The events of 9/11 are etched in Derek Auguste’s memory.

“I was in shock and I did have family at the World Trade Center on 9/11,” Auguste said.

One cousin narrowly avoided the attack because he was still on his way to work. Another was at the World Trade Center and never came home.

“My cousin was luckily on his way to work and had to walk back home,” Auguste said. “Another cousin of mine was working on the concourse underneath and has never been found.”

The aftermath of the attacks also affected Auguste professionally. At the time, he was working in corporate sales.

“My sales dried up. My job dried up,” he said.

Looking for a way to provide for his family, Auguste decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.

“My daughter was 3 years old when I joined the military,” he said. “My son was born while I was serving in the military.”

Auguste spent 15 months in Iraq and served multiple deployments during his 11 years in the military, eventually reaching the rank of staff sergeant.

Then came another difficult decision.

“So I made the tough decision — OK, it’s time for me to hang up my boots,” he said.

A difficult transition home

Leaving the military presented challenges Auguste hadn’t anticipated.

After spending years away from his family during his service, Auguste said transitioning back into their everyday lives was difficult.

“Close to half the time I was in the military, I was not home,” he said. “So my wife and kids had to learn how to operate without me there.”

The family of four also had to adjust financially without his full-time military salary.

Eventually, Auguste said his home fell into foreclosure.

He was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with suicidal thoughts.

“When you’re in such a dark place, the most irrational thoughts seem rational,” Auguste said.

Seeing his wife helped him realize something needed to change.

“Seeing my wife’s face made me realize I have to do something,” he said.

Auguste received mental health counseling and reached out to United Way Miami Mission United and the Center for Financial Stability.

“To have someone take a step back and take a look and gave me that pathway — here’s an answer,” he said.

With help, Auguste was able to pay back the debt on his mortgage.

Mission United also helped him begin thinking about what would come next.

“What’s next?” Auguste recalled asking. “And he was like, ‘You have to go to school. You have to get a degree.’”

And he did.

Helping other veterans

In 2020, Auguste graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in political science.

His journey eventually led him to Florida International University, where he now serves as program director in the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

His new mission is helping other veterans navigate their own paths after military service and reminding them that difficult circumstances don’t have to define their futures.

“The future is bright because you are going to be part of it,” Auguste said.

His journey has also come full circle.

Auguste now serves as chair of the United Way Miami Mission United Advisory Board — the same program that helped him define his financial and educational goals during his own transition to civilian life.

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Still, it’s unclear whether the state will decide to drop the second-degree attempted murder case.

Attorney Richard L. Cooper, who is representing the alleged victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told Local 10 News that his client has “forgiven” Brown and “does not wish to participate” in his prosecution.

“After considerable reflection, prayer, and consultation with his family and counsel, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu has made the deeply personal decision to forgive Antonio Brown for the events that occurred in Miami in May 2025,” Cooper said in part, adding that “For Mr. Nantambu, forgiveness does not diminish the seriousness of what occurred. It means refusing to allow anger or resentment to dictate how he moves forward.”

Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told ESPN he and Brown now hope that the state will grant his motion to dismiss the case.

Eiglarsh has previously asked the judge overseeing the case to dismiss the attempted murder charge against Brown, citing Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, saying his client acted in self-defense during the violent confrontation outside an underground boxing event on May 16, 2025.

Eiglarsh also claimed that Nantambu has a documented history of violence toward Brown and intended to attack him again during last year’s incident.

Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 News shows the moments leading up to the shooting just before midnight.

In footage from a courtyard parking area around 11:55 p.m., Brown is seen punching a man, triggering a fight that draws in multiple people. The video shows the confrontation escalating into a three-on-one situation against the man before security intervenes. Brown can then be seen kicking a security guard as the scene is broken up.

Additional surveillance video from a nearby garage shows the man re-entering the camera’s view moments later. Authorities allege that at this point Brown retrieved a gun from a vehicle parked nearby. As the man is pushed away from the area, Brown is seen jogging toward the corner, allegedly holding a gun. At approximately 11:56 p.m., people in the video react as gunshots are heard.

Roughly a minute later, Brown is seen walking back into the area, followed by security guards with their weapons drawn. By 11:58 p.m., Brown is escorted out in handcuffs.

Police body camera footage from the scene shows officers telling Brown he was being detained, not arrested. In the video, Brown says he was injured after being pulled by security and insists he did nothing wrong.

Brown was not arrested the night of the incident because police said they were unable to locate a victim at the scene. An arrest warrant was issued the following month, in June, while Brown was in Dubai. U.S. Marshals later took him into custody overseas and returned him to Miami-Dade County.

According to the arrest warrant, Nantambu told investigators that bullets allegedly fired by Brown grazed his neck. Brown’s attorney maintains Nantambu has a history of attacking Brown and posed an imminent threat during the May 2025 confrontation, forming the basis of the self-defense claim.

According to the Hallandale Beach Police Department, officers responded to the 500 block of Northwest Fifth Street Thursday following a ShotSpotter alert indicating possible gunfire in the area.

As officers were responding, police said they spotted a vehicle believed to be connected to the incident leaving the area at a high rate of speed without its headlights on.

Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver fled, leading police on a pursuit that continued outside Hallandale Beach, according to the department.

Police said four people associated with the vehicle were ultimately taken into custody. They were identified as 20-year-old Tarrell Greene, 21-year-old Devon Halloway, 21-year-old Adrian Knighten and 19-year-old Ashton Jackson.

During the incident, two people fled on foot at separate locations, authorities said.

One was apprehended following a foot chase, while another was taken into custody in Fort Lauderdale with assistance from a police K-9, authorities said.

Police said one of the people taken into custody was found with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to the arm and hip/groin area and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

No officers were injured.

Detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the involvement of those detained.

The investigation remains active, and police said additional charges may be forthcoming.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Carlos Enrique Azuero, of southwest Miami-Dade, was taken into custody following the incident near Southwest 147th Avenue and Southwest 104th Street.

The report states that a deputy was dispatched to the area at approximately 4:52 p.m. after receiving a report about a fight involving a man armed with a bat.

According to the victim, he and Azuero became involved in a road rage incident while both were driving southbound on Southwest 147th Avenue, just south of Southwest 104th Street.

Deputies said both men eventually got out of their vehicles.

The victim told investigators that Azuero exited his vehicle carrying a baseball bat, approached him and swung the bat, striking him in the left arm.

According to the report, the victim said he responded in self-defense by punching Azuero twice, knocking him to the ground.

Deputies said Azuero provided a similar account of what happened.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene, but both men refused medical treatment, the report states.

Investigators determined Azuero was the primary aggressor and arrested him on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Azuero was transported to Jackson West Medical Center for medical clearance before being taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without further incident, deputies said.

As of Friday morning, Azuero remained at TGK with a bond listed in online jail records as “to be set.”

Según un reporte de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Carlos Enrique Azuero, del suroeste de Miami-Dade, fue detenido tras el incidente cerca de Southwest 147th Avenue y Southwest 104th Street.

El reporte señala que un agente fue enviado al área aproximadamente a las 4:52 p.m. después de recibir un reporte sobre una pelea que involucraba a un hombre armado con un bate.

Según la víctima, él y Azuero se vieron involucrados en un incidente de furia al volante mientras ambos conducían hacia el sur por Southwest 147th Avenue, justo al sur de Southwest 104th Street.

Los agentes dijeron que ambos hombres finalmente salieron de sus vehículos.

La víctima dijo a los investigadores que Azuero salió de su vehículo con un bate de béisbol, se acercó a él y blandió el bate, golpeándolo en el brazo izquierdo.

Según el reporte, la víctima dijo que respondió en defensa propia golpeando a Azuero dos veces con el puño, derribándolo al suelo.

Los agentes dijeron que Azuero proporcionó una versión similar de lo ocurrido.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue respondió a la escena, pero ambos hombres rechazaron tratamiento médico, señala el reporte.

Los investigadores determinaron que Azuero fue el principal agresor y lo arrestaron bajo un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma mortal.

Azuero fue trasladado a Jackson West Medical Center para recibir autorización médica antes de ser llevado al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight sin más incidentes, dijeron los agentes.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Azuero permanecía en TGK con una fianza que figuraba en los registros de la cárcel en línea como “por determinar”.

They had even less trouble finding running room.

But after piling up a school-record 856 yards in a 77-7 rout of Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes made it clear they weren’t interested in treating the blowout as the finished product.

“We’re not satisfied,” Hurricanes right tackle Matthew McCoy said. “We hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

That standard has produced two lopsided victories to open the season.

The Hurricanes followed a 45-6 win at Stanford with an offensive explosion against the Rattlers, improving to 2-0 while continuing to show the depth and versatility coach Mario Cristobal has emphasized throughout the offseason.

“Efficient, really, really efficient,” Cristobal said.

Mario Cristobal on the improvements from Week 1 to Week 2: pic.twitter.com/O51LDjUUDi

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

Miami was rarely forced into difficult situations.

Cristobal said the Rattlers did not have many opportunities to get Miami into third-down situations, while the Hurricanes consistently created explosive plays through the air and on the ground.

The result was a record-setting night.

Quarterback Darian Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the first half before giving way to the reserves. The Duke transfer has now thrown eight touchdowns with only four incompletions through two games.

Mensah on his team’s record-setting night on offense: pic.twitter.com/asOm9lLftf

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

“We wanted to play well,” Mensah said. “That’s what I came here to do, and I’m doing it.”

Mensah opened the scoring by finding Josh Moore for a 55-yard touchdown on Miami’s second possession. Mark Fletcher Jr. added two first-quarter rushing touchdowns, including a 46-yard burst that moved him further up Miami’s career rushing lists.

The Hurricanes led 21-0 after one quarter and never slowed down.

Malachi Toney continued his strong start to the season, making a contested 52-yard catch before hauling in a 19-yard touchdown from Mensah. When asked about a separate deep ball he underthrew, Mensah gave Toney credit for making him look good.

Mensah on underthrowing Malichi Toney on a deep ball but Toney still coming up with the catch, and his fast success after transitioning into a new program. pic.twitter.com/MulZat2Y3I

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

“He kind of bailed me out right there, but, you know, that’s what he does,” Mensah said. “He’s an awesome player.”

Miami’s depth became increasingly apparent as the night progressed.

Girard Pringle Jr. contributed as a runner and receiver before scoring, while freshman running back Javian Mallory broke out for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. The two scores were the first of Mallory’s college career.

Javian Mallory on scoring his first 2 collegiate touchdowns. Finished the night with 10 carries 142 yard and the 2 scores. pic.twitter.com/oeBcmZHLPc

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

“I was just very happy,” Mallory said. “Coming into this game, I knew I was gonna get the opportunity. I should make the most of it. That’s what I did.”

Mallory said earning an opportunity so early in his career carries added meaning because of the trust Miami’s coaches have placed in him.

“When I committed, I said that’s what I was gonna do, and I have to keep my word,” Mallory said. “I came in here, put my head down to work, and that’s all we do here at Miami is work hard.”

The Hurricanes took a 49-0 lead into halftime before Cristobal turned the game over to his younger players.

Backup quarterback Luke Nickel continued the offensive barrage, throwing three touchdown passes while completing all eight of his attempts for 144 yards. Dereon Coleman also saw action at quarterback.

The scoring allowed Miami’s younger players to showcase themselves, something McCoy said was one of the most enjoyable parts of the night.

He described himself as a “proud uncle” watching freshmen and other younger players make plays, adding that Miami’s expectations don’t change based on a player’s experience.

For Cristobal, that mentality was evident when the coaching staff considered leaving a starter on the field long enough to reach an individual statistical milestone.

Malachi Toney, Cristobal said, was told he needed a few more yards to reach 100 receiving yards. Rather than pursue the personal accomplishment, Toney wanted his teammates to get on the field.

“He’s like, coach, I want to see my teammates play,” Cristobal said. “I want to see them get better.”

Cristobal said the Hurricanes’ ability to play different combinations on defense also has become increasingly important as injuries have forced younger players into expanded roles.

Mario on the secondary stepping up despite multiple injuries early in the season: pic.twitter.com/cZ2KtYSwIX

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

Freshman safety JJ Dunnigan made his first collegiate start Thursday and was among the defensive backs who stepped up as Miami continued to keep opponents out of the end zone.

“It means a lot cause that’s our standard,” Dunnigan said. “That’s something we want to live by is keeping people out of the end zone, protecting Cane nation.”

JJ Dunnigan on the defense not allowing a TD in 2 games: pic.twitter.com/4CP4ynmQdR

— Ryan Mackey (@RyanMackeyWPLG) September 11, 2026

Cristobal pointed to Dunnigan’s work since arriving at Miami as one reason the freshman was ready for the opportunity.

“It’s as simple as they earn the opportunity to play,” Cristobal said.

The secondary has already had to navigate several injuries. Starting cornerback Xavier Lucas, who was injured in the season opener against Stanford, is expected to miss “approximately a month,” Cristobal said.

“Hopefully that’ll be it,” Cristobal said. “And we’ll get him back.”

Lucas’ absence adds to a growing list of injuries in Miami’s secondary, with O.J. Frederique Jr. and Ja’Boree Antoine also sidelined long term.

Miami adjusted by giving Bryce Fitzgerald more responsibility at outside corner, moving Dunnigan into a starting safety role opposite Zechariah Poyser and keeping Omar Thornton at nickel.

Cristobal said the versatility Miami has developed in the secondary gives the Hurricanes multiple options.

“We have a couple of different combinations that we feel strongly about,” he said.

The defense has been just as dominant as the offense through two games. Miami has not allowed a touchdown this season, and Florida A&M managed only 37 rushing yards on 21 attempts Thursday.

Still, Cristobal was already looking ahead to Wake Forest.

The Hurricanes will have an extra day to prepare for their next opponent, but Cristobal said the benefit only matters if Miami continues to get better.

The starters played roughly 28 to 31 snaps Thursday, he said, enough for them to perform at a high level while allowing the coaching staff to get younger players meaningful reps.

“When it was time to come out, there was no pushback,” Cristobal said.

That response may have mattered as much to Cristobal as the final score.

Miami has scored 122 points in its first two games and outgained its opponents by a wide margin. The Hurricanes have also established themselves as one of the deepest teams in the early portion of the season.

But the message coming out of the locker room was not celebration.

It was expectation.

“Every single week you better get better,” Cristobal said. “And I think we, you know, in some respect, we did that tonight.”

Miami will take its undefeated record to Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 18.

A Miami Police Department arrest report states that the investigation into Seth Thomas Vela, 24, of Little Havana, began in 2025 after Dropbox alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited children to five illicit files uploaded to the cloud storage site.

The report states that detectives found at least 13 videos of boys and girls as young as 1 to 3 years old being raped or sexually abused. One of the videos also involved a dog in the abuse, detectives said.

Police said they submitted a request to Google for information about the email address the Dropbox account was registered to, which pointed back to Vela, who was associated with at least a half-dozen other email addresses, including “methlabenjoyer@gmail.com.”

Another one of those additional email addresses pointed back to Vela’s home in the 200 block of Southwest Sixth Avenue.

On Thursday, police said they raided the home and seized several electronic devices. Vela, they said, “invoked his rights and refused to answer any questions.”

As of Friday morning, Vela was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on 13 counts related to the possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of having images or videos of sexual conduct with animals.

His bond was listed in jail records as “to be set.”

Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was arrested in July at her Fort Worth, Texas, home and brought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court on a Justice Department application to deport her from the U.S. On Friday, the department said that she had waived her rights to challenge her detention and had agreed to be deported.

It wasn't immediately clear when or to where she was deported.

The swift resolution averts what could have been a protracted legal fight testing the authority of the court, which was established in 1996 but until July had not received any petitions, as well as the strength of allegations against Haji Zada.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case’s outcome is “a win for national security and the rule of law.”

“Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the (court) shows how the Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country,” Blanche said in a statement.

The Justice Department has described Haji Zada as a supporter of the Islamic State and identified her at the time as the mother and mother-in-law of two Afghan men who were convicted in Oklahoma of plotting an attack in the U.S. on Election Day in 2024. The plans were foiled before any attack took place.

Her lawyers at the time of the deportation had been pressing the court to force the Justice Department to share information and other evidence to support the allegations in the case.

The long-dormant court has specific authority to conduct deportation proceedings for people whom the Justice Department classifies as “alien terrorists.” The court is comprised of five federal judges from different districts across the country who are appointed by the U.S. chief justice.

"Those who plot acts of terrorism against the United States have no place in our country," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. "We will find them, and we will use every lawful tool available to remove them.”

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It takes preparation, consistency, teamwork, and a commitment to doing things right every single day.

So today, we’re giving a well-deserved Clean Plate shout-out to these establishments.

Thank you for taking food safety seriously and for giving your customers something to feel good about.

It’s hard to do and when you do it, you deserve some serious kudos!

**PINEAPPLE POINT GUESTHOUSE, 315 NE 16TH TERRACE, FORT LAUDERDALE, 8/31

**FREEZE N NITRO CREAMERY, 11610 CITY HALL PROMENADE, MIRAMAR, 8/28

**CHIPOTLE, 2750 SW 27TH TERRACE, MIAMI, 8/28

**JW MARRIOT MARQUIS HOTEL BALLROOM KITCHEN, 255 BISCAYNE BLVD., MIAMI, 8/27

**LOBBY LOUNGE HYATT, 50 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE, CORAL GABLES, 8/26

**DOUBLETREE MIAMI MART AIRPORT HOTEL, 711 NW 72ND AVE., MIAMI, 8/26

**GARDEN INN, 51 SOUTH HOMESTEAD BLVD., HOMESTEAD, 8/26

**LA QUINTA INN & SUITES, 3701 N. UNIVERSITY DR., CORAL SPRINGS, 8/27

**NORTH ITALIA, 699 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY, FORT LAUDERDALE, 8/27

**AMC MOVIE PEMBROKE LAKES, 12085 PINES BLVD., PEMBROKE PINES, 8/25

**TURNBERRY ISLE/HARRY SOFFER ROOM, 19999 WEST COUNTRY CLUB DR., AVENTURA, 8/24

**BLAZ’N CHICKEN, 7955 MIRAMAR PARKWAY, MIRAMAR, 8/25

**CAFE MED/THE TERRACE EVENTS, 2096 NE 2ND ST., DEERFIELD BEACH, 8/25

**JAVA JOE’S, 2230 WILTON DR., WILTON MANORS, 8/24

**DUNKIN’, 11970 PINES BLVD., PEMBROKE PINES, 8/24

**MCGOWEN’S, 310 N. BROADWALK, HOLLYWOOD, 8/24

**LUKE’S LOBSTER, 701 SOUTH MIAMI AVE., 8/21, MIAMI

**KOSHER GRILL, 1501 NW 3RD ST., MIAMI, 8/21

**ANCHORED CHEF(CATERING), 664 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY, FORT LAUDERDALE, 8/21

**WENDY’S, 3535 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., HOLLYWOOD, 8/19

**JW MARRIOTT POOL BAR, 1109 BRICKELL AVE., MIAMI, 8/17

**PHO NGUYEN VIETNAMESE NOODLE HOUSE, 10820 PINES BLVD., PEMBROKE PINES, 8/14

**NRG COFFEE SHOP, 4053 SW 152ND ST., WESTCHESTER, 8/14

**PANDA EXPRESS, 18050 NW 57TH AVE., HIALEAH, 8/14

**TACO BELL, 4870 NW 183RD ST. (MIAMI GARDENS DR.), MIAMI GARDENS, 8/14

**WENDY’S, 697 NW 37TH AVE., MIAMI, 8/14

**KENDALL ICE ARENA, 10355 HAMMOCKS BLVD., WEST KENDALL, 8/13

**MAMACITA’S MEXICAN BAR & GRILL, 508 N. BROADWALK, HOLLYWOOD, 8/13

**EVERGLADES SAFARI RESTAURANT, 26700 SW 8TH ST., SOUTH-MIAMI DADE/REDLAND, 8/12

**SUBWAY, 12800 PINES BLVD., PEMBROKE PINES, 8/12

**EMACK & BOLIO’S, 10350 PINES BLVD., PEMBROKE PINES, 8/12

**BANQUET KITCHEN, 2670 EAST SUNRISE BLVD., FORT LAUDERDALE, 8/12

**BURGERS & BEERS, 2031 WILTON DRIVE, WILTON MANORS, 8/12

**DOMINOS, 2454 SHERIDAN ST., HOLLYWOOD, 8/12

**PIU ARGENTINIAN ICE CREAM, 6310 GRIFFIN ROAD, DAVIE, 8/12

**RECOVECO, 6000 SW 74TH ST., SOUTH MIAMI, 8/11

**PALM BISTRO JOHN KNOX VILLAGE, 700 SW 4TH ST., POMPANO BEACH, 8/11

**WENDY’S, 2370 SW 8TH ST., MIAMI, 8/10

**MCDONALDS, 7995 WEST FLAGLER ST., WESTCHESTER, 8/7

**WENDY’S, 16601 NW 57TH AVE., HIALEAH, 8/6

**WHIT’S FROZEN CUSTARD, 4850 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY, LIGHTHOUSE POINT, 8/5

**CHIPOTLE, 2110 SOUTH UNIVERSITY DR., DAVIE, 8/5

**PANERA BREAD, 1729 EAST HALLANDALE BEACH BLVD., HALLANDALE BEACH, 8/5

**ARIELA’S DELICIOUS PIZZA, 3330 GRIFFIN ROAD, DANIA BEACH, 8/3

**BAMBOO KITCHEN, 3322 GRIFFIN ROAD, DANIA BEACH, 8/3

**TRUE MADE METHOD, (CATERING), SUNRISE, 8/3

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The Atlantic hurricane season has never gone beyond September 11^th in the reliable records (since at least 1950) without a hurricane. But with no credible storm contenders on the horizon at least into early next week, the 2026 hurricane season will easily set a new record for the latest-forming first hurricane.

Officially, NOAA is predicting 2 to 6 hurricanes this season and while it’s still more likely than not we’ll see a hurricane or two on the back side of the season – after all, we’ve never had a hurricane season in the reliable record come and go without any hurricanes (1907 and 1914 are the only seasons in the full record without any hurricanes, but that was before we had satellites or airplanes to detect lone open-ocean storms) – but if ever we were to take the under, this would probably be the year.

Overall seasonal activity as measured by the Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, is at a paltry 4.4 units (the average for September 11^th is 60.5 ACE units), the lowest of any hurricane season to date in the modern record.

None of this is to say that we can’t or won’t see a week or two before the end of November where a big hurricane breaks through, but for the traditional height of the hurricane season, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Low development odds over the open subtropical Atlantic next week

Yesterday we mentioned a subtle signal in our longer range models of a possible system coming from the open subtropical Atlantic for the middle to later part of next week. The signal has become a little more pronounced today, especially in our AI camp of models (in both the Euro AI and Google DeepMind) but remains in the 10-30% range for next week.

If anything were to develop later next week, it’s most likely it would do so well east of Bermuda and is certainly nothing for us in the U.S. to be worried about.

En los registros fiables (desde al menos 1950) , la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico nunca se había extendido más allá del 11 de septiembre ^sin que se hubiera formado un huracán. Pero, al no haber tormentas importantes en el horizonte al menos hasta principios de la próxima semana, la temporada de huracanes de 2026 establecerá fácilmente un nuevo récord para el primer huracán que se forma más tarde.

Oficialmente, la NOAA pronostica entre 2 y 6 huracanes esta temporada, y aunque sigue siendo más probable que veamos uno o dos huracanes al final de la temporada (después de todo, nunca hemos tenido una temporada de huracanes en los registros fiables que transcurra sin ningún huracán, 1907 y 1914 son las únicas temporadas en el registro completo sin huracanes, pero eso fue antes de que tuviéramos satélites o aviones para detectar tormentas solitarias en mar abierto), si alguna vez apostamos por la baja, probablemente este sería el año.

La actividad estacional general, medida por la Energía Ciclónica Acumulada (ACE, por sus siglas en inglés), se sitúa en tan solo 4,4 unidades (el promedio para el 11 de septiembre ^es de 60,5 unidades ACE), el nivel más bajo de cualquier temporada de huracanes registrada hasta la fecha en la historia moderna.

Esto no quiere decir que no podamos ver, o que no vayamos a ver, una o dos semanas antes de finales de noviembre en las que un gran huracán azote la zona, pero para el punto álgido tradicional de la temporada de huracanes, no hay nada mejor que esto.

Bajas probabilidades de desarrollo en el Atlántico subtropical abierto la próxima semana.

Ayer mencionamos una señal sutil en nuestros modelos a largo plazo sobre un posible sistema proveniente del Atlántico subtropical abierto para mediados o finales de la próxima semana. La señal se ha vuelto un poco más pronunciada hoy, especialmente en nuestros modelos de IA (tanto en Euro AI como en Google DeepMind), pero se mantiene en el rango del 10-30% para la próxima semana.

Si surgiera algún acontecimiento la semana que viene, lo más probable es que se produzca al este de las Bermudas y, desde luego, no es motivo de preocupación para quienes vivimos en Estados Unidos.

Thunderstorm chances remain high into the weekend, especially on Saturday. Some storms could be strong and any cities picking up 2-4 inches of rain in a short time could experience more minor flooding. High temperatures will be capped around 90 degrees each day.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade respondieron al accidente con fuga cerca de Northwest 117th Street y Northwest Seventh Avenue aproximadamente a las 8:40 p.m.

Un equipo de Local 10 News estuvo en el lugar más tarde esa noche, donde lo que parecía ser una bicicleta eléctrica estaba en el suelo con escombros esparcidos a su alrededor.

Según los investigadores, un conductor desconocido viajaba hacia el norte por Northwest Seventh Avenue y se acercaba a Northwest 117th Street cuando giró a la izquierda hacia 117th Street.

El vehículo luego atropelló a las víctimas, quienes viajaban en bicicleta por Northwest 117th Street, dijeron las autoridades.

Los agentes llegaron y encontraron a ambos menores inconscientes, tendidos en la vía, según la MDSO.

Equipos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue respondieron y trasladaron a ambas víctimas al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital en condición crítica.

Las edades de las víctimas aún no han sido divulgadas.

Detectives de la Unidad de Homicidios de Tránsito de la MDSO asumieron la investigación.

Las autoridades no proporcionaron una descripción del conductor ni del vehículo involucrado.

La investigación continúa en curso.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre el accidente debe comunicarse con Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-TIPS (8477).

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Suzanne Howland, the granddaughter of the man who helped build the iconic waterfront Art Deco building at 3500 Pan American Drive, said the structure must be preserved.

“My grandfather built this building: Fred Howland of Fred Howland Construction Company,” Howland said. “This is an iconic building, it must be preserved.”

The building was constructed in the 1930s as Pan American World Airways’ seaplane terminal and has operated as Miami City Hall since the 1950s.

“Significant because of its beauty, its location, its usage, its accessibility,” Howland said. “I think the beauty of this building, the artistry, the history, the symbolism, is so important.”

Rich Heisenbottle, a leading renovation architect who worked to restore the building, said the connection between Miami and Pan Am is forever intertwined in the building.

“And that international connection that Pan Am brought to Miami has helped us even today. That international connection is the reason we are the city we are today -- the exciting, vibrant, multicultural city that we are,” Heisenbottle said.

Heisenbottle said that 10 years ago, the building “was in quite a bit of disarray.”

“What we did was uncover all the designs that were part of the Delano & Aldrich interior for Pan Am when it served as Pan Am’s terminal,” Heisenbottle said.

Several community members, historic preservation advocates and even former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado gathered Thursday to support a resolution by District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo.

Deborah Stander, president of Hangar 5 Foundation, Inc., called the building, “arguably Miami’s most iconic building that speaks so directly to our city’s identity as an international gateway to the Americas.”

“This is literally the embodiment of the gateway — this is the gateway,” Stander said.

Regalado said Miami cannot keep erasing its history.

“The most important thing is that we have little history,” Regalado said. “We cannot keep erasing the history of Miami. We can’t keep giving away the history of our city. We are stewards of the history of Miami.”

The resolution would continue the historic building’s use as City Hall, home to regular City Commission meetings, instead of moving into the new administration building under construction at the soccer stadium site near Miami International Airport.

“You don’t have to abandon your past to build your future,” said Prado.

The item was backed by several of his colleagues.

District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado said the city of Miami does not always have the best history of preserving its cultural, historic and civic assets.

“Today is about letting the public know we very much want to preserve this building, a civic function associated with it, and that it should be here for the rest of time,” Rosado said. “Our concern is that a private operator would take this over, maybe doing renovations that are not in keeping with the history of Miami.

“We have seen it before, we want to make sure that we express our commitment to keeping this building here, keeping it for history.”

District 5 Commissioner Christine King said the goal is to preserve City Hall and not move commission meetings from the historic space to the new administration building farther west.

“We see all across the U.S. where cities preserve their historic spaces,” King said. “In Miami, we seem to want to tear it down and just be a modern city and everything new and sparkly. We are standing here with Commissioner Pardo so we continue to utilize this space for what it was meant for.

“We are standing in unity because we want to see this space preserved. We want to continue to have our commission meetings here. We want to show not only the city of Miami, but the rest of the world that we care about our historic spaces as well.”

Pardo said the building represents Miami’s connection to the Caribbean and Latin America.

“This is where our leaders for 70 years debated our future, that is a tremendous legacy, this is the people’s place, where they come to speak and we want to make sure we honor that, where global leaders would come,” Pardo said. “There is nothing to replace this.”

The lone dissenter was District 1 Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who expressed concern about potential taxpayer duplication given that a new administration building is going up.

Pardo said those were valid concerns but that the city was still early enough in the process to make accommodations.

“I think those are very valid concerns, but we are still ahead enough in the process that we can make a lot of accommodations,” Pardo said.

The item passed 4-1, with Gabela voting no.

“Done and done, not moving, we are here,” Pardo said.

Natalia Curjeiras, the CEO of the Museum of Miami, a key stakeholder in telling the story of Miami, pitched commissioners on the idea of moving in.

“This is a historic gem, and we can have the ability to share the story of Miami and preserve this site for generations to come,” Curjeiras said.

Describing a “very, very preliminary” plan, Curjeiras said the museum proposed preserving the historic terminal while building a dedicated museum next to it.

She said the museum “is better equipped than anyone else to preserve this site for future generations,” as a curator of Pan Am artifacts and other historic items and documents.

“There is no other place that has so many layers of our history,” Curjeiras said. “The fact that we can bring those artifacts to where that history happened is a really powerful thing.”

Curjeiras told Local 10 News that, in addition to commission meetings, the museum could help activate chambers with a range of community programming to lean into the civic space Pardo described as Miami’s “ancestral home.”

“And what we want to build is a civic campus, where our community can come, learn about our history, go to a commission meeting, or attend a public event, or walk around the bay and make sure our children, and the children of our children and have access to that and take pride in the access to that history of the place we call home,” she said.

As for the idea of constructing an adjacent building for the museum, Howland expressed concern about what that could look like.

“I would like to see evidence of that plan but it just seems to me, shooting from the hip, that it would be an obstruction interfering with the setting of this building,” Howland said. “That perhaps, visually, it wouldn’t be such a great thing, but hard to say until we see it, would like to see it, but I think this should remain in the visual isolation that it is for it to be appreciated.”

Curjeiras said any new museum building would have to be built at scale in a way that allows the Pan Am terminal to remain the visual focus.

“It could potentially be behind, aside, that has yet to be determined, that is a whole process that would have to take place,” she said. “So we will present an intent to the city where we can hopefully come up with a framework that would allow us to start a formal conversation about next steps.”

Pardo said he anticipates the city will likely receive public-private partnership pitches from others seeking to collaborate.

“We are all open to everything, we also have Pan Am Airways there, they are starting the new Pan American Airways, they were here making a pitch of wanting to potentially have this space for operations in the future,” Pardo said.

Pardo said ultimately, the biggest criterion for consideration is financial viability.

“For the city the biggest criteria is the financial viability of whoever comes in here with us,” Pardo said. “We want to make sure that they can pay their share, that we can keep maintaining the building, which only costs $295,000 a year to maintain so at least it is not a big weight on the budget it is well worth the money to keep City Hall here.”

Investigators say the theft operation spanned across multiple counties and resulted in over $1 million in stolen merchandise.

It’s being called a multi-circuit organized retail theft enterprise, a case that was finally cracked after a 15-month investigation.

According to investigators, the stolen baby formula was being stored inside a warehouse in Davie.

The slip at the warehouse comes back to a man named Mohammed Alsaidi. According to state records, he runs a hookah company, but Local 10 News has learned Alsaidi, 59, was arrested on accusations of being the head of the formula theft ring, along with 49-year-old Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib.

Both are from the Lake Worth area, and both are now in custody.

The baby formula theft ring, according to investigators, uses “boosters,” described as people who are paid to steal the product from stores like Publix, Target, Walmart and Winn-Dixie.

Those boosters would then allegedly sell the stolen formula to Alsaidi and Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, and cops say the couple would sell the product on the illegal market far below its retail value.

Authorities said the pair eventually made more than $1 million in profit off the scam in as little as seven months, from November of 2024 to June of 2025.

Both suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts of directing or dealing in stolen property, all first-degree felonies.

If convicted as charged, each faces up to 90 years in state prison.

The fastest man and woman in the 100 meters this year — Olympic titlist Noah Lyles (9.79 seconds) and burgeoning University of Georgia star Adaejah Hodge (10.63) — will both be absent from the track meet offering $150,000 top prizes.

It's part of the reality of track: Even when it tries its hardest to bring the best together, a sport with thousands of athletes — all independent contractors on different schedules and always at the risk of injury — will miss a few here and there.

In Lyles' case, it was a matter of a leg injury that came up at the U.S. championships in July and never fully healed that's keeping him away.

“I was very reluctant and I was saying ‘No, no, no, we can push through this,’” Lyles said. “But in reality, I had to come to my senses and say ‘No, I can’t keep pushing through this, or it's just going to get worse.'”

Lyles wanted to race in Budapest — and, in fact, he's here anyway, serving as an emcee and party planner for an event that's supposed to cater to the athletes.

But this event was never part of Hodge's plans.

She built her schedule around NCAA indoor and outdoor championships, where she won the 200 meters in both and also shattered Sha'Carri Richardson's seven-year-old college record of 10.75 seconds in the 100 meters in a preliminary heat before falling in the final.

Last month, Hodge, who competes internationally for the British Virgin Islands, won gold in the 200 at the Commonwealth Games, which is where she'd always planned to end her season. Not even a chance at the $150,000 first prize could change the schedule.

“We targeted that in training, got that done, stuck to our guns,” said Hodge's coach at Georgia, Caryl Smith Gilbert. “We said ‘Let’s rest.' There are three long years ahead. We've got worlds, Olympics, worlds.”

Track tries adding major to what used to be an ‘off’ year

For decades, track moved to that rhythm — an Olympic year sandwiched between years featuring world championships — and left the middle year between Olympic Games free of major international events.

The Ultimate Championship seeks to change that, banking that a $10 million prize pool will be enough to lure the top 16 athletes in selected events to a season-ending meeting that looks completely different from most in track.

The sport mostly got takers for the first edition of this format. For instance, Josh Kerr, who jettisoned 1,500-meter races this year to focus on the slightly longer mile, where he broke a 27-year-old world record, accepted a special invitation for the 1,500 at Ultimate.

“I think it's a really interesting opportunity for the athletes,” Kerr said. “To be able to go out there and race again against a world-class field is something I always want to do. I'm going to show up at my best. It's kept me going for an extra six weeks and I'm pretty excited about it."

Babies and injuries keep other athletes on the sideline

Not everyone, however, was willing to change plans.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the most consistently excellent athlete in the entire sport, took 2026 off to have a baby. Her daughter, Savannah, was born July 12.

Beatrice Chebet, the Olympic and world champion at 5,000 meters, also had a baby in June.

With Faith Kipyegon shutting down her season due to injury last month, Ultimate is missing the 1-2 finishers in the 5,000 (Chebet-Kipyegon) and the champion in the 1,500 meters (Kipyegon) from the last Olympics and worlds. There isn't a single Kenyan in the women's 5,000-meter race.

Finally, there is the case of Tara Davis-Woodhall, the reigning Olympic and world champion long jumper who suffered a concussion after getting hit head-on while driving in a parking lot on her way to training last month. She returned to training but earlier this week decided she had to shut down her season.

Davis-Woodhall, one of the more vibrant personalities in the sport, was supposed to be a lead content creator for Ultimate Championship.

“This one hurts,” she said in a social media post announcing she would not make the trip to Budapest. “I’m sad, disappointed and just hurt by all of it. I know this has to be part of my story.”

At 20, Hodge's coach promises the best is yet to come

While most of the athletes missing this week are known quantities, Hodge is still something of a mystery to all but true track junkies.

Two years ago, she was quietly suspended for 17 months by the Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for a banned substance called Cardarine. That and other positive tests from athletes in her training group at the time in Florida triggered an investigation into the coach of that group.

All parties in Hodge's case acknowledged she unintentionally ingested the substance. Her ban was reduced by seven months after she provided assistance to AIU in investigating the case.

Of the 10.63 Hodge ran in June in Eugene, Oregon, her coach, Smith Gilbert, said: “Part of me says she wasn't even close to that sort of time, part of me says it's what I thought she could do and part of me thinks this is completely amazing.”

“She's an amazing kid, a great person, a wonderful human being,” Smith Gilbert said. “You’re lucky enough to get kids like that maybe once or twice in your coaching career."

Hodge's time is .07 faster than the second-best marks of the season, posted by Olympic champion Julien Alfred and world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, both of whom are racing Saturday.

Smith Gilbert said to expect Hodge to be in that mix starting in 2027.

“She's going to be one of the best ever,” the coach said.

___

See AP’s full sports coverage here

It has become a daily ritual for residents of Mansouri, who fled the village weeks ago and now are watching its destruction from the neighboring village of Hanniyeh.

Active fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has simmered down since they entered into a truce in June, but the Israeli military now occupies large swaths of southern Lebanon, where it regularly carries out controlled demolitions.

Massive clouds of smoke and dust rise periodically from Mansouri, as the men watching debate which neighbor's house has been destroyed this time and look for signs of their own. Early Friday, the Israeli military detonated the village's public school, Lebanese state media reported.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the demolitions.

Villagers decry the Lebanese government's lack of response

Some displaced residents blame the Lebanese government along with Israel, saying that authorities abandoned the village.

Ali Hussein Ghanem, a tobacco farmer from Mansouri, is staying with relatives in Hanniyeh along with his wife and children.

“This is something that should never happen,” he said, watching the smoke rise over his village from a distance. “Isn’t the state supposed to protect our town rather than hand it over to Israel?”

Wissam Khashabi, a beekeeper, also from Mansouri, agreed.

“We are seeing our land being destroyed,” he said. “We have lost our property, our orchards, and all our livelihoods. The state is not really doing anything.”

On Thursday, Israeli officials said they had blown up Hezbollah tunnel networks under the strategic Ali Taher ridge near the town of Nabatiyeh, in a different part of southern Lebanon. The force of the blasts caused the earth to shake in surrounding areas.

The Israeli military said the ridge contained extensive underground military infrastructure built by Hezbollah. It had been the site of clashes between Israeli forces and the militant group in recent weeks, before Israel announced it had taken “operational control” of it.

No political solution in sight

Many residents of Mansouri fled when the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March, but returned after the truce in June — only to flee again when the Israeli military issued a call to evacuate the village last month and began striking it again.

Israel said at the time that it was responding to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah. But it’s not clear why it has been demolishing the village since then.

Some of the displaced were taken in by relatives, while others are staying in school shelters in the nearby city of Tyre. At the height of the war, some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon. The ceasefire has allowed most of them to return home, but more than 300,000 remain displaced.

With negotiations between Israel and Lebanon — and between the U.S. and Iran — stalled, there is no political solution in sight that would allow them to go home.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when the militant group fired rockets across the border two days after Israel and the U.S. launched a war on Iran.

The Lebanese government and Israel reached a framework agreement in June stating Israel will withdraw from Lebanon as Hezbollah is disarmed, but there has been little movement on implementing it.

Lebanese and Israeli officials are expected to meet for another round of talks in Rome later this month.

——

Associated Press writer Abby Sewell contributed from Beirut.

Horns and noise echoed memories of the chaos, when entire buildings came crashing down. At least 330 people died.

It was the largest earthquake to hit the country since 1979.

At least 20 buildings collapsed in Cali, and the cleanup continues. Some of the collapse sites have now been cleared.

Nearly 40,000 tons of debris have been removed from more than 140 buildings that collapsed across Colombia.

With the debris cleared in Cali, the mayor has declared that the reconstruction process has begun.

But for people like Angela Charry, the uncertainty remains.

“I was autonomous. I had my own space. It was immense,” Charry said.

Her home, where she lives with her 90-year-old mother, was left uninhabitable. She is now staying with a family friend.

“All we are waiting for is an opportunity for housing,” she said.

For many survivors, finding a place to live is only part of the challenge.

“Some of them are feeling hopeless about the situation and don’t know what will happen,” said Pamela Londoño, a mental health leader with the NGO Project Hope. “What they are in need of is a safe space to live. They are looking to recover their livelihoods. But also they are in need of mental health and social-psych support.”

Social studies and civics teacher Robert Rabelo got a surprise — and it came with a $1,000 check.

The Orange Bowl Committee named Rabelo a recipient of its “Extra Yard for Teachers” program, honoring him for the difference he makes for his students.

Rabelo founded the “Power of One” club and “D-WOW Mindset of Success,” teaching his students to put others first and believe in their own potential.

On Thursday, his students got to see their teacher get a little recognition of his own.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Local 10 News, Carlos Jose Mejia, 51, the property manager for Venetian Gardens at Country Club of Miami, and Richard Thomas Murray, 62, owner of AP Construction Solutions LLC, worked together on a kickback scheme that funneled nearly $190,000 out of a 288-unit condo association.

The scheme impacted hundreds of unit owners who were paying the HOA, official documents indicated.

Jail records show Mejia is facing 10 counts of violation of the Florida Condominium Act and one count of organized scheme to defraud.

Records show Murray is facing one count of organized scheme to defraud.

The case began after roofing salesman John Kenney filed a complaint around June 20, 2025, according to the arrest affidavits.

Kenney told investigators he brokered the introduction between Mejia and Murray, expecting a commission on any resulting contract, according to the warrants.

After the introduction, Mejia began dealing directly with Murray, and Kenney said he was cut out of the arrangement and never received a commission. When he asked why, Kenney said he obtained documents — including loan paperwork and a canceled check — indicating Murray had been paying Mejia kickbacks disguised as personal loans, according to the warrants.

Venetian Gardens and AP Construction signed their first contract in February 2024, with payments to the company beginning that August, according to the warrants.

Investigators subpoenaed banking records and traced eight checks from Murray’s company, US Murray Holdings Inc., to Mejia between October 2024 and May 2025, ranging from $2,000 to $100,000 and totaling $171,426.05, according to the warrants. Each check’s memo line read “Loan Agreement.”

Bank teller records showed the checks were cashed at a JPMorgan Chase branch, with proceeds split among cash, credit card payments and, in one case, a $50,000 cashier’s check made out to a third party, the affidavits state.

Two additional checks issued in July and September 2025 brought the total payments to Mejia to approximately $186,445.27, investigators said.

Mejia appeared before a judge in Miami-Dade County on Thursday and was granted a $40,000 bond. He remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Thursday evening, while Murray was not listed among the jail’s inmates.

Friday’s milestone anniversary will bring memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll.

For others it’s an occasion for private reflection — or, in many schools, education — about the attack that unfolded in a single morning but left nearly 3,000 dead and a decadeslong trail of aftermath, from personal grief to far-flung wars.

Police Officer Casey Kloepfer plans to spend time Friday at the Brooklyn station house where his father, Officer Ronald Kloepfer, reported to work that day before being called to the World Trade Center. He didn’t make it home.

Casey Kloepfer was only 4, but he grew up hearing about his father’s affinity for helping people and for a job that enabled him to do so. He became an officer this past June.

“It’s big footsteps to fill, but it’s definitely something that I take very seriously and want to continue to honor him and be the best police officer I can,” he said by phone this week. The 29-year-old wears his father’s badge number and even has joined the New York Police Department lacrosse team, which his dad founded.

Trump to attend Pentagon observance

On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The impacts brought down the World Trade Center’s twin towers — icons of U.S. economic power, and among the tallest buildings on Earth — and blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. military’s fortress-like headquarters near Washington. The fourth plane also was headed for the nation’s capital, officials concluded, but the aircraft went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.

“In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before” and after, President Donald Trump said at a 9/11 remembrance in Washington this week. The Republican, who was in his native New York on Sept. 11 and has often recounted his memories, plans to attend the Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony Friday.

Vice President JD Vance is expected at the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, while other administration officials are headed to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Planned remembrances extend far beyond the attack sites, from beams of light projecting from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington to a stair climb at Mississippi State University’s football stadium to a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 memorial.

At ground zero, a new tribute to those who fell ill

Traditionally, there are no political speeches at the New York commemoration, where relatives read all the victims’ names, punctuated with moments of silence at key points in the attack timeline. For the first time, this year’s ceremony will add a silent moment to honor people who were exposed to the clouds of toxic dust released by the twin towers’ fiery collapse and have since died of cancer and other illnesses. Questions remain about how many people developed health problems linked to the dust.

It’s a reminder of how the attacks’ long shadow has reached into many corners of life in the U.S. and beyond.

The U.S.-led global war on terrorism included invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan — the latter Washington’s longest war — and detentions and harsh interrogation of terror suspects in an international network of secret CIA prisons. The U.S. military found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed still awaits a trial 23 years after his capture.

The attacks changed U.S. air travel, prompted new federal surveillance and intelligence-gathering powers and banking regulations, and generated ongoing debate over the balance between security and freedom. The Department of Homeland Security, many state anti-terrorism laws and billions of dollars in state and local counterterrorism funding all are post-9/11 creations.

So, too, is the culture of individual vigilance summed up by the slogan “ if you see something, say something.”

Unity, mistrust and scrutiny of New York’s mayor

Sept. 11 generated a wave of patriotism that propelled some Americans to join the military, fire departments, police forces or other public agencies. But amid the national unity that many remember, the attacks also fanned mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslims.

In the quarter-century since, Muslim Americans have played a growing role in public life from statehouses to Congress to New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor. Yet he faced some criticism for attending the anniversary ceremony at ground zero, something his predecessors have done for years.

Some complaints came from Republican ex-Gov. George Pataki and 9/11 victims’ relatives, who cited among other things past remarks that some of Mamdani’s political associates have made about the attacks. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also inveighed against Mamdani attending, though the two shook hands Friday as they awaited the start of the observance.

Mamdani, a Democrat, said earlier this week that he loves the city and country and wants the anniversary to focus on victims’ families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after the attacks, which he called a “horrific act of terror.” The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school student in New York on 9/11.

Sept. 11 isn’t a federal holiday, but Congress has designated it both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

“One appropriate way to remember is by serving,” says Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Winuk and then co-founded the volunteer organization 9/11 Day with friend David Paine. The group helps people find meal-packing and other volunteer opportunities and this year arranged for dozens of Times Square billboards to pause their advertising at 9:11 a.m. Friday.

Instead, they will simply display the time.

Two people died when Russian drones hit the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday night while a “direct threat” to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point on Wednesday night was only avoided thanks to cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv, Tusk said on Thursday.

He gave no further details of the incident, nor did he present evidence of Russian involvement.

Tusk said he received a briefing on Thursday from CIA Director Jim Ratcliffe, who was recently in Moscow, about the risks posed by Russia in the region in the coming months.

“Russia already decided to engage in provocative attacks on border crossing points, for example in Moldova,” he said, speaking on Thursday in Bratislava, Slovakia, during a meeting of central European countries and Ireland. “We expect similar actions regarding border crossings with Ukraine in other countries as well, including Poland.”

Tusk added that he received information from Ratcliffe indicating Poland and Europe should be prepared for “various scenarios” on the Russian-Ukrainian front and in the countries on the European Union’s eastern flank.

Ukraine shares borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, as well as Russia and its ally Belarus.

Moldova confronts a string of border incidents

In recent weeks, Moldova, a former Soviet republic and a candidate for European Union membership since 2022, has been affected by multiple incidents near its southern border crossings with Ukraine.

On Aug. 20, an explosion in a parking lot on Ukrainian territory, about 150 meters (490 feet) from Moldova’s southern Giurgiulesti border crossing, resulted in a vegetation fire that spread about 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) onto Moldovan territory. The same day, border police spotted a crater on Moldovan territory about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the border, where they found debris from a type of drone used by Russia in Ukraine.

A day later, Moldova’s Mirnoe border was temporarily closed after Russian strikes nearby on Ukraine. On Aug. 25, Moldova also suspended activity at its Vulcanesti border crossing after an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck the Ukrainian side. Moldova’s border police urged citizens “who hear drone noises or explosions” to remain calm and take shelter.

After the border incident on Tuesday night at the Starokozache crossing, Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu condemned Russia, and said Moscow’s “brutal war is reaching our border.”

“To deny the danger while Russian drones and missiles sow death and put Moldova in danger, and to criticize your country’s efforts to strengthen its defense system, is to choose betrayal over the safety of your own people,” she said in a post on Facebook.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a border crossing with NATO-member Romania, in the east of the country along the Danube River, was “deliberately damaged, ... as well as export infrastructure.” Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's river ports throughout the war.

Romania has also reported an almost threefold increase in drone incursions so far this year compared to the whole of 2025, and more than double the number of drones and drone debris found on its territory.

CIA briefs Poland on upcoming Russian threats to Europe

Tusk has been warning for weeks that Russia could carry out a limited military or more significant hybrid provocation against Poland or the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in the near future.

“In the last few hours, I received a fairly detailed report directly from the CIA director regarding possible incidents in the coming months—and this is exactly what I’ve been saying and warning about for many months now,” Tusk said in Bratislava.

In late August, Ratcliffe visited Moscow and held talks with his Russian intelligence counterparts, with Polish politicians speculating that one of the topics could have been the possible Russian threat to NATO.

On Tuesday, Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister overseeing intelligence services met with Ratcliffe at CIA headquarters in Virginia to discuss Poland's security and cooperation with the Americans.

On Thursday and Friday this week, an American delegation including William Cappelletti Jr. from the Department of Defense and Thomas DiNanno from the Department of State, is visiting Poland to check out several potential locations for a permanent U.S. military base there.

Poland has for years sought to host a permanent U.S. base as a strong guarantee of its security in the face of the rising Russian threat.

Poland’s high defense spending and major U.S. arms purchases have persuaded the Donald Trump administration to consider putting a permanent base in Poland even as it reorganizes and reduces its overall military presence in Europe.

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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.

The violent protests, which erupted in South Africa earlier this year, have forced thousands of migrants to leave and caused diplomatic tensions with other African nations.

Kamoru Ogunlana, the clerk to Nigeria’s National Assembly, said in a statement that the parliament was “particularly concerned by reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon their businesses, investments, homes and other properties as a result of recurring violent attacks.”

South Africa has for years attracted foreign nationals from across the continent, including many from Nigeria, because of its relative wealth and opportunity. But foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. Protesters in the southern African country blame foreigners for high levels of unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

In June, two Nigerians were killed during anti-migrant violence in South Africa, just two days before an unofficial deadline set by protesters for foreigners to leave. Nigeria's foreign ministry said one was allegedly killed by police officers and the other by unidentified attackers.

Nigeria’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, hosted South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola in the country’s capital, Abuja, in July to discuss the recurring attacks. At that meeting, Enikanolaiye said that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related violence and extrajudicial killings.

The move by the parliament in Nigeria on Friday is a “strong expression” of concern over the safety and welfare of Nigerians living and conducting legitimate businesses in South Africa, Ogunlana said.

According to South Africa's latest government figures, almost 90,000 people have either been voluntarily repatriated or have been deported since the migration tensions began. However, figures released by the governments of migrants’ home countries put the total at about 178,000.

According to the governor of the northwestern province of Sud-Ubangi, Jean-Rene Galekwa Vundawe, laboratory tests by Congo’s national research institute found in a sample the Bundibugyo virus, the rare kind of Ebola that caused the current outbreak.

The statement, which was issued on Thursday and reported by local media outlets on Friday, said the sample was from the Bulu health district in Sud-Ubangi. It did not disclose other information about the source of the infection.

The development makes Sud-Ubangi the seventh province affected by the outbreak — and the first in western Congo — a worrisome spread west from what was previously concentrated in the country’s east. A case was detected in Kinshasa in May in a person who had traveled from eastern Congo, but the Congolese capital was not classified as an affected province.

As of Wednesday, 6,942 cases and 3,349 deaths have been reported, according to the latest government figures.

The World Health Organization has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele.

The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions.

Sud-Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic, does not border any of the six provinces in eastern Congo where confirmed Ebola cases had previously been reported. They include Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Bas-Uele.

WHO said last month there is a risk the outbreak could spread from Congo to neighboring Central African Republic and South Sudan, which border the affected provinces.

Neighboring Uganda, which had reported 20 cases since May, declared itself free of Ebola in July.

Last month, Congo began vaccinating health and other front-line workers with the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type called Zaire.

Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus.

The vaccination trials started in the eastern Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele provinces, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Africa CDC’s director for research, clinical trials and innovation, said Thursday. Vaccinations in Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, are set to start next week, he added.

Las sospechas de corrupción, sesgo político e interferencia policial se ciernen sobre varios de sus miembros, y la agitación está afectando ya a las elecciones generales de octubre.

El presidente del tribunal, Luiz Edson Fachin, ordenó la cancelación el jueves y convocó una nueva sesión para el martes, un día en el que la corte no suele reunirse. El pleno, formado por 10 magistrados, analizará si uno de ellos, Alexandre de Moraes, debe ser investigado por presuntos vínculos con el propietario del quebrado Banco Master, que cerró tras denuncias de fraude.

La crisis en el tribunal estalló el 1 de septiembre, cuando el juez André Mendonça, designado por Bolsonaro, desclasificó documentos de la policía federal que mostraban que el banquero Daniel Vorcaro buscó repetidamente el asesoramiento jurídico de De Moraes. La animadversión entre de Moraes y Mendonça no ha hecho más que crecer desde entonces.

De Moraes, de tendencia conservadora, fue aclamado como un héroe por simpatizantes del presidente, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, después de condenar al expresidente Jair Bolsonaro a 27 años de prisión el año pasado por un intento de golpe de Estado. Mendonça fue fiscal general con Bolsonaro antes de llegar al máximo tribunal de Brasil.

A principios de semana, De Moraes respondió y solicitó una investigación por un presunto abuso de poder de Mendonça por entrevistar al banquero sin la presencia de policías o fiscales.

Tanto Lula como su rival en las próximas elecciones —el hijo del expresidente, el senador Flávio Bolsonaro— exigen ahora investigaciones sobre los magistrados del Supremo, en línea con sus partidos.

También está en juego el liderazgo de la policía federal de Brasil, ya que decisiones contrarias del Supremo Tribunal esta semana destituyeron y luego restituyeron a su director general, también como parte del fuego cruzado entre magistrados.

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

The aircraft left Istres air base in southern France on Tuesday and will travel 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles), cross three continents and make nine stopovers, working with international partners along the route to demonstrate the value of alliances at a time when big powers such as China and the United States seem determined to go it alone.

The military exercise called Pegase 26 aims to project military might and prove the nuclear power can defend distant territories and allies by strengthening French cooperation in the air with strategic partners including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.

Almost a year in the planning, the aircraft will be supported by three refueling planes, two transport aircraft and around 300 personnel overseen from a headquarters near Lyon in eastern France.

The Associated Press accompanied French planes this week over Greenland and Alaska and during exercises they conducted with U.S. fighter jets.

Showing commitment to law and freedom of navigation

“In practical terms, we fly together, we land together, we work together,” Alice Rufo, a deputy defense minister, said before the two single-seater and two twin-seater Rafale aircraft departed France.

“If we’re called upon to act together in the face of a threat, we need to be immediately interoperable,” Rufo said. “That doesn’t just happen. It must be prepared, and these exercises and missions allow us to prepare for that.”

Flying halfway around the world also will demonstrate France’s commitment to international law and the freedom of navigation in places where these principles face growing challenges such as the Middle East. The aircraft will fly in the Persian Gulf region via Qatar and end their journey in Egypt.

But along with political and practical advantages of navigating through complex new airspace in a range of temperatures, Pegase 26 is highly symbolic.

Aircraft experience new challenges over Greenland

In the early stage of the trip, the twin-engined jets headed for Alaska and passed over Greenland, where an Airbus A400M support plane capable of landing on ice was stationed. The flight from Istres to Alaska took nearly 11 hours, with the jets refueling midair five times to cover the vast distance without stopping.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take control of Greenland have destabilized NATO, damaging confidence between allies meant to defend rather than attack each other. Greenland is a self-governing part of NATO member Denmark.

The flight exercise has been held annually since 2018, but the Pegase 26 commander, General Julien Sabènè, told The Associated Press this is “the first time we are heading up north, over Greenland, toward Alaska.”

“It’s important for us that we explore different routes,” he said. “We never know in case we need to go in the Indo-Pacific region, and there are thermals and it’s difficult to go the other way around. That gives us another option, going up north.”

Global warming also is making the Arctic more accessible to possible adversaries such as China and Russia.

“Climate change is changing the stakes and maritime routes are evolving,” Sabéné said. “There is a need for us to be present in the High North alongside our allies, and naturally alongside the Danes, who are an integral part of Greenland.”

Making a symbolic show of strength through partnership

The exercise also comes six months after President Emmanuel Macron offered to share France’s nuclear umbrella with his European partners as concern mounted about Trump’s reliability on security matters.

Some Rafale jets can be fitted with nuclear-armed missiles. They would probably be paired with the same Airbus A330 MRTT refueling planes to deliver those weapons over long distances, officials said.

To be clear, Pegase 26 is not a nuclear exercise. The fighter jets carry no real weapons, only mock conventional armaments adding weight and shifting aerodynamics to bring a more realistic edge to the drills. But pilots from France’s Strategic Air Force, which operates part of France’s nuclear deterrent, are involved.

The marathon flight also shows France can rapidly move combat aircraft between potential conflict zones in the Arctic, Pacific and Middle East, where many U.S. refueling planes are tied up with the Iran war, while sustaining operations from French bases.

At a time when great powers are questioning the value of multinational organizations and sometimes seeking to undermine them, Rufo said Pegase 26 proves France can exercise freedom of navigation while respecting international rules with the help of its allies and friends.

“Sovereignty can only be effectively exercised within a network of partnerships, and the exceptional number of partners involved in this mission demonstrates that,” she said.

___

Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Separately, the AI company Anthropic said it identified and blocked users in northern Yemen attempting to develop advanced missiles.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Houthi rebels capture strategic island as Saudi Arabia targets airport

Yemen ’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured the island of Mayun at the entrance of the Red Sea, a key alternative for shipping Saudi oil and other exports since Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The island's seizure was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes against the airport in Yemen's port city of Mokha, which the Houthis captured on Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said. There was no immediate report of damage or deaths.

About 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. It's especially important to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally.

The Houthis' military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a statement Friday that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.” But markets are nervous, and experts have described the Houthis as highly unpredictable.

___

By Samy Magdy in Cairo

Iran presses for end to Saudi blockade of Yemen

Iran’s Foreign Ministry called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen and an immediate return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, throwing its support behind its ally.

The statement carried by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency marked Tehran's first public comment since the Houthis entered into the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s National Defense Council strongly condemned the Houthis' renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying it would respond to threats across the country.

Anthropic blocks users in Houthi-held Yemen over weapons development

The AI company Anthropic said it blocked users in northern Yemen who were using its AI models to run weapons development programs, some using commercially available smartphones.

Anthropic said its models were being used to pursue sophisticated precision, long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The company said it identified the users during an internal investigation and banned their accounts.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen have been smuggling advanced weapons for years despite a blockade and U.N. arms embargo. Iran denies arming the rebels.

Anthropic said the accounts used Claude Code to develop software that “steers and stabilizes a flying vehicle” and were working to develop weapons including a guided rocket that allows mobile phone users to autonomously track targets.

There is no evidence the users in Yemen succeeded in fielding a weapon, the company said.

Iran to meet with Gulf Arab neighbors over Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Friday that a regional meeting is planned between Iran and other Persian Gulf countries, including Oman and Iraq.

Baghaei told reporters the meeting will take place on Monday in Oman and will include discussion on prior talks between Iran and Oman regarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Located on either side of the strait, Iran and Oman, have held talks over managing ship traffic through the critical waterway, which has been heavily disrupted by the Iran war.

About a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through the strait before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Since then, the Islamic Republic retaliated by repeatedly attacking neighboring countries in the Gulf that host U.S. military forces.

A man is killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza

An Israeli strike on Friday killed a man walking in a street in southern Gaza and wounded several people, including children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the body and the wounded.

The Israeli military said the strike in Khan Younis had targeted a Hamas member.

Meanwhile, mourners held funeral prayers for two of three men who were killed Thursday in Khan Younis. The Israeli military said one of the men, Mohammad Yazouri, was a Hamas commander.

Developmental experts and educators say children need chances to struggle with everyday problems because figuring them out is a skill that has to be practiced.

The challenge for parents is knowing when to help and when to step back. There is a difference between helping children through difficult situations and removing the problem before they have a chance to try. At a time when an answer or AI-generated help can be seconds away, giving children room to figure things out for themselves can be hard to do.

What independence looks like depends on a child’s age, abilities, and circumstances, but experts say it means learning to plan, make decisions, solve problems, recover from mistakes and figure out what to do next. Here’s how experts say parents can give children more opportunities to practice those skills.

Pause before stepping in

Children have unprecedented access to information, while technology has given parents more ways to monitor their kids' lives. They can track their children’s locations, see grades in real time, and email teachers immediately. That means parents can intervene before their children have had a chance to realize there is a problem, let alone figure out a solution.

There is a downside to that convenience, said Dr. Dana Suskind, a professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago and author of the book “Human Raised.”

“I think the most important thing we can give children is not the answer, but the experience of figuring it out,” Suskind said. When parents swoop in, she said, children are deprived of opportunities to practice skills like pausing before acting, remembering what worked previously, and trying new solutions.

If children rarely have to struggle, it can lead to severe anxiety when they have to figure out something on their own, said Dr. Stephanie Carlson, director of the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota.

When there is a real danger, parents should step in, but when stakes are lower, they can slow down and talk through the problem. That could mean asking children open-ended questions: What do you think? What could happen? How could you solve this? What else could you try?

Allow children to experience boredom

Allowing children to be bored, frustrated, impatient or nervous can support their learning and better prepare them for adulthood, experts say.

Boredom can facilitate creativity and play while helping children build confidence and resilience, said Kiryn Hoffman, CEO of the National Children’s Museum in Washington, D.C.

In “10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World,” psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge writes that children and teens have fewer opportunities than previous generations to spend time with friends, get around on their own and make decisions outside the watchful gaze of adults. By their senior year of high school, fewer teens have a driver’s license, go on dates or work paid jobs than in previous generations, she writes.

Give children a little more to handle

Parents don’t have to manufacture situations for children to navigate. Routine tasks naturally provide children with opportunities to practice agency, experts say.

Nicole Knoth, a mother of two teen girls in Flagstaff, Arizona, started giving her daughters small decisions to make when they were young. At age 5, for example, she would give them $5 at a store and have them calculate what they could afford, including tax and discounts. Now, as teens, they are grocery shopping and her oldest is managing her own credit card.

Jemia Cunningham-Elder, a mother of four daughters in Chicago, learned there isn’t a set age for when children should be expected to do something on their own. She looks at what each child can handle, then gives them a little more freedom and watches what happens.

If they manage it, they get more independence. If they struggle, she considers whether it was a useful learning experience or a sign they weren’t ready yet.

That approach also recognizes something important: independence doesn’t mean doing everything alone.

Children who realize they don’t know how to solve a math problem and ask the teacher for help are practicing independence, too. So are children who forget their assignments and figure out how to find the information rather than having parents call their teachers.

Know when to step in

The same approach doesn’t apply to every situation. Parents have to weigh safety, maturity and circumstances.

Caroline Chirichella, a 37-year-old mother who lives in the Campania region of southern Italy, had been trying to give her 8-year-old daughter, Lucia, more freedom. But she hesitated to let her spend time outside with friends on her own because of concerns about traffic in the street.

There are other situations where the stakes are lower.

Chirichella said she and her husband eventually stopped calling other parents or teachers when Lucia forgot to write down an assignment. She told her daughter: “Your homework is your responsibility.”

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

At Miami’s first beer spa, customers can now relax in a private soaking tub while enjoying a cold one nearby.

Hop ‘N Spa recently opened in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, offering private wellness sessions that combine beer-themed ingredients with traditional spa amenities.

“A beer spa is a private wellness experience where customers have their own private spa, and they get to enjoy the benefits of beer — not only drinking it, but we have our own soak that they get to soak their bodies in,” said Adrian Nazarett, the spa’s co-owner.

Nazarett, a Navy veteran, said the idea came from a trip to Iceland with his wife. The couple was traveling around the country in a camper van when they stopped at a brewery and discovered a beer spa.

“My wife and I were in a camper van just driving around the island. We saw a brewery on the way, and I love beer, so we were like, let’s go check out the brewery and they had a beer spa in there and we’re like, ‘What is this? We have to do it.’ And that’s where we found it. We fell in love with it,” he said.

The experience is not quite what the name might suggest. Customers don’t actually soak in beer. Instead, they add a mixture of ingredients to clean water in their private tubs.

“When the guests get here, we’ll add the ingredients of their soak into their tubs. That way they can see that it’s just clean water and they see exactly what is going into their bath,” Nazarett said.

The soak includes hops, brewer’s yeast and Epsom salt.

“The hops — the green stuff —give beer its aroma,” he said. “They release B vitamins into the water that can help your skin. The brewer’s yeast may also help fight some of the things that cause pimples and zits. And Epsom salt just makes the water feel a little better on your skin.”

Each private room has two soaking tubs, a sauna, music and a beer tap located next to the tub.

The concept combines two of the things Nazarett and his wife enjoy most.

“It just mixes two things that we both love. She loves spas, and I love beer. It’s an activity that we love to do together,” he said.

Nazarett said the couple wanted to bring the concept back home to Miami and create a place where people could enjoy a different kind of night out.

“There are plenty of bars, spas and restaurants, this kind of gives something different,” he added.

The spa also serves nonalcoholic drinks and wine.

For its grand opening, Hop ‘N Spa is offering a $150 promotion for a 60-minute private session for one or two people. The business is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Click here for more information on how to make a reservation.

Following an impassioned four-hour debate in the elected House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was rejected 286 to 270. The outcome was somewhat surprising given that an almost identical bill had passed last year with a margin of 23 votes.

The vote brings an end to a two-year debate in Parliament about assisted dying, during which the elected House of Commons had backed assisted dying on two previous occasions. Their backing wasn't enough for it to become law because it was effectively filibustered by unelected lawmakers in the revising House of Lords chamber.

Back in the House of Commons on Friday, the bill had proposed allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

Many individual lawmakers relayed their own stories both in favor of and against the proposal. The government took a neutral stance, meaning lawmakers voted according to their consciences rather than along party lines.

The new U.K. leader, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, didn't vote because he said he didn't want to “unduly influence the debate."

Opponents branded the bill unsafe and unworkable, citing concerns around potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities.

Lawmaker and cancer surgeon Dr. Zubir Ahmed also noted uncertainty around a doctor’s prognosis.

“I have to be honest with you,” he said. “When I am asked to prognosticate as to whether someone has six months to live or not, I am as often wrong as I am right.”

Opposition to the bill had been voiced by the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Archbishop Richard Moth, who called it “wrong in principle” and “deeply flawed,” as well as the Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally.

Medical colleges, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, had also raised “serious concerns” about the bill, saying there were “too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness."

Proponents of “ assisted dying ” — sometimes referred to as “assisted suicide” — had hoped it would mark the biggest change to social policy in the U.K. since abortion was partially legalized in 1967. The intention was to put an end to the practice of those near the end of their lives going to other countries, such as Switzerland, for an assisted death.

Assisted suicide — where patients take a lethal drink prescribed by a doctor — is legal in countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and parts of the U.S., with regulations on qualifying criteria varying by jurisdiction.

In July, French lawmakers backed a similar bill to allow adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. However, it hasn't become law, because there will be a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.

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According to the Miami Herald, the Trump administration offered Cuba a deal to allow the U.S. to run CUPET, Cuba’s oil and gas company run by GAESA, the economic conglomerate of the Cuban military. The other part of the U.S. proposal was for the Cuban government to get rid of President Miguel Diaz-Canel to make it look like there had been some political changes, like Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez handing over to the U.S. their President Nicolas Maduro.

The U.S. floated a joint venture to the Cuban government that would include foreign investors. The agreement would also include the Cuban government settling with Exxon-Mobil Corporation for their properties that were confiscated in Cuba in the early days of the Cuban Revolution.

Once the three Cuban-American members of Congress in South Florida heard of the deal, they strongly opposed it for the fear of the backlash from the Cuban-American community. The proposed deal failed.

Clearly for the Trump administration, it is all about money. They don’t care about human rights, regime change, or getting rid of the corrupt individuals that run Venezuela and Cuba.

The time is ticking for Secretary of State Marco Rubio. If he does not resign by the mid-term elections, his political career might be in jeopardy.

Sept. 10: Russia denies Cuba full membership in BRICS

BRICS is an organization of 11 emerging economies around the world. The organization works to influence their global importance and reshape economic governance.

Leer en español

The membership includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Partner nations include Belarus, Cuba, Nigeria and Thailand.

The Russians turned down Cuba for full membership into the organization because of Cuba’s poor economic conditions and poor predictions by economists moving forward.

Sept. 9: Cuba and the U.S. stuck in diplomatic rhetoric

Cuba’s Brigadier General Emir Mesa Corona, who is in charge of personal security at the Ministry of Interior, sent a strong message to the U.S. not to even think of trying to kidnap Raul Castro or anyone in Cuba’s government or they will face serious consequences.

At the same time, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla admitted that backroom negotiations with the U.S. continue but the U.S. will not soften their positions. Cuba wants the economic embargo lifted while the U.S. wants regime change.

Sept. 8: Blind passion for Cuban politics leads to a political circus between Miami, Havana and DC

As a little boy growing up in Miami, I remember when every presidential candidate from both political parties would come to campaign in Miami and promised that if elected, they would work to see a “Free Cuba.” They would end their speeches with “Viva Cuba Libre.” Local politicians representing different municipalities in Miami-Dade would talk about U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba like they controlled it, and yet, they had nothing to do with it within their scope of responsibilities. But it got them the votes they needed to be elected and remain in power, while political leaders in Cuba continued to blame everything wrong on the island on the U.S. economic embargo, or as they call it, “the blockade.”

On Jan. 3, the U.S. military captured Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela with the assistance of their current Interim President Delcy Rodriguez and brought him to the U.S. to face justice. Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump announced that Cuba would be next.

The Trump administration began to sanction Cuban organizations and individuals of the government in an attempt to squeeze them out of power. So far, they are still in power. The Cuban government began to prepare for a U.S. invasion. To this date, it has not happened and probably never will.

On May 20, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Raul Castro for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996 in a theater-like political rally at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. So far nothing has happened and nothing is going to happen. There is no Delcy Rodriguez in Cuba. A week ago, many media outlets across Miami reported, based on sources from inside the island, that Raul Castro was gravely ill. This past weekend, Raul reappeared surrounded by Cuba’s military elite.

Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the three Cuban-American members of Congress from South Florida had announced that by the end of 2026, Cuba would fall. Now it has been pushed back to 2029. Furthermore, Rubio recently said that the problem in dealing with Cuba is the Helms-Burton Law (Senator Jesse Helms and Richard Burton, both Republicans) that was enacted by Congress in 1996, also with the hard work of the late Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The three Cuban-American members of Congress made it clear that the goal was to return Cuba to democracy. What democracy? Cuba did not have a democratic government before Fidel Castro took power. How much do they really know about Cuban history? Or is it just a play on words and empty promises?

So as time passes each day, the Cuban-American community is beginning to ask itself, what is really going on in D.C.?

It would not surprise me that in the near future the Trump organizations would negotiate to buy the empty Melia Hotels in Cuba and put the Trump name on them. After all, we now own a big chunk of Venezuelan oil and there was no regime change as promised.

Will we ever learn? How much longer are we going to be blind by our passion?

Sept 6: Raul Castro makes public appearance

After much speculation about Cuba’s Raul Castro being close to death, the Cuban leader showed up at a military event yesterday accompanied by his grandson, Raulito, and Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Sept 3: Raul Castro stable, according to sources

Sources in Cuba say Raul Castro, 95, is stable despite reports about his declining health. According to sources, retired General Abelardo Colome Ibarra, known as “ El Fury,” is currently in worse condition. Colome Ibarra was head of the Ministry of the Interior and highly respected by the Castro brothers and the Cuban military.

Sept 3: President Trump’s hands are tied with regard to Cuba, Rubio says

After months of saying Cuba would be next, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that the president’s hands are tied because of the Helms Burton Law which requires no normalization between the U.S. and Cuba unless there is regime change and a move towards a democratic government.

Even if Raul Castro was to die in the near future, I do not expect regime change.

Only the U.S. can change the Helms-Burton Law and I don’t expect that to happen anytime in the near future or after the mid-term elections.

Sept. 2: Children in Cuba start new school year amid more challenges than any other year before

Children in Cuba started the new school year Tuesday facing a lack of supplies, books, uniforms and teachers, and buildings that are falling apart, along with a lack of food to feed the children.

According to the Cuban minister of education, this will be a very challenging year unlike any others.

Cuban education was once one of the big accomplishments of the revolution. However, it was also used to indoctrinate the students in an ideology that no one on the island nation believes anymore.

Sept. 1: Raul Castro hospitalized, sources say

Reliable sources inside Cuba have informed me this afternoon that Raul Castro has been hospitalized. We need to be careful and not to over speculate what might happen until further notice.

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

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The dead are part of 1.5 million Russian casualties in Ukraine, Air Chief Marshall Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the U.K’s Defense Staff, said.

The U.K. figures roughly coincide with those published by the Ukrainian military. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.

Moscow’s bigger army is struggling to make headway on the battlefield. Western officials and analysts say the Russian rate of advance has slowed significantly this year.

Russia’s armed forces have also lost an “enormous” amount of military materiel, Knighton told reporters. That includes more than 10,000 armored and protected vehicles, close to 3,000 air defense and artillery systems, and over 370 aircraft and helicopters, Knighton said.

He didn’t say what Ukraine’s losses were.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv give regular updates on their battlefield losses.

Russian drones target Kyiv gas stations, aiming to rattle civilians

Russian drones targeted roadside gas stations in Kyiv for a second straight day Friday, as Moscow broadened its air war in what Ukrainian officials say is an effort to rattle civilians.

The attacks struck two Ukrnafta gas stations, killing two people and wounding six at one of them, the prosecutor’s office said.

Russian strikes on urban gas stations have intensified in recent months, mostly in regions near the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. It is part of a campaign to disrupt civilian life and weaken morale that has also included attacks on food distribution hubs, sporadically leaving some supermarket shelves bare in the Ukrainian capital.

“Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximize casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late Thursday.

Authorities have urged residents not to linger near gas stations and other exposed infrastructure during air raid alerts.

Ukraine is urgently trying to improve its air defenses as Russia's invasion stretches into its fifth year, and on Thursday won pledges of more support from Canada.

Russian shopping mall strikes kill 5 in central Ukraine

Pavlohrad, a city in central Ukraine, observed an official day of mourning Friday for five residents killed near shopping malls in broad daylight by Russian drones the previous day.

The attack also wounded 67 people, Sybiha said on X.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a 32-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son were wounded in an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. The drones struck a nine-story apartment block and a shopping mall, it said.

Efforts to put out the blazes were slowed by the constant threat of repeat strikes, forcing firefighters to stop working and take shelter, it added.

In Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine, a Russian daylight attack Friday wounded 12 people, according to local officials.

Russia says it stopped 777 Ukrainian drones

Ukraine, meanwhile, has extended its own long-range drone campaign deep into Russia, straining air defenses across its bigger neighbor’s vast territory. On Thursday, its military reported hitting a refinery more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away in Siberia as Kyiv tries to hurt Russia’s vital oil sector. Its strikes have caused fuel shortages in Russia, one of the world’s biggest energy producers.

Russia’s oil product exports hit record lows in August, and Moscow is importing fuel from South Korea and India, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air said in a report.

“Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s refining capacity have turned tables on the world’s once largest oil product exporter to see them start importing fuels, with imports surging to a record 172,000 metric tons (189,600 tons) in August — more than seven times the previous monthly high,” the Finland-registered nonprofit said Thursday.

Ukraine launched a major barrage overnight from Thursday to Friday, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones over 16 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and the Caspian seas.

Two people were killed and three others wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Tula region south of Moscow, local officials said Friday.

A Ukrainian drone strike during the night started a fire at the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, Russian independent online outlet Astra said Friday. Kyiv has repeatedly targeted that refinery, which was last hit in early August.

Major online retailer Ozon said its logistics facility in the same city was struck and set ablaze by a Ukrainian drone, though no casualties were reported. Ozon is a competitor to Wildberries, whose facilities Ukraine has also targeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said long-range strikes overnight hit eight Russian regions, including a business and an oil industry facility in the Saratov region.

The attacks were “aimed at reducing Russia’s capacity to wage war,” he said on X Friday.

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Burrows reported from London and Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.

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

The men, who were arrested in the South African city of Cape Town in 2021, are set to be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday and transported to the U.S. to face wire fraud and money laundering charges.

They are accused of belonging to a criminal network known as the Black Axe, which Interpol describes as being part of criminal groups responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams.

According to South African police, the men are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in the U.S., defrauding them of more than $6 million through online romance or love scams.

Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were reportedly targeted through sophisticated online relationships.

“Through the coordination of Interpol South Africa, the six will today be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning,” said police spokesperson Katlego Mogale.

A recent operation by Interpol targeting West African organized crime groups led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects linked to various criminal networks involved in similar crimes, the multinational police body said last month.

The operation aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets and support arrests and prosecution.

In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in the city of Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.

In that operation in South Africa, police arrested 39 people, seized $2.67 million and froze more than 250 bank accounts, Interpol said.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

The young Italian will look to keep his momentum and add to his points lead this weekend as the Spanish Grand Prix returns to Madrid after more than four decades — in a race featuring the unknowns of a new hybrid circuit that drivers called “crazy” and “insane” even before cars got to the track.

It was a mostly clean first practice session on the new circuit on Friday, with a few drivers going off the track but no major incidents reported. Antonelli and other drivers did struggle to avoid track-limits warnings at the difficult Madring layout.

Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell had the fastest time. Antonelli was second, ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris came next.

Antonelli rallied from 19th on the grid to win last weekend's Italian GP in what he called an "absolutely incredible" feat.

"Definitely so far the best day of my life, and an incredible memory,” Antonelli said Thursday. "Wish (I had) a bit more time to realize and enjoy it, but now obviously we are in Madrid and we are ready to do our best and we’ll try to repeat.”

Last weekend's victory gave the 20-year-old Antonelli a 66-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell with 10 races remaining, including Sunday's debut of the Madring track that has put the F1 paddock on edge.

The Spanish GP ends the European part of the season. The Madrid region last hosted an F1 race in 1981 at Jarama, on the outskirts of the Spanish capital. Barcelona had been the home of the Spanish GP in recent years. The Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain hosted races from 1986-90, and in 1994 and 1997. Madring signed a contract with F1 through 2035.

Exciting new track

The 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Madring track, the newest addition to the F1 calendar since Las Vegas' debut three years ago, combines high-speed zones, heavy-braking areas, changes of gradient, blind turns and high-load corners that should give drivers little margin for error. It mixes existing roads with purpose-built areas, and in most sections cars will run extremely close to the walls.

The heavily banked corner “La Monumental” is expected to be the highlight of the new track. It is nearly 550 meters (yards) in length and cars will spend about six second on it. There is up to 10 metres (yards) of height difference between its lower and upper sections.

“It seems a wild track to be fair. It’s mental but excited to experience it. Going to be a real challenge and I think qualifying is going to be important,” said Russell, who hasn't won since the Austrian GP in June. “The level of everyone in F1 is exceptionally high. It’s going to be a circuit where you need confidence. Very challenging, lots of high speed corners, aggressive curbs. Going to be an experience for sure. Just try and keep out of the wall and build up to it.”

‘Insane’ and ‘crazy’ layout

Alpine's Pierre Gasly said the “track itself looked insane” on the simulator. Haas' Esteban Ocon called it a “crazy circuit” with “a lot of risk-reward.” Aston Martin's veteran two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso expected “high-adrenaline” laps.

“The track seems difficult, first of all, to learn, very technical, a lot of curb riding and a couple of high-speed sections where you need to get very close to the walls, which is very attractive and very high adrenaline for a driver,” Alonso said.

Cars from Formula 2 and Formula 3 were the first to take to the track on Friday. F1 drivers will have two practice sessions later in the day. Another session will be on Saturday, before qualifying. The F1 race is Sunday.

There were plenty of red flags when the F3 cars first tested the track last month, and more are expected this weekend.

The first happened during the F2 practice session, when Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak's car caught fire after hitting the wall. It took several minutes for track workers to clear the area. There were no major incidents in the first F3 session.

Ocon said during the F1 session that the “grip is high” on the new Madring surface.

Ferrari says Monza squabble is in the past

Leclerc and Hamilton said they talked after a near collision between the two at the team's home race in Monza last weekend, and their relationship remains strong.

Leclerc on Thursday said he took responsibility for the incident early in the race, and Hamilton praised his teammate's maturity.

Both drivers said the focus now was on helping the team get closer to Mercedes.

“Just making sure we’re executing to make sure we get the best results for the team instead of us working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth,” Hamilton said. “Maybe you can work together and get a podium and pull off more points.”

Spanish drivers face uphill battle

Organizers said tickets for the Spanish GP were sold out, with 350,000 people in total expected to attend the event over the three days of racing.

It's unlikely they will be celebrating a victory for one of the two Spanish drivers on the F1 grid, as Alonso's Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz's Williams have been well off the pace this season.

“I think it’s no secret that it’s still going to be a struggle for us,” Sainz said. “I couldn’t think about a layout that is probably more difficult for our car. But it’s OK. I’m just going to work extremely hard to make sure this is the last year that I come here to Madrid without a chance of fighting for something bigger."

Sainz finished the first practice session in 17th place, while Alonso was 15th.

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

The national average of nearly $6.06 is up from $5.85 last week and almost $3.71 this time last year, according to motor club AAA.

Higher diesel prices mean more expensive transportation for a long list of everyday goods. That’s because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks. And some businesses have already passed along steeper costs to consumers in the form of added fees on online orders and packages in the mail.

Shoppers may feel more and more sticker shock, particularly in the grocery aisle. Perishable foods, like meat and produce, face one of the most immediate strains of expensive diesel because they need to be hauled in and restocked frequently — or may be harvested using farm equipment powered by the fuel.

It can take time for those costs to trickle down. But the surge in diesel prices doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.

Prices at the pump for diesel and regular gasoline — which hit nearly $4.30 on average in the U.S. Friday — closely follow that of crude oil. And oil has renewed its rise recently. This week, both Brent, the international standard, and U.S. crude surpassed $100 a barrel for the first time in months as fighting between the U.S. and Iran escalated again.

Political ramifications may pile up in the meantime. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to downplay the effects of the war he co-launched, said that oil prices likely won’t come down until after November’s midterm elections.

What’s driving the latest jump for diesel

American diesel prices are now over 60% higher than they were before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, when the national average sat at about $3.76 per gallon per AAA. Prices quickly climbed as the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in refined fuel like diesel, as well as gasoline — soared amid supply chain disruptions across the Middle East, notably with most tanker traffic bottlenecked in the key Strait of Hormuz.

Despite some during hopes for peace earlier in the summer, oil has now renewed its climb as fighting once more escalates. And more supply disruptions are piling up. The International Energy Agency reported Friday that Saudi oil production fell to a three-decade low last month due to Houthi attacks on its energy facilities.

And elsewhere, losses in the Middle East have been amplified by the war in Ukraine, as the IEA also noted Friday. Disruptions in Russia’s refining system stemming from intense Ukranian attacks have nearly halted product exports.

When adjusted for inflation, fuel prices have been higher in the past. Ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, for example, diesel hit about $4.74 a gallon, equivalent to $7.20 in 2026, according to the government’s latest data. And 2022’s then-record of nearly $5.82 — reached just months after Russia invaded Ukraine — would be about $6.56 this year when accounting for inflation.

That doesn’t take the pain away from today’s steep prices, which are already bringing ripple effects for the economy and wider costs of living. Drivers are feeling the pain with gasoline, too.

Friday’s average $4.29 for a gallon of regular unleaded is up from $2.98 before the Iran war, although still below the 2022 peak of nearly $5.02 a gallon nationwide.

Diesel has been more expensive than gasoline in the U.S. for decades, and its price has risen at a faster pace before. Some reasons include less flexibility in demand and diesel’s position in global commerce overall. Individual households may find ways to drive less when gas prices are high, for example, but there’s fewer immediate substitutes for networks that rely on diesel to haul goods worldwide.

All eyes on food

Diesel is integral to every part of the food supply chain. It powers farm equipment and fishing boats, as well as the trains and trucks headed to grocery stores.

Fuel accounts for roughly 15% to 30% of the total cost of food, according to the Independent Grocers Alliance, a grouping of 7,500 global supermarkets. So higher diesel costs often result in more expensive groceries, although it can take a while for energy shocks to wind their way through the supply chain.

Items that need to stay refrigerated while they’re transported are often the first to see prices rise, according to David Ortega, a professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University. In July, for example, overall U.S. grocery prices were up 2.7% compared to a year prior, but seafood prices were up 7% and fresh fruit prices were up 4.9%.

Ortega cautioned other factors can be at play, too. Lettuce also faced higher transportation costs in July, but a drop in demand due to the cyclospora outbreak caused prices to fall.

Still, consumers could feel more of a squeeze the longer diesel prices remain high.

“Early on, much of the cost increase gets absorbed along the supply chain through existing freight contracts and retailer margins,” Ortega explained last week. “But as contracts reprice and fuel surcharges take hold, more of that cost makes its way to the grocery store.”

Fuel shocks range far and wide

Back in April, e-commerce giant Amazon rolled out a temporary 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on some third-party sellers. United Parcel Service, FedEx and the United States Postal Service also moved to add fees on some of the packages they ship earlier in the war, citing rising costs for fuel overall.

Experts warn that price hikes could mount the longer diesel remains expensive. A range of other products are also transported by diesel-powered networks, including clothing, cosmetics and furniture.

The ramifications extend beyond consumer goods. Some public transit buses and trains also run on diesel. And diesel generators are often used for backup or emergency power, if not central electricity sources in some remote parts of the world.

Experts warn the consequences could continue to deepen, particularly in African and Asian countries, which rely more on Middle East imports and have already been hit the hardest by energy shocks.

According to the latest data from Global Petrol Prices, diesel prices in Nigeria have surged over 90% since late February — followed by nearly 87% in Indonesia and 80% in Lebanon.

Price tags vary widely between countries, due to factors ranging from fuel taxes to local economic conditions. As of Monday, diesel prices in Nigeria were about $4.95 per gallon (1,730 naira per liter) on average. Meanwhile, the highest sticker price reported by Global Petrol Prices was in Hong Kong, where diesel costs have jumped almost 26% during the war and averaged at $17.78 a gallon (nearly 37 Hong Kong dollars per liter) Monday.

A long road of constrained supply — and perhaps higher and higher prices — could be ahead.

S&P Global Energy said Thursday it now doesn’t project crude oil production in the Middle East to return to prewar levels by the end of 2027.

“The market is not returning to calm, it is adjusting to the new normal,” said Jim Burkhard, VP and global head of crude oil research at S&P Global Energy, noting security and logistical challenges continue to limit oil flows.

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Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Mae Anderson in New York contributed.

Her party of recent years, +Europa, announced her death.

“Her life was a long struggle against everything that denies freedom: against clandestine abortion, world hunger, the stranglehold of party politics, female genital mutilation, punitive justice, genocide, and every form of authoritarianism,” the party said.

Italy’s conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Bonino, saying their different backgrounds and perspectives "never prevented me from acknowledging her significance and her role in our nation’s public life."

“For decades, Emma Bonino has been a strong and recognizable voice in Italian politics, championing her ideas with determination," Meloni wrote on social media.

Even after the Radicals’ political star faded, Bonino remained a key political figure and human rights campaigner active in Italy for over five decades. She served as a European commissioner for then-Premier Silvio Berlusconi and was a co-founder of the death penalty watchdog Hands Off Cain. But her bid in 1999 to become Italy’s first female president failed.

She remained known to younger generations as a sought-after political pundit, appearing frequently on Italian TV with her sharp wit and cutting insights. After her cancer diagnosis in 2015, she invariably appeared in public wearing colorful headscarves.

Bonino’s passing follows the recent death of several other feminist heroes, including activist Gloria Steinem and poet Robin Morgan.

Bonino challenged the Vatican and a conservative political establishment

Born on March 9, 1948, in Bra — not far from the northwestern Italian city of Turin, where carmaker Fiat’s factory drove the economy — she spent her childhood on a farm, where she was often tasked to pasture pigs, a lifestyle she described as “deadly boring” in a 2023 TV interview.

Bonino first got involved in Italian politics because she wanted to change the law. At 26, she became pregnant and had an abortion, even though it was illegal at that time.

Recalling the experience as one of the most humiliating of her life, in 1975 she was among the founders of the Information Center for Sterilization and Abortion, an organization that provided information and performed abortions before they were legalized.

The following year she was elected to the Italian parliament for the maverick Radical Party, a bastion of anticlericalism, civil libertarianism, feminism, liberalism and radicalism in Italy.

The party proposed itself as the strongest opposition to the Italian political establishment, seen as corrupt and conservative, and to the Catholic Church’s extensive influence on Italian society.

In 1978 abortion was legalized. That particular campaign may have been over, but Bonino had found her vocation: Politics was her life, and she became one of the most active leaders of the Radical Party and its successors.

She held key political roles in Italy and at the EU

A veteran legislator in Italian politics and an activist for various reform policies, she was elected six times as a Lower House lawmaker and two times as a senator. In 2017, she became the leader of +Europa, a liberal, European federalist party slate she launched ahead of the 2018 Italian general election.

An explosive presence in politics during her 50-year-long career, Bonino was one of the few Italian political figures who scored important achievements both at home and internationally.

Bonino won European exposure in a role she owed to then center-right Premier Berlusconi who, in 1995, offered her one of Italy’s two seats in the European Commission.

As a Commissioner she forged the EU’s consumer protection policy and created the European Commission Humanitarian Office, which is now the primary European humanitarian arm. It was this last portfolio, the humanitarian affairs, that she felt most strongly about.

She traveled to war zones — former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sudan, Afghanistan — and convinced Europe that humanitarian assistance couldn’t be an excuse for lack of political or military intervention.

In June 1999 she headed a slate named after her — Lista Bonino — at the European elections. It was an overwhelming success: The party got 8.5% of the votes and became Italy’s fourth political force.

Bonino served as foreign minister, trade minister and EU affairs minister in Italian center-left governments of the 2000s and 2010s.

She was one of the strongest advocates for a common European foreign and defense policy. “My passion is humanity,” she said in May 2025, when her hometown Bra granted her honorary citizenship. “I’ve got roots, I’ve got a homeland, a family, but precisely all that allows me to be a citizen of the world.”

She got involved with Arab women’s battle for equality in 2001 and started spending half her time in Cairo. She became fluent in Arabic — she had graduated in foreign languages at Milan’s Bocconi University — and built a network of intellectuals, politicians and prominent civil society figures.

She shared a humanitarian mission with Pope Francis

Never married, she maintained strong bonds with her family in Piedmont. “My father died before I could show him I could accomplish something,” she recalled in a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair. “He never understood my restlessness. He used to tell me: Emma, you are like Japanese poetry: beautiful, but I can’t understand it.”

In January 2015, she announced on Radio Radicale that she was suffering from lung cancer and was being treated with chemotherapy but didn’t plan to stop her political activity. In May of the same year, she said her cancer was in complete remission and eight years later appeared on a popular TV interview program announcing she was healed.

Over the years, Bonino cultivated a deep friendship with the late Pope Francis, despite their conflicting views on key ethical issues, including abortion and euthanasia.

In November 2024, Francis paid a home visit to Bonino — who had been just released from the hospital after treatment for respiratory problems — bringing her a bouquet of roses and chocolates.

A photo posted by Bonino on social media showed them both sitting in wheelchairs on her sun-drenched terrace in Rome.

Bonino said that during their conversations Francis always encouraged her to bring forward her humanitarian battles, defending those most in need.

When asked what battles she still needed to fight, Bonino used to say: “Many, too many. Human rights, world hunger, free scientific research ... Ten lives won’t be enough.”

Bonino is survived by her siblings, Domenica and Giovanni, and their children.

The Houthis’ biggest territorial gains in years, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.

Saudi Arabia struck the airport in the nearby port city of Mokha that the Houthis seized Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said. There were no reports of damage or deaths.

The capture of Mayun, a tiny, barren volcanic island inside the strait also known as Perim, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has increasingly relied on the Red Sea to get its crude to market as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been striking ships. Houthi moves to close the 28-kilometer-wide (17-mile) Bab el-Mandeb channel have made that route more complicated. Saudi officials declined a request by The Associated Press for comment on the developments.

In a statement Friday, the Houthi armed forces boasted of gains along the coast without mentioning the island, Mokha or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They vowed “escalation for escalation” in the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, while declaring that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.”

Still, markets are nervous, and experts have described the Houthis as highly unpredictable. Crude prices this week soared once again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks.

Yemen's government shocked by slow Saudi response

The Houthis have been attacking Saudi shipping on the Red Sea since declaring a blockade in July, as well as oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. The rebels said they acted in response to the kingdom’s yearslong blockade of Houthi-held parts of Yemen.

A senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government told the AP they were stunned that the Saudi air force did not try to prevent the capture of Mokha, which is within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the strait, by striking the Houthis as they advanced. He assessed that Saudi Arabia didn’t get a green light from the U.S. to embark on a large-scale air campaign.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to speak to the media, also blamed “lack of coordination” between Yemen’s army and multiple allied militias, saying it gave the Houthis “a priceless opportunity.”

Shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait had fallen by about 60% since the Houthis began attacking some ships there in late 2023 and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Shipping increased this year as Saudi Arabia sought alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, but renewed Houthi threats have “curtailed” that activity, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

That has forced Saudi Arabia to find yet another alternative, sending its oil north out of the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, either via the Suez Canal or a pipeline through Egypt, a far longer route for its clients in Asia. The Houthis have threatened that route as well, striking a Saudi vessel in the north of the Red Sea in late August.

Iran calls for a return to Saudi-Houthi talks

Earlier Friday, Iran’s government called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Houthi-held areas in a show of support for its ally. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also called for a return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

In a sign of how important the Houthis have become for Tehran, the spokesperson for Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday called for any negotiated settlement with the U.S. to include Yemen, the first explicit reference to that front. The call mirrored Iran’s past stance that a truce in Lebanon between its ally Hezbollah and Israel must be a part of any deal with the U.S.

Saudi Arabia, which earlier this week said it had always offered “opportunities for negotiation,” also has said it has the right to defend itself in response to the Houthis’ blockade. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia spoke Thursday about diplomatic efforts to “restore stability” to the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media.

The fighting risks a return to Yemen's civil war

As the Houthis swept along the Red Sea coast toward the Bab el-Mandeb channel, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government called for international support.

In a statement Friday from a meeting the previous day, its National Defense Council said it was on the front line of defending freedom of navigation and condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The escalating fighting threatens to end a fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war since 2022. At stake are the 40 million people in the Arab world’s poorest country who fear a return to the conflict that killed 150,000 and brought many others to the brink of famine.

The surge in fighting in the past week has sent over 46,000 people fleeing, and “overnight, large numbers of people were reportedly seen leaving Mokha with their belongings,” the U.N. migration agency said Friday.

The Houthis have been at war with Yemen’s government since 2014, when the rebels swept from their mountainous heartland and seized much of northern and central Yemen, and the capital of Sanaa. Saudi Arabia entered the war the following year on behalf of the government.

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Anna reported from Jerusalem.

The early soundtrack to Day 1 — party music and chants just after dawn on a typically boisterous first tee — quickly turned into cheers from visiting American fans around a gloomy Bernardus Golf as Korda and Corpuz dominated the star-studded opening match against Europe’s best top players, Charley Hull and Lottie Woad.

With their 4-and-3 win, the U.S. pairing claimed a fifth straight win — an unprecedented feat at the Solheim Cup.

When Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin put more red on the board by beating Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Alison Lee as rain started to fall, the United States had two of the 14 points needed to take the crystal trophy back across the Atlantic.

Europe rallied, though, with victories in the final two matches of the session.

The Swedish pairing of Maja Stark and Linn Grant went 4 up after seven holes and wound up winning 3 and 2 against Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho.

Then, in the only match that went beyond the 16th hole, Esther Henseleit and Leona Maguire — who were also never behind — completed a 2-up win over Andrea Lee and Lindy Duncan on No. 18.

Korda and Maguire deliver — again

Korda is one of 12 players in the American team this week but is carrying the expectations of a nation.

She delivered early and improved her Solheim Cup record to 11-5-1, the kind of points tally Tiger Woods wished he'd had in Ryder Cups.

“I always make the joke to Nelly — it’s so nice to be 30 yards ahead of where I would be on my own drive,” Corpuz said. “It just makes the hole so much easier.”

Korda and Corpuz combined for the first time in Spain in 2023, winning two points, and did so again in a winning U.S cause in Virginia the following year.

They were 1 down after the first hole here, after Woad poured in a 15-footer for birdie, but the Americans only lost one more hole in the rest of the match.

As for Maguire, she moved to a 9-3-1 record, the best by any European player who has played at least five matches.

“I think I’ve been just very fortunate to have great partners,” the Irishwoman said.

Party atmosphere on first tee

The first tee is always the place to be in these big teams events and it lived up to its billing Friday inside the horseshoe-shaped grandstand containing around 3,000 spectators.

U.S. captain Angela Stanford danced onto the tee after emerging from the tunnel. Stark and Grant swayed their hips to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” Duncan, a 35-year-old rookie who never expected to play a Solheim Cup, took video with her cell phone. Maguire teed off after chants of “We’ve got Maguire, USA is terrified!” and cheers for each of her practice swings.

“They’re living the dream,” European captain Anna Nordqvist said of the players, “and as a golfer it doesn’t get better than this.”

It was all very jovial, though, with respectful silence for each drive in front of a banner that read: “Dutch Courage. European Glory.”

Pairings for afternoon four-balls

1:05 p.m. (7:05 a.m. EDT/1105 GMT) — Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin, United States, vs. Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, Europe.

1:20 p.m. (7:20 a.m. EDT/1120 GMT) — Megan Khang and Alison Lee, United States, vs. Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Celine Boutier, Europe.

1:35 p.m. (7:35 a.m. EDT/1135 GMT) — Allisen Corpuz and Auston Kim, United States, vs. Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud, Europe.

1:50 p.m. (7:50 a.m. EDT/1150 GMT) — Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin, United States, vs. Carlota Ciganda and Julia Lopez Ramirez, Europe.

The United States has an 11-7-1 advantage in a series that dates to 1990.

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See AP’s full golf coverage here

Host Germany and France will play in the other medal-round game Saturday. The gold- and bronze-medal games are Sunday.

The Americans routed Hungary 108-56, which was the second-biggest margin of victory in the quarterfinals in World Cup history. The 108 points also was the most ever by a team in the quarterfinals. The U.S. also had 31 assists, which was the most in the knockout round as well.

“We talked about just getting better with each game, and I think we did that today, especially with how we shared (the basketball),” Rhyne Howard said. “I think if we continue to play like that and continue to keep everybody on the same page, continue to move the ball, it’s going to be really hard to stop us.”

The Americans had a balanced offense with five players scoring in double figures.

“Everybody’s just all dialed in offensively and defensively,” Angel Reese said. “We talked about our keys, what it’s going to take to win gold, and I think tonight we did everything that coach asked us to do.”

Getting to the semifinals is nothing new for the U.S., which has won 34 straight games overall and the last four World Cup titles. Germany and France are both newcomers to this round. The host nation shocked Belgium, which went undefeated in group play. It's the sixth consecutive World Cup that the host nation has reached the semifinals. During that stretch only the Czech Republic in 2010 made the championship game as the host.

France continued its dominant play in the tournament so far, running past China. The French squad, which lost to the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics by one point, has been incredible on both ends of the court in its four games.

Making the semifinals for the first time meant a lot to French players, but they do have loftier goals in mind.

“It means a lot. I mean, we want to be one of the greatest teams ever to put on the French jersey,” French captain Gabby Williams said. 'Obviously, like we have a big goal for this tournament, but it’s great to check this off the list."

German coach Olaf Lange was thrilled to lead his home country to new heights. He wanted to take the night to savor the historic win before focusing on the tall task ahead with France.

Spain topped Australia in the final game Thursday to reach the semifinals for the first time since it hosted the event in 2018. The Spaniards are led by Iyana Martin, Megan DiLeo and World Cup veteran Alba Torrens. The 37-year-old is playing in her fourth World Cup and has helped Spain win medals in the previous three.

“For us it means a lot because we missed the Worlds in 2022 and now it's been eight years,” Torrens said. “We know how difficult it is so for today it's a big day for us. We are very happy because so many people worked hard for this victory.”

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

High-profile injuries are adding up just two games into the NFL season. It’s not even Sunday yet.

Darnold got good news about his hip injury. Not so much for Brown. Stribling’s status wasn’t immediately known.

“It’s been positive news,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday about Darnold. “Right now we’re just working through the extent of the injury and put a plan in place to get back rocking and rolling.”

Macdonald called it a muscle injury for Darnold near his hip and that the team would have a better idea of his status for the game against Arizona on Sept. 20 when practice resumes next week.

Drew Lock replaced Darnold and led Seattle to a 13-10 comeback win over New England in a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday night. Lock proved he’s a capable backup so the defending Super Bowl champions won’t have to rush Darnold back to face the Cardinals.

“He’s been tremendous,” Macdonald said about Lock. “He operates like a starter does in terms of preparation. The chemistry and the personality of our quarterback room is one that is very supportive of each other and also trying to bring out the best in one another. Drew provides a cool, confident, loose and focusedness to the whole equation, which you need — you need that. On top of that, since he’s got here, he’s played great football in practice and in the preseason. We saw what he could do last night. If he has to play again then we expect the same moving forward.”

The Patriots won’t have Brown for a while after the star wide receiver went down in the second half against Seattle. He has a high-ankle sprain and will miss several games, a person with knowledge of his injury told The Associated Press on Thursday night.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Patriots haven’t announced the severity of Brown’s injury, said an MRI confirmed the diagnosis. Brown could miss anywhere from three to six games, depending on the way his ankle responds to treatment.

Without Brown, New England’s offense fizzled. The Patriots went three-and-out twice and then Drake Maye threw three straight interceptions.

“I wish life was like that, where you could wait for your guys to come back and be healthy again but, it’s NFL football,” Patriots veteran receiver Mack Hollins said.

New England traded a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia in the deal for Brown to give Maye a top playmaker. Now, he’ll be without him for a few weeks. The Patriots have a tough schedule coming up with three games against three 2025 playoff teams. They’ll host Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, and visit Jacksonville and Buffalo.

“You’ve got to stick together and that starts with me getting back to work and having the right intention in practice,” Maye said. “These guys are here for me. I think they’ve done a great job in supporting me and have had my back. I’ve got to earn their trust. I know I have their trust, but I got to keep on putting better football out there. I think it’s Week 1 but at the same time, there’s a full season ahead but you got to get this going early. We got to start off on the right foot. I know what we had last year, but we got a new season, a new team, and we need to build that.”

Stribling, who was San Francisco’s top draft pick in April at No. 33 overall, limped off the field after running a route in the second quarter of a 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

He left the game on a cart and was quickly ruled out for the game. The 49ers signed veteran Mike Evans and brought back Deebo Samuel but were counting on Stribling after losing Ricky Pearsall for the season in the summer.

Tight end Jake Tonges also didn’t return for San Francisco after injuring his knee. Rams linebacker Nate Landman got hurt late in the game.

NFL teams have to deal with injuries every week. It’s part of football. The teams with the most depth and best backups find ways to overcome key losses.

The Seahawks and Patriots have to figure it out quickly.

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On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.

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

The reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made zero tackles and no impact on the game during the Rams' 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Friday.

Although Garrett missed much of training camp and the Rams' recent weeks of practices to rest his knee, the superstar and the Rams had not floated the possibility he would be unable to play at his best when he began his 10th NFL season. Before his 15-hour flight back to LA, Garrett finally acknowledged he isn't at 100% health.

“This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there, and I've got to be better,” Garrett said at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “I've got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I've shown that I've been before.”

Garrett didn’t want to discuss details of his knee or his overall health after finishing without a tackle for only the fourth time in 135 career NFL games. He wouldn’t even say which knee is injured.

“I wasn’t the player that I wanted to be, and I feel like I wasn’t the player I’ve been before when I’ve stepped onto that field,” Garrett said. “I’ve got to do what I can to get back to that.”

Garrett missed only two games in his final five seasons with the Cleveland Browns, who traded him to Los Angeles in the summer.

Garrett's ineffectiveness was just one problem for the Rams' revamped defense, which added the NFL's best pass rusher and top cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to a group that reached the NFC championship game last season.

Although McDuffie had a solid game in Melbourne, the overall day was a nightmare. Watson was beaten for a touchdown by Mike Evans, and nobody stepped up with a standout effort while the 49ers scored the game's final 24 points.

But LA's offense wasn't any better, and the result was a 20-point defeat — the biggest taken by the Rams since November 2024.

The Rams are the first team to begin a season with the reigning NFL MVP and AP Defensive Player of the Year in their lineup, but Matthew Stafford wasn't nearly up to last season's standard. The 38-year-old quarterback went 15 of 25 for 155 yards and an interception, throwing no touchdown passes after throwing at least one in every regular-season game last year.

“‘Surprised’ is not the word,” Stafford said. “Disappointed in the way it worked out for us. Obviously, didn’t move the ball consistently enough, didn’t put enough points up on the board to give ourselves a chance to be in the game. Every game and every season is a new one. Go out there and find a way to clean things up, move forward and be better.”

There is a bright side for the defense: They'll add a three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year to their lineup soon, possibly even next Monday night when they host the New York Giants.

Aaron Donald stayed home from Australia after coming out of retirement just two weeks ago, but the 35-year-old star will soon be on the defensive line with Garrett.

That won't make the long flight home any easier, but the season is too new for the Rams to be truly discouraged.

“We knew we were going to face some adversity this season,” Garrett said. “It’s game one. We've got to find if we are as resilient as we’re saying.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The recent departure of Venezuela and Chad brings the number of countries to pull out of the court in the past year to five, joining Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The surge in withdrawals comes as the ICC faces hostility from Washington and a leadership crisis after ousting its own chief prosecutor.

“Five countries so far have announced plans to withdraw from the Rome Statute, and we welcome more announcements in the future,” a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told The Associated Press.

The Rome Statute established the ICC in 2002 as the court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. Based in The Hague, it takes on cases when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes on their own territory.

“The ICC regrets any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes,” the court's spokesperson Oriane Maillet told the AP.

America is piling on the pressure

In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.”

Rubio said he will pressure the court’s 125 member states to withdraw from the institution, sanction organizations that work with the court and ban staff from traveling to the United States. Trump’s administration already has sanctioned a dozen ICC staff in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials over the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.

The Central African country of Chad specifically cited the United States in its decision to withdraw. Its Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul said in a statement that in a phone call with a U.S. official on July 23, “the American side expressed its concerns regarding the functioning of this institution and requested that Chad reconsider” its membership.

Four days later, Chad said it would leave the ICC.

Iva Vukušić, a researcher at Utrecht University, told the AP that the U.S. campaign will lay bare just how committed countries are to the court. “Are they willing to defend it if it costs them something real?” she said.

The State Department told AP the U.S. would call upon nations that “enjoy the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella” to reject the ICC.

Some countries claim the court engages in selective justice

It's not just pressure from Trump that is sending ICC members toward the exit door.

The ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger blamed selective justice. The ICC has become an “instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism,” the trio said when they announced their departures last year.

A coup ousted Niger’s democratically elected government in 2023. Since then, a military junta has abandoned longtime partners and has formed new alliances instead, including with Russia, where President Vladimir Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant linked to the war in Ukraine. Mali and Burkina Faso have undergone similar transformations.

“These countries are ruled by authoritarian leaders who want to avoid accountability for the harms they are inflicting on their own people,” Mel O’Brien, an associate professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told the AP.

Burundi similarly accused the court of focusing too much on conflicts in Africa when, in 2017, it became the first country to leave the ICC. The court had opened an investigation into the East African nation earlier that year.

Most of the court's initial investigations were into African countries, though most requested the involvement of the ICC.

South Africa and Gambia also announced in 2017 that they would leave but later changed course.

A change of government can also bring a country back into the fold. Hungary announced it would quit the court in 2025 but following the election of a new government, the country's parliament voted to stay.

Past crimes still fall under the court’s jurisdiction

The court also had an active investigation in the Philippines when then-President Rodrigo Duterte said his country would leave the ICC. In 2019 the Southeast Asian country became the second country to leave but as withdrawal from the court is not retroactive, the investigation continued.

Duterte is now in ICC detention in the Netherlands awaiting trial on charges of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drug crackdowns he allegedly oversaw while in office. Opening statements are set for November.

An investigation into possible crimes committed by Venezuelan security forces under former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will continue despite the country’s announcement last month that it will also leave the ICC.

In a statement, the country's Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia said the court had been “instrumentalized to deepen inequalities among peoples and disregard their right to self-determination and sovereignty.”

Venezuela is currently in the middle of U.S.-backed talks between the ruling party and the opposition following Maduro's capture in January by U.S. forces.

The court has also welcomed new members

Ukraine is the court's most recent addition. The country joined in 2025 and previously had signed an agreement to give the court jurisdiction over crimes on its territory, following the outbreak of hostilities with Russia in 2014.

Joining the court was “Ukraine’s way of saying that accountability for the gravest crimes cannot be optional, and that we intend to help build that system of justice,” the country's ambassador to the Netherlands, Andriy Kostin, told AP.

The S&P 500 climbed 1% and was on track to break a four-day losing streak, its longest since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 479 points, or 0.9%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% higher.

They got help from a pullback in oil prices, which had jumped to their highest levels since May because of the ongoing war with Iran. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.5% to $104.93 after getting near $110 overnight.

That took a bit of pressure off inflation, which remains stubbornly high. A report on Friday showed that U.S. consumers had to pay prices for gasoline, food and other costs of living that were 3.4% higher last month than a year earlier.

While still high, that was close to what economists expected and what Wall Street was prepared for. The data also strengthened expectations among traders that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to hike its main interest rate at its meeting next week.

Such moves are the typical way the Fed tries to rein in high inflation, and they work by filtering through the bond market, making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money, slowing the economy and hopefully removing fuel for further inflation.

The rising expectations for an upcoming hike to rates sent the yield of the two-year Treasury, which moves with guesses for upcoming Fed action, to 4.60% from 4.56% late Thursday.

Longer-term yields, though, actually eased. That could be an indication that investors in the bond market see upcoming hikes to rates by the Fed helping to keep control of inflation over the longer term. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.93% from 4.95% late Thursday.

Economists say hikes could quiet questions about the Fed's commitment to keeping inflation under control. Worries had risen earlier in the summer about its credibility and whether it would do what’s needed to bring inflation down, even if it causes pain for the economy in the short term.

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has been adamant about not giving hints about where the Fed may take interest rates, though he did calm some concerns among investors at a speech late last month. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has been pushing for interest rates to go lower rather than higher.

“Symbolism can trump substance, even when it comes to monetary policy,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.

It's all coming at a moment when confidence among Americans continues to sour. A preliminary report from the University of Michigan on Friday said U.S. consumer sentiment is falling, with declines for both Democrats and Republicans.

Their expectations for inflation coming in the year ahead jumped to 4.6% from 4% last month. That's the highest reading since June, and it's concerning for the Fed and for economists because it can trigger a vicious cycle of behavior that only worsens inflation.

On Wall Street, Oracle added 0.7% after the tech giant reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. That could be an encouraging signal for other stocks closely tied to the artificial-intelligence industry, which have become shaky on worries that the AI frenzy may have sent prices too high.

Kroger rose 4.2% after the grocer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also held firm on its forecast for profit over the fiscal year, even though it trimmed its forecast for an important underlying measure of revenue growth.

ACV Auctions, whose digital marketplace connects wholesale buyers and sellers of vehicles, soared 44.3% after Copart said it would pay $10.50 in cash for each of the company's shares. Copart, whose online vehicle auctions sold more than 4 million units in the last year, slipped 0.5%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe as oil prices eased. London's FTSE 100 added 0.5% after a report said the U.K. economy was stronger in July than economists expected.

Stock markets were weaker in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.9% and South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.8%.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

A judge recently set a 2028 date for Mohammed to finally be tried before a military tribunal, but some lawyers predict it will never happen — not that year or any other year. They say the maze of legal issues that arose because Mohammed was tortured following his 2003 capture in Pakistan is too twisted to ever be straightened out.

A fleeting bid to put him on trial in a civilian court in New York City was shouted down years ago over security concerns.

A plea agreement that would have kept Mohammed imprisoned for life, but spared him from a possible execution, began to collapse shortly after it was announced in 2024, and finally died for good last year.

“It’s all contaminated by politics and the lack of accountability on torture,” said Joshua Dratel, an attorney who played a part in assuring that Mohammed has proper legal representation.

In late August, the U.S. military judge who set a June 5, 2028, trial date for Mohammed and three others charged in the Sept. 11 attacks ruled that prosecutors could not use an alleged confession he made to the FBI in 2007. Those statements were deemed tainted because Mohammed was subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques” overseas, including the simulated drowning technique called waterboarding.

While the ruling was a blow to the prosecution, the U.S. government decided not to appeal, in part because doing so could have further delayed a possible trial.

Meanwhile, Mohammed remains jailed in Guantanamo Bay, where he was brought on Sept. 5, 2006, following more than three years in secret prisons in other countries.

Victims' families still hope a trial will happen

Terry Strada, whose husband, Tom, died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, said that she and other people who lost family members still hope a trial will someday happen.

“We very much want to see this come to an end at some point. We do want to see justice served. It’s just as important as 25 years ago,” she said.

But Strada, the national chair of the group 9/11 Families United, also said she would rather have Mohammed rot at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely than get behind a resolution that would involve dropping the death penalty as a possibility. Strada said she worries that if Mohammed is not executed, future U.S. leaders might someday be tempted to swap him for Americans held prisoner elsewhere in the world.

The death penalty, she said, “fits the crime and it would prevent that from ever happening. And that’s important to me.”

Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003, accused of developing and directing the 9/11 attacks, as a leader of the Islamic militant group al-Qaida. Some of the delays in his legal proceedings have stemmed from his treatment after he fell into U.S. control. A U.S. Senate report pointed to his extended torture in CIA custody, including 183 sessions of waterboarding.

Plans for a civilian trial were dropped

For a time in 2009, it seemed Mohammed was headed to New York after then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced plans to try him and four other men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks in a Manhattan courthouse just blocks from the World Trade Center site.

Then-President Barack Obama, who had pledged to close the Guantanamo detention center, said Mohammed would face “the most exacting demands of justice.”

Almost immediately, opposition arose. Some critics predicted Mohammed would use a trial as a platform to spread hateful views of America and its allies. Others cited security concerns, saying it could again make New York a terrorist target. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, called the plan unwise and said it showed “a lack of concern for the rights of the public.”

Plans for a civilian trial were dropped.

“It was a charade in many respects,” Dratel said.

The military tribunal system, he said, has proven itself to be a worse solution, unable to function efficiently, without a proper structure and without fidelity to federal courts.

“Each time you reach an impasse, no one knows what to do,” he said.

David Raskin, a Washington lawyer now in private practice who would have led the government’s prosecution of Mohammed in New York if it hadn't been abandoned, said in an essay published in The Washington Post on Wednesday that he is confident a civilian trial would have ended with a conviction. The military commissions, on the other hand, “became a defense lawyer's dream,” beset by “endless litigation over their legality and procedures.”

“I predict there will never be a completed military commission trial for Mohammed and the other Sept. 11 defendants,” he said.

La disputa fue por el protocolo y quién debía hablar primero: la sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz o la alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.

Se escuchó al jefe de gabinete de Levine Cava decir que la alcaldesa, a cargo tanto del MIA como del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade en su función como principal autoridad ejecutiva del condado, debía hablar primero.

Cordero-Stutz no estuvo de acuerdo.

“Sé lo que usted cree”, dijo. “Esto es seguridad pública y yo voy primero”.

(Vea el intercambio en el reproductor de video de arriba; ambas cartas pueden leerse al final de la página)

Sheriff: Solicitud de miembro del personal “no es apropiada”

En una carta fechada el miércoles y hecha pública el jueves, Cordero-Stutz calificó la solicitud como “no apropiada” y algo “que no debe volver a ocurrir”, afirmando que un “malentendido sobre nuestras respectivas funciones” debería resolverse “ahora, con calma y por escrito, en lugar de durante el próximo incidente”.

Cordero-Stutz le dijo a Levine Cava que ella “ya había retrasado la conferencia de la Oficina del Sheriff para que usted pudiera llegar, ser llevada dentro del perímetro que mis agentes habían asegurado y dirigirse a la prensa”, algo que, según dijo, hizo “deliberadamente y como cortesía, porque su presencia era apropiada y quería que el público viera al liderazgo del condado unido”.

“Lo que no es apropiado”, dijo, “es que un miembro del personal de la alcaldesa intente dar instrucciones a la sheriff en el lugar de un incidente que la sheriff comanda, frente a los medios de comunicación reunidos y los agentes bajo mi mando.

“No creo que eso reflejara una instrucción suya, y no escribo para culpar a un miembro del personal. Escribo para que acordemos, de ahora en adelante, dónde recae la autoridad en el lugar de un incidente, para que nadie de nuestros respectivos equipos tenga que adivinar”.

Cordero-Stutz dijo que su oficina era responsable del perímetro y de la investigación.

“Había cinco personas muertas dentro de un perímetro que mis agentes estaban resguardando, y la investigación ya estaba en marcha”, dijo. “La persona que informa primero al público en un lugar como ese es el funcionario responsable del mismo. No es una cuestión de protocolo ni de jerarquía. Es una cuestión de precisión y responsabilidad: el público tiene derecho a escuchar al funcionario que responde por lo que se está haciendo”.

Cordero-Stutz continuó afirmando que cree que la alcaldesa, como “jefa del condado para fines de manejo de emergencias”, según los estatutos del condado, solo lideraría en un lugar de ese tipo si declarara un estado de emergencia local. Es algo con lo que Levine Cava discreparía en su respuesta.

La sheriff, en su carta, insinuó una división entre ambas, diciendo que la disputa señalaba un “problema mayor” relacionado con el regreso relativamente reciente de un sheriff electo en el condado.

Antes de que Cordero-Stutz asumiera el cargo en 2025 como la primera sheriff electa del condado en décadas, Levine Cava tenía en última instancia la supervisión del anterior Departamento de Policía de Miami-Dade.

No se utilizaron etiquetas políticas, pero Levine Cava, demócrata, apoyó abiertamente al rival de la republicana Cordero-Stutz en las elecciones de 2024.

Dijo que “la dirección operativa, de los agentes, de los lugares de los incidentes, de las investigaciones y de lo que la sheriff dice al público sobre ellos, no es algo que el condado haya conservado, y no es algo que un miembro del personal de la alcaldesa pueda ejercer insistiendo en ello frente a un podio”.

Continuó diciendo que “suponer que la antigua estructura sigue vigente continuará produciendo momentos como el del domingo hasta que se corrija, y el próximo podría ocurrir en un lugar donde la confusión tenga consecuencias”.

Cordero-Stutz propuso un plan de protocolo que estipula que la sheriff encabeza las comunicaciones durante un “incidente policial”, la alcaldesa encabeza las comunicaciones del condado durante un “estado de emergencia local declarado” y que el personal de ninguna de las dos funcionarias da instrucciones al de la otra.

Alcaldesa responde: “Precisamente el tipo de emergencia” sobre la que los estatutos me otorgan “una responsabilidad clara”

Levine Cava respondió con una carta más breve, también fechada el miércoles.

“Quiero ser clara: este incidente fue mucho más allá de una respuesta de bomberos y agentes del orden”, dijo Levine Cava, enfatizando que el condado es propietario del MIA, que terminó cerrado durante “un período prolongado en un fin de semana festivo, afectando a decenas de miles de pasajeros”.

Levine Cava dijo que el incidente fue “precisamente el tipo de evento de manejo de emergencias sobre el que los estatutos otorgan a la alcaldesa una responsabilidad clara”.

“La alcaldesa, como jefa del condado para fines de manejo de emergencias, tiene la autoridad para movilizar los recursos del condado y liderar la respuesta del condado ante un evento de esta magnitud, de conformidad con las leyes estatales y locales”, escribió. “No todas las emergencias de esta magnitud resultan en una declaración formal. Pero eso no disminuye la autoridad del condado para actuar en esas circunstancias, ni la de la sheriff”.

Levine Cava dijo que tanto la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade como las agencias del condado bajo su supervisión desempeñaron funciones complementarias en la respuesta.

Señaló: “No di instrucciones a nadie de mi personal para que dirigiera a sus agentes, y no creo que ningún miembro del personal tuviera la intención de hacerlo”.

“Un miembro de mi equipo buscó aclarar las respectivas funciones de cada agencia de seguridad pública que respondía durante un incidente con múltiples agencias y múltiples víctimas ocurrido en propiedad del condado”, dijo Levine Cava. “Antes de la conferencia de prensa, me reuní con altos funcionarios del condado, comisionados del condado y funcionarios federales para recibir información sobre el incidente y coordinar la información que podía compartirse apropiadamente con el público”.

Ambas funcionarias concluyeron sus cartas coincidiendo en que incidentes de una magnitud similar requieren una respuesta unificada.

Pero parece que todavía difieren sobre cómo debe ser una respuesta unificada, al menos en lo que respecta a las comunicaciones.

Lea las cartas:

Intense wind and surging waves from Hurricane Lowell damaged oceanfront resorts, ripped apart roads and knocked out power early this week on Kauai, known for its stunning tropical landscapes, waterfalls and dramatic cliffs.

Thousands of customers, including some resorts, remained without power late Thursday, as crews continued clearing streets of downed trees and utility poles. Extensive lines backed up at Kauai’s primary airport Thursday as people tried to depart the island.

“Our hope is that visitors will adjust their travel plans instead of canceling their trip to Hawai‘i altogether,” Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, said in a written statement. “Adjusting your itinerary allows you to continue your Hawaiʻi vacation while supporting the state’s broader visitor economy as Kauaʻi recovers.”

Kauai sees only a small fraction of Hawaii’s almost 10 million visitors each year, but tourism is its top economic driver, with people coming from all over to take in its tropical landscapes, waterfalls and dramatic cliffs. Local estimates say tourism accounts for 4 out of every 10 jobs on the island.

The hurricane’s powerful storm surge buckled and washed away roads, knocked down the walls of homes and flooded resorts, sending rapids through a hotel lobby, overturning furniture and scattering debris. It was blamed for two deaths, including a 74-year-old man found Wednesday near Kauai's south shore and a man found dead Monday on Oahu after a large tree fell on his tent.

Democratic Gov. Josh Green asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday to issue a major disaster declaration to expedite federal help for Kauai and Maui counties.

At the Ko‘a Kea Resort in Poipu, management said it would offer refunds for those who had to cancel rather than reschedule their reservations, but that it expected to resume normal operations within two weeks. The Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, which sustained no structural damage, said it had to close beginning Thursday evening but hoped to reopen soon after power is restored.

While images of destruction flooded social media, 68-year-old Chris White, a lifelong resident of Kauai and the owner of a rental home in Poipu, noted that much of the island was spared significant damage. He said he keeps a spare generator and solar water heater at the property in case of power outages, and he urged potential visitors to check with the owners of their properties about whether they should still come.

“There are countless images on the web of devastation, so I’m not trying to gloss that over,” White said. “I’m just trying to add a little more balance to it. It's a beautiful day here. Guests can still walk to Poipu Beach. There are bathrooms that work. The water’s running.”

Kelly Kakalia, co-owner of The Musubi Truck, a Kauai food truck business, said she is not overly worried about the interruption to tourism.

“I would be silly to say tourism doesn’t drive our economy,” she said, but “our island needs time to rest and rebuild and make sure locals have power and water” before welcoming back tourists.

On Wednesday, Musubi's staff used its commercial kitchen in Wailua, on Kauai’s east side, to serve nearly 600 free meals. Relying on propane to cook and generators to keep food cold, they prepared poke bowls, chicken, ahi katsu and rice. A neighboring cafe owner plugged a blender into her pickup truck to make free smoothies, and a nearby brewery brought warm beer for the volunteers.

“We were serving from 10:30 to 4 and there was a line the entire time," Kakalia said.

Born and raised on Kauai, the 36-year-old said she didn’t want to sell food during a time of need. The community is filled with classmates, cousins and others she’s known all her life, she said.

After the kitchen got power back, Kakalia donated the generators to other families still without electricity.

As for losing any business, she said, "that’s just part of it.”

“The community and island are more important,” Kakalia said.

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Johnson reported from Seattle and Rodriguez from San Francisco. Associated Press writer Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed.

The milestone anniversary brought memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims' names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll. On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son Kenny Caldwell to the trade center to hear his name and all the others read aloud Friday morning. She last spoke to him that morning a quarter-century ago.

“Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you,” Caldwell said he told her in a final phone call. She is one of many relatives of victims whose remains never were recovered.

Trump attends Pentagon observance

The attacks brought down the World Trade Center's twin towers — icons of U.S. economic power, and among the tallest buildings on Earth — and blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. military's fortress-like headquarters near Washington. The fourth plane was headed for the nation's capital, officials concluded, but the aircraft went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.

“In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before” and after, President Donald Trump said at a 9/11 remembrance in Washington this week. The Republican, who was in his native New York on Sept. 11 and has often recounted his memories, attended the Pentagon's anniversary ceremony Friday.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on 9/11, and ex-Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and current Vice President JD Vance convened for the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York. Other administration officials went to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

At ground zero, a new tribute to those who fell ill

For Angilic Casalduc, attending the New York commemoration “helps to show you’re not alone.” She lost her mother, Vivian Casalduc.

“There’s no timeline for grief, and unfortunately, no one can say how can you can grieve, but coming here once a year makes it feel just a little bit better,” she said.

Traditionally, there are no political speeches at the ground zero commemoration, where victims' relatives read aloud the long list of names and added personal messages. They thanked first responders and the military, talked about their loved ones' lives, and mentioned family milestones they've missed. Many of those who spoke were too young to have met the relatives they lost.

The ceremony has long been punctuated with moments of silence at key points in the attack timeline and this year organizers added another moment to honor people who were exposed to the clouds of toxic dust released by the twin towers’ fiery collapse and have since died of cancer and other illnesses. Questions remain about how many people developed health problems linked to the dust.

The impact of 9/11 endures

It's a reminder of how the attacks' long shadow has reached into many corners of life in the U.S. and beyond.

The U.S.-led global war on terrorism included invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan — the latter Washington's longest war — and detentions and harsh interrogation of terror suspects in an international network of secret CIA prisons. The U.S. found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed still awaits a trial 23 years after his capture.

The attacks changed U.S. air travel, prompted new federal surveillance and intelligence-gathering powers and banking regulations, and generated ongoing debate over the balance between security and freedom. The Department of Homeland Security, many state anti-terrorism laws and billions of dollars in state and local counterterrorism funding all are post-9/11 creations.

So, too, is the culture of individual vigilance summed up by the slogan “ if you see something, say something.”

Sept. 11 generated a wave of patriotism that propelled some Americans to join the military, fire departments, police forces or other public agencies.

Casey Kloepfer became a New York police officer this June. He was 4 when his father, Officer Ronald Kloepfer, was killed at the trade center.

“It’s big footsteps to fill, but it’s definitely something that I take very seriously and want to continue to honor him and be the best police officer I can,” the 29-year-old, who wears his father's badge number, said by phone this week.

New York’s mayor comes under scrutiny

Amid the calls to service and for national unity that many remember, the attacks also fanned mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslims.

In the quarter-century since, Muslim Americans have played a growing role in public life from statehouses to Congress to New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city's first Muslim mayor. Yet he faced some criticism for attending the anniversary ceremony at ground zero, something his predecessors have done for years.

Some complaints came from Republican ex-Gov. George Pataki and 9/11 victims’ relatives, who cited among other things past remarks that some of Mamdani's political associates have made about the attacks. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also inveighed against Mamdani attending, though the two shook hands Friday as they and other officials awaited the start of the observance.

Mamdani, a Democrat, said earlier this week that he loves the city and country and wants the anniversary to focus on victims' families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after the attacks, which he called a “horrific act of terror.” The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school student in New York on 9/11.

Times Square billboards pause advertisements

Remembrances extended far beyond the attack sites, including beams of light projecting from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, a stair climb at Mississippi State University’s football stadium and a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 memorial.

Sept. 11 isn't a federal holiday, but Congress has designated it both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

“One appropriate way to remember is by serving,” says Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Winuk and then co-founded the volunteer organization 9/11 Day with friend David Paine. The group helps people find volunteer opportunities and this year arranged for dozens of Times Square billboards to pause their advertising at 9:11 a.m. Friday.

Instead, they simply displayed the time.

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Associated Press journalists Michael R. Sisak, Anthony Izaguirre, and Julie Walker contributed.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon that day were read aloud, a bell tolling between each. In his remarks, Trump recounted the stories of several of the victims. “We will never, ever forget,” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice.”

Earlier, in a downpour at daybreak, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military officials stood outside and watched as a giant American flag was unfurled on the building struck by one of those planes a quarter- century ago.

It's the second year in a row for Trump to mark the day at the Pentagon. The president, who is originally from New York, last attended the ground zero ceremony there in 2024.

Vice President JD Vance is attending the New York observance alongside former presidents, while other administration officials are at the ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Vance had planned to be in New York for the anniversary last year but instead flew to Salt Lake City to be with the family of Charlie Kirk after the conservative activist was assassinated.

Trump began his remarks by recalling the sense of American unity following the attacks. “In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation,” Trump said. “We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family.”

The president and his defense secretary sought to connect the events of 9/11 to the war with Iran. Trump saluted the service members “working right now to ensure the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror — the Islamic Republic of Iran — will never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”

Hegseth said the U.S. military had “laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism." He added: “Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century, that cheered on 9/11, a regime that has sponsored terrorist attacks against Americans for decades, killing thousands, including our comrades in Iraq, in Afghanistan.”

Host India will seek to balance its ties with China and Russia against its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the leaders expected to attend.

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging markets and developing countries, named after an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It has expanded from its original membership to include 11 countries that together represent about half the world’s population and a large share of its energy, resources and economic output. Experts say its growing size has also exposed divisions as its members want greater influence in the global order but often have competing political, economic and foreign-policy interests.

BRICS faces divisions over Iran and Ukraine

The conflicts in Iran and Ukraine are likely to highlight those divisions. Iran is a member of the expanded BRICS, while Russia remains one of its most influential members. China has close ties with both countries, while India maintains relations with Russia, Iran, the United States and Europe.

That diversity makes it difficult for BRICS to take a strong common position on major conflicts. The grouping includes countries with competing regional ambitions, including India and China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as other nations from the Global South.

“The Global South is not a homogeneous entity,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “Hence, the grouping will find it hard to manage and mediate in these conflicts.”

Russia’s war in Ukraine has already exposed the limits of India’s ability to balance competing interests. New Delhi has maintained close ties with Moscow, including through energy and defense pacts, while also deepening its strategic relationship with Washington.

The South Asian nation has consistently called for dialogue and diplomacy rather than taking sides.

The Iran-U.S. conflict poses a similar challenge. BRICS members have differing ties with Washington and interests in the Middle East, making a unified response difficult. China and Russia have backed Iran in international forums, while India has taken a cautious approach. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have their own tensions with Tehran.

India sees BRICS as a way to engage China

For India, the summit is an opportunity to manage its relationship with China. Ties have improved since border tensions escalated in 2020, but China remains India’s largest strategic rival.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to New Delhi, his first in seven years, could help consolidate the recent diplomatic thaw but there are few signs of a recovery in trade and business ties.

“The upcoming summit offers India an opportunity to engage with China, make progress on outstanding bilateral issues,” Donthi said.

India also has an interest in preventing BRICS from becoming an explicitly anti-Western bloc.

New Delhi has strengthened ties with the United States, Israel, Japan, Australia and Europe while maintaining its longstanding relationship with Russia.

“India will project its strategic autonomy by being part of a non-West grouping but also finds it useful to engage with China, its primary strategic rival,” Donthi said.

The grouping wants less reliance on the dollar

Reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar is a major issue for BRICS. Members have discussed increasing trade in their own currencies and creating payment systems that would reduce their reliance on Western financial institutions.

The idea has gained momentum as countries such as Russia face sweeping Western sanctions. But replacing the dollar will be difficult, as it is deeply embedded in global trade and finance, while BRICS members have different currencies, financial systems and economic priorities.

Mahesh Sachdev, a retired Indian diplomat, said the goal should not be a direct confrontation with the dollar. Instead, he said, countries want to reduce their exposure to the current financial system that can be used for political pressure.

“It’s a challenge, but we’re not talking about frontal confrontations. It’s not a binary situation,” he said.

Its influence will depend on what it can deliver

BRICS’ growing membership also gives it considerable weight, but its influence will ultimately depend on whether the members can agree on practical steps.

The group has called for changes to global financial institutions, greater representation for developing countries and alternatives to Western-dominated systems. Yet its members often disagree on how to achieve those goals.

Sachdev said BRICS needs a “more cohesive attitude and better harmony” among its members.

“If it remains just a periodic talking shop and photo ops,” he said, “then its relevance erodes.”

Donthi said BRICS’ success could be measured in smaller steps. These include keeping the expanded group together, improving ties with China, and deepening trade and financial cooperation. The grouping could also show that it can give developing countries a platform without forcing them to choose between Western and non-Western blocs, he said.

“BRICS allows for incremental geopolitical gains, if not outright wins,” Donthi said.

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Associated Press journalist Piyush Nagpal contributed to this report.

The consumer price index rose 3.4% last month compared with a year ago, the Labor Department said Friday, the same as in July. But on a monthly basis, inflation quickened, as costs jumped 0.4% from July to August, up from an increase of just 0.1% the previous month.

The figures show that inflation remains stubbornly elevated, more than five years after prices first soared as the economy emerged from the COVID pandemic. Friday's report increases pressure on the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to boost the benchmark interest rate at a meeting next week, which could lift mortgage and auto loan costs in the months ahead.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and other officials “signaled that interest rates can remain on hold only if disinflation continues and today’s August report did not deliver that,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide.

Worsening inflation isn't all due to spiking gas costs. Prices for appliances, car repairs, and wireless phone services also jumped last month. And economists worry that more expensive fuel can spill into other parts of the economy. For example, diesel prices have hit record highs above $6 a gallon, which pushes up the cost of shipping for groceries and other goods delivered by truck.

Airline tickets rose 2.7% on a monthly basis, according to the new data, and have soared more than 23% from a year earlier.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices were 2.4% higher in August than a year ago, down slightly from July's 2.5% and the third straight decline. But on a monthly basis, core prices rose 0.3% from July to August, the largest increase since April.

The larger-than-expected monthly increase in core prices will likely embolden those Fed officials who have pushed for higher interest rates. Wall Street investors now see a more than 80% chance that the Fed will increase rates Sept. 16, according to CME Fedwatch, a 10-point jump from yesterday.

The Trump administration is seeking to counter voter concerns about high prices and rising interest rates. President Donald Trump on Wednesday promised $5,000 payments to every American adult if the GOP keeps a majority in Congress, a move that would require congressional approval and could stoke inflation. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stepped up buybacks of Treasury bonds in an effort to keep longer-term interest rates lower. Yet on Thursday the yield on the 10-year Treasury reached a nearly three-year high, though it declined in early trading Friday to a still-elevated 4.9%.

What has gotten more expensive

Gas prices jumped 3.9% just from July to August, Friday's report said, leaving gas prices more than 27% higher than a year earlier. Prices at the pump have jumped further this month, which means inflation is likely to worsen next month. The nationwide average cost of a gallon of gas on Friday leapt more than 7% from a month ago to $4.30.

In addition to rising plane tickets, hotel room prices climbed 2.4% just from July to August and are 3.2% more expensive than a year ago. Wireless phone services, appliances, and car repairs also got more expensive last month.

Apparel and grocery prices were unchanged from July to August, providing some relief to consumers, though eggs moved 2.9% higher last month. They are still down sharply from a year earlier.

Inflation as one-time shock or something more

Many economists and Federal Reserve officials have long considered higher gas prices one of several “one-time” shocks that are lifting inflation, along with tariffs and surging investment in AI data centers. For months, the hope has been that as the war against Iran wound down, and the effects of tariffs faded, inflation would grind lower.

Yet there are few signs of the Iran war cooling, and even Trump has said gas prices won't retreat until after the midterm elections in November. And while Trump's trade fight with Canada will impact a small number of imports, it is a reminder that tariffs remain a threat that could push up other costs.

“This is not one and done,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide. “It's unclear when tensions in the Middle East are going to settle down. ... This seems like it could be a prolonged disruption.”

While core prices are rising more slowly than overall prices, more expensive oil and gas could spread through more of the economy. Pricier jet fuel will likely push airfares even higher, and more expensive diesel will raise shipping costs, which could make groceries and other goods shipped by train and truck more expensive. On Thursday, a wholesale price report showed a jump in chemical prices, likely a result of more expensive oil.

Federal Reserve widely expected to lift rates

Friday's report has spurred many economists to pencil in a rate hike at the Fed's next meeting Sept. 15-16. Chair Warsh suggested he was leaning toward a rate hike in a high-profile speech two weeks ago, but he did not commit to doing so at a specific time.

Warsh has said he doesn't want to tip his hand about his next moves, leaving some uncertainty going into the meeting.

The Fed left its key rate unchanged at its last policy meeting in late July, but three officials voted in favor of hiking by a quarter point, which would have increased it to about 3.9% from 3.6%.

Fifty-four people are still missing since the fire tore through the ferry Wednesday night near southwestern Palawan province. There were 43 survivors. Images provided by the coast guard showed the charred interior of the ship and what appeared to be human remains, ashes and burnt metal, including a car.

“The fire quickly spread. That’s when I dropped to the ground and my back was burned,” Arnulfo Nokki Villanueva recounted in a video broadcast by News5. He said that he jumped from a window. “I wanted to get a life jacket but failed to get one because people were stepping on me. People were in panic.”

Rescuers on Thursday struggled to get inside the vessel because of the heat and smoke, slowing efforts to search for passengers who may been trapped. On Friday, the death rose to 35 as more bodies were recovered.

The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was around 7.4 kilometers (4.5 miles) off the village of Turda near its destination of Coron in Palawan province when the fire was reported. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

“It’s painful to think that your child was asking for help while she was burning alive,” Lira Daco said as she waited at a rescue center in Turda for word about her missing 20-year-old daughter, Cyriel.

“I don’t know how we can find out which one is my child,” she added of the remains found inside the ship. “It’s OK if she just drowned and we can recover her body and give her a proper burial. But now we can’t recognize or hug her.”

According to the manifest, 134 people were onboard, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. The 53-meter (174-foot) vessel had a capacity to carry 306 passengers and 27 crew. Two passengers listed in the manifest reported to authorities that they failed to board, the coast guard said.

Two of the survivors were tourists from Chile, according to Rachel Conserman, a staffer of the ship’s owner Atienza Interisland Ferries Inc. They are recovering from injuries in a hospital in Coron, she said, adding that no other foreigners were known to have been on the ship.

Coron is a popular tourist destination known for clear blue waters, limestone cliffs and rock formations.

Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.

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Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.

The Los Angeles Rams only boomeranged in 28 hours before kickoff, and they flew back out with their Super Bowl aspirations in disarray after getting thrashed in a historic season opener.

Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel caught touchdown passes from Brock Purdy, and the Niners routed the Rams 27-7 Friday.

Purdy passed for 205 yards against the Rams' ineffective defense at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 100,021 fans, the seventh-largest regular season crowd in NFL history. Australia's sporting capital reveled in its first real taste of American football — and in a dominant win by the 49ers, who had already won many Aussies' affection by traveling to Melbourne a week earlier than the Rams.

“It was definitely worth it to come a little bit early,” said Evans, who caught six passes in a strong 49ers debut. “We definitely got acclimated. ... All the guys attacked it. We didn’t complain. We actually enjoyed being here in Melbourne.”

A party atmosphere prevailed even with a Friday morning kickoff necessary for U.S. television. The fans got another memorable chapter in this NFC West rivalry as the 49ers surprisingly blasted the touted Rams with superior play on both sides of the ball.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the historic, hulking arena “felt gladiator-ish. ... It felt like home once we got here. I'm glad the guys played like it, too.”

Kyren Williams scored the NFL’s first Australian touchdown on a 5-yard rush to begin the second quarter, but the 49ers took control from there, scoring the final 24 points.

While Purdy's offense managed enough big plays to win, the San Francisco defense frustrated NFL MVP Matthew Stafford into a 15-of-25 performance for just 155 yards. The Niners defense now led by longtime Rams coordinator Raheem Morris held the NFL's best offense last season to 290 yards and one score, even stopping Stafford on a fourth-down quarterback sneak from the San Francisco 1 in the third quarter.

“Probably only had two good drives, to be honest,” Stafford said. “Not enough good stuff on offense. We didn't do the things that we're accustomed to doing. Too many times, we were on different pages. That starts with me.”

Garrett has a quiet debut

While San Francisco's Fred Warner and Nick Bosa both had big moments in their first games back from lengthy injury absences, Myles Garrett was practically invisible in his Rams debut after missing much of training camp with aches, recording zero tackles. The reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year finally acknowledged after the game that his knee injury has him at less than full health.

“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there, and I’ve got to be better,” Garrett said.

Rams' travel plans are scrutinized

Much of the pregame talk for this trip centered around the teams’ starkly differing methods of preparation: The 49ers ingratiated themselves to the local fans as their body clocks adjusted, while the Rams stayed home until less than two days before kickoff, keeping their body clocks on California time.

“I know there’s gonna be a lot of narratives that appropriately put the blame on me, and then we’ll move forward the right way,” coach Sean McVay said. “I don’t believe (the travel plan) is why we didn’t play well enough. I really don’t.”

Niners take control

Both teams started with understandable sluggishness for a 10:35 a.m. kickoff, but Williams' TD run finally got the crowd cheering. The quarterbacks then traded interceptions before Purdy shook off a shaky start and found former Rams receiver Robinson on a 39-yard post route.

San Francisco surged out of halftime, with Samuel's 45-yard kickoff return leading to Evans' TD catch over new Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson.

The Rams drove deep into the red zone, but after Puka Nacua was ruled down inches outside the goal line, the 49ers stuffed Stafford. San Francisco's responded with a 99-yard drive ending in Samuel's TD grab.

Up next

The 49ers host Miami on Sunday, Sept. 20.

The Rams host the New York Giants on Monday, Sept. 21.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Miami coach Mario Cristobal told reporters earlier this week that he wanted his team to establish dominance in the run game, and the Hurricanes did just that from the opening drive.

It took Mark Fletcher Jr. just three carries to find the end zone.

The offensive line opened a large hole, while wide receiver Malachi Toney helped seal the edge and spring Fletcher for a 46-yard touchdown run. The score moved Fletcher to sixth in Miami history in career rushing yards and fifth in career rushing touchdowns.

On the first play of Miami’s second drive, quarterback Darian Mensah found Josh Moore for a 55-yard touchdown, giving the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead.

Florida A&M’s quarterback gave Miami’s defense some trouble when he took off running, but the Hurricanes eventually forced a stop and another Rattlers punt.

Fletcher scored his second touchdown of the game on Miami’s next drive, finishing the first quarter with seven carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns as the Hurricanes took a 21-0 lead.

Defensive backs JJ Dunnigan and Zecheriah Poyser were active throughout the first half, helping Miami control both the passing and running games and force another Florida A&M punt.

Toney then made his presence felt again, hauling in a 52-yard reception from Mensah after wrestling the ball away from a defender. A few plays later, Mensah found Toney wide open for a 19-yard touchdown.

The touchdown was Mensah’s seventh touchdown pass and Toney’s fourth receiving touchdown through Miami’s first five-plus quarters of the season.

Running back Girard Pringle Jr. also made an impact on the next drive, contributing in both the running and receiving games before making a sharp stop and cut to reach the end zone for Miami’s fifth touchdown.

Running back Javian Mallory added another score late in the half, giving Miami a 49-0 lead with 46 seconds remaining before halftime.

Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Fletcher had seven carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Toney had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Miami’s defense held Florida A&M to 37 rushing yards on 21 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per carry.

The Hurricanes pulled their starters in the second half, but the scoring continued.

Nickel opened the second half at quarterback and quickly connected with Somourian Wingo for a 47-yard touchdown, extending Miami’s lead to 56-0.

Mallory then broke loose for a 35-yard run before Nickel found Vandrevius Jacobs for a 33-yard touchdown on the next play, making it 63-0.

Nickel threw his third touchdown of the game later in the half, but Vance Spafford provided one of Miami’s biggest highlights when he made a contested catch with a defender draped all over him despite a pass interference call. Nickel finished the game throwing 8 of 8 for 144 yards.

Florida A&M finally got on the scoreboard when Miami wide receiver Brennan Burton fumbled and Rattlers defensive back Caleb McKenzie returned it 72 yards for a touchdown which made it 77-7.

Miami totaled 856 yards of offense vs. Florida A&M, a school record.

Corey Hetherman’s defense has yet to allow a touchdown this season.

Both of Miami’s quarterbacks finished with three touchdown passes in the win. The blowout even allowed third-string quarterback Dereon Coleman to see some action.

Miami improved to 2-0 with the victory, while Florida A&M fell to 1-2.

Up next

Miami travels to face Wake Forest (1-0) on Friday, Sept. 18.

Florida A&M hosts Tennessee State (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Palmetto struck first on a long touchdown run by Aiden Butler.

Columbus answered with Kai Moore rolling out and finding Ahmad Summerall for a touchdown.

Moore connected with his five-star wide receiver A-Mir Sears on a touchdown down the sideline to cap another scoring drive.

Palmetto went on to win 34-7.

In Broward, the No. 1 team in the country visited Dillard, and St. Thomas Aquinas wasted little time showing why.

The Raiders scored 35 points in the first quarter, including a 50-yard touchdown from Blake Calixte to Julius Jones Jr.

The duo connected again later as St. Thomas Aquinas cruised to a 49-0 victory and improved to 4-0.

The Hurricanes finished with 856 yards, breaking the mark of 750 against Ball State in 2024. Miami had 77 points in a game twice previously, both against Savannah State. And the game was so one-sided that the teams agreed to shave five minutes off the fourth quarter, setting the clock for 10 minutes instead of the standard 15.

By then, it was 77-0. The Hurricanes (2-0) finished with 42 first downs — another school record.

“Pretty ridiculous," Mensah said when asked about a Miami offense that has scored 122 points in the season's first two games. “It's just a testament to the guys up front.”

Florida A&M (1-2) scored on a 72-yard fumble return by Caleb McKenzie with 6:40 left.

Miami opened its season with a 45-6 win at Stanford, and Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said he saw improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.

“We did a lot,” said Cristobal, who got his 99th career win. “Certainly, just wanted to see our guys play fast and free and improve. That was the most important thing; (going) 1-0 is always the goal, but in college football every single week you better get better. In some respects, I think we did that tonight.”

Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three first-half touchdowns, making him 41 of 45 for 653 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two games as a Hurricane. Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher Jr. each rushed for two scores, and Malachi Toney — one of six Miami receivers with a touchdown catch — had four grabs for 96 yards.

Miami scored touchdowns on 11 of its first 12 possessions. The one exception: a one-play drive to kneel out the clock and end the first half. The Hurricanes had 16 players catch at least one pass, the first time a FBS school has done that since Penn State had 17 pass-catchers against Ohio in 2022.

Florida A&M finished with 107 yards, averaging a mere 2.3 yards per snap.

“We're just working on doing our job,” Miami defensive lineman Armando Blount said.

The takeaway

Florida A&M: The Rattlers got $760,000 for this game, including $40,000 to bring the school's famed “Marching 100” band to Hard Rock Stadium. The band — which has played there countless times, including as part of Prince's Super Bowl halftime show in 2007 — performed throughout the game, including halftime.

Miami: Mensah and Nickel became the first power-conference teammates to have three TD passes in the same game since Patrick Mahomes and Nic Shimonek did it for Texas Tech against Kansas in 2016. ... The Hurricanes have won 20 consecutive home openers.

Up next

Florida A&M: Host Tennessee State, Sept. 19.

Miami: At Wake Forest, Sept. 18.

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As India's capital prepares to host a summit of the BRICS grouping of countries this weekend, parts of one of the world’s busiest urban centers have been turned into tightly controlled security zones.

Even as many Delhi residents are proud to play host to a gathering of world leaders, the traffic chaos is testing their patience and prompting widespread complaints about how the city plans for major events. BRICS is a grouping of 11 major emerging markets and developing countries, named after an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed Friday, with barricades, checkpoints and traffic curbs in place across major roads and key areas a day before the summit begins Saturday. City authorities also declared it a public holiday in an effort to reduce traffic and limit movement across the city.

Government offices, schools and many private businesses were closed, reducing traffic and giving security agencies greater control over movement. Some schools shut their doors on Thursday. Similar measures were imposed in 2023, when New Delhi hosted the G20 summit.

The restrictions are disrupting daily life in a capital already notorious for chronic congestion. Millions of vehicles compete for space on its roads each day, and even short trips can stretch into lengthy commutes.

Officials said the restrictions were necessary to ensure the smooth running of the major multilateral gathering. They urged residents to work from home where possible, plan journeys in advance and follow official traffic advisories.

But millions of Delhi residents still needed to go to work. Office workers, delivery drivers and daily wage earners reported difficulties reaching work as roads were closed, routes diverted and traffic restrictions changed. Taxi fares rose in some areas as drivers faced longer routes and congestion, while residents complained of confusion over changing restrictions.

Some took to social media to post images of barricaded roads and ask for advice about getting around.

Neeraj Kumar, an autorickshaw driver, said the restrictions were hitting poorer residents hardest.

“If a one-kilometer journey turns into an eight-kilometer detour, what are we supposed to do?” he asked.

Kumar, who has been driving for 35 years, said authorities should ensure that security measures for foreign delegates do not come at the expense of residents.

“The government should make proper arrangements for foreign delegates so that neither the public nor the guests should face any trouble,” he said.

Mohammed Eliyas, a young delivery driver, said the restrictions would prevent many workers from earning for several days.

“Even if we reach work, we will get stuck in traffic. We won’t be able to work,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the leaders expected to attend the summit Saturday and Sunday.

BRICS has expanded from its original membership to include 11 countries that together represent about half the world’s population and a significant share of global energy, resources and economic output. The group has sought a larger role in a global order long dominated by the United States and its Western allies and has gained support in parts of the Global South, where countries have criticized Western-led financial institutions.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the hit-and-run crash near Northwest 117th Street and Northwest Seventh Avenue at approximately 8:40 p.m.

A Local 10 News crew was at the scene later in the evening as the e-bike was on the ground with debris scattered around it.

According to investigators, the driver of a 2009-2012 silver or grey Nissan Versa was traveling northbound on Northwest Seventh Avenue and approaching Northwest 117th Street when the driver made a left turn onto 117th Street.

The vehicle then struck the victims who were traveling on an e-bike along Northwest 117th Street, authorities said.

It is described as a 2009 to 2012 Nissan Versa either silver or grey in color.

Deputies arrived and found both children unresponsive, lying in the roadway, according to MDSO.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded and transported both victims to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition. The girl later died from her injuries.

The girl was identified as Peyton, and the boy as her older brother.

“I can only imagine how the parents feel in this situation,” an MDSO spokesperson said. “So we urge the community, please. If you’re a business owner in this area and you happen to have cameras, please review your cameras. If you were here by chance to witness what occurred, please give us a call.”

Detectives with the MDSO Traffic Homicide Unit have taken over the investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information about the crash or who thinks they recognize the vehicle involved is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

Luis García Jr. launched an early two-run homer and rookie Spencer Jones had three hits for the Yankees, including a two-run single. New York completed a three-game sweep to move within three games of Tampa Bay atop the division and 4 1/2 ahead of Boston for the first American League wild card with 16 to play.

It's the closest the Yankees have been to first place since they were three back after games on Aug. 23. New York (84-62) is a season-best 22 games over .500 and is closing in on clinching a ninth playoff berth in 10 years.

Max Fried struck out seven in his third start since coming off the injured list but needed 80 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings. Five relievers followed, and John Schreiber (2-3) worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first win with the Yankees.

New York slugger Aaron Judge was rested as planned after starting back-to-back games in his return from the 60-day injured list. Cody Bellinger doubled twice and lofted a sacrifice fly for the Yankees, who have won 16 of 23 heading into the second Subway Series of the season against the crosstown-rival New York Mets this weekend in the Bronx.

Kyle Karros hit a 431-foot homer and Jake McCarthy had an RBI triple for the major league-worst Rockies (55-91), who have lost four straight and 10 of 13. Colorado has dropped a season-worst seven in a row on the road.

García connected in the first off Ryan Feltner (5-10), who allowed four runs in five innings.

Recalled from the minors earlier in the day, Volpe had an RBI single in the second and lined his second big league homer this season over the short porch in right field to make it 10-2 in the seventh.

After circling the bases, Volpe took a curtain call for Yankee Stadium fans who chanted his name several times throughout the night. He finished with three hits and a stolen base while playing a new position, second base, after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list.

It was Volpe's second career grand slam — plus one in the 2024 World Series.

After the game, New York optioned outfielder Jasson Domínguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Up next

Rockies RHP Mason Adams (0-0, 3.95 ERA) starts Friday at home against Detroit LHP Framber Valdez (9-10, 4.17).

Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (5-3, 3.09 ERA) pitches Friday night against Mets rookie RHP Nolan McLean (11-8, 3.06) on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“We gotta take care of business this November and then we’ll worry about what comes next,” he said.

Vance was front and center Thursday night as he and President Donald Trump urged Republicans to turn out for fall elections that will signal the looming end of Trump’s time in the White House and the beginning of the race to succeed him.

“Vance was awesome,” said Phil Torrison, a longtime Trump supporter from Omaha, Nebraska. “I think tonight he probably won the 2028 nomination.”

The vice president's speech solidified his status as a potential frontrunner, and Trump talked him up afterwards as a “very talented guy” who “did a very good job."

However, his place as Trump's heir was hardly a given in the hallways of the American Airlines Center in steamy Dallas this week. In interviews with nearly two dozen attendees, there was no clear consensus yet on a favored 2028 candidate. While Vance received plenty of mentions, a long list of others — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — were on wish lists as well. And most said they weren’t ready to commit.

The uncertainty mirrors the wide-open field on the Democratic side, which is embroiled in its own soul searching, and it underscores the early date, since no candidates have even officially said they're running. It also reflects how completely the party has come to revolve around Trump in the decade since he seized control, making it difficult for some Republicans to consider a future without him at the helm.

Rochelle Brooks shook her head at the prospect of voicing her preference for a 2028 nominee so soon. But when pressed, she offered up Trump’s top rival for the 2024 nomination.

“If I had to name somebody at this moment, if I was forced, I would say it’s the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis,” said the Dallas IT manager. “What he’s done in Florida is a roadmap for what we need to do in America.”

Others were more certain.

Peggy Stanton could hardly get Rubio's name out of her mouth fast enough when asked who she would like to see atop the Republicans’ 2028 ticket. Even though the Houston retiree didn’t support his 2016 campaign for president, Stanton said she always believed Rubio would be president some day.

“He’s so knowledgeable. He totally understands international threats, the threats of communism,” she said. “Every single issue I hear him speak on, he gets it. He has charisma. I just feel like he would be a great president.”

Many Republicans are torn between Vance and Rubio

For others, a decision will depend on the person Trump ultimately chooses to endorse, if he ends up doing so.

Norma Alruosan, a payroll tax analyst who lives in the Dallas suburb of Coppell, is currently torn between Vance and Rubio. She said she “loves Vance” and “can relate to him" because of their similar backgrounds, but she also loves what she dubbed Rubio’s “Latino tongue,” meaning his willingness to speak his mind.

“That's going to be hard,” she said. Her decision will likely depend, she said, on whom Trump endorses.

Others said it was far too early to be asking.

Stephanie Donofry rolled her eyes at a decision still two years off, but said she was also torn between Vance and Rubio.

“They are both proven. They are both capable,” the mother from politically pivotal Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, said. “I couldn’t tell you which one I prefer more.”

Donofry was among the roughly 450 delegates from battleground states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, along with his home state of Ohio, whom Vance addressed privately at a Thursday morning breakfast.

Attendees said Vance was met with chants of “48, 48, 48,” a reference to the number of the next president of the United States, as well as “JD, JD, JD.”

Vance is seen as a natural choice, but not the only one

Vance, who is widely expected to seek the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, gave no hint of his plans. But he didn’t have to, Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said.

“He’s so savvy. He’s just a savvy guy,” said Schimming, noting that Vance had been to Wisconsin, where Trump won by less than a single percentage point in 2024, three times this year and is expected back before Nov. 3.

Bill Schneider of Frisco, Texas, who works in finance and was attending the convention with his wife, said he would like to see a joint ticket with Vance and Rubio in 2028, with Vance at the top.

Schneider said he likes the secretary of state a lot, but thinks Vance is a fitting choice because of his current office and because he’d continue Trump’s policies.

“He’s kind of like spending a little bit more time with Trump, kind of see the inner workings, how he is,” Schneider said. “And I think he also has a very similar personality to Trump in terms of very direct. I think he’s very sharp-witted.”

His wife, Tani Schneider, a homemaker who immigrated from Brazil almost 30 years ago, said her choice is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz because he's Cuban American.

That gives him insight, she said, into the way left-wing governments have transformed Latin American countries and shifted toward socialism, which she sees as a worrisome possibility in the U.S.

“I don’t like how I see the changes here. I came here to have a better life,” she said.

There are plenty of dark horse candidates

Still, there were other surprising names in the mix.

Kimberly Moyers, 42, the national vet force director for Veterans for America First, said her pick to lead the party is Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger.

Self-described “political junkies” Dina and Kevin Myers, 54, from nearby Grand Prairie, have their hearts set on Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill, who is 32 and will be younger than the constitutional minimum of 35 to run for president in 2028.

“I want it cleaned out. On both sides. I want fresh. And I like young,” said Dina Myers, an independent. “We’ve had a rough 10 years and I think we just clean everybody out and start fresh.”

But Anthony Johnston, 33, an accountant from Delaware who drove 29 hours with his father to be at the convention, believes Vance is Trump’s natural successor.

“I think Vance is being groomed for that position. I mean, that’s why he picked him for VP,” he said. “He’s different than Trump. No one’s Trump. But I like him a lot.”

His father said he hasn't made up his mind, but was excited about the potential choices.

“We’ve got a deep bench,” said Bruce Johnston, 62. “You got Vance, Rubio, the governor of Florida ... DeSantis. I mean you’ve got a lot of good candidates. I’d pick any of those for the primary. And we’ll get a good one.”

The potential changes, announced Wednesday, would exclude undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers and anyone without permanent status. Certain demographic questions from the traditional questionnaire would also be eliminated.

It echoes Trump's previous idea to add a citizenship question to the 2030 census.

The U.S. Census Bureau, in a post on the Federal Register website, argued “illegal aliens (among others) should not be included in the apportionment count, as they are not true inhabitants, members of the body politic, or persons with a ‘usual residence’ in the United States due to their lack of a sufficient tie and allegiance to the United States.”

The census also “should be colorblind and should not be distorted in any way by questions about immaterial personal characteristics, such as race,” the agency said. It also is considering nixing questions related to people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

These changes would harm the quality of the data, said Beth Jarosz, a data researcher and vice president of the Association of Public Data Users. She called the proposals "unprecedented."

“Not counting all of the people who reside here is actually where the real threat is,” Jarosz said. “If you think about all of the ways that census data are used."

Census figures are traditionally used for an “apportionment count” to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. That count also determines the number of votes in the Electoral College.

“You can imagine if we have undercounts or if we have people counted in the wrong place,” Jarosz said. “Then their political power or their political representation gets diluted.”

Immigrants of every status have historically been counted

Historically, the decennial census has not sought to conduct a full count of people by citizenship status, she added. It may come up in the Census' periodic American Community Survey.

Getting an accurate count of immigrants of various statuses is useful when assigning resources for public health emergencies or natural or human-made disasters.

“If you don't have a count of everyone who's there, you're not going to have the resources you need,” Jarosz said. “And that puts everybody at risk.”

Why race and ethnicity census data matters

Race-related questions have been on the once-a-decade census since 1790. Starting in 2000, the U.S. census began allowing people to identify by more than one race. A 2015 Pew Research Center study found that multiracial people in the U.S. were growing at a rate three times faster than the general population. By 2020, 33.8 million people in the U.S. identified as being more than one race, according to the census.

Race and ethnicity data is essential for researchers who gauge discrimination, crime rates and wealth gaps in communities of color.

Manjusha Kulkarni is co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, two advocacy groups that rely on census counts of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The proposed changes would have tremendous impact on the populations they serve, she said.

“It also seeks to exclude important demographic data from millions that enables lawmakers, health care providers, public safety officials and community advocates — really anyone who cares about the health, safety and well-being of all Americans — from having the necessary data to keep us safe and healthy,” Kulkarni said via text message.

Dropping race and ethnicity data as well as some immigrants sends a message that these communities don't matter, she added.

Collecting data for the 2030 Census with all these missing elements would be detrimental, Jarosz said.

“These changes are like trying to land an airplane when you are in thick fog and someone has thrown paint across the front window and your instruments are also not working,” she said.

The U.S. Open trophy is a different story.

Rybakina can only take that away from Sabalenka by winning it on the court Saturday, and the two-time defending champion showed in an overpowering display in the semifinals how serious she is about a three-peat — which would be the first at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012-14.

“I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course I want to go all the way,” Sabalenka said.

Rybakina set up a matchup between the top two players in women's tennis by rallying past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal, running away with the second set after they played largely even in the first.

Sabalenka is currently No. 1 and Rybakina No. 2 in the WTA rankings, but that changes Monday after Sabalenka held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks.

Rybakina won the Australian Open to start the season, beating Sabalenka, then kept on closing after the four-time Grand Slam champion had a poor summer by her standards.

Rybakina needed only to reach the semifinals in New York to clinch the No. 1 ranking.

“It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position.”

The second semifinal was more a battle, with Gauff trying to fight from behind in the final two sets, but Rybakina not letting her come all the way back.

Gauff jumped on Rybakina with a strong start — she had four aces to one for Rybakina, who leads the WTA Tour in that category — in a first set that she took in 38 minutes.

“Took a deep breath, was trying to talk positive with myself and just told myself that I need to fight and try to show good tennis,” Rybakina said.

Gauff trailed 4-1 in the second set and battled back to 4-all before Rybakina won the next two games. Rybakina went ahead 5-3 and served for the match, but Gauff broke to give herself one more chance while being cheered by a crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama.

“I thought it was a good match, and it honestly came down to a couple of service games of mine in both sets and I didn’t quite hold,” Gauff said. “I mean, I have to look back and see what happened, but she does a great job of just being there every point and putting a lot of pressure on you on service game and return game.”

Gauff won her first major title as a teenager when she rallied past Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, but nobody has been able to knock off the Belarussian in Flushing Meadows since. Pegula put up a good fight in the 2024 final and last year’s semifinals, but she couldn’t keep it close the way Sabalenka played Thursday – and wasn’t sure anybody else would’ve, either.

“I think that’s definitely — you can ask her — probably the best match she’s played this year,” Pegula said. “I mean, I thought her level was insanely high.”

Sabalenka pounded 29 winners to Pegula’s 12. She has won 19 straight matches at the U.S. Open since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final.

The top four seeds made it to the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have all won multiple major titles, while Pegula is still looking for her first.

Sabalenka won 14 of 19 points on Pegula’s second serve, smashing balls back more quickly than they were coming at her.

Still, Pegula hung with her for a while.

It was already 4-all in 25 minutes and Sabalenka appeared to be getting frustrated with not getting anywhere on Pegula’s serve, waving at her coaches’ box in disgust after one miss. Pegula had won 18 of 20 points on her first serve when she stepped to the line serving with Sabalenka leading 6-5.

Then Sabalenka suddenly hit a backhand winner, Pegula sent a forehand long and Sabalenka hit another winner to set up a set point, and finished off the set a couple points later.

Sabalenka put Pegula in huge trouble in her second service game of the second set, eventually pouncing on a 77 mph second serve and hammering a forehand back at 90 mph then Pegula had no chance of getting back for a 3-1 lead.

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The normally festive and rowdy crowd inside the basketball arena in Dallas quickly hushed as a five-minute memorial video began playing. It was a somber interlude in the convention's parade of candidates.

“One year later, there is something wonderfully defiant about the fact that his voice has not grown quieter,” said Lucas Miles, a pastor and Turning Point vice president. He said the organization's membership and social media following have "multiplied.”

Vice President JD Vance, a friend of Kirk’s, spoke directly to Kirk's two children, now ages 4 and 2.

“History will record that your father was a great man,” Vance said.

He recalled being nervous while giving his speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention as a newly elected senator with little experience in politics, and finding comfort in looking down to see that Kirk "was smiling and cheering me and reminding me that I had a good friend right here in the convention hall.”

Kirk was a singular figure on the right. He created a sprawling network of chapters on college campuses, hosted an influential podcast and built a loyal following among young Christian conservatives. He was also a powerbroker on the right with relationships across various factions that comprise Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

Vance recalled Kirk's factional peacemaking as he implored his fellow Republicans not to let their differences divide the party and allow Democrats to take power.

“Do what Charlie did,” he said. “Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Tyler Robinson, 23, could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder in Kirk’s death. He has pleaded not guilty. He turned himself in a day after the shooting.

No one has emerged to fully fill Kirk’s shoes since his death, and the movement he built has been rattled by infighting over the circumstances of his death. A vocal contingent, led by prominent podcaster Candice Owens, has questioned the official narrative of Utah prosecutors who say Robinson was the lone killer. Conspiracy theories have proliferated online.

Miles seemed to address the tension from the stage.

“Turning Point is not dead,” he said. “The organization Charlie founded is still growing. A new generation is stepping forward.”

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, was named CEO of Turning Point and has taken on some of his public speaking roles. Turning Point has also enlisted other commentators to speak at events and continue the public debates he enjoyed staging.

Meanwhile, Turning Point held a Thursday evening memorial for Kirk in Orem, Utah, in a return to the Utah Valley University campus where he was killed.

“We have felt the weight of his absence in ways that never seem to get easier,” Turning Point said in a news release marking the anniversary.

Conservative speakers including Frank Turek and Michael Knowles addressed a packed auditorium that frequently broke out into chants of “U-S-A!”

During the program, Turning Point unveiled onstage a larger-than-life bronze statue of Kirk sitting and holding a microphone.

The group also installed a statue of Kirk outside its Phoenix headquarters earlier in the day.

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Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont in Dallas and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles contributed.

El arranque del proceso, que se extenderá por nueve meses hasta el próximo 6 de junio cuando será la votación, lo anunció la consejera presidenta del Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) de México, Guadalupe Taddei, durante un acto en la sede capitalina del organismo.

La campaña electoral comenzará formalmente el próximo 4 de abril, pero se permitirá a los competidores hacer precampaña entre el 4 de enero y 12 febrero próximo, previo al registro de las candidaturas pautado del 22 de marzo al 3 de abril.

En la votación, que será una de las más grande de la historia de México, se elegirán 20.109 cargos, entre ellos 500 diputados federales, 17 gobernadores, 1.098 diputados locales y 18.494 autoridades municipales.

Taddei dijo a la prensa que el organismo arranca el proceso “listo, fuerte y sólido” y aseguró que “no hay nada que preocuparse”.

Pero algunos de sus colegas del INE no opinaron igual. Durante el acto de apertura del proceso, la consejera Carla Humphrey afirmó en un discurso que la consulta se da en un contexto “complejo” y planteó que la “paz pública y el libre ejercicio de los derechos públicos exigen una postura inflexible por parte del Estado”.

En lo que va del año se han reportado al menos 72 asesinatos de políticos, funcionarios e integrantes de partidos, según estimaciones de las organizaciones locales Data Cívica y México Evalúa y el medio digital Animal Político que llevan seguimiento de las agresiones políticas en el país.

El proceso electoral más violento se dio en 2018 cuando se registraron 152 homicidios de políticos en México. Le siguió la elección general de 2024 que terminó con al menos 28 aspirantes asesinados y más de 60 ataques a políticos.

Entre escándalos e injerencia

En las semanas previas al inicio del proceso, Morena debió hacer frente a una fuerte controversia que surgió luego de que la Fiscalía de Nueva York acusó a finales de abril al gobernador oficialista del estado de Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, y otros nueve funcionarios activos y retirados de narcotráfico y de colaborar con el Cártel de Sinaloa. Rocha Moya se separó de manera indefinida del cargo el 22 de agosto tras ser criticado por la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum y otras figuras del oficialismo.

A ese controversial caso le siguió la decisión de Washington de retirarle el mes pasado la visa al político Andrés López Beltrán, uno de los hijos del expresidente mexicano Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024). Las autoridades estadounidenses hasta la fecha no han informado que motivó esa decisión.

López Beltrán se desempeñó hasta mayo pasado como secretario de organización y segundo al mando de Morena. Dejó el cargo para competir por la candidatura del partido a diputado federal por el estado sureño de Tabasco.

Estados Unidos también le ha retirado las visas a la gobernadora oficialista del estado de Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, al alcalde de la ciudad fronteriza de Nogales, Juan Francisco Gim, y al congresista federal Mario López Hernández, del partido prooficialista Verde Ecologista de México.

En mayo Sheinbaum endureció su postura hacia Estados Unidos y criticó durante un acto en la capital los procesos contra Rocha Moya y otros nueve funcionarios mexicanos, y dejó entrever que con esas acciones se buscaría influir en la política mexicana.

Para Morena la votación de junio de 2027 será crucial pues someterá al escrutinio de los mexicanos sus gobiernos regionales –-en la actualidad controla 24 de los 32 estados del país-– y la posibilidad de preservar la mayoría en la Cámara de Diputados que tiene desde 2018. Del lado de la oposición la votación también es determinante debido a que corre el riesgo de perder los estados de Chihuahua, Querétaro, Nuevo León y Aguascalientes y reducir su presencia a solo cuatro gobernaciones.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., launched an investigation Thursday into OpenAI for its artificial intelligence system hacking into another AI company on its own. He is seeking more details about the attack on AI startup Hugging Face, which was disclosed by OpenAI in July, and leads a Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over disaster management.

“The American people deserve to know the details of what went on in the Hugging Face incident and other incidents of AI models going rogue,” Hawley said in a letter to Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive officer. “This investigation will seek those answers.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called on Altman to immediately grant federal cybersecurity agencies access to information that would allow them to assess the safety and risks of OpenAI's models. Van Hollen cited the Hugging Face attack in his request.

In response to the senators' inquiries, OpenAI spokesperson Nate Evans said the Hugging Face incident was an important moment for AI safety and a warning about the risks that could come with increasingly capable AI.

“We conducted an extensive investigation and published a detailed report on what happened, what we learned, and how we’re strengthening our security and alignment practices,” Evans said in an emailed statement.

Lawmakers also appear to be responding to concerns raised this week when an Anthropic researcher said he is resigning from the company over concerns that the artificial intelligence firm and its competitors are not acting responsibly in AI development.

Jacob Coxon, who said he spent three years doing research at both Anthropic and OpenAI, said Tuesday on the social platform X that the two AI companies are more focused on beating each other and global competitors than they are on safety.

Questions about the future of artificial intelligence come as Congress has long been reluctant to regulate the technology industry. Lawmakers in both parties agree that more guardrails are needed across the board, but even narrow attempts at regulation of have fallen apart over the years.

A bipartisan working group on artificial intelligence, formed by then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, released a report in 2024 recommending that the U.S. spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and implement safeguards around it, but Congress has done little to follow up. Similarly, a bipartisan bill on internet safety for children has repeatedly stalled.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, announced this week he would be introducing a bill that would ban the development and deployment of “superintelligent AI” and pause advanced AI development until a federal regulator has established safety rules. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, will sponsor the House version.

“The leaders of the major AI companies publicly acknowledge that they do not fully understand the technology and that it is escaping their control," Sanders said. “It is irresponsible for society to allow them to move forward and make these products even more advanced.”

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Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

That's because the districts have changed fast in Missouri after the Republican-controlled legislature, encouraged by President Donald Trump, redrew its congressional map last year to give the GOP a better shot at picking up one more seat in the House as part of a multistate effort. Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight House seats.

A flurry of litigation and contradictory decisions followed. A U.S. Supreme Court order Thursday seems to have resolved it for November's general election, with the state going back to the map that was in place for 2022 and 2024.

That means Moody's neighborhood, which was briefly in the Republican-dominated 4th District, is back in a compact 5th District centered on Kansas City, one of the two currently represented by Democrats. The other, Trump-backed map split Kansas City into multiple districts stretching far outside the city and into areas with more conservative voters.

It all may sound confusing. But for Moody, a 70-year-old retired chemist, the main feeling is something else: frustration.

“It's plain that it's completely ridiculous,” she said.

The new map would have rearranged representation

The Trump-backed map left just two of the state's eight congressional districts unchanged.

It left just one — the St. Louis-based 1st District — likely to be dominated by Democrats.

The 5th, also currently represented by a Democrat, had the biggest change, with only about 2 in 5 voters in the old district included in the new one.

Among the new additions: residents of the state capital, Jefferson City, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) east of Kansas City.

Carolyn McDowell, a longtime Republican activist from there, said she does not like that Republican lawmakers attempted to gerrymander districts in the middle of the decade. She learned Thursday that her home — temporarily shifted from Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Onder's district to that of Democrat Cleaver — would again be back in Onder's district, which stretches eastward to suburban St. Louis.

“This is confusing for people who are running for office and for the voters,” McDowell said.

But McDowell is glad the Supreme Court blocked the use of the new districts for November.

The new map “was unconstitutional when they even thought of it,” she said.

Kay Park, president of the League of Women Voters of Missouri, said her organization did not get many calls from voters about the changing districts. But several people she did talk to felt like the redrawn map did not represent them as well as the one they had before — and which has now returned.

The rapid changes made the primary an unusual blip

Ashley Sadowski has tried to follow the saga closely. She even tuned in to a state Supreme Court hearing Thursday at which judges considered whether to hold Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt for not following an order to use the 2022 version of the districts.

But Sadowski has still found it nearly impossible to understand the back and forth and the switching maps.

The new maps moved Sadowski’s Kansas City home into the 4th District. Sadowski, who calls herself a progressive independent, studied the Democratic candidates carefully for the primary because she had lived in the 5th District for so long.

Now she is back in the 5th for the general election.

“It’s just astounding to me how we all showed up in August to vote on a map that wasn’t legal,” Sadowski said.

The switch left 1 voter untouched — but embarrassed

Leslie French’s home in Platte City, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City, remains in the Republican-dominated 6th district no matter which map gets used in November. But French, also a Democrat, can’t get over what has been going on.

To switch districts after they were drawn following the 2020 census is unfair and seems to be something a country not serious about a democracy would do, French said.

She said she was surprised — and thankful — that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh saw through what she called a blatant power grab and restored the earlier map.

French has been to rallies over gerrymandering and redistricting and sometimes wears a Lady Liberty costume.

“It’s embarrassing,” French said. “When we travel to foreign countries, I’m tempted to tell people I am Canadian.”

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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and Mulvihill from Haddonfield, New Jersey. Associated Press reporter David A. Lieb contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri.

Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho were convicted of inciting subversion earlier this year under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

Lee received a seven-year prison term and Chow was sentenced to seven years and three months. Both pleaded not guilty. Ho was given a lower sentence of five years and two months, partly because he pleaded guilty.

The three were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which for three decades organized a Tiananmen vigil that was the only large-scale, public commemoration of the 1989 crackdown in China.

They were charged in September 2021 and have been held in custody for years.

Hong Kong once had a vibrant civil society marked by massive protests and a freewheeling press. But after a 2019 protest movement rocked the city, authorities reduced public choice in elections and prosecuted leaders of news outlets known for their critical reports of the government. Many leading activists were imprisoned under the security law, and dozens of civil society groups dissolved, including the alliance.

Beijing says the law was necessary to maintain stability.

Lee and Chow plan to appeal

After the sentencing, Lee's wife Elizabeth Tang told reporters that there's no freedom of speech in Hong Kong and the sentences would shock and anger many people. She said millions of people attended or supported the candlelight vigils.

“The sentence is also a punishment for many other people. It's very hard to accept,” she said, adding that Lee would appeal the result.

Chow's mother Medina Chow Lau Wah-chun joked that she had to thank those who had prosecuted Chow for helping to write the truth of the 1989 crackdown and what happened in Hong Kong in recent years into the court records.

“Many years ago, my daughter already said that she wants to have a proper debate with them in court one day,” she said.

Chow's friend Lau Ka-yee said Chow also would appeal.

Chow, who represented herself, earlier said the verdict suggested that pursuing democracy is a crime and that she did not deserve even one day in prison.

Court cited demand to ‘end one-party dictatorship'

Three government-approved judges said the defendants had committed a serious offense. The court previously found that their organization’s longtime demand to “end one-party dictatorship" implied an intent to overthrow or undermine the ruling Communist Party’s leadership.

In handing down the sentence, the judges noted the case did not involve violence or threats of violence and the group never proposed specific means or a timetable to carry out their demand. But they said the defendants' offense occurred during a turbulent social atmosphere and that posed greater risk to national security.

The ruling insisted the defendants were not being tried because of their political views.

“Even when the defendants believed their agenda of ‘end one-party dictatorship’ might breach the constitution and the national security law, they acted recalcitrantly after the national security law took effect and vigorously promoted their cause,” they wrote.

Critics say Hong Kong has changed, but authorities defend the sentences

Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed as military tanks rolled into the center of Beijing and troops opened fire to end the student-led pro-democracy protests in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

The annual vigil drew tens of thousands of people every year for decades. But authorities banned it in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The vigils symbolized the civil liberties that set Hong Kong apart from mainland China.

Urania Chiu, a lecturer in law at Oxford Brookes University in the U.K., said the guilty verdicts confirmed that even peaceful calls for democratic change in the Chinese regime are now criminalized in Hong Kong.

"The mere possibility that its activities might stir up hostility against the state by reminding the public of past atrocities is enough for the court to classify the offence as ‘serious,'" she said, referring to the alliance's work.

The British consulate in Hong Kong pointed to an earlier U.K. statement saying the extensive use of the security law to restrict freedom of expression undermines the commitments China made to the city, reiterating its call for rights to be respected. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Anouar El Anouni, the European Union's spokesperson for foreign affairs, said the ruling undermines confidence in the rule of law and harms Hong Kong's reputation.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said the court already had decided that their actions went beyond the lawful exercise of freedom of expression.

“The law has never allowed anyone to use human rights, democracy and freedom as a pretext to openly harm their own country and fellow citizens,” he said in a statement.

Steve Li, chief superintendent of the police’s national security department, said anyone plotting to take action should take heed of the sentences and not test the government's resolve to uphold national security.

China's Hong Kong and Macao affairs office said the sentences were a powerful defense of the constitutional order.

Other democracy advocates and supporters attend hearing

During the trial, the defense denied they meant to end the party’s leadership and insisted the alliance had not asked people to adopt any illegal means. Lee Cheuk-yan said their call for “ending one-party dictatorship” and moving toward democracy meant letting the people decide who leads them.

Ahead of the sentencing, dozens of people lined up outside the court.

Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen was among those sitting in the public gallery. Activists Jimmy Sham and Carol Ng, who have already served sentences after being convicted in a separate security case, were also seen in court.

Former vigil-goer Simon Ng said his heart was heavy as the sentencing approached, adding that he felt accusations were not just against the defendants.

“I took part in the alliance’s vigils for decades; the ruling amounts to an accusation against me,” he said.

Esta calificación solía reservarse a grupos como el Estado Islámico o Al Qaeda, que utilizan la violencia con fines políticos, y no para los cárteles y otras redes delictivas centradas en ganar dinero. Pero el objetivo de Trump era aumentar la presión sobre estos grupos y sobre cualquiera que, a su juicio, les preste apoyo.

La estrategia comenzó en febrero de 2025. Sirvió de pretexto para capturar al venezolano Nicolás Maduro casi un año después, así como para decenas de ataques contra supuestas embarcaciones “narcoterroristas” que se han saldado con más de 200 muertos. También llevó a países latinoamericanos como Guatemala y Argentina a tomar medidas similares contra determinados grupos, y a estados como Ecuador a lanzar operaciones conjuntas con Washington en territorio ecuatoriano.

México es el país con más grupos en la lista (ocho) y bajo una mayor presión de Washington mientras su gobierno intenta evitar cualquier acción militar unilateral estadounidenses de Trump contra los cárteles, especialmente desde las acusaciones formales contra altos funcionarios del estado de Sinaloa.

Pero la estrategia de Trump también ha dejado al descubierto contradicciones. El expresidente de Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, condenado a 45 años por narcotráfico y acusado durante el juicio de proteger al Cártel de Sinaloa, fue indultado por el estadounidense el año pasado y ya vive libre en su país.

A continuación, un vistazo a los 21 grupos latinoamericanos y caribeños designados terroristas durante la actual administación estadounidense.

MÉXICO

1. Los principales objetivos: el Cártel de Sinaloa y el de Jalisco

El Cártel de Sinaloa y el Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), llamados así por los estados que son sus bastiones en el noroeste de México, son grupos criminales multinacionales y los mayores traficantes de fentanilo hacia Estados Unidos.

El Cártel de Sinaloa, el más antiguo de México surgido en los años 70, es un conglomerado criminal que mueve todo tipo de drogas a través de continentes usando embarcaciones, aviones, migrantes y túneles transfronterizos. Un exsecretario de Seguridad fue condenado por ayudarlos.

Controla la parte occidental de la frontera con Estados Unidos, aunque el arresto de Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada desató una pugna interna por el poder y debilitó al grupo.

El CJNG, establecido a inicios de la década de 2010, es un grupo extremadamente violento que ha usando lanzacohetes, drones con explosivos y minas artesanales çontra las autoridades y en 2020 organizó un espectacular atentado contra el entonces jefe de la policía de Ciudad de México —hoy secretario de Seguridad de México— en el corazón de la capital.

La DEA afirma que distribuye toneladas de cocaína, metanfetamina y fentanilo en los 50 estados estadounidenses y mantiene su poder pese a la muerte de su líder, Nemesio Oseguera, “El Mencho”, en febrero, y las numerosas detenciones posteriores.

2. Control de la frontera texana: los cárteles del Golfo, del Noreste y de Juárez

El Cártel del Golfo y el del Noreste operan en el extremo oriental, moviendo drogas, migrantes, armas y dinero por la ruta más directa hacia Estados Unidos desde América Central y Sudamérica.

El antiguo líder del Cártel del Golfo, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (ahora encarcelado en México tras cumplir una condena en Estados Unidos), reclutó a militares para su protección que luego conformaron su propio y temido cártel: Los Zetas. El Cártel del Noreste es un remanente de Los Zetas y su base está en Nuevo Laredo, el puerto comercial más activo de la frontera mexico-estadounidense.

El Cártel de Juárez ha controlado durante décadas un punto clave del centro de la línea fronteriza: Ciudad Juárez, frente a El Paso, Texas. Tanto su fundador, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, como los hermanos e hijos que lo sucedieron, convirtieron el tráfico de toneladas de drogas en un negocio multimillonario. Pese a los arrestos de muchos de sus líderes, el cártel y los grupos aliados mantuvieron el control de una vasta infraestructura para introducir cargamentos ilegales a Estados Unidos.

3. Cárteles locales en Michoacán: La Familia, Cárteles Unidos y Los Viagras

Todos estos grupos criminales operan en el estado occidental de Michoacán, producen drogas sintéticas y han consolidado su control regional mediante la extorsión y el cambio de lealtades a lo largo de los años.

La Familia Michoacana, ahora rebautizada como “Nueva Familia Michoacana”, es la más antigua. Los otros dos, antiguos aliados, surgieron tras el levantamiento armado de las autodefensas de 2013 que lograron expulsar a viejos cárteles, solo para verlos reemplazados por otros.

Su extorsión afecta a todos los sectores económicos, incluido un producto clave de exportación hacia Estados Unidos: el aguacate.

CENTROAMÉRICA

4. Barrio 18 y Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)

Los dos violentos grupos operan principalmente en El Salvador, Guatemala y Honduras. Se originaron en Los Ángeles como pandillas callejeras creadas por inmigrantes salvadoreños. Cuando muchos de sus miembros fueron deportados a El Salvador, estos grupos se expandieron y ganaron poder en toda Centroamérica, donde siguen aterrorizando a las comunidades.

En los últimos años, ambos grupos han recibido un duro golpe por parte del presidente Nayib Bukele, quien lanzó una polémica guerra contra las pandillas y encarceló a más de 80.000 personas.

Guatemala también designó a ambos grupos como terroristas en octubre y endureció las leyes en su contra.

COLOMBIA

5. Clan del Golfo

Con un estimado de 9.000 combatientes, el Clan del Golfo es uno de los grupos armados más poderosos de Colombia. También conocido por su siglas en español, AGC, evolucionó a partir de escuadrones paramilitares de derecha que combatieron a las guerrillas marxistas colombianas de los años 90 y 2000.

Según un informe de la Defensoría del Pueblo, las AGC están presentes en alrededor de un tercio de los 1.103 municipios de Colombia, donde extorsionan a negocios locales.

El Clan del Golfo participó en conversaciones de paz con el gobierno de Colombia el año pasado, un diálogo que terminó con la llegada al poder de Abelardo de la Espriella, gran aliado de Trump en la región.

VENEZUELA

6. Tren de Aragua

Este grupo surgió de una prisión en el centro de Venezuela hace más de una década. En los últimos años, se extendió desde Chile hasta Estados Unidos, aprovechando el éxodo de unos 8 millones de venezolanos que huyeron de las crisis políticas y económicas del país.

Aunque sus orígenes están en el narcotráfico, sus principales negocios son el tráfico ilícito de migrantes, la trata de personas, la explotación sexual y el trabajo forzado. Es conocido por una violencia extrema, incluidas decapitaciones y enterrar a las víctimas vivas.

7. Cártel de los Soles

La entidad que Washington alega que estaba liderada por Maduro no es un cártel propiamente dicho, pero fue designada como tal menos de seis semanas antes de que Maduro fuera capturado en enero.

Los venezolanos comenzaron a usar el término Cártel de los Soles en los 90 para referirse a militares de alto rango que se habían enriquecido con el tráfico de drogas. A medida que la corrupción se expandió, su uso se amplió de manera imprecisa para incluir a policías y funcionarios, y para referirse a actividades como la minería ilegal y el contrabando de combustible. Se llaman “soles” las insignias de los militares de alto rango. En 2020, se empezó a considerar como un grupo liderado por Maduro cuando Estados Unidos anunció la acusación formal en su contra.

ECUADOR

8. Los Lobos, Los Choneros, The Chone Killers y Los Tiguerones

Los Lobos, Los Choneros, The Chone Killers y Los Tiguerones son pandillas a las que se culpa de gran parte de la violencia que comenzó durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Todas están involucradas con el sicariato, la extorsión y el tráfico y venta de drogas.

Los Tiguerones se formó en Guayaquil en 2019 como brazo armado de Los Choneros, la organización madre de la mayoría de las pandillas ecuatorianas.

Las autoridades han responsabilizado a estos grupos del aumento de la violencia en el país, mientras se disputan rutas de narcotráfico hacia el Pacífico y el control del territorio, incluso dentro de las cárceles, donde cientos de reclusos han sido asesinados desde 2021.

Todos ellos están entre las 22 pandillas criminales designadas como “terroristas” por Ecuador en 2024.

BRASIL

9. Commando Vermelho y Primeiro Comando da Capital

Commando Vermelho y Primeiro Comando da Capital son dos de las organizaciones criminales más violentas de Brasil. Trabajan con unas 50 pandillas más pequeñas en todo el país y en conjunto, dirigen a miles de miembros y han orquestado ataques brutales contra policías brasileños, funcionarios públicos y contra civiles.

Su influencia y sus redes ilícitas se extienden mucho más allá de las fronteras de Brasil.

HAITÍ

10. Las pandillas Viv Ansanm y Gran Grif

Los dos grupos haitianos están vinculados principalmente al tráfico de armas, secuestros, asesinatos, extorsión y, en menor medida, al narcotráfico.

La coalición Viv Ansanm es conocida por lanzar una serie de ataques a partir de febrero de 2024 que cerraron el principal aeropuerto internacional de Haití, liberaron a cientos de reclusos de las dos cárceles más grandes del país y, finalmente, obligaron al ex primer ministro Ariel Henry a renunciar. Controla al menos el 85% de la capital, lo que obliga a organizaciones civiles a negociar con las pandillas para poder hacer llegar ayuda a las comunidades.

Gran Grif ha asaltado varias ciudades y pueblos en la región central de Haití. En octubre, se culpó a la pandilla de matar a más de 70 personas en Pont-Sondé.

——

Los periodistas de The Associated Press Gonzalo Solano en Quito, Astrid Suárez en Bogotá, Mauricio Savarese en Río de Janeiro y Dánica Coto en San Juan de Puerto Rico contribuyeron a este reporte.

Friday will offer familiar weather conditions: warm and humid with showers and storms possible. Morning through early afternoon may be the more active timeframe for rain in Dade/Broward. Temperatures are expected to make a run for the low 90s.

Kamal Patel, a pilot with 30 years of experience who also owns and operates a flight school, spoke exclusively with Local 10 on Thursday about Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, who goes by Felipe.

Patel said Molina was a very good student at the Pilot Training Center in Miami before eventually becoming a flight instructor there and training other pilots.

“As an instructor, he had a very good pass rate with his students and always very good feedback,” he said. “I remember him being very safety-conscious.”

Molina was serving as a first officer aboard the Amazon cargo plane when it crashed at Miami International Airport.

The captain of the flight has been identified as 55-year-old Joseph Carroll.

Investigators said one of the pilots was heard warning that the plane was traveling too fast. One pilot then called for a “go around,” an attempt to lift the aircraft back into the air for another landing.

It remains unclear which pilot made each statement.

Asked what might have happened in the cockpit if Molina was the pilot who called for the go-around, Patel said Molina’s focus on safety would have made the decision unsurprising.

“Felipe was very aware of safety and understanding of it if it was him that said the go around it would not surprise me at all,” Patel said.

Local 10 also examined Molina’s work history.

After graduating from the Pilot Training Center and later teaching there, Molina worked for several airlines.

Most recently, he was a first officer with 21 Air, where he worked for about a year and eight months. Before that, he was a first officer with World Atlantic Airlines. He also had a short stint with SkyWest Airlines, working there for about two months as a first officer.

Molina spent two years as a full-time flight instructor at the Pilot Training Center after graduating from the school.

He also earned an associate degree from Miami Dade College, focusing on its airline pilot studies program.

Patel was not in the cockpit during the fatal flight, but he offered insight into the crew dynamics that could have been at play.

Asked whether a first officer has to defer to the captain when making a decision such as a go-around, Patel said modern crew resource management training emphasizes teamwork.

“Most modern CRM training would say the crew works as a team if the FO says go around the captain should go around,” Patel said.

Asked whether there could ever be a situation in which a first officer might take control of the aircraft, Patel said he did not believe that would be the safest course of action.

“I don’t think that would be the safest route of action,” he added.

Patel said the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation should provide more answers about what happened inside the cockpit.

Ultimately, he said the captain makes the final call both in the air and on the ground.

Interactive graphic:

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The flap was over protocol and who should speak first: Sheriff Rosie-Cordero-Stutz or Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Levine Cava’s chief of staff was heard saying that the mayor, in charge of both MIA and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue as the county’s chief executive, should speak first.

Cordero-Stutz wasn’t having it.

“I know what you believe,” she said. “This is public safety and I’m going first.”

(View the exchange in the video player below; both letters can be read at the bottom of the page)

Sheriff: Staffer’s request ‘not appropriate’

In a letter, dated Wednesday and made public on Thursday, Cordero-Stutz called the request “not appropriate” and something “that must not occur again,” saying that a “misunderstanding over our respective roles” should be resolved “now, calmly and in writing, rather than at the next incident.”

Cordero-Stutz told Levine Cava that she “had already delayed the Sheriff’s Office briefing so that you could arrive, be brought inside the perimeter my deputies had secured, and address the press,” which she said she did “deliberately and as a courtesy, because your presence was appropriate and I wanted the public to see the County’s leadership standing together.”

“What is not appropriate,” she said, “is a member of the Mayor’s staff attempting to direct the Sheriff at the scene of an incident the Sheriff commands, in front of the assembled media and the deputies under my command.

“I do not believe that reflected your instruction, and I am not writing to assign blame to a staff member. I am writing so that we agree, going forward, on where authority rests at an incident scene, so that no one on either of our staffs has to guess.”

Cordero-Stutz said that her office was responsible for the perimeter and investigation.

“Five people were dead inside a perimeter my deputies were holding, and the investigation was already underway,” she said. “The person who briefs the public first at such a scene is the officer responsible for it. That is not a question of protocol or seniority. It is a question of accuracy and accountability: the public is entitled to hear from the official who is answerable for what is being done.”

Cordero-Stutz went on to state that she believes the mayor, as “head of the County for emergency management purposes” per its charter, would only lead at such a scene if she declared a local state of emergency. It’s something Levine Cava would take issue with in a response.

The sheriff, in her letter, hinted at a rift between the two, saying the dustup pointed to a “larger issue” over the relatively-recent return of the county having an elected sheriff.

Before Cordero-Stutz took over in 2025 as the county’s first elected sheriff in decades, Levine Cava ultimately oversaw the preceding Miami-Dade Police Department.

Political labels weren’t used, but Levine Cava, a Democrat, openly supported the Republican Cordero-Stutz’s challenger in the 2024 election.

She said that “operational direction - of deputies, of scenes, of investigations, and of what the Sheriff says to the public about them - is not something the County retained, and it is not something a member of the Mayor’s staff can exercise by insisting on it at a podium.”

She continued by saying that “an assumption that the old structure survives will keep producing moments like Sunday’s until it is corrected, and the next one may come at a scene where the confusion has consequences.”

Cordero-Stutz proposed a protocol plan that stipulates that the sheriff leads communications at a “law enforcement incident,” the mayor leads county communications during a “declared state of local emergency” and that neither official’s staff directs the others.

Mayor responds: ‘Precisely the kind of emergency’ charter gives me ‘clear responsibility for’

Levine Cava hit back in a briefer response letter, also dated Wednesday.

“I want to be clear: This incident went well beyond a fire rescue and law enforcement response,” Levine Cava said, emphasizing the county’s ownership of MIA, which ended up being shut down for “an extended period on a holiday weekend, impacting tens of thousands of passengers.”

Levine Cava said the incident was “precisely the kind of emergency management event the Charter gives the Mayor clear responsibility for.”

“The Mayor, as the head of the County for emergency management purposes, has the authority to mobilize County resources and lead the County’s response to an event of this scale, pursuant to state and local law,” she wrote. “Not every emergency of this magnitude results in a formal declaration. But that does not diminish the County’s authority to act in those circumstances, nor the Sheriff’s.”

Levine Cava said both the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and county agencies under her purview played complementary roles in the response.

She noted, “I did not instruct anyone on my staff to direct your deputies, and I do not believe any staff member intended to.”

“A member of my team sought to clarify the respective roles of each responding public safety agency during a multi-agency, multi-casualty incident on County property,” Levine Cava said. “Before the news conference, I joined senior County staff, County Commissioners and federal officials for an incident briefing and to coordinate the information that could appropriately be shared with the public.”

Both officials concluded their letters by agreeing that incidents of a similar magnitude require unified response.

But it appears they still differ on what a unified response ― at least as far as communications are concerned ― looks like.

Read the letters:

Fall means kids are back in school, people are spending more time around each other and cold and flu season is just around the corner.

And these infections can be more than just a nuisance. They can be debilitating and, in some cases, deadly.

With flu and COVID vaccines now being advertised at pharmacies across South Florida, many people are wondering: Is now the right time to get the shot?

Experts say it depends on your risk.

“If you are around a lot of people, especially kids, who are great at sharing their viral loads, as school teachers well know, then you want to think about getting the vaccine sooner rather than later,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert.

Flu season generally runs from October through March, and it takes about 10 days after vaccination to reach maximum protection.

Dr. Marty says the current flu vaccine is safe and effective. But for people 50 and older, another option is coming soon.

Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine was recently approved and uses the same technology as the COVID vaccine.

That means it can be quickly modified and produced as the flu virus mutates. In clinical trials, it was 27% more effective.

When it comes to COVID, timing is also something to consider.

“If you were to go get a shot today in South Florida for COVID, it’s not the most recent formulation,” Marty said.

The current shot is being billed as a booster and can be especially helpful for people at high risk.

But for everyone else, Marty says waiting could mean getting better-timed protection.

“But everybody else should wait until it is cold, flu and COVID season because that way you are going to get the vaccine that is now going to have the exact genetic makeup for the subtype that we think will dominate this season,” she said.

The bottom line: Know your risk.

Age, weight and underlying health conditions can all play a role in how vulnerable you are.

And the goal is to get protected before flu and COVID season reaches its peak.

“The vaccines are going to protect you from diseases that can not only make you miserable for a few days or a few weeks, but can give you long-term complications,” Marty said.

The Justice Department sent letters to 29 states and the District of Columbia instructing election officials not to destroy the records. Those are places the Trump administration has sued in a bid to gain access to voter registration information that contains addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

In one letter obtained by The Associated Press, a Justice Department official told Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, that she is “under investigation" and subject to ongoing litigation over the state’s failure to turn over statewide voter registration lists. The Justice Department declined to elaborate Thursday on the nature of the investigation.

“The purpose of this letter is to notify you of your obligations to take reasonable steps to conduct a litigation hold and preserve and retain all hard copy documents and electronically stored information,” wrote Eric Neff, acting chief of the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section.

The letter warns election officials that their “failure to preserve relevant data may constitute spoliation of evidence," which could subject them to “civil and criminal sanctions.”

In a social media post Thursday, Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Civil Rights Division, said the Justice Department sent the letters to ensure states do not destroy election records related to the lawsuits that seek to compel election officials to hand over voter registration lists.

“This is standard litigation practice, not a ‘threat,’” Dhillon said in a post on X.

Secretaries of state say they already are following the law

Henderson, Utah's top elections official, said in an interview that her office received the letter Friday.

“No letter — and we’ve gotten a lot of letters from the Department of Justice over the past year — not a single one of them said that we were under investigation for anything,” Henderson said. “It was a little bit alarming at first to see those words.”

Henderson said her office understands the need to hold onto records during litigation.

“What’s not helpful is the constant barrage of attacks and harassment and accusations, baseless accusations, that do nothing to help secure our elections,” she said.

Her office also received a letter from the DOJ in July asserting that election officials could be prosecuted if votes from noncitizens are counted in their vote tallies.

Other election offices, including the secretaries of state for Arizona and Minnesota, confirmed they also received the letter.

“Our office will follow the law,” said Calli Jones, spokesperson for the Arizona office. “Any implication from this letter or others that implies we are not following the law is disrespectful to the work that election administrators do across Arizona and the country.”

Minnesota Secretary of State spokesperson Cassondra Knudson said the office will comply with the Justice Department's request but noted that it goes beyond the federal requirement of maintaining records for 22 months following an election.

Justice Department is in long-running conflict with states over voter data

The preservation demand could set the stage for the Justice Department to seek access to the states' election records as part of the administration’s hunt for fraud. The FBI has already obtained records or election equipment related to either the 2020 or 2024 elections from the most populous counties in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Michigan without saying what it was searching for.

The letters escalate a fight between the Trump administration over access to the sensitive voter information. Federal officials have said they need the voter data to ensure that states are complying with federal election laws related to maintaining voter registration lists, even though states already have detailed processes to do that.

Some election officials have raised concerns that the request conflicts with state privacy laws. They also are concerned that federal officials will use the sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens. In one case, a Justice Department attorney acknowledged the department was seeking unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status.

Judges have repeatedly dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuits seeking access to the detailed state voter information, and Attorney General Todd Blanche has suggested the administration might take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The letters come as the administration continues to raise concerns about the potential for voter fraud — in particular, noncitizen voting. While voter fraud and voting by noncitizens does occur, it's rare and gets prosecuted. There has been no evidence of widespread fraud marring American elections.

Trump issued an executive order earlier this year that sought to create a federal voter list and directly involve the U.S. Postal Service in election operations in a way that would limit mail voting. A challenge to that order is now before the Supreme Court. The president also has pushed Congress to pass a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and have it take effect for the midterms.

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Kelety reported from Phoenix.

The Democratic nominee, former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, made a stop in in South Florida on Thursday.

It comes a day after his Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, traveled to Texas to speak at the GOP midterm convention.

For those who buy into polling, it’s a toss-up race and there’s an interesting trend: the partisan divide looks to be much more significant than any racial or ethnic divide, this time.

Jolly on Thursday was at a Caribbean restaurant in Lauderhill on the same day he announced his Black leadership team. Polling shows Jolly with a solid lead among Black voters, yet he faces an opponent with the potential to be Florida’s first Black governor.

Asked whether race is a factor, Jolly said, “I hope it’s not.”

“I hope that that the candidates are judged on their policies,” he said.

Donalds, at President Donald Trumps’s convention this week also downplays race as a campaign factor.

“We’re not going to have Democrat socialism run our state,” he told the crowd.

Donalds has campaigned hard on conservative principles and Republican talking points.

He and Jolly both say they want to grow Florida’s powerhouse economy. Both agree affordability is the biggest election issue. They have major differences, though, on how to get there.

“Republicans have controlled Tallahassee for 30 years and if they could fix homeowners’ insurance or the delivery of health care, or if they could fix a public education system that’s been abandoned, they would,” Jolly said. “But they haven’t.”

Local 10 News spoke with Jolly on a wide range of other issues, including the Hope Florida scandal ― which Jolly says he will reopen the investigation on.

You can watch the entire thing on “This Week in South Florida” at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

On Sunday, he was among the five cleaning company workers killed when a cargo plane, operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon, careened off the runway at Miami International Airport, slamming into their work van.

His sons have now hired attorneys to help them navigate the legal process and to find answers after their father’s life was cut short.

“The first thing when we met his family, (they said) ‘If he was here, he’d be someone you’d never forget,’” Mark Lopez-Trigo, an attorney with the firm Padrón & Lopez Trigo said.

Lopez-Trigo’s firm partner, Joshua Padrón, said Pineda was “loved by all” and “the life of the party.”

“This was an outstanding man, who was very community-oriented,” Lopez-Trigo added. “(He) loved his family, loved his grandkids and nobody has a bad thing to say about him.”

His sons are now left trying to make sense of a tragedy they never saw coming. The two attorneys said they’re still trying to gather information before deciding what legal action to take.

“Once we have a better understanding of all of the issues, that will allow us to file a complaint that we feel will have stronger legs to be able to survive through the legal system and give our clients the best shot at justice,” Lopez-Trigo said.

Authorities identified the four other victims as Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47; and Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53.

Some of their families are also taking legal action.

Eugenio Corredor, 79, was one of the injured victims. He was left badly hurt after the plane crashed into his Toyota Corolla Cross SUV as he drove down Northwest 67th Avenue.

The law firms representing the victims’ families plan to conduct their own investigation at the same time the National Transportation Safety Board probes the crash.

Padrón said, “We have already seen multiple reports of pilots that worked for 21 Air that have mentioned the history of improper procedure, protocol, maintenance, a multitude of worries and concerns already voiced about this company, so if you have information on that, please reach out to us.”

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Cranes surrounded the plane as crews worked to begin breaking it apart.

Sky 10 flew over the scene Thursday, where debris remained scattered across the parking lot, grass and part of the runway. The aircraft’s nose, which had been embedded in the ground, was lifted by two cranes. The damaged right wing and engine could clearly be seen separated from the plane.

“We are working with American Airlines and its special aircraft recovery team, which is based here locally,” said MIA Director/CEO Ralph Cutie. “They’ve already gone out and assessed the site, and they already have a plan of action in place to remove the aircraft.”

The date and time for the relocation have not yet been determined.

The move could provide some relief for MIA and travelers, as only three of the airport’s four runways remain open. Dozens of delays have been reported as the airport continues to operate below full capacity.

The National Transportation Safety Board said investigators would be at the airport for about a week as they conduct their investigation on the ground.

The Amazon cargo plane is in the beginning stages of being broken into pieces so it can be relocated off MIA’s runway, according to an airport official.

The Amazon cargo plane is in the beginning stages of being broken into pieces so it can be relocated off MIA’s runway, according to an airport official.

The effort comes days after the plane, a Boeing 767-300, overran the runway and struck two vehicles in its path, killing five people on Sunday.

Now, NTSB investigators are revealing what was said inside the cockpit, based on audio recovered from the plane’s voice recorder.

Investigators said one pilot is heard warning that the plane was traveling too fast, more than a minute before the aircraft first touched down on the runway.

According to investigators, that pilot “made additional comments regarding the aircraft’s excessive speed throughout the remainder of the recording” — but “There was not a consistent verbal response.”

The cockpit also recorded electronic alerts warning that the aircraft was too low to the terrain.

Then, with just 15 seconds left in the recording, one pilot called for a “go-around” attempt — an effort to lift the plane back into the air and retry the landing.

But five seconds later, the plane ran off the runway.

“That kind of hesitation is deadly in a runway like this,” said aviation expert Pablo Rojas.

Rojas said the combination of the plane’s speed, the brakes being applied, released and then reapplied, and the crew’s indecision in the final seconds was critical.

“First they were trying to land, slow the plane down, bring it to a halt, then they hesitated and maybe tried to do a go-around, meaning speed up again, then they made another change in their decision which was to try to land again,” he said.” “It stays airborne for too long, and it takes too long for it to make contact with the ground. Then, when contact is made, only two of the three landing gears are touching the ground.”

Local 10 News also heard from a man who witnessed the crash.

“We were inside the warehouse when we heard a super loud noise,” witness Abraham Altamar said.

Altamar said he came across pilot Jaime Felipe Silva Molina after the pilot escaped the burning plane.

“He was shaking, he seemed stressed,” Altamar said.

He added: “I just asked him if he wanted me to call 911 but he’s like ‘no, I need your phone to call my wife.”’

Altamar said he overheard part of that call.

“He was like, oh my career, my career is over,” he said.

Both pilots were interviewed by the NTSB, but there is still no word on what came out of those interviews.

Investigators also have more to consider, including the mechanics of the plane, the weather conditions Sunday when the crash happened, and the history of both the aircraft and its company.

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Local 10 reporters Roy Ramos and Trent Kelly contributed to this story.

BRICS es una organización de 11 economías emergentes de todo el mundo. La organización trabaja para aumentar su importancia global y reformar la gobernanza económica.

Entre sus miembros se encuentran Brasil, China, Egipto, Etiopía, India, Indonesia, Irán, Rusia, Arabia Saudita, Sudáfrica y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos.

Entre las naciones asociadas se encuentran Bielorrusia, Cuba, Nigeria y Tailandia.

Los rusos rechazaron a Cuba como miembro pleno de la organización debido a las malas condiciones económicas del país y a las desfavorables proyecciones de los economistas a futuro.

9 de septiembre: Cuba y Estados Unidos estancados en retórica diplomática

El general de brigada cubano Emir Mesa Corona, quien está a cargo de la seguridad personal en el Ministerio del Interior, envió un fuerte mensaje a Estados Unidos para que ni siquiera piense en intentar secuestrar a Raúl Castro o a alguien del gobierno cubano, o enfrentarán graves consecuencias.

Al mismo tiempo, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, admitió que continúan las negociaciones entre bastidores con Estados Unidos, pero que Estados Unidos no suavizará sus posiciones. Cuba quiere que se levante el embargo económico, mientras que Estados Unidos quiere un cambio de régimen.

8 de septiembre: Pasión ciega por la política cubana provoca un circo político entre Miami, La Habana y Washington D.C.

Cuando era un niño que crecía en Miami, recuerdo que todos los candidatos presidenciales de ambos partidos políticos venían a hacer campaña en Miami y prometían que, si eran elegidos, trabajarían para ver una “Cuba Libre”. Terminaban sus discursos con “Viva Cuba Libre”. Políticos locales que representaban a diferentes municipios de Miami-Dade hablaban sobre la política exterior de Estados Unidos hacia Cuba como si la controlaran y, sin embargo, no tenía nada que ver con el alcance de sus responsabilidades. Pero eso les daba los votos que necesitaban para ser elegidos y permanecer en el poder, mientras los líderes políticos de Cuba continuaban culpando de todo lo que estaba mal en la isla al embargo económico de Estados Unidos, o como ellos lo llaman, “el bloqueo”.

El 3 de enero, el Ejército de Estados Unidos capturó a Nicolás Maduro en Venezuela con la ayuda de la actual presidenta interina Delcy Rodríguez y lo llevó a Estados Unidos para enfrentar a la justicia. Poco después, el presidente Donald Trump anunció que Cuba sería la siguiente.

La administración Trump comenzó a sancionar a organizaciones cubanas y a funcionarios del gobierno en un intento por sacarlos del poder. Hasta ahora, siguen en el poder. El gobierno cubano comenzó a prepararse para una invasión estadounidense. Hasta la fecha, no ha ocurrido y probablemente nunca ocurrirá.

El 20 de mayo, el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos acusó formalmente a Raúl Castro por el derribo de los aviones de Hermanos al Rescate en 1996 durante un mitin político de estilo teatral en la Torre de la Libertad, en el centro de Miami. Hasta ahora no ha ocurrido nada y nada va a ocurrir. No hay una Delcy Rodríguez en Cuba. Hace una semana, muchos medios de comunicación de Miami reportaron, basándose en fuentes dentro de la isla, que Raúl Castro estaba gravemente enfermo. El fin de semana pasado, Raúl reapareció rodeado de la élite militar cubana.

Trump, el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio y los tres miembros cubanoamericanos del Congreso del sur de Florida habían anunciado que para finales de 2026 Cuba caería. Ahora se ha pospuesto hasta 2029. Además, Rubio dijo recientemente que el problema para tratar con Cuba es la Ley Helms-Burton (del senador Jesse Helms y Richard Burton, ambos republicanos), que fue promulgada por el Congreso en 1996, también gracias al arduo trabajo del fallecido congresista Lincoln Díaz-Balart, y promulgada como ley por el presidente demócrata Bill Clinton.

Los tres miembros cubanoamericanos del Congreso dejaron claro que el objetivo era devolver a Cuba a la democracia. ¿Qué democracia? Cuba no tenía un gobierno democrático antes de que Fidel Castro tomara el poder. ¿Cuánto saben realmente sobre la historia de Cuba? ¿O es simplemente un juego de palabras y promesas vacías?

Así que, a medida que pasan los días, la comunidad cubanoamericana comienza a preguntarse: ¿qué está pasando realmente en Washington D.C.?

No me sorprendería que en un futuro cercano las organizaciones Trump negociaran la compra de los hoteles Meliá vacíos en Cuba y les pusieran el nombre Trump. Después de todo, ahora somos dueños de una gran parte del petróleo venezolano y no hubo el cambio de régimen prometido.

¿Aprenderemos alguna vez? ¿Cuánto tiempo más vamos a estar cegados por nuestra pasión?

6 de septiembre: Raúl Castro hace aparición pública

Después de muchas especulaciones sobre que Raúl Castro, de Cuba, estaba cerca de morir, el líder cubano apareció ayer en un evento militar acompañado por su nieto, Raulito, y el presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

3 de septiembre: Raúl Castro está estable, según fuentes

Fuentes en Cuba dicen que Raúl Castro, de 95 años, está estable a pesar de los reportes sobre el deterioro de su salud. Según las fuentes, el general retirado Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, conocido como “El Fury”, se encuentra actualmente en peores condiciones. Colomé Ibarra estuvo al frente del Ministerio del Interior y era muy respetado por los hermanos Castro y el Ejército cubano.

3 de septiembre: Presidente Trump tiene las manos atadas con respecto a Cuba, dice Rubio

Después de meses diciendo que Cuba sería la siguiente, el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio dijo hoy que el presidente tiene las manos atadas debido a la Ley Helms-Burton, que exige que no haya normalización entre Estados Unidos y Cuba a menos que haya un cambio de régimen y un avance hacia un gobierno democrático.

Incluso si Raúl Castro muriera en un futuro cercano, no espero un cambio de régimen.

Solo Estados Unidos puede cambiar la Ley Helms-Burton y no espero que eso ocurra en un futuro cercano ni después de las elecciones de mitad de mandato.

2 de septiembre: Niños en Cuba comienzan nuevo año escolar en medio de más desafíos que en cualquier otro año anterior

Los niños en Cuba comenzaron el martes el nuevo año escolar enfrentando la falta de útiles, libros, uniformes y maestros, además de edificios que se están deteriorando y la falta de alimentos para los niños.

Según la ministra de Educación de Cuba, este será un año muy desafiante, como ningún otro.

La educación cubana fue alguna vez uno de los grandes logros de la revolución. Sin embargo, también fue utilizada para adoctrinar a los estudiantes en una ideología en la que ya nadie en la nación insular cree.

1 de septiembre: Raúl Castro hospitalizado, dicen fuentes

Fuentes confiables dentro de Cuba me informaron esta tarde que Raúl Castro ha sido hospitalizado. Debemos tener cuidado y no especular demasiado sobre lo que podría ocurrir hasta nuevo aviso.

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

The departure of Joe diGenova injects instant tumult into an investigation targeting former government officials who have scrutinized Trump over the last decade, including in connection with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I did in fact resign,” diGenova told The Associated Press, calling it an “honor and a privilege” to serve Trump and the Justice Department.

Though diGenova declined to comment to the AP on the circumstances of his resignation, a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss a personnel decision said the departure came amid mounting frustration from the Justice Department and White House over the pace and management of the probe.

In an interview later with The New York Post, diGenova responded to criticism of his management of the investigation by saying, “If you want indictments where there’s no evidence, you have an ethical problem.”

When reached again by the AP, diGenova said the comments were taken out of context, adding: “There's plenty of evidence in all of these cases to prove the theories of prosecution. It just takes time to get there, and some people want to get there a little faster than others — and you can’t do that.”

The investigation has always been something of a tall order, aiming to present separate and unrelated inquiries of the president as part an anti-Trump conspiracy by law enforcement and intelligence professionals. Though promoted by the White House, and seized on by Trump supporters looking for accountability against what they see as “deep state” intelligence community actors, the conspiracy investigation has proceeded in fits and starts since its inception a year ago.

The 81-year-old diGenova served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia during the Reagan administration and for years has been a prominent Trump ally, including backing his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and publicly and repeatedly claiming that the president was the victim of an intelligence community conspiracy.

He was brought back to the Justice Department in April and given the reins of the loosely defined investigation.

Five months later, no charges have been brought and it remains unclear whether any will be, or what information has been gathered to support any basis for the idea of a plot against Trump by the government officials who investigated him.

Investigators have sought interviews related to the 2022 FBI search that recovered classified documents from Mar-a-Lago and have also focused intensely on one of Trump's chief grievances: a U.S. intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered on his behalf in the 2016 presidential election. The assessment has long infuriated the president, along with a Justice Department special counsel investigation into Russian election interference that shadowed him during his first term.

That special counsel investigation identified widespread Russian interference in the election but did not find evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Multiple other government inquiries, including by the Justice Department inspector general, have identified significant errors and omissions in the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia probe but did not find evidence of criminal conduct by senior law enforcement officials.

The yearlong conspiracy investigation has hit stumbles before. Last April, a lead national security prosecutor in the investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan was replaced on the team after raising questions about the strength of the case. Days later, diGenova was sworn in.

Brennan has been investigated on allegations that he lied to Congress about the creation of the intelligence community assessment, which he and his lawyers have vigorously denied. In July, he sued the Justice Department for a court order requiring the preservation of all records from the investigation, forecasting plans to challenge any potential indictment of him on vindictive prosecution grounds.

Suzanne Howland, nieta del hombre que ayudó a construir el icónico edificio Art Déco frente al mar en 3500 Pan American Drive, dijo que la estructura debe ser preservada.

“Mi abuelo construyó este edificio: Fred Howland, de Fred Howland Construction Company”, dijo Howland. “Este es un edificio icónico, debe ser preservado”.

El edificio fue construido en la década de 1930 como terminal de hidroaviones de Pan American World Airways y ha funcionado como Ayuntamiento de Miami desde la década de 1950.

“Es importante por su belleza, su ubicación, su uso, su accesibilidad”, dijo Howland. “Creo que la belleza de este edificio, el arte, la historia, el simbolismo, son muy importantes”.

Rich Heisenbottle, un destacado arquitecto de renovaciones que trabajó en la restauración del edificio, dijo que la conexión entre Miami y Pan Am está entrelazada para siempre en el edificio.

“Y esa conexión internacional que Pan Am trajo a Miami nos ha ayudado incluso hoy, esa conexión internacional es la razón por la que somos la ciudad que somos hoy, la ciudad emocionante, vibrante y multicultural que somos”, dijo Heisenbottle.

Heisenbottle dijo que hace 10 años, el edificio “estaba bastante deteriorado”.

“Lo que hicimos fue descubrir todos los diseños que formaban parte del interior de Delano & Aldrich para Pan Am cuando funcionaba como terminal de Pan Am”, dijo Heisenbottle.

Varios miembros de la comunidad, defensores de la preservación histórica e incluso el ex alcalde de Miami Tomás Regalado se reunieron para apoyar una resolución del comisionado del Distrito 2, Damian Pardo.

Deborah Stander, presidenta de Hangar 5 Foundation, Inc., calificó el edificio como “posiblemente el edificio más icónico de Miami, que refleja de manera tan directa la identidad de nuestra ciudad como puerta de entrada internacional a las Américas”.

“Esto es literalmente la representación de la puerta de entrada, esta es la puerta de entrada”, dijo Stander.

Regalado dijo que Miami no puede seguir borrando su historia.

“Lo más importante es que tenemos poca historia”, dijo Regalado. “No podemos seguir borrando la historia de Miami. No podemos seguir regalando la historia de nuestra ciudad. Somos custodios de la historia de Miami”.

La resolución mantendría el uso del edificio histórico como Ayuntamiento, sede de las reuniones regulares de la Comisión de la Ciudad, en lugar de trasladarlas al nuevo edificio administrativo en construcción en el sitio del estadio de fútbol cerca del Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami.

“No tienes que abandonar tu pasado para construir tu futuro”, dijo Pardo.

La medida recibió el respaldo de varios de sus colegas.

El comisionado del Distrito 4, Ralph Rosado, dijo que la ciudad de Miami no siempre tiene el mejor historial en cuanto a la preservación de sus bienes culturales, históricos y cívicos.

“Hoy se trata de hacerle saber al público que queremos preservar este edificio, una función cívica asociada con él, y que debe permanecer aquí para siempre”, dijo Rosado. “Nuestra preocupación es que un operador privado se haga cargo de esto, quizá realizando renovaciones que no estén de acuerdo con la historia de Miami.

“Lo hemos visto antes, queremos asegurarnos de expresar nuestro compromiso de mantener este edificio aquí, preservándolo para la historia”.

La comisionada del Distrito 5, Christine King, dijo que el objetivo es preservar el Ayuntamiento y no trasladar las reuniones de la comisión del espacio histórico al nuevo edificio administrativo más al oeste.

“Vemos en todo Estados Unidos ciudades que preservan sus espacios históricos”, dijo King. “En Miami, parece que queremos derribarlos y simplemente ser una ciudad moderna, con todo nuevo y reluciente. Estamos aquí con el comisionado Pardo para que sigamos utilizando este espacio para lo que fue destinado.

“Estamos unidos porque queremos ver este espacio preservado. Queremos continuar celebrando aquí nuestras reuniones de la comisión. Queremos demostrar no solo a la ciudad de Miami, sino al resto del mundo, que también nos importan nuestros espacios históricos”.

Pardo dijo que el edificio representa la conexión de Miami con el Caribe y América Latina.

“Aquí es donde nuestros líderes durante 70 años debatieron nuestro futuro, ese es un legado enorme, este es el lugar de la gente, donde vienen a hablar y queremos asegurarnos de honrar eso, donde vendrían líderes mundiales”, dijo Pardo. “No hay nada que pueda reemplazar esto”.

El único que se opuso fue el comisionado del Distrito 1, Miguel Gabela, quien expresó preocupación por una posible duplicación de gastos para los contribuyentes, dado que se está construyendo un nuevo edificio administrativo.

Pardo dijo que esas eran preocupaciones válidas, pero que la ciudad todavía estaba lo suficientemente temprano en el proceso como para hacer ajustes.

“Creo que esas son preocupaciones muy válidas, pero todavía estamos lo suficientemente adelantados en el proceso como para poder hacer muchos ajustes”, dijo Pardo.

La medida fue aprobada 4-1, con Gabela votando en contra.

“Listo y hecho, no nos mudamos, estamos aquí”, dijo Pardo.

Natalia Curjeiras, directora ejecutiva del Museum of Miami, una parte interesada clave en contar la historia de Miami, presentó a los comisionados la idea de trasladarse al lugar.

“Esta es una joya histórica y podemos tener la capacidad de compartir la historia de Miami y preservar este sitio para las generaciones futuras”, dijo Curjeiras.

Al describir un plan “muy, muy preliminar”, Curjeiras dijo que el museo propuso preservar la terminal histórica mientras se construye un museo dedicado junto a ella.

Dijo que el museo “está mejor preparado que cualquier otro para preservar este sitio para las generaciones futuras”, como custodio de objetos de Pan Am y otros artículos y documentos históricos.

“No hay otro lugar que tenga tantas capas de nuestra historia”, dijo Curjeiras. “El hecho de que podamos llevar esos objetos al lugar donde ocurrió esa historia es algo realmente poderoso”.

Curjeiras dijo a Local 10 News que, además de las reuniones de la comisión, el museo podría ayudar a dar vida a las cámaras con una variedad de programas comunitarios para aprovechar el espacio cívico que Pardo describió como el “hogar ancestral” de Miami.

“Y lo que queremos construir es un campus cívico, donde nuestra comunidad pueda venir, aprender sobre nuestra historia, asistir a una reunión de la comisión, o asistir a un evento público, o caminar por la bahía y asegurarnos de que nuestros hijos, y los hijos de nuestros hijos, tengan acceso a eso y se sientan orgullosos de tener acceso a esa historia del lugar que llamamos hogar”, dijo.

En cuanto a la idea de construir un edificio adyacente para el museo, Howland expresó preocupación sobre cómo podría verse.

“Me gustaría ver evidencia de ese plan, pero me parece, hablando sin tener todos los detalles, que sería una obstrucción que interferiría con el entorno de este edificio”, dijo Howland. “Que quizá, visualmente, no sería algo tan bueno, pero es difícil decirlo hasta que lo veamos, me gustaría verlo, pero creo que este edificio debería permanecer con el aislamiento visual que tiene para que pueda ser apreciado”.

Curjeiras dijo que cualquier nuevo edificio del museo tendría que construirse a una escala que permita que la terminal de Pan Am siga siendo el foco visual.

“Potencialmente podría estar detrás, a un lado, eso aún está por determinarse, es todo un proceso que tendría que llevarse a cabo”, dijo. “Así que presentaremos una intención a la ciudad donde esperamos poder llegar a un marco que nos permita iniciar una conversación formal sobre los próximos pasos”.

Pardo dijo que anticipa que la ciudad probablemente recibirá propuestas de asociaciones público-privadas de otras partes interesadas en colaborar.

“Estamos abiertos a todo, también tenemos allí a Pan Am Airways, están iniciando la nueva Pan American Airways, estuvieron aquí presentando una propuesta porque potencialmente quieren tener este espacio para operaciones en el futuro”, dijo Pardo.

Pardo dijo que, en última instancia, el criterio más importante para la consideración es la viabilidad financiera.

“Para la ciudad, el criterio más importante es la viabilidad financiera de quien venga aquí con nosotros”, dijo Pardo. “Queremos asegurarnos de que puedan pagar su parte, que podamos seguir manteniendo el edificio, cuyo mantenimiento solo cuesta $295,000 USD al año, así que al menos no representa una gran carga para el presupuesto, vale la pena el dinero para mantener aquí el Ayuntamiento”.

Over the next several hours, body cameras were running as federal authorities from several agencies made 57 arrests, debated which files to seize and when to release employees who were U.S. citizens. They also searched for anyone in hiding.

The footage from September 2025 shows the raid at the Nutrition Bar Confectioners plant in Cato, New York, a town of 2,500 people east of Syracuse, and offers a rare glimpse inside a workplace immigration sweep. The Associated Press analyzed the video, which was part of a lawsuit filed Thursday that accuses authorities of overstepping their search warrants.

The officers ordered a manager to announce their presence over loudspeakers while they entered the building and caught employees on the production line, in the warehouse and a few in the bathroom. Officers covered all exits while others swept the interior, including homing in on locked doors.

Male officers encountered a locked bathroom and began shouting instructions in broken Spanish at female employees through the door, demanding that they come out. After about 10 seconds, officers broke through the door.

One woman was outside of a stall and another in the stall. A male officer peered through a locked stall door, and his body cam video revealed a woman sitting on the toilet.

“Miss, pull up your pants. Come out of the bathroom,” he told her.

“You have to wait. I can’t come out like this, naked!” she replied.

Investigators interviewed the general manager and said they were looking into hiring practices and potential fraudulent documents. Inside and outside the building, officers checked every office, storage room and hallway for anyone who was hiding.

Employees were lined up and separated into groups of U.S. citizens and potential noncitizens. Officers asked for their immigration status, requested documents and posed questions about their entry into the U.S. Some employees were pregnant.

Some were parents and expressed concern for their children at home. Others said they would not answer questions without first speaking to their attorneys, and officers told them they would be arrested.

One employee refused to answer questions. “Will you let me talk to my attorney?” she asked the officer. He raised his voice and continued asking about her immigration status.

U.S. citizens were asked for personal information, including their phone numbers and addresses before they were allowed to leave.

A Border Patrol agent who spoke to another official wearing a camera used disparaging language about children from other countries when recounting his experience working at a South Texas immigrant detention center. He said President Joe Biden's administration allowed millions of people to enter the United States from countries where children are treated “differently” than they are by American parents.

“In other countries, kids are more of a commodity or it’s more of like, I’m going to put it in those terms. It’s more like an animal, right? It’s not prized the way that we do it,” he said.

“There’s countries like Brazil and other places where they’re literal street rats at a very young age who commit crimes, and then they come here. I don’t know if you have kids, but they’ll eat our kids for breakfast.”

Homeland Security did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment on the video footage or the lawsuit.

Not all officers wore body cameras, but those who did often indicated to other officers that they were recording before they initiated a conversation.

ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit is responsible for workplace raids, which have been relatively few and low-key compared to ICE’s removal unit, which arrests people in the street, at homes and in public and also manages detention centers. The Trump administration’s largest workplace raid was last year at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia. It resulted in nearly 500 arrests and fueled diplomatic tension with South Korea.

The lawsuit against Homeland Security claims federal officers exceeded the authority of their warrants and violated workers' constitutional rights against unlawful search and seizure.

“There were no arrest warrants,” said Perry Grossman, a supervising attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit with the Worker Justice Center of New York.

“There was no suspicion that individual workers had committed crimes. And they seized easily 100 people for nonconsensual questioning. They arrested 57. Out of those 57 people, criminal charges were brought against only five. And the most serious charge was unlawful reentry.”

Grossman said one employee got her charges dismissed after contending in a lawsuit that her Fourth Amendment rights were violated. He said he was not aware of any charges or indictments against the employers.

Officers detained about 60 people and deported some employees, including two plaintiffs who are part of Thursday’s lawsuit. One plaintiff has since been allowed to reenter the country. Attorneys for the second deported plaintiff are seeking his return.

Law enforcement agencies have come under criticism for not using body cameras and for refusing to release footage when they do. ICE, in particular, has been scrutinized after a $75 billion infusion from Congress and an expanding street presence that has led to three fatal shootings this year.

ICE’s own rules on releasing video are unclear. Its policy calls for expedited release of footage after a serious injury or death in custody when doing so is determined to be in the “ best interests of the agency.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly promised to equip ICE field agents with body cameras, as required by Congress. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last week that the agency was “on track” to do so by the end of September.

As AI models grow more powerful, elaborate cyberattacks no longer require sophisticated skills and even lone individuals can create threats that would not have been possible even a year ago, Anthropic said. The company said it has added stronger safeguards in its latest models to restrict biological research that could also be used to make weapons.

“The cases we share here aren’t typical misuse, but rather examples of the most notable and novel threat activity we’ve identified to date,” Anthropic said in its third report since March 2025 describing AI misuse. The report includes snippets of the malicious code and AI prompts Anthropic said it found and it urged governments and AI competitors to identify and prevent similar abuse.

“We’re publishing this work because we believe we have a responsibility to disclose malicious misuse of our services. As models become increasingly capable, their risks will increase, unless AI developers and society’s defenders act to make them safer,” the company said.

The lengthy report by the AI startup, which is planning an initial public offering this fall, was published two days after one of its researchers announced he's resigning over concerns that Anthropic and its competitors are not acting responsibly in AI development. He echoed concerns raised inside and outside of the industry about the technology’s potential to elude human control.

Claude was asked to support making a virus more harmful

Between December 2025 and August 2026, researchers at Anthropic found misuse by actors ranging from spyware vendors and “politically motivated individuals” to state-sponsored groups spreading propaganda.

Among the findings in the company's report are unnamed actors attempting to use its models for research that could have led to biological weapons. In one instance, Anthropic said its systems blocked a request for Claude’s assistance in authoring a grant application for scientific funding.

“The work discussed in the application involved gain-of-function research (that is, research that genetically alters an organism to create a new or enhanced biological property) on the chikungunya virus. This gain of function research was aimed at the virus’ transmissibility and immune evasion properties,” the report said.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that causes debilitating symptoms such as severe pain and fever. The request involved a grant proposal for research seeking to enhance mutations to make the virus progressively more harmful. While such research could “certainly” be used to develop better vaccines and treatments, Anthropic said, “it could also be used to make the pathogen more dangerous.”

Anthropic says it can't claim its models do no harm

None of the cases Anthropic included in its report were found to be using its newer, more powerful Claude Fable or Mythos-class models, with the exception of one illicit distillation case that Anthropic described as “an industrial-scale, covert campaign to extract a model’s capabilities and replicate them in another model without authorization.”

Anthropic said its older models, such as Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4.5, from 2025, “were well below the threshold where they could meaningfully assist a sophisticated user in carrying out dangerous biological research.”

“As a result, safeguards on these models were less stringent, directed mostly at preventing access to content that might uplift novices in recreating known bioweapons,” the report said. “But for today’s models — which are capable of assisting in a range of complex scientific research tasks — the evidence is no longer certain, and we cannot make that same assurance.”

Because of this, Anthropic has applied “stronger safeguards that restrict access to a wide range of dual-use biological research queries” in its more recent models, such as Claude Fable 5, the report said.

As companies introduce increasingly powerful AI models, experts have called on governments to regulate the technology, rather than relying on the industry to police itself.

John Thickstun, an assistant professor of computer science at Cornell University, said it is an uncomfortable position for companies like Anthropic and OpenAI to be in when they are expected to determine what is safe vs. unsafe behavior and make "value judgments at societal scale without any kind of democratic or deliberative oversight.”

Report follows a researcher's dire warning

Anthropic also found groups that created hundreds of social media accounts that look like they belong to ordinary people and then posted material amplifying the same political view over the course of a week. The company outlined nine such cases it found, originating in Russia, Iran, Turkey and across the Persian Gulf, South Asia, Africa and Europe.

While social media companies can detect influence operations on their platforms once posts are circulating, “we may see it on Claude while the operation is still being built.”

Anthropic released this report after one of its researchers, Jacob Coxon, announced he's resigning amid fears the company and its chief rival OpenAI “are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” Coxon's post warned that some of his colleagues now believe AI could threaten human life by the end of the decade.

But Anthropic said it has blocked each of the malicious activities it identified, used the experience to strengthen safeguards and shared information with government authorities and industry partners.

“We hope that the findings in this report will help other developers recognize similar patterns on their own platforms, give governments and civil society a clearer view of how emerging threats take shape, and strengthen collective defenses,” Anthropic said.

Cilia Flores, the wife of ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, “deserves the opportunity to await her trial while on home confinement” while dealing with a heart condition that has only gotten worse since she’s been in jail, her lawyers wrote in court papers filed Wednesday.

The lawyers, Mark Donnelly and Andres Sanchez, asked a judge to allow her to leave a Brooklyn federal jail for a home within the Manhattan federal court district where she and Maduro are scheduled to stand trial next June.

There, the lawyers said, she will be under 24-hour-a-day armed surveillance and will only be allowed to see visitors approved by the court and federal prosecutors. The home will be monitored by video and her calls will be recorded, the lawyers said.

Federal prosecutors have yet to file a response. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment. The judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, has yet to rule on Flores’ request.

Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid in early January and brought them to New York City.

Both have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S. In a separate court filing, they recently asked that their indictment be dismissed on the grounds that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country.

Flores’ lawyers said that she has lived for years with a mitral valve prolapse but hasn’t received a monthly injection she needs to manage the ailment since her arrest and subsequent incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Instead, Donnelly and Sanchez said, she has been prescribed baby aspirin, a statin, diltiazem and nitroglycerin as needed for chest pains. She has continually suffered from reflux and gastritis, has lost two molars and shed more than 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms).

Flores has been advised by doctors that she should undergo cardiac catheterization, which could lead to further heart procedures, her lawyers said. If that happens, they said, she “will need adequate time to recover from any procedures in a setting conducive to restoring her health.”

Staff at the jail “have been extremely respectful toward her and her husband,” and Flores “does not dispute that she has received excellent care from medical professionals” at the jail and hospital, Donnelly and Sanchez wrote.

But, they argued, “a detention center lacks the conditions needed for such a recovery.”

The announcement came during the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru where he is focused the U.S. strategy to combat drug trafficking in Latin America.

The label was once reserved for groups like the Islamic State group or al-Qaida that use violence for political ends — not for money-focused crime rings. But Trump's aim was to increase pressure on the groups and anyone who the U.S. sees as aiding them.

The strategy rolled out in February 2025 and served as a pretext for the capture of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, and for dozens of attacks on alleged “narcoterrorist” boats, resulting in more than 200 deaths. It also led Latin American countries such as Guatemala and Argentina to take similar actions against certain groups and states like Ecuador to launch joint operations on Ecuadorian soil.

Mexico, with eight groups on the list, has the most of any country. Its government is under extreme pressure from the U.S. to avoid Trump unilateral actions, especially since the indictments of high-ranking officials in Sinaloa state.

But Trump's approach has also revealed contradictions. Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced to 45 years for drug trafficking and accused during the trial to protect the Sinaloa Cartel, was pardoned by Trump last year and has returned to his country.

Here’s a look at the 21 Latin American and Caribbean criminal groups labeled as foreign terrorist organizations:

MEXICO

1. The main targets: Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels

The Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, named for the states that are their strongholds in northwestern Mexico, are multinational criminal groups and the largest fentanyl traffickers into the U.S.

The Sinaloa Cartel is Mexico’s oldest criminal organization dating back to the 1970s. It is a criminal conglomerate that moves all sorts of drugs across continents using boats, planes, migrants and cross-border tunnels.

A former security chief was convicted of helping them. It controls the western portion of the U.S.-Mexico border although the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada set off internal jockeying for power and weakened the group.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, established in the early 2010s, is a hyperviolent group that has attacked Mexican authorities, using explosive-dropping drones and improvised explosive devices. It attempted a spectacular assassination of the then-Mexico City police chief — now Mexico’s security secretary — in the heart of the capital.

The DEA says the group now distributes tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl in all 50 U.S. states. Jalisco Cartel has remained powerful following the killing of its leader Nemesio Oseguera, “El Mencho” in February and ongoing captures.

2. Control of the Texas border: Gulf Cartel, Northeast Cartel and Juarez Cartel

The Gulf Cartel and the Northeast Cartel operate along the eastern end moving drugs, immigrants, guns and money in what is the most direct route to the U.S. from Central and South America.

Gulf Cartel's former leader, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (now imprisoned in Mexico after serving a sentence in the U.S.), recruited members of Mexico’s military in the late 1990s to form a fearsome element known as the Zetas that eventually split and became their own drug trafficking organization. The Northeast Cartel is a remnant of the Zetas and their base is Nuevo Laredo, the busiest commercial port on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Juarez Cartel has controlled for decades a key crossing point in the central part of the Mexico-U. S. border: Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, Texas. Both its founder, Amado Carrillo Fuentes and the brothers and sons who succeeded him, turned the trafficking of tons of drugs into a multimillion-dollar business. Despite the arrests of many of its leaders, the cartel and its allied gangs maintained control of a vast infrastructure for smuggling illegal shipments into the U.S.

3. Local cartels in a key western state: La Familia, Carteles Unidos and Viagras

These local organized crime groups operating in the west-central Mexican state of Michoacan produce synthetic drugs and have consolidated their regional control of the territory through extortion and shifting names, loyalties and alliances.

La Familia Michoacana , now renamed “Nueva Familia Michoacana” is the oldest. The other two, former allies, emerged following the 2013–2014 armed uprising led by farmers who succeeded in driving out many of the old cartels, only to see them replaced by new ones.

Their extortion affects all economic sectors, including a key Mexican export to the U.S.: avocados.

CENTRAL AMERICA

4. Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha

Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, are both largely based in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. They originated in Los Angeles as a street gangs created by Salvadoran immigrants. When many of their members were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador, the gangs expanded and gained power across Central America, where they continue to terrorize communities.

In recent years, both groups has been dealt a powerful blow by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who has waged war on the country’s gangs, imprisoning more than 80,000 people for alleged gang ties. Last October, Guatemala also designed both gangs as terrorists and toughened laws against them.

COLOMBIA

5. Clan del Golfo

With an estimated 9,000 fighters, Clan del Golfo is one of Colombia’s most powerful armed groups. Also known by its Spanish acronym AGC, the group evolved from right-wing paramilitary squads that fought Marxist guerrillas in Colombia in the 1990s and 2000s.

According to a report of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, AGC is present in about a third of Colombia’s 1,103 municipalities, where it extorts local businesses.

Clan del Golfo was involved in peace talks with Colombia’s government last year, but those talks dissolved with the election of Abelardo de la Espriella as president.

VENEZUELA

6. Tren de Aragua

This organized crime group emerged from a prison in central Venezuela more than a decade ago. In recent years, it has spread from Chile to the U.S., capitalizing on the exodus of some 8 million Venezuelans escaping their country’s political and economic crises.

While its origins are in drug trafficking, its main businesses are migrant smuggling, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor. It’s known for extreme violence — decapitations and burying victims alive..

7. Cartel de los Soles

The entity that the U.S. government alleges was led by Maduro, is not a cartel per se but was designated as such less that six weeks before Maduro was captured in January.

Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption expanded under the late President Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking. The “suns” in the name refer to the epaulettes affixed to the uniforms of high-ranking military officers. The umbrella term was elevated to a Maduro-led drug-trafficking organization in 2020 when the U.S. announced the indictment of Venezuela’s leader.

ECUADOR

8. Los Lobos, Los Choneros, The Chone Killers and Los Tiguerones

Los Lobos, Los Choneros, The Chone Killers and Los Tiguerones are gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. All are involved in contract killings, extortion operations and the movement and sale of drugs.

Los Tiguerones is an armed group that was formed in Guayaquil in 2019 as the armed wing of Los Choneros, the criminal organization that serves as the parent group for most of Ecuador’s criminal gangs.

Authorities have blamed them for the increased violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

All of them are among 22 criminal gangs designated as “terrorists” by Ecuador in 2024.

BRAZIL

9. Commando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital

Commando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil. They work with some 50 smaller gangs all over the country.

Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians. Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders.

HAITI

10. Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs

The two Haitian groups are mainly linked to arms trafficking, kidnapping, murdering, extortion and, to a lesser extent, to drug trafficking.

The Viv Ansanm coalition is best known for launching a series of attacks starting in February 2024 that shuttered Haiti’s main international airport, freed hundreds of inmates from the country’s two biggest prisons and eventually forced former Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. It controls at least 85% of the capital, which forces nonprofits and other groups to negotiate with gangs so they can gain access to communities to provide food, water and other critical supplies.

In October, the gang was blamed for killing more than 70 people in Pont-Sondé.

—

Associated Press reporters Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Astrid Suárez in Bogota, Mauricio Savarese in Rio de Janeiro and Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed to this story

Tagovailoa bent over in obvious discomfort after throwing a pass during a portion of practice open to media and grabbed his right side. He dropped to the ground for a few seconds before getting up and trying to shake off the injury.

It's unclear if he returned to practice. The Falcons listed him as a limited participant.

Tagovailoa's first game with the Falcons is at Pittsburgh on Sunday. It's the same spot where he made the last start of his rocky final season with Miami.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday that Tagovailoa will open the season as the starter and Michael Penix Jr. will be inactive. Cooper Rush will be the backup.

Penix did not play in a preseason game as he continues his recovery from a torn ligament in his left knee that ended his 2025 season.

Tagovailoa set a career high with 15 interceptions before he was benched for the final three games last season.

He had mixed results this preseason with Atlanta. He had two fumbled snaps in exhibition games, including one from the shotgun formation. He said ball security will be a key to returning to his form in 2023, when he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, and 2024, when he led the league by completing 72.9% of his passes.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

El dato de inflación difundido el jueves por el Insituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos (INDEC) marca una fuerte descaleración del costo de vida respecto al 2,1% registrado en julio. La caída en precios de alinentos, esparcimiento y de prendas de vestir y calzado explican en gran medida la dinámica.

En agosto la variación interanual fue de 33,5% y acumula en el año 21,3%.

Se trata de la medición mensual más baja en lo que va de 2026 y la menor suba de precios desde junio del año pasado (1,6%).

Un alivio

El gobierno de Milei celebró la desaceleración de inflación justo la misma semana en la que se habían difundido datos desalentadores para la indutria y la construcción, mientras crece el enojo en amplios sectores de la población por la caída de ingresos que ha llevado a millones de personas a endeudarse.

En julio de 2026, el índice de producción industrial manufacturero arrojó una caída interanual de 4,9% y de 5% respecto a junio, según el INDEC. Por su parte, la construcción se contrajo 4,5% interanual y 4,6% mensual.

En tanto que la mora del crédito bancario pasó de menos de 2% a casi 8% en dos años y la del crédito no bancario —billeteras virtuales, cooperativas de crédito, cadenas de electrodomésticos y supermercados que ofrecen financiamiento— superó el 30%, según datos de la consultora Econviews de la primera semana de septiembre sobre la base de la central de deudores del Banco Central.

El estudio reveló que uno de cada cuatro deudores del país tiene atrasos graves y totabilizan 6 millones de personas en mora.

Según la consultora, la morosidad se explica por un aumento del crédito respecto al PIB (de 4.1% a 8.4%) entre 2024 y 2026, baja de la inflación que impidió licuar las cuotas y una menor capacidad de pago por caída de salarios y aumento de los gastos fijos, como transporte, combustible, electricidad y renta.

El presidente Milei considera que la morosidad constituye un “problema entre privados” y ha desoído los reclamos de organizaciones de deudores, de la oposición y de la Iglesia católica para que adopte medidas que alivien las cargas de las deudas.

No obstante, la presión política llevó esta semana al oficialismo en el Congreso a respaldar una propuesta de la oposición para que el tema se debata en comisiones, aunque aclaró que no respaldará ninguna medida que afecte el equilibrio fiscal.

Darnold was injured on Seattle's first series of Wednesday night's season-opening game against the New England Patriots. Darnold was sacked by New England's Dre’Mont Jones and shortly thereafter limped off the field. He did not return.

Backup Drew Lock replaced him and went 16 of 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown as the Seahawks rallied for a 13-10 victory.

Following the game, Macdonald said Darnold's hip was not fractured, but said he would undergo additional tests.

The coach updated Darnold's injury on a local Seattle radio show on Thursday. But he did not reveal whether he'd be ready for Seattle's game at Arizona on Sept. 20.

“The hip is intact, and it’s good,” Macdonald said. “It’s more like a muscle thing. So that’s good. So how long that is? We don’t know yet.”

Darnold, 29, did not miss a game last season as he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title. He threw for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season as Seattle won a franchise-record 14 games.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Eleven of 12 jurors were ready to clear Clancy of criminal responsibility last Friday, but their deadlock forced the judge to declare a mistrial, leaving the case unresolved.

Attorney Kevin Reddington's motion asked the same judge to acquit Clancy, which would prevent a second trial. Prosecutors have yet to say whether they'll seek to put the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse on trial again, and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz did not respond to a phone message Thursday seeking comment.

Neither side disputed that Clancy strangled 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan Clancy in the family's home in 2023 before trying to end her own life. But her attorney said she was a loving mother in the grip of a rare condition called postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors argued she knew what she was doing.

The trial generated intense interest for weeks, drawing attention to maternal mental health after childbirth.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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Under Massachusetts law, prosecutors had to prove either that Clancy did not have a mental disease or defect or that, despite having one, she retained the substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions or conform her conduct to the law.

Reddington argued in Thursday’s court filing that prosecutors proved neither, and asked Judge William Sullivan to consider the motion at a court conference scheduled for Sept. 29.

The defense attorney said none of the psychiatric experts, either called by the prosecution or defense, disputed that Clancy was suffering from a mental illness. “The testimony bears on which illness she had, not on whether she had one,” he wrote.

Prosecutors pointed to Clancy’s actions in the weeks, days and hours leading up to the killings — driving, planning a child’s birthday party, bringing her daughter to a doctor’s appointment — and her ability to perform other everyday tasks as evidence she was of sound mind when the killings took place.

“Competence at routine tasks,” Reddington argued Thursday, “during a crisis which every witness agreed was acute, is not proof of criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The judge acknowledged during jury deliberations that the trial had been emotionally and physically exhausting for everyone. Much of the testimony was excruciating to hear, from the heartbreaking 911 call made by the children’s father who found their bodies, to the descriptions of how they died.

Clancy was brought to tears several times. At one point, the judge called a short break as Clancy’s loud sobs filled the courtroom while the children’s autopsy photos were shown. She remains paralyzed from the waist down after jumping from the home's second story, and is expected to stay at a psychiatric hospital until her case is resolved.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the ninth federal appeals court to reject the administration's mandatory detention policy — a key part of its mass deportation campaign. Two other appeals courts have upheld it, creating a split that greatly increases the odds that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue.

The split also means immigrants in some parts of the country are getting bond hearings while those in other places, including Texas and Louisiana, face additional hurdles to seek release.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it was “confident in its legal position regarding mandatory detention," noting it had recently asked the Supreme Court to take up the issue.

Under previous administrations, most noncitizens without a criminal record who were arrested inside the U.S. were allowed to seek a bond hearing while their immigration cases were pending. Mandatory detention was generally reserved for people arrested at the border.

Last July, immigration officials issued guidance expanding mandatory detention to immigrants in the U.S. interior. President Donald Trump's administration has argued that Congress changed immigration law in 1996 to allow mandatory detention beyond the border, but previous administrations didn’t enforce that provision.

“President Trump and Secretary Mullin are now enforcing the law as it was actually written to keep America safe,” Homeland Security said, referring to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

The 4th Circuit and most other federal appeals courts have rejected that interpretation.

“The government’s track record speaks for itself at this point,” said Michael K.T. Tan, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants’ Rights Project and lead attorney on the lawsuit before the 4th Circuit.

In a 2-1 decision, 4th Circuit Judges Barbara Keenan and Nicole Berner said Congress in 1996 would have provided greater clarity if it intended to allow the mandatory detention of millions of people. Keenan was nominated by President Barack Obama; Berner by President Joe Biden. Judge Allison Rushing, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, dissented.

Writing for the majority, Berner said the administration's policy would “implicate the constitutional due process rights of millions of noncitizens in our country, many of whom have lived, worked, and become integral parts of their communities, for years.”

“Mass detention of marginalized individuals without due process harkens back to some of the darkest moments in our country’s history,” she wrote.

She cited Japanese internment and the mass detention of Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and said the Trump administration's policy was even more expansive than “those shameful and abhorrent past detentions.”

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the crash happened around 7:40 p.m. Sept. 2 near Northwest 51st Terrace and Northwest 33rd Avenue.

Deputies said they had conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and confirmed during that stop that the driver, Luis Manuel Perez, 21, of Miami, had an outstanding warrant from the U.S. military, but he fled from them.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Army confirmed that Perez has been wanted for military desertion since February.

“As additional RID units responded to the area the driver entered a dead-end street,” an MDSO spokesperson told Local 10 News in an email last week. “After turning around, the driver ran a stop sign, colliding with a civilian vehicle causing it to flip. The impact caused the vehicles to subsequently collide with an unmarked MDSO vehicle occupied by an RID deputy who was in the area searching for the subject.”

A picture obtained by Local 10 shows the flipped vehicle. Perez can also be seen on the ground, in handcuffs.

The driver of the civilian vehicle, identified as Bahamian artist Stefan Germaine Davis, 55, was taken by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, but he later died, authorities confirmed.

Deputies said Perez was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital to be evaluated, and the deputy was treated at the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

“One of the police officers who was in the car, he came out and was shaking his arm,” neighbor Norman Bradley said. “His arm was kind of messed up.”

Perez was initially arrested on a charge of fleeing and eluding a police officer. Vehicular homicide was added to his charges this week.

As of Thursday afternoon, he remained held at the Metrowest Detention Center.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 7:40 p.m. del 2 de septiembre cerca de Northwest 51st Terrace y Northwest 33rd Avenue.

Los agentes dijeron que habían realizado una parada de tráfico a un vehículo y confirmaron durante esa parada que el conductor, Luis Manuel Perez, de 21 años y residente de Miami, tenía una orden de arresto pendiente del Ejército de Estados Unidos, pero huyó de ellos.

Un portavoz del Ejército de Estados Unidos confirmó que Perez ha sido buscado por deserción militar desde febrero.

“A medida que unidades adicionales de RID respondían al área, el conductor entró en una calle sin salida”, dijo un portavoz de MDSO a Local 10 News en un correo electrónico la semana pasada. “Después de dar la vuelta, el conductor se pasó una señal de alto y chocó contra un vehículo civil, provocando que volcara. El impacto hizo que posteriormente los vehículos chocaran contra un vehículo de MDSO sin identificación ocupado por un agente de RID que se encontraba en el área buscando al sujeto”.

Una fotografía obtenida por Local 10 muestra el vehículo volcado. También se puede ver a Perez en el suelo, esposado.

El conductor del vehículo civil, identificado como el artista bahameño Stefan Germaine Davis, de 55 años, fue trasladado por el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade al Centro de Trauma Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial en condición crítica, pero posteriormente murió, confirmaron las autoridades.

Los agentes dijeron que Perez fue detenido y trasladado a un hospital local para ser evaluado, mientras que el agente fue atendido en el lugar por el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade.

“Uno de los agentes de policía que estaba en el vehículo salió y estaba sacudiendo el brazo”, dijo el vecino Norman Bradley. “Tenía el brazo bastante lastimado”.

Perez fue arrestado inicialmente por un cargo de huir y evadir a un agente de policía. Esta semana se agregó a sus cargos el de homicidio vehicular.

Hasta la tarde del jueves, permanecía detenido en el Centro de Detención Metrowest.

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Local 10 has learned that subpoenas have been issued in a statewide prosecutor probe related to a review on the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

A spokesperson for Broward County said two members of the commission were issued subpoenas from the state attorney general’s office at county hall Wednesday.

Statement from the Broward Sheriff’s Office:

"At the request of Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Broward Sheriff’s Office began serving subpoenas on Sept. 9, 2026, on the entire Broward County Commission, county administrator, deputy county administrator and… pic.twitter.com/inQbQRE08c

— Sheriff Gregory Tony, Ph.D. (@bsosherifftony) September 10, 2026

The subpoenas are reportedly related to the county’s exploration into a new police force at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades.

In May, Broward County commissioners held one of several scheduled workshops as they considered whether to start an in-house airport police agency in lieu of the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

BSO has patrolled Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport since 1996.

Several Florida airports, including those in Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers, have in-house police departments.

A company contracted by the county tells commissioners that airports that have their own departments have more control over day-to-day operations, and it is financially feasible, but many more studies need to be done.

Local 10 News has reached out to the state attorney general’s office.

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Charles Akim Williams was sentenced to nearly six ½ years in prison followed by 10 months of probation. A Miami-Dade County judge also ordered that he stay away from the victims.

In addition to pleading guilty to the 2025 cases, he also pleaded guilty to violating probation on a 2021 battery conviction. The battery charge was initially accompanied by lewd and lascivious charges that were later dropped.

Police confirmed that Williams had an open case in 2021 out of Miami-Dade County in which he was accused of molesting a 6-year-old boy.

The mother of one of the victims from the 2025 crimes addressed the court via Zoom Thursday, saying that she hopes Williams “gets what he deserves.”

In August 2025, Williams, then 27, was arrested on two counts of seducing or luring a child to engage in sexual conduct and one count of sexual performance by a child.

Authorities said the arrest followed an investigation in which a search warrant was obtained for Williams’ cellphone.

A forensic exam revealed a text conversation with a 13-year-old boy that included an image of the victim that was taken during a FaceTime call with Williams while the victim was showering on Feb. 20, 2025, according to an arrest report.

During a forensic interview at Kristi House, a children’s advocacy center, the victim told police that he had been texting with Williams for a couple of weeks, the report stated.

He told investigators that Williams, his former basketball coach, invited him to his home to play video games multiple times, but he declined, according to investigators.

Police said the victim also said Williams asked him on two occasions to send pictures of his private area, which he refused.

The victim said that while he was showering, he received a FaceTime call from his 13-year-old friend and Williams on Feb. 20, 2025, according to the report.

Police said the victim got out of the shower to pick up his phone that was on a dresser and returned to the shower, exposing himself to the camera.

He later learned his friend had taken a screenshot and sent it to Williams via text message, the report stated.

On Aug. 8, 2025, authorities said the victim identified the photo that showed his genitals while he was in the shower.

Local 10 reported on Williams back in February 2025 after he was arrested on accusations that he exposed himself to a victim on a FaceTime call and sent the victim a pornographic video of a man and woman having anal sex, asking the victim if he thought he could do that.

That victim told police that he got scared and hung up the phone when Williams exposed himself to him, according to authorities.

The boy said he had met Williams a couple of weeks prior to the incident through a 14-year-old friend at the Gibson Community Center.

In that earlier case, he was charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child under 16, lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16, electronic transmission harmful to minors in state, promoting sexual performance by a child and tampering with an informant.

Local 10 News photojournalist Tim McFarland contributed to this report.

Charles Akim Williams fue sentenciado a casi seis años y medio de prisión, seguidos de 10 meses de libertad condicional. Un juez del condado de Miami-Dade también le ordenó mantenerse alejado de las víctimas.

Además de declararse culpable por los casos de 2025, también admitió haber violado la libertad condicional que cumplía por una condena de agresión de 2021. Originalmente, ese cargo de agresión estaba acompañado de acusaciones por actos lascivos, que posteriormente fueron retiradas.

La policía confirmó que Williams tenía un caso abierto de 2021 en el condado de Miami-Dade, en el que fue acusado de abusar sexualmente de un niño de 6 años.

La madre de una de las víctimas de los delitos de 2025 se dirigió al tribunal a través de Zoom el jueves y dijo que espera que Williams «reciba lo que se merece».

En agosto de 2025, Williams, quien entonces tenía 27 años, fue arrestado por dos cargos de seducir o atraer a un menor para involucrarlo en una conducta sexual y un cargo relacionado con una representación sexual de un menor.

Las autoridades señalaron que el arresto se produjo después de una investigación en la que se obtuvo una orden judicial para registrar el teléfono celular de Williams.

Según el informe de arresto, un análisis forense reveló una conversación por mensajes de texto con un niño de 13 años que incluía una imagen de la víctima, tomada durante una llamada de FaceTime con Williams mientras el menor se duchaba el 20 de febrero de 2025.

Durante una entrevista forense realizada en Kristi House, un centro de defensa y atención de menores, la víctima dijo a la policía que llevaba un par de semanas intercambiando mensajes de texto con Williams, según señala el informe.

El menor dijo a los investigadores que Williams, quien había sido su entrenador de básquetbol, lo invitó en varias ocasiones a su casa para jugar videojuegos, pero él rechazó las invitaciones.

La policía señaló que la víctima también afirmó que Williams le pidió en dos ocasiones que le enviara fotografías de sus partes íntimas, a lo que el menor se negó.

La víctima relató que mientras se duchaba recibió una llamada de FaceTime de su amigo de 13 años y de Williams el 20 de febrero de 2025, según el informe.

De acuerdo con la policía, el menor salió de la ducha para recoger su teléfono, que se encontraba sobre una cómoda, y regresó a la ducha, quedando desnudo frente a la cámara.

Posteriormente se enteró de que su amigo había tomado una captura de pantalla y se la había enviado a Williams mediante un mensaje de texto, señala el informe.

El 8 de agosto de 2025, las autoridades dijeron que la víctima identificó la fotografía en la que aparecía desnudo mientras se encontraba en la ducha.

Local 10 ya había informado sobre Williams en febrero de 2025, después de que fuera arrestado bajo acusaciones de haberse exhibido sexualmente ante otra víctima durante una llamada de FaceTime y de haberle enviado un video pornográfico de un hombre y una mujer manteniendo relaciones sexuales, preguntándole al menor si creía que podría hacer lo mismo.

Según las autoridades, esa víctima dijo a la policía que se asustó y colgó la llamada cuando Williams se exhibió ante él.

El menor señaló que había conocido a Williams un par de semanas antes del incidente, a través de un amigo de 14 años en el Gibson Community Center.

En ese caso anterior, Williams fue acusado de exhibición lasciva ante un menor de 16 años, conducta lasciva con un menor de 16 años, transmisión electrónica de material perjudicial para menores dentro del estado, promover una representación sexual de un menor y manipulación de un informante.

El fotoperiodista de Local 10 News, Tim McFarland, contribuyó a este reportaje.

Leer en español

In verification data shared by former National Hurricane Center Branch Chief James Franklin, so far in 2026 Google DeepMind is besting all other publicly available hurricane forecast guidance for track prediction in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and central Pacific basins.

Through the first week of September DeepMind is also notably outpacing track predictions from the world-class forecasters at the National Hurricane Center by as much as 30% for a five-day forecast. This is the second year in a row that DeepMind has topped NHC’s human-refined forecasts at most lead times. The AI model has been especially prescient at longer time horizons – that is at 4 and 5 days out – compared to NHC and the former gold-standard Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project Corrected Consensus Approach or HCCA aid.

Meanwhile, DeepMind continues to put up an impressive performance in tropical cyclone intensity prediction this year, especially against the computationally demanding, high-fidelity hurricane models such as the HAFS suite which have become a mainstay of hurricane intensity forecasting in recent years.

While DeepMind is keeping pace with NHC’s official intensity forecast, it hasn’t shown as dramatic an outperformance as on the track forecast side. It’s been HCCA – an adaptive aid that leverages the best-performing models but corrects for their biases on the fly in real time – that’s having a banner year so far in the intensity forecast department.

And what about the famed Euro?

Franklin was quick to note that neither the famed physics-based European model nor its AI counterpart is in his season-to-date verification numbers. While the newer AI-based European model showed tremendous promise for track intensity last hurricane season – similar to DeepMind and better than the conventional Euro model – as we wrote back in June, it was absolutely atrocious in forecasting intensity, showing essentially negative skill (that is, worse than using a simple climatology).

Developers at the European Centre are aware of the AI’s model’s proclivity to vastly underestimate storm intensity and in August introduced a lightweight post-processing fix which in back tests for 2025 reduced the AI model’s tropical cyclone intensity error by a factor of three, which could make it a true DeepMind competitor if the correction carries forward operationally for future years.

For now, the correction is based only on the single-run (so-called deterministic) AI model and not the more useful AI ensembles that professional hurricane forecasters lean on. The European Centre is working to stress test and evaluate the correction on its AI ensembles with the goal of improving the Euro AI intensity forecasts. But for now – including this hurricane season – we should remain wary of underdone hurricane intensity forecasts from the Euro AI ensembles.

Jump around, jump around

One area where human forecasters routinely add value to the forecast is in forecast consistency. Whereas computer models can shift wildly from run-to-run – windshield-wipering back and forth every 6 or 12 hours – forecasters prefer gradual adjustments over time, something called continuity in forecast-speak.

Critical decisions with costly ramifications hinge on every forecast, so forecasters want to make sure when models shift, it’s an actual trend and not a short-term jump, before making big adjustments to the forecast. A steady, reliable forecast is easier to make decisions from than one that bounces around every 6 hours.

Similar to being a passenger on an airplane, you wouldn’t want your pilot to suddenly jerk the airplane up or down based on an unforeseen bout of turbulence. This could be dangerous for unprepared passengers on board. However, if the turbulence doesn’t relent or becomes significant, you’d expect the captain to gradually climb or descend to a more comfortable altitude, even if it meant a little more time in bumpy skies beforehand to confirm.

NHC knows it will sacrifice some forecast accuracy for consistency but also knows consistency matters when making challenging decisions like large scale evacuations ahead of a hurricane. NHC’s goal is to be the most accurate and most consistent among the forecasts.

Lowell showcasing NHC’s consistency

Hurricane Lowell that sideswiped Kauaʻi and Niʻihau in Hawaii and lashed parts of the state earlier this week is a good recent example of how even the best models can jump around. Its track shifted significantly east in the 72 hours leading up to its closest approach to Hawaii, putting the state’s westernmost islands suddenly in play for a direct hit from its dangerous core.

Though Google DeepMind had substantially lower track errors for Lowell than any nearest competitor, including NHC’s official forecast, it did initially jump around erratically – far more than NHC’s gradual shift eastward – as it finally settled on an eastward trend over the weekend.

“Ideally you want to get the correct track as soon as possible so that warnings can go up with ample lead time,” wrote James Franklin in a post on BlueSky Tuesday which accompanied his analyses. “But it looks to me like OFCL [the official NHC forecast] homed in…on the track [of Hurricane Lowell] faster than GDMI [Google DeepMind]…and with better timing consistency.”

The models are considered “raw” output for a reason and it’s left to the discretion of the human forecaster to not only interpret the output but massage the model forecast in a way that’s most useful for those whose lives and livelihood are at risk.

Tropical tumbleweeds at the peak

Today (September 10th) is the official peak of the hurricane season, the day on which you’re most likely to find a named storm across the Atlantic basin. Not only do we see no named storms looking across the Gulf, Caribbean, or wider Atlantic today, we see no tropical depressions or any tropical contenders on the near horizon.

A ribbon of record-setting wind shear for the time of year should shut down activity over the next week at least across the deep tropics.

The only suspect area any of our models show looking out the next few weeks is in the open subtropical Atlantic in a week or so. For now, odds are low but we’ll watch the trends to see if a real signal emerges in the days ahead. Regardless it’s not anything for us stateside to worry about.

Según los datos de verificación compartidos por James Franklin, exjefe de la División del Centro Nacional de Huracanes, en lo que va de 2026 Google DeepMind está superando a todas las demás guías de pronóstico de huracanes disponibles públicamente para la predicción de la trayectoria en las cuencas del Atlántico, el Pacífico oriental y el Pacífico central.

Durante la primera semana de septiembre, DeepMind también superó notablemente las predicciones de trayectoria de los expertos del Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC), llegando a superarlas en un 30 % en un pronóstico a cinco días. Este es el segundo año consecutivo en que DeepMind supera los pronósticos del NHC, elaborados por expertos humanos, en la mayoría de los plazos. El modelo de IA ha demostrado una precisión especialmente notable en horizontes temporales más largos (a 4 y 5 días vista) en comparación con el NHC y el anterior método de referencia, el Enfoque de Consenso Corregido del Proyecto de Mejora de Pronósticos de Huracanes (HCCA).

Mientras tanto, DeepMind continúa ofreciendo un rendimiento impresionante en la predicción de la intensidad de los ciclones tropicales este año, especialmente frente a los modelos de huracanes de alta fidelidad y gran capacidad de cálculo, como el conjunto de modelos HAFS, que se han convertido en un pilar fundamental de la predicción de la intensidad de los huracanes en los últimos años.

Si bien DeepMind mantiene el ritmo de las predicciones oficiales de intensidad del NHC, no ha mostrado un rendimiento tan superior como en las predicciones de trayectoria. Ha sido HCCA, una herramienta adaptativa que aprovecha los modelos con mejor rendimiento pero corrige sus sesgos en tiempo real, la que está teniendo un año excepcional en lo que respecta a las predicciones de intensidad.

¿Y qué hay del famoso euro?

Franklin se apresuró a señalar que ni el famoso modelo europeo basado en la física ni su contraparte de IA figuran en sus cifras de verificación de la temporada hasta la fecha. Si bien el modelo europeo más reciente basado en IA mostró un gran potencial para la intensidad de la trayectoria la temporada pasada de huracanes —similar a DeepMind y mejor que el modelo europeo convencional—, como escribimos en junio, fue absolutamente pésimo para pronosticar la intensidad, mostrando una habilidad esencialmente negativa (es decir, peor que usar una climatología simple).

Los desarrolladores del Centro Europeo son conscientes de la tendencia del modelo de IA a subestimar enormemente la intensidad de las tormentas y, en agosto, introdujeron una solución de posprocesamiento ligera que, en pruebas retrospectivas para 2025, redujo el error de intensidad de los ciclones tropicales del modelo de IA en un factor de tres, lo que podría convertirlo en un verdadero competidor de DeepMind si la corrección se mantiene operativamente para los años venideros.

Por ahora, la corrección se basa únicamente en el modelo de IA de ejecución única (denominado determinista) y no en los conjuntos de IA más útiles que utilizan los meteorólogos profesionales especializados en huracanes. El Centro Europeo está trabajando para someter a prueba y evaluar la corrección en sus conjuntos de IA con el objetivo de mejorar las predicciones de intensidad de huracanes de Euro AI. Sin embargo, por el momento —incluida esta temporada de huracanes— debemos mantenernos cautelosos ante las predicciones de intensidad de huracanes insuficientes que ofrecen los conjuntos de IA de Euro AI.

Salta, salta

Un aspecto en el que los pronosticadores humanos aportan valor de forma habitual a las predicciones es en la consistencia de las mismas. Mientras que los modelos informáticos pueden variar drásticamente de una ejecución a otra —como si cambiaran de rumbo cada 6 o 12 horas—, los pronosticadores prefieren ajustes graduales a lo largo del tiempo, lo que en el lenguaje de las predicciones se denomina continuidad.

Las decisiones críticas con consecuencias costosas dependen de cada pronóstico, por lo que los analistas deben asegurarse de que, cuando los modelos cambian, se trate de una tendencia real y no de una fluctuación pasajera, antes de realizar ajustes importantes al pronóstico. Un pronóstico estable y confiable facilita la toma de decisiones en comparación con uno que fluctúa cada seis horas.

Al igual que un pasajero en un avión, nadie querría que el piloto hiciera movimientos bruscos de ascenso o descenso debido a una turbulencia imprevista. Esto podría ser peligroso para los pasajeros desprevenidos. Sin embargo, si la turbulencia persiste o se intensifica, se esperaría que el capitán ascendiera o descendiera gradualmente a una altitud más segura, incluso si eso implicara pasar un poco más de tiempo en cielos turbulentos para confirmarlo.

El NHC sabe que sacrificará algo de precisión en sus pronósticos en aras de la consistencia, pero también sabe que la consistencia es fundamental al tomar decisiones difíciles, como las evacuaciones a gran escala ante la llegada de un huracán. El objetivo del NHC es ofrecer los pronósticos más precisos y consistentes.

Lowell demuestra la consistencia del NHC.

El huracán Lowell, que rozó Kauaʻi y Niʻihau en Hawái y azotó partes del estado a principios de esta semana, es un buen ejemplo reciente de cómo incluso los mejores modelos pueden variar. Su trayectoria se desplazó significativamente hacia el este en las 72 horas previas a su máximo acercamiento a Hawái, lo que puso repentinamente a las islas más occidentales del estado en riesgo de recibir un impacto directo de su peligroso núcleo.

Aunque Google DeepMind registró errores de trayectoria sustancialmente menores para Lowell que cualquier competidor más cercano, incluido el pronóstico oficial del NHC, inicialmente mostró fluctuaciones erráticas, mucho mayores que el desplazamiento gradual hacia el este del NHC, hasta que finalmente se estabilizó en una tendencia hacia el este durante el fin de semana.

“Lo ideal es obtener la trayectoria correcta lo antes posible para que se puedan emitir alertas con suficiente antelación”, escribió James Franklin en una publicación en BlueSky el martes, que acompañaba sus análisis. “Pero me parece que OFCL [el pronóstico oficial del NHC] se centró en la trayectoria [del huracán Lowell] más rápido que GDMI [Google DeepMind]… y con mayor precisión temporal”.

Los modelos se consideran resultados “en bruto” por una razón, y queda a discreción del analista humano no solo interpretar los resultados, sino también adaptar la previsión del modelo de la manera más útil para aquellos cuyas vidas y medios de subsistencia están en riesgo.

Plantas rodadoras tropicales en su punto máximo

Hoy (10 de septiembre) es el punto álgido de la temporada de huracanes, el día en que es más probable encontrar una tormenta con nombre en la cuenca del Atlántico. Hoy no solo no se observan tormentas con nombre en el Golfo de México, el Caribe ni en el Atlántico en general, sino que tampoco se ven depresiones tropicales ni ningún otro sistema tropical en el horizonte cercano.

Una franja de cizalladura del viento sin precedentes para esta época del año debería paralizar la actividad durante la próxima semana, al menos, en toda la zona tropical profunda.

La única zona sospechosa que muestran nuestros modelos para las próximas semanas es el Atlántico subtropical abierto, dentro de una semana aproximadamente. Por ahora, las probabilidades son bajas, pero estaremos atentos a las tendencias para ver si surge alguna señal real en los próximos días. En cualquier caso, no es algo que deba preocuparnos en Estados Unidos.

McKenna West filed the emergency appeal Wednesday amid a legal battle over surrogacy and abortion that has won the support of Republican officeholders and anti-abortion groups. West, who lives in Alaska, traveled to Dallas to give birth in August. Most abortions are banned in Texas.

West is asking the nation’s highest court to halt a California court order that recognizes Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar as the parents of the child whom she calls Gabriel and they call Rumi. West wants final custody or conservatorship because she believes the couple will not provide life-saving care, citing their request for an abortion at 23 weeks.

The boy was born Aug. 12 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a life-threatening condition that prevents normal blood flow to the organ. He underwent surgery soon after he was born. The couple's attorney said in August that the newborn was in critical condition and appeared to be “suffering from potential complications.”

Surrogacy is not regulated at the federal level. Each state has its own laws, which can leave room for gaps in interpretation. The Supreme Court is not obliged to hear the case.

West is barred from any contact with the baby

Ahmed and Gilkar have not responded to the Supreme Court filing. They previously said West violated the surrogacy contract, and they obtained a restraining order preventing her from seeing or holding the child.

Gilkar called West unstable during a hearing Aug. 25 in Dallas, telling the court she was trying to take their baby away.

“He’s our child,” Gilkar said, wiping away tears.

West and her attorneys argue that Gilkar and Ahmed are not committed to guaranteeing the baby will undergo surgeries or “life-saving care.”

Both sides were publicly silent after the hearing last month and the case file was sealed, but West's Supreme Court filing says she lost her plea in Texas to win conservatorship of the child.

The Texas court granted full credit to the California judgment on Sept. 2, according to the filing.

The odds of the Supreme Court granting the appeal are low, said Marla Neufeld, an attorney who represents parents, surrogates and donors but who isn't involved in this case. Emergency relief is usually extraordinarily difficult to obtain and the Supreme Court doesn’t usually get involved in family disputes, she said.

West believes the baby's life is in danger

“The stakes of the decisions below are enormous,” West's lawyers wrote in her plea to the Supreme Court, asking that she be recognized as the mother under Texas law. “But because of the unlawful California judgment, she has been dismissed with prejudice from the Texas proceedings and denied any information about or control over the medically fragile child.”

West believes Ahmed and Gilkar plan to put the baby into hospice care in California rather than let him undergo surgery that could save his life, according to the filing.

Without treatment, hypoplastic left heart syndrome can lead to death within days or weeks. Surgical repairs are not necessarily cures and additional surgeries or heart transplants may be needed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The couple has said they will not provide any updates to West about the child's condition, the filing states.

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Wilder is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.

According to the latest government figures released on Thursday, 6,843 cases have been reported, including 3,310 deaths. Ituri province remains the hardest-hit province, with more than 5,400 cases while North Kivu has reported over 1,000 cases since the outbreak was declared in May.

The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions.

The World Health Organization has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In North Kivu, new cases more than doubled to 381 in the latest three-week period, from 165 in the earlier period, Yap Boum, Africa CDC’s head of emergency preparedness and response, said Thursday.

The virus recently reached two more health zones in North Kivu, where fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who control the provincial capital Goma, has complicated the response.

Last month, Congo began vaccinating health and other front-line workers with the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type called Zaire.

Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus.

The vaccination trials started in the eastern Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele provinces, Placide Mbala Kingebeni, Africa CDC’s director for research, clinical trials and innovation, said Thursday.

Kingebeni said the vaccination campaign initially targeted newly affected provinces to help prevent further spread. Vaccinations in Ituri are set to start next week, he added.

A key challenge is the limited supply of doses, said Kingebeni. Congo has received 70,000 doses so far.

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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

The dramatic ending to the formerly 16th-ranked Wolverines' 13-12 win over Western Michigan — with a disputed second on the clock that gave Bryce Underwood another chance to complete a Hail Mary — has been one of the most talked about topics in sports for nearly a week.

“That was a crazy game,” said Sooners linebacker Cole Sullivan, who transferred from Michigan after last season.

The conclusion and fallout from Michigan's last game has overshadowed, to some degree, how poorly it played in all three phases during coach Kyle Whittingham's debut with college football's winningest program.

“We got plenty to fix,” Whittingham said.

And not a lot of time.

The Wolverines, who fell out of the AP Top 25, are 6 1/2-point underdogs on Saturday at home against the Sooners in a Big Ten-SEC matchup.

Underwood walked out of the locker room and down the tunnel for last week's prime-time kickoff with a music and light show during his energetic entrance, slapping his helmet and pumping his right fist in a demonstrative display of emotion.

The closely watched quarterback, in his second season after being the nation's No. 1 recruit, got off to a great start with his arm and legs on a game-opening touchdown drive.

Underwood struggled for the rest of the game — his game-winning, 47-yard touchdown throw notwithstanding — and was often seen expressionless and speaking to no one on the sideline.

“I just feel like we’ve got to come out and dominate and be aggressive — how we were the first drive — every single play,” Underwood said. “We can’t get down, our energy can’t get down.”

When asked earlier this week how firmly entrenched Underwood is as Michigan's QB1, Whittingham said the sophomore has to improve to keep his job.

Underwood, who appears to be very active on social media, insisted later in the week that he was unaware of what Whittingham said about him.

“I didn't see that,” Underwood insisted. “It's cool.”

Underwood's seat could get hotter if he doesn't make better decisions and throw more accurately against the Sooners, especially if they shut down Michigan's running game as the Broncos of the Mid-American Conference did last week. Michigan's No. 2 quarterback is Tommy Carr, whose brother CJ is Notre Dame's quarterback and grandfathers are in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Western Michigan was also in control on offense against the Wolverines. In the second half, the Broncos had a 20-play touchdown drive that took nearly a quarter off the clock and possessed the ball more than twice as long as the Wolverines did.

Special teams contributed to Michigan's misery too, with Andrew Marsh losing a fumble on a punt return.

Making matters worse for Whittingham, his team was flagged nine times for 80 yards.

But the Wolverines' tepid performance didn't diminish Oklahoma coach Brent Venables' view of them.

“We’ve put Michigan in a great light like they deserve for a long time here for the last several months,” he said. “This isn’t the first week that we’ve been preparing and talking about Michigan and Georgia and Texas and many other teams that are on our schedule.”

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