out Montreal in a five-game Eastern Conference Final.

“Just stick with the program, on our game plan, and not get impatient," said defenseman Brayden McNabb, who had three assists. “They pressure a lot and we want to keep the puck going north, and limit east-west plays.”

Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, with Howden’s postseason-leading 11th score giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead just 1:21 into the third period. Carter Hart finished with 23 saves, including a key stop on Seth Jarvis only seconds before Hertl's winner.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for the Hurricanes, the first coming 25 seconds into the game when he got loose on a rush and blasted one past Hart from the left side on the game’s first shot. He followed with a breakaway that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and sent a charged home crowd into an eruption in the team’s first Stanley Cup Final game in two decades.

Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored tying goals after Vegas had pushed to a lead, with Gostisbehere skating in clean on the left side to blast one past Hart at 11:19 of the third period and tie it once more at 4-all. Andersen finished with 18 saves.

“I thought they played just a little bit better than us,” Staal said. “They executed their game plan and aggressive on their forecheck and played in our end, and they buried their chances when they had them.”

The Hurricanes went 12-1 through three rounds to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since now-coach Rod Brind'Amour captained them to the title in 2006. It also comes amid an eight-year playoff streak that has included at least one series win every time as a regular postseason contender.

Carolina swept through Ottawa and Philadelphia before taking the last four games of a five-game win against Montreal to punch through an Eastern Conference Final roadblock. That made the Hurricanes the first team since 1983 to reach the Stanley Cup Final with one loss, and the first since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987.

Meanwhile, Vegas had been getting stronger with every playoff round, winning for 19 of 24 games going back to the unexpected late-season firing of Bruce Cassidy and replace him with Tortorella. That included the shocking result against the Avalanche, who managed just seven goals in four games.

Defense had been the standout feature for both teams, in fact, with Carolina having allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of 13 playoff games. But that wasn't the case in Tuesday's fast-paced series opener, with both teams capitalizing on their chances in an entertaining back-and-forth game before Hertl got Vegas the lead for good.

“This is a totally different team, and that may be part of it too,” Brind'Amour said when asked about comparisons to the 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. “We’ve got to get up to speed on how this game and this series is going to go. I think we certainly got a taste of that now.”

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

“He’s been kind of the last couple of weeks kind of dealing with some shoulder soreness, just kind of more nagging,” manager Aaron Boone said before the series opener against the Guardians. “Then over the weekend, the last couple of games in Sacramento, I think it became a little more than just that, where I noticed with some swings and stuff. It became a little more than just nagging. I think it was affecting him.”

Boone said tests on the team's off day on Monday revealed the bruise. Judge met with team physician later Dr. Christopher Ahmad Tuesday and following Tuesday's 9-4 loss, Boone said Judge will see a specialist on Wednesday.

Judge had an rib injury in March 2020 when doctors discovered a stress fracture in his right rib. The injury occurred when he dove for a ball in September 2019, but Judge did not miss any time because of the injury because the 2020 season was delayed due to the pandemic.

“Tough to say,” Boone said. “We'll look at it and that's why we want a specialist to look at it too and just try and rule out anything or see if there's something else to see.”

In March 2020, doctors discovered a stress fracture in his right rib, stemming from a dive he made in a game the prior September. He was shut down for two weeks, but the season was delayed until July due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge is hitting .248 and 17 homers and 38 RBIs. The three-time AL MVP has one homer in his last 18 games since May 10 and ended an 11-game homer and RBI drought with a game-ending, two-run drive in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 win over Tampa Bay on May 24.

Judge entered the game against Tampa Bay in a 1-for-24 slump that dropped his batting average to .246. He was hitless in 15 at-bats before singling in the first inning.

“I think probably something that’s been affecting him a little bit here recently, especially this weekend,” Boone said. “So, hopefully, it is something that we just get calmed down here and put it behind us.”

Judge won the batting title last season when he batted a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26-Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow sustained on a throw to home July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich injection and did not require offseason surgery, though he did not return to the outfield until Sept. 5.

When Judge was hurt last season, Giancarlo Stanton played 17 games in the outfield. Stanton has been out since April 24 with a strained right calf.

On Tuesday, José Caballero made his 22nd career start in right field and third since being acquired from Tampa Bay at the July 31 trade deadline.

Judge had started 52 of New York's first 59 games in right field. Rookie Spencer Jones made four starts in right field before getting sent down May 23 and Cody Bellinger has started two games.

Yankees move prospect Carlos Lagrange to bullpen at Triple-A

The Yankees said Tuesday that prospect Carlos Lagrange is being moved to the bullpen at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre to possibly provide relief help at the major league level later this season.

"We definitely view him long term as a starter,” Boone said. “But in the 2026 lens, there’s a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward.”

Lagrange is rated as New York's fourth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 2 pitcher.

Lagrange is 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts. Across 49 innings, he has allowed 40 hits and 25 walks, striking out 63 while holding opponents to a .215 batting average.

The 23-year-old is averaging 98.9 mph on fastballs this season and has topped out at 103.0 mph on a fastball after spending time with the Yankees at spring training.

“It’s electric stuff,” Boone said. “The exciting thing for me was, really being around him for the first time, seeing the person and the competitor."

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

Apparently, they weren't just speaking publicly about the incident.

On Tuesday, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham revealed the team's players and coaches also had a frank, “long” conversation intended to hash things out and get everyone back on the same page following back-to-back losses on the West Coast.

“We had a team meeting (Monday) — a long meeting — and so hopefully we've kind of turned the page,” Cunningham said. “I think we were in there an hour and a half, almost two hours and we built back all the layers. I think everyone's on a good page right now and ready to work. We'll say it started (as a) coaches (meeting) and then ended up being players. It was much needed, though.”

Cunningham and All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell did not divulge specifics about what was discussed, and White said the meeting didn't go quite as long as Cunningham thought.

Clearly, though, everyone thought it was necessary and valuable after TV cameras caught the incident between Clark and White during Saturday night's 100-84 loss to Portland — an expansion team Indiana beat by 17 points just 10 days earlier without Clark.

White and Clark each downplayed the scene Monday, saying it was merely two competitors trying to figure out how to win a game, and White explained she was simply challenging her star player to perform at a higher level. Mitchell saw it the same way.

“I think it's a part of being a family," she said. “If you think everything is glitz and glamour, then you're mistaken. I think hard times can make you or break you and, hopefully, it doesn't break us, and I think losing is important because you find out a lot about yourself, about where you need to be, where you're missing the mark and I'm happy that's happening now. If there is frustration, I'd rather it be now than later.”

There is reason for concern.

Indiana opened the season considered a title contender after White helped the Fever get within one win of reaching the WNBA Finals despite enduring a series of debilitating injuries, including the loss of Clark.

Not much has gone right in this season's first month, though.

The Fever enter Thursday's game against Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream with a 4-4 record, a half game out of the eighth and final playoff spot, hoping to snap this two-game skid.

Clark hasn't been her typical self, either. While the former Iowa star and NCAA's career scoring leader is averaging 20.1 points and 8.1 assists, she's also shooting 39.3% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and has committed 4.6 turnovers per game. She has also been criticized about her defensive miscues.

But Clark isn't alone on defense. While Indiana is scoring a league-best 91.8 points per game, it also is tied for the second-highest points allowed at 89.0.

What's wrong?

“We have all the pieces we need (to win), but it's knowing your role, owning your role and also just being tough,” Cunningham said. “We're just too soft right now, and that's not what our identity is, so we need to get away from that."

Cunningham also noted playing more types of defenses would help.

White believes varied defenses will come in time, but she first wanted the players building their confidence by doing a few things well. And while White wants to see improvements, she doesn't believe the struggles are related to effort.

“Often times when you see a ‘lack of effort,’ a lot of it is just indecision, right?" she said. “It's paralysis by analysis.”

Perhaps airing out those thoughts will be part of a longer-term solution to what they hope is a short-term problem. Cunningham and her teammates certainly hope that's true as they begin the defense of last year's Commissioner's Cup championship.

“No one wants to have these meetings, but everyone, every team has them,” Cunningham said. “Everyone has trials, everyone has shortcomings and I'm just thankful ours is at the beginning of the season and not during September, October.

"We didn't even watch film (from the Portland game), that tells you how bad it is because normally she (White) is watching every second of it. We wanted to flush that one, everyone knew it was bad. We all kind of watched it on our own and it's just unacceptable. We're too good to be playing like that.”

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

Included in the sanctions are Iran's largest digital assets firm Nobitex and its chairman and co-founder, Amir Hossein Rad. Treasury says Nobitex has processed more than 50% of all Iranian digital asset income last year and supports Iran's vast sanctions evasion network.

The sanctions come as a pair of semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday that Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel.

U.S. President Donald Trump has disputed the claim and said talks are continuing.

Treasury accuses Nobitex of moving assets and funds out of the country to shield regime wealth after the start of U.S. combat operations in Iran. A representative from Nobitex could not be reached through email.

U.S. officials maintain that Iran relies heavily on cryptocurrency and other digital assets to evade sanctions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the Reagan National Economic Forum this month, “We have seized about a billion dollars of their crypto."

The Trump administration's latest announcement is one of a variety of measures put in place to inflict economic pain on Iran. It has also imposed secondary economic sanctions on countries doing business with people, firms, and ships under Iranian control — including allies like the United Arab Emirates and competitors like China. Banks have received warnings about handling Iranian money.

And last week, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which is an agency intended to control shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. Treasury calls the agency a “scheme to extort international shipping.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has stopped merchant vessels trying to break through a U.S.-led blockade of Iranian ports. The U.S. launched the blockade on April 17 after Iran effectively closed the strait after the war in the Middle East began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

El operativo respondió a una investigación abierta en 2024 para indagar una serie de delitos, como operaciones de lavado de activos, extorsiones, asociación criminal, contrabando y "mercados ilegales del Tren de Aragua” en el país.

“Es la primera vez que le pegamos donde ellos más lo resienten, que en el fondo es en el patrimonio”, dijo a los periodistas el fiscal Héctor Barros tras conocer los resultados de la acción.

Entre los detenidos figura un ejecutivo del banco Santander, cuyas dependencias fueron allanadas en la jornada junto a otras diversas residencias y oficinas de diferentes partes del país.

El trabajador, según la fiscalía, estaría vinculado con “operaciones internacionales para el Tren de Aragua ” y habría facilitado múltiples cuentas bancarias en diversas entidades financieras para lavar dinero y traspasarlo a la organización.

“Estamos hablando de una cifra superior a 78.000 millones de pesos (unos 88 millones de dólares) que salieron de nuestro país”, expresó el fiscal.

Entre los detenidos hay diez mujeres y nueve hombres.

Según el director de la Policía de Investigaciones (PDI), Eduardo Cerna, el grupo actuaba a través de roles, funciones y una estructura estratificada bastante organizada e “integrada por personas nacionales venezolanas” para cometer delitos financieros, sobre todo estafas y extorsiones.

Posteriormente, lavaban los activos a través de empresas de fachada para “finalmente insertarlas en la economía ilícita” y “así disipar el origen de las mismas o en transacciones en criptoactivo”, agregó el funcionario en una rueda de prensa.

Además de los detenidos, el operativo terminó con más 140 cuentas bancarias congeladas y una suma congelada que supera los 300.000 dólares.

Por su parte, el fiscal nacional, Ángel Valencia, destacó que la acción contó con la colaboración de las fuerzas de la Policía Nacional de Colombia, uno de los principales destinos del dinero ilícito proveniente de Chile.

“Así como ninguna institución puede sola enfrentar este desafío de la delincuencia organizada transnacional, ningún país tampoco puede hacerlo solo”, dijo Valencia en la conferencia. “Necesitamos, para poder enfrentarlo adecuadamente, cooperar entre las distintas agencias de Estado de los distintos países que compartimos esta amenaza”.

El Banco Santander indicó en un comunicado que colabora con las investigaciones y aseguró que “mantiene una política de tolerancia cero frente a cualquier conducta que se aparte de la ley o de la normativa vigente”.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Michael Enriquez, de 53 años, mantuvo una relación sexual con una estudiante de la preparatoria American Senior High School, la cual comenzó en mayo de 2025.

Los agentes indicaron que Enriquez y la estudiante, quien tenía 17 años en ese momento, salieron después de clases dos veces el año pasado —una en mayo y otra en junio— y mantuvieron relaciones sexuales.

“Es repugnante”, declaró una estudiante de la escuela a Local 10 News. “La chica sabía lo que hacía, pero él es un adulto. Sabía perfectamente lo que hacía; tiene experiencia en esto; está muy mal”.

Según las autoridades, Enriquez y la víctima no se comunicaron durante las vacaciones de verano, pero al comenzar el nuevo año escolar en agosto de 2025, retomaron su relación sexual.

Las autoridades indicaron que su último encuentro ocurrió el 14 de mayo de 2026, siendo esta la única vez que mantuvieron relaciones sexuales.

Según el informe de arresto de Enriquez, la víctima tenía 18 años al momento de dicho encuentro.

Las autoridades no revelaron cómo fueron alertadas de los presuntos delitos ni cómo descubrieron las fechas y los detalles.

“Da miedo que alguien que trata con tantos estudiantes pueda estar hablando con una chica de mi edad o un poco mayor, porque solemos confiar en los profesores y hablamos mucho con ellos. No sabemos si la chica estaba pasando por un mal momento, si pensó que esa era la única opción”, dijo Samira González, estudiante de primer año de la escuela.

“Definitivamente, como adulto, uno debe saber dónde están los límites”, dijo un estudiante llamado Christopher a Local 10. “Estas jóvenes probablemente estén asustadas ahora mismo”.

Enriquez compareció ante el juez el martes, donde se le ordenó mantenerse alejado de la víctima y de la escuela secundaria. Se espera que comparezca nuevamente ante el tribunal esta tarde, momento en el que se fijará su fianza.

Un portavoz de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Miami-Dade confirmó que Enriquez será despedido.

“Las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Miami-Dade (M-DCPS) están al tanto del arresto de un empleado de American Senior High School. Al enterarse del presunto comportamiento, el Departamento de Policía de Escuelas de Miami-Dade inició una investigación, la cual resultó en su retiro del plantel escolar y su posterior arresto por parte de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade. El tipo de comportamiento del que este individuo está acusado no será tolerado, ya que va en contra de la conducta profesional que esperamos de todos los empleados. El distrito ha iniciado procedimientos de terminación laboral y se asegurará de que a esta persona se le impida buscar empleo en el futuro dentro del distrito. En M-DCPS, la seguridad y el bienestar de todos los estudiantes siguen siendo nuestra máxima prioridad.”

-Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Miami-Dade

The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building's walls.

The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural's grand scale and message of ocean conservation.

The area’s World Cup organizing committee said in a statement that, in place of Wyland's mural, new artwork is planned "that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” It said a portion of Wyland's mural would be preserved.

Wyland filed suit Monday in U.S District Court in Dallas saying that World Cup organizers, along with the building's owner and management company, painted over his mural without his consent or even notifying him. He says their actions violated a 1990 federal law passed to protect visual artists from destruction of publicly displayed works.

Wyland is seeking at least $25 million in damages. His lawsuit says world soccer's governing body, FIFA, and other defendants “hastily and irrevocably destroyed a civic landmark” to promote the World Cup.

“Though FIFA claims they were working to develop art for the host city, in truth, they defaced an historic fixture of the host city,” the artist's lawsuit says.

A FIFA spokesperson said Tuesday the federation “has no involvement in this whatsoever” and referred a reporter to the tournament's local organizing committee.

A spokesperson for the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee declined to comment. The committee isn't named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for Slate Asset Management, which manages the building where the mural was painted over, said in a statement that local World Cup organizers asked Slate in March to donate the mural space for “a new public art installation.”

“Slate is not being compensated in any way for the use of the wall space and was told by the local groups that Mr. Wyland had been notified,” the management company's spokesperson said in an email.

Dallas is hosting more World Cup matches than any of the other sites in the event co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with nine matches set to be played at AT&T Stadium in suburban Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Wyland's Dallas mural, titled “Whaling Wall 82,” was finished in 1999 and is among more than 100 similar murals known as Whaling Walls the artist painted around the world to promote the conservation of ocean life.

An online petition protesting the mural's destruction and calling for protecting of public artwork in Dallas has received more than 2,600 signatures.

Wyland's lawsuit alleges violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act, a 1990 federal law that protects artwork of “recognized stature” even if someone else owns the physical artwork.

A judge cited that law in 2018 when he ordered a property owner to pay a group of New York graffiti artists $6.7 million for whitewashing dozens of their spray-painted murals on buildings that once housed a factory in Queens. The ruling was upheld on appeal.

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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

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JetBlue’s first flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to FLL was in 2000, and JFK’s Terminal 5 became its primary hub in 2008.

Spirit Airlines, formerly based in Dania Beach, officially ceased operations on May 2, but yellow still dominates FLL’s Terminal 4. Bogen could see it turning blue.

“I hope to call JetBlue, our hometown airline in the near future,” Bogen wrote in a text message.

Aside from JetBlue, Allegiant and Avianca are among the airlines that have also been expanding services out of FLL, according to airport officials.

“This is a very difficult summer and time for all airlines, but especially the situation Spirit was in with minimum fares and rising fuel costs,” Attorney Willard Shepard, an aviation expert, said.

For DeAnna Allen, Spirit Airlines’ shutdown means she and her family can no longer use the Savers’ Club benefits to travel.

“I still won’t be able to fly as much because it costs too much,” Allen said.

At FLL’s Terminal 3, business was booming for JetBlue. Already, more than 40% of the airline’s flights are in and out of FLL.

JetBlue will be adding 11 new destinations out of FLL and planning the first flight between FLL and Venezuela in the airline’s history.

“We are stepping up for a community that has been a part of our story since day one at an important moment, adding service where customers need it, strengthening our relevance across South Florida and making FLL an even more powerful gateway across the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean,” Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s senior vice president of revenue, network, and enterprise planning, said in a statement.

Related reports

• JetBlue plans new Fort Lauderdale flights to Venezuela
• Officials doing ‘due diligence’ on replacing BSO with in-house airport police at FLL
• Spirit Airlines asks guests not to go to FLL; JetBlue adds new FLL flights

El primer vuelo de JetBlue desde el Aeropuerto Internacional John F. Kennedy hacia FLL fue en 2000, y la Terminal 5 de JFK se convirtió en su principal centro de operaciones en 2008.

Spirit Airlines, anteriormente con base en Dania Beach, cesó oficialmente operaciones el 2 de mayo, pero el amarillo todavía domina la Terminal 4 de FLL. Bogen podría ver cómo se vuelve azul.

“I hope to call JetBlue, our hometown airline in the near future,” escribió Bogen en un mensaje de texto.

Además de JetBlue, Allegiant y Avianca se encuentran entre las aerolíneas que también han estado expandiendo sus servicios desde FLL, según funcionarios del aeropuerto.

“This is a very difficult summer and time for all airlines, but especially the situation Spirit was in with minimum fares and rising fuel costs,” dijo el abogado Willard Shepard, un experto en aviación.

Para DeAnna Allen, el cierre de Spirit Airlines significa que ella y su familia ya no pueden usar los beneficios del Savers’ Club para viajar.

“Todavía no podré volar tanto porque cuesta demasiado”, dijo Allen.

En la Terminal 3 de FLL, el negocio de JetBlue estaba en auge. Ya, más del 40% de los vuelos de la aerolínea entran y salen de FLL.

JetBlue añadirá 11 nuevos destinos desde FLL y planea el primer vuelo entre FLL y Venezuela en la historia de la aerolínea.

“Estamos dando un paso adelante para una comunidad que ha sido parte de nuestra historia desde el primer día en un momento importante, agregando servicio donde los clientes lo necesitan, fortaleciendo nuestra relevancia en todo el sur de Florida y haciendo de FLL una puerta de entrada aún más poderosa a través de Estados Unidos, América Latina y el Caribe” dijo Daniel Shurz, vicepresidente senior de ingresos, red y planificación empresarial de JetBlue, en un comunicado.

Reportes relacionados

JetBlue planea nuevos vuelos desde Fort Lauderdale a Venezuela

Funcionarios realizan “due diligence” sobre reemplazar a la BSO con policía aeroportuaria interna en FLL

Spirit Airlines pide a sus pasajeros no acudir a FLL; JetBlue añade nuevos vuelos en FLL

But when reporters tried to ask Dr. Mehmet Oz about the most-pressing issues of the day — the point of the White House briefing where he was speaking for the administration — the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had little to offer, and said so again and again.

Oz’s appearance showcased how the White House can struggle to respond to major news that breaks on any given day — a telling weakness as public sentiment has increasingly turned against the president. And it comes as President Donald Trump himself has spent more time than usual out of reach of reporters' questions.

Pressed on why Trump tapped Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence, despite the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency having no clear national security credentials, Oz said he trusted the president's judgment while also offering, “I think Bill's a great guy. I know him socially.”

Asked on the same topic again, he said, “Ma'am, you’re asking me a question that’s out of my lane."

When a reporter said that the White House had given so little information on Pulte's nomination that there was no choice but to seek answers from Oz during the briefing — despite it not being his area of expertise — Oz acknowledged, "I appreciate you want an answer. I’m not not going to be the one giving it to you.”

Still another attempt finally prompted him to exclaim, “I don’t know anything more about Bill Pulte than you do. I did not think that the questions would even come up here. I hadn’t even heard the news when I walked out.”

The administration has invited some of its most camera-ready voices to brief reporters while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave. It started with Vice President JD Vance and then featured another possible 2028 White House hopeful, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had his turn.

“I did watch them all, by the way," Oz said, explaining it helped him prepare for the experience. “I’m a doctor. I try and do my homework. I prepped for the case.”

Vance, Rubio and Bessent each fielded questions about the war in Iran and other topics. But Oz, an unsuccessful former Senate candidate in Pennsylvania and onetime prominent TV physician, stuck mostly to health care.

The White House said Oz was there to announce that 160 new medications are being added to the government’s discounted-drug website TrumpRx, bringing the total number of drugs on the site to more than 750.

“Dr. Oz authoritatively and articulately discussed the latest updates on several key Trump administration priorities, from lowering prescription drug prices to rooting out pervasive fraud in federal programs,” White House spokesman Kush Desai, said in a statement that also chided reporters for asking about “topics that President Trump himself has already weighed in on.”

Oz was also asked several times about Trump having undergone four publicly disclosed health screenings since returning to the White House and gave various answers, including, “I think he likes the results,” while piling on the praise about his boss, who turns 80 this month.

“That amount of energy, and that amount of mental acuity does not exist in a vacuum," Oz said. “You have to have a vessel to carry it.”

In a secret-ballot vote, Rahman defeated Cyprus' Ambassador Andreas Kakouris 99-91, with three countries not voting. He will succeed Germany's former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose one-year term ends in September.

The presidency of the world body rotates by region and this year it was the Asia-Pacific region’s turn.

While the presidency of the General Assembly is largely ceremonial, it is also prestigious. It is the U.N. organ where countries large and small can speak, and is the scene of the only annual gathering of world leaders, in September.

The General Assembly controls the U.N. budget, adopts treaties, addresses global issues from poverty to corruption, and passes numerous resolutions that while not legally binding almost always reflect global opinion.

It has taken the spotlight in reacting to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza because action by the U.N. Security Council has been blocked by the veto power of Russia on Ukraine and, often, the United States on Gaza.

Rahman was selected as foreign minister in February by Bangladesh’s new prime minister, whose party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. They were the country’s first since a mass student-led uprising in 2024 toppled the previous prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Rahman previously served as national security adviser in the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, and as an ambassador.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Rahman, saying, “Your remarkable political and diplomatic experience are a guarantee of success not only to the General Assembly but to the United Nations as a whole.”

He praised Rahman’s commitment to the ambitious program to reform the 80-year-old United Nations to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Rahman told diplomats assembled in the General Assembly hall that its 81st session will open “at a historic crossroads” when “trust in our organization is being tested on multiple fronts.”

Conflict and war — which the U.N. was established to prevent — are inflicting “untold suffering, development gains remain fragile and uncertain, and in some cases are regressing,” he said. “Despite advancements in human rights, we witness a general backsliding of certain rights and freedoms across the world and shrinking humanitarian space.”

Rahman said this is happening at a time when the U.N. is facing financial stress. “This is a challenge I will confront with all of you,” he told the assembly.

The United States, which has historically been the largest contributor to the U.N. budget, is billions of dollars in arrears.

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El presidente Javier Milei reposteó el martes en X las opiniones positivas de economistas al respecto. Su partido, La Libertad Avanza, celebró en tanto que “Vaca Muerta sigue atrayendo inversiones”, destacando que la firma estadounidense solicitó el ingreso al Régimen de Incentivos para Grandes Inversiones (RIGI) para desarrollar el bloque El Trapial en el yacimiento situado en la sureña provincia de Neuquén.

Expertos señalaron que se trataría de la inversión más grande presentada hasta el momento bajo ese esquema por una empresa privada, solo superada por la de la estatal argentina YPF por 25.000 millones de dólares también en Vaca Muerta.

Chevron dijo en un comunicado que “reconoce los esfuerzos del gobierno argentino por los importantes avances logrados para el desarrollo de los recursos energéticos” al referirse a la petición realizada para un nuevo proyecto de exploración y producción de hidrocarburos en El Trapial —aún está sujeta a la aprobación de las autoridades—.

“Marcos como el RIGI, que contribuyen a la previsibilidad regulatoria e incentivan las decisiones de inversión a largo plazo son pasos clave para la industria energética de Argentina”, agregó la empresa en el comunicado al que tuvo acceso The Associated Press.

El ministro argentino de Economía, Luis Caputo, anticipó el mes pasado en X que la firma estadounidense iba a enviar “un nuevo proyecto RIGI en los próximos días por más de 10.000 millones de dólares”.

Ese marco normativo fue diseñado en 2024 para atraer proyectos de inversión a gran escala nacional y extranjera, otorgándoles masivos beneficios impositivos, aduaneros, cambiarios y de estabilidad jurídica por un periodo de unos 30 años.

Chevron está presente en el país desde hace más de 20 años. En 2022, la provincia de Neuquén le otorgó una nueva concesión para la explotación de hidrocarburos no convencionales en la zona este del yacimiento El Trapial por un período de 35 años.

Tras ello, la empresa cuenta ahora con dos bloques de su propiedad y operados por sí misma en El Trapial: El Trapial-Curamched (concesión convencional) y El Trapial-Este (concesión no convencional).

Por otra parte, a través de otras filiales, Chevron posee una participación del 50% sin funciones de operadora en las concesiones de Loma Campana y Narambuena en el marco de una asociación con YPF.