His family posted the news on social media and said he is currently undergoing treatment.

“We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation,” the statement continued.

Busch ranks 24th in the Cup Series standings, with two top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. The 41-year-old driver and Las Vegas native won championships in 2015 and 2019. Busch is in his fourth season at Richard Childress Racing after winning titles with Joe Gibbs Racing.

His last win came in 2023, his first with RCR.

___

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

The group includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17, the USS Gridley, and the USNS Patuxent.

The U.S. State Department reported that the USS Nimitz was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, “to conduct joint naval exercises with the Brazilian Navy" from May 11-14.

Related social media

Welcome to the Caribbean, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group!

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic… pic.twitter.com/83mfzSIKzd

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 20, 2026

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Interactive: 19-page indictment

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Standing in one of the affected areas, the damage stretches across rows of cars.

Residents described the suspects as “airbag pirates.”

“The air bag is gone,” said resident Alex Cernabas. “It’s very expensive. I went to look at it and they’re selling it on eBay for $750.”

Resident Mohammed Hussain said his wife called him after discovering their vehicle had been broken into.

“I was just surprised this afternoon and my wife called and (asked) do I know what’s happening? I said ‘no,’” he said.

Residents said 19 cars in the area were hit, with five vehicles damaged in one section of the parking lot alone.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

Cernabas said he is now helping his mother get to work because her car cannot be legally driven without an airbag.

“My mom couldn’t go to work. I’m trying to help her with it,” he said.

Residents say the thefts bring more than just the loss of an airbag, also making them deal with insurance deductibles, inconvenience and frustration.

“I hope they go to jail for a long time, and get a job,” said Cernabas. “Don’t steal from people that are working.”

Hussain, who owns the kind of vehicle residents believe is being targeted by the thieves, said he plans to keep a close eye on his vehicle after learning that 19 cars had been hit.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about the airbag thefts is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Parados en una de las áreas afectadas, los daños se extienden a lo largo de filas de vehículos.

Los residentes describieron a los sospechosos como “piratas de bolsas de aire”.

“La bolsa de aire desapareció”, dijo el residente Alex Cernabas. “Es muy costosa. Fui a buscarla y la están vendiendo en eBay por $750 USD”.

El residente Mohammed Hussain dijo que su esposa lo llamó después de descubrir que su vehículo había sido violentado.

“Simplemente me sorprendió esta tarde y mi esposa me llamó y me preguntó si sabía lo que estaba pasando. Le dije que no”, dijo.

Los residentes dijeron que 19 vehículos en el área fueron afectados, con cinco vehículos dañados solo en una sección del estacionamiento.

La Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade está investigando.

Cernabas dijo que ahora está ayudando a su madre a llegar al trabajo porque su vehículo no puede conducirse legalmente sin una bolsa de aire.

“Mi mamá no pudo ir a trabajar. Estoy tratando de ayudarla con eso”, dijo.

Los residentes dicen que los robos traen más que solo la pérdida de una bolsa de aire, ya que también deben lidiar con deducibles de seguros, inconvenientes y frustración.

“Espero que vayan a la cárcel por mucho tiempo y consigan trabajo”, dijo Cernabas. “No le roben a personas que están trabajando”.

Hussain, quien posee el tipo de vehículo que los residentes creen que está siendo objetivo de los ladrones, dijo que planea vigilar de cerca su vehículo después de enterarse de que 19 autos fueron afectados.

No se han realizado arrestos.

Cualquier persona con información sobre los robos de bolsas de aire debe llamar a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

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According to an arrest report from the South Miami Police Department, the victim told police that just after leaving the gym last Friday, she immediately noticed that she was being followed by a gray Tesla Model Y.

“The vehicle continued following the victim southbound on S. Dixie Highway while the driver attempted to gain her attention,” a police officer wrote in the arrest report.

The driver, later identified by police as Rogerio Miranda De Souza, of Pinecrest, was also “brake checking” her “in a manner that could have caused a collision,” the report stated.

Police said the victim was stopped near the intersection of South Dixie Highway and Southwest 70th Street when Miranda De Souza drove extremely close to the driver’s side of her vehicle, at which time she noticed his pants were lowered, exposing his genitals, and he was stroking his penis while making direct eye contact with her.

The victim provided detectives with the vehicle’s license plate number and a physical description of the suspect.

Police said she later identified Miranda De Souza in a photo lineup.

He was arrested Wednesday on a charge of indecent exposure.

As of Thursday morning, Miranda De Souza was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $1,000 bond.

“Investigators have since learned that a neighboring law enforcement agency is conducting a separate investigation involving the same subject under similar circumstances,” a news release from SMPD stated. “Based on the ongoing investigation and the similarities between the incidents, detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet reported their encounters to law enforcement.”

Anyone with information about this investigation, or who believes they may have been victimized by Miranda De Souza is asked to call the South Miami Police Department or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de South Miami, la víctima dijo a la policía que justo después de salir del gimnasio el viernes pasado, notó de inmediato que estaba siendo seguida por un Tesla Model Y gris.

“El vehículo continuó siguiendo a la víctima hacia el sur por S. Dixie Highway mientras el conductor intentaba llamar su atención”, escribió un agente en el informe de arresto.

El conductor, posteriormente identificado por la policía como Rogerio Miranda De Souza, de Pinecrest, también estaba “frenando bruscamente” frente a ella “de una manera que podría haber causado una colisión”, señala el informe.

La policía indicó que la víctima estaba detenida cerca de la intersección de South Dixie Highway y Southwest 70th Street cuando Miranda De Souza condujo extremadamente cerca del lado del conductor de su vehículo. En ese momento, ella notó que tenía los pantalones abajo, exponiendo sus genitales, y que estaba acariciando su pene mientras hacía contacto visual directo con ella.

La víctima proporcionó a los detectives el número de matrícula del vehículo y una descripción física del sospechoso.

La policía indicó que posteriormente identificó a Miranda De Souza en una rueda de reconocimiento fotográfica.

Fue arrestado el miércoles por un cargo de exposición indecente.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, Miranda De Souza permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $1,000 USD.

“Los investigadores han sabido desde entonces que una agencia policial vecina está realizando una investigación separada que involucra al mismo sujeto bajo circunstancias similares”, indicó un comunicado del Departamento de Policía de South Miami. “Con base en la investigación en curso y las similitudes entre los incidentes, los detectives creen que podría haber víctimas adicionales que aún no han reportado sus encuentros a las autoridades”.

Cualquier persona con información sobre esta investigación, o que crea haber sido víctima de Miranda De Souza, debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de South Miami o con Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

The court's action leaves in place lower court rulings in favor of Joseph Clifton Smith, 55, who has been on death row roughly half his life after his conviction for beating a man to death in 1997.

The Supreme Court prohibited execution of intellectually disabled people in a landmark ruling in 2002. The justices, in cases in 2014 and 2017, held that states should consider other evidence of disability in borderline cases because of the margin of error in IQ tests.

The issue in Smith’s case is what happens when a person has multiple IQ scores that are slightly above 70, which has been widely accepted as a marker of intellectual disability. Smith’s five IQ tests produced scores ranging from 72 to 78. Smith had been placed in learning-disabled classes and dropped out of school after seventh grade, his lawyers said. At the time of the crime, he performed math at a kindergarten level, spelled at a third-grade level and read at a fourth-grade level.

The justices had taken up the case to consider how courts should handle such borderline cases of intellectual disability. Arguments took place in December.

Rather than issue a decision, though, the high court dismissed the appeal, an unusuaI action that leaves the last lower-court ruling in place.

The three liberal justices along with Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett formed the majority to dismiss the case.

The other four conservative justices dissented, faulting the federal appeals court in Atlanta for improperly analyzing the case and complaining that their colleagues should have ordered the appeals court to re-examine Smith's case.

The case is Hamm v. Smith, 24-872.

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Gunther Manfred Jekschtat, 63, Laubach, Hesse, spoke exclusively to Local 10 News a day after he and fellow German tourist Christoph Rehak, 58, of Gedern, Hesse, were arrested on criminal mischief charges tied to the vandalism at Lummus Park.

Miami Beach police said the graffiti — which included a swastika and the phrase “Adolf was here” — was discovered Monday on an “LGBTQIA+ bench” near 12th Street and Ocean Drive.

As Jekschtat walked out of jail Wednesday, he stopped to answer questions from Local 10 News instead of avoiding cameras.

“I sit beside the other boy. I don’t know. I sit beside the other boy (who) wrote it down,” Jekschtat said.

When asked what he wanted to say to people offended by the graffiti, Jekschtat repeatedly apologized.

“Sorry, I can say sorry for this,” he said. “It’s not OK what they do, what we do. Sorry, sorry for this.”

Jekschtat also said, “It was a big mistake,” adding, “We are also no Nazi boys.”

Rehak, who bonded out Tuesday night, did not speak to Local 10 News and ran from cameras.

According to arrest reports, surveillance video showed Rehak borrowing a marker before the two men sat on the bench together. Police said Rehak wrote the graffiti while Jekschtat used his body to block others from seeing what was happening.

Investigators said both men later admitted involvement. Police said Rehak described the message as a “joke,” while Jekschtat said he was trying to “defend his friend.”

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner condemned the vandalism, calling it “horrific” and saying there is “no place for hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism in our city.”

The bench has since been removed for repairs.

Authorities said both men remain charged with criminal mischief and were ordered to stay away from the area of 12th Street and Ocean Drive.

While it was learned in court that they have both been in the U.S. for 3 1/2 weeks on vacation, they will now need permission from the judge to leave the country. Their next court date has been scheduled for May 28.

Gunther Manfred Jekschtat, de 63 años y residente de Laubach, Hesse, habló en exclusiva con Local 10 News un día después de que él y otro turista alemán, Christoph Rehak, de 58 años y residente de Gedern, Hesse, fueran arrestados por cargos de daños criminales relacionados con el vandalismo en Lummus Park.

La policía de Miami Beach indicó que el grafiti, que incluía una esvástica y la frase “Adolf estuvo aquí”, fue descubierto el lunes en un “banco LGBTQIA+” cerca de 12th Street y Ocean Drive.

Mientras Jekschtat salía de la cárcel el miércoles, se detuvo para responder preguntas de Local 10 News en lugar de evitar las cámaras.

“Me senté al lado del otro muchacho. No sé. Me senté al lado del otro muchacho que lo escribió”, dijo Jekschtat.

Cuando se le preguntó qué quería decirle a las personas ofendidas por el grafiti, Jekschtat se disculpó repetidamente.

“Perdón, puedo decir perdón por esto”, dijo. “No está bien lo que ellos hacen, lo que nosotros hacemos. Perdón, perdón por esto”.

Jekschtat también dijo: “Fue un gran error”, y agregó: “Nosotros tampoco somos muchachos nazis”.

Rehak, quien salió bajo fianza el martes por la noche, no habló con Local 10 News y corrió para alejarse de las cámaras.

Según los informes de arresto, videos de vigilancia mostraron a Rehak pidiendo prestado un marcador antes de que los dos hombres se sentaran juntos en el banco. La policía indicó que Rehak escribió el grafiti mientras Jekschtat usaba su cuerpo para impedir que otros vieran lo que estaba ocurriendo.

Los investigadores dijeron que ambos hombres posteriormente admitieron su participación. La policía indicó que Rehak describió el mensaje como una “broma”, mientras que Jekschtat dijo que estaba tratando de “defender a su amigo”.

El alcalde de Miami Beach, Steven Meiner, condenó el vandalismo, calificándolo de “horrible” y afirmando que “no hay lugar para el odio, la intolerancia, el racismo ni el antisemitismo en nuestra ciudad”.

El banco ya fue retirado para reparaciones.

Las autoridades dijeron que ambos hombres continúan enfrentando cargos de daños criminales y recibieron la orden de mantenerse alejados del área de 12th Street y Ocean Drive.

Aunque en la corte se supo que ambos llevaban tres semanas y media en Estados Unidos de vacaciones, ahora necesitarán permiso del juez para salir del país. Su próxima audiencia judicial fue programada para el 28 de mayo.

Agentes del condado Miami-Dade realizaron un arresto tras un choque con fuga que involucró un vehículo robado.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), los agentes fueron alertados luego de que un lector de matrículas detectó un vehículo robado en el área de Northwest 79th Street y Seventh Avenue poco después de las 9:30 a.m. del miércoles.

La MDSO informó que un detective observó brevemente el vehículo, un Acura MDX blanco modelo 2024, cerca de Northwest 12th Street antes de perderlo de vista.

En ese momento, los agentes realizaron una búsqueda en el área y finalmente localizaron el SUV en el área de Northwest 57th Street y Eighth Avenue después de que estuvo involucrado en un choque con fuga, según la MDSO.

Los agentes dijeron que observaron al sospechoso que conducía el SUV robado huyendo de la escena del choque, lo que llevó al establecimiento de un perímetro.

Poco después, las autoridades informaron que detuvieron al sospechoso, cuya identidad no ha sido revelada, sin incidentes.

Los agentes indicaron que no se reportaron heridos.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 2:20 p.m. to the restaurant, located at 10855 Caribbean Blvd., after receiving reports of a stabbing.

Investigators identified the suspect in an arrest report as Jarvon Moreland, of West Perrine.

The report states that the victim was seated at a table inside the restaurant when Moreland approached him and stabbed him multiple times with a knife, causing “serious bodily injuries.”

According to detectives, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel transported the victim to Jackson South Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Investigators said Moreland fled before deputies arrived, but a be-on-the-lookout alert was issued shortly afterward, and he was later detained near a bus stop along Southwest 107th Avenue, less than a mile from the scene.

“The scene consisted of several blood spots located on the floor within the business,” deputies wrote in the report.

Detectives said surveillance video captured the entire attack and showed the suspect repeatedly stabbing the victim before running away.

According to the report, detectives later found a bloody knife near where Moreland was detained. A woman who was with him at the time gave a sworn statement and identified him as the attacker, investigators said.

Authorities said Moreland later waived his Miranda rights and provided a full confession regarding his involvement in the incident, admitting to stabbing the victim multiple times inside the restaurant.

Jail records show Moreland is facing one count of attempted second-degree murder.

As of Thursday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”

Moreland’s arrest report did not state whether he knew the victim, and a motive for the stabbing remains unclear at this time.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 2:20 p.m. al restaurante, ubicado en 10855 Caribbean Blvd., tras recibir reportes de un apuñalamiento.

Los investigadores identificaron al sospechoso en el informe de arresto como Jarvon Moreland, de West Perrine.

El informe indica que la víctima estaba sentada en una mesa dentro del restaurante cuando Moreland se le acercó y la apuñaló múltiples veces con un cuchillo, causándole “lesiones corporales graves”.

Según los detectives, personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima al Jackson South Medical Center para recibir tratamiento de emergencia.

Los investigadores dijeron que Moreland huyó antes de que llegaran los agentes, pero poco después se emitió una alerta de búsqueda y posteriormente fue detenido cerca de una parada de autobús a lo largo de Southwest 107th Avenue, a menos de una milla de la escena.

“La escena consistía en varias manchas de sangre ubicadas en el piso dentro del negocio”, escribieron los agentes en el informe.

Los detectives dijeron que un video de vigilancia captó todo el ataque y mostró al sospechoso apuñalando repetidamente a la víctima antes de huir.

Según el informe, los detectives posteriormente encontraron un cuchillo ensangrentado cerca del lugar donde Moreland fue detenido. Una mujer que estaba con él en ese momento dio una declaración jurada y lo identificó como el atacante, dijeron los investigadores.

Las autoridades dijeron que Moreland posteriormente renunció a sus derechos Miranda y proporcionó una confesión completa sobre su participación en el incidente, admitiendo haber apuñalado múltiples veces a la víctima dentro del restaurante.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Moreland enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato en segundo grado.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente por establecer”.

El informe de arresto de Moreland no indicó si conocía a la víctima y el motivo del apuñalamiento sigue sin estar claro por el momento.

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According the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted after a license plate reader flagged a stolen vehicle in the area of Northwest 79th Street and Seventh Avenue just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A MDSO detective briefly observed the vehicle, a 2024 white Acura MDX, near Northwest 12th Street before losing sight of it, deputies said.

At that point, deputies conducted a canvass of the area and eventually located the SUV in the area of Northwest 57th Street and Eighth Avenue after it had been involved in a hit-and-run crash, according to MDSO.

Deputies said they observed the suspect who was driving the stolen SUV running away from the crash scene, leading to a perimeter being established.

Soon after, authorities said they took the subject, who been identified as 34-year-old Juan Luis Trinidad, into custody without incident.

Trinidad, who police listed as an unemployed homeless man, is facing charges of grand theft of a vehicle, burglary of an occupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and resisting arrest without violence.

As of Thursday morning, Trinidad was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set.”

There were no injuries reported, deputies said.

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said the Biden-era rule imposes costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use.

The new rule will “allow businesses to choose the refrigeration systems that work best for them, saving them billions of dollars. This will be felt directly by American families in lower grocery prices,” Zeldin said in a statement released before a White House event Thursday where President Donald Trump is scheduled to announce the changes. Executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly and other grocery chains are expected to join him.

With voter concerns over the cost of living spiking before pivotal elections in November, the Republican administration is trying to address affordability issues. It is not clear how much or how quickly the loosening of the refrigerant rule might ease grocery prices.

Inflation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, amid price spikes caused by the Iran war and President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high.

The administration's action on refrigerants represents a reversal after Trump signed a law in his first term that aimed to reduce harmful, planet-warming pollutants emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners. That bipartisan measure brought environmentalists and major business groups into rare alignment on the contentious issue of climate change and won praise across the political spectrum.

The 2020 law reflected a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, that are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming.

The EPA action highlights the second Trump administration’s drive to roll back regulations perceived as climate friendly. The plan is among a series of sweeping environmental changes that Zeldin has said will put a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

Environmentalists have criticized the administration's plans, saying a proposed rule announced last year would exacerbate climate pollution while disrupting a yearslong industry transition to new coolants as an alternative to HFCs.

The 2020 law signed by Trump, known as the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, phased out HFCs as part of an international agreement on ozone pollution. The law accelerated an industry shift to alternative refrigerants that use less harmful chemicals and are widely available.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council, the top lobbying group for the chemical industry, were among numerous business groups that supported the law and an international deal on pollutants, known as the Kigali Amendment, as victories for jobs and the environment. U.S. companies such as Chemours and Honeywell developed and produce the alternative refrigerants sold in the United States and around the world.

The 2023 rule now being relaxed imposed steep restrictions on HFCs starting in 2026. Zeldin said the rule from the Democratic Biden administration did not give companies enough time to comply and that the rapid switch to other refrigerants caused shortages and price increases last year. Some in the industry dispute this.

The Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores and suppliers, applauded the Trump EPA proposal last year, saying the earlier rule “imposed significant and unrealistic compliance timelines.”

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies, said the change in approach would disrupt planning and "inject uncertainty across the market.”

Manufacturers have already retooled product lines and certified models based on the existing timeline, said Samantha Slater, a senior vice president at the lobbying group. Nearly 90% of residential and light commercial air conditioning systems use substitute refrigerants, rather than HFCs, she said.

But the mother of three is getting more daring as gas prices and other travel costs make vacations more expensive. Bernaba, 47, has been steering her family toward local beaches, bike rides and hiking trails near their home in coastal Rhode Island instead of the faraway trips they once took.

“I’ve been trying to do more of that because one, it’s quality time. Two, it’s fresh air. And three, we’re not spending an arm and a leg,” she said.

That kind of calibration is shaping the summer travel season, which gets its traditional start in the U.S. with the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inflationary pressures are making most forms of travel costlier as people in many parts of the world form their plans.

The U.S. Travel Association expacts annual travel spending to grow by a modest 1% this year, powered largely by domestic leisure travel despite the FIFA World Cup giving soccer fans from other countries a reason to visit the U.S. Airfares have climbed around the world along with the price of jet fuel as the war constrains global oil supplies.

Sticking closer to home may not cushion the sticker shock. The nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated Americans would collectively spend an extra $3.5 billion on gasoline over the holiday weekend. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $4.56 on Thursday compared to $3.18 a year ago, according to motor club AAA.

Other travel expenses have gone up too. The latest consumer price index showed airfares were 20.7% higher in April from a year earlier, the cost of intracity transit such as buses and subways rose 5.6%, lodging cost 4.3% more, and eating out got 3.6% pricier.

Changing travel patterns

Despite elevated prices, industry forecasts suggest Americans still want to get away, even if it means replacing long trips with long weekends, choosing destinations closer to home and finding ways to cut costs by cooking meals or using buses and trains instead of driving.

AAA predicted that 45 million U.S. residents would travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen 18.3 million passengers from Thursday to next Wednesday.

Many households are planning summer vacations but making tradeoffs such as shorter trips or cheaper lodging, according to Bank of America analysts. Mastercard said in a recent report that consumers appeared increasingly focused on value and were adjusting their destinations and timing instead of not going away at all.

“Generally, it’s certainly more of a demand reshuffling than a demand softening,” David Tinsley, a senior economist at Bank of America Institute, said.

For the Bernaba family, that has meant trading a big vacation for a shorter trip nearby this summer. Their scaled-back itinerary still is pricey: more than $400 for a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for their car and passengers, and about $800 a night for each of the two hotel rooms the family of five needs.

Another family that had planned to join them backed out after seeing the price tag.

“The pinch is being felt all the way around,” Bernaba said.

Analysts have increasingly described travel spending as “K-shaped,” with higher-income households continuing to spend while lower-income families pull back or opt out entirely. Bank of America said lower-income households were significantly more likely to report having no summer travel plans this year.

Travelers are confronting other stressors besides cost.

Airlines around the world have canceled flights and trimmed routes to save on fuel and operating costs, leaving passengers with fewer options. Recent U.S. government shutdowns — which caused major flight disruptions and long security lines — are likely still fresh in travelers’ minds. The conflict in the Middle East and broader geopolitical tensions add another layer of concern, especially for those considering trips abroad.

The various factors impacting travel right now has made planning trips more mentally taxing and may be pushing people toward simpler and more accessible vacations that feel easier to manage, said Marta Soligo, a tourism sociologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“The key word here is unpredictability,” Soligo said. “Tourists don’t like unpredictability.”

Quality over quantity

Jim Wang, a personal finance blogger who lives in Maryland with his wife and four children, said his family’s original plan to travel to Spain to see a full solar eclipse in August began to unravel once they looked at the logistics.

Beyond thousands of dollars in airfare, the trip would have required multiple connecting flights, plus a car rental to reach northern Spain, where the path of totality is expected to pass.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to see the eclipse that much,’” Wang said.

Instead, Wang’s family plans to head this summer to the Lake Tahoe area straddling California and Nevada, where they can stay at a relative’s cabin for free, hike and enjoy a slower pace with limited cellphone service. His wife’s parents and sister expect to join them.

“We’re still going to travel. It’ll just be different,” Wang said. “The vacations are no longer as grand for the adults. But for our kids, it’s still exciting.”

Nancy McGehee, a Virginia Tech hospitality professor who studies consumer behavior, said travelers are increasingly focusing more on the “why than the where” when it comes to vacations.

“What we’re seeing is people are saying, ‘Alright, we can’t do that big splashy trip we wanted to do, but what else can we do?’” McGehee said. “It’s more quality over quantity that we’re seeing people go for.”

Back in Rhode Island, Bernaba has accepted that travel may look different for her family for a while.

“I think that’s probably why my mind has gone to doing more nature-y things,” she said. “Let’s learn how to use the earth to enjoy ourselves because that’s not going to cost as much money.”

En medio de las crecientes tensiones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos, el Departamento de Justicia anunció una acusación contra el líder comunista cubano Raúl Castro.

“Envía el mensaje correcto, no solo para nosotros, sino también para la oposición dentro de Cuba”, dijo el comisionado de Miami-Dade, Juan Carlos Bermudez.

La acusación está relacionada con el derribo fatal de los aviones de Hermanos al Rescate en 1996.

“Esa masacre es una herida abierta en esta comunidad porque cuatro jóvenes idealistas, conocidos por su arduo trabajo y seriedad, fueron asesinados por intentar salvar las vidas de otros”, dijo Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, de la Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana.

Según el fundador de Hermanos al Rescate, Jose Basulto, grabaciones de audio de Raúl Castro, quien entonces era jefe de las fuerzas armadas de Cuba, muestran que ordenó el ataque contra los aviones del grupo humanitario mientras buscaban ayudar a cubanos en el mar que huían de la isla comunista.

“Fuimos atacados por MiGs cubanos”, dijo Basulto.

Un MiG es un avión de combate Mikoyan-Gurevich de diseño soviético.

“Significa mucho para mí como cubanoestadounidense porque finalmente se hará justicia”, dijo Bermudez, quien era amigo de Mario De La Peña, uno de los cuatro hombres asesinados en el ataque cubano.

“Murió muy joven, a los 25 años”, dijo Bermudez. “Fue un crimen cometido por el gobierno cubano”.

La acusación surge mientras defensores de la democracia en Cuba continúan firmes en su lucha de décadas por una transición de la dictadura a la democracia en la isla.

“La acusación es un paso muy importante, pero por supuesto el objetivo final aquí es el regreso de la soberanía al pueblo cubano”, dijo Gutierrez-Boronat.

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The county has been scrambling for long-term waste solutions since the Doral waste-to-energy facility caught fire in 2023.

Before the fire, the incinerator burned roughly 1 million tons of garbage each year. Now, with landfill space rapidly shrinking, county leaders are moving forward with plans for a new incinerator — a proposal that has sparked controversy, including concerns about potentially building near the Everglades.

Environmental advocates say the county cannot simply burn its way out of the crisis.

“If we want to fix our waste crisis, we must reduce and divert away from landfills and reclaim this really valuable material, like aluminum, like cardboard, like plastics,” said Dave Doebler, co-founder and president of VolunteerCleanup.org.

One material often overlooked in the conversation is glass.

According to the latest available data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, less than 7% of glass in Miami-Dade County is recycled. Unlike plastic, however, glass can be recycled infinitely without losing quality.

“So to me, it’s mind blowing that we are sending this material that we need so much to a landfill, OK, without being recycled,” said Francisco Torres, founder of Glass for Life.

Torres launched Glass for Life after recognizing the untapped potential of discarded glass. The company grew out of Compost for Life, a compost pickup service he founded in 2020 to help residents and businesses reduce organic waste sent to landfills. Adding glass recycling became a natural next step.

“I understood that glass could be infinitely recycled and without losing its grade,” Torres said. “And it’s a material that we need very much.”

Glass for Life provides bins for homes, hotels and businesses to collect bottles, jars and other glass containers. Once collected, the glass is processed into sand-like material that can be reused in a variety of ways, including highway repairs, new bottles, construction materials and even emergency sandbags.

The effort addresses another growing global concern: sand depletion. Sand is the second most-used natural resource in the world after water, and experts estimate that humans extract about 50 billion tons of sand annually from the earth and oceans.

“Everywhere that you see a highway, that you see a building, that you see a construction, there is a lot of sand,” Torres explained.

Glass for Life transports the collected material to Sibelco, a large-scale recycling facility in Sarasota capable of processing up to 50 tons of glass per hour — roughly 10,000 tons each month.

Torres says the company’s mission is about more than recycling.

“We as a community movement, we’re taking action, we’re leading by example, and we’re welcoming properties, hotels (and) community members to become part of the solution,” he said.

Several South Florida hotels have already joined the initiative. Mr. C Miami in Coconut Grove became Glass for Life’s first customer and has diverted more than 20 tons of glass from landfills over the past two years.

The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach has also embraced the program as part of its sustainability efforts.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” said Tanja Morariu, the hotel’s director of marketing and head of sustainability. “We need to protect this wonderful place that we live in.”

The company also allows customers to track how much waste they divert from landfills. In just four months, The Palms recycled the equivalent of 4,000 glass bottles.

Residents are embracing the service as well.

“It feels amazing,” said customer Alessandra Calderin. “Every little piece of anything that we can keep out of the landfill is so important to me.”

For Torres, the effort represents a larger shift in how communities approach waste and sustainability.

“This needs to be part of our day-to-day life,” he said. “We are in an emergency. We are in the moment of truth that we need to make the right decisions today.”

El condado ha estado buscando soluciones a largo plazo para los desechos desde que la planta de conversión de basura en energía de Doral se incendió en 2023.

Antes del incendio, el incinerador quemaba aproximadamente 1 millón de toneladas de basura cada año. Ahora, con el espacio en los vertederos reduciéndose rápidamente, los líderes del condado avanzan con planes para un nuevo incinerador, una propuesta que ha generado controversia, incluyendo preocupaciones sobre la posibilidad de construir cerca de los Everglades.

Los defensores del medio ambiente dicen que el condado no puede simplemente salir de la crisis quemando basura.

“Si queremos resolver nuestra crisis de desechos, debemos reducir y desviar los residuos de los vertederos y recuperar este material realmente valioso, como el aluminio, el cartón y los plásticos”, dijo Dave Doebler, cofundador y presidente de VolunteerCleanup.org.

Un material que a menudo se pasa por alto en la conversación es el vidrio.

Según los datos más recientes disponibles del Departamento de Protección Ambiental de Florida, menos del 7% del vidrio en el condado Miami-Dade es reciclado. A diferencia del plástico, el vidrio puede reciclarse infinitamente sin perder calidad.

“Para mí es increíble que estemos enviando este material que necesitamos tanto a un vertedero, sin reciclarlo”, dijo Francisco Torres, fundador de Glass for Life.

Torres lanzó Glass for Life después de reconocer el potencial desaprovechado del vidrio desechado. La empresa surgió de Compost for Life, un servicio de recolección de composta que fundó en 2020 para ayudar a residentes y negocios a reducir los desechos orgánicos enviados a vertederos. Agregar el reciclaje de vidrio fue el siguiente paso natural.

“Entendí que el vidrio podía reciclarse infinitamente y sin perder su calidad”, dijo Torres. “Y es un material que necesitamos muchísimo”.

Glass for Life proporciona contenedores para hogares, hoteles y negocios para recolectar botellas, frascos y otros recipientes de vidrio. Una vez recolectado, el vidrio es procesado en un material similar a la arena que puede reutilizarse de varias maneras, incluyendo reparaciones de carreteras, nuevas botellas, materiales de construcción e incluso sacos de arena de emergencia.

El esfuerzo también aborda otra creciente preocupación global: el agotamiento de la arena. La arena es el segundo recurso natural más utilizado en el mundo después del agua, y los expertos estiman que los humanos extraen alrededor de 50 mil millones de toneladas de arena al año de la tierra y los océanos.

“En todos lados donde ves una carretera, un edificio o una construcción, hay mucha arena”, explicó Torres.

Glass for Life transporta el material recolectado a Sibelco, una instalación de reciclaje a gran escala en Sarasota capaz de procesar hasta 50 toneladas de vidrio por hora, aproximadamente 10,000 toneladas cada mes.

Torres dice que la misión de la empresa es más que reciclar.

“Nosotros, como movimiento comunitario, estamos tomando acción, liderando con el ejemplo y dando la bienvenida a propiedades, hoteles y miembros de la comunidad para que formen parte de la solución”, dijo.

Varios hoteles del sur de Florida ya se han unido a la iniciativa. Mr. C Miami en Coconut Grove se convirtió en el primer cliente de Glass for Life y ha desviado más de 20 toneladas de vidrio de los vertederos durante los últimos dos años.

The Palms Hotel & Spa en Miami Beach también ha adoptado el programa como parte de sus esfuerzos de sostenibilidad.

“Simplemente es lo correcto”, dijo Tanja Morariu, directora de mercadeo y jefa de sostenibilidad del hotel. “Necesitamos proteger este maravilloso lugar en el que vivimos”.

La empresa también permite a los clientes rastrear cuánto desperdicio desvían de los vertederos. En solo cuatro meses, The Palms recicló el equivalente a 4,000 botellas de vidrio.

Los residentes también están adoptando el servicio.

“Se siente increíble”, dijo la cliente Alessandra Calderin. “Cada pequeño pedazo de cualquier cosa que podamos mantener fuera del vertedero es muy importante para mí”.

Para Torres, el esfuerzo representa un cambio más amplio en la forma en que las comunidades abordan los desechos y la sostenibilidad.

“Esto necesita ser parte de nuestra vida diaria”, dijo. “Estamos en una emergencia. Estamos en el momento de la verdad en el que necesitamos tomar las decisiones correctas hoy”.

Trump habló el miércoles afuera del Air Force One, donde opinó sobre la histórica acusación y la calificó como un momento significativo para muchas personas.

“No será como la cosa más grande que hemos hecho, pero puedo decirles que para mucha gente será una de las más importantes”, dijo. “Han estado esperando este momento durante 65 años”.

Los comentarios surgieron mientras Rubio conmemoraba el Día de la Independencia de Cuba con un mensaje en video dirigido al pueblo cubano.

“En Estados Unidos, estamos listos para abrir un nuevo capítulo en la relación entre nuestros pueblos y nuestros países”, dijo. “Y actualmente, lo único que se interpone en el camino hacia un mejor futuro son quienes controlan su país”.

Rubio responsabilizó al liderazgo comunista de Cuba por privar al pueblo cubano de recursos como alimentos, gasolina y electricidad. Añadió que el embargo de Estados Unidos solo ha agravado el problema.

Trump también habló sobre el pueblo cubano y la gran comunidad cubanoestadounidense en Miami.

“No tienen energía en absoluto, pero sí tienen grandes personas, muchas grandes personas”, dijo. “Tengo muchos amigos cubanos, principalmente en Miami, en Florida, y son personas increíbles y quieren regresar. Esperemos que quieran vivir aquí, pero quieren regresar. Tal vez inviertan. Veremos qué pasa”.

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The proposal calls for the building of Portofino Hollywood, a 27-story luxury high-rise.

The 3-and-a-half-acre site at 1301 S. Ocean Drive is currently home to a community center, park and public parking lot.

The resolution passed Wednesday in a 5-to-2 vote with city commissioners siding with developers, giving them a 99-year lease for a portion of the parcel to be developed.

Residents have been fighting the project for years, saying they want to keep the land for public use.

“It’s not your property to give it away,” Hollywood resident Mark Ross said.

City commissioners are now pushing the development forward using the state’s Live Local Act. The law limits local zoning rules as long as 40% of the units are set aside for affordable housing.

“My thoughts are …every step of the way something is happening -- somehow a few of the commissioners always managed to push for just a little bit more," resident Dennis Dimartino said.

“Back during the great recession of 2008, 2009, this city lost more than a third of its tax base,” City Manager Raelin Storey said.

Still, residents say they fear they will be priced out and continue to oppose the project despite the affordable housing requirement.

“With $75,000 a year, about $1,400 a month rent, but the estimates that I’m hearing, $2,600 is being cap for what people can reasonably afford on a low income salary is just absurd,” resident Melissa Sherman said.

La propuesta contempla la construcción de Portofino Hollywood, una torre de lujo de 27 pisos.

El terreno de tres acres y medio ubicado en 1301 S. Ocean Drive actualmente alberga un centro comunitario, un parque y un estacionamiento público.

La resolución fue aprobada el miércoles en una votación de 5 a 2, con los comisionados de la ciudad alineándose con los desarrolladores y otorgándoles un arrendamiento de 99 años para una parte del terreno que será desarrollada.

Los residentes han estado luchando contra el proyecto durante años, diciendo que quieren mantener el terreno para uso público.

“No es su propiedad para regalarla”, dijo el residente de Hollywood Mark Ross.

Los comisionados de la ciudad ahora están impulsando el desarrollo utilizando la Ley Live Local del estado. La ley limita las reglas locales de zonificación siempre que el 40% de las unidades sean destinadas a viviendas asequibles.

“Mis pensamientos son que… en cada paso del camino algo está ocurriendo, de alguna manera algunos de los comisionados siempre logran impulsar solo un poco más”, dijo el residente Dennis Dimartino.

“Durante la gran recesión de 2008 y 2009, esta ciudad perdió más de un tercio de su base tributaria”, dijo la administradora municipal Raelin Storey.

Aun así, los residentes dicen que temen ser desplazados por los costos y continúan oponiéndose al proyecto a pesar del requisito de viviendas asequibles.

“Con $75,000 USD al año, alrededor de $1,400 USD al mes de renta, pero las estimaciones que estoy escuchando, $2,600 USD como límite para lo que las personas pueden pagar razonablemente con un salario de bajos ingresos, es simplemente absurdo”, dijo la residente Melissa Sherman.

Sinner was on Thursday drawn a French opponent in the first round — Clement Tabur, ranked a career-high 165th. Tabur received the wild card vacated by former champion Stan Wawrinka, who gained a late automatic entry.

With two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the overwhelming men's favorite on the red clay of Roland Garros, where play starts on Sunday.

The Italian is unbeaten in three months. He's won 29 straight matches and dropped just three sets. The French Open is the only major Sinner hasn’t won. Sinner had three match points in last year's final but Alcaraz prevailed in an epic match.

In the women's draw, Coco Gauff is trying to become just the third woman to successfully defend the Roland Garros title this century after Justine Henin and Iga Swiątek. Gauff will start her campaign against fellow American Taylor Townsend, a doubles specialist.

Gauff said at the draw she was “as ready as you can be.”

“I feel I had a good tournament in Rome, similar to the preparation I had last year, so I feel really ready.”

In the absence of Alcaraz, who will also miss Wimbledon, Sinner has claimed all three clay Masters trophies in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. Sinner has the fifth longest winning run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic has the record of 43 straight wins in 2010-11.

With his historic Rome title — first homegrown men's champion in 50 years — Sinner became the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Djokovic continues to chase an unprecedented 25th major title. But the Roland Garros champion from 2016, 2021, and 2023 is in Paris with only one match on clay this season and only three tournaments all year because of a shoulder injury. The 38-year-old will take on Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. Djokovic couldn't meet Sinner until the final.

No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, still looking for his first major crown after making it to the 2024 final in Paris, will be up against another local player, Benjamin Bonzi.

Home favorite Arthur Fils, the highest-ranked French player at No. 19, opens against Wawrinka in a mouthwatering contest.

Gauff aiming for back to back

Gauff’s first Roland Garros title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago.

Just like last year, Gauff was the runner-up at the Italian Open, losing in the final to Elina Svitolina. She is No. 4 and seeded to meet No. 1 Sabalenka in the semifinals.

While Sabalenka remains unbeatable at times on hard courts, she is still perfecting her game on clay. She was upset by American Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals and lost in the third round at the Italian Open to 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea.

Sabalenka appeared visibly bothered by lower back pain in Rome. Her first-round opponent is Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a Spaniard ranked 51st.

Elena Rybakina, ranked No. 2 and this year’s Australian Open champion, is in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Swiątek.

Rybakina has mixed results on clay. She has reached the French quarterfinals twice. She starts against Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.

Swiątek, the four-time French Open champion, lost to Svitolina in the Rome semifinals and is still reshaping her game under new coach Francisco Roig, who used to work with Rafael Nadal. Swiątek’s 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended in the semifinals last year with a loss to Sabalenka. She opens against Emerson Jones of Australia, a wild card.

Svitolina, who is from Ukraine, claimed the Rome title for her first WTA 1000 trophy in eight years — and is back in the top 10 after a maternity leave. But she’s never been past the semifinals of a Grand Slam, and never past the quarterfinals at the French Open. Svitolina takes on Anna Bondar in the first round.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the maneuvers in a video call with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

“The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said.

Lukashenko earlier inspected Russian short-range nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a military unit involved in the drills and declared: “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago.”

The three-day drills that began Tuesday come amid a surge in Ukrainian drone strikes. including on Moscow's suburbs that killed three people and damaged several buildings and industrial facilities. The strikes made it harder for officials in the Kremlin to cast the conflict in Ukraine — now in its fifth year — as something so distant that it doesn’t affect the daily routines of Russian civilians.

Drills involve wide array of nuclear weapons

Russia's Defense Ministry said the exercise involved 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped ICBMs. The drills focused on the “preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression,” it said.

The maneuvers also practice cooperation with Belarus, an ally that hosts Russian nuclear weapons. Russian arsenals in Belarus include its latest intermediate range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system.

Along with nuclear-tipped ground- and submarine-launched ICBMs, the maneuvers featured a broad assortment of short- and medium-range weapons.

Unlike the intercontinental missiles that can destroy entire cities, tactical nuclear weapons intended for use against troops on the battlefield are less powerful. They include aerial bombs and warheads for short- and medium-range missiles and artillery munitions.

The Defense Ministry said the Russian armed forces carried out practice launches of Yars and Sineva ICBMs, as well as medium-range sea-launched Zircon and air-launched Kinzhal missiles. Belarusian troops test-fired short-range Iskander ballistic missiles.

Kremlin nuclear messaging

Putin has repeatedly reminded the world about Moscow’s nuclear arsenals after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to try to deter the West from ramping up support for Kyiv.

In 2024, the Kremlin adopted a revised nuclear doctrine, noting that any nation’s conventional attack on Russia that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. That threat was clearly aimed at discouraging the West from allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with longer-range weapons and appears to significantly lower the threshold for the possible use of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.

The revised doctrine also placed Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella. Putin has said that Moscow will retain control of its nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus, which borders Ukraine and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, but would allow its ally to select the targets in case of conflict.

Drills come as Ukrainian drones spotted in the Baltics

The maneuvers are held amid an increase in drone activity in the Baltic nations. On Tuesday, a NATO jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia. Ukraine apologized for that “unintended incident,” without specifying what had happened.

On Wednesday, an emergency announcement about a drone flying over Belarus prompted residents of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, including top officials and lawmakers, to take shelter and led to a brief closure of its airport.

Ukrainian drones targeting Russia's Baltic ports and energy facilities have recently crossed or come down in NATO territory on several occasions. Western officials blame apparent Russian electronic jamming of the drones.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said Tuesday, without providing evidence, that Ukraine is preparing drone attacks against Russia from the territory of the Baltic countries and warned of retaliation It alleged Ukrainian military personnel had been deployed to Latvia and warned that the country’s membership in NATO wouldn’t protect it from “just retribution.” Latvian authorities said the allegation was not true.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry published a list of factories in Europe that it said were involved in producing drones and their components for Ukraine. It warned that attacks on Russia involving drones manufactured in Europe are fraught with “unpredictable consequences.”

Some commentators interpreted the bellicose statements from Moscow and this week's exercise featuring short- and medium-range nuclear weapons capable of reaching targets in Europe as part of Kremlin efforts to discourage Western allies from bolstering support for Ukraine.

Asked what message the nuclear exercise was intended to send, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that “any drills are intended to send a signal,” but wouldn't elaborate.

While Sachs’ film, which is a competition entry at this year's Cannes Film Festival, likewise centers on a performer dying of AIDS, it’s otherwise an altogether different and dramatically more personal tale about art, love and death.

“It took me a minute to realize it was more about life,” Malek said in an interview alongside Sachs on a terrace in Cannes. “There’s a threat looming throughout, but it’s an undercurrent. Throughout the film there’s a cacophony of sound and imagery and beauty that is filling your soul.”

The film, which is for sale in Cannes, has earned Malek — an actor who has sometimes struggled to find well-suited roles since his breakout in “Mr. Robot” — some of the best reviews of his career.

Sachs, the New York indie filmmaker of “Passages” and “Love Is Strange,” knew he wanted an actor with an ineffable star quality.

“What I saw in ‘Mr. Robot’ was a very natural actor and someone who has an ability where you don’t know how they get from one word to the next.”

In “The Man I Love,” Malek plays Jimmy George, a New York performance artist who’s trying to continue performing despite his illness. His partner (Tom Sturridge) diligently cares for him while a man (Luke Ford) who moves into the same building immediately falls for Jimmy.

It’s not a movie filled with medication and hospital visits. Instead, it captures a performer desperately trying to continue on.

Sachs said he wanted “a rapturous film.”

“I wanted to make a film that contained all the things that I’ll miss when I’m gone,” said the filmmaker. “I wanted it to be suffused with emotion and pain and skin. It’s a sexy film. It has color and music. You could say it’s a list of pleasures or sins.”

Some of the movie’s most overwhelming scenes are of Jimmy rehearsing or performing. In a heartbreaking showstopper, he sings the 1970 Melanie hit “What Have They Done to My Song Ma” to his family.

“It came straight from my soul,” says Malek. “It’s a moment in the film when Jimmy has some sense of clarity as to what’s coming. There is this stubborn refusal to keep creating in the most desperate of times that emanates through this film. It imbued me with this sense of, ‘Oh, I can be dangerous. I can take things to a limit that I haven’t before.’”

The 1980s has deep importance to the 60-year-old Sachs, who began working in New York in 1984. He was inspired by the stories of performance artists like John Kelly and John Jesurun

“They’re the ones who told me about the last night that the comedian Frank Maya was on stage and he lost the ability to finish his act,” Sachs says. “John Kelly told me about Ethyl Eichelberger performing and having sweat drenching his face.”

Malek calls Sachs “a library,” whose connection to the time of “The Man I Love” fueled his curiosity.”.

“That confidence generated a performance in me that I didn’t know I was giving,” Malek says. “But I knew I was doing something unique. I didn’t know it would translate.”

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 213,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Despite historically low layoffs, the labor market appears to be stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state. That’s kept the unemployment rate low at 4.3%, but left many of those out of work struggling to find new employment.

Though U.S. employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs in April, the Iran war has injected a large degree of uncertainty about the broader U.S. economy and labor market.

The Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil travels through, remains closed. Since the beginning of the war in late February, oil prices have spiked more than 50% and the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. has climbed to $4.56 from less than $3. Besides hitting consumers’ pocketbooks, those higher costs can discourage businesses from hiring.

Data from the U.S. government last week revealed that inflation at the consumer level rose 3.8% from April 2025, the biggest jump in three years. Food prices are also up, but may not yet fully reflect rising energy costs due to the Iran war, analysts say.

Another report last week showed that wholesale prices shot up 6% from a year ago, the highest point in more than three years. The Labor Department’s producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — shot up 1.4% from March to April, the biggest monthly gain in more than four years.

This comes at a time when U.S. inflation is already above the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. At its most recent meeting, the Fed opted to leave its benchmark rate alone, citing economic uncertainty caused by instability in the Middle East and still-elevated inflation.

Lower interest rates can boost the economy and hiring, but also tend to stoke inflation, leading a number of Federal Reserve policymakers to say they are willing to consider an interest rate hike this year.

On top of that, the recent artificial intelligence boom and the investment required to develop it could alter or even replace some jobs.

A number of high-profile companies have cut jobs recently, including Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney and Walmart.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff rollouts, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Employers added fewer than 200,000 jobs last year, compared with about 1.5 million in 2024, according to the data firm FactSet.

The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which softens some of the weekly volatility, inched down by 1,500 to 202,500.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending May 9 grew by 6,000 to 1.78 million.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are expected to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and Trump’s ballroom on Thursday. And Trump's plan to build a triumphal arch in Washington is getting a second look from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency that suggested changes before it approved the concept last month.

The Latest:

Democrats rally at Capitol against GOP funding bill

House and Senate Democrats gathered on the Capitol steps in opposition to Republicans’ funding bill for immigration enforcement.

Democrats are trying to draw a sharp contrast with the upcoming votes by highlighting how the White House has proposed including $1 billion for security for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom. Republicans are abandoning that proposal, but Democrats said Congress should be focused instead on making life affordable for everyday Americans.

“Ballroom Republicans are not working for you, they are busy fighting for Trump,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “The American people are watching and in November, they will be watching.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, for his part, said “immigration enforcement in this country should be fair. It should be just, and it should be humane.”

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Cuban government points to US airstrikes on boats in Latin American waters

Cuba is accusing the Trump administration of hypocrisy for indicting former President Raul Castro in the downing of civilian planes near its coast 30 years ago, noting that the U.S. president is responsible for many more killings of civilians in international waters this year.

“It is highly cynical that this accusation is made by the same government that has murdered nearly 200 people and destroyed 57 vessels in international waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific, far from the territory of the United States,” the Cuban government response said, adding that the killings “qualify as extrajudicial executions, in accordance with International Law, and murders, according to US laws.”

Trump has justified the attacks as necessary to stem the flow of drugs, while offering little evidence that “narcoterrorists” are in the boats.

The Pentagon inspector general announced a review of whether the attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats followed an established targeting framework, but said it would not probe the legality of the strikes, which have drawn intense scrutiny.

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Trump will ease refrigerant rule in effort to address surging grocery costs

The Trump administration is set to loosen a federal rule that requires grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said American families will see lower grocery prices as a result. Trump is scheduled to be joined by executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly and other grocery chains for Thursday’s announcement.

Just how much or how quickly loosening the refrigerant rule might ease grocery prices is unclear. The 2020 law reflected a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, that are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming.

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Timeline of relations between the US and Cuba

Trump has been escalating talk about regime change in Cuba ever since he sent the U.S. military to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Now a federal indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro is raising questions about whether Trump might try something similar in Havana.

Here’s a timeline of U.S. relations with the communist-run island, including repeated meetings with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of Castro known as “Raúlito.”

China opposes US sanctions and pressure on Cuba

“China always firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have no authorization from the United Nations Security Council and the abuse of judicial measures, and we also oppose external forces exerting pressure on Cuba under any pretext,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun said Thursday.

The U.S. should “stop wielding the stick of sanctions and judicial measures” against the country, Guo added. “China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes external interference.”

Trump’s proposed Washington arch gets another review

Trump’s plan to build a triumphal arch in Washington is getting a second look from a federal agency that suggested changes before it approved the concept last month.

The proposed 250-foot (76 meter) arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington. Critics of the project, including an overwhelming number of people who submitted public comment in April, said the arch would be taller than any other monument in the capital city and dominate the skyline.

He has said some of his other projects, such as adding a blue coating to the interior of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, will beautify the city in time for July 4 celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, approved the concept for the arch at its monthly meeting in April. Commissioners are set to consider and possibly vote on updated plans when they meet again on Thursday.

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Young Republicans wrestle with their disappointment in Trump and their party

The more than a dozen young Republicans who gathered with beers and brightly colored cocktails at a bar called dEcORa in Kentucky this week were picking apart the presidential administration they welcomed with high hopes last year.

By now, their enthusiasm for Trump had curdled into frustration. What poured out at the bar was a sense that the Republican establishment — which they initially applauded Trump for disrupting, but which some now see him sustaining — had forsaken them.

That festering feeling has widened a generational gap between younger and older conservatives as the party slowly begins to consider a future without Trump in charge.

The Republican primary defeat of Rep. Thomas Massie — who had earned a younger and anti-establishment following while feuding with Trump — cost them one of their strongest allies in Congress.

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Republicans expected to abandon $1B security proposal for White House and Trump’s ballroom

Senate Republican leaders are expected to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and Trump’s ballroom on Thursday after members of their own party questioned the timing and the lack of detail in the Secret Service request.

Pressured by the White House, Republicans have tried to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal met with backlash from some GOP lawmakers who are questioning the cost and how the taxpayer dollars would be used.

The bill’s text has not yet been released, but the Senate hopes to pass it this week and send it to the House before leaving for a weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the effort to add the security package to the bill was a “bad idea” and he does not think there is enough backing to pass it, even if the cost were reduced.

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US indictment raises pressure as Cuba's president condemns charges

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the island’s socialist government.

The indictment accuses Castro of ordering the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, who turns 95 next month, was Cuba’s defense minister at the time. The charges, which were secretly filed by a grand jury in April, included murder and destruction of an airplane. Five Cuban military pilots were also charged.

Asked to what lengths American authorities would go to bring Castro to face charges in the U.S., acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “There was a warrant issued for his arrest. So we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way.”

The charges pose a real threat, observers said, following the capture by U.S. forces in January of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to face drug charges in New York.

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“Our bid is a genuine promise for future generations,” Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said during the 90-minute debate that preceded the vote Thursday. “We want positive development for Berlin.”

Wegner’s CDU political party received support from rival SPD members and the far-right AfD for the Berlin Olympic and Paralympic plans that he first presented in May last year in the same stadium where Jesse Owens defied Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Games.

Berlin’s state government approved the concept this month for a bid that relies mostly on existing sports facilities and envisages using city landmarks such as the city park at the former airport Tempelhof.

It estimated the cost at 4.82 billion euros ($5.6 billion), with revenue of 5.24 billion euros projected, giving a net profit of around 420 million euros, with a quarter of that going to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“If we put on a summer fairy tale for the world, then it’s a chance for the world,” Wegner said.

The plans were opposed by politicians from the Left party and Greens who referred to the financial risks of hosting the Olympics and criticized what they called “empty promises” and “castles in the air,” news agency DPA reported.

Tobias Schulze of the Left party said the last three Olympic Games were more than twice as expensive as initially planned, and he pointed out that many of the proposed venues need renovation.

The bid organizers decided not to hold a referendum in contrast to organizers of three other bids from Germany.

Bids from Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia were approved in referendums, while vote-eligible people in Hamburg will have their say on that city's proposed bid on May 31.

If Hamburg's bid survives, one of the four will be selected by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) on Sep. 26 for submission to the IOC.

“On behalf of the entire German sporting community, I congratulate Berlin on this decision, which was supported by a large majority,” DOSB president Thomas Weikert said.

"The bid has already garnered significant attention and sparked new enthusiasm for sport in the capital.”

However, many Berliners are against the idea of staging the Olympics at all, regardless of them potentially taking place on the 100th anniversary of the Games already hosted by the Nazis. An initiative called “ NOlympia Berlin ” is collecting signatures in an effort to force a referendum.

Germany wants to host the Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044.

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

The gala raises money for AIDS research, and this year's extravaganza is being hosted by Geena Davis, with Robbie Williams, Lizzo and Zara Larsson expected to perform. Since 1985, amfAR has raised nearly $950 million (841 million euros) in support of its programs and has awarded more than 3,800 grants to research teams worldwide.

The Associated Press has covered the event for more than a decade, and the AP will be offering a livestream of stars arriving for the gala Thursday beginning at 1600GMT on YouTube and APNews.com.

Here’s an insider’s look at how the evening plays out.

How stars arrive at the amfAR gala

A special car pass is required to get anywhere near the exclusive Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc hotel, and taxis and limos wind their way up narrow French roads through a one-way system to reach the venue.

They then sit in a long line waiting to drop off guests at the famous gates. Signs along the route remind any impatient guests that they must not get out and attempt to walk the last 50 meters (164 feet) to the hotel.

Once inside, wristbands are assigned with a table number attached for the exclusive dinner. Guests then queue again for their moment on the red carpet with celebrities and regular guests posing shoulder to shoulder in front of branded boards. Meanwhile, the shy and thirsty sneak around the back of the red carpet and enter without fanfare or delay.

After dodging the gantlet of elaborate dress trains and those posing for selfies, guests are ushered through to the back lawn which stretches all the way down to the sea, yachts bobbing in the distance as the sun starts to go down. Bars line the route, serving cocktails, Champagne and wines whilst servers wander with trays of canapés and the DJ pumps out some chilled tunes.

The celebrity spotting at the bars is always top notch, with Spike Lee and Adrien Brody having an animated chat over a glass of Champagne last year.

Inside the gala and its famous auction

Various works of art add to the impressive backdrop, to be admired before they are sold off at the auction later in the night.

At 8 p.m. the first announcement is made telling guests to head to the tent for dinner. These announcements continue for some time, sounding more urgent as guests continue their chitchat and pose for photos with no desire to be the first to take their seats.

Once inside guests continue to mingle. Jeff Bezos was one of last year's dinner guests who attracted attention as he moved between tables.

The dinner runs long into the night, interspersed with the auction.

This year guests can bid for a walk-on part in season 6 of the hit show “Emily in Paris,” a seven-day Arctic expedition with explorer Inge Solheim, as well as artwork by Tracey Emin and Andy Warhol.

Last year's top items for sale included a Dodge Charger driven by Vin Diesel in “Fast X" that raised 475,000 euros ($536,843.)

Guests are entertained with musical performances during the meal. Last year Ciara opened the night and Adam Lambert headlined with Duran Duran, getting guests to sing along to hits like “Notorious” and “View to a Kill.”

A fashion show is a regular feature of the auction. Last year, a James Bond-inspired collection curated by Carine Roitfeld made 450,000 euros ($508,505) for the charity.

After the meal, auction and entertainment, it's time to leave the tent and head to the after-party at the hotel's swimming pool and dance into the early hours.

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Louise Dixon has covered the amfAR gala for more than a decade. Among the most memorable items she’s seen sold at auction are a game of soccer with David Beckham and his friends, a private dinner performance from Andrea Bocelli at his family home and lunch with Robert De Niro that combined have raised more than 2 million euros.

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For more coverage of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival

The Communications and Multimedia Commission said the move followed the circulation of “grossly offensive, false, menacing and insulting” content, including AI-generated videos and manipulated images linked to an account falsely claiming association with king Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.

Such matters fall within the sensitive issues of race, religion and royalty “which are highly sensitive and may undermine public order, national harmony and respect for constitutional institutions,” the regulator said in a statement.

Despite prior notifications and engagements, it said TikTok’s moderation response especially in ensuring the prompt removal of such content and preventing further dissemination was unsatisfactory.

It said TikTok — which has not publicly commented on the case — has been issued a legal notice that requires it to explain its moderation failures and undertake immediate remedial measures, including strengthening its content moderation mechanisms and improving enforcement against content that violates Malaysian laws and community standards.

The commission said social media platforms operating in Malaysia are expected to exercise greater responsibility in preventing unlawful and harmful activities on their services.

It warned it would continue to take “firm and proportionate action” to ensure digital platforms comply with their responsibilities in maintaining a safe and respectful online environment.

The move comes amid Malaysia’ s broader push to tighten oversight of digital platforms, with authorities in recent years stepping up enforcement against social media companies over harmful content, scams, online gambling and material deemed offensive or threatening to public order.

TikTok did not respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment.

What’s included in the guide:

• Hurricane Family Plan
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• Are You In A Storm Surge Area?
• Tri-County Evacuation Zones
• Tri-County Shelters, including Pet Friendly Shelters
• Special Needs Shelters
• Plan Ahead For Your Pets
• Emergency Transportation Information
• What to Keep and What to Throw Out If the Electricity Goes Out

and more ...

Click here for information on how to be prepared if you’re a caregiver to someone with dementia.

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Amid rising tensions between Cuba and the United States, the Department of Justice announced an indictment against former Cuban communist leader Raul Castro.

“It sends the right message, not only to us, but to the opposition inside Cuba,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez.

The indictment comes in connection with the deadly Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown in 1996.

“That massacre is an open wound in this community because four young, idealistic men who were known for their hard work and their seriousness were killed for trying to save the lives of others,” said Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, with the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance.

According to Brothers to the Rescue founder Jose Basulto, audio recordings of Castro, who was then head of Cuba’s military, show him ordering the attack on the humanitarian group’s planes as they searched to help Cubans at sea fleeing the communist island.

“We were attacked by Cuban MiGs,” said Basulto.

A MiG is a Soviet-designed Mikoyan-Gurevich fighter jet.

“It means a lot to me as a Cuban American because justice will finally be done,” said Bermudez, who was friends with Mario De La Pena, one of the four men killed in the Cuban attack.

“Died at a very young age, 25 years old,” said Bermudez. “It was a crime committed by the Cuban government.”

The indictment comes as Cuban democracy advocates remain steadfast in their decades-long quest for transition in Cuba from dictatorship to democracy.

“The indictment is a very important step, but of course the end goal here is the return of sovereignty to the Cuban people,” said Gutierrez-Boronat.

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“This should have been done at the moment they shot down two humanitarian planes over international waters with two fighter jets,” said Adrian Rodriguez, who came to the U.S. from Cuba 12 years ago. “That’s an act of terrorism.”

In South Florida, Café Versailles in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood has been an unofficial headquarters for Cuban-Americans and Cuban exiles.

It was the scene of a massive series of demonstrations following the death of Fidel Castro.

“Definitely, I would like to see that,” Cuban-American Roberto Somoza said when asked about Raul Castro’s indictment. “He’s a murderer. He’s been killing Cubans since 1959 and before that.”

One couple who came from Cuba to South Florida as children in 1961 spoke about what it would mean to see Raul Castro held accountable for his actions.

“I will be here celebrating that day, here at the Versailles, which is the historic capital of the exile people,” said Ana Maria Hernandez.

“I’m all for it,” added Luis Hernandez. “Especially because he’s the one that gave the order for the Brothers to the Rescue airplanes to be shot down. Two civil airplanes that were just trying to help people. He deserves the maximum penalty.”

Local 10 News reached out to the Miami Police Department for information on whether they have a plan for any large gatherings or demonstrations that may occur in the coming hours and days.

“We are not expecting any large crowds to gather at Versailles at this time, however the Miami Police Department remains prepared to ensure the safety of all participants, residents and visitors. Increased police presence will be deployed, along with traffic management measures, if needed if any affected areas.”

Miami Police Department

“We are older people now, but we were exiles when we were children,” said Ana Maria Hernandez. “In 1961, we were one of the first refugees and exiles, and we have never gone back to Cuba, never.”

Added Luis Hernandez: “It’s time for them to go to the trash can of history.”

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The reckless events, often involving drivers spinning donuts and blocking intersections across South Florida, have become a growing problem in recent years. Now, local agencies are launching a zero-tolerance enforcement campaign to stop the chaos.

“Over the past several years, we have seen several reckless driving behaviors escalate into crashes, injuries, intimidation of motorists, assaults on officers, property damage, dangerous disruptions to traffic flows,” said Fort Lauderdale police Chief Bill Schultz.

During a multi-agency news conference Wednesday, officials showed video of a recent arrest in Fort Lauderdale involving a man accused of fleeing from police and driving recklessly. Authorities said he is one of thousands of people arrested or cited across Florida this year.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said residents have been frustrated with the issue for years.

“This has been an issue close to my heart for many years because I’ve heard directly from neighbors throughout Fort Lauderdale,” Trantalis said.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there were 13,835 citations issued for street racing or stunt driving between 2020 and 2026. Officials said most participants are between 16 and 29 years old.

Fort Lauderdale police said since January 2022, officers have made 118 arrests connected to takeovers and reckless driving, along with filing 343 misdemeanor charges and 149 felony charges.

Police say they’ll continue stepping up enforcement throughout the holiday weekend, with a clear warning for anyone planning to participate.

“The message today is clear: reckless ATV, automobile, motorcycle and e-bike driving will not be tolerated in Fort Lauderdale or any of our jurisdictions in Broward County,” Schultz said.

Officials also reminded the public that even watching a street takeover as a spectator can result in a non-criminal traffic citation.

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Trump spoke outside Air Force One on Wednesday, as he weighed in on the historic indictment, calling it a significant moment for many people.

“It’s not going to be like the biggest thing we’ve ever done, but I can tell you to a lot of people, it’s going to be one of the most important,” he said. “They have been looking for this moment for 65 years.”

The comments came as Rubio marked Cuban Independence Day with a video message directed at the people of Cuba.

“In the U.S., we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries,” he said. “And, currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”

Rubio blamed Cuba’s communist leadership for keeping resources such as food, gas and electricity from the Cuban people. He said the U.S. blockade has only exaggerated the problem.

Trump also spoke about the Cuban people and the large Cuban-American community in Miami.

“No energy at all, but they do have great people, a lot of great people,” he said. “I have so many Cuban friends, mostly in Miami in Florida, and they are unbelievable people and they want to go back. Hopefully they’re going to want to live here, but they want to go back. Maybe they’ll invest. We’ll see what happens.”

On Capitol Hill, South Florida Republicans reacted strongly to the federal indictment, with U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, (R-Florida), saying, “We’ve been waiting for this day.”

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, (R-Florida), called the case “premeditated murder.”

“We have a different president now -- we have a president who is not willing to look the other way,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott also weighed in.

“What they started in Venezuela, and now they’re doing here, to make sure we starve the regime of resources,” he said.

Yet like other major retailers posting financial results this week, Walmart was cautious about the rest of the year given the current economic uncertainty. On Thursday, it issued a forecast for the current quarter that was weaker than what Wall Street had been expecting.

Shares slipped more than 6% Thursday.

Walmart has resonated with many Americans who are increasingly careful about where they spend their money as inflation takes a bigger bite out of paychecks, notably gasoline which has soared since the start of the Iran war in late February. Walmart can serve as a barometer of consumer spending given its vast customer base. More than 150 million customers are on its website or in its stores every week, according to Walmart.

One telling shift during the quarter that captures the stress many Americans are feeling: The number of gallons that customers put in their cars during visits to U.S. Walmart and Sam’s Club gas stations fell below 10 for the first time since 2022, which was the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That’s an indication of stress,” said Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey.

Walmart touted strong sales that were fueled by online shopping on Thursday.

Comparable sales at U.S. Walmart stores rose 4.1% during the three-month period ended April 30. Walmart’s U.S online sales rose 26%, the company said.

Walmart’s promise of lower prices, faster delivery and a refresh of its merchandise has attracted wealthier shoppers. The biggest gains in market share for Walmart are coming from households with annual income over $100,000. That shift is taking place as lower-income shoppers become more entrenched in what economists collectively call a K-shaped economy.

“We see with our customers that the high-income customer is spending with confidence into many categories, while the lower income consumer is more budget conscious and perhaps navigating financial distress,” Rainey told analysts on Thursday.

U.S. retailers have spent months navigating an uncertain economic environment, from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to the impact of soaring gasoline prices due to the war. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline raced higher this week and did so again overnight. Gasoline prices are about 45% above where they were at this time last year.

Based on quarterly financial reports this week from Walmart, as well as Target, Home Depot, Lowe's and TJX, shoppers are cautious but still spending, helped by more generous tax refunds. Yet there is a widespread belief among economists that once those refunds dry up, shoppers will pull back on spending. Consumer spending is the dominant economic engine for the U.S., and retreat would have broad implications for the U.S.

Target reported the largest jump in comparable sales in four years Wednesday, but a cautious outlook overshadowed rather convincing evidence that changes under the company’s new CEO are landing solidly with customers. Target raised its annual revenue outlook Wednesday, but it was still below the pace of its first quarter this year.

The nation’s two largest home improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s reported strong sales, but both companies said that customers are putting off larger home projects.

“I think, overall, this has been the most difficult housing market that I’ve faced in this business since the financial crisis,” Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison said this week.

Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas reported first-quarter earnings of $5.33 billion, or 67 cents, for the quarter ended April 30. Adjusted per-share results were 66 cents, matching the 66 cents that analysts expected, according to FactSet.

For the year-ago quarter, the company reported net income of $4.48 billion, or 56 cents per share.

Sales rose 7.3% to $177.75 billion in the fiscal first quarter, above the $174.84 billion that analysts predicted.

Walmart said higher fuel prices took a bite out of profits as it was forced to absorb higher transportation costs.

The company highlighted its speedier deliveries, which is driving more shoppers to buy more often. Rainey said that roughly 60% of U.S. online deliveries arrive at customers' homes in 30 minutes or less.

For the second quarter, Walmart expects sales to be 4% to 5% higher than the same period a year ago. It also expects per-share profit to be between 72 cents and 74 cents. Analysts had been projecting per-share earns of 75 cents on sales of $186.2 billion, according to FactSet.

Walmart stuck to the annual guidance that it issued in February.

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The charges stem from the Cuban Air Force shooting down two Brothers to the Rescue airplanes in February of 1996, an operation that Castro is accused of ordering.

RELATED VIDEOS: Watch the speeches during Raul Castro indictment announcement at Freedom Tower

There are also ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, which some fear could lead to military action.

Joining Local 10 News to discuss the indictment and continuing unrest between the nations was John Suarez, the Executive Director at the Center for Free Cuba.

Suarez spoke to Local 10’s Kristi Krueger and Eric Yutzy, and their full conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

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Cuban exiles calling for Raúl Castro to be brought to justice arrive at Miami’s Freedom Tower

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Richard Knight, 47, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Knight was sentenced to death after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 2006 for the deaths of Odessia Stephens and her four-year-old child, Hanessia Mullings.

This would be Florida’s seventh execution so far this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions.

According to court records, Knight had been living in Coral Springs, near Fort Lauderdale, with his cousin, his cousin’s girlfriend and their daughter in June 2000. Knight and Stephens frequently argued about Knight living there. One evening while Knight’s cousin was at work, Stephens told Knight that he would need to move out the next morning. Knight became angry and stabbed Stephens multiple times and then attacked the young girl, officials said.

While being held at the Broward County Jail following his arrest, Knight confessed the killings to another inmate, who testified against Knight during his trial.

The Florida Supreme Court denied Knight’s appeals last Friday. The court rejected his claim of newly discovered evidence, pointing out that an unidentified fingerprint found on a knife at the murder scene was known about and addressed during Knight’s original trial. The court also rejected claims based on Florida’s execution protocols and warrant process.

A final appeal was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each.

An execution was scheduled for Thursday in Tennessee. And another execution is planned in Florida on June 2. Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, was convicted of fatally beating of his girlfriend’s infant daughter in 1996.

All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The proposed 250-foot (76 meter) arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

He has said some of his other projects, such as adding a blue coating to the interior of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, will beautify the city in time for July 4 celebrations of America's 250th birthday.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump, approved the concept for the arch at its monthly meeting in April. Commissioners are set to consider and possibly vote on updated plans when they meet again on Thursday.

As presented to the federal agency, the arch itself would stand 250 feet tall (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure on top of the structure. The statue would be flanked on top by two eagles and guarded at the base by four lions — all gilded. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.

A public observation deck on top would provide 360-degree views of the surroundings.

The commission’s vice chairman, architect James McCrery II, said in April that he preferred the arch without the figures on top. Removing them would significantly reduce the arch's height by about 80 feet (24.4 meters). Critics of the project, including an overwhelming number of people who submitted public comment in April, said the arch would be taller than any other monument in the capital city and dominate the skyline.

At a height of 250 feet, the arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and be close to half the height of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.

McCrery also recommended that the lions on the base be removed because that animal is “not a beast natural to the North American continent.” And he objected to plans for an underground tunnel for pedestrians to get to the arch, which would be built on a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Preliminary surveys and testing of the site began last week.

A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block construction on grounds that the arch would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, among other reasons.

Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have argued that Washington is the only major Western world capital without such an arch. Burgum's department includes the National Park Service, which manages the plot where Trump wants to put the arch.

Trump's rehab of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is also the subject of a court challenge brought by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which said the administration’s moves to repaint the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue without first undergoing relevant reviews ran afoul of federal preservation laws governing historic sites.

The nonprofit group argued in a lawsuit filed last week that the changes at the Reflecting Pool are part of Trump’s broader effort to push through dramatic renovations in Washington without proper reviews and undermine the tone of the area.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for Thursday afternoon in federal court in Washington.

The vote is the latest effort by Democrats to rein in Trump's military campaigns by using the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Previous votes on similar resolutions have failed, but Democrats are hoping that Thursday could be a turning point.

One by one, a small but potentially crucial number of Republicans have sided with Democrats to check Trump's power to continue the conflict. On Tuesday, the Senate advanced another war powers resolution on the Iran war when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.

A final vote on the Senate resolution could also come Thursday, though Republican leaders expect they'll be able to block it once every GOP senator is present.

Frustration with Iran war grows on Capitol Hill

On Capitol Hill, patience with the war has grown thin as the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices in the U.S. Another House war powers resolution nearly passed last week, falling on a tie vote as three Republicans voted in favor.

Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who sponsored the war powers resolution, has said he expects to have the votes this time around.

“Congress has a constitutional duty. It has a duty to act, not to cheerlead, especially not to cheerlead an open-ended war of choice,” Meeks said.

The lone Democrat who voted against the war powers resolution last week, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has said he will vote in favor of the legislation this time. Meanwhile, leaders of both parties have been dealing with several absences that could shift the vote either way in the closely divided chamber.

Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump's efforts to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, but some are now saying that the president's legal timeline to wage a war without congressional approval has expired. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, presidents have 60 days to engage in a military conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force.

“We have to follow the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican shortly after he voted for an Iran war powers resolution for the first time last week.

The dispute over war powers

The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no longer apply because of the ceasefire with Iran. At the same time, Trump has said he was just an hour away from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this week, but held off because Gulf allies said they were engaged in negotiations to end the war.

Still, Trump said on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has so far voted against the war powers resolutions, expressed frustration with the Trump administration's stance, especially from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,” Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an authorization for use of military force.

Meanwhile, Democratic senators rallied outside the Capitol Wednesday alongside VoteVets, a left-leaning veterans’ advocacy group. They placed signs on the Capitol lawn noting that the nationwide average price of gasoline had risen to $4.53.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who served in the Iraq War with the Air National Guard, argued that the Iran war has amounted to a strategic blunder for Trump.

“Trump started a war, and he’s made things worse than before,” Duckworth said, pointing to Iran's new leadership and the country's willingness to put a chokehold on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Republican leaders praised Trump for taking what they said was bold action to directly confront Iran, a nation that has been a U.S. adversary for decades.

“I’m an American. I don’t believe in getting hit and walking away and pretending as though it didn’t happen,” said Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

For Congress, the growing momentum to pass a war powers resolution could eventually lead to a legal showdown over who has the final authority over military conflicts.

The legislation before the House Thursday is a concurrent resolution that lawmakers say would take effect without Trump's signature if it passes both chambers of Congress.

But Trump has also argued that the 1973 law — passed by Congress during the Vietnam War era in an attempt to take back its power over foreign conflicts — is unconstitutional.

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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

“The situation is worrying because this is gaining momentum,” Hama Amado, a field coordinator in the city of Bunia for the Alima aid group, told The Associated Press. “This is spreading in many areas. So everyone must mobilize.”

He added: “We are still far from saying that the situation is under control.”

There is no available vaccine or medicine for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak, which spread undetected for weeks following the first known death while authorities tested for a more common Ebola virus.

Healthcare workers and aid groups are struggling to respond as experts say the outbreak is much larger than what has been officially reported. Authorities have so far announced 139 suspected deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases.

On Thursday, the M23 rebel group that controls parts of eastern Congo reported a confirmed case near the major city of Bukavu, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the outbreak’s epicenter in Ituri Pronvince. The person died, M23 said in a statement.

As well as Ituri, other cases have been confirmed in North Kivu province and two in Uganda. But the announcement by M23 was the first confirmation of a case in South Kivu.

Health officials have not yet found “patient zero,” according to the World Health Organization, which has said that the threat of a global spread of the outbreak is low.

The outbreak in Congo has had wider repercussions.

India and ​the ⁠African Union said Thursday that the ⁠India-Africa ⁠Forum Summit, scheduled to be held next week in ‌New ​Delhi, had been postponed due to ⁠the “evolving health situation in parts of Africa.”

On Wednesday, Congo’s soccer team canceled a three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital Kinshasa because of the Ebola outbreak.

Early detection is key

While almost 20 tons of aid has been airlifted to Bunia, the site of the first known death last month, doctors using out-of-date facemasks were tending to suspected Ebola patients in general wards because of the lack of isolation space.

Early detection of the virus is key in saving lives, but the region's already weak health infrastructure and surveillance capacity has been further weakened by international aid cuts, experts say. There are over 920,000 internally displaced people in Ituri, according to the U.N.

“Communities in eastern DRC are already facing immense pressure from conflict, displacement, and a collapsing health system,” said Dr. Lievin Bangali, Senior Health Coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in DRC. “Years of underfunding, compounded by recent cuts to front line health and outbreak preparedness programming, have weakened the ability to detect and respond to outbreaks quickly.”

The group said it had to stop its surveillance activities in three out of five areas in Ituri over the last year because of funding cuts.

A mother watches her son ‘bleeding and vomiting’

At a treatment center in Rwampara, near Bunia, healthcare workers in protective gear handled the bodies of suspected Ebola victims.

Families who tend to wash loved ones’ bodies themselves watched on as workers disinfected the corpses and placed them into coffins to be taken to secure burial sites. Some relatives burst into tears.

The disease struck suddenly, they said, describing a rapid deterioration after symptoms were mistaken for illnesses such as malaria.

“He told me his heart was hurting,” said Botwine Swanze, who lost her son. “Then he started crying because of the pain. Then he started bleeding and vomiting a lot.”

The Ebola virus is highly contagious and spreads in people through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, feces or semen. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

‘We have no protection’

Schools and churches remain open in Bunia. Some residents have started wearing facemasks, which have become harder to find.

“It’s truly sad and painful because we’ve already been through a security crisis, and now Ebola is here too,” said Justin Ndasi, a resident.

A Doctors Without Borders team identified suspected cases over the weekend at the city’s Salama hospital but found no available isolation ward in the area, Trish Newport, an emergency program manager, said on social media.

“Every health facility they called said, ‘We’re full of suspect cases. We don’t have any space.’ This gives you a vision of how crazy it is right now,” she said.

In Bambu General Hospital elsewhere in Ituri, suspected Ebola patients shared a ward with others.

In Mongbwalu, where the body of the first known death was taken, the nearby border with Uganda remains open and gold mining continues, said Chérubin Kuku Ndilawa, a civil society leader, highlighting the difficulty of containing the virus.

At Mongbwalu General Hospital, Dr. Didier Pay said they were treating around 30 Ebola patients. A student from the local medical technology institute died on Wednesday.

“The patients are scattered here and there in rather unusual conditions,” Dr. Richard Lokudu, the hospital’s medical director, told the AP. He said if they didn't get help setting up new facilities they could be “completely overwhelmed.”

WHO chief says the ‘scale of the epidemic is much larger’

WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic” and it's likely much larger than the official case count. WHO’s chief in Congo said the outbreak could last at least two months.

Investigations are continuing into the source of the outbreak, but “given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago,” said Anaïs Legand, a viral hemorrhagic fevers expert at the WHO.

The London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis estimates that cases have been substantially undercounted and that the actual number could already exceed 1,000.

Insecurity continues

Long the scene of attacks by an array of armed groups, the region’s volatility now further complicates efforts to handle the crisis. Local leaders said an attack by militants linked to the Islamic State group killed at least 17 people on Tuesday in Alima, a village in Ituri.

Fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has ties to IS, killed civilians with machetes and firearms, burned down houses and business and took several people hostage. Civil society groups warned of other villages in the region facing a threat of attack.

The number of ADF fighters in Congo is unclear, but they are a significant presence in the region and regularly attack civilians. Another armed group that is active in the region is CODECO, a loose association of militia groups.

Ladd Serwat, a security analyst, said he would be “especially worried about an opportunistic attack on healthcare workers” if the outbreak spreads into rebel areas.

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Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal and Imray from Cape Town, South Africa. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Jean Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo; and Wilson McMakin in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The government released confidential papers related to the appointment in response to legislation passed by Parliament after lawmakers accused the king’s brother of putting his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ahead of the nation. The former prince was stripped of his royal titles, including Duke of York, last year and is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests,” the head of Britain’s trade body wrote to two senior cabinet ministers on Feb. 25, 2000.

The queen worried about her son

The involvement of the late queen confirms previously held beliefs that the monarch had a soft spot for her second son, which may have influenced her lack of decisiveness in dealing with allegations about his links to Epstein. Royal commentators have for years suggested that the queen should have moved quicker to remove her son from royal duties, and her failure to do so tarnished the monarchy.

Mountbatten-Windsor served as Britain’s special envoy for international trade from 2001 to 2011, when he was forced to give up the role because of concerns about his links to questionable figures in Libya and Azerbaijan.

If nothing else, the documents suggest Elizabeth worried about him, said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London.

“It's like, in a sense, if the queen makes it clear that that’s her wish, that’s the end of the argument,'' Prescott said. "Her Majesty’s civil service, as it was then, would have to deal with it on that basis.”

Lawmakers approved a motion in February demanding publication of the documents after the former prince was arrested and questioned for several hours on allegations he shared government reports with Epstein while he was trade envoy.

Documents suggest Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed with little due diligence

Trade Minister Chris Bryant said in a written statement to lawmakers that “we have found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken” before Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to the role of special trade envoy.

“There is also no evidence that this was considered. This is understandable since this new appointment was a continuation of the royal family’s involvement in trade and investment promotion work following the Duke of Kent’s decision to relinquish his duties as Vice-Chairman of the Overseas Trade Board,” he said.

He said that the government was cooperating with Thames Valley Police on their investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor and possible misconduct in public office.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles late last year as the U.S. Justice Department prepared to release millions of pages of documents related to its investigation of Epstein. Those files showed how the wealthy financier used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women and girls.

Nowhere has the fallout from the document release been felt more strongly than in the U.K., where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential business owners, known collectively as “the Establishment.”

Mountbatten-Windsor has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Officials did suggest not offering the former prince golf trips

There were hints, however, that some had misgivings about giving Mountbatten-Windsor the high-profile trade role, where his effectiveness relied on his credibility. The back and forth suggested that while officials may not have questioned his appointment, they were involved in making suggestions about what he shouldn't be allowed to do in the role.

Kathryn Colvin, head of protocol at the Foreign Office, wrote in a January 2000 memo that Andrew’s private secretary “asked that the Duke of York should not be offered golfing functions abroad. This was a private activity and if he took his clubs with him he would not play in any public sense.”

Another document, a government memo sent to U.K. trade staff around the world, warned that Mountbatten-Windsor’s “high public profile” will require “careful and sometimes strict media management.”

“As a net energy importer, the EU’s economy is highly susceptible to the energy shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East,” the commission said in a statement Thursday. The rising cost of fuel "means higher household bills and surging business costs that reduce profits for many industries.”

The commission’s spring forecast lowered the outlook for growth in the 21 countries that use the euro to 0.9% for this year, from 1.2% in its autumn forecast, and to 1.2% from 1.4% for 2027. Inflation is now expected to reach 3.0% for 2026, up from the earlier forecast of 1.9%.

The new inflation figure exceeds the inflation goal of 2% set by the European Central Bank, and higher inflation expectations have led to predictions the ECB will raise its interest rate benchmarks this year to combat inflation.

Oil prices rose sharply after risk of Iranian drone and speedboat attacks closed off most ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the sea passage for about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas. On top of that, news of the war has shaken consumer confidence, which fell to a 40-month low amid mounting fears of job losses and higher inflation.

Still, the commission said the economy will continue to show modest growth and avoid an outright recession.

It warned however that a downside scenario of a prolonged period of higher energy prices would push growth lower and inflation higher.

The new inflation figure exceeds the inflation goal of 2% set by the European Central Bank, and higher inflation expectations have led to predictions the ECB will raise its interest rate benchmarks this year to combat inflation.

The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery, located more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia, Zelenskyy said on social media, where he posted a video of the aftermath.

It was not possible to verify the video or independently confirm the attack. The governor of Russia’s Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that two people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran but he didn’t mention the refinery. Russia’s Astra news outlet said that Ukrainian drones struck the Syzran refinery owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft.

Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities, deploying eye-catching drone and missile technology that it has developed domestically as it battles to defeat Russia’s 4-year-old invasion. Ukrainian weaponry and expertise are now sought by other countries, whereas earlier in the war Kyiv had to plead for massive foreign military aid.

Ukrainian drones hit another refinery the previous day, Zelenskyy said, as attacks on Russian oil assets that play a key part in funding the invasion have become almost daily occurrences.

“Overall, our long-range plan for May is being carried out largely in full,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post late Wednesday. “The key targets are Russian oil refineries, storage facilities, and other infrastructure tied to these oil revenues.”

The escalating attacks have hurt Moscow’s revenue at the same time as it feels the economic pinch of international sanctions. With some attacks reaching more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) into Russian soil, the strikes have contributed to some Russians feeling unsafe due to the war and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine’s new reach has also helped it push Russian troops back along parts of the front line, with Ukrainian forces making their most significant battlefield gains since 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

“Ukraine’s intensified midrange strike campaign against Russian logistics, military equipment, and manpower since early 2026 has also degraded Russian forces’ ability to conduct offensive operations across the theater and has also likely supported recent Ukrainian advances,” the Washington-based think tank said in an assessment late Wednesday.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 121 Ukrainian drones between late Wednesday and early Thursday.

In the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, eight people were injured by Ukrainian drones, according to the regional governor, Alexander Shuvayev.

Russia has also invested heavily in drones, using them to bombard civilian areas of Ukraine throughout the war and killing more than 15,000 civilians, according to the United Nations.

Ukraine’s air force said Thursday it shot down 109 out of 116 drones that Russia launched overnight.

One civilian was killed and at least six others were wounded in the strikes in the north, south and east of the country, emergency services said.

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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

During Trump’s visit, China sought to stabilize ties with the United States, while Putin’s trip served to deepen its strategic partnership with Russia.

Xi emphasized ceremonial hospitality during Trump’s visit, including a rare tour of Zhongnanhai, a former imperial garden that now serves as headquarters of China’s top leadership. Beijing understood Trump valued highly visible displays of respect, said George Chen, partner for Greater China practice for The Asia Group. “Xi knows this is what Trump values: being treated like a VIP, respected in front of the cameras.”

With Putin, Chen said, Xi switched to substance. “Reaffirming the friendship treaty, signing new energy deals, and re-emphasizing their ‘no limits’ partnership,” he added.

The similarities and contrasts began with the schedule

The differences between the two visits began with their length: The U.S. president stayed in China for three days, while Putin’s visit lasted two.

Both leaders were welcomed at Tiananmen Square with ceremonial guards, a military band and children waving flags.

Both also held closed-door meetings with Xi at the Great Hall of the People, next to the square.

Trump also received a private tour of the Temple of Heaven and walked through the imperial gardens of Zhongnanhai.

Putin, instead, spent much of his time with Xi inside the Great Hall of the People, where the two presidents toured a photo exhibition on China-Russia relations and later had tea.

Last week’s trip was Trump’s second visit to China as president. For Putin, it was his 25th visit to the country.

The clearest divide came in the messaging

The main contrast between the two summits was in their messaging.

With Trump, Xi focused on the need to maintain a relatively stable relationship after months of tensions and a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. He urged the U.S. president to see China as a partner rather than a rival, and both leaders agreed to work toward what they described as “a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.”

With Putin, Xi sought to reinforce and deepen a longstanding partnership that is both strategic and economically important for the two countries.

While the U.S. and China are still trying to stabilize their trade ties, Moscow and Beijing reaffirmed their relationship as essential partners. Putin said the “driving force” of the relationship was the energy sector, particularly oil and gas.

Xi signed agreements with only one of the presidents

China and Russia reached more than 40 cooperation agreements covering areas including trade, technology and media exchanges. The two leaders also signed a joint declaration describing Russia and China as “important centers of power in a multipolar world.”

Trump and Xi, by contrast, did not sign a joint declaration or oversee the signing of any agreements publicly during the visit. It was only after the U.S. president left Beijing that the two countries announced the details of several accords, with Washington saying China had agreed to buy U.S. agricultural products at an annualized rate of $17 billion and purchase 200 Boeing jets.

“China and Russia reached more agreements, and with China and the U.S., what are the agreements? Even that is not very clear,” said Claus Soong, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin.

But Lyle Morris, senior fellow on Chinese national security and foreign policy at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, said the biggest surprise from the Xi-Putin meetings was that it appears no formal deal was signed for the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline plan, which could send gas from Russia to China through Mongolia.

“This is a huge setback for Russia and Putin,” he said.

Putin and Trump have different stances on Taiwan

Moscow is closely aligned with Beijing on the issue of Taiwan, the island democracy China claims as its own. Meanwhile, the U.S. maintains an intentionally ambiguous stance on the island and serves as its main informal backer and arms provider.

Xi made it clear to Trump that Taiwan is the most important issue in the bilateral relationship and warned that mishandling U.S. ties with the self-governing island could lead to confrontation between the two countries.

Trump did not publicly address Taiwan during the visit. But on his way back to the United States, he described arms sales to Taiwan as a “very good negotiating chip” with China, comments that stirred anxieties on the island.

With Putin, there was no sign of disagreement over the issue.

In the joint declaration signed by Xi and Putin, Russia reiterated its opposition to Taiwanese independence “in any form” and voiced support for what it described as China’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and achieve “national unification.”

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, both sides also raised concerns over what they called “accelerated remilitarization” of Japan, against the backdrop of strained China-Japan ties over Taiwan.

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Leung reported from Hong Kong, and Mistreanu from Bangkok.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “all foreign activists” from the flotilla had been deported. They were being flown out of Israel from a civilian airport near the southern Israeli city of Eilat, according to the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah.

The group said one participant, Zohar Regev, who holds Israeli citizenship, was released following a court hearing in the southern city of Ashkelon on charges of illegal entry into Israel and unlawful stay. Regev has taken part in previous flotillas to Gaza.

Netanyahu calls for quick deportation after rebuking security minister

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he instructed that the activists be deported “as soon as possible,” after sharply rebuking Israel’s national security minister for a provocative video showing the minister taunting detained flotilla activists who were handcuffed and kneeling.

Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters,” the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”

Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesday showing him walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees. In one, activists with their hands tied behind their backs are kneeling, their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area on the deck of a ship.

Several countries, including Britain, France and Portugal, summoned Israeli envoys on Thursday over concerns about the treatment of flotilla activists and in protest of Ben-Gvir’s actions.

“The actions of Mr. Ben-Gvir toward the passengers of the Global Sumud flotilla, condemned even by his own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable,” French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. Turkey, Greece, Italy and Indonesia also condemned Israel for Ben-Gvir's comments and the treatment of flotilla activists.

Turkey sends planes to retrieve activists

Turkey was sending planes to retrieve Turkish citizens and others who participated in the flotilla, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday. Around 85 Turkish nationals took part in the latest flotilla, according to Turkish media.

Dozens of the activists' boats began setting sail from Spain to Gaza in April, with organizers saying they want to draw renewed attention to the conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel stopped 20 vessels from the group on April 30 near the southern Greek island of Crete and forced most of its activists to disembark there.

Israel took two high profile activists — Spanish-Swedish citizen Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel where they were interrogated and detained for around a week before being deported.

The activists accused Israel of torture, claims Israel denies. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens.

Participants then regrouped and more than 50 boats departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris on May 14. Israeli forces began stopping the boats around 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline, off the coast of Cyprus, according to the flotilla’s website.

Israel has repeatedly blocked similar attempts

Israel's Foreign Ministry has called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a tiny, symbolic amount of aid.

This week, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “pro-terror.”

Last year Israeli authorities blocked a similar attempt involving about 50 vessels and some 500 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

Blockade of Gaza in place since 2007

Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it after the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.

Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel says it’s intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t give a breakdown between civilians and combatants. It is staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. ___ AP journalists Andrew Wilks in Istanbul; Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Lawmakers approved a motion in February demanding publication of the documents after the one-time prince, now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on charges related to allegations that he shared government reports with Epstein while he was trade envoy.

The move followed the U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein. Those files showed how the wealthy financier used an international web of rich, powerful friends to gain influence and sexually exploit young women and girls.

Nowhere has the fallout from the document release been felt more strongly than in the U.K., where the scandal has raised questions about the way power is wielded by the aristocracy, senior politicians and influential businessmen, known collectively as “the Establishment.”

During the parliamentary debate on Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein, government ministers and other lawmakers demanded more accountability from the royal family.

Trade Minister Chris Bryant said Mountbatten-Windsor was engaged in a constant “self-enriching hustle’’ during his time as a working member of the royal family.

Mountbatten-Windsor was a “rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest,” Bryant said at the time.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal title last year as King Charles III tried to insulate the monarchy from the growing fallout from the Epstein scandal. The former prince served as a special envoy for international trade from 2001 to 2011, when he was forced to give up the role because of concerns about his links to questionable figures in Libya and Azerbaijan.

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This version corrects that the release is set to happen Thursday, not Wednesday.

A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Thursday said Tonzang, near the border with India, was captured by the army on Wednesday after 10 days of operations to retake it. The paper published photos of soldiers who recaptured the town in front of the township’s administrative office and other departments.

That report came a day after Myanma Alinn reported that the army on Tuesday retook control of Mawtaung, a strategically important border town for trade with Thailand, after a two-week operation.

The army’s recapture of Tonzang in northwestern Chin state and Mawtaung in the southern Tanintharyi region come as the army has regained the upper hand in the nationwide conflict since mid-2025, after China-brokered ceasefires and a conscription-driven increase in troop numbers.

The moves also come a month after Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military-backed government, invited the country’s armed resistance groups to fresh peace talks.

Chin and Tanintharyi have seen intense conflict since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and many parts of the country are now enmeshed in civil war.

Tonzang, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of the Indian border, had since May 2024 been under the control of the allied Chin ethnic militias and local resistance forces.

Mawtaung, about 630 kilometers (390 miles) southeast of Yangon, the country’s largest city, has been under the control of the Karen National Union and other local resistance groups.

After more than 207 armed engagements, the bodies of 24 members of the KNU and its allies were recovered and their ammunition supplies were captured, the newspaper report said, adding that some members of the security forces were also killed.

The KNU and other local resistance groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Restrictions on reporting make independent confirmation of the recaptures of the towns virtually impossible, though the army’s claim has not been challenged.

El Departamento Meteorológico de India pronosticó temperaturas máximas para el jueves que rondan los 45 grados Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) en la capital, Nueva Delhi, donde las autoridades han abierto “zonas de enfriamiento” temporales para ayudar a la gente a sobrellevar la situación.

La agencia meteorológica advirtió que es probable que estas condiciones persistan en varias regiones del norte durante los próximos días, con temperaturas muy por encima de los promedios estacionales. Las autoridades instaron a la población a permanecer en interiores durante las horas punta y a tomar precauciones contra enfermedades relacionadas con el calor.

India declara una ola de calor cuando las temperaturas superan los 40º C (104º F) en las llanuras y alcanzan los 30º C (86º F) o más en sus regiones montañosas.

El calor intenso altera la vida diaria

El calor extremo ha alterado la vida cotidiana en varios estados del norte.

En algunas zonas de Uttar Pradesh, el estado más poblado de India, las carreteras y los mercados cierran por las tardes porque la gente se queda en casa, mientras algunos comerciantes trasladan su trabajo a las primeras horas de la mañana. Los agricultores han empezado a trabajar de noche porque las condiciones diurnas se volvieron insoportables.

El calor también afectó a las escuelas, y las autoridades de varias zonas anunciaron vacaciones de verano anticipadas y suspendieron las clases, después de que la temperatura máxima se disparó hasta 48,2º C (118,8º F) el martes en la ciudad de Banda.

Las autoridades sanitarias instan a la población a evitar salir al exterior durante las horas pico de la tarde, a mantenerse hidratada y a buscar ayuda médica si presentan síntomas como mareos o fiebre alta.

Los refugios refrigerados ofrecen alivio

En Nueva Delhi, residentes y turistas buscaron aliviarse del calor en las zonas de enfriamiento instaladas en toda la capital. El espacio sombreado cuenta con enfriadores de aire, ventiladores, agua potable y soluciones de rehidratación oral para ayudar a la gente a enfrentar el calor extremo.

Dentro de una de esas carpas el miércoles, la gente descansaba junto a los enfriadores de aire mientras funcionarios distribuían vasos de agua mezclada con sales de rehidratación.

“Habíamos venido aquí de paseo. Pero hace demasiado calor. El sistema de enfriamiento aquí nos viene bien”, señaló Basharat Ahmad Malla, un turista de 25 años.

El calor extremo, ligado al calentamiento global

Expertos en clima señalan que el aumento de las temperaturas en India forma parte de un patrón global más amplio vinculado al cambio climático.

India ha enfrentado olas de calor más frecuentes e intensas en los últimos años, y todos sus años más cálidos registrados han ocurrido en la última década.

“India se ha calentado considerablemente como resultado del cambio climático antropogénico (provocado por el ser humano) en la última década en comparación con años anteriores. El noroeste de India se ha calentado mucho más rápido que muchas otras partes del país”, manifestó Anjal Prakash, autor de varios informes climáticos de Naciones Unidas y profesor de políticas públicas en la Universidad Flame, en Pune.

Prakash indicó que India está acostumbrada al calor del verano, pero “el cambio climático está inclinando la balanza hacia episodios extremos y generalizados como los que vemos ahora”.

Estudios de expertos en salud pública hallaron que hasta 1.116 personas han muerto cada año entre 2008 y 2019 debido al calor. Especialistas en salud pública sostienen que la cifra real de muertes relacionadas con el calor probablemente se cuente por miles, pero como el calor a menudo no figura en los certificados de defunción, muchos de esos decesos no se contabilizan en las cifras oficiales.

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Los periodistas de The Associated Press Biswajeet Banerjee en Lucknow, Piyush Nagpal en Nueva Delhi y Sibi Arasu en Bengaluru contribuyeron a este despacho.

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

The India Meteorological Department forecast maximum temperatures Thursday of around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the capital, New Delhi, where authorities have opened temporary “cooling zones” to help people cope.

The weather department warned conditions will likely persist across several northern regions in the coming days, with temperatures staying well above seasonal averages. Authorities urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and take precautions against heat-related illnesses.

India declares a heat wave whenever temperatures are above 40 C (104 F) in the plains and 30 C (86 F) or more in its hilly regions.

Severe heat disrupts daily life

The extreme heat has disrupted daily life across several northern states.

In some parts of Uttar Pradesh state, India’s most populous, roads and markets have closed in the afternoons as people stayed indoors while some traders shifted work to early mornings. Farmers began working at night because daytime conditions became unbearable.

The heat also disrupted schools, with authorities in several areas announcing early summer vacations and suspending classes as the maximum temperature shot up to 48.2 C (118.8 F) on Tuesday in the city of Banda.

Health authorities urged people to avoid going outdoors during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated and seek medical help if they experience symptoms such as dizziness or high fever.

Cooling shelters offer relief

In New Delhi, residents and tourists sought relief from the heat inside cooling shelters set up across the capital. The shaded space provides air coolers, fans, drinking water and oral rehydration solutions to help people deal with the extreme heat.

Inside one tent on Wednesday, people rested beside air coolers as officials distributed cups of water mixed with rehydration salts.

“We had come here for outing. But it is too hot here. The cooling system here is good for us,” said Basharat Ahmad Malla, a 25-year-old tourist.

Extreme heat tied to global warming

Climate experts say India’s rising temperatures are part of a broader global pattern linked to climate change.

India has faced more frequent and intense heat waves in recent years, with all of its warmest years on record occurring in the last decade.

“India has warmed considerably as a result of anthropogenic (human-made) climate change in the last decade compared to previous years. Northwestern India has warmed much faster than many other parts of the country,” said Anjal Prakash, author of several United Nations climate reports and professor of public policy at Pune-based Flame University.

Prakash said India is accustomed to summer heat but “climate change is loading the dice towards extreme and pervasive episodes like those we see now.”

Studies by public health experts found that up to 1,116 people have died every year between 2008 and 2019 due to heat. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands, but because heat is often not listed on death certificates, many deaths are not counted in official figures.

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Associated Press journalists Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi, and Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India, contributed to this report.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin added the 64-year-old Orgeron to the staff as a special assistant to recruiting and defense. Orgeron worked under Kiffin at Southern California and Tennessee.

“I’m excited to bring Coach Orgeron back to LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement. “He brings us tremendous value with his ability to recruit elite players nationally, but especially the impact he can have for us recruiting the great state of Louisiana.

"Coach O understands my expectations and commitment to being a championship program. I look forward to seeing him with recruits and his intensity working with our defensive players.”

Orgeron spent six seasons as LSU's head coach. He was fired after the 2021 season.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

While pitching and hitting in the same game for the first time in four weeks, Ohtani homered on the first pitch of the night and then threw five innings of three-hit ball in Los Angeles' 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

After launching his eighth homer of the season and then lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.73, Ohtani took satisfaction in doing it all even on a night when he didn't feel sharp on the mound.

But in a series-clinching victory over the rival Padres, Ohtani still did enough in both areas to carry the back-to-back World Series champions yet again.

Ohtani said through his interpreter that he had “a lot of uncertainty coming into this outing, because the feel wasn’t great. And so the results were good, but as you saw, the process wasn’t that great. ... I have a pretty high standard in terms of performance, so it didn’t really match."

Two-way superstardom is a burden unique to Ohtani, and he hasn’t been shouldering it as effortlessly as usual this season. While his pitching numbers are stellar — his ERA is now the lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 25 innings of work — he fell into a slump at the plate in April and struggled into May, with his power production particularly languishing.

“Like we all know, he wants to win that Cy Young, and he wants to help us win games, and he wants to be a really productive offensive player,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “At this point in time, he’s doing all of the above.”

While Ohtani has snapped out of his slump at the plate with 13 hits over the past seven games, he hadn't produced offensively this season in games in which he was also pitching, so Roberts kept the bat out of his hands in his past three mound starts.

The four-time MVP wasn’t thought to be particularly happy about the decision, and Roberts only had his pitcher back in the lineup at Petco Park because the Dodgers have a day off Thursday.

Ohtani showed his approval of the return by immediately driving Randy Vásquez’s high fastball 398 feet to center field for his eighth homer of the season and his 27th career leadoff homer.

“I think that he’s very mindful of everything that’s said about him, and at times he uses that as motivation to prove people wrong, that he can do something,” Roberts said. “I think that he likes to contribute, and I know that he’s heard about (his struggles) on days that he pitches or days after he pitches. So for him to homer in that first at-bat, I think he was like, `OK, I’ve contributed on the offensive side.' And then he took some good at-bats tonight.”

Ohtani is the only player in major league history to hit a game-opening homer as a pitcher, and he has now done it twice. The first time was in one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history — his three-homers-and-a-pitching-victory classic in the clinching Game 4 of last fall’s National League Championship Series against Milwaukee.

This time, Ohtani the pitcher gave thanks to Ohtani the hitter for the early lead.

“The goal as a pitcher is not to give up the first run, so I was glad I was able to not do that,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “I was glad we were able to score first.”

And that was all the run support he needed: Ohtani has allowed just four earned runs in 49 innings this season, holding his opponents scoreless in five of his eight starts.

His pitching performance in San Diego wasn't smooth, but it was effective.

Although he retired the Padres' first nine batters, Ohtani needed 52 pitches to do it, and he eventually made his shortest mound start of the season — the first with fewer than six innings of work — along with just 88 pitches, one more than his season low. Roberts gave him a short leash because Ohtani was also in the lineup.

“It’s just another case in point that it’s good for us to be mindful of the workload and just not take that for granted,” Roberts said. “But again, he’s pretty special.”

Ohtani had to escape jams in his final two innings, but he pulled it off.

After San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on two singles and a walk, Ohtani got Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground into a double play on his final pitch.

The superstar loved it, visibly roaring while exuding a joy he rarely expresses as a hitter.

“I loved the results, but I had walked the guy before, and that wasn’t quite exactly what I wanted to do there, so just the results were good,” Ohtani said.

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

Dylan Coghlan’s wrist shot under Scott Wedgewood’s legs ended a scoreless deadlock and helped the Vegas Golden Knights steal home ice from the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche with a 4-2 statement win Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

“Honestly, I didn't know it went in until I looked at Shea (Theodore) and he was just smiling at me,” Coghlan said.

It was Coghlan’s first career NHL playoff goal, his fist score in the league in nearly five years and just his seventh net-finder of his career. Adding to his big night, the 28-year-old defenseman made a terrific breakup of a 3-on-2 breakaway that kept the Avalanche scuffling to find the net themselves.

“Yeah, so happy for him,” winning goalie Carter Hart said. "He came in in the Anaheim series. I thought he did a tremendous job then. Stepped up tonight huge. That was a huge first goal for us tonight and I couldn't be happier for the guy."

Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev praised Coghlan's overall game, saying, “It's not just about his goal. He did a lot of things right, especially in D-zone, on breakouts.”

But, that goal ...

Coghlan hadn’t scored since Dec. 17, 2021, in a game against the New York Islanders, and half of his six career goals came on a hat trick in a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 10, 2021.

“He's an easy guy to pull for,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.

Coghlan had 14 goals in 62 games this season for Henderson in the American Hockey League. He was scoreless in three regular-season games for Vegas.

“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s one of our best defensemen since he’s been with us and in the lineup. ... He’s a bit unflappable.”

The Golden Knights stole home ice from the top-seeded Avalanche, who had won eight of nine games in these playoffs before their dud in the Western Conference Final opener.

Colorado defenseman Cale Makar missed Game 1 with an upper-body injury. Makar left the ice holding his right arm following a collision late in Game 5 against Minnesota last week but returned as Colorado won the game in overtime.

Makar’s absence proved a big blow for the Avalanche. This is the first time Makar has missed a playoff game for the Avalanche with an injury. The Norris Trophy finalist has four goals and an assist while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time through the opening two rounds. Makar also is an integral part of Colorado’s special teams, which surrendered a power-play goal to Dorofeyev in the second period.

Colorado tried some different combinations without Makar. It led to some confusion, with Coghlan sneaking into the middle of the ice and lining a shot through the pads of Wedgewood to break a scoreless game in the second period.

“There’s definitely a trickle-down effect to that,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of not having Makar. “But he’s not playing. We have to find a way.”

Coghlan has bounced around over his career, spending his first two seasons with Vegas before stints with Carolina and Winnipeg. He returned to the Golden Knights last July in part, he said, because of the bonds he’d formed.

“This is probably the best I’ve felt in my whole career,” Coghlan said. “Whoever it is I’m playing with I’m very comfortable out there with them. They make it pretty easy on me. We have some pretty world-class players.”

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This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Pavel Dorofeyev’s last name.

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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham and AP freelancer Ashlyn Stapleton contributed to this report.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

For the first time in a NATO and European Union capital, Lithuanians were pictured sheltering in underground car parks in Vilnius on Wednesday, as authorities warned of unidentified drone activity.

No one has died or been injured recently, but the increasing airspace incursions have prompted some Baltic ministers to chastise Ukraine for the violations. In Latvia, officials' handling of the stray drones led to a political crisis that triggered the collapse of the government earlier this month.

Ukraine has ramped up attacks on Baltic Sea ports used for Russian energy exports in an attempt to hit Moscow’s war chest as U.S. President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has driven up the price of oil, a key revenue stream for the Kremlin.

As Ukraine’s drones have snaked up north, they have skirted the borders of NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland. Some of them were not detected before they crash landed in some of the Baltic states.

Ukrainian officials apologized and said the drones were aimed at military targets inside Russia but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.

The string of airspace violations has prompted questions about the state of air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank.

Ukraine is targeting Russian ports on the Baltic Sea

Ukraine's intensifying attacks against Russia has focused on arms factories, ports on the Baltic Sea and energy facilities as the war in Iran has boosted oil prices.

It has particularly targeted the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, close to the borders of Estonia and Finland. Russia uses the ports to load up ships taking its oil exports through the Baltic Sea.

During one attack in May, which set part of the port of Primorsk on fire, more than 60 Ukrainian drones were shot down, Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said.

After stray Ukrainian drones entered Latvian airspace on May 7, the country’s Defense Minister Andris Spruds resigned, leading Prime Minister Evika Silina to also quit days later because she was left without a majority in the coalition government.

On May 19, a Romanian fighter jet based in Lithuania shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said it was likely aimed at targets in Russia and that he told Ukraine to send its drones “as far from NATO territory as possible.”

On Wednesday, NATO fighter jets escorted an unidentified drone which crossed into Lithuania, prompting a red alert urging citizens to take cover around the capital Vilnius, Lithuania's defense ministry said. Contact with the drone was lost and the military was searching for it, the ministry said.

Russian electronic interference sends drones off course

Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Nordic and Baltic nations have increasingly warned about electronic interference from Russia disrupting communications with planes, ships and drones.

In the Baltic region, Russia often uses jamming and spoofing to send drones off course.

Satellite communications systems — known collectively as the Global Navigation Satellite System, or GNSS — receive precise time signals from satellites around 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) away in space. A smartphone, car, marine or aircraft navigation system compares how long it takes to receive signals from several different satellites to calculate an exact location.

Jamming occurs when a receiver is overwhelmed by a strong radio signal transmitted in the same frequency range as GNSS and other satellite navigation signals, leaving the receiver unable to fix its location or time. Spoofing involves transmitting fake signals that imitate a real GNSS satellite signal, commonly known as GPS, to mislead a phone, ship, or aircraft into thinking it is in a different place.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Tuesday that Russia is “deliberately” redirecting Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace with electronic interference.

Drones have been entering Baltic airspace for many months

In September 2025, about 20 Russian drones flew into Poland, putting the spotlight on holes in NATO’s air defenses, as multimillion-dollar jets were scrambled. Those drones were not detected in advance, Estonia's defense minister said at the time.

Neither was a Ukrainian military drone which crashed with explosives in Lithuania last week, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, chief of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said on Sunday.

While Poland and Romania responded to the drone incursions last year by deploying new anti-drone technology — the first used by the NATO alliance aimed specifically at countering drones — that system is not in place across the entire Baltic region.

Defending against drones requires solving a complex set of technological, financial and bureaucratic problems and "there is no one solution against every type of drone,” Colonel Janno Märk of the Estonian Defense Forces said.

Tackling various types of drones operating at different speeds and altitudes require a layered air defense response, Märk said during military exercises in southeastern Estonia.

Budrys, the Lithuanian foreign minister, told AP in an interview Saturday that the Baltic countries are likely going to have to continue to counter incursions from Ukrainian drones as Kyiv now has the capability to reach targets “deep in Russia” as well as ports on the Baltic Sea. The way to counter those drones, he said, is actually with Ukraine's help as the most effective anti-drone systems have been developed in the country.

Ukraine denies claims it is preparing attacks from the Baltics

Writing on X, Budrys accused Moscow of “waging smear campaigns” after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine is preparing to launch drone attacks against Russia from the territory of the Baltic countries.

The SVR claimed Ukrainian military personnel had already deployed to Latvia and warned that the country’s NATO membership wouldn’t protect it from “just retribution.” It did not provide evidence for its claims.

Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, said Tuesday that none of the Baltic states or Finland have ever allowed Ukraine to use their airspace for strikes against Russia.

Budrys called the SVR claim a “transparent act of desperation” and an attempt to sow chaos and distract from a “simple reality” — that Ukraine is hitting Russia's military machine hard.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the alliance’s reaction to the drone incidents, saying that they had been met with “a calm, decisive and proportionate response.”

“This is exactly what we planned and prepared for,” Rutte said, blaming Russia’s war on Ukraine for the incursions.

Speaking to The Associated Press amid national festivities, President Jakov Milatovic described NATO membership as a key milestone and said he is confident the country of 623,000 people will fulfill its ambitious agenda of becoming the next member of the 27-member EU in 2028.

The motto “28 by 28” has even been inscribed on one of the planes of the national airline.

“We can achieve it,” Milatovic said from the presidential office in Podgorica, the capital. “I am optimistic about it.”

Concerts and various celebrations are being held in the capital Podgorica this week and other towns in Montenegro, which is known for its stunning Adriatic Sea coastline and towering mountains.

The first in line to join

Montenegro is considered a front-runner for EU membership among the six countries in the Western Balkans, which are at different stages of the process. Several other countries, including Ukraine, hope to join one day as well.

The EU has formed a working group to draft an accession treaty for Montenegro — a signal that membership remains within reach.

EU officials are expected to reiterate the message at a meeting in the coastal Montenegrin town of Tivat in early June with the leaders of the Western Balkan candidate nations. The others are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.

Milatovic noted that support for the EU in Montenegro is very high, at around 80%. But the country must also finish democratic and economic reforms, and how quickly it does so, is “now is entirely up to Montenegro,” he added.

There was far less unity when the country 20 years ago chose to leave the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro — itself one of several successor states of Yugoslavia.

A new geopolitical direction

Split between the supporters of independence and those backing the union with Serbia, Montenegro held a referendum on May 21, 2006, to choose its future path after a decade of wars and NATO bombing in 1999 aimed at stopping the war in Kosovo. The result: 55.5% chose independence.

Splitting from the joint state was divisive given that Montenegro has historically close ties with Serbia and because about a third of Montenegrins consider themselves Serbs. Montenegro and Serbia share the same Orthodox Christian religion, speak similar languages and hold centuries-old alliances.

The independence drive was led by Montenegro’s longtime leader Milo Djukanovic, who steered the country into NATO and away from another historic Slavic ally — Russia.

“Twenty years ago, the citizens of Montenegro took decision-making into their own hands, and that was the basis of our development,” the president said.

“The major progress probably happened when the country became a part of NATO in 2017,” he added. “Being a part of NATO for a small country like Montenegro is very important because NATO is indeed a security guarantee for our independence and statehood.”

More work to do

A candidate since 2010, Montenegro still faces many challenges on its EU road, former European integration minister Jovana Marovic said. A key priority involves strengthening state institutions.

“What was missing in the last 14 years, we have to provide now just in six months," she said. “So it’s really demanding, but the process is going on.”

For Montenegro’s citizens, the economy and living standards are the key priorities. Along with democratic reforms, Montenegro has adopted the euro as its currency but the economy remains small and heavily dependent on tourism.

Zorana Popivoda, 28, hailed restoring Montenegro’s independence. But, she added, “then you go into a store and you see that you can buy absolutely nothing.”

President Milatovic, 39 and an economist by training, criticized the previous Montenegrin authorities for not doing more in the early years of independence to boost democratic reforms and to fight against organized crime and corruption.

“I think that over the last 20 years, we can objectively say that the country experienced progress," he said, “but also that Montenegro had a number of missed opportunities.”

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible end to the war with the United States, experts say. He is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after being reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Like everything in Iran since the war began, who ultimately controls decision-making remains uncertain. As people within the upper ranks of Iran's theocracy vie for power, they can gain or lose favor quickly. Vahidi himself hasn't been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the war began. On Thursday, Iranian media carried contradictory reports on Vahidi meeting with Pakistan's interior minister in Tehran, who carried a message regarding negotiations with the U.S. and met with other top Iranian officials.

A longtime veteran of the ruling system, Vahidi helped shape Iran’s support of militant groups across the region, is accused of a role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, and in 2022, led domestic security forces in a bloody crackdown on protesters.

Elevated to Guard commander this year after his predecessor was killed early in the war, he leads the most powerful force in Iran, with its arsenal of ballistic missiles and its fleet of small boats threatening Persian Gulf shipping.

“Vahidi and members of his inner circle have likely consolidated control over not only Iran’s military response in the conflict but also Iran’s negotiations policy,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said.

Iran’s war strategy has been to keep a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, blocking oil and gas exports and causing a global energy crisis. At the same time, it has struck hard against oil facilities, hotels and infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations.

In negotiations, it has held out against U.S. demands that it surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, betting that it can outlast the U.S. in the ongoing standoff and that President Donald Trump will be reluctant to resume outright war that could bring greater damage to America’s Gulf allies.

That likely reflects Vahidi’s confrontational style. “He comes from that mindset of unending revolution, unending resistance,” said Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the The Soufan Group, a New York-based think tank. Vahidi believes “the U.S. needs to be challenged at every turn,” said Katzman, a senior Iran expert who advised the U.S. Congress for over 30 years.

Vahidi boasted in January that Iran’s defense power has developed to make it a “high risk for any military action by an enemy.”

Vahidi now a focal point in talks

Pakistan hosted talks in April between an Iranian delegation, led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and an American one, headed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. But it ended without any deal.

Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned home to face criticism from inside the theocracy suggesting they were too willing to make concessions. Qalibaf had to insist publicly that the talks had the support of the supreme leader.

Since then, Vahidi has become the main point of contact for those negotiating with Iran, said a regional official with direct knowledge of the mediation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.

The extreme seclusion and unknown condition of the supreme leader have fueled speculation about jockeying among leaders for access to Khamenei and influence over him. In early May, President Masoud Pezeshkian, who many see as sidelined from influence by the Guard, went out of his way to say he “got to see our dear leader” and spoke to him for around two hours.

But Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it’s likely the new supreme leader “is in lockstep with a more hard-line (Guard) — similar to his father, but in a more emboldened and uncompromising form.”

Analyst Kamran Bokhari wrote that figures like Vahidi “are not just managing war — they are actively reshaping succession, consolidating authority around a weakened supreme leader, and effectively ‘capturing’ the state through crisis governance.”

Vahidi forged by years leading Quds Force

Born Ahmad Shahcheraghi in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz in 1958, Vahidi like many young men after the 1979 revolution joined the Revolutionary Guard and fought against the invasion by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that sparked a bloody, eight-year war.

Vahidi entered the Guard’s nascent intelligence arm and soon was overseeing operations outside Iran. He gained the favor of powerful patrons, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a later president. Rafsanjani said in his autobiography that Vahidi was involved in the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal, in which the Reagan administration sold weapons to Tehran in an effort to free hostages held by Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon. The U.S. later used the money from those sales to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Rafsanjani later intervened to protect Vahidi when then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sought to prosecute members of the Guard who failed to stop an incursion by armed fighters from an Iranian exile group in the late 1980s during the war.

Around this time, Vahidi took over the newly formed Quds, or Jerusalem, Force. Over decades, the Quds Force helped create a network of proxy militant groups and allied governments around the Middle East. The Quds Force under Vahidi helped mastermind the 1994 bombing targeting Argentina’s largest Jewish community center, killing 85 people and wounding 300 others, prosecutors say. Iran has denied involvement.

American investigators also believe that under Vahidi, Iran organized the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. service members and wounding hundreds. Tehran has denied being involved in that attack as well.

Vahidi left the Quds Force in 1998. In 2010, while he was defense minister, the United States imposed sanctions on him over alleged involvement in Iran’s nuclear program and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

More recently, as interior minister, Vahidi oversaw police units involved in a bloody, monthslong crackdown on protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for not properly wearing the mandated headscarf to the liking of authorities.

An Iranian newspaper later published a classified document that showed Vahidi’s Interior Ministry ordered security agencies to monitor and photograph women not wearing the hijab, something he had denied was taking place.

At around that time, Vahidi said in public comments that calls to remove the hijab were a “colonial plan” by Iran’s enemies trying to undermine the Islamic Republic. “The hijab has been a big barrier against the progress of effete Western culture,” he said.

Vahidi’s role makes reaching an accord with Iran that much more difficult for the U.S. — as does the continued obscurity over Iran’s leadership.

Trump wants a single interlocutor in Iran for negotiations, but "the whole system has changed,” said Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute.

“It is not a one-man show. Vahidi is one alongside others," Azizi said. "Some we know and some we don’t know.”

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Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

The International Court of Justice was asked in 2023 by the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, to settle an internal dispute over whether one of the ILO's conventions gives workers the right to strike.

Advisory opinions aren't legally binding, but carry significant weight. The decision could have a worldwide impact on labor regulations, enshrining the right to strike in labor standards and international trade agreements.

The word “strike” never appears in the 1948 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, but the ICJ’s 14 judges found walkout actions are covered under the other guarantees.

“The protection of the right to strike is encompassed in the freedom of association,” court president Yuji Iwasawa said, reading out the ruling in the Great Hall of Justice in The Hague.

The convention has been ratified by 158 countries and is incorporated into a variety of employment guidelines and standards, including those from the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and various international trade agreements.

The United States is a member of the ILO, but hasn’t ratified the convention.

International labor law expert Paul van der Heijden said that the advisory opinion from the ICJ gives workers an important tool when their actions face legal opposition. This decision “is important when you go to court,” he told The Associated Press.

The judges were careful to note that in some cases, the right to strike may be restricted. The opinion “does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right,” Iwasawa said.

A number of U.N. agencies can ask the ICJ to weigh in on legal questions and issue advisory opinions. Last year, the court said in a landmark advisory opinion that countries could be in violation of international law, if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change.

During hearings in October, the court in The Hague heard from 18 countries and five international organizations, including the ILO, with a number of other countries submitting writing arguments.

The majority of participants favored the right to strike, a protection which is already granted in most European countries.

Except, no, he really didn't.

Yes, Wembanyama made contact with Williams. Yes, it looked like a foul. Yes, it was called that way — at first. Upon review, it was determined that Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein actually shoved Wembanyama into his teammate and caused the foul himself.

That's how physical the Thunder were with Wembanyama in Game 2. They grabbed, pushed, nudged, anything and everything they could muster against the 7-foot-4 French star who still finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots.

But the Thunder won 122-113, tying the series at a game apiece.

“It's all in the scouting,” Wembanyama said. "I have to trust the scouting. We have to trust it and do our work early. It's straight effort. ... Doesn't mean it's easy. We have to work through it."

He knew what was coming, and so did the Thunder. Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault told Hartenstein on Tuesday that he would have a bigger role in Game 2.

“I'm just kind of one of those players that brings physicality to the game,” said Hartenstein, who got only 12 minutes in Game 1 and then assumed a key role in Game 2 — with 10 points and 13 rebounds. “I think that's just kind of what we needed.”

Stopping Wembanyama isn't going to happen. He's too good. The Thunder playbook in Game 2 — and going forward — will be about making life as difficult as possible for him, hoping to prevent outbursts like the 41-point, 24-rebound gem that Wembanyama put together in San Antonio's Game 1 win.

“Every good player, they have to feel the defense," Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It's tough. He’s very different to scout. You've got to try to mix things up, you've got try different things. And that’s just what we did. Coach tried something in the first game, didn’t like it, tried something else. That’s what it’s about.”

Wembanyama's debut in the conference finals is off to an elite start. He has got 62 points and 41 rebounds through the first two games; the last player with 60 points and 40 rebounds in the first two games of the conference finals was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 — with 69 points and 40 rebounds for Milwaukee against Chicago.

But the MVP finalist and Defensive Player of the Year wasn't in the mood to hear stats. He wanted a 2-0 lead, and settling for a 1-1 tie going home for Game 3 wasn't cause for celebration. The Spurs rallied from 13 down in the fourth to make it interesting, but couldn't finish the comeback.

He was asked what the toughest part of Game 2 was.

“I would say it's spending so much energy on catching back up ... then letting it go away,” Wembanyama said.

That, to him, was the biggest hit of all.

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

Following a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, the right-handers traded zeros until the seventh inning — when Toronto loaded the bases with nobody out on an infield single, a walk and a bunt single.

Andrés Giménez then fouled off seven pitches, five with two strikes, before drawing an 11-pitch walk that scored Ernie Clement and chased Schlittler. One out later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lofted a sacrifice fly against Jake Bird to make it 2-0.

Yesavage (2-1) allowed just two hits and walked none while striking out eight over six shutout innings. The 22-year-old rookie has a 1.07 ERA in five starts after missing the first month this season due to a right shoulder impingement.

Three of his strikeouts came against three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, who fanned all four times up.

Mason Fluharty, Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers combined for six outs before the Yankees threatened against Louis Varland in the ninth. He gave up two hits and Paul Goldschmidt’s run-scoring comebacker before striking out Amed Rosario with a 99 mph fastball to earn his sixth save.

The 25-year-old Schlittler (6-2) permitted eight hits and two walks with seven strikeouts as his major league-leading ERA rose to 1.50.

It was the first time Yesavage and Schlittler have squared off after both authored dominant performances as rookies in the postseason last year.

Schlittler struck out 12 over eight innings in a 4-0 win against rival Boston in the decisive game of their AL Wild Card Series to advance New York to the Division Series versus Toronto, where Yesavage tossed 5 1/3 hitless innings with 11 strikeouts in a Game 2 victory over the Yankees.

The start Wednesday night was delayed by rain for 2 hours, 11 minutes.

Blue Jays right fielder Jesús Sánchez was shaken up in the seventh after diving for Goldschmidt's bloop single. Sánchez left the game but simply had the wind knocked out of him and is day-to-day, manager John Schneider said.

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LHP Carlos Rodón (0-1, 5.63 ERA) pitches for the Yankees in Thursday’s series finale. The Blue Jays hadn't announced a scheduled starter, though RHP Spencer Miles (1-0, 2.55) is expected to pitch bulk innings in some capacity.

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

In 2020, he was a 21-year-old starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers, going 9-6 in their run to the second round in the Eastern Conference during the Toronto bubble, posting a .926 save percentage and two shutouts.

After serving time in hockey exile while mired in the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal — for which he was acquitted — Hart joined the Vegas Golden Knights last December. He's sparked them in these playoffs, going 9-4 and helping the Golden Knights steal home ice with a 4-2 win at top-seeded Colorado in the opener of their Western Conference Final on Wednesday night.

“We know they’re a good team," said Hart, who has a .920 save percentage in these playoffs while allowing just 2.35 goals per game. “We know they got a lot of skill on their team and we respect that, but you can’t respect them too much. And I thought we did a good job of defending and limiting their time in space and I thought we blocked a lot of shots tonight and got in a lot of lanes and tied up some sticks.”

Hart was stellar in stopping the pucks that reached him, turning away 36 of 38 shots. The only ones he allowed to get through were a between-the-legs aberration by Valeri Nichushkin and a late goal from Gabe Landeskog when the Avs had pulled goaltender Scott Wedgewood on a power play for a two-man advantage.

“Carter Hart’s a hell of a goalie,” said Golden Knights coach John Tortorella, who took over in Vegas on March 29 and who also coached Hart in Philadelphia. "He was great in Philly for me, and we’ve got two good ones, you know. (Adin Hill)'s kind of been put off to the side a little bit, that’s a guy that just won a Stanley Cup a couple years ago.

"But Carter, I think he’s grown so strong mentally. I don’t think much bothers him. He is just zeroed in. And he’s going to have to be, because we’ve got a lot of work to do here.”

The respect is mutual.

“Yeah, I think he’s done a great job coming in here,” Hart said. “It’s never easy coming in late in the season like he did and I think he’s done a tremendous job of just rallying the group and earning the guys’ trust and I really enjoy playing for him. I enjoyed playing for him in Philly and I’m happy he’s here.”

Beginning in early 2024, Hart was placed on an indefinite leave of absence from hockey after he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team as part of the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal; he was acquitted of all charges last year and resumed his career with Vegas.

The league reviewed the case and agreed to allow the acquitted defendants to play starting Dec. 1, 2025. Hart was the first of those five Canada junior players to agree to an NHL deal, signing a two-year, $4 million contract before working with Vegas’ American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada.

After he agreed to sign, Hart read a statement to reporters that, in part, said he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”

He's also showing how much help he can be for Vegas' hopes of winning another Stanley Cup. He made 10 stops in the scoreless first period as the Golden Knights served notice that they weren't going to be like the Los Angeles Kings or Minnesota Wild, who went a combined 1-8 against Colorado in prior rounds.

“It’s huge,” Hart said. “To come out like we did, I thought we came out really good in the first period and I know this is a hard building to play in and it was huge for us just to get rolling and just start off the right way and then build off that.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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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In rambling writings full of vitriol against a wide range of people, the teenagers who attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego this week, killing three men and themselves, left little doubt about the models for their violence.

Chief among them: the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.

Researchers who study extremism have long noted the resonance of the Christchurch attack among far-right assailants, attributing it to the extent of the violence, the document the killer posted concerning his views and actions, and — especially — his decision to livestream the massacre. Among those who apparently modeled attacks after Christchurch was a shooter who months later killed 22 people in a Texas Walmart.

“Part of what we’re seeing in violent extremist communities online is wanting to emulate the attacks that have had the most kills — which is a disgusting thing to say, but it's the reality,” said Katherine Keneally, director of threat analysis and prevention at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an anti-extremism organization. “There is this obsession and it’s just sort of gamifying of attacks.”

Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the Islamic Center on Monday before being driven back outside by a security guard who exchanged gunfire with them as he initiated a lockdown, helping to protect 140 children, authorities have said.

The pair killed the guard, Amin Abdullah, and two other men before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby.

Writings heavy on hate and grievance

They left behind a 74-page document — the same length as the one written by Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant. Like Tarrant's, it cited a range of far-right ideological inspirations, including the notion that white people are being replaced by other populations, and offered self-interviews detailing their motives and goals.

And they called themselves “Sons of Tarrant.”

The writings include hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and the political left and right. They indicated they were trying to accelerate the collapse of society. In his section, Vazquez wrote of having “some mental health issues” and being rejected by women.

Brian Levin, the founding director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University in San Bernardino, noted that while white supremacist writings dating to the 1970s offered a narrative blueprint for decentralized terror attacks, neo-Nazis decades ago favored an approach sometimes called the “propaganda of the deed” — the attack on its own was supposed to inspire copycats, even without written explanations.

The internet has made it easier to spread writings by attackers, and since a far-right attacker killed 77 people in Norway in 2011 and released a 1,500-page document, it has become more common for writings to accompany such atrocities, Levin said. Frequently the writings quote from past white-supremacist texts.

“This strategy of being another chapter in a continuing chain of extremism not only telegraphs that the movement is bigger than it is, but also its resilience — that it is reoccurring with a different set of violent actors, some of whom die in the process,” Levin said.

A contagion of mass violence

The shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on houses of worship. Threats and hate crimes targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities have risen since war began in the Middle East, forcing increases in security.

Keneally said she had mixed feelings about the media attention on the attacks: The public needs to understand what happened, but it also risks amplifying the killers' message and spreading the contagion of mass violence. She said she has struggled with questions she has gotten about whether such attacks are motivated by nihilistic extremism, or accelerationist, neo-Nazi, or white supremacist ideologies.

“We’re trying to put people in buckets and we’re asking the why, but we’re not going back and looking at the how," Keneally said. "How did these kids end up going down this route? How is social media playing a role in that?”

At 17 and 18, she said, healthy teenagers should be excited about graduating high school or entering young adulthood, not engaging with extremist ideologies.

Another form of inspiration

While hateful extremism inspired the teens to attack the Islamic center, it inspired the security guard, Abdullah, in another way: to defend it.

In an interview, his friend Khalid Alexander said Abdullah was increasingly concerned about negative rhetoric toward Muslims, including from politicians.

“He recognized a direct kind of correlation between the threat of the community he was protecting and the types of, really, hate that was being spewed on television in an anti-Muslim, anti-Black, anti-immigrant feeling,” Alexander said. “And so he was keenly aware of the dangers of his job. And that’s exactly why he chose to do it.”

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Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.

What is planned for the finale has not been revealed but the folks at “The Late Show” have had months to prepare for the end of the network’s 33-year franchise.

Guests in the final week have included Michael Keaton, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen, while there's been a wacky version of “It’s Raining Men” remade into “It’s Raining Fish.”

CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would end, citing economic reasons after 11 seasons. But Colbert is the ratings leader in late-night TV. Many — including Colbert — have expressed skepticism that President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of the show wasn't a factor.

The decision to shutter the show came after parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview as Paramount awaited his administration's approval of a pending sale to Skydance Media. Colbert had called it a “big fat bribe.”

Dustin Kidd, a professor of sociology at Temple University, notes that Colbert leaves at the top of his game and as the ratings leader on late night. Canceling him can’t be explained strictly through economics, he said.

“I would argue that it’s answerable, frankly, through politics,” Kidd said. “There’s been a lot of political pressure levied against this show and a lot of political pressure at work within CBS more generally. And I think that has a lot more to offer in terms of explaining why this show, at this time.”

Colbert’s chief rivals, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” will both run reruns on Thursday night at the same time as Colbert's goodbye.

CBS will fill “The Late Show” slot with “Comics Unleashed,” in which comedians share stories. Host Byron Allen has vowed to avoid politics.

Pressured by the White House, Republicans tried to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal met with opposition from some GOP lawmakers who are questioning the timing of the request, the cost and how the taxpayer dollars would be used.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged “ongoing vote issues” on Wednesday as leaders tried to measure Republican support and figure out what will be allowed in the bill under the chamber’s rules.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters Wednesday that the bill was “back to square one” without the security money because “the votes are not there.”

Thune hopes to pass the bill this week and send it to the House before leaving for a weeklong Memorial Day recess. But the bill’s text has still not been released as leaders were wrangling over the security proposal and new GOP concerns over the Trump administration's $1.776 billion settlement fund.

Republican senators were set to meet with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday as they finalized the text and decided whether to put parameters on the settlement, which was designed to compensate Trump's allies who believe they have been politically persecuted. Thune told reporters that senators have questions about the fund and want to know "how we might make sure that it’s fenced in appropriately.”

The last-minute scramble comes as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump’s ballroom when voters are concerned about basic affordability issues — and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump. Several GOP senators have spoken out against the settlement, which was announced this week, and many were upset by the president’s endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the party primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.

Possible parameters on Trump's settlement fund

The “anti-weaponization” fund, part of a settlement that resolves Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, unexpectedly has become one of the main complications in the bill. Democrats said they would force votes to block it or place restrictions on it.

Democrats have an opening because Republicans are trying to pass the immigration enforcement bill through a complicated budget process that requires a long series of amendment votes. Democrats are considering multiple amendments, potentially to block that new fund outright or to ban any payments to Trump supporters who harmed law enforcement officers in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Those amendments, along with others, could pass as a growing number of Republicans have voiced reservations about the fund. So Republicans are now discussing their own last-minute additions to head that off, potentially placing some parameters on the settlement and who could receive compensation, according to two people with knowledge of the private discussions who requested anonymity to discuss them.

It was unclear how any Senate changes would be received in the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday that the House will pass the bill “whatever form it takes.”

Tensions rise between Senate and White House

As Republicans challenged the settlement and parts of his agenda, Trump unloaded on the Senate in a social media post on Wednesday.

He urged Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal cannot remain in the ICE and Border Patrol bill. Trump also renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require all voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.

Republicans need to “get smart and tough,” Trump said, or “you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!”

While they have been loyal to Trump on most issues, Senate Republicans have resisted his repeated calls — even in his first term — to kill the filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Hanging over the growing GOP rift is Trump’s surprise endorsement of Paxton. That intervention has Republican senators privately fuming that it could cost them their majority in November as they view the incumbent, Cornyn, as the better candidate in the November general election.

Secret Service request falters

Under the Secret Service’s request, about $220 million would fund security improvements related to the ballroom. The rest would go for a new screening center for visitors, training and other security measures.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the effort to add the security package to the bill was a “bad idea.” The bill should not have included the other security improvements, he said, “because it’s just giving everybody the ‘billion-dollar ballroom.'”

Several other Republicans in the House and Senate have questioned the request, and senators left a briefing with the director of the Secret Service last week saying they needed a lot more information.

People “can’t afford groceries and gasoline and healthcare, and we’re going to do a billion dollars for a ballroom?” asked Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection in his GOP primary on Saturday after Trump endorsed one of his opponents.

Left in the bill is the money for ICE and Border Patrol, which Democrats have blocked for months in protest of the administration's immigration enforcement crackdown.

Democrats demanded changes for the agencies, but negotiations with the White House yielded little progress. So Republicans are using the complicated budget maneuver called reconciliation — the same process that allowed them to pass Trump's tax and spending cuts bill last year — to fund the agencies through the end of Trump's term with a simple majority and no Democratic votes.

Still, passage requires sign-off from the parliamentarian and unity from Republicans.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

Carruthers, 57, was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the 1994 kidnappings and murders of Marcellos Anderson; his mother, Delois Anderson; and Frederick Tucker. He was forced to represent himself at trial after repeatedly complaining about court-appointed attorneys and threatening to harm several of them.

There was no physical evidence tying Carruthers to the killings, and he was convicted primarily on the basis of testimony from people who claimed to have heard him confess to or discuss the crimes.

They include a man who was later revealed to be a police informant and told media he was paid for his testimony. A co-defendant, James Montgomery, was originally sentenced to death along with Carruthers but was later resentenced and released from prison in 2015, according to court filings.

Authorities said Marcellos Anderson was a drug dealer, and Carruthers was trying to take over the illegal drug trade in their Memphis neighborhood. Carruthers' attorneys have said their client's “paranoia and delusions” prevented him from being able to cooperate with court-appointed counsel, but the judge viewed this behavior as willful.

The Tennessee Supreme Court said on appeal that Carruthers’ actions before the trial jury were offensive and self-destructive but the situation in which he found himself was one of his own making. If the execution goes forward as scheduled, Carruthers will be the first person to be executed after being forced to represent himself in more than a century, according to a clemency petition to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.

In the petition, Carruthers' attorneys argue that the reason he was sentenced to death was because a medical examiner testified the victims were buried alive, going into excruciating detail for the jury. He later withdrew that claim and subsequent experts have said it was false.

Carruthers' attorneys have tried to show that he is incompetent to be executed. They claim in court filings that Carruthers believes the government is bluffing about executing him in order to coerce him into accepting a plea deal that exists only in his mind. That way, Carruthers believes, the government can avoid paying him what he thinks are millions of dollars it owes him. He is convinced that his own attorneys are part of a conspiracy against him and refuses to even speak with them, according to court filings.

The number of executions in the U.S. surged from 25 in 2024 to 47 last year, driven by a sharp increase in Florida. That state carried out 19 executions in 2025, up from one the previous year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. So far this year, four states have executed 13 people, and 11 other executions are scheduled including one Thursday evening in Florida.

It’s not unusual to see several executions over a short period of time. Last year, four people were executed over three days in March in Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana and Arizona. Another five people were executed over a week in October in Arizona, Mississippi, Missouri, Florida and Indiana, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Tennessee began a new round of executions last year after a three-year pause following the discovery that the state was not properly testing lethal injection drugs for purity and potency.

An independent review later found that none of the drugs prepared for the seven inmates executed in Tennessee since 2018 had been fully tested. The state attorney general’s office also conceded in court that two of the people most responsible for overseeing Tennessee’s lethal injection drugs “ incorrectly testified ” under oath that officials were testing the chemicals as required.

Pese a que el país europeo es un destino estratégico para los cubanos, World2Fly informó de manera sorpresiva esta semana que su ruta entre La Habana y Madrid se suspendería a partir del 20 de mayo. La línea realizaba dos vuelos semanales, pero en febrero lo redujo a uno.

Ni la aerolínea ni su operador en la isla, Online Tours, informaron explícitamente el motivo de la cancelación de una ruta tan popular —los vuelos solían ir y venir repletos—, pero su reducción se enmarca en el contexto del fuerte cerco energético impuesto por Estados Unidos, el cual dejó a la nación caribeña sin petróleo para su economía, incluido el abastecimiento de las aeronaves.

“Me enteré casualmente que este es el último vuelo. Es una lástima, porque yo llevo años viajando con esta línea aérea”, dijo a la AP Fermín Nodarse, un jubilado cubano de 72 años, poco antes de abordar hacia Madrid en el aeropuerto capitalino José Martí. “Me preocupa... uno tiene familia aquí, tiene familia allá”.

Al igual que varios pasajeros cubanos, Nodarse indicó que teme que las dos aerolíneas que aún vuelan a España desde Cuba —Air China y Air Europa— eleven sus precios hasta hacerlos inaccesibles.

En febrero, las autoridades aeronáuticas cubanas enviaron un comunicado a todas las compañías que hasta entonces operaban en la isla, informándoles que no se dispondría de combustible para el abastecimiento de los aviones en ninguno de los nueve aeropuertos del país.

En enero, Estados Unidos impuso un cerco para impedir la llegada de petróleo a la isla, una medida de presión para que haya un cambio de gobierno en Cuba, al grado que sólo ingresó un buque tanque —de origen ruso— en cinco meses. Cuba solamente produce el 40% del combustible que necesita.

Algunas compañías como Air Canada, Iberia o Air France se retiraron del mercado cubano muy poco después de que se anunciara la falta de crudo, pero otras permanecieron, abasteciéndose en República Dominicana, como la propia World2Fly.

Estas últimas semanas también se anunció la cancelación de la ruta trasatlántica de la propia Cubana de Aviación, la empresa bandera de la isla.

World2Fly era especialmente popular entre los cubanos, pues en su clase económica permitía documentar dos maletas. Ello representaba un atractivo para las personas que traen a la isla un sinnúmero de cosas que no hay debido al desabastecimiento o son caras, desde ropa hasta productos de aseo personal, y también para revenderlas.

España se convirtió en el destino de decenas de miles de cubanos luego de que se incrementaron las salidas del país este lustro debido a la crisis, y después de que la política del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump contra los migrantes se intensificó. Esas medidas de control desalentaron a los isleños de viajar a territorio estadounidense, su destino natural durante décadas.

Además, muchos cubanos obtuvieron sus pasaportes de España gracias a una ley de esa nación que les reconoce su ascendencia española.

El turismo en Cuba fue uno de los sectores que más impacto sufrió debido a las sanciones de Estados Unidos y al cerco energético de este año. La cantidad de turistas que arribaron en el primer trimestre del año fue 48% menor que en el mismo periodo de 2025.

Según la Oficina Nacional de Estadística e Información, en enero, febrero y marzo llegaron a la isla unos 298.00 turistas, mientras que en igual periodo del pasado año hubo 573.300 visitantes internacionales.

The Republican president’s years of false claims that his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was due to widespread fraud have shadowed many elections since in the presidential battleground. The issue is almost certain to play a role in a four-week runoff campaign as GOP voters choose nominees for governor, secretary of state and the U.S. Senate.

Among the contenders: one of Trump’s alternate electors in his attempt to overturn Biden’s win in the state, a Trump acolyte who won his first congressional race while saying Trump won in 2020 and a secretary of state hopeful who echoes Trump’s conspiracy theories as he vies to become Georgia’s top elections official.

To be clear, Georgia's presidential votes were counted three times, including once by hand, and each one affirmed Biden's victory.

The primary came amid continued legal and political wrangling over how elections are managed in Fulton County — home to heavily Democratic Atlanta. Trump's questioning of the Georgia results and longtime criticism of Fulton County elections were supercharged earlier this year when the FBI searched the county’s election office, seizing ballots and records from 2020.

The primary election's first-round results showed that siding with Trump, even on his election lies, is good politics within the GOP. Georgia candidates who opposed Trump’s efforts in 2020 got trounced. But some conservatives worry that misplaying the issue — or emphasizing it at all — could backfire with the general electorate in November.

“We’re going to look stupid,” warned Debbie Dooley, an early tea party organizer who supported Trump from the outset of his first presidential campaign. “What are you going to say — Trump won, and he was always the president? It serves no purpose.”

She said Republicans should instead focus on the economy, and that any mention of election procedures should look to “securing future elections, looking forward.”

Whether Trump sees it that way is another question. The president already has endorsed Burt Jones, one of his 2020 alternate electors, in the governor’s race. Dooley, who is backing Jones, said she wouldn't be surprised if Trump comes to Georgia to campaign — and air his 2020 grievances again.

“I don’t know if the president gets it or not,” she said.

A 2020 Trump fake elector in the governor's race

Jones was a state lawmaker in 2020 when he joined Trump’s cause to overturn Biden’s 11,779-vote margin in Georgia. He parlayed that loyalty into winning the lieutenant governor’s office in 2022 and getting Trump’s early endorsement in his bid for a promotion. On Tuesday, he won about four out of 10 Republican votes.

Trump and Jones don’t revisit the details, but Trump has praised Jones multiple times on his Truth Social platform for his loyalty while Jones has promoted “election integrity.”

Jones’ runoff rival, billionaire and political newcomer Rick Jackson, is among the Republicans who does not talk much about the 2020 election. But he spent a slice of the $83 million he invested in his own campaign on an ad attacking outgoing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another GOP candidate for governor who resisted Trump’s urging to help find “find 11,800 votes” to reverse Biden’s victory in 2020.

In the ad, a child is shown asking his mother why she chose the name Brad. The mother replies that her second choice was “Judas” – in the New Testament account, the name of the disciple who betrays Jesus to Roman authorities. The full name “Brad ‘Judas’ Raffensperger” appeared on the screen at the end of the spot.

Raffensperger finished a distant third in this week's primary, with just 15% of the vote.

Senate primary leader said Democrats stole 2020

Rep. Mike Collins, who led the Senate GOP primary with about 40% of the vote, has never backed off his false claims that Biden’s win was rigged, an argument he featured when he first ran for Congress in 2022.

“You count the legal votes that were cast in the state of Georgia, Donald Trump won this state. Period,” he said in one ad, in which he held a long gun and bemoaned the “federal hijacking” of the 2020 election. He concluded with shooting a mock voting machine.

Collins’ runoff rival, former college football coach and political newcomer Derek Dooley, has been more circumspect. But both men are pledging fealty to Trump, with the president thus far not endorsing in the race to determine who will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

It’s notable that Dooley’s main political benefactor is outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, who like Raffensperger drew Trump’s ire in 2020 for certifying Biden’s slate of electors.

Kemp ran for and won reelection in 2022, saying Republicans should look forward instead of relitigating the 2020 election. Trump eventually made up with Kemp during the 2024 presidential campaign, and advisers to both men say Kemp has discussed the Senate contest with the president.

A conspiracy theorist in the race to succeed Raffensperger

State Rep. Tim Fleming, a former deputy secretary of state, and former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Trump loyalist and perennial candidate, were the top vote-getters in the contest for secretary of state and will face off next month.

Jones, a former Democrat, embraced Trump's “stop the steal” movement and said during an Atlanta Press Club debate last month, “I stand with those who believe there was election fraud.”

Fleming, who worked under Kemp when the governor was secretary of state, has said there were “irregularities” in the 2020 election — a buzz word among Republicans who stop short of echoing Trump without refuting him. But Fleming said he believes the state has made great strides since then in improving elections and said he wants to focus on future elections.

Fleming and Jones far outpaced one of Raffensperger's top aides, Gabriel Sterling, who gained attention in December 2020 for urging Trump to help discourage threats of violence against election workers. Sterling got 12% of the primary vote, finishing fourth.

Heavily Democratic Fulton County remains a Trump, GOP target

Trump has long fixated on Fulton County, alleging it was the center of Georgia fraud in 2020. The FBI seized 2020 ballots and documents from the county elections offices in January, and the county remained a punching bag for Republicans through vote tabulations on Tuesday.

During voting hours, two voting precincts were closed for four hours in an Atlanta suburb after police received a call about possible gunfire and a suspicious person wearing military-style clothing. While the incident was unrelated to the primary, a judge ordered the precincts to stay open until 11 p.m. to make up for the lost time, and Fulton officials said the law prevented them from releasing any results until those precincts were closed.

State Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican runoff candidate for lieutenant governor, tried to capitalize on the delay, despite the fact that he's seeking an office with no role over tabulating ballots or certifying elections.

“Here we are on Election Night, Georgians are anxiously awaiting the results, and which county hasn’t even started reporting? It’s always Fulton County,” Dolezal posted on social media. “It’s time for Georgia to takeover the process. We will not have another 2020 this November!”

The transformation is the work of JR, the street artist known as the “French Banksy,” who this week began inflating a giant artificial “cave” over the Pont Neuf, turning the 17th-century bridge that has carried Parisians across the Seine for more than 400 years into a rocky illusion rising over the river.

JR has said the idea of La Caverne du Pont Neuf, is to bring “mineral and nature” back to the heart of the city. He says he is not covering the bridge so much as revealing the stone taken from limestone quarries from which Paris itself was cut.

A jagged mass of gray rock now seems to rise over its arches. From downstream, the landmark appears to have vanished beneath a prehistoric cliff, its stone openings transformed into dark cave mouths above the water.

“I thought, ‘Where has the bridge gone?’” said Marie Leclerc, 62, who stopped on the quay on her way to work. “It’s strange because you know it’s fabric and air, but from here it really looks like stone. Paris feels suddenly ancient again.”

The inflation, carried out overnight after being delayed by bad weather, is the most dramatic stage yet of a project more than a year in the making.

“It’s a gigantic puzzle that has just been finished,” JR told The Associated Press at the bridge as his team prepared to pump in the air. “We’re going to send air inside, and all these rocks will rise into the Paris sky, almost 18 meters high. Once they’re inflated, they stay.”

One of the most ambitious public artworks Paris has seen in decades — funded by the sale of JR’s work and a handful of corporate partners — it does not open to the public until June 6.

The transformation has been documented by the AP since March with time-lapse cameras, including one fixed on a rooftop terrace high above the river, watching the bridge slowly disappear day by day.

From the outside, the installation looks like a rocky mass that “literally” breaks the landscape, said JR, who is famous for pasting enormous photographs on buildings, walls and rooftops around the world. He is often compared to the British street artist Banksy for the style of his work.

“Usually everyone crosses here without looking,” said Julien Moreau, 34, taking photos from near the Seine River. “This morning everyone was standing still. That’s already the artwork.”

JR said he wanted Parisians to do something unusual on their most famous bridge: stop.

“We’re all a bit stressed. We want it to work,” he said, as workers in harnesses readied the structure. “But that’s the beauty of a project like this — its fragility, the fact of working in the street, exposing yourself to everyone.”

Some passersby, he added, “will walk by without even realizing it’s rising. Others will be completely amazed.”

The structure is 120 meters (393 feet) long and 18 meters (59 feet) tall — as high as a six-story building.

Yet it is built almost entirely from air — 80 fabric arches filled with 20,000 cubic meters of it — and weighs only about five tons.

JR’s engineers spent weeks testing the structure in a hangar at Orly airport, simulating a cut to the air supply to be sure the inflatable rock would hold its shape.

The fabric was hand-stitched by 25 artisans in a village in Brittany.

Visitors will be able to walk for free through a long, dark tunnel that lets in no daylight. “You enter into the darkness,” JR said, “and emerge into the light on the other side.”

He described it as a journey each person is free to take in their own way: “Many people will pass through this cave and let their imagination dictate what they feel.”

The artwork is a tribute to a Parisian artistic legend.

In 1985, artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, wrapped the same bridge in pale golden fabric — 13 kilometers of rope, a decade of arguing with city hall, three million visitors in two weeks.

The act helped invent the idea of monumental art in modern cities. A square beside the bridge now carries their names — and it is from there that visitors will step into the dark.

“It’s pretty hard to go after them,” JR said.

The cave is also a warning. JR built it as a nod to Plato’s allegory, in which prisoners mistake shadows on a wall for the real world.

“What are our caves today? Our phones,” he said. “Because we believe that our algorithm on social media is the reality.”

Then he walks straight into the contradiction: to enter his cave about screens, visitors raise their phones.

The tech company Snap has built an augmented-reality layer that shows what the eye cannot.

The sound is a low, mineral hum from Thomas Bangalter, formerly of Daft Punk — who was 10 the year Christo wrapped the bridge.

The cave will be open around the clock from June 6-28, closing the bridge to traffic and visible from the quays, from passing boats, even from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

It will coincide with Paris Fashion Week, World Music Day and the all-night Nuit Blanche arts festival.

When it comes down, the fabric will be reused or recycled.

Then, like the golden wrapping over 40 years before, the cave will be gone — and the Pont Neuf, older than the republic and older than the revolution, will reappear exactly as it was.

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Associated Press journalist Oleg Cetinic contributed from Paris.

Ask Brits what they think of their former colonies in 2026, and they note these long-held views of America and Americans. But after 250 years of independence from Britain, the country’s former rulers cannot discuss the United States without mentioning President Donald Trump, almost always before listing the many qualities they admire and appreciate in the upstart nation across the pond.

“It’s Trump’s world now, isn’t it?” says Mark Keightley, a printer technician who serves the Cambridge area, about an hour north of London.

Over the past year, The Associated Press asked Britons — from George Washington’s ancestral home near Scotland to Cambridge, Bristol and London — a neutral question: “What do you think of America now?” Virtually every answer, even from those like Keightley who support some of the president’s policies, begins with a considered pause, followed by a crisp euphemism for Trump and the Trump era.

"Your president ..." "The current state of politics …" and "He …" with no ambiguity about who, are typical. And they suggest as much about the British perception of their former colony as the commentary that tends to come next. Is it possible to talk about America now without referencing Trump, they are asked? The unanimous answer, according to these interviews: No.

“My own opinion of America is now dictated by the president and he’s not covering himself in glory as far as I’m concerned,” said Eddie Boyle of Falkirk, Scotland, as he walked across Westminster Bridge in London last week. “It’s a shame that such a long arrangement between the two countries has been tarnished."

‘The Country disappoints me’

Being British and disappointed by the reality of the United States isn't a new phenomenon.

Charles Dickens wrote to a friend that he felt just that way during his 1842 visit to the new nation, where he was feted from Boston to New York and Washington — and reportedly earned a fortune from public readings of his work. But he was horrified by the ongoing practice of slavery, which Britain abolished in 1833. And the celebrated freedom of expression that Americans had enshrined in the First Amendment, he wrote, had gone awry with “a press more mean, and paltry, and silly, and disgraceful than any country I ever knew.”

Also, he wrote in a travelogue, Americans spit in public — a “filthy custom.”

“This is not the Republic I came to see. This is not the Republic of my imagination,” he wrote to William Charles Macready on March 22, 1842. “In every respect but that of National Education, the Country disappoints me.”

Over time, the history of the U.S.-U.K. relationship unfolded in such a way that no one event or president can define it.

Several inflection points inspired Britain to take America seriously as a permanent power and not a temporary, rebellious whim. Among them, the War of 1812 — a rematch of sorts between the two nations. It ended in a draw, but the conflict boosted the sense of American independence and established the United States as a sturdy trading and military force to be reckoned with.

The new country then survived its own Civil War. Then, before a century elapsed, the United States helped Britain fend off Nazi occupation and, with the rest of the Allied powers, defeated Germany during World War II. Four decades later, the storied friendship between President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher helped drive the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“They did something great there,” Maria Miston of Suffolk, pausing recently near Big Ben, says of Thatcher and Reagan. “They actually managed to bring the Cold War to an end.” She notes that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 damaged the superpower's image around the world. And, she thinks, it hasn't gotten better. “We've just gone backwards since then.”

Trump rebrands the ‘special relationship’

During his second term, the American president first tolerated his fellow head of government, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but then dismissed him as “ not Winston Churchill ” over the premier’s refusal to involve the U.K. in the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump has suggested that he considers the king, not the prime minister, to be his peer. The president was deeply flattered by the king’s invitation for an unprecedented second state visit to England — and a dazzling royal dinner at Windsor Castle — last year as well as Charles’ recent visit to Washington. In the U.S., Charles said the four-century-long U.S.-British relationship is “more important today than it has ever been,” even as he laid in support for checks and balances — seen as an implicit criticism of Trump.

The White House posted on social media that the pair are “TWO KINGS,” — in part, perhaps, a clapback to the “No Kings” rallies that drew crowds across the U.S. during Charles’ visit. But the irony was not missed in the land of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” and more founding-era documents that rejected the rule of Charles’ five-times great-grandfather, King George III, and government by monarchy generally.

Back home, where polls showed significant opposition to the king’s visit beforehand, Charles’ performance won raves as a show of soft power. That seemed all the more noteworthy given the obvious tension between the monarch and the president over climate issues, and Trump’s threat to make Canada the 51st state, where Charles is sovereign.

“May I say, well done in the Americas,” rock star Rod Stewart told Charles at a May 11 gala within earshot of reporters. “You were superb, absolutely superb, put that little rat bag in his place.”

Polls show Britons have soured on America. Only 28% of British adults approved of U.S. leadership in a Gallup poll conducted in the late summer and early fall of 2025, while 68% disapproved. That’s broadly in line with views of U.S. leadership during Trump’s first term, and lower than approval of U.S. leadership under Democratic President Joe Biden, when around 45% of U.K. adults approved of American leadership.

The Pew Research Center’s 2025 Global Attitudes Survey, conducted in the spring of that year, found that roughly half of U.K. adults had a favorable view of the U.S. British adults had a sunnier view of America in the first two years of Biden’s presidency, when about two-thirds had a favorable view of the U.S. That fell to 54% by the spring of 2024.

U.S.-U.K. relations have been strained in recent history, The Suez Canal crisis in 1956, for example, proved a stark reminder of Britain’s waning power and American ascendancy on the world stage. A decade later, Britain resisted pressure from the U.S. to join the Vietnam War.

Watching the American experiment under Trump

Throughout the years, watching America has become something of a spectator sport in Britain, if only to gauge how well — or poorly, or amusingly — the cousins across the Atlantic are doing democracy their way.

Nowadays, Brits readily acknowledge a long list of American qualities they admire alongside those that anger or mystify them. To the good: American ambition. The country's wealth. Its military might. Its vastness. Its television, music and movies. And its resilience despite racial tensions and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

In parallel runs the rest: America's gunviolence, which seems hard to fathom when viewed from Great Britain, where handguns were outlawed in 1997 after a school massacre. Immigration crackdowns in the U.S. seem puzzling to many Brits given that America was founded by immigrants. Though, like much of Europe, the U.K. has its own issues with people trying to enter the country illegally.

Topping the list of mysteries is Trump, the 47th president during the snapshot in time when the United States celebrates 250 years of independence. Talking about him is socially sensitive, Brits say, with Brexit still a raw tear through society and populist reform, led by some Trump supporters, on the rise in recent local elections.

“How can someone like that become president?” Mark Gibson asked over an ale recently at The Cross Keys pub in Washington, down the hill from the first president's ancestral home. He understands why Americans elected other men as their leaders, even if he didn't agree with them. But Trump? “I don't understand it. He's had bankruptcies and legal troubles."

"But,” Gibson adds, “I guess that's what people wanted. They elected him twice.”

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Associated Press News Editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington and video journalist Kwiyeon Ha in London contributed to this report.

As more social media livestreamers find that being performative with bigoted language can draw big audiences — and big bucks — the line is blurring between freedom of expression and people's right to feel safe. Even within livestreaming communities, some assert they have a right to say whatever they want to and to make money, while others support having boundaries.

Racial justice advocates worry that allowing people to profit from such videos only encourages and normalizes racist antics. As for regulation, social media can sometimes feel lawless, as it's generally left to platforms to self-regulate and hold users accountable for obscene and abusive words. But at some point, laws for offline behavior can trump online freedoms, experts say.

Dalton Eatherly, who goes by the moniker “Chud the Builder,” is facing charges including attempted murder after allegedly shooting another man last week outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, a city of about 165,000 people not far from the Kentucky border. authorities said.

Eatherly, 28, and the victim got into a “physical altercation that escalated to gunfire,” the local sheriff’s office said. A witness described the man, who was shot multiple times, as Black. Eatherly is white.

In an audio stream from just after the shooting, Eatherly said he fired in self-defense. It’s unclear if he and the wounded man exchanged words beforehand.

Eatherly, who is being held on a $1.25 million preliminary bond, has a full bond hearing scheduled Thursday. His attorney, Jacob Fendley, declined to comment on the charges when reached two days after his arrest.

Freedom of speech or hate speech?

Eatherly has defended his videos on the crowdsourcing site as “mild jokes, unfiltered thoughts.” While he has sometimes defended using a racial slur as “edgy, harmless humor,” Eatherly wrote, “I know it’s controversial, but it’s my right to speak freely.”

But legal experts say not all speech is protected.

Speaking generally about Eatherly's social media posts, David Raybin, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, said although Eatherly repeatedly references free speech in the posts, his actions in them may actually be crimes under Tennessee law. Because Eatherly was known to openly carry a pistol while berating people, the combination could constitute assault, he said.

“You don’t have to touch someone,” Raybin said. Assault can be charged if you “create fear of imminent harm.”

Meanwhile, merely coming at someone with “fighting words” constitutes disorderly conduct under local Nashville ordinances.

Brandon Tucker, senior director of government affairs for civil rights organization Color of Change, said “race-baiting” content creates immediate risk for Black bystanders. There’s a “power imbalance” with a livestreamer who is attracting an audience.

“The same free speech that this individual wants to advocate for doesn’t recognize the chilling of my response to know that I cannot react in any reasonable way because my face, my safety, my family’s safety is in jeopardy and being broadcast to an audience that most likely aligns with this person’s views,” Tucker said.

These streaming platforms cannot claim neutrality if they’re essentially financially rewarding users for using racist language to agitate, he said.

Even some other livestreamers say Eatherly crosses the line.

“When you get to terrorizing and doing all this hate speech, that’s when the line gets drawn, especially when nobody is bothering you,” said James Champion, a 41-year-old Los Angeles-based livestreamer and content creator who goes by the preferred online moniker SendaRoni Sloscru. “Whatever platform is allowing him to get away with that is basically race-baiting, and I just think in this day and time you got people who are going to laugh at it or people who will beat you to death about it.”

Eatherly's arrest has led to an outpouring of support, as he raised more than $100,000 in one day for his legal assistance. It is reminiscent of an incident from a year ago in which a white Minnesota woman was captured on cellphone video admitting to calling a child a racist slur. She amassed over $800,000 on GiveSendGo and also pointed to her First Amendment rights.

Platform regulation can feel like the 'Wild West'

Eatherly was streaming on Pump.fun, a platform where users create and trade cryptocurrency tokens. Token creators have used the livestream feature to gain notice in some outrageous ways, such as by performing dangerous stunts and threatening violence. In November 2024, Pump.fun paused the feature because people were violating its terms of service by uploading abusive, obscene or dishonest messages.

“It's not clear what was done to improve that situation before it was reinstated,” said Kate Ruane, director of the free expression program at the Center for Democracy and Technology. “If you're relying on users to report and none of the users that are viewing these livestreams disagree or have a problem with what they're seeing, you might not be getting the user reports that you should."

Pump.fun did not responded to a Wednesday email seeking comment.

Brandon Golob, a criminology, law and society professor at University of California, Irvine, said the number of livestreaming platforms has grown, but self-regulation can still feel like ‘the Wild West.’

The First Amendment, however, is not a blanket shield from real-world laws against harassment, hate crimes and provocation.

“The reality is that when it involves two private individuals, state law is going to govern,” Golob said. “We just want to make sure that we’re not conflating government responsibility or government censorship with private accountability.”

SendaRoni said he’s been livestreaming for a few years and has “tens of thousands” of followers across a number of social media platforms.

“I usually talk about social issues. I speak on trending events, news,” he said, adding that a number of livestreamers addressed Eatherly’s antics following the shooting in Clarksville.

“I think he tried to find people he’d get a reaction out of,” SendaRoni said. “When you do things such as that the end results are not going to be exciting. You’re acting like no one has a reason not to be disgusted and you made a mockery of yourself.”

Leading livestream platforms such as YouTube and Twitch do have an infrastructure for content moderation — and community guidelines barring hate speech and slurs. They utilize automated detection and user reports.

Both Golob and Ruane advise people to know their rights on how to handle livestreamers who are making them uncomfortable. Ruane says it's OK “to film them right back.”

“Make sure that you're sharing a different version of the story because whatever First Amendment rights they might be exercising, you have them too,” Ruane said. “Make sure that is being published at the same time and that can serve as a form of pushback in and of itself.”

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Associated Press reporter Travis Loller contributed to this story.

Ohtani began another remarkable two-way performance by driving Randy Vásquez’s high fastball 398 feet to center for his eighth homer of the season and his 27th career leadoff homer.

On the mound, Ohtani (4-2) struck out four with two walks while lowering his ERA to 0.73 over eight starts. Four relievers completed LA's five-hitter.

Ohtani immediately connected off Vásquez (5-2) for his 13th hit in 24 at-bats since the game before he was given a two-day break from hitting last week in a successful attempt to end a mini-slump.

Teoscar Hernández homered and drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who have won seven of eight after taking two of three at Petco Park in their first series of the season against their Southern California rivals.

Vásquez yielded six hits and three runs for the Padres, who lost the last two games after a four-game winning streak. San Diego scored just five runs in the series, getting shut out over the final 15 innings.

Ohtani retired the Padres' first nine hitters, although he needed 52 pitches to do it. Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and Gavin Sheets singled, but Ohtani escaped the jam.

The Padres then loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but the scuffling Tatis grounded into a double play on the next pitch, prompting a vocal celebration from Ohtani on the conclusion of his pitching night.

Max Muncy doubled in the second and scored on Hernández’s long flyout.

Ohtani then drew a leadoff walk from Vásquez in the fifth and eventually scored on Kyle Tucker’s single.

Hernández hit his sixth homer in the ninth inning.

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill left the game in the fifth. The slumping slugger had crashed into the wall while attempting to steal Ohtani's homer in the first, but kept playing.

Up next

Both teams have Thursday off. The Dodgers return Friday in Milwaukee with Justin Wrobleski (6-1, 2.49 ERA) on the mound, while Walker Buehler (3-2, 5.01 ERA) is expected to start when the Padres face the Athletics at Petco Park.

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

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a subpar series opener to score 30 points, Alex Caruso added 17 off the bench and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on Wednesday night in Game 2.

Chet Holmgren scored 13 points and reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each had 12 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, plus a 27-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

“I thought we all played better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I had a quiet confidence about that. I didn't know if we'd win or lose the game, but I was pretty sure after watching Game 1 and knowing our team that we were going to come out and play better tonight.”

Stephon Castle scored 25 points for the Spurs, who got 22 points from Devin Vassell and a 21-point, 17-rebound, six-assist, four-block night from Victor Wembanyama.

Game 3 is Friday in San Antonio.

“The guys brought it tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump.”

Isaiah Hartenstein — who barely played in Game 1 — had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who improved to 14-5 after a loss this season — and beat the Spurs for just the second time in seven meetings.

The win was not without cost for the Thunder, who lost guard Jalen Williams — who had already missed six games in these playoffs with a left hamstring strain — in the first half with a recurrence of the hamstring issue. The Thunder said it was tightness, but even that would figure to put his availability for Friday into doubt.

And the Spurs got banged up as well. Already without All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox because of ankle soreness, San Antonio lost his replacement in the starting lineup — Dylan Harper — to a right leg injury after he took a couple of awkward falls in the third quarter.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had no update on Harper after the game, though he noted that it puts “a ton” of pressure on others when his team is down two guards.

“Obviously this team is as good as anybody at turning you over, so when you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators it causes a little bit of an extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc., etc.,” Johnson said. “We’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”

San Antonio was down by 11 at the half and trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter, then got within 99-97 off a corner 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes with 9:06 left.

The next 2 1/2 minutes saved the Thunder. An 11-0 run by the defending champions — including a banked-in 3-pointer by McCain midway through the burst — pushed OKC's lead to 13.

But the Spurs — on another night when turnovers plagued them and the stretch run was played without Fox and Harper — were far from done. Wembanyama scored down low to make it 118-113 with 1:25 remaining, but Gilgeous-Alexander got one last basket to settle things down and send the series to San Antonio tied.

“We've got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said.

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

Trailing 3-0 in the third period, Colorado made it 3-2 with 2:21 remaining on a power-play goal from Gabriel Landeskog. Nic Dowd sealed it for Vegas with an empty-net goal.

Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden also scored for the Golden Knights, who took advantage of several defensive miscommunications by the Avalanche as they juggled their blue-line pairings with Cale Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury.

Coghlan scored his first NHL goal since Dec. 17, 2021. The 28-year-old defenseman spent most of the season in the American Hockey League. He's played the last five postseason games with the recent injury to Jeremy Lauzon.

“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I think he's one of our best defensemen since he's been with us and in the lineup. ... He's a bit unflappable."

It was a smothering performance most of the game by the Golden Knights as they kept the pressure on goaltender Scott Wedgewood, while controlling the Avalanche's speed through the neutral zone. Vegas also had 23 blocked shots.

“We didn't play a flawless game by any means,” Tortorella said. “We have work to do.”

Valeri Nichushkin had a goal at 5:53 of the third to make it 3-1.

Hart was stellar most of the evening, making one sprawling save after another. He got some help from his post, too, when Logan O’Connor's liner clanged off it in the first period.

“We know they've got a lot of skill on their team, and we respect that,” Hart said. “But you can’t respect them too much, and I thought we did a good job of defending and limiting their time and space.”

Mitch Marner added an assist for Vegas to give him 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in this postseason. It was Dorofeyev’s NHL-leading 10th goal of this postseason. The Golden Knights didn’t have injured captain Mark Stone.

“We’re trying to play our game, not worrying too much about countering off another team," Tortorella explained. "They feel very comfortable in it.”

Game 2 is Friday night in Denver.

The Avalanche dropped their first game at home after winning five straight through the first two rounds. Wedgewood made 24 saves.

“It was kind of a nothing game, and then they got a few goals,” Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon said. "Really good team, obviously, but I thought we did a lot of damage to ourselves. Just guys kind of everywhere. Execution, like I said, needs to be better. Obviously, we’re capable of being a lot better than that.”

Colorado tried some different combinations without Makar. It led to some confusion, with Coghlan sneaking into the middle of the ice and lining a shot through the pads of Wedgewood to break a scoreless game in the second period.

“There's definitely a trickle-down effect to that," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of not having Makar. “But he's not playing. We have find a way.”

Coghlan has bounced around over his career, spending his first two seasons with Vegas before stints with Carolina and Winnipeg. He returned to the Golden Knights last July in part, he said, because of the bonds he'd formed.

“This is probably the best I've felt in my whole career,” said Coghlan, who played in three regular-season games for Vegas this season. “Whoever it is I'm playing with I'm very comfortable out there with them. They make it pretty easy on me. We have some pretty world-class players.”

The Golden Knights and Avalanche are meeting in a best-of-seven series for the second time. In 2021, Colorado won the opening two games of their second-round series before Vegas captured four straight.

“ Definitely things we can get better at,” Landeskog said. “But we knew it was (going to) be a long series.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Federal Court Justice Michael Wheelahan also ordered the Texas-based social media giant to pay AU$100,000 ($71,000) of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s court costs within 45 days.

The ruling ends a three-year legal battle in which X had argued it was not obliged to answer eSafety’s questions.

X admitted it contravened Australia’s Online Safety Act by failing to provide a report that fully answered questions posed by eSafety in a transparency notice issued on Feb. 22, 2023, the agency’s lawyer Christopher Tran said. X had to provide the answers by March 29 that year.

X’s lawyer Perry Herzfeld told the judge eSafety did not allege that the contravening conduct continued after May 5, 2023.

“That was a period of change and transition for the company,” Herzfeld said, in a reference to Elon Musk taking over.

eSafety had sent the notice to Twitter Inc., which merged with X in March 2023.

Tran said both X and eSafety agreed the fine was appropriate.

“It’s appropriate because X Corp. is obviously a large company and a large figure is needed to ensure that a contravention is not treated as a cost of doing business,” Tran said.

In July last year, the full Federal Court ruled that X was required to respond to eSafety’s transparency notice. That ruling upheld a judge’s decision in October 2024.

Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, said meaningful transparency was critical to holding technology companies to account.

“In early 2023, we asked some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Twitter, to report on steps they were taking to comply with the Australian Basic Online Safety Expectations in relation to the proliferation of child sexual exploitation and abuse materials on their platforms,” Inman Grant said in a statement.

“This is not only a key part of our work as Australia’s online safety regulator, it also provides the Australian public with important information about how these companies are tackling the worst-of-the-worst content on their platforms,” she added.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% and is on track for a fourth drop in five days after setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 37 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower.

A halt in the torrid run for stocks benefiting from the artificial-intelligence boom has slowed the U.S. market recently. Not even another better-than-expected profit report from Nvidia was enough to kick it back into gear.

The chip company reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, while also forecasting revenue for the current quarter that cleared analysts’ estimates. “The buildout of AI factories — the largest infrastructure expansion in human history — is accelerating at extraordinary speed,” CEO Jensen Huang said.

Such performances and such talk have become routine, though, and Nvidia's stock swiveled between losses and gains before slipping 1.9%.

Some analysts said the muted reaction may have simply been because investors were locking in profits after Nvidia’s stock had soared nearly 70% over the prior year, more than double the S&P 500’s 27% jump. The broad AI industry is also getting criticism for becoming too expensive, as well as too circular as Nvidia has bought ownership stakes in companies that use its own chips that drive Nvidia’s revenue.

Pressure built on Wall Street, meanwhile, as the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 2.1% to $107.26 and trimmed its loss for the week. Oil prices have been swinging up and down with uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz shut, which is preventing oil tankers from exiting the Persian Gulf to deliver crude.

That helped push Treasury yields upward in the bond market, resuming their rises following a slowdown the day before.

Climbing yields have cranked up the pressure on financial markets worldwide. They're slowing economies and weighing on prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. Besides driving up rates for mortgages, high yields could also curtail companies’ borrowing to build the AI data centers that have been supporting the U.S. economy’s growth recently.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.60% from 4.57% late Wednesday.

It had gotten near 4.63% earlier in the morning, after a report gave the latest signal that the U.S. job market remains in better shape than economists expected. The number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits last week unexpectedly declined in an indication of fewer layoffs.

But yields then eased a bit following a preliminary report showing weaker-than-expected growth for business activity among U.S. services businesses, but improved growth for U.S. manufacturers. Companies are feeling the effects of accelerating inflation and are seeing subdued growth in their order books, preliminary data from the S&P Global survey said.

“The damaging economic impact from the war in the Middle East is becoming increasingly evident in the business surveys,” according to Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Inflation is worsening even beyond the high oil prices caused by the Iran war, while U.S. households are showing widespread discouragement about the economy.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Walmart fell 6.8% following its profit report. The retailer delivered another quarter of impressive revenue but offered up weaker forecasts for upcoming profit than analysts expected.

On the winning side of Wall Street was Ralph Lauren, which jumped 10.5% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe following bigger moves in Asian markets.

South Korea’s Kospi Kospi soared 8.4% thanks to strength for technology stocks. Samsung Electronics jumped 8.5% after its labor union and management reached an agreement late Wednesday that averted a potentially costly strike. SK Hynix, a chip company partnering with Nvidia, surged 11.2%.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 3.1%, while indexes fell 1% in Hong Kong and 2% in Shanghai.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The reason: Another hamstring problem, which the Thunder called tightness.

Williams appeared to be getting treatment on the hamstring during the first half, then left the bench area and did not play in the second quarter. Television footage showed him walking toward the locker room holding a large wrap on the back of his left leg.

Cason Wallace started the second half in Williams' place, and the Thunder announced that Williams wouldn't return not long afterward. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Williams would be evaluated on Thursday.

“He’s going to get checked out," Daigneault said after Oklahoma City's 122-113 win that evened the series at a game apiece. "I don’t deal in like hypotheticals, especially when doctors are involved. ... We'll see where he’s at. We’ll update him accordingly.”

Williams returned for Game 1 of the Spurs' series, scoring 26 points in 37 minutes on Monday night in Oklahoma City's 122-115 double-overtime loss. He had four points in seven first-quarter minutes Wednesday, including an alley-oop dunk with 2:12 left in the period.

Game 3 of the series is Friday in San Antonio.

Williams missed 55 of the Thunder’s first 91 games this season entering Wednesday, including playoffs. Of those absences, 19 were for a right wrist issue and the other 36 were related to his hamstrings — the right one costing him 30 games during the regular season, the left one costing him the most recent six during the playoffs.

“Obviously, if we don’t have him, it hurts," Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “I still believe in this team though. We've played a bunch of games without him, won big games without him. I still think we’ll get the job done. But losing a guy ... no matter how good your team is otherwise it hurts a little bit. And for him, just like as a human being, he’s had a tough year with injuries.”

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

Durante la dictadura militar uruguaya (1973-1985) unas 205 personas fueron detenidas y desaparecidas, según las denuncias recibidas y examinadas por la Institución Nacional de Derechos Humanos (INDDHH).

El equipo de investigación de la INDDHH incluyó la semana pasada ocho casos a la lista de 197 desaparecidos que se conocía hasta el momento: tres se consideran casos activos de búsqueda y otros cinco ya habían sido aclarados, pero no formaban parte de dicha nómina.

La mayoría de los casos se registró en el marco de la Operación Cóndor, el plan de coordinación represiva entre dictaduras sudamericanas que, bajo la doctrina anticomunista y con apoyo de Estados Unidos, persiguió y eliminó a opositores políticos.

“Esta es una cuestión moral que hay que llevar adelante mientras se pueda”, señaló Jorge Borges, un jubilado que asistió a las 30 marchas del silencio realizadas, y aseguró que seguirá participando “hasta que aparezcan”.

“Contra la impunidad de ayer y hoy exigimos respuestas”, decía la bandera que encabezaba la marcha que, en completo silencio, recorrió la tradicional avenida 18 de Julio ante la mirada de otras miles de personas que vieron pasar la columna desde las veredas. En ambas multitudes emergieron letreros con rostros y nombres de los desaparecidos.

Este año la movilización conmemoró el 50 aniversario del asesinato de los legisladores Zelmar Michelini y Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, abatidos por fuerzas argentinas junto a los militantes Rosario Barredo y William Whitelaw.

Michelini y Gutiérrez Ruiz fueron secuestrados el 18 de mayo de 1976 en Buenos Aires en uno de los episodios considerados más emblemáticos del terrorismo de Estado coordinado en el Cono Sur; dos días antes lo habían sido William Whitelaw Blanco y Rosario del Carmen Barredo, ambos militantes de izquierda.

Documentos desclasificados en los últimos años por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y las agencias CIA y FBI revelaron que los asesinatos fueron una operación coordinada del Plan Cóndor, ejecutada por fuerzas de seguridad argentinas con el seguimiento e incentivo de la dictadura uruguaya.

“El mayor homenaje es la libertad y la lucha contra la impunidad. El legado es la defensa de los derechos humanos. No puede haber seres humanos que castiguen, maltraten, hagan tormentos, hagan desaparecer, apresen, maten a otros seres humanos por política, por idea”, resumió a The Associated Press el senador Rafael Michelini, uno de los diez hijos del también periodista Zelmar Michelini.

El legislador recordó a su padre como una persona “alegre, que disfrutaba de los pequeños detalles y enfrentaba la adversidad con humor”.

“La cuenta pendiente de la democracia es la información, la verdad. Los desaparecidos que no hemos encontrado”, añadió.

Los dirigentes y militantes políticos fueron recordados en numerosos actos institucionales en Uruguay en los que participó su familia. También serán homenajeados el jueves en Buenos Aires en un acto que contará con la presencia del presidente uruguayo Yamandú Orsi y la vicepresidenta Carolina Cosse.

Michelini militó en el Partido Colorado, donde fue diputado, senador y ministro de Industria y Comercio. En 1970 se alejó de dicha fuerza para cofundar el Frente Amplio, actual partido de gobierno en Uruguay.

Gutiérrez Ruiz fue un político uruguayo, perteneciente al Partido Nacional, que se exilió en Argentina y llegó a denunciar los crímenes de la dictadura uruguaya en el Parlamento Europeo y ante Amnistía Internacional.

El 21 de mayo de 1976 los cuatro cuerpos fueron hallados en un auto abandonado, acribillados la noche anterior y con signos de haber sido torturados. Alrededor de los cuerpos había volantes y pintadas de una supuesta organización subversiva que se adjudicaba el atentado. A los pocos días de conocida la noticia fue destituido Juan María Bordaberry —presidente de facto— y, en su lugar, asumió Alberto Demicheli.

Se estima que durante la dictadura uruguaya se exiliaron del país unas 380.000 personas, el 14% de la población de ese momento.

Pero no llegaría sino hasta el 20 de mayo de 1902.

Primero vino la “Guerra Grande”, que duró casi 10 años, y luego la “Guerra Chiquita”, que se prolongó más de un año. Después estuvo la Guerra de Independencia de Cuba, seguida por la Guerra Hispano-Estadounidense.

Cuba finalmente se independizó, pero el gobierno socialista no celebra la fecha, y tampoco lo hacen sus simpatizantes en la isla.

Por qué Cuba no celebra el Día de la Independencia

La independencia de Cuba en 1902 estuvo ligada a la Enmienda Platt, impulsada por un senador de Connecticut. Le otorgó a Estados Unidos el derecho de intervenir en los asuntos cubanos “para la preservación de la independencia cubana” (entre otras cosas) y le permitió a Washington arrendar o comprar tierras para establecer bases navales en la isla.

Aunque la enmienda fue derogada durante el mandato del expresidente estadounidense Franklin D. Roosevelt, dejó un sabor amargo en la boca de muchos cubanos.

“Sólo una cosa hay que agradecer a ese día: haber sembrado en los cubanos de entonces un sentimiento antimperialista que cada generación posterior ha sentido profundizarse con nuevas y constantes amenazas a la independencia y la soberanía de la Patria”, escribió el presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel en la red social X.

El 20 de mayo representa “intervención, injerencia, despojo, frustración”, añadió.

Algunos cubanos sí celebran el 20 de mayo

Los cubanos y las personas de ascendencia cubana en Estados Unidos y en otros lugares que se oponen a la Revolución y al gobierno socialista sí celebran el 20 de mayo.

“Es su 4 de julio”, expresó Jason Reding Quiñones, el principal fiscal federal en Miami e hijo de un refugiado político cubano.

El miércoles se sumó a funcionarios para anunciar una acusación formal contra el expresidente cubano Raúl Castro, acusado del derribo en 1996 de aviones civiles pilotados por exiliados radicados en Miami sobre aguas cubanas.

Reding manifestó que el 20 de mayo “nos recuerda que la búsqueda de la libertad, la dignidad y la rendición de cuentas atraviesa generaciones y sigue viva y vigente en el corazón de la comunidad cubana”.

El 20 de mayo es una fecha con una fuerte carga política

La Casa Blanca emitió el miércoles una extensa declaración presidencial para conmemorar el 20 de mayo. Rindió homenaje y recordó a quienes “se han sacrificado por una Cuba libre”, y vitoreó el hecho de que haya nuevas sanciones y el corte de vías de financiamiento hacia la isla.

“El régimen en La Habana de hoy es la traición directa a la nación por la que sus fundadores patriotas se desangraron y murieron”, decía el comunicado. “Durante casi siete décadas, el gobierno comunista de la isla ha desmantelado violentamente la libertad política, ha negado a su pueblo elecciones justas, ha silenciado con brutalidad a la disidencia y ha estrangulado la economía cubana hasta llevarla a un estado de colapso”.

El gobierno cubano respondió rápidamente.

El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, calificó el comunicado de Washington de “superficial y malinformado” en una publicación en X, y añadió que era una “ofensa” al pueblo de Cuba.

Funcionarios cubanos también denunciaron que el secretario de Estado estadounidense, Marco Rubio, eligiera difundir un mensaje en video en español el 20 de mayo, horas antes de que se anunciara la acusación formal contra Castro. Rubio acusó al gobierno cubano de saquear miles de millones de dólares y de dejar a la gente en la isla sin electricidad, combustible ni alimentos. Negó que ello se debiera a un bloqueo energético aplicado por Estados Unidos.

El gobierno cubano celebra el 1 de enero de 1959 como su verdadero Día de la Independencia, cuando los revolucionarios triunfaron y obligaron al dictador Fulgencio Batista a huir.

Rodríguez sostuvo que “la Revolución puso fin a casi seis décadas de control económico y político por los Estados Unidos, con tres intervenciones militares y el arropamiento político y apoyo militar a dos sangrientas dictaduras”.

Cuba también celebra el 26 de julio, conocido como el Día de la Rebeldía Nacional. Conmemora un fallido ataque de 1953 que antecedió a la Revolución.

El canciller afirmó que la isla “tiene todo el derecho” a seguir siendo un país libre e independiente a cargo de sus asuntos políticos y económicos: “Cuba defenderá ese derecho a cualquier precio”, sentenció.

___

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

Just like that, the Spurs have some big issues to deal with in the Western Conference finals.

Fox — the Spurs' All-Star guard — tried to go through a pregame workout Wednesday but his right ankle wasn't good enough to let him play. So, the Spurs kept Dylan Harper in the starting lineup in his place, only to see him leave in the third quarter with a leg injury.

The Spurs got a split of the first two games in Oklahoma City, but it's anyone's guess who'll start in the backcourt when the series resumes in San Antonio on Friday night.

“It's a tough injury that he wouldn't be playing with in the regular season,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Fox's ankle injury, the severity of which has not been fully disclosed by the team. “He's trying to tough it out.”

Harper took two awkward falls about a minute apart in the third quarter and was ruled out not long afterward. Johnson didn't have an update on him after Game 2, which Oklahoma City won 122-113 to even the series.

The Spurs held out hope until about an hour before game time that Fox could play, and Johnson — just as he did Monday — indicated that Fox's status will be a series of game-time decisions for the rest of the season.

“It’ll be pretty status quo moving forward, I believe, regardless of if he plays in games or not,” Johnson said. “This’ll be just kind of the world we live in.”

Fox was an All-Star this season for the Spurs, averaging 18.6 points per game in the regular season — second on the team behind only Victor Wembanyama's 25 points per game.

Harper — who was named to the NBA's All-Rookie first team earlier Wednesday — was brilliant in the Spurs' Game 1 win, with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a team playoff record seven steals.

He had 12 points in 25 minutes on Wednesday before heading to the locker room.

Harper, who turned 20 on March 2, is the second-youngest player to have appeared in this season's playoffs, behind only Minnesota's Joan Beringer and Phoenix's Khaman Maluach — both still just 19. Beringer and Maluach combined to score 24 points in the playoffs, matching the total that Harper had in Game 1 against the Thunder alone.

“He didn't just get this talented or this good,” Johnson said of Harper before the game. “For him to buy in to the role that was in front of him, for him to do what was asked and be held accountable and learn what it took and what we needed to win games and be a part of it — while probably suppressing some of his individual capabilities — is hard to do for a 19- to 20-year-old.

“For him to be able to do that and grow as a winning team player and then have his individual talent pop as well — it's hard to do in this league at any time. Doing it as a rookie in the playoffs is ridiculous.”

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

Also making first-team All-Rookie: San Antonio's Dylan Harper and Memphis' Cedric Coward. Harper also appeared on all 100 ballots, with 93 first-team nods and seven second-team votes.

Those five players were also the only ones to get votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting, where Flagg edged Knueppel for top honors.

The All-Rookie second team included New Orleans' Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, Utah's Ace Bailey, Sacramento's Maxime Reynaud and Toronto's Collin Murray-Boyles.

The NBA will announce the All-Defensive team on Friday and the All-NBA team on Sunday, with Coach of the Year set to be announced Tuesday.

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

Leer en español

For the fatal 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, the indictment charged Castro, 94, with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

“The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens,” Blanche said during the announcement.

RELATED VIDEOS: Watch the speeches during Raul Castro indictment announcement at Freedom Tower

A Miami grand jury also indicted five co-defendants — Cuban military pilots Lorenzo Perez, Emilio Palacio, Jose Gual, Raul Simanca, and Luis Gonzalez — with charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

“They have been looking for this moment for 65 years,” Trump said on Wednesday about Cubans and Cuban Americans in Miami.

Castro was accused of ordering the Cuban Air Force shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue Cessna 337 Skymasters that had departed from the Opa Locka Executive Airport at about 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 24, 1996.

“The passage of time does not erase murder, it does not diminish the value of those lives, and it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said.

During their last flight, Carlos Costa and Pablo Morales were in the Cessna 337C, and Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre were in the Cessna 337B. Both planes were registered in the U.S., records show.

RELATED DOCUMENT: Read the 19-page indictment

“For 30 years, their families waited for answers. This FBI never forgot,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a statement released on X.

FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia, a former member of the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami Beach, was at the Freedom Tower. He said he remembers the refugee crisis and Brothers to the Rescue.

“Four humanitarians were on a noble mission to help those fleeing oppression,” Raia said.

Air-to-air missiles fired from Cuban Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets that had flown out of the San Antonio de los Baños airfield in Cuba hit both planes — killing Alejandre, 45; Costa, 29; and De la Peña, 24, who were U.S. citizens; and Morales, 29, a U.S. resident.

“Both Cessna aircraft broke up in the air from the explosions of the missiles, the wreckage impacted the sea and sank,” according to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s report.

Sylvia Iriondo, who was born in Havana and lived in Miami, survived the attack and was at the Freedom Tower on Wednesday. She and her late husband were Brothers to the Rescue volunteers who were in a third Cessna that was able to get away.

“We had hoped this was coming. We have been hoping for 30 years,” Iriondo, 80, said. She added, “All of us have not wavered in our pursuit of justice. We are hearing that, and we are nearing that moment that justice will be done.”

RELATED DOCUMENT: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 1999 report

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INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC: Remembering the victims

Raúl Castro and five Cuban military pilots, Lorenzo Perez-Perez, Emilio Palacio, Jose Gual, Raul Simanca, and Luis Gonzalez, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

Here is an interactive copy of the 19-page indictment:

Venezuelans consider it a huge lesson as for how far President Donald Trump is willing to go to intervene in regional affairs.

“They have a strategy to create a space for economic development in Venezuela and Cuba, and that’s a great opportunity also for the United States,” former Venezuelan political prisoner Jesus Armas told Local 10 News reporter Glenna Milberg in Caracas on Wednesday.

Armas said it also “(creates) momentum for the release of political prisoners” in Venezuela.

Add to that the economic spiral, soaring inflation, blackouts and water shortages.

Protesters in Caracas calling for the release of political prisoners marched right through military police taking their photos and right up to the prison administration building.

That type of march certainly isn’t the first of its kind, but for so many people, now is a moment.

Protester Rosa Uruja told Local 10 News that Venezuela is a “totally different country” since the Jan. 3 ouster of Maduro.

Equally important to what’s being said is what’s not: Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, a member of Maduro’s party, a frequent poster on social media, has had nothing to say about the Castro indictment. Neither has her brother, the leader in the country’s National Assembly, or Venezuela’s foreign minister.

Local 10 News visited the new Bay of Pigs museum in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, honoring those who led the deadly and failed attempt to topple the Castro regime 65 years ago, where 91-year-old Andres Mena and his fellow Bay of Pigs were quick with a reminder: they’ve been here before.

“I think this is going to be our last chance (at a democratic Cuba),” Mena said. “I don’t think it will be easy.”

Mena said he thinks the communist regime on the island will put up a “fight” and “many would die.”

Parallel to the cautious optimism, The Cuban American Bar Association already has a plan to move forward without the regime.

“Over the last 20-plus years we have prepared a transitional law document that stands ready to support a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba,” Haydee Sera, with the Cuban American Bar Association, said. “We need to keep in mind the Cuban people. The Cuban people have suffered, are suffering.”

Ana Castro, no relation to the regime, says she wishes she could hit the streets in celebration over the indictment. But she can’t. She’s filled with mixed emotion.

“I’m still really upset about the immigration situation, but super happy,” she said.

Once a supporter of President Donald Trump, her husband was one of thousands of Cubans detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

She says he spent most of the past year at “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“They have made so many Hispanics suffer,” she said.

Castro said she’s skeptical of the administration’s motivations in her homeland.

Cuban Americans said they hope that any regime change wouldn’t look like Venezuela’s, where the ruling party of ousted dictator Nicolas Maduro remains in place.

Thursday will feature sunshine, scattered clouds and east-southeast winds, sustained 5 to 15 mph. There could be a few showers in the mix, particularly during the morning. Temperatures are expected to make a run for the upper 80s.

The event served as an introduction to the South Florida community for the Dolphins’ rookie class, including 2026 first-round offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and quarterback Mark Gronowski.

“All smiles” filled the facility as players worked with athletes in a relaxed environment focused more on enjoyment than competition.

“It’s fun,” Proctor said. “Like this, this should be a safe place for them to come and just have fun with us, you know. We’re not going to take them through the drills that we go through, you know. You just come in here and have fun with the kids.”

One young participant shared his excitement for the game.

“I love football,” he said. “I love it, me and my friend, and I can be a coach.”

Gronowski said the event carried personal meaning because of his family’s connection to the Special Olympics. His brother, Ryan, won a gold medal in flag football at the 2022 Special Olympics Games.

“He plays pretty much every sport out there possible, but won a gold medal down there,” Gronowski said. “Down there did awesome and it was so much fun, you know, seeing these kids out there today doing the same thing, going out there having fun, and there’s so much that we can learn from these kids out here — just how to have fun, how to be a great teammate, and how to be good people too.”

The rookies quickly learned they had to keep up with some impressive athletes.

“They was kind of killing me out there,” Proctor said. “I’m not gonna lie, you know, I got some kids out there really, really working to move and it’s hard, hard to catch up with them, you know. South Florida is a little different than football.”

Por el derribo fatal en 1996 de dos aviones de Hermanos al Rescate, la acusación imputa a Castro, de 94 años, por conspiración para matar a ciudadanos estadounidenses, dos cargos por destrucción de aeronaves y cuatro cargos de asesinato.

VIDEOS RELACIONADOS: Vea los discursos durante el anuncio de la acusación contra Raúl Castro en la Freedom Tower

Castro fue acusado de ordenar el derribo por parte de la Fuerza Aérea Cubana de dos avionetas Cessna 337 Skymaster de Hermanos al Rescate que habían despegado del Aeropuerto Ejecutivo Opa-locka alrededor de las 3:20 p.m. del 24 de febrero de 1996.

Carlos Costa y Pablo Morales iban en la Cessna 337C, mientras que Mario De La Peña y Armando Alejandre iban en la Cessna 337B. Los registros muestran que ambas aeronaves estaban registradas en Estados Unidos.

Misiles aire-aire disparados desde aviones de combate MiG-29 de la Fuerza Aérea Cubana impactaron ambas aeronaves, causando la muerte de Alejandre, de 45 años; Costa, de 29; y De la Peña, de 24, quienes eran ciudadanos estadounidenses; y Morales, de 29, residente de Estados Unidos, según los registros.

“Ambas aeronaves Cessna se desintegraron en el aire debido a las explosiones de los misiles, los restos impactaron el mar y se hundieron”, según el informe de la Organización de Aviación Civil Internacional.

Documento relacionado: Informe de 1999 de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos

Historias relacionadas

• Exiliados cubanos reaccionan en la Freedom Tower a acusación contra Raúl Castro
• Exiliados cubanos en el Café Versailles de Miami reaccionan a noticia de acusación contra Raúl Castro: “Totalmente a favor”
• Republicanos del sur de Florida respaldan acusación contra Castro
• Rubio publica mensaje en español para cubanos que sufren en la isla

Gráfico interactivo: Cuatro integrantes de Hermanos al Rescate murieron

Estos eventos imprudentes, que a menudo involucran conductores haciendo donas y bloqueando intersecciones en el sur de Florida, se han convertido en un problema creciente en los últimos años. Ahora, agencias locales están lanzando una campaña de cumplimiento con cero tolerancia para detener el caos.

“Durante los últimos años, hemos visto cómo varias conductas imprudentes al volante han escalado a choques, lesiones, intimidación de conductores, agresiones a agentes, daños a la propiedad y peligrosas interrupciones del flujo vehicular”, dijo el jefe de la Policía de Fort Lauderdale, Bill Schultz.

Durante una conferencia de prensa con múltiples agencias, funcionarios mostraron videos de un arresto reciente en Fort Lauderdale relacionado con un hombre acusado de huir de la policía y conducir imprudentemente. Las autoridades dijeron que es una de las miles de personas arrestadas o citadas en toda Florida este año.

El alcalde de Fort Lauderdale, Dean Trantalis, dijo que los residentes han estado frustrados con el problema durante años.

“Este ha sido un tema muy cercano a mi corazón durante muchos años porque lo he escuchado directamente de vecinos de todo Fort Lauderdale”, dijo Trantalis.

Según la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida, se emitieron 13,835 citaciones por carreras callejeras o conducción acrobática entre 2020 y 2026. Los funcionarios dijeron que la mayoría de los participantes tienen entre 16 y 29 años.

La Policía de Fort Lauderdale indicó que desde enero de 2022, los agentes han realizado 118 arrestos relacionados con tomas ilegales y conducción imprudente, además de presentar 343 cargos menores y 149 cargos graves.

La policía dijo que continuará reforzando la vigilancia durante todo el fin de semana festivo, con una clara advertencia para cualquiera que planee participar.

“El mensaje hoy es claro: la conducción imprudente de ATV, automóviles, motocicletas y bicicletas eléctricas no será tolerada en Fort Lauderdale ni en ninguna de nuestras jurisdicciones en el condado Broward”, dijo Schultz.

Los funcionarios también recordaron al público que incluso observar una toma ilegal de calles como espectador puede resultar en una citación de tránsito no penal.

For the fatal 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, the indictment charges Castro with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

Here are their speeches:

FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier

Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega

Question and answer session with reporters

Related stories

• U.S. indicts former Cuban president Raúl Castro
• Cuban exiles at Freedom Tower react to Raúl Castro indictment
• Cuban exiles at Miami’s Cafe Versailles react to Raul Castro indictment news: ‘All for it’
• South Florida Republicans make case for Castro indictment
• Rubio releases message in Spanish to Cubans suffering on the island

The allegations come as part of escalating pressure by the Trump administration on Cuba's socialist government to open its economy to American investment and remove U.S. adversaries. In addition, a U.S. blockade of fuel and other goods has caused widespread blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse on the island.

Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister at the time the two small planes were shot down. They were operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue, which had been dropping leaflets over Havana urging Cubans to rise up against their government. Russian-made fighter jets downed the two unarmed civilian aircraft, killing all four men aboard the planes.

Here's what to know about Castro, the indictment and the 1996 incident.

What does the indictment allege?

Castro is accused in the indictment of authorizing the use of deadly force against Brothers to the Rescue, after the group had flown planes that dropped pro-Democracy leaflets over Cuba in January 1996. U.S. prosecutors said Castro and his older brother, Fidel Castro, who was president at the time, were the final decision makers on orders to kill.

In February 1996, Raúl Castro ordered Cuban military officials to begin training, using MiG fighter jets from Russia, on finding, tracking and intercepting the group's small planes off the island's coast, the indictment says. The two planes were shot down on Feb. 24, killing four U.S. nationals, including three U.S. citizens. A third plane managed to escape.

Castro and five other people, including MiG pilots, were charged in the indictment. Castro is accused of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and multiple counts of murder and destruction of aircraft. The murder and conspiracy charges carry a maximum punishment of the death penalty or life in prison upon conviction, but it's unclear whether Castro will ever set foot in a U.S. courtroom.

Will Castro ever face the charges in U.S.?

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who announced the indictment Wednesday in Miami, said he expected Castro to appear in the U.S. for prosecution, either by “his own will or by another way.”

Blanche said the federal government often indicts people who are outside the United States and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife were seized by U.S. Special Forces in the Venezuelan capital in January.

What happened in 1996?

At about 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, 1996, the three Brothers to the Rescue planes took off from an airport in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Over international waters, outside of Cuban airspace, two of the three unarmed Cessna planes were shot down by the Cuban MiG pilots without any warning, U.S. prosecutors said. The MiG pilots then began following the third plane, which escaped being destroyed, authorities said.

A Cuban official, however, insisted at a United Nations Security Council meeting in late February 1996 that the two planes were violating Cuban airspace when they were shot down and one of the civilian pilots had ignored warnings to not enter that airspace, according to Security Council records. The official also alleged the U.S. took no effective measures to prevent such airspace violations by U.S. pilots, despite warnings from Cuba.

Brothers to the Rescue dates back to 1980, during the unexpected emigration of 125,000 Cubans to the United States. It aimed to help the Cuban refugees in the Florida straits by dropping supplies from small planes and alerting the U.S. Coast Guard during the monthslong crisis.

What has been the reaction to the indictment?

Cuba's current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, condemned the indictment against Castro and accused U.S. officials of lying about the 1996 shootdown of the planes. He called it “a political action without any legal basis, that only seeks to bolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”

He wrote on X that the shootdown of the planes was “legitimate self-defense” after repeated and dangerous violations of Cuba's airspace by “notorious terrorists.”

The Cuban government said in a statement that the Cuban people fully support Castro. “Homeland or Death, We Will Prevail,” the statement said.

Marlene Alejandre-Triana, whose father, Armando Alejandre Jr, was among those killed in the 1996 shootdown, called the charges “long overdue.” She said her father only wanted to bring freedom to his Cuban homeland.

The charges against Castro were also welcomed by members of the Cuban community in Miami.

“He's a criminal,” said Peter Hernandez, whose family owns a fruit and vegetable market in the Little Havana neighborhood and whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born. He added he would support the U.S. sending its military to arrest Castro.

Who is Raúl Castro?

Castro served as minister of the Cuban military during his brother Fidel Castro's decades-long reign as president. He took over as president in 2006 while his brother was ailing and served until 2018, when he handed over power to Díaz-Canel, a trusted loyalist.

In 2008, Castro launched a series of reforms that expanded Cuba's private sector and allowed citizens greater freedom to travel and access information. In 2014, he led historic talks with former U.S. President Barack Obama that resulted in the reopening of embassies and the re-establishment of diplomatic relations.

While he retired in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes.

Los medios de prensa estatales que suelen tardar días en reportar noticias sensibles desde Estados Unidos sobre Cuba difundieron de inmediato esta vez la decisión de emitir una orden de arresto contra Castro, de 94 años, anunciada por el secretario de Justicia interino Todd Blanche en Miami.

La administración del presidente Donald Trump incrementó la presión sobre el gobierno cubano desde comienzo de año, tanto con una retórica que no descartó la intervención militar, como con un cerco petrolero que ha dejado a la isla semiparalizada y a su población con f uertes carencias de suministros básicos.

Además, el gobierno estadounidense usó una acusación judicial contra el entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro –-un fuerte aliado de la isla-- para intervenir en Venezuela, el puntapié inicial en la actual coyuntura contra la isla.

“Raúl Castro es un expresidente y el que está ahora es otro… no creo que haya que buscar una persona para enjuiciarla para que Cuba cambie”, dijo a The Associated Press Debrezei Barreras, una ama de casa de 43 años y madre de una niña.

La AP habló con una decena de personas y salvo un par de ellas todas habían escuchado incluso en días previos los rumores sobre las intenciones contra Castro por parte de Estados Unidos en redes sociales.

Barreras aseguró que no está de acuerdo con una acción directa de Estados Unidos a la isla bajo ninguna excusa.

“Una intervención básicamente militar puede hacerles daño a los cubanos. No creo que sea conveniente. Lo que sí creo que es conveniente es que se pongan de acuerdo ambos estados y que lleguen a acuerdos para que entonces Cuba pueda salir de esta crisis”, expresó Barreras.

Por su parte, el arquitecto Rodny Amaguer, de 38 años, consideró que “no hay necesidad de que venga nadie desde afuera a arreglar los problemas que los propios cubanos junto con su gobierno deberían ser capaces de resolver”.

Amaguer recordó que era apenas un niño cuando las avionetas de la organización con sede en Florida, Hermanos al Rescate, fueron derribadas tras incursionar varias veces por las costas cubanas. “Ellos violaron (los pilotos) el espacio aéreo cubano, hay leyes internacionales y ellos las violaron” enfatizó.

Más radical fue Rolando Mesa, un empleado estatal de 61 años.

“Al primero que habría que enjuiciar entonces es a Donald Trump. ¿Por qué no enjuician a Donald Trump? Todas las guerras que ha armado”, comentó enfático Mesa.

“Pero aparte, (sobre) el derribo de esas avionetas, pongamos un ejemplo: si fuera al revés, si Cuba hubiese mandado esas avionetas a Estados Unidos, nosotros llegamos a Miami, ¿Qué hacen? Nos tumban como palomitas”.

Autoridades cubanas: acusación es una acción política

Desde la parte oficial la reacción del anuncio estadounidense fue contundente en defensa de quien consideran un líder de la revolución.

El presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel escribió en su cuenta de X que la “pretendida acusación” contra Castro es “una acción política, sin ningún basamento jurídico, que solo busca engrosar el expediente que fabrican para justificar el desatino de una agresión militar a Cuba”.

“Cuba actuó en legítima defensa, dentro de sus aguas jurisdiccionales, tras sucesivas y peligrosas violaciones de nuestro espacio aéreo por connotados terroristas, de lo cual la administración estadounidense de turno fue alertada en más de una decena de ocasiones, pero hizo caso omiso de las advertencias y permitió las violaciones”, agregó el mandatario.

“Pretextos endebles” con posibles consecuencias

Para el experto Lee Schlenker, investigador asociado del Instituto Quincy en Washington, el anuncio y su contexto de tensión podría incluso tener consecuencias para la propia administración estadounidense.

“Los recientes intentos de generar consenso para la guerra en Cuba —como la acusación formal contra Raúl Castro, de 94 años, los informes sobre la adquisición de drones por parte de la isla para repeler un ataque estadounidense y su designación infundada como Estado patrocinador del terrorismo— no son más que propaganda para Miami y pretextos endebles para una acción militar”, dijo a la AP Schlenker.

“Incluso sin una acción militar, las sanciones secundarias cada vez más severas contra la isla, sumadas al bloqueo petrolero vigente, corren el riesgo de precipitar una grave crisis humanitaria y, potencialmente, una migración masiva que pondría al presidente Trump en una situación comprometida a pocos meses de las elecciones de mitad de mandato”, advirtió el académico.

La Policía Estatal de Nuevo México indicó que tres de las cuatro personas halladas inconscientes dentro de la casa fallecieron, mientras que la cuarta recibía tratamiento en un hospital de Albuquerque.

Durante las tareas de respuesta, los socorristas estuvieron expuestos a la sustancia y comenzaron a presentar síntomas, entre ellos náuseas y mareos, dijeron las autoridades.

Antonette Alguire, una bombera voluntaria de Mountainair, ayudó a realizar RCP a una mujer afuera de la casa y observó cómo los técnicos de emergencias médicas y los bomberos comenzaron a toser, vomitar y marearse en el helipuerto. Dijo que nunca entró a la casa y no ha presentado ningún síntoma, pero describió el incidente como aterrador.

“Supongo que vamos a tener que empezar a usar trajes para materiales peligrosos en estas llamadas y usar oxígeno”, comentó. “Está llegando a un punto en el que simplemente tenemos que vivir con miedo, incluso al salvar vidas”.

Funcionarios del Hospital de la Universidad de Nuevo México confirmaron que 23 pacientes que estuvieron expuestos fueron evaluados y descontaminados después de ser trasladados al hospital. La mayoría de ellos eran socorristas que no presentaban síntomas y posteriormente fueron dados de alta. Según el hospital, equipos médicos continuaban monitoreando a tres pacientes con síntomas la noche del miércoles.

Dos de los socorristas figuraban en estado grave, informó el agente Wilson Silver, de la Policía Estatal de Nuevo México.

El jefe de EMS de Mountainair, Josh Lewis, quien fue el primero en entrar a la vivienda, fue hospitalizado durante la noche para observación, dijo el alcalde de Mountainair, Peter Nieto.

El alcalde había publicado en redes sociales que los problemas de salud no estaban relacionados con exposición a monóxido de carbono o gas natural. Le dijo a The Associated Press que las autoridades están trabajando para identificar la sustancia.

“No saben si son narcóticos. No saben si es otra cosa. No saben si es una mezcla de las dos”, indicó.

Dijo que los técnicos de emergencias médicas dados de alta del hospital no pudieron llevar a casa nada que hubiera estado en su cuerpo cuando respondieron a la escena, incluido un anillo de bodas y lentes.

“En este momento, los investigadores creen que la sustancia puede transmitirse por contacto y no creen que sea transportada por el aire”, manifestó el agente Silver.

Cinta amarilla de la policía rodeaba la vivienda, ubicada en un camino de tierra en una subdivisión rural. Se podía ver una casa rodante de una sola sección en el patio trasero de la vivienda, así como varios autos, camionetas y furgonetas en la entrada.

El alcalde describió a la comunidad rural al este de Albuquerque como unida, y dijo que está considerando cerrar el ayuntamiento mañana debido al impacto emocional en los empleados.

“Una tragedia como esta es horrible”, manifestó.

Mientras la investigación seguía en curso, Silver dijo que los indicios apuntaban a drogas como un posible factor en las muertes en la vivienda. Agregó que no había amenaza para el público.

Sin embargo, residentes expresaron en redes sociales su frustración por el consumo de drogas en la comunidad y en otros lugares. Nuevo México tuvo la cuarta tasa más alta de muertes por sobredosis de drogas de cualquier estado de Estados Unidos en 2024, con 775 muertes, según los datos más recientes disponibles de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades.

El alcalde afirmó en redes sociales que policías y socorristas trabajan todos los días para proteger a la comunidad y responder a situaciones difíciles.

“Pero la realidad es que la adicción y el abuso de sustancias son problemas que afectan a comunidades en todo nuestro estado y nuestra nación”, expresó Nieto. “No hay una solución simple ni inmediata. Un cambio duradero requiere apoyo familiar, rendición de cuentas, educación y, lo más importante, personas dispuestas a aceptar ayuda”.

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Montoya Bryan informó desde Albuquerque, Nuevo México. La reportera de The Associated Press Hallie Golden en Seattle contribuyó a este despacho.

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

In letters dated May 11, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. notified the two doctors who chaired the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that he was terminating their appointments immediately, before the end of their multiyear terms.

The Department of Health and Human Services already had largely sidelined the task force, indefinitely postponing scheduled public meetings over the past year and thus leaving some long-expected updates on cervical cancer screenings and other topics in limbo.

The panel, first created in the 1980s, is composed of experts who scrutinize the latest evidence behind a wide array of disease prevention tools, such as depression screenings ad the use of statins to prevent heart attacks. The panel updates guidelines with letter grades showing the strength of the science. Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans must cover preventive services given an “A” or “B” grade without requiring a co-pay.

Kennedy’s letters don’t make clear why he ousted Drs. John Wong and Esa Davis from the panel. He wrote that their “leadership, contributions and expertise” have advanced the task force’s work “to improve the health of Americans” and encouraged them to reapply. He said he was reviewing task force appointments “to ensure clarity, continuity and confidence” in HHS oversight.

The letters were first reported by The New York Times. An HHS spokesman didn’t respond to questions about why the two were fired.

Kennedy told lawmakers last month that he was reforming the task force, calling it “lackadaisical,” so that it would meet more frequently and “have, for the first time, transparency.” The panel holds public meetings, opens its draft guidelines to public comment before finalizing them, and publishes the scientific evidence behind them.

Some health advocates had worried that Kennedy was preparing to replace the expert panel with less experienced political appointees, like he had done with a critical vaccine advisory committee. Over the past year, the task force wasn’t allowed to publish its final update to the cervical cancer screening guideline or take steps to update recommendations about maternal depression, said former task force chairman Dr. Michael Silverstein, a pediatrician.

“This is a level of government intrusion into scientific processes that I’ve not experienced in my 10 years on the task force,” he said.

The panel has staggered terms so that normally health secretaries can regularly appoint new members, making their mark on the task force without upending it, said Aaron Carroll of the nonpartisan healthy policy group AcademyHealth.

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

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BSO deputies said they responded around 8:45 p.m. to a reported stabbing in the 200 block of Southwest Third Court in Deerfield Beach.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue said paramedics transported the victim to an area hospital for treatment.

Authorities said the victim’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Jail records show deputies arrested Michael Allen Stafford on one count of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the incident.

As of Wednesday, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.

A motive for the stabbing remains unclear at this time.

Agentes de la BSO informaron que respondieron alrededor de las 8:45 p.m. a un reporte de apuñalamiento en la cuadra 200 de Southwest Third Court en Deerfield Beach.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue informó que los paramédicos trasladaron a la víctima a un hospital del área para recibir tratamiento.

Las autoridades dijeron que las heridas de la víctima no fueron consideradas de riesgo vital.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que los agentes arrestaron a Michael Allen Stafford por un cargo de intento de asesinato en primer grado en relación con el incidente.

Hasta el miércoles, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

El motivo del apuñalamiento sigue sin estar claro por el momento.

Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it turned into Brunson versus James Harden in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Brunson continuously attacked the matchup to spark one of the largest postseason comebacks on record, as the New York Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 115-104 victory. A day later, the Cavaliers shrugged off concerns that one of the most accomplished offensive players in league history might be too poor of a defender to give them NBA Finals hopes.

“I know everybody’s putting it on James, but I’d say a lot of, it’s on the team, our team defense,” coach Kenny Atkinson said Wednesday after the Cavaliers practiced at Madison Square Garden. “And we were great for three quarters. Like, really, really great. So we can do it.”

The Cavs will try again Thursday, hoping to even the series before it shifts to their home court over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Atkinson took as much, if not more, heat than Harden for waiting too long to use a timeout to stop New York's momentum after Brunson kept driving right at Harden as the catalyst for an 18-1 run.

“Kenny’s a great coach and we know that they’re going to come out ready to play,” said the Knicks' Mike Brown, who worked with Atkinson when both were assistants to Steve Kerr in Golden State. “They came to New York to get one game and it’s still within reach.”

The Cavs know they should have it already. They controlled the middle two quarters against a Knicks team that showed plenty of rust in its first game since May 10. Looking nothing like the team that won by 19.4 points per game in the previous two rounds, the Knicks finally went to an offensive scheme that forced Harden to switch onto Brunson, and the All-Star guard had four straight New York baskets during the run.

Cleveland reserve guard Dennis Schroder credited Brunson more than blaming Harden.

“Jalen Brunson is one of the most clutch players in the NBA. Social media for that is just in a bad place,” Schroder said. “I think that we lost the game. Basketball is a team game. It’s everybody on the bench, coaches, the guys who were on the court. At the end of the day, he made some tough shots and good credit.”

The Cavaliers surged late in the season after acquiring Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden is ninth in NBA history with nearly 30,000 points and also 12th in assists. The 2018 NBA MVP was playing on an MSG court Tuesday where he shares the record with Kobe Bryant for points by an opponent with 61.

But he's had some sloppy performances in the postseason and Game 1 was another. Harden shot 5 for 16 overall and 1 for 8 from 3-point range, and had twice as many turnovers (6) as assists. He's bounced back before and Atkinson believes he will again.

“I said, ‘Without you, we’re knocked out in the first round.’ That’s my first (opinion). My personal opinion," Atkinson said. "So, let’s just stop that. We’re in a great position. ‘You’ve played great.’ You know, sometimes micro experiences get exaggerated. ‘So, you know, keep being yourself.’”

The Knicks, who have won eight straight games, understand how the Cavs must be feeling, after a loss that was every bit as gut-wrenching in Game 1 of the 2025 East finals.

New York led Indiana by 14 points with under three minutes remaining in regulation. The Pacers rallied to tie when Tyrese Haliburton's long jumper bounced high off the rim and fell through as time expired, then won 138-135 in overtime.

“Obviously they’re looking at it like that was our game that we gave away,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said of the Cavaliers. “And they’re looking at film of, ‘If we fix this here or fix this here, we would have won the game.’ And that’s what they’re going to try to do tomorrow.”

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AP freelance writer Adry Torres in New York contributed to this report.

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

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Salazar and Giménez had already held a news conference with U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart on Wednesday morning to call for Raúl Castro to be brought to justice in the U.S.

“This was premeditated murder of three Americans and one U.S. resident,” Díaz-Balart said.

During an event on Wednesday at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanch announced there was a warrant for Raúl Castro’s arrest after an indictment for the fatal 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes at sea.

“It is justice delayed, but at least it’s justice,” Giménez said.

Before the second news conference, Salazar said there was still a lot to be done in Cuba, which she said was “the epicenter of evil in the western hemisphere,” and added that the communists in power were “thugs.”

Salazar said she supported President Donald Trump if he decided to treat Castro just as he treated former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured in Caracas and was behind bars in New York.

“All of the problems we have in Latin America start with the Cuban regime,” Scott said.

Watch their speeches

SCOTT

SALAZAR

GIMENEZ

DONALDS

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For the fatal 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, the indictment charged Castro, 94, with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

RELATED VIDEOS: Watch the speeches during Raul Castro indictment announcement at Freedom Tower

“The purported accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, just announced by the U.S. government, only reveals the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership,” Díaz-Canel wrote, according to the statement in Spanish released on his X account.

Acting U.S. Attorney General of the United States Todd Blanch and FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia were among the U.S. officials who announced the charges on Wednesday at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.

“This is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation, aimed solely at padding the fabricated dossier they use to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba,” Díaz-Canel wrote.

Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre died after the Cuban Air Force shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue Cessna 337 Skymasters that had departed from the Opa Locka Executive Airport at about 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 24, 1996.

“The U.S. lies and distorts the events surrounding the downing of the planes belonging to the narco-terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue in 1996,” Díaz-Canel wrote. “It knows full well — given the abundance of documentary evidence — that no imprudent action was taken nor was international law violated.“

Brothers to the Rescue has been known for decades as a Miami-based nonprofit organization that counted on volunteers to help spot Cuban migrants, who needed to be rescued in the Florida Straits.

“Cuba acted in legitimate self-defense within its jurisdictional waters, following repeated and dangerous violations of our airspace by notorious terrorists — a fact of which the U.S. administration at the time was alerted on more than a dozen occasions, yet it ignored the warnings and allowed those violations to continue,“ Díaz-Canel wrote.

Related stories

• U.S. indictment charges former Cuban President Raúl Castro with 7 counts
• Cuban exiles at Freedom Tower react to Raúl Castro indictment
• Cuban exiles at Miami’s Cafe Versailles react to Raul Castro indictment news: ‘All for it’
• South Florida Republicans make case for Castro indictment
• Rubio releases message in Spanish to Cubans suffering on the island

En un mensaje de ambos funcionarios a medios de prensa, Arévalo recordó que es la primera vez que un presidente del Consejo Europeo visita el país, lo que muestra que la relación entre ambas partes ha madurado “y somos socios más cercanos”.

Costa dijo que se presentaba en nombre de los 27 Estados miembros de la Unión Europea (UE) “como aliado y amigo que ha venido a apoyar firmemente la democracia guatemalteca". Señaló que Guatemala es un aliado clave para la UE en Centroamérica.

El Consejo Europeo es la máxima institución política de la Unión Europea y define las estrategias generales y las prioridades del bloque europeo.

La sede de la UE en Guatemala anunció que Acosta firmará tres acuerdos de contribución por 6 millones de euros para fortalecer la ciberseguridad institucional, reforzar capacidades del ecosistema electoral, modernizar el Ejecutivo y fortalecer la gobernanza territorial inclusiva con enfoque en derechos humanos, género e interculturalidad.

El funcionario europeo felicitó a Arévalo por “el compromiso de su gobierno con la democracia”. Asimismo se ofreció a seguir acompañando al país en la defensa de la democracia, las inversiones y la seguridad.

“En tiempos convulsos, caracterizados por la incertidumbre, polarización y crisis globales, este espacio de intercambio franco y constructivo con la Unión Europa es particularmente valioso”, dijo por su lado Arévalo.

El presidente guatemalteco destacó además que el intercambio comercial bilateral ha crecido de forma sostenida y que las exportaciones guatemaltecas hacia la UE se han duplicado desde 2013. También agradeció el apoyo de las misiones que han llegado al país, como el de acompañamiento al proceso electoral en 2023.

A filing shows that his SpaceX lost $2.6 billion from operations last year on $18.7 billion in revenue, and the losses kept piling up at the start of this year, too.

The prospectus did not put a dollar figure on the amount Musk hopes to raise, but various reports have put it at $75 billion or so. An offering of that size would easily surpass the current title holder, Saudi Aramco, the oil giant that went public seven years ago and raised $26 billion.

SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., has said the money will help finance projects to put people on the moon and Mars in its quest to make humans an intergalactic species as they face existential threats that could wipe out civilization.

“We do not want humans to have the same fate as dinosaurs,” the filing states.

The prospectus reads in part like a Hollywood fantasy version of the future, detailing in one section how part of Musk’s compensation will be granted only if he maintains “a permanent human colony on Mars with at least one million inhabitants.”

Short of that, the stock sale alone could make Musk, a major owner who founded SpaceX in 2002, the world’s first trillionaire. Forbes currently puts his net worth at $839 billion.

In addition to making reusable rockets to hurl astronauts into orbit, SpaceX has other businesses, some successful, some struggling — and with plenty of questions marks.

The document shows that Starlink, the world’s largest satellite communications company, is a big source of cash for the company, generating $4.4 billion in operating income last year. The business uses 10,000 satellites in low orbit to provide internet service to 10 million people in 150 countries and territories.

Among the struggling businesses are two Musk units that were recently acquired by SpaceX — his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and his artificial intelligence business, xAI. Those purchases were blasted by some SpaceX investors as bailouts because they are big money losers.

The prospectus said its AI business lost $6.4 billion in operations last year.

The original SpaceX business, making rockets and staging launches, has been helped by massive government contracts, which raises questions that could come back to haunt the company. Given Musk’s close relation to the Trump administration, government ethics lawyers and watchdogs have asked if he has gotten special treatment to win taxpayer money and whether that good luck will run out once President Donald Trump is out office.

SpaceX has won contracts worth $6 billion from NASA and the Defense Department and other government agencies in the past five years, according to USAspending.gov. The company noted in its filing that a fifth of its revenue last year was from the federal government.

Musk was the biggest donor to Trump’s presidential campaign and is still a big backer despite their sometimes rocky relationship after his stewardship of the government cost-cutting effort called DOGE early last year.

Like many corporate CEOs, Musk’s compensation will go far beyond his annual salary, which was $54,080 in 2025 and has remained unchanged since 2019, according to the filing.

The prospectus says stock grants for him would be sliced into 15 nearly equal amounts — 67 million shares each — and would vest only as the company achieves preset market cap goals. In addition to the Martian colony, SpaceX’s stock market value would have to reach $7.5 trillion for him to receive the full award.

He would get even more stock awards if SpaceX manages to get giant data centers the size of football fields in space.

The document shows Musk will be able to exert big control over the business.

It says he and certain other shareholders will receive shares in a special class of stock that gives them 10 votes for each share they hold. Those shareholders will be able, among other things, to elect a majority of the company’s board of directors.

“This will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters and the election of our directors,” SpaceX said in a warning to prospective investors.

SpaceX will be able to pitch the offering to investors — in what’s known in Wall Street parlance as a “road show” — 15 days after making its prospectus public. In this case, that works out to June 4.

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Associated Press writer Alex Veiga in Los Angeles contributed.