La Casa Blanca confirmó el carácter directo de las conversaciones, en un inusual caso de compromiso de alto nivel, y dijo que seguirían en curso hasta las 10 de la noche, hora local.

Mientras tanto, el ejército de Estados Unidos dijo que dos destructores transitaron el estrecho de Ormuz, controlado por Irán, antes de realizar trabajos de despeje de minas, una primicia desde que comenzó la guerra. Sin embargo, medios estatales iraníes dijeron antes que Irán obligó a un buque militar estadounidense que intentaba cruzar el estrecho a dar la vuelta.

La delegación de Estados Unidos, encabezada por el vicepresidente, JD Vance, y la delegación iraní con el presidente del Parlamento, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, al frente, analizaban con Pakistán cómo impulsar un alto el fuego ya amenazado por las profundas discrepancias y los continuos ataques de Israel contra el grupo político-paramilitar Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, en Líbano, cuyo ministerio de Salud dijo que el número de muertos ha superado los 2,000.

Desde la Revolución Islámica de Irán en 1979, el contacto más directo de Estados Unidos ocurrió en 2013, cuando el presidente Barack Obama llamó al recién elegido presidente Hassan Rouhani para hablar sobre el programa nuclear iraní. Las reuniones más recientes del más alto nivel fueron entre el secretario de Estado John Kerry y su homólogo Mohammad Javad Zarif durante las negociaciones sobre el programa.

Ahora están en marcha conversaciones entre Vance, un defensor reticente de la guerra que tiene poca experiencia diplomática y quien advirtió a Irán que no “intente jugar con nosotros”, y Qalibaf, un excomandante de la poderosa Guardia Revolucionaria de Irán que ha emitido algunas de las declaraciones más incendiarias de la República Islámica desde que comenzaron los combates.

Irán fija “líneas rojas”, incluida compensación por los ataques

Irán se reafirmó en algunos aspectos de su propuesta anterior, y su delegación dijo a la televisora estatal iraní que presentó algunas de las ideas de ese plan como “líneas rojas” en las reuniones con Sharif. Entre ellas figuraban una compensación por los daños causados por los ataques estadounidense-israelíes que iniciaron la guerra el 28 de febrero y la liberación de los activos congelados de Irán.

La guerra se ha cobrado la vida de al menos 3,000 personas en Irán, 1,953 en Líbano, 23 en Israel y más de una docena en los Estados árabes del golfo Pérsico. El control asfixiante de Irán sobre el vital estrecho de Ormuz ha aislado en gran medida al golfo Pérsico y sus exportaciones de petróleo y gas de la economía mundial, disparando el precio de la energía. Los ataques han causado daños duraderos a la infraestructura en media docena de países de Oriente Medio. El control asfixiante de Irán sobre el vital estrecho de Ormuz ha aislado en gran medida al golfo Pérsico y sus exportaciones de petróleo y gas de la economía mundial, disparando el precio de la energía.

Reflejando lo mucho que está en juego, funcionarios de la región dijeron que funcionarios chinos, egipcios, saudíes y qataríes estaban en Islamabad para facilitar indirectamente las conversaciones. Los funcionarios declararon bajo condición de anonimato para hablar sobre el delicado asunto.

En Teherán, residentes contaron a The Associated Press que eran escépticos, aunque tenían algo de esperanza en las conversaciones tras semanas de ataques aéreos que han dejado destrucción en todo su país, de unos 93 millones de habitantes.

“La paz por sí sola no es suficiente para nuestro país, porque hemos sido golpeados muy duro, ha habido enormes costos”, señaló Amir Razzai Far, de 62 años.

Mientras tanto, Israel siguió adelante con sus ataques a Lïbano tras decir que no hay un cese el fuego en ese país. Irán y Pakistán discreparon. La agencia estatal libanesa de noticias informó que al menos tres personas murieron.

Y en sus palabras más contundentes hasta ahora, el papa León XIV denunció la “ilusión de omnipotencia” que alimenta la guerra.

Estados Unidos envía fuerzas para despejar minas en el estrecho de Ormuz

Antes de las conversaciones, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, acusó a Irán de usar el estrecho de Ormuz para extorsionar, y dijo a los reporteros el viernes que se abrirá “con o sin ellos”.

El cierre por parte de Irán del estrecho de Ormuz ha demostrado ser su mayor ventaja estratégica en la guerra. Antes del conflicto, alrededor de una quinta parte del petróleo comercializado en el mundo solía pasar por el estrecho en más de 100 barcos al día. Desde el inicio del alto el fuego, solo se ha registrado el paso de 12.

El sábado, Trump dijo en redes sociales que Estados Unidos había comenzado a “despejar” el estrecho.

“Hoy comenzamos el proceso de establecer un nuevo paso y compartiremos pronto esta vía segura con la industria marítima”, dijo después el comandante del Comando Central de Estados Unidos, el almirante Brad Cooper, en la declaración estadounidense sobre los destructores. En el documento se agrega que “Fuerzas adicionales de Estados Unidos, incluidos drones submarinos, se unirán al esfuerzo de despeje en los próximos días”.

El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Irán, Abbas Araghchi, apuntó que Teherán llegaba a las negociaciones con una “profunda desconfianza” derivada de ataques previos contra la República Islámica durante rondas de conversaciones anteriores. Araghchi, que forma parte de la delegación iraní que viajó a Pakistán, dijo el sábado que su país está listo para tomar represalias si es atacado de nuevo.

Irán y Estados Unidos delinearon propuestas enfrentadas antes de las conversaciones

En su propuesta de 10 puntos, Irán pedía un final garantizado de la guerra y buscaba el control sobre el estrecho de Ormuz. Incluía poner fin a los combates contra los “aliados regionales” de Irán, pidiendo explícitamente una pausa de los ataques israelíes contra Hezbollah.

La propuesta de 15 puntos de Estados Unidos incluye restringir el programa nuclear de Irán y reabrir el estrecho.

Israel y Líbano tendrán negociaciones directas

Se espera que las negociaciones entre Israel y Líbano comiencen el martes en Washington, informó el viernes la oficina del presidente libanés Joseph Aoun, tras el sorpresivo anuncio de que Israel autorizaba las conversaciones pese a la falta de relaciones oficiales entre los países.

Pero mientras miles de personas protestaban en Líbano contra las negociaciones previstas, el primer ministro Nawaf Salam dijo que había pospuesto un viaje planeado a Washington “a la luz de las circunstancias internas actuales”. Hasta el momento, se ignora qué significaba eso para las conversaciones.

Israel quiere que el gobierno libanés asuma la responsabilidad de desarmar a Hezbollah tal como se contemplaba en un alto el fuego de noviembre de 2024. Pero no está claro si el ejército libanés puede confiscarle las armas al grupo, que durante décadas ha resistido los esfuerzos para limitar su fuerza.

La insistencia de Israel de que el cese el fuego no incluye una pausa en su lucha contra Hezbollah amenaza con hundir el acuerdo. El grupo armado se sumó a la guerra en apoyo de Irán en los primeros días. Israel continuó con ataques aéreos y una invasión terrestre.

El día en que se anunció el acuerdo de alto el fuego con Irán, Israel impactó Beirut con ataques aéreos que se cobraron la vida de más de 300 personas, en el día más letal en el país desde el inicio de la guerra, de acuerdo con el Ministerio de Salud del país.

Anfernee Watts, quien también tiene una hija de 2 años, compareció el jueves ante la corte de fianza de Broward, donde un juez le negó la fianza.

Watts “admitió haber fabricado una historia para presentar a las autoridades, colocando al bebé fallecido de nuevo en el corral con la intención de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un agente, según la orden de arresto.

Crystal Garcia tenía 20 años cuando dio a luz a su hijo el 11 de julio en el Memorial Regional Hospital, según la policía.

Un pediatra reportó que el bebé estaba en buen estado de salud el 28 de julio, según la orden. La tragedia ocurrió pocos días después.

“Ella restringió intencionalmente al bebé envolviéndolo firmemente en una manta, asegurando un chupón en su boca y sujetándolo en un asiento de auto antes de colocarlo dentro de una bañera y aislarlo detrás de una puerta cerrada mientras sonaba música a alto volumen”, y “ignoró deliberadamente su angustia y no lo revisó durante varias horas”, escribió un detective, según la orden.

Personal de Hollywood Fire Rescue declaró muerto al bebé a la 1:50 p.m. del 1 de agosto en una vivienda ubicada en 6660 Thomas St., según los registros.

Los oficiales notaron una “almohadilla desechable para cambiar pañales que parecía tener manchas de sangre”, y el bebé “tenía espuma visible en la boca y labios agrietados que parecían tener sangre seca”, según la orden de arresto.

Watts dijo a los agentes que había asistido a una entrevista de trabajo cuando ocurrió la muerte, pero el supuesto entrevistador indicó que eso era falso, según la orden.

La Oficina del Médico Forense de Broward determinó que la causa de la muerte fue asfixia y la clasificó como homicidio. La evidencia también incluye un video de una cámara de vigilancia Ring que muestra a Garcia con una bolsa de basura antes de llamar al 911.

La madre de Watts contactó a la policía para reportar que Garcia, de 21 años, le dijo que el bebé murió atrapado entre el marco de la cama y el colchón, según la orden.

Garcia dejó mensajes de voz a la policía desde el 4 de agosto hasta el miércoles y admitió haber mentido y haber “asfixiado” al bebé, según la orden.

“Crystal admitió que mintió a la policía por miedo a ser arrestada”, escribió un agente, según la orden.

El Grupo de Trabajo de Fugitivos de los U.S. Marshals arrestó a la pareja el miércoles.

Registros carcelarios indican que Garcia permanecía detenida sin derecho a fianza el viernes en el North Broward Bureau, un centro de detención en Pompano Beach.

Garcia y Watts enfrentan cada uno cinco cargos: obstrucción de una investigación criminal, homicidio agravado de un menor, negligencia infantil con gran daño corporal, manipulación de evidencia y alterar o manipular un cadáver, su vestimenta o elementos circundantes sin autorización.

La madre de Watts tiene la custodia de la hija de 2 años desde que tenía aproximadamente 5 meses, luego de que Garcia y la bebé dieran positivo a THC al nacer, según la orden de arresto.

Lea una parte de la orden de arresto

Historia relacionada: pareja comparece en corte de Broward acusada por la muerte de su hijo de tres semanas y encubrimiento

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota and Washington were granted major disaster declarations, which can unlock federal support and funding for recovery needs such as public infrastructure repairs and aid for survivors.

The announcement, in a FEMA daily briefing document, comes weeks into Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s tenure overseeing the disaster relief agency and is the latest signal that the former Republican senator from Oklahoma could ease some of the turmoil from the leadership of his predecessor, Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump in March.

Nonetheless, FEMA’s work could be undermined by the ongoing DHS shutdown, now eight weeks long. While disaster response and recovery can continue through a shutdown because FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund does not lapse, that money is running low as the funding impasse drags on. The DHS appropriations bill would replenish the fund with more than $26 billion.

Mullin said Tuesday that he planned to brief Trump that day on the pending declaration requests, affirming his intention to speed up work on past disasters in the run-up to Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1.

“We’re trying to push this stuff forward as fast as possible,” Mullin said after surveying Hurricane Helene recovery work in North Carolina on his first official visit as DHS secretary, acknowledging that “disasters are happening constantly.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Saturday that Trump responds to such requests “with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute — their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.” She said an administration goal is having state and local governments "invest in their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent and recovery less prolonged.”

While Mullin assured fellow senators during his confirmation hearing that he believed in FEMA's mission, the agency's future is uncertain. Trump has expressed a desire to push more responsibility for disasters down to states. The FEMA Review Council he appointed last year has not released a recommendation report expected to include sweeping changes to how the federal government supports disaster resilience, response and recovery.

It was not immediately clear whether other states or tribes had also been told of approvals or denials that were not yet announced publicly. Hawaii Governor Josh Green, a Democrat, said Wednesday said his state had received a disaster declaration for devastating March flooding.

Trump also amended past disaster declarations for Tennessee and Mississippi, adding more counties for individual assistance after a severe winter storm in January.

Some communities have experienced unprecedented long waits for answers on their disaster requests during Trump's second term. An analysis by The Associated Press in September found approvals were taking more than a month on average.

It took less than two weeks on average for a governor’s disaster declaration request to be granted by presidents in the 1990s and early 2000s. That rose to about three weeks during the past decade under presidents from both major parties.

Arizona has been waiting nearly three months for an answer to its appeal after being denied support for severe storms and flooding that occurred in September.

Some Democrat-led states have complained about being denied disaster declarations despite proving need. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called Trump's decision “deeply frustrating” after the president twice denied the state's request for support for May 2025 flooding despite a FEMA assessment showing over $33 million in damages.

While FEMA assesses damage and uses a specific formula to analyze the possible impact on states and local jurisdictions, disaster declarations are ultimately at the president’s discretion.

None of the approvals made this week includes hazard mitigation funding, a once-typical add on to disaster declaration support that helped communities build back with more resilience. Trump has not approved a hazard mitigation request for more than a year.

The uneasiness begins to peel away during initial conversations, then dissipates more during the 1-mile walk to the start of the race.

By the time the Tillman Scholars reach the Pat's Run start line, there's an ease, a comfortable feeling that they're among peers, like-minded people who uphold the values of the race's namesake, NFL player-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

“I had major imposter syndrome after getting selected to this program,” said Jason Williams, a Tillman Scholar and doctorate candidate at UCLA working on reimagining raw materials for the health and wellness industry. “I looked at a lot of their profiles and it just seemed like every person was like a superhero, but when you actually get there, not only are they amazing on paper, they’re amazing people. I don’t know what they do in their selection process to find these people.”

Pat's Run began in 2004 as a way to honor the legacy of Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL career to serve his country in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. The run, which started as a gathering of friends following his death in Afghanistan by friendly fire, has blossomed into 4.2-mile run/walk — Tillman's number was 42 — that draws 30,000 people to the desert every year.

The Tillman Scholars program was created in 2009 to support active-duty service members, veterans and military spouses in their academic pursuits. The race serves as a fundraiser for the scholars, a 1,000-member tribe of uber-achievers who embody the leadership and selflessness Tillman exhibited.

The two connected worlds mesh in person every year at Arizona State University, where 50 Tillman Scholars serve as corral leaders and help urge runners across the final 50 yards of turf to the finish line inside the football stadium where Tillman once played.

“It’s this almost kind of a coming home right to where it all started,” said Katherine Steele, Pat Tillman Foundation CEO and a Tillman Scholar. “We’re here as Tillman Scholars because Pat lived, so to be able to be a part of it and be embedded with 30,000 people, in those corrals is special.”

Tillman had a passion for excellence, leadership, humility, belief that everyone should strive for something bigger than themselves.

The Tillman Scholars reflect those values with their achievements and connections to their communities — 23% have master's degrees, 21% medical degrees, 19% Masters of Business Administration and 15% doctorates.

They are doctors, CEOs, lawyers, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. Some dedicate their lives to helping veterans, tackling public health issues at home and abroad, and affecting policy change.

All give back in some aspect: serving on national or local boards, volunteer work, providing support for issues like homelessness and hunger. Tillman Scholar Jhay Edwards even served as a volunteer firefighter in Maryland.

“Every time I go there, it's just so energizing,” said Amanda Manke, Tillman Scholar and chief of staff to the CEO of Care Delivery Markets (NY/NJ) at Optum. “That organization gave me something 11 years ago and it wasn’t just the scholarship. It was the community and the people that I’ve met along the way, the lives that have changed.”

Serving as Pat's Run corral leaders provides the Tillman Scholars a tangible proof of the impact Tillman had on people's lives — even those born after he died.

Every year, the run draws from all walks of life; people who have never run a race in their lives, parents pushing their children in strollers, firefighters completing the course in full gear, disabled veterans willing themselves across the finish line.

The interactions at the corrals is a chance for the Tillman Scholars to hear their stories, understand why they're running, how the run fits into the bigger picture of worlds beyond their own.

“You meet service members and veterans, but other than just saying thank you for your support, you get to learn about the stories of some of the members that have served and their family have served,” said Edwards, who works at pharmaceutical company GSK to provide spaces for veteran and disabled small business owners to be a part of the supply chain. “You see how important it is for you to be there and just to represent them and their family, and the work that Pat did. It really connects.”

Tillman connected through the life he lived. He continues to even after death, through the race and the scholars who bear his name.

___

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

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According to the Hollywood Police Department, officers responded around 2 a.m. to the 2400 block of Sheridan Street following reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.

Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was hit by an unknown vehicle, which fled the scene in an unknown direction.

They said Hollywood Fire Rescue transported the victim to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The crash occurred along Sheridan Street near the Interstate 95 southbound off-ramp. By early morning, the scene had cleared, but witnesses described a chaotic and disturbing scene in the immediate aftermath.

Several bystanders called 911 and rushed to help after spotting the man lying in the roadway. Witnesses said they had to swerve to avoid hitting him.

Two men told Local 10 that they pulled the victim out of the street and onto the sidewalk, fearing he would be struck again. Video from the scene shows multiple people surrounding the victim and trying to assist him while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.

A trail of blood and crime scene markers remained in the area where the man was found. Personal items, including black sneakers and a hat, were also seen scattered in the roadway.

“At first, we thought it was a dead body,” one witness said. “He tried to drag him out of the road so nobody else would hit him, and we got him to the sidewalk.”

Another witness said the victim was conscious and speaking.

“I didn’t want anyone else to run him over more than he already had been,” he said. “He told me he was still alive, so that was a good sign, and I hope he survives.”

Police temporarily shut down eastbound lanes of Sheridan Street for several blocks as they investigated.

Authorities said the case is being handled by HPD’s traffic homicide detectives.

No other details were immediately released.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

El vuelo DL555 aterrizó sin incidentes, y un video obtenido por Local 10 News captó la llegada del avión de vuelta a FLL.

“El avión aún está dando vueltas y descargando combustible. El incidente involucró un problema mecánico en el tren de aterrizaje de la aeronave. No hay más información disponible en este momento”, escribió la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward en un comunicado enviado a Local 10 News.

FlightAware reportó que el avión estuvo en el aire durante 1 hora y 13 minutos antes de aterrizar nuevamente en FLL.

Según datos de seguimiento de vuelos, la aeronave estaba programada para despegar a las 7:05 a.m. con destino a Boston, pero sufrió un retraso hasta las 11:58 a.m. antes de despegar, cuando presentó un problema mecánico.

Las autoridades aeroportuarias no han dicho cuándo será reprogramado el vuelo.

Se espera que los pasajeros permanezcan en la zona segura del aeropuerto, ya que el vuelo figura como retrasado y no cancelado hasta la tarde del sábado.

Flight DL555 landed without incident, and video obtained by Local 10 News captured the plane arriving back at FLL.

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“Plane is still circling and dumping fuel. Incident involved a mechanical issue with the aircraft’s landing gear. No other information is available at this time,” the Broward Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement to Local 10 News.

According to FlightAware, the plane was in the air for 1 hour and 13 minutes before landing back at FLL.

Flight tracking data shows the aircraft was scheduled to depart at 7:05 a.m. for Boston but was delayed until 11:58 a.m. before taking off, when it experienced the mechanical issue.

Airport officials have not said when the flight will be rescheduled.

Passengers are expected to remain on the secured side of the airport, as the flight is listed as delayed rather than canceled as of Saturday afternoon.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Hollywood, los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 2 a.m. a la cuadra 2400 de Sheridan Street tras reportes de un peatón atropellado por un vehículo.

La Policía indicó que una investigación preliminar reveló que la víctima fue impactada por un vehículo desconocido, que huyó de la escena en dirección no determinada.

Señalaron que Hollywood Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima al Memorial Regional Hospital, donde permanece en condición crítica.

El accidente ocurrió en Sheridan Street, cerca de la salida hacia el sur de la Interestatal 95. Para la mañana temprano, la escena había sido despejada, pero testigos describieron una situación caótica y perturbadora tras el impacto.

Varios transeúntes llamaron al 911 y se apresuraron a ayudar al ver al hombre tendido en la vía. Testigos dijeron que tuvieron que esquivarlo para no atropellarlo.

Dos hombres dijeron a Local 10 que sacaron a la víctima de la calle hacia la acera, por temor a que fuera golpeado nuevamente. Un video de la escena muestra a varias personas rodeando al hombre e intentando ayudarlo mientras esperaban la llegada de los equipos de emergencia.

Un rastro de sangre y marcadores de la escena del crimen permanecían en el área donde fue encontrado el hombre. Objetos personales, incluidos unos tenis negros y una gorra, también estaban esparcidos en la vía.

“Al principio pensamos que era un cuerpo sin vida”, dijo un testigo. “Intentó sacarlo de la carretera para que nadie más lo golpeara y lo llevamos a la acera”.

Otro testigo dijo que la víctima estaba consciente y hablando.

“No quería que nadie más lo atropellara más de lo que ya había sido”, dijo. “Me dijo que seguía vivo, así que eso fue una buena señal, y espero que sobreviva”.

La Policía cerró los carriles hacia el este de Sheridan Street por varias cuadras mientras realizaban la investigación.

Las autoridades indicaron que el caso está siendo manejado por detectives de homicidios de tránsito de la Policía de Hollywood.

No se dieron a conocer de inmediato más detalles.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

— None.

There are 10 teams that are locked into specific seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences, there are 10 other teams that know their seasons will end on Sunday and 10 more still have some level of uncertainty going into the final day of the six-month grind that precedes the NBA postseason.

By the end of Sunday, four first-round series matchups — those starting next weekend — will be known, as will the first four play-in tournament matchups that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We're just excited to be in this situation,” said Atlanta coach Quin Snyder, whose Hawks are playoff-bound — but don't know if they'll be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the East, so they obviously don't know their first-round matchup either.

“Whoever we play is going to be really good," Snyder said. “It's hard to even try to figure that out. It's possible that certain teams want to play us. ... We don't know what's going to happen. It's hard to predict all these games that are going on. Wherever it falls is how it falls.”

No team needs to win on Sunday to extend its season. There are 10 teams eliminated from postseason contention who all know Game 82 is the end of the road. But for the other 20 teams, there will be an 83rd game, either in the play-in this coming week or in the playoffs that start next weekend.

That doesn't mean those 20 teams all have nothing to play for Sunday. There are seeds to grab, and in some cases, a team could essentially manipulate how their side of the bracket sorts itself out. If San Antonio beats Denver, for example, the Spurs would assure themselves of not having to face Oklahoma City or the Nuggets until the Western Conference finals.

A Nuggets loss would mean LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers — provided they beat Utah on Sunday — would finish as the West's No. 3 seed.

“I’m sure everybody wants to play us," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. "Let’s get that out there — everybody wants to play us. There are probably teams that are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well.”

The breakdown

— Seeds clinched: Detroit (East 1), Oklahoma City (West 1), Boston (East 2), San Antonio (West 2), New York (East 3), Cleveland (East 4), Houston (West 5), Minnesota (West 6), Phoenix (West 7 for play-in), Golden State (West 10 for play-in).

— Playoff-bound, seed still TBA: Denver (3 or 4 in West), Los Angeles Lakers (3 or 4 in West), Atlanta (5 or 6 in East).

— Playoff or play-in bound: Toronto, Orlando, Philadelphia.

— Play-in bound, seed still TBA: Los Angeles Clippers, Portland, Charlotte, Miami.

— Season ends Sunday: Milwaukee, Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, Sacramento, Utah, Brooklyn, Indiana, Washington.

Stat races

All the major statistical titles have been decided, barring the most mathematically improbable events of all-time happening on Sunday.

— Scoring: Luka Doncic of the Lakers (33.5 per game) will win, unless something happens like Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 194 points on Sunday.

— Rebounding: Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets (12.9 per game) will win, unless something happens like New York's Karl-Anthony Towns grabbing at least 95 rebounds on Sunday.

— Assists: Jokic (10.9 per game) will win. unless something happens like Detroit's Cade Cunningham getting at least 77 assists on Sunday.

— Blocked shots: Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs (3.1 per game) will win, unless something happens like Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren blocking at least 85 shots on Sunday.

(So, yes, it's safe to assume those races have been decided.)

Doncic won't play Sunday for the Lakers, meaning he'll fall short of the 65-game rule for award eligibility, and Jokic needs to play Sunday to hit that number. That means it's actually possible the NBA scoring, rebound and assist champions will all be ineligible to appear on the ballots that will decide the All-NBA teams, MVP and other major awards.

Draft odds update

The teams with the three worst records are set: Washington will be worst, with Indiana and Brooklyn second- and third-worst in some order. That means those three teams will have the best odds — 14% each — of winning the No. 1 pick in next month's draft lottery.

And Washington can't finish lower than fifth in the lottery.

Utah and Sacramento would both see draft-lottery benefits from losses on Sunday — especially the Jazz, who could assure themselves of keeping a pick that would be guaranteed to be in the top eight.

___

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

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The officers, who are part of the department’s homeless outreach team, was responding to a situation at a shopping center when one of them noticed a man recording.

“Hi … you good?” an officer is heard saying on the video.

Moments later, the tone escalates.

“You want to get arrested,” the officer says.

“Why am I being arrested?” the bystander responds.

“You’re interfering with my investigation,” the officer says.

“No, I’m not,” the bystander replied.

Video shows the man standing more than 25 feet away as officers ordered a woman, who officers described as someone frequently seen at the shopping center, to leave the property.

The situation intensifies when a bystander asks, “What did she do?”

“You don’t know the law,” the officer is heard saying repeatedly.“You’re gonna be trespassed from this property. If you return, you’re gonna be placed under arrest.”

Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal and the city’s police chief said from the outset that recording from that distance is within a person’s rights.

“You can’t come up to people and put your finger in their face and say stop videoing,” Sortal said. “I wish that whole part hadn’t happened.”

Officials noted that the officer had a point after referencing that the bystander was obstructing traffic, but that observation came after the initial confrontation.

Police supervisors have since counseled the officer involved, and city leaders say they are taking accountability.

“If we messed up, we’re going to tell you to your face, we messed up,” Sortal said. “We’re going to try to do better.”

Los agentes, que forman parte del equipo de alcance para personas sin hogar, respondían a una situación en un centro comercial cuando uno de ellos notó a un hombre grabando.

“Hola… ¿todo bien?”, se escucha decir a un agente en el video.

Momentos después, el tono se intensifica.

“¿Quieres que te arresten?”, dice el agente.

“¿Por qué me van a arrestar?”, responde el testigo.

“Estás interfiriendo con mi investigación”, dice el agente.

“No, no lo estoy”, replica el hombre.

El video muestra al hombre a más de 25 pies de distancia mientras los agentes ordenaban a una mujer —a quien describieron como alguien vista con frecuencia en el lugar— que abandonara la propiedad.

La situación se intensifica cuando un testigo pregunta: “¿Qué hizo ella?”.

“No conoces la ley”, se escucha decir repetidamente al agente. “Vas a ser expulsado de esta propiedad. Si regresas, serás arrestado”.

El alcalde de Plantation, Nick Sortal, y el jefe de Policía de la ciudad señalaron desde el inicio que grabar desde esa distancia está dentro de los derechos de una persona.

“No puedes acercarte a alguien y ponerle el dedo en la cara para decirle que deje de grabar”, dijo Sortal. “Ojalá esa parte no hubiera ocurrido”.

Funcionarios indicaron que el agente tenía un punto al mencionar que el testigo estaba obstruyendo el tráfico, aunque esa observación surgió después del enfrentamiento inicial.

Supervisores policiales ya han orientado al agente involucrado, y líderes de la ciudad dicen que están asumiendo responsabilidad.

“Si nos equivocamos, se lo vamos a decir de frente: nos equivocamos”, dijo Sortal. “Vamos a tratar de hacerlo mejor”.

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Plantation police said officers responded around 7:05 a.m. to a report of a carjacking at a home near the 1100 block of North University Drive.

They said Anthony Torres Torrero allegedly battered his girlfriend and took her vehicle shortly after.

Fort Lauderdale police later located the car and attempted a traffic stop, but said Torres Torrero sped away.

The pursuit ended when he crashed into a fence and struck a parked car in the 600 block of Long Island Avenue, according to Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Investigators said Torres Torrero tried to run again after the crash but was quickly found with the help of a police K-9.

Jail records show he is facing charges of carjacking without a weapon, assault, fleeing and eluding, and driving without a valid license. Records show he also had outstanding warrants out of Osceola County for false imprisonment and dating violence.

As of Saturday, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.

La Policía de Plantation informó que agentes respondieron alrededor de las 7:05 a.m. a un reporte de robo de auto en una vivienda cerca de la cuadra 1100 de North University Drive.

Indicaron que Anthony Torres Torrero presuntamente agredió a su novia y luego le quitó el vehículo.

Posteriormente, la Policía de Fort Lauderdale localizó el auto e intentó detenerlo, pero señaló que Torres Torrero huyó a alta velocidad.

La persecución terminó cuando chocó contra una cerca e impactó un vehículo estacionado en la cuadra 600 de Long Island Avenue, según Casey Liening, portavoz del Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale.

Investigadores dijeron que Torres Torrero intentó huir nuevamente tras el choque, pero fue localizado rápidamente con ayuda de un perro K-9.

Registros carcelarios muestran que enfrenta cargos por robo de auto sin arma, agresión, huir y evadir a la Policía y conducir sin una licencia válida. También tenía órdenes de arresto pendientes en el condado Osceola por encarcelamiento falso y violencia en una relación.

Hasta el sábado, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held.

History’s first U.S.-born pope didn’t mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the talks were announced. But Leo’s tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”

In the basilica pews was the archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu. The U.S. was represented in the diplomatic corps by its deputy chief of mission, Laura Hochla, the U.S. Embassy said.

In the first weeks of the war, the Chicago-born Leo was initially reluctant to publicly condemn the violence and limited his comments to muted appeals for peace and dialogue. But Leo stepped up his criticism starting on Palm Sunday. And this week, he said Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization was “truly unacceptable” and called for dialogue to prevail.

On Saturday, Leo called for all people of good will to pray for peace and demand an end to war from their political leaders. The evening vigil in Rome, which featured Scripture readings and meditative recitation of the Rosary prayers, was taking place as simultaneous local prayer services were being held in the U.S. and beyond.

Praying for peace, Leo said, was a way to “break the demonic cycle of evil” to build instead the Kingdom of God where there are no swords, drones or “unjust profit.”

“It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive,” he said. “Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.”

Leaders have used religion to justify their actions in the war. U.S. officials and especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have invoked their Christian faith to cast the U.S. as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes.

Leo has said God doesn’t bless any war, and certainly not those who drop bombs.

Leo presided over the service sitting off to the side of the altar on a white throne, wearing his formal red cape and liturgical stole and praying with a Rosary in his hands. Many of the priests and nuns in the pews fingered Rosary beads as the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” prayers were recited.

The Vatican is particularly concerned about the spillover of Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, given the plight of Christian communities in the south.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Los agentes indicaron que ocurrió poco antes de las 4:40 p.m. cerca de la cuadra 16500 de Golf Club Road, en las inmediaciones del Bonaventure Golf Club.

Las autoridades dijeron que el video muestra “a un hombre de tez clara, vestido con una sudadera con capucha color caqui y pantalones distintivos rojos y negros, exponiéndose y tocándose en un estacionamiento cercano”, y luego “acercándose lentamente a la víctima, observando a su alrededor y quitándose los zapatos antes de sujetarla por detrás”.

“Ella forcejeó con el atacante antes de que él se levantara, se pusiera los zapatos y corriera hacia un scooter cercano, que utilizó para huir de la escena”, señala un comunicado de BSO.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el sospechoso debe llamar al detective de BSO Michael Kravecz al 954-626-4006 o a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

Según BSO, las pistas que conduzcan a un arresto “pueden ser elegibles para una recompensa de hasta $5,000 USD”.

That’s up from the $4.2 million he won last year.

The Masters on Saturday announced its prize purse for this year’s championship at $22.5 million overall — the highest payout of golf’s four majors. The Masters’ prize payout was $21 million last year.

The other three major tournaments have not announced prize funds for this year. In 2025, the PGA Championship's was $19 million, the British Open's was $17 million and the U.S. Open's was $21.5 million.

Last month Cameron Young won $4.5 for capturing the Players Championship, which featured a $25 million overall prize purse.

McIlroy entered the third round of the Masters on Saturday with a six-stroke lead over Patrick Reed and Sam Burns. He is seeking to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back championships at Augusta National and the first since Tiger Woods nearly 25 years ago (2001-02).

The top four finishers at the Masters will each make at least $1 million.

The runner-up is set to take home $2.43 million, while the third-place finisher will receive $1.53 million and fourth place gets $1.08 million.

All professionals who did not make the cut at the Masters will get $25,000.

___

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

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Surveillance video shows Carey, 22, was driving a black 2016 Nissan Maxima northbound on Northwest Ninth Avenue early Wednesday morning with a broken light and damage, according to deputies.

Crime scene technicians found Carey’s Nissan Maxima’s headlight assembly, a driver’s side view mirror, and exterior black trim pieces where the woman died, according to Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies.

“Carey stated he was driving home last night and as he passed under the bridge, something hit his vehicle ... he looked around and did not see anyone or anything, so he continued driving home ... he saw the damage to his vehicle and covered it with a tarp to hide it from his parents,” a deputy wrote, according to an arrest report.

At about 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday, the woman was crossing Ninth Avenue’s northbound lanes at the 4400 block, and after the Nissan struck her, she “came to a final rest in the southbound lanes,” according to deputies.

BSO deputies pronounced the woman dead at 12:24 a.m. and found Carey and his damaged Nissan Maxima hours later in North Lauderdale, according to deputies.

Deputies arrested Carey at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and corrections booked him at the Broward County Main Jail.

Carey faced charges of failure to stop and remain at the scene of an accident, a first-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

During a hearing, a bond court judge ordered Carey to avoid driving, surrender his passport, stay in Broward, and remain on house arrest with a GPS.

According to court records, Broward County Circuit Judge Peter Holden was set to preside over the case.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Un video de vigilancia muestra que Carey, de 22 años, conducía un Nissan Maxima negro 2016 hacia el norte por Northwest Ninth Avenue la madrugada del miércoles con una luz rota y daños visibles, según los agentes.

Técnicos de la escena encontraron el ensamblaje del faro del Nissan Maxima de Carey, un espejo lateral del conductor y piezas de moldura exterior negra en el lugar donde murió la mujer, según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward.

“Carey declaró que conducía a su casa la noche anterior y que al pasar por debajo del puente algo golpeó su vehículo, miró alrededor y no vio a nadie ni nada, por lo que continuó conduciendo hasta su casa, vio los daños en su vehículo y los cubrió con una lona para ocultarlos de sus padres”, escribió un agente, según el informe de arresto.

Alrededor de las 12:20 a.m. del miércoles, la mujer cruzaba los carriles hacia el norte de la Novena Avenida en la cuadra 4400, y tras ser impactada por el Nissan, “quedó en reposo final en los carriles hacia el sur”, según los agentes.

Agentes de la BSO declararon a la mujer muerta a las 12:24 a.m. y encontraron a Carey y su Nissan Maxima dañado horas después en North Lauderdale, según las autoridades.

Los agentes arrestaron a Carey a las 7 p.m. del miércoles y fue ingresado en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

Carey enfrenta cargos por no detenerse y permanecer en la escena de un accidente, un delito grave de primer grado, y manipulación de evidencia, un delito grave de tercer grado.

Durante una audiencia, un juez de fianzas ordenó que Carey no conduzca, entregue su pasaporte, permanezca en Broward y continúe bajo arresto domiciliario con GPS.

Según registros judiciales, el juez de circuito del condado Broward, Peter Holden, presidiría el caso.

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Frejya, who weighs just over 40 pounds, is described as playful and lively, making her a good fit for a family that can keep her entertained with exercise and proper chew toys. Shelter staff say she may be a mix of several breeds, possibly including husky, Shiba Inu and shepherd.

Because of her energetic personality, Frejya would likely benefit from an active household and could do well with another dog following a meet-and-greet. However, staff note she may be inclined to chase smaller animals like cats.

The shelter encourages prospective adopters to complete a pre-adoption application online before visiting. Adoption kennels are open daily at 11 a.m.

According to HSBC’s Cherie Wachter, Frejya’s spirited nature makes her an ideal companion for someone looking for a fun and active pet.

Click here for more information on how you can adopt a pet.

Frejya, que pesa poco más de 40 libras, es descrita como juguetona y vivaz, lo que la hace ideal para una familia que pueda mantenerla activa con ejercicio y juguetes adecuados para morder. El personal del refugio señala que podría ser una mezcla de varias razas, posiblemente incluyendo husky, Shiba Inu y pastor.

Debido a su personalidad enérgica, Frejya probablemente se beneficiaría de un hogar activo y podría llevarse bien con otro perro tras un encuentro previo. Sin embargo, el personal indica que podría tender a perseguir animales más pequeños como gatos.

El refugio recomienda a los interesados completar una solicitud de preadopción en línea antes de visitar. Las perreras de adopción abren todos los días a las 11 a.m.

Según Cherie Wachter, de la organización, la naturaleza enérgica de Frejya la convierte en una compañera ideal para alguien que busca una mascota divertida y activa.

Haga clic aquí para más información sobre cómo adoptar una mascota.

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Fornash, a 28-year veteran of Oakland Park Fire Rescue, was known for his dedication and service to the community.

City officials confirmed that Fornash, 59, died Thursday after a “courageous” battle with cancer.

Details about his memorial service will be announced once arrangements are finalized.

Fornash, con 28 años de servicio en Oakland Park Fire Rescue, era conocido por su dedicación y servicio a la comunidad.

Funcionarios de la ciudad confirmaron que Fornash, de 59 años, falleció el jueves tras una “valiente” batalla contra el cáncer.

Los detalles sobre su servicio conmemorativo serán anunciados una vez se finalicen los arreglos.

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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Department of Environmental Resources Management said the event is expected to mobilize about 5,000 volunteers at 33 locations across all 13 County Commission districts.

“From Miami Gardens to Homestead, and from Miami Beach to Hialeah, we all depend on Biscayne Bay,” DERM Director Loren Parra wrote in a news release. “This makes Baynanza the perfect opportunity to show our love for our Bay by protecting its beauty and helping restore it.”

County officials said Baynanza is Miami-Dade’s largest community cleanup and has grown into a monthslong series of more than 60 events aimed at restoring Biscayne Bay, which officials describe as central to the region’s environment and economy.

Last year, event organizers said volunteers collected 35,000 pounds of trash, and this year they expect to collect even more.

“In Miami-Dade County, our environment is our economy, our well-being and our future,” Levine Cava wrote. “Our Bay is not only the Blue Heart of our community. It’s also vital to our economy, generating $64 billion locally each year.”

The cleanup day, which ran from 9 a.m. to noon, capped this year’s Baynanza programming, which has been held annually for more than four decades.

“We of course are protecting all of our marine life but more than that we are protecting our economy that really relies on a safe bay,” said Loren Parra, director of environmental resources management. “We really want to make sure that we have a safe bay to protect fishing industry the cruising industry and anyone who relies on a safe and healthy bay.”

Event organizers said participants received cleanup supplies, water and commemorative T-shirts, and students could earn community service hours.

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Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale Beach, and Jimmy Sanchez, 38, of Spring Valley, California, both pleaded guilty to using a firearm to cause death and conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine.

Investigators said the two were among those responsible for shooting and killing Julio Gonzalez, 46, of Hialeah Gardens, at the Aladdin Hotel, located at 901 S. Royal Poinciana Blvd. in Miami Springs — about a block away from the airport — on Nov. 29, 2022.

Investigators said the killing was linked to a “missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000,” which the duo mistakenly believed that Gonzalez stole. Instead, law enforcement officials had seized the meth.

They said Kol and Sanchez, the latter of whom had flown in from San Diego to MIA the night of the killing, arranged a 12-hour room rental to confront, and later kill, Gonzalez.

Kol had been described in a Miami-Dade arrest warrant as “a known high-ranking Sinaloa cartel member with a history of international organized crime syndicate that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering” and the ex-wife of Wilfredo Nunes Gallardo, another high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel.

The criminal organization was once run by the infamous Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The case was originally investigated by what was then the Miami-Dade Police Department before turning federal.

“This started as a drug deal gone wrong and ended in an execution,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement. “The defendants armed themselves, set up the victim, and carried out a killing over a missing drug package that had already been seized by law enforcement.”

Prosecutors said Kol received a nearly 20-year sentence while Sanchez received a sentence totaling more than 27 years.

Reding Quiñones said that the sentences “reflect the seriousness of that violence.”

Tsvia Kol, de 37 años y residente de Hallandale Beach, y Jimmy Sanchez, de 38 años y de Spring Valley, California, se declararon culpables de usar un arma de fuego para causar una muerte y de conspirar para distribuir al menos 500 gramos de metanfetamina.

Investigadores dijeron que ambos estuvieron entre los responsables de disparar y matar a Julio Gonzalez, de 46 años y residente de Hialeah Gardens, en el hotel Aladdin, ubicado en 901 S. Royal Poinciana Blvd., en Miami Springs — a aproximadamente una cuadra del aeropuerto — el 29 de noviembre de 2022.

Según los investigadores, el asesinato estuvo vinculado a un “paquete desaparecido que contenía alrededor de 11 libras de metanfetamina, con un valor en la calle de aproximadamente $90,000 USD”, que el dúo creía erróneamente que Gonzalez había robado. En realidad, las autoridades ya habían confiscado la droga.

Indicaron que Kol y Sanchez —este último viajó desde San Diego al Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami la noche del crimen— coordinaron el alquiler de una habitación por 12 horas para confrontar y posteriormente matar a Gonzalez.

Kol fue descrita en una orden de arresto de Miami-Dade como “una conocida miembro de alto rango del cartel de Sinaloa, con historial en una organización criminal internacional dedicada al narcotráfico y lavado de dinero”, y ex esposa de Wilfredo Nunes Gallardo, otro alto miembro del cartel.

La organización criminal fue liderada en su momento por el infame Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

El caso fue investigado inicialmente por lo que entonces era el Departamento de Policía de Miami-Dade antes de pasar a jurisdicción federal.

“Esto comenzó como un negocio de drogas que salió mal y terminó en una ejecución”, dijo el fiscal federal Jason A. Reding Quiñones en un comunicado. “Los acusados se armaron, tendieron una trampa a la víctima y llevaron a cabo el asesinato por un paquete de droga desaparecido que ya había sido confiscado por las autoridades”.

Los fiscales indicaron que Kol recibió una condena de casi 20 años, mientras que Sanchez fue sentenciado a más de 27 años de prisión.

Reding Quiñones señaló que las sentencias “reflejan la gravedad de esa violencia”.

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The heated infighting has been deepening over the Iran war and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump referred to his conservative opponents as “low IQ,” “NUT JOBS,” and “losers.”

The list of defections includes Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Stewart Rhodes, Joe Rogan, Joe Kent, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones.

The Trumpian coalition also has divides over the nature of U.S.-Israel relations, immigration law enforcement, healthcare subsidies, and affordability.

Overseas, Europe’s right wing seems to be shifting too. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and France’s National Rally leader Marine Le Pen are among the leaders who oppose the war in Iran.

Related social media

CALL TO ACTION:

Tell President Trump, your Congressional Rep, & your Senators that you don't support American boots on the ground in Iran.

White House Comment Line:
(202) 456-1111

Congress Switchboard:
(202) 224-3121

This is how We the People make our voices heard. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PO2nIxKRQt

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 30, 2026

Desecrating Easter was the first step toward nuclear war. Christians need to understand where Trump is taking us.

0:00 Monologue
43:23 Paula White’s Strange Easter Sunday Service
51:17 Who Really Is Paula White?
57:24 How Did Paula Become Trump’s Spiritual Advisor?
1:00:03 The… pic.twitter.com/LurDKGg8WS

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 6, 2026

Everyone can thank Netanyahu, Lindsey Graham, Mark Levin, and Larry Loomer.
And Donald Trump for listening to these war obsessed maniacal murderers.
Also, special mention goes to weak Republicans in Congress.
Biggest opportunity in American history thrown away or bombed away. https://t.co/olhtLzg5b5

— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) April 7, 2026

Las disputas internas se han intensificado por la guerra con Irán y el escándalo de Jeffrey Epstein.

En una publicación en Truth Social el jueves, Trump calificó a sus opositores conservadores como “bajo coeficiente intelectual”, “NUT JOBS” y “perdedores”.

La lista de deserciones incluye a Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, la ex representante Marjorie Taylor Greene, Stewart Rhodes, Joe Rogan, Joe Kent, Candace Owens y Alex Jones.

La coalición afín a Trump también presenta divisiones sobre la naturaleza de la relación entre Estados Unidos e Israel, la aplicación de las leyes migratorias, los subsidios de salud y el costo de vida.

En el extranjero, la derecha europea también parece estar cambiando. La primera ministra de Italia, Giorgia Meloni, y la líder de la Agrupación Nacional de Francia, Marine Le Pen, están entre los líderes que se oponen a la guerra con Irán.

Redes sociales relacionadas

CALL TO ACTION:

Tell President Trump, your Congressional Rep, & your Senators that you don't support American boots on the ground in Iran.

White House Comment Line:
(202) 456-1111

Congress Switchboard:
(202) 224-3121

This is how We the People make our voices heard. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PO2nIxKRQt

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 30, 2026

Desecrating Easter was the first step toward nuclear war. Christians need to understand where Trump is taking us.

0:00 Monologue
43:23 Paula White’s Strange Easter Sunday Service
51:17 Who Really Is Paula White?
57:24 How Did Paula Become Trump’s Spiritual Advisor?
1:00:03 The… pic.twitter.com/LurDKGg8WS

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 6, 2026

Everyone can thank Netanyahu, Lindsey Graham, Mark Levin, and Larry Loomer.
And Donald Trump for listening to these war obsessed maniacal murderers.
Also, special mention goes to weak Republicans in Congress.
Biggest opportunity in American history thrown away or bombed away. https://t.co/olhtLzg5b5

— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) April 7, 2026

Officers responding to a 9:40 a.m. emergency call of an assault at the 42nd Street-Grand Central station encountered the man. He was behaving erratically, claiming he was “Lucifer,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an afternoon news conference. Tisch said he was ordered to drop his weapon 20 times but refused to comply.

She said ultimately an officer shot him twice when he advanced toward the officers with the knife extended.

“Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat,” Tisch said. “They gave clear commands. They attempted to de-escalate. And when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it and to protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city.”

Tisch identified the suspect as Anthony Griffin, 44, and said he had three prior unsealed arrests. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

The three stabbing victims — an 84 year-old male, 65-year-old male and 70-year-old female — sustained injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, Tisch said. One man sustained “significant lacerations to the head and face,” the other man had similar injuries and an open skull fracture and the third victim had a laceration to the shoulder.

Tisch said the suspect slashed one person on a platform at the Grand Central station before going upstairs and slashing the other victims on another platform.

Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said the attacks appear to be random acts.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on social media that she was “grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect. We’re working closely with the NYPD as the investigation unfolds.”

The police department, posting on X, had urged travelers to avoid the area Saturday morning due to a police investigation and to expect delays and heavy traffic. The Metropolitan Transit Authority said some subway trains were not stopping at the station which is separate from regional train service at Grand Central.

Beau Lardner said he was just swiping in at Grand Central when bangs rang out “loud enough to hear through headphones,” he told the AP in a message. The 34-year-old moved from Manhattan to Long Island a few weeks ago, but he’s been taking the same train from Grand Central for years.

“I know that platform like the back of my hand,” he said.

Lardner described a “wall of people” rushing toward him to get through the turnstiles, and he sprinted back up the stairs. He said he had “never seen a crowd move like that."

___

Robertson reported from Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

La alcaldesa del condado Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, y el Departamento de Manejo de Recursos Ambientales (DERM) informaron que se esperaba movilizar a unos 5,000 voluntarios en 33 ubicaciones a lo largo de los 13 distritos de la Comisión del condado.

“Desde Miami Gardens hasta Homestead, y desde Miami Beach hasta Hialeah, todos dependemos de la Bahía de Biscayne”, escribió el director de DERM, Loren Parra, en un comunicado. “Esto convierte a Baynanza en la oportunidad perfecta para demostrar nuestro amor por la bahía protegiendo su belleza y ayudando a restaurarla”.

Funcionarios del condado dijeron que Baynanza es la mayor limpieza comunitaria de Miami-Dade y que ha crecido hasta convertirse en una serie de más de 60 eventos a lo largo de un mes, enfocados en restaurar la Bahía de Biscayne, que describen como clave para el medio ambiente y la economía de la región.

El año pasado, los organizadores indicaron que los voluntarios recolectaron 35,000 libras de basura, y este año esperan recoger aún más.

“En el condado Miami-Dade, nuestro medio ambiente es nuestra economía, nuestro bienestar y nuestro futuro”, escribió Levine Cava. “Nuestra bahía no solo es el corazón azul de nuestra comunidad, también es vital para nuestra economía, generando 64 billones de dólares anuales a nivel local”.

La jornada de limpieza, que se llevó a cabo de 9 a.m. a mediodía, marcó el cierre de la programación de Baynanza de este año, que se realiza anualmente desde hace más de cuatro décadas.

Los organizadores informaron que los participantes recibieron suministros de limpieza, agua y camisetas conmemorativas, y que los estudiantes podían obtener horas de servicio comunitario.

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Rainy weather often quiets outdoor activity, replacing traffic noise and lawn equipment with steady rainfall.

For some, it creates a calm, cozy atmosphere ideal for reading or resting. For others, overcast skies and disrupted plans can bring frustration and a dip in productivity.

The discussion centers on a simple question: are you a “pluviophile,” someone who enjoys rainy weather, or do you prefer the sunshine?

Let us know in the poll or comment section below.

El clima lluvioso suele reducir la actividad al aire libre, reemplazando el ruido del tráfico y de equipos de jardinería por una lluvia constante.

Para algunos, crea un ambiente tranquilo y acogedor, ideal para leer o descansar. Para otros, los cielos nublados y los planes interrumpidos generan frustración y una baja en la productividad.

La discusión se centra en una pregunta sencilla: ¿eres un “pluviófilo”, alguien que disfruta la lluvia, o prefieres el sol?

Déjanos saber en la encuesta o en la sección de comentarios abajo.

The unveiling of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s statue had an unforced error on Friday — a broken bat.

As broadcaster Rick Rizzs declared “we’re going to count down from 51!” — a nod to Suzuki’s jersey number, which was retired by the Seattle Mariners — the curtain covering the bronze statue was pulled down, and so, too, went the bat.

A snapping noise could be heard as the bronze bat flopped down and confetti sprouted up.

“Here it is! The statue of one of the greatest players in the history of the game!” Rizzs declared as the curtain was pulled and a celebratory tune played outside of T-Mobile Park.

The statue depicts Suzuki in his batting stance. He appeared to find the mishap to be hilarious, and joked through an interpreter that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera got the best of him again.

“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki said with a smile, “and break the bat.”

It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue; Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle. The statue was sculpted by Chicago-based Lou Cella, who also produced statues of Mariners greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, University of Washington football coach Don James, Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, and former Seattle SuperSonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens.

Suzuki said he wore a jersey from the 2001 season, when he won both AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, for a photo shoot with Cella.

“I can say I was happy that I was still able to fit into that uniform, and probably could say Junior and Edgar probably couldn’t do that,” Suzuki said. “So, I was happy about that.”

Suzuki was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer and last year became only the third Mariners player to have his jersey retired by the franchise, joining Griffey (No. 24) and Martinez (No. 11).

Griffey and Martinez joined Suzuki for the ceremony and helped him pull the curtain off the statue.

“To have this moment with them, I look back at how it all started,” Suzuki said. “And it’s just been an unbelievable experience.”

Suzuki made history as the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, earning a near-unanimous 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The way the jovial Suzuki saw it, his statue having an imperfection was only fitting.

“In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote,” Suzuki said. “Today, the bat was broke. It kind of lets me know that I’m still not there, that I still need to keep going. So, this is a good example of that.”

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

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The incident occurred around 11 a.m. near Northwest Sixth Street and Northwest Seventh Avenue, when authorities say the victim drove to the police station with a gunshot wound to the arm.

Investigators said preliminary information indicates the victim was not the intended target.

They said the suspect was firing at a house when the victim, who was driving in the area, was struck.

The victim suffered a graze wound to the arm and was transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to police.

No information about a possible suspect or suspects has been released at this time.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Florida City police at 305-247-8223 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 11 a.m. cerca de Northwest Sixth Street y Northwest Seventh Avenue, cuando, según las autoridades, la víctima condujo hasta una estación de Policía con una herida de bala en el brazo.

Investigadores dijeron que información preliminar indica que la víctima no era el objetivo previsto.

Indicaron que el sospechoso disparaba contra una casa cuando la víctima, que conducía por el área, fue alcanzada.

La víctima sufrió una herida superficial en el brazo y fue trasladada a un hospital en condición estable, según la Policía.

No se ha divulgado información sobre un posible sospechoso o sospechosos.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe llamar a la Policía de Florida City al 305-247-8223 o a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

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Joachin, 40, who was born in Haiti, was behind bars on Friday after killing Nilufa Easmin, who was born in Bangladesh, on April 3 in Florida’s Lee County, according to the Fort Myers Police Department.

Easmin, 51, a mother of two, was working as a clerk at a gas station’s convenience store. Fort Myers detectives arrested Joachin hours later, and Lee County correctional deputies booked him.

“Surveillance footage showed that Joachin smashed the victim’s car windshield, approached her, and repeatedly hit her in the head with a hammer—violently killing her in broad daylight," a spokesperson from Homeland Security wrote in a statement on Tuesday.

Joachin had received a final order of removal in 2022, but former President Joe Biden’s administration allowed him to stay, according to DHS.

“This animal was allowed to stay here because the Biden Administration granted him, and all Haitians, Temporary Protective Status, a massively abused and fraudulent program which my Administration is working to terminate,” President Donald Trump wrote Thursday night on Truth Social.

The Trump administration announced on Friday that Joachin’s TPS was no longer valid, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had issued a detainer on Thursday.

“Deranged Liberal District Court Judges are standing in our way. This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration’s Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL,” Trump wrote Thursday night.

Attorney Fritznie Jarbath, whose parents were born in Haiti, is based in Miami-Dade County. She said the association is unfair.

“It’s not uncommon for this particular administration to identify one particular person from one group and try and push a narrative,” Jarbath said, adding that this reminded her of Trump’s assertion that Haitian migrants were eating dogs.

“While that was particularly debunked,” Jarbath said. “People kept looking at Haitians, thinking, ‘Is this true? Could this be true?’”

Joachin, de 40 años y nacido en Haití, permanecía detenido el viernes tras matar a Nilufa Easmin el 3 de abril en el condado Lee, Florida, según el Departamento de Policía de Fort Myers.

Easmin, de 51 años y madre de dos hijos, trabajaba como empleada en la tienda de conveniencia de una gasolinera. Detectives de Fort Myers arrestaron a Joachin horas después, y agentes correccionales del condado Lee lo ingresaron en la cárcel.

“Las cámaras de vigilancia mostraron que Joachin rompió el parabrisas del vehículo de la víctima, se le acercó y la golpeó repetidamente en la cabeza con un martillo, causándole la muerte a plena luz del día”, escribió un portavoz del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) en un comunicado el martes.

Joachin había recibido una orden final de deportación en 2022, pero la administración del ex presidente Joe Biden le permitió permanecer en el país, según el DHS.

“Este individuo fue autorizado a quedarse aquí porque la administración Biden le otorgó, a él y a todos los haitianos, el Estatus de Protección Temporal, un programa ampliamente cuestionado que mi administración busca terminar”, escribió el presidente Donald Trump el jueves por la noche en Truth Social.

La administración Trump anunció el viernes que el TPS de Joachin ya no era válido y que el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) emitió una orden de detención el jueves.

“Jueces liberales de tribunales de distrito están obstaculizando nuestro trabajo. Este caso debería ser suficiente para que dejen de interferir con nuestras políticas migratorias y nos permitan terminar con este programa de una vez por todas”, escribió Trump el jueves por la noche.

La abogada Fritznie Jarbath, con sede en el condado Miami-Dade y de padres nacidos en Haití, dijo que esa asociación es injusta.

“No es raro que esta administración identifique a una persona de un grupo y trate de impulsar una narrativa”, dijo Jarbath, agregando que esto le recordó a afirmaciones previas de Trump sobre migrantes haitianos.

“Aunque eso fue desmentido, muchas personas seguían mirando a los haitianos preguntándose si era cierto”, dijo.

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Miami Beach police arrested Corey Hutterli, 37, of Parkland, on a second-degree murder charge on Wednesday.

He’s accused of killing Zelin, 35, by throwing him off the balcony of his own 25th-floor unit at the Akoya Condominium, located at 6365 Collins Ave. on Mid-Beach.

Police said Zelin could be heard in a struggle with Hutterli in a 911 call moments before his death. The connection between the two remains a mystery.

“It’s one of those things where the more answers you get, the more questions you have,” Zelin’s friend Amit Jolly said.

Jolly, speaking to Local 10 News in Hollywood on Friday, said he wants Zelin to “be memorialized for so much more than just the final moments of his life.”

“He was yet a big presence in the Jewish community, a big presence in the biotech community,” Jolly said. “What he has done in terms of his line of work has saved many lives.”

Jolly said the killing left Zelin’s family heartbroken.

“On the night of the funeral the rabbi asked the father to write some words about his son and he said, ‘I don’t have the words for my son, because I don’t believe my son is dead,’” Jolly said.

Jolly shared photos of Zelin with Local 10 News.

“These final moments were very painful,” Jolly said. “I think it’s very important to have Justin be remembered for something so much more than just those final moments, just as (with) anyone when they pass away.”

Hutterli, meanwhile, remained held without bond at Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Friday.

His attorney argued during a court appearance Thursday morning that the case against Hutterli is purely circumstantial.

La Policía de Miami Beach arrestó a Corey Hutterli, de 37 años y residente de Parkland, el miércoles, acusado de asesinato en segundo grado.

Se le acusa de matar a Zelin, de 35 años, al arrojarlo desde el balcón de su propio apartamento en el piso 25 del condominio Akoya, ubicado en 6365 Collins Ave., en Mid-Beach.

La Policía indicó que Zelin podía ser escuchado forcejeando con Hutterli en una llamada al 911 momentos antes de su muerte. La conexión entre ambos sigue siendo un misterio.

“Es una de esas cosas en las que mientras más respuestas obtienes, más preguntas tienes”, dijo Amit Jolly, amigo de Zelin.

Jolly, quien habló con Local 10 News en Hollywood el viernes, dijo que quiere que Zelin “sea recordado por mucho más que solo los momentos finales de su vida”.

“Era una gran presencia en la comunidad judía, una gran presencia en la comunidad biotecnológica”, dijo Jolly. “Lo que ha hecho en su línea de trabajo ha salvado muchas vidas”.

Jolly dijo que el asesinato dejó a la familia de Zelin devastada.

“La noche del funeral, el rabino le pidió al padre que escribiera algunas palabras sobre su hijo y él dijo: ‘No tengo palabras para mi hijo, porque no creo que mi hijo esté muerto’”, relató Jolly.

Jolly compartió fotos de Zelin con Local 10 News.

“Estos momentos finales fueron muy dolorosos”, dijo Jolly. “Creo que es muy importante que Justin sea recordado por algo mucho más que esos momentos finales, como ocurre con cualquier persona cuando fallece”.

Mientras tanto, Hutterli permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza el viernes en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight del condado Miami-Dade.

Su abogado argumentó durante una audiencia el jueves por la mañana que el caso en su contra es puramente circunstancial.

Detectives de homicidios de Hollywood creen que Garcia, ahora de 21 años, intentó encubrir su muerte con la ayuda del padre del bebé, Anfernee Watts, según la policía.

La madre de Watts contactó a la policía para reportar que Garcia le dijo que el bebé murió mientras estaba atrapado entre la estructura de la cama y el colchón, según la orden de arresto.

“Sabes, cuando ves a alguien, cuando ha fallecido? Como, era así”, dijo Garcia a los oficiales el miércoles al confesar que asfixió accidentalmente al bebé, según un informe policial.

La pareja, que también tiene un hijo de 2 años, compareció ante la corte el jueves en el condado Broward. Un juez les negó la fianza.

Watts, de 25 años, y Garcia “admitieron haber fabricado una historia para presentarla a las autoridades, colocando al bebé fallecido nuevamente en el corralito en un intento de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un oficial, según la orden de arresto.

Su hijo nació el 11 de julio en el Hospital Memorial Regional, según la policía.

Un pediatra reportó que el niño estaba en buen estado de salud el 28 de julio, según la orden de arresto. La tragedia se desarrolló unos días después.

Watts dijo a los oficiales que había asistido a una entrevista de trabajo, pero el supuesto entrevistador indicó que eso era falso, según la orden de arresto.

“Ella sujetó intencionalmente al bebé envolviéndolo firmemente en una manta, asegurando un chupete en su boca y sujetándolo a un asiento de auto antes de colocarlo dentro de una bañera y aislarlo detrás de una puerta cerrada mientras sonaba música alta”, y “ignoró deliberadamente su angustia y no lo revisó durante varias horas”, escribió un detective, según la orden.

La pareja presuntamente intentó “colocar al bebé fallecido nuevamente en el corralito en un intento de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un detective, según una orden de arresto.

El personal de Hollywood Fire Rescue lo declaró muerto a la 1:50 p.m. del 1 de agosto, en una casa ubicada en el 6660 de Thomas St., según los registros.

Los oficiales notaron una “almohadilla desechable para cambiar pañales que parecía tener manchas de sangre”, y el bebé “tenía espuma visible en la boca y labios agrietados que parecían tener sangre seca”, según la orden de arresto.

La Oficina del Médico Forense de Broward determinó que la causa de muerte del bebé fue asfixia y que la manera de muerte fue homicidio. La evidencia también incluye un video grabado por una cámara de vigilancia Ring que muestra a Garcia con una bolsa de basura antes de llamar al 911.

Garcia dejó mensajes de voz a la policía desde el 4 de agosto hasta el miércoles y admitió haber mentido y reportó que había “asfixiado” al bebé, según la orden de arresto.

“Crystal admitió que mintió a la policía por miedo a ser arrestada”, escribió un oficial, según la orden de arresto.

El Grupo de Trabajo de Fugitivos de los U.S. Marshals arrestó a la pareja el miércoles.

El Departamento de Correcciones mantenía a Garcia sin derecho a fianza el jueves por la noche en el North Broward Bureau, un centro de detención en Pompano Beach, y a Watts en la cárcel principal del condado Broward en Fort Lauderdale, según los registros de reclusos.

Garcia y Watts enfrentan cada uno cinco cargos: obstrucción de una investigación criminal, homicidio agravado de un menor, negligencia infantil con gran daño corporal, manipulación de evidencia y tocar, remover o alterar intencionalmente un cadáver, su ropa o los objetos circundantes sin autorización.

La madre de Watts ha tenido la custodia de su hija de 2 años desde que tenía aproximadamente 5 meses después de que ella y la bebé dieron positivo a THC al nacer, según la orden de arresto.

Lea parte de la orden de arresto

Informe relacionado de la tarde

Scottie Scheffler, 2022

In his debut as the No. 1 player in the world, Scheffler looked the part with rounds of 69-67 in a roaring wind to build a five-shot lead over defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, Charl Schwartzel, Shane Lowry and Sungjae Im.

Scheffler had to salvage bogey from the trees on the 18th on Saturday for a 71 as Cameron Smith cut his lead to three shots. Scheffler walked up to the final hole with a five-shot lead and four-putted for double bogey, about the only thing that went wrong for him. He won by three shots over McIlroy, who holed a bunker shot on the last hole for his best finish at the time.

Jordan Spieth, 2015

Coming off a runner-up finish in his Masters debut the year before, Spieth opened with rounds of 64-66 to break a 36-hole scoring record that had stood for 39 years. He was at 14-under 130 and led by five shots over Charley Hoffman.

Spieth set the 54-hole scoring record (200) and led by four shots, and went on to win by four over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose. So dominant was this performance that no one got closer than three shots of Spieth over the final 54 holes.

Raymond Floyd, 1976

Floyd opened with rounds of 65-66 to build a five-shot lead over defending champion Jack Nicklaus in what became the most impressive scoring week at the time. Floyd set records for low start by a champion (65), the 36-hole record (131) and the 54-hole record (201), all of which stood until Spieth's win in 2015.

Floyd shot 70 in the third round to expand his lead to eight shots over Nicklaus, and a closing 70 matched the 72-hole record (271) set by Nicklaus in 1965.

Jack Nicklaus, 1975

Already a four-time Masters champion, Nicklaus opened 68-67 to build a five-shot lead over Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper and Tom Watson. The Golden Bear was prescient when he said he hoped for a 10-shot lead after the third round: “I've been coming to Augusta for many years. I've seen many strange things happen.”

Indeed, Big Jack shot 73 in the third round and was overtaken by Tom Weiskopf, who shot 66. That set up as thrilling a back nine as the Masters has ever seen, marked by Nicklaus making a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to outlast Weiskopf and Johnny Miller.

Herman Keiser, 1946

Keiser had served three years in the Navy when he returned to the first Masters since the end of World War II. In a field of top stars, Keiser shot 69-68 to build a five-shot lead over Jimmy Thomson, a big hitter from Los Angeles. All the headlines were whether Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead could track down a player who had only one PGA Tour title.

Keiser finished strong Saturday for a 71 to keep his five-shot lead, this time over Hogan. He shot 74 on the last day and held on to beat Hogan when both three-putted the 18th hole.

Harry ‘Lighthorse’ Cooper, 1936

The third Masters had so much rain that the first round didn't start until Friday, and when Sunday was washed out, the final two rounds were played on Monday. Cooper shot 70-69 to lead by five shots over Bobby Cruickshank.

In the third round Monday morning, Cooper shot 71 as Horton Smith, the first Masters champion, shot 68 to cut the lead to three shots. Smith rallied on the back nine with a 50-foot chip he sank for birdie on the 14th and a birdie on the par-5 15th. He shot 72 to win by one over Cooper, who faded with a 76. Cooper ended his career without a major.

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

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Maria Del Carmen Alvarez-Concepcion, de 57 años, fue arrestada el jueves por la tarde por cargos de solicitar y aceptar sobornos, fraude organizado y hurto mayor en segundo grado.

Un informe de arresto indica que un miembro actual de la junta y propietario en la asociación Greynolds Park Club Condominium, ubicada en el 17890 W. Dixie Highway, contactó a la MDSO por preocupaciones sobre el manejo indebido de los fondos de la asociación por parte de ciertos miembros de la junta directiva y la administradora del edificio, identificada como Alvarez-Concepcion.

Los detectives dijeron que el miembro de la junta les informó que el 23 de enero fue contactado por un proveedor contratado, quien reportó que Alvarez-Concepcion había estado solicitando y aceptando sobornos “en forma de efectivo y transferencias por Zelle”.

El informe señala que el miembro de la junta “también reportó preocupaciones de larga data sobre el control exclusivo de la acusada sobre contratos multimillonarios, falta de transparencia financiera, cargos cuestionables, registros faltantes y la exclusión de ciertos miembros de la junta de decisiones importantes de la asociación”.

Según el informe, el proveedor que habló con el miembro de la junta se reunió con detectives el 13 de febrero y corroboró la información inicial.

Los detectives indicaron que el proveedor afirmó que entre el 7 de marzo de 2025 y el 5 de diciembre de 2025, Alvarez-Concepcion solicitó y aceptó repetidamente sobornos, señalando que le pagó alrededor de $19,910 USD en efectivo y transferencias por Zelle durante ese período.

Las autoridades dijeron que los pagos no estaban autorizados por la asociación y fueron “intencionalmente ocultados a la junta directiva”.

Según el informe, entre el 18 de febrero y el 19 de marzo de este año, Alvarez-Concepcion aceptó $1,000 USD adicionales en sobornos.

En total, se cree que aceptó $20,910 USD en “pagos de sobornos no revelados”, indicaron las autoridades.

Según el informe de arresto, Alvarez-Concepcion fue localizada el jueves por la tarde en el estacionamiento de la comunidad del condominio y fue detenida.

Los detectives dijeron que ella les proporcionó una declaración “en beneficio propio”, en la que “admitió haber aceptado sobornos mientras actuaba en su cargo como administradora en el lugar”.

“Este arresto refleja nuestro compromiso de proteger a los residentes y responsabilizar a quienes abusan de posiciones de confianza, y continuaremos combatiendo agresivamente el fraude en asociaciones en nuestra comunidad”, dijo la sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz en un comunicado.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Alvarez-Concepcion permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Los registros en línea indicaban que su fianza estaba “por establecer”.

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The certificate comes before Saturday’s game between Inter Miami CF and the New York Red Bulls.

The stadium previously operated under a “limited-event permit” during its inaugural match, a measure that allowed the event to proceed with specific restrictions and additional safety precautions.

City officials said last week they were working to issue the temporary certificate in time for the stadium’s debut, noting the limited-event permit would serve as a backup if approvals were not finalized. They added that the procedure is “a recourse often used in these situations.”

Nu Stadium officially opened after years of anticipation as Inter Miami hosted Austin FC, drawing more than 20,000 fans. Despite the milestone, construction remains ongoing around the site.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas acknowledged ahead of the opener that work outside the stadium was still in progress.

“Outside of the stadium it’s a construction site as we prepare construction, but I think it’ll be a beautiful walk up,” he said.

He added that the overall fan experience is expected to improve in the coming weeks as construction continues and operations are further refined.

Inter Miami is seeking its first win at Nu Stadium after a 2-2 draw against Austin FC. The match against the New York Red Bulls is set for 7:30 p.m.

El certificado llega antes del juego del sábado entre Inter Miami CF y New York Red Bulls.

El estadio operó previamente bajo un “permiso de evento limitado” durante su partido inaugural, una medida que permitió que el evento se llevara a cabo con restricciones específicas y precauciones adicionales de seguridad.

Funcionarios de la ciudad dijeron la semana pasada que trabajaban para emitir el certificado temporal a tiempo para el debut del estadio, señalando que el permiso de evento limitado serviría como respaldo si no se finalizaban las aprobaciones. Agregaron que el procedimiento es “un recurso que a menudo se utiliza en estas situaciones”.

Nu Stadium abrió oficialmente tras años de anticipación cuando Inter Miami recibió a Austin FC, atrayendo a más de 20,000 aficionados. A pesar del hito, la construcción continúa en los alrededores del sitio.

El copropietario de Inter Miami, Jorge Mas, reconoció antes de la inauguración que las obras fuera del estadio aún estaban en progreso.

“Fuera del estadio es una zona en construcción mientras avanzamos con las obras, pero creo que será un acceso muy atractivo”, dijo.

Agregó que se espera que la experiencia general de los aficionados mejore en las próximas semanas a medida que continúe la construcción y se optimicen las operaciones.

Inter Miami busca su primera victoria en el Nu Stadium tras un empate 2-2 contra Austin FC. El partido contra New York Red Bulls está programado para las 7:30 p.m.

The league leader blew the chance to move 12 points clear of second-placed Manchester City after losing for the third time in four games in all competitions.

“It's a big punch to the face,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “Now it’s about how we react to that, because it’s game on, it’s going to require now a big spirit, a lot of fight.”

Liverpool got a glimpse of the future as 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha scored a brilliant solo goal in a 2-0 win against Fulham.

The forward curled in the opening goal at Anfield. Mohamed Salah added the second in his first game in front his home fans since announcing he was leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

Arsenal feeling the pressure

Alex Scott struck a 74th-minute winner to pile pressure on Arsenal ahead of next week's top-of-the-table clash at Manchester City.

Arsenal has played two more games than City, which travels to Chelsea on Sunday and could close the gap to six points.

“There are no gray areas now,” Arteta said.

Arsenal has not won the title since 2004 and is slumping at the worst time. Defeats to City in the English League Cup final and to second-division Southampton in the FA Cup ended its pursuit of a quadruple of trophies.

It beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday but the latest loss will only heighten tension in the race for the English title after three straight years of finishing runner-up.

“The fact that as a club we haven’t done it for so long, there's a reason for that, it talks about the difficulty,” Arteta said.

Arsenal faces a huge week against Sporting in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday and then at City on Sunday.

Bournemouth went ahead inside 17 minutes through Junior Kroupi’s close-range goal. Viktor Gyokeres leveled from the penalty spot in the 35th but Arsenal struggled to create openings and Scott sealed the victory that potentially blew the title race open.

Bournemouth has won in back-to-back seasons at Arsenal and set a new club record of 12 straight games unbeaten in the Premier League.

While Arsenal remains in the driver's seat at the top of the standings, the form guide does not make good reading from Arteta’s perspective.

League stats provider Opta said before kickoff that the Arsenal manager’s Premier League win percentage in April was 44%, compared to 79% for City's Pep Guardiola.

“So today we have to suffer, it’s painful, it’s a terrible feeling, but tomorrow is a different day, and if somebody had said to me in August we are in this position right now in April, I’m sure we would all take it,” Arteta said.

Old and new combine for Liverpool

As one great prepares to say goodbye to Liverpool, a new star is emerging.

Salah will bring the curtain down on an outstanding Anfield career at the end of the season — and even in a campaign in which his form has dipped he is still capable of getting fans out of their seats.

He did that with his goal late in the first half to double Liverpool's lead, firing low past Bernd Leno.

But thoughts will naturally turn to the future and, in teenager Ngumoha, Liverpool has a talent to get excited about.

He announced himself early in the season with his dramatic late winner against Newcastle and he produced another special moment with his first Anfield goal.

Liverpool tightened its grip on fifth place and Champions League qualification, moving four points clear of Chelsea in sixth.

Brentford frustrated by Everton

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck in stoppage time as Everton twice fought back from a goal down to draw at Brentford 2-2.

Igor Thiago twice gave Brentford the lead at Gtech Community Stadium from a third-minute penalty and a goal in the 76th.

Beto leveled for Everton in the first half and Dewsbury-Hall produced his dramatic equalizer in the first minute of added time.

Brentford missed the chance to move up to sixth.

Brazil striker Thiago has 24 goals in all competitions this season and 21 in the league. Only Erling Haaland with 22 has more.

Mats Wieffer scored in both halves as Brighton beat Burnley 2-0.

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

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

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Authorities said deputies responded around 9:15 p.m. to reports of a shooting at CW Thomas Park, located near the 800 block of Northwest Second Street.

When they arrived, deputies said they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.

They said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Detectives with BSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene units remained at the scene late into the night as they continued to investigate.

No additional details about the shooting or the victim involved were immediately released.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Las autoridades indicaron que los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 9:15 p.m. a reportes de una balacera en el parque CW Thomas, ubicado cerca de la cuadra 800 de Northwest Second Street.

Al llegar, los agentes dijeron que encontraron a un hombre con una herida de bala.

Señalaron que Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima a un hospital cercano, donde posteriormente fue declarada muerta.

Detectives de las unidades de Homicidios y Escena del Crimen de la BSO permanecieron en el lugar hasta altas horas de la noche mientras continuaban con la investigación.

No se dieron a conocer de inmediato más detalles sobre la balacera ni sobre la víctima.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

It was not the homecoming they had anticipated when they fled to Lebanon six years ago.

The bodies, along with that of his six-month pregnant daughter-in-law, arrived in wooden coffins on a bus from Lebanon, their names scribbled on the sides. Men stood beside the bus crying before the burial procession in al-Sour town, as mourners gathered to offer condolences.

The remains of one of his two daughters were still missing, believed to be trapped under rubble, as search operations concluded Saturday, three days after the attacks.

The strike was one of roughly 100 carried out by Israel on Wednesday without warning, targeting what the Israeli military said were Hezbollah-linked sites across Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. More than 350 people were killed that day, a third being women and children, making it the deadliest day in nearly six weeks of war.

Many of the strikes hit commercial streets and densely populated neighborhoods in central Beirut, far from conflict zones, where repeated Israeli evacuation warnings have been issued since March 2, when the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

A father's grief

The father, Hamad al-Jalib, survived because he was away fetching a gas canister while working as the building’s concierge. When he heard that a strike had hit the Ain Mreisseh neighborhood, where he lives, he rushed back, only to see a plume of smoke rising from a building behind a mosque across from Beirut’s famous seaside promenade — usually crowded with people walking and exercising.

“The Israeli attack killed my girls, they are innocent, just sitting at home,” al-Jalib said. “They were having lunch.”

He said it took rescue teams three days to extract the bodies of his family from under the rubble. “And I still have a daughter missing, her name is Fatima Hamad al-Jalib.” She is 10 years old. His other daughter was 12 while his sons were 17, 14 and 13 years old.

Three other Syrian relatives were also killed in the Ain Mreisseh strike and were buried on Saturday in the town of al-Shuhail in Deir el-Zour, after the family split upon returning to Syria.

Al-Jalib said his family had been displaced from their area and moved to Lebanon in 2020, as local tensions grew involving tribal groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syrian refugees among the dead and wounded

The casualties from Wednesday’s strikes and others across the country have pushed the death toll in more than a month of Israel’s war with Hezbollah to over 1,950 killed and more than 6,300 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The toll includes at least 315 Syrians killed and wounded.

It remains unclear how many of those killed on Wednesday were non-Lebanese, as the Health Ministry did not provide a breakdown by nationality. Officials have reported that at least 39 Syrians were among the dead.

Dalal Harb, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency, said the family killed in Ain Mreisseh was not registered with the UNHCR. There are about 530,000 Syrians refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be unregistered.

While hundreds of thousands of Syrians have returned from Lebanon since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, many others remain reluctant to go back because of the lack of jobs and ongoing violence.

Al-Jalib’s brother, Jomaa, who also lived in Lebanon, said he was about 150 meters (500 feet) away at work when the first blast hit. “We ran and we ran, then the second strike happened.” He said he was arriving at the building as it began to collapse. “It was too late to get anyone out. We yelled for them, but no one answered.”

He said ambulances later recovered the bodies, which he identified at a hospital.

Following the burial on Saturday, men stood shoulder to shoulder in prayer over the fresh graves.

——-

Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.

With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.

The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.

In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.

“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.

NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”

Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, made the entire plunge on automatic pilot. The lunar cruiser hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 33 — or 33 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since the 1960s and 1970s Apollo.

The tension in Mission Control mounted as the capsule became engulfed in red-hot plasma during peak heating and entered a planned communication blackout. All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that had to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry.

Watching the drama unfold nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away, the astronauts’ families huddled in Mission Control’s viewing room, cheering when the capsule emerged from its six-minute blackout and again at splashdown.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II came screaming back at 36,174 feet (11,026 meters) per second — or 24,664 mph (39,693 kph) — just shy of the record before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.

Until Artemis II, NASA’s fresh-from-the-moon homecomings starred only white male pilots. Intent on reflecting changes in society, NASA chose a diverse, multinational crew for its lunar comeback.

Koch became the first woman to fly to the moon, Glover the first Black astronaut and Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen, bursting Canada with pride. They laughed, cried and hugged all the way there and back, striving to take the entire world along with them.

Artemis II’s record flyby and views of the moon

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13’s distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

During Monday’s record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the moon’s far side never seen before by the human eye along with a total solar eclipse. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

Born a decade after Apollo, Isaacman greeted the astronauts with hugs as they headed from the helicopters to the ship’s medical bay for routine checks. They walked by themselves, refusing the wheelchairs offered them.

“We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely and to set up for a series more,” Isaacman said. “This is just the beginning.”

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary”; Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”

Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, the toilet kept malfunctioning, but the astronauts shrugged it all off.

As for the heat shield, military aircraft crews photographed it from afar during reentry, and divers checked it from underneath as the capsule floated in the Pacific. More detailed examinations are planned.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it’s a doozy.”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

The Artemis II astronauts’ allegiance was to those future crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

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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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Wilton Manors police say Katherine Luciano left the kittens at Donn Eisele Park around 10 a.m. on Sunday. Surveillance video from a nearby home shows a red sedan pulling up, with a taped cardboard box inside.

Moments later, the five baby kittens spill out onto the ground as the woman walks away.

“While walking back to the car, the defendant is heard asking the male she is with, ”There were five total correct," her arrest report states.

The two then got back into the vehicle and left the park, abandoning the five kittens with no access to food, water, or shelter.

Peter Carey, who was walking his dog at the time, told Local 10 that he witnessed the kittens being abandoned.

“I was really focused on the cats, but it kept my anger from being focused on her,” he said. “Because I really wish that I could just put her in a box and dump her in a field so she could see how it felt. That’s how I feel.”

Carey rescued four of the kittens, while the fifth was found later.

All five have since been adopted.

“Happy to say that they’ve all been adopted,” Carey said. “I dropped off the last kitty last night to a nurse that lives in Aventura.”

After seeing her mugshot, Carey said, “It looks like her. And I hope I never see her again.”

Zachary Rinkins at Broward County Animal Care says they have resources to help shelter or house animals — even strays.

Luciano appeared to smirk when a judge on Friday morning told her that she is not allowed to have an animal while on pre-trial release.

Luciano bonded out of jail Friday night.

She faces five counts of animal abandonment and five counts of conservation of animals: torment, deprive, mutilate or kill. Her total bond was set at $5,000.

It’s not clear if the passenger in the car will face any charges.

Trucks and tractors continued to block access to vital fuel depots and a major port, and vehicles clogging traffic led to closures of part of the main highway around Dublin, the capital, as well as sections of other major roadways.

Irish police Commissioner Justin Kelly said enforcement would be ramped up because protesters were illegally blockading critical infrastructure and endangering public safety because of the impact gas shortages could have on emergency response from paramedics and firefighters.

“These are blockades. They are not a legitimate form of protest,” Kelly said. “We gave the blockaders fair warning that we were moving to enforcement and they choose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom.”

Protests call for caps on fuel prices

Government officials and a negotiator said progress was made on talks Saturday to resolve the dispute.

Ger Hyland, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, who is acting on behalf of some protesters, said he empathizes with their plight.

“They’re hard-working business people, and they’re just trying to survive and keep their business afloat, the same as any of the rest of us here at these negotiations,” he said.

The protests began on Tuesday and have grown as word spread on social media, leading truckers, farmers, and taxi and bus operators to stage blockades and call for caps on fuel prices or tax cuts.

Government officials, who had already introduced measures to ease the burden of price rises, have been baffled over the rationale behind the protests because the global price spike is due to the conflict in the Middle East that has restricted oil exports.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on Friday that the country was on the brink of turning tankers away at ports during a global shortage and was in jeopardy of losing its oil supply.

“It is unconscionable, it’s illogical, it is difficult to comprehend,” Martin told national broadcaster RTE.

Plumber Paddy Murray said he joined the protest outside the port in Rosslare because he’d paid taxes all his life and was looking for the government to help him with the cost of living.

“We can’t continue to do business with the cost of fuel, cost of wages, everything,” Murray told RTE. “We need somebody to help. It’s the government’s here like, to, represent us. You know, do your job. We’re the working lads that keep everything going. We’re the working lads that pay taxes.”

No gas at the pumps

More than a third of the 1,500 service stations had run out of fuel on Saturday and that number was expected to grow dramatically if the roadblocks remain, Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan said.

Reopening the Whitegate refinery in County Cork will help restore some service.

At midday, police vans from the public order unit rolled into the refinery to clear the protesters as the military stood by to assist. Officers used pepper spray, and video on RTE showed several officers dragging a protester from a tractor.

Police said arrests were made but did not provide a number for those detained.

A convoy of seven fuel delivery trucks from different companies was escorted to the refinery to load up and was later seen leaving. Another police video showed tanker trucks pulling out of the Foynes Port fuel hub in Limerick after protesters let them through.

Two weeks ago, the government approved a range of measures to cut fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in excise taxes on motor fuels, expansion of a rebate for truckers and bus operators that use diesel fuel, and extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs.

But those reductions were quickly overtaken as international prices continued to rise.

Protests began with slow-moving convoys that restricted access to some of the busiest streets in Dublin and blocked fuel depots that supply half the country. Some protesters slept in their vehicles overnight, demanding that government representatives speak with them.

People took to the streets of Dublin in support of the protest Saturday and tractors slowly rolled through the streets of Cork.

Protesters also shut down the road leading to Rosslare Europort, a major entry point for freight and passenger ferries in Wexford, and stranding cargo there. The port will reach capacity Sunday, Harbormaster Tom Curran told RTE.

Police were alerted by a neighbor to the “sounds of a child'' coming from a van on Monday in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, according to a statement on Saturday from prosecutor Nicolas Heitz.

After forcing the van open, officers found the child “lying in a fetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement,″ Heitz said. The boy was clearly malnourished and could no longer walk after being in a seated position for so long, according to the statement.

The boy’s father told investigators that he put the child in the truck in November 2024 “to protect him” because his partner wanted to send the then 7-year-old to a psychiatric hospital, the prosecutor said.

Heitz said there was no medical record that the boy had any psychiatric problems before he disappeared and that he had had good grades in school.

The boy told investigators that he had “big difficulties'' with his father's partner and thought his father “had no choice” but to lock him up, according to the prosecutor. He said he hadn’t showered since 2024.

The father was handed preliminary kidnapping and other charges and kept in custody. His partner denied knowledge that the boy was in the van, according to the prosecutor. She was handed preliminary charges, including for failure to help a minor in danger, and released under judicial supervision.

The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father’s partner were placed in the care of social services.

The prosecutor’s office is investigating whether others were aware of the boy's detention.

Friends and family told investigators they thought the boy was in a psychiatric institution. His teachers were told he had transferred to a different school, according to the prosecutor's office.

The authorities have not released the names of the victim or his relatives.

Hagenbach residents contacted by The Associated Press expressed shock on Saturday over the cases and said they were unaware of the boy's whereabouts, but didn't want to discuss details.

The prosecutor declined to comment further to AP pending further investigation.

The British government acknowledged Saturday that legislation to ratify the agreement for the islands in the Indian Ocean has run out of time in Parliament.

It’s the latest fallout from souring relations between Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and the Trump administration.

Trump initially backed the deal, but changed his mind in January, calling a deal to transfer sovereignty of the islands, home to the joint military base on Diego Garcia, “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” in a social media post.

The U.K. put the bill’s progress on hold, and the government now concedes it will run out of time to become law before the current session of Parliament ends in the next few weeks. It is not expected to be included in the list of bills announced by King Charles III for the next session of Parliament, which begins May 13.

Despite British frustration with the U.S. change of stance, officials still hope the deal can be revived.

“Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the U.K. and the U.S.,” the British government said in a statement. “Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority — it is the entire reason for the deal.

“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has U.S. support. We are continuing to engage with the U.S. and Mauritius.”

Simon McDonald, who was head of Britain's Foreign Office until 2020, said the government “had no other choice" except to put the deal on ice.

“When the president of the United States is openly hostile, the government has to rethink. So this agreement, this treaty will go into the deep freeze for the time being," he told the BBC.

The strategic military base in focus

The remote chain of more than 60 islands off the tip of India, south of the Maldives, has been under British control since 1814.

A military base on Diego Garcia, one of the islands, has supported U.S. military operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and as a base for American bombers in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Starmer initially blocked American planes from using British air bases for attacks on Iran. He later agreed to let the United States use bases in England and on Diego Garcia to strike Iran's missile sites, but not other targets.

Trump has disparaged the United States' NATO allies for their reluctance to join the war. He derided Starmer last month as “not Winston Churchill” and mocked the Royal Navy.

Under the agreement struck between the U.K. and Mauritius after years of negotiation, Britain would lease back the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years.

Starmer's government says the deal protects the base from international legal challenge. In recent years, the United Nations and its top court have urged Britain to return the islands to Mauritius.

Britain's opposition Conservative Party and Reform U.K. opposed the agreement, saying giving up the islands puts them at risk of interference by China and Russia. They have pushed the Trump administration to rescind its support.

Islanders who were displaced from Diego Garcia in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the base say they weren’t consulted and worry the deal will make it harder for them to go home.

An estimated 10,000 displaced Chagossians and their descendants now live primarily in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Some have fought unsuccessfully in U.K. courts for many years for the right to go home.

“The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade.

He said that while artillery fire had paused in the sector where his brigade was working, at the junction of the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Russian forces continued to use drones to strike Ukrainian positions.

Ukrainian forces were responding with “silence to silence and fire to fire,” Kolesnychenko said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to abide by the ceasefire, describing it as an opportunity to build on peace initiatives. But he warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.

“Easter should be a time of silence and safety. A ceasefire (at) Easter could also become the beginning of real movement toward peace,” Zelenskyy wrote in an online post on Saturday.

But he added: “We all understand who we are dealing with. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind.”

Ukraine earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.

Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described Putin’s move as a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands — a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.

Deaths in Odesa and Kherson ahead of ceasefire

Hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, Russian drone strikes overnight killed at least two people in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, local authorities reported.

A further two people were wounded in the attack on the Black Sea port city, when drones hit a residential area, damaging apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten.

The driver of a public trolley bus was killed after the vehicle was struck by a drone in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, less than an hour before the start of the ceasefire, Kherson regional head Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into force.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.

Prisoners exchanged

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that a prisoner swap Saturday brought home 175 of its soldiers. Zelenskyy confirmed Saturday’s exchange, saying that 175 service members and seven civilians were returned. “Most had been held in captivity since 2022. And finally, they are home,” he wrote on X.

Hundreds of relatives, clutching photos of missing soldiers, crowded around ambulances and buses carrying returned prisoners of war in northern Ukraine. Many called out names and brigade numbers in hopes of finding loved ones faster.

The crowd, many draped in blue and yellow flags, chanted “We welcome you!” as the weary returnees in blue jackets reached through windows to shake hands and embrace well-wishers. Family also members held up portraits of others still-missing, asking the freed prisoners whether they recognized anyone.

Svitlana Pohosyan was waiting for her son’s return. Asked about the ceasefire, she said: “I want to believe it. God willing, may it be so. We will believe and hope that everything will be fine, that a ceasefire will come on such a holy day, and that there will be peace — peace in Ukraine and peace in the whole world.”

“My celebration will come when my son returns,” she added. “I will hold him in my arms — and that will be the greatest celebration for me. And for every mother, every family.”

Periodic prisoner exchanges have been one of the few positive outcomes of otherwise fruitless monthslong U.S.-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. The talks have delivered no progress on key issues preventing an end to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, now in its fifth year.

Separately, seven residents of Russia's Kursk region returned from Ukraine on Saturday after they were captured by the Ukrainian army, Russian state media reported. They were greeted at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border by Russia's human rights ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova.

According to Moskalkova, the returnees were the last of those who were taken to Ukraine from the Kursk region after the Ukrainian army took control of parts of the region in 2024.

Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in one of their biggest battlefield successes in the war. The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin.

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Zhyhinas reported from northern Ukraine. Morton reported from London.

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

Guelleh, 78, has ruled the small Horn of Africa nation of about 1 million for more than two decades. Last year, the country’s lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits.

Election officials said the vote was peaceful. At the presidential palace, supporters on Saturday celebrated and offered congratulations.

Guelleh faced a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former ruling party member, in a race analysts say offered little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms.

Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999, extending a family-led system that has shaped the country’s politics for decades.

Djibouti hosts multiple foreign military bases, including those of the U.S., China, France and Japan, underscoring its strategic importance along a key global shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Revenues from these arrangements, along with port services for neighboring Ethiopia, underpin the economy.

Swalwell did not immediately heed those calls, saying on social media that he would spend the weekend with family and friends and share an update “very soon.”

“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They're absolutely false. They did not happen, they have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have,” he said.

Swalwell was among the leading Democrats in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. But in just hours, he saw his most prominent supporters — including U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor unions — drop their endorsements and call for his exit from the race.

Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate who has avoided engaging in the contest to replace him, said in a statement: “As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who hasn’t endorsed in the race, said the “serious allegations” must be investigated and that she spoke to Swalwell and suggested that be done “outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

The allegations surfaced at a critical stage of the wide-open campaign to lead the nation’s most populous state. Voters will receive mail ballots next month in advance of the June 2 election.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a woman said Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019 and 2024. The newspaper reviewed text messages about the alleged 2024 assault and spoke to people whom she had told about it. She told the newspaper she did not go to police because she was afraid she would not be believed.

The woman worked for Swalwell in 2019, when the first alleged assault occurred, and the 2024 assault allegedly occurred after a charity gala, the newspaper reported. She said in both cases she was too intoxicated to consent to sex.

The paper didn’t name the woman, and The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify her account and identity. Her lawyer declined to comment.

Swift backlash from prominent Democrats

Schiff said in a social media post he's “deeply distressed” by the allegations, calling for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial bid.

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who helped run Swalwell’s campaign, said he’s immediately ending his role.

“The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay,” Gomez said on social media.

Powerful labor unions, including the California Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association, said they're suspending their support. The California Federation of Labor Unions said it’s “acting urgently” on next steps.

A spokesperson for House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the allegations require a “serious and thorough investigation.”

Growing calls for Swalwell to drop out

Swalwell is among a handful of prominent candidates in the crowded race to succeed Newsom, and he immediately came under pressure from all other Democratic rivals to withdraw from the race. The party has been mired in a messy primary season with some leaders fearing the crowded field could cost them spot in the November general election. The state's top-two primary system sends the two highest vote getters onto the general election regardless of party.

Swalwell on Tuesday kicked off a planned series of campaign events in Sacramento, where he told reporters he’s never had a sexual relationship with a staff member or intern. He canceled the next scheduled event in Palm Springs on Thursday.

Uncorroborated and nonspecific rumors that Swalwell behaved inappropriately with female staffers have circulated on social media for weeks, but the Chronicle's story is the first reported account of someone making a direct accusation. CNN also reported that several women accused Swalwell of sending them inappropriate sexual messages.

He's suggested the allegations were part of an attack due to his campaign’s momentum.

Swalwell was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco. He launched a presidential run in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters. Swalwell, who is married and has three children, is perhaps best known nationally as a House manager in President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial during his first term in early 2021.

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Blood reported from Los Angeles.

“There’s actually two really good semifinals at Monte Carlo in the tennis. So I’ll watch that,” he said. “We’ve been watching the tennis early in the mornings.”

The tennis matches might be more competitive than what's taken place so far at Augusta National, where McIlroy led by a record six strokes after 36 holes. He birdied six of the last seven in a second-round 65 on Friday that left him at 12 under par for the tournament.

Now this could go a few different ways. McIlroy could cruise to victory and become the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters. He could maintain this level of domination and challenge Tiger Woods' record for margin of victory (12) or Dustin Johnson's for lowest score (20 under).

Or he could blow the lead and make history that way — 36 holes is a lot of golf still to play.

“Look, I’ve built up a nice cushion at this point,” McIlroy said. “I guess my mindset is just trying to keep playing well and keeping my foot on the gas.”

McIlroy nearly was paired in Saturday's final group with Patrick Reed, his foil during a memorable Ryder Cup match in 2016 and in the final group of the 2018 Masters, won by Reed. But a bogey on the 18th hole Friday left Reed tied for second with Sam Burns, who will play with McIlroy on Saturday.

“Just have to wait and see what the weekend entails,” Reed said. “Hopefully I can go out and have a good day tomorrow and have a good shot going into Sunday.”

Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood were another stroke back at 5 under.

Bryson DeChambeau won't be playing this weekend after finishing at 6 over and missing the cut. He owed his exit to a pair of triple bogeys in which he needed multiple shots to get out of bunkers. The first was on No. 11 on Thursday. The second was on the 18th hole Friday, when he only needed a bogey to play on.

Before McIlroy finished his run of six birdies in the last seven holes Friday, the best round of the tournament was Tyrrell Hatton's second-round 66. He was at 4 under along with Wyndham Clark, Haotong Li, Jason Day, Cameron Young and unheralded Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan.

The rest of the field shouldn't give up. McIlroy, after all, shot 80 in the final round in 2011 after leading the Masters following the first three rounds.

He's a different player now, though.

“Becoming a wily old veteran,” McIlroy said. “Even go back to the final round in 2011, hitting it in that bunker off the tee at the second hole and, like, not panicking, but thinking, ‘oh, this isn’t good.’ I can’t go for this in two. How am I — and I walk up there today, and it’s like, no, I lay it up to a good number, and I’ll have a good chance to make a birdie.”

___

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

The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.

The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks. The talks came after U.S. and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf were discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Here is the latest:

Thousands attend anti-war demonstration in Tel Aviv after wartime restrictions eased

The protesters filled Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Saturday evening, holding up signs calling for an end to Israel’s “eternal war” and chanting “more suffering in Lebanon will not bring us security.”

At a smaller protest held there the previous weekend, amid missile attacks from Iran and Yemen, police dispersed the protesters using force and arrested at least 17, citing security restrictions.

Ifat Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza and released last year, told the Associated Press she came to the protest to call for Israel to put an end to its wars “in Iran, in Lebanon and in Gaza.”

She said the war with Iran had achieved no positive results. “The reality is the same as before, perhaps even worse. We need to translate everything into agreements, we can’t keep living constantly in war.”

US says talks with Iran and Pakistan continuing

As of 10:21 p.m. local time in Islamabad, the trilateral in-person talks were ongoing, a senior White House official told reporters traveling with Vice President JD Vance.

More than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to health officials

The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli strikes in the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah has risen to 2,020, the Lebanese health ministry said Saturday.

The death toll from nearly six weeks of war includes 248 women,165 children and 85 health workers, the ministry said. Another 6,436 people have been wounded. Nearly 100 people were killed in the past 24 hours.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired missiles into Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. A tentative truce is now in place in Iran, but the U.S. and Israel say the agreement does not apply to Lebanon, while Tehran says it does. The question is likely to be one of the thornier points in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations now underway in Pakistan.

2 destroyers transit Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing operation, US military says

The U.S. military on Saturday prepared for mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz as two Navy destroyers transited the waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, U.S. Central Command said in a news release.

The destroyers are part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, CENTCOM stated.

Iran’s state media said earlier on Saturday that it had forced a U.S. military ship that was attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz to turn around.

The strait has been effectively closed to most oil and gas freighters since the U.S. and Israel began to strike Israel on Feb. 28. Cease-fire talks are now underway in Pakistan.

Pope Leo XIV blasts ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling the US-Israeli war in Iran

In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace.

Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held.

History’s first U.S.-born pope didn’t mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the talks were announced. But Leo’s tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo demanded. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”

Talks between US and Iran officials resume after a break

U.S. and Iranian officials resumed a second round of talks Saturday night in Islamabad after a break, with both sides backed by technical experts, two Pakistani officials said.

They added that Pakistan’s top political and military leadership is encouraging both sides to resolve their differences to ensure durable peace in the region, and the talks were progressing.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The officials declined to share further details, saying they hoped for a win-win solution.

-By Munir Ahmed

Trump says he has ‘no idea’ how talks will go with Iran

Trump confirmed in a phone interview with NewsNation that talks among the U.S., Iran and Pakistan had begun, though he does not know how successful they could be.

When asked how negotiations would go, Trump said: “I have no idea.”

The U.S. president said he would know shortly if he felt Iran was acting in good faith about resolving the war.

Trump added that the U.S. knew where mines had been placed in the Strait of Hormuz and that the military was bringing equipment to remove them.

Saturday’s negotiations mark rare face-to-face meeting between US and Iranian leaders

Saturday’s face-to-face talks in Pakistan that are being led by Vance and Qalibaf mark a rare instance of high-level engagement between American leadership and the Iranian government.

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the highest-level direct contact had been when President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in September 2013 called newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

It’s a high-stakes political task for Vance, who has been a reluctant defender of the U.S. war with Iran, and has little previous diplomatic experience. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are joining Vance at the table, also are relatively new players in international diplomacy.

The White House said it sent “a full suite of U.S. experts on relevant subject areas” to join the negotiators in Islamabad, and said other experts were supporting the team from Washington.

In Jerusalem, thousands of Orthodox Christians gather in Church of Holy Sepulchre after restrictions lifted

Thousands of worshippers took part in the annual “Holy Fire” ceremony on Saturday in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an Orthodox Christian ritual that dates back more than 1,200 years.

The ceremony, held the day before Orthodox Easter, symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, where the Greek Orthodox Patriarch brings out candles reportedly lit by a miraculous, non-burning flame from the tomb, which is then passed to thousands of worshipers.

Holy sites across Jerusalem’s Old City, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Western Wall, remained closed for 40 days under Israeli security restrictions following the war on Iran, but reopened on Thursday as a fragile, two-week ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. appeared to hold.

“Just two days ago there was absolutely no one in the Old City, it felt like an orphaned town,” said Fr. Antonious Al-Orshalemy. “But now we see wedding-like celebrations on every level. Everyone is happy, and everyone is joyful.”

Thousands protest Lebanese planned negotiations with Israel

Amid the protests, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday he had postponed a planned trip to Washington “in light of the current internal circumstances.”

Ahead of his announcement, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on international affairs warned against sidelining Hezbollah, saying in a social media post: “Mr. Nawaf Salam must know that ignoring the unparalleled role of the Resistance and the heroic Hezbollah will expose Lebanon to irreparable security risks.”

President Joseph Aoun said Friday a first meeting will be held Tuesday at the U.S. State Department to discuss a ceasefire and launch U.S.-mediated Lebanon-Israel negotiations, following a call between the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington with the participation of the U.S. ambassador to Beirut.

Protesters burned portraits of Salam in downtown Beirut near the Grand Serail, calling him a “Zionist” as they carried Hezbollah flags.

It was not immediately clear whether Salam was joining the delegation on Tuesday or what his decision meant for the talks.

Qatari official says Iranian attacks have decreased but ’not stopped’

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that attacks against any Gulf state constitute an attack on all of them, denying that Qatar pays Iran to stop attacks against its territory.

“Qatar does not pay in exchange for stopping attacks on it,” said Majed al-Ansari in a televised interview with Al Jazeera, adding that Qatar intercepts the Iranian attacks.

Al-Ansari added Iran had also attacked civilian and industrial targets, despite Iran’s claim that it was only targeting military sites.

Pakistani official says talks ‘progressing well’

“I cannot say whether they are sitting in the same room or in separate rooms, but talks have started and are progressing well,” the official with knowledge of the peace efforts said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

-By Munir Ahmed

Face-to-face negotiations have begun between the United States and Iran in Pakistan

The White House said that delegations from the United States, Iran and Pakistan are holding face-to-face meetings on Saturday.

The start of the meeting represents a significant test as to whether the ceasefire, which has already shown strains, is durable enough to resolve the Iran war.

President Donald Trump ahead of the meeting has engaged in provocative social media posts, suggesting that the U.S. energy sector will benefit from Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

Energy prices have risen sharply since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, with the stated goals of stopping its development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

Vice President JD Vance is leading the U.S. delegation, along with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

US releases names of delegation in talks with Iran and Pakistan

The White House provided a list of the U.S. officials involved in negotiations for ending the Iran war, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Also participating are Andrew Baker, the national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, the special adviser to the vice president for Asian affairs.

Difficult issues for the talks

Foremost is Iran’s nuclear program, especially the status of its enriched uranium after last year’s U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites. Tehran has not allowed the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect since then.

Before the war, Iran’s ballistic missile program was another main issue, especially for Israel, along with Iran’s support for armed proxies in the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza.

Now other issues have emerged, notably Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for Middle East oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer.

Iran now wants an end to attacks, compensation for earlier ones and a guarantee that no more will occur. It wants U.S. military forces to leave the region.

Tehran also wants longtime sanctions lifted.

Israel says it struck over 200 Hezbollah targets in the last 24 hours

The Israeli military said its air force hit infrastructure of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon and was continuing to support its ground forces operating in southern Lebanon.

The statement came as Teheran was pressing for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in three-party talks that began Saturday afternoon between Iran and the US in Pakistan.

Earlier Saturday, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. There were no reported strikes in the afternoon hours.

In Israeli communities along the border with Lebanon sirens continued to warn of drone and rocket attacks from Lebanon throughout the day Saturday. There were no reports of injuries.

Trump says he opposes higher fertilizer costs for US farmers

The U.S. president posted on social media that he is monitoring fertilizer price and “will not accept” any increase in costs for farmers.

Fertilizer costs have increased globally because of natural gas supplies being stranded due Iran’s control of the Strait of the Hormuz. Iran has used the strait as strategic leverage in its ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel.

But Trump’s post was targeted at a domestic audience.

“I am watching fertilizer prices CLOSELY during our FIGHT FOR FREEDOM in Iran,” he posted. “The United States will not accept PRICE GOUGING from the fertilizer monopoly! American Farmers, we have your back!”

US revokes green cards of more Iranian born relatives of current and former Iran officials

The Trump administration has revoked the green cards of more long-term Iranian residents of the United States who are related to current or former senior Iranian officials.

The State Department said Saturday it had taken action against Seyed Eissa Hashemi, a Los Angeles-area psychology teacher, his wife and son, all of whom were Iranian born lawful permanent residents of the US.

The department said in a statement released as talks to end the war with Iran were getting underway in Pakistan that they had been taken into custody by immigration authorities and are slated for deportation.

Hashemi, it said, is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar who served as a spokeswoman for the attackers who took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and was later promoted to be Iran’s first female vice president.

Just last week, the State Department revoked the green cards of the niece and grand-niece of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020.

3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan after earlier indirect discussions

Iran’s IRNA news agency said on Saturday that after progress in indirect discussions, negotiations have begun between the United States and Iran.

The country’s state-run news agency said three-party talks with the U.S., Iran and Pakistan had begun after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and other preconditions being met.

Trump says on social media that US has begun ‘clearing out’ Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. president posted on social media that Iran’s military has been destroyed and that America is beginning to open up the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway chokepoint used by Iran to restrict the shipping of 20% of the world’s oil supplies.

It was unclear from the post if Trump was referring to the possible use of mines in the Strait of Hormuz or Iran’s broader ability to control the area.

“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,” Trump posted. “Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”

France insists on ceasefire in Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron is urging ″respect for the ceasefire and its application to Lebanon.’′

In a social media post, Macron said he talked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday and that in addition to discussing the ceasefire, they urged a return to free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The French leader didn’t mention the negotiations in Pakistan, but said he and Erdogan ″underlined the need for a robust and lasting diplomatic solution.’′

Macron has been speaking regularly with other world leaders about the war and helping lead efforts for a mission to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting calms. He has been particularly active in pushing for peace in Lebanon, a former French protectorate with close ties to France.

The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a rare instance of high-level engagement, and said they were ongoing as of 10 p.m. local time. Later, there was no sign of talks having ended as midnight passed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said two destroyers transited the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran’s state media, however, said the joint military command denied that.

The U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian one led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf discussed with Pakistan how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel's continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose health ministry said the death toll has surpassed 2,000.

Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the most direct U.S. contact had been in 2013 when President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The most recent highest-level meetings were between Secretary of State John Kerry and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during negotiations over the program.

Now talks feature Vance, a reluctant defender of the war who has little diplomatic experience and warned Iran not to “try and play us,” and Qalibaf, a former commander with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard who has issued some of Iran's most fiery statements since fighting began.

Iran sets ‘red lines’ including compensation for strikes

Iran’s state-run news agency said the three-party talks began after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met.

Iran's delegation told state television it had presented “red lines” in meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including compensation for damage caused by U.S.-Israeli strikes that launched the war on Feb. 28 and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.

The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries. Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring.

Reflecting the high stakes, officials from the region said Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi and Qatari officials were in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate talks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical yet hopeful after weeks of airstrikes left destruction across their country of some 93 million people.

“Peace alone is not enough for our country because we’ve been hit very hard, there have been huge costs,” 62-year-old Amir Razzai Far said.

In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo XIV denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” fueling the war.

US sending forces to help mine-clearing on the strait

Ahead of the talks, President Donald Trump accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz for extortion, and told reporters Friday it would be opened “with or without them.”

Iran’s closure of the strait has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war. Around a fifth of the world’s traded oil had typically passed through on over 100 ships a day. Only 12 have been recorded transiting since the ceasefire.

On Saturday, Trump said on social media that the U.S. had begun “clearing out” the strait.

“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon,” U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper later said. The U.S. statement about the destroyers added: "Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said Tehran was entering negotiations with “deep distrust” after strikes on Iran during previous talks. Araghchi, part of Iran’s delegation in Pakistan, said Saturday that his country was prepared to retaliate if attacked again.

Iran’s 10-point proposal ahead of the talks called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies," explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.

The United States’ 15-point proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.

Israel and Lebanon will have direct negotiations

Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with strikes in Lebanon after saying there is no ceasefire there. Iran and Pakistan have disagreed. The Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed.

Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin Tuesday in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said Friday, after Israel's surprise announcement authorizing talks despite the countries lack of official relations.

But as thousands in Lebanon protested the planned negotiations, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he had postponed a planned trip to Washington “in light of the current internal circumstances.” It was not immediately clear what that meant for talks.

Israel wants Lebanon's government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But it is unclear whether Lebanon's army can confiscate weapons from the militant group, which has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.

Hezbollah joined the war in support of Iran in the opening days. Israel followed with airstrikes and a ground invasion.

The day the Iran ceasefire deal was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, according to the country's Health Ministry.

___

Metz reported from Jerusalem, Castillo from Beijing and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed.

She didn’t hesitate.

“I purposely drove here just for the gas,” Lewis said while filling up her Chevrolet Suburban at the Tulalip Market this week for $4.84 a gallon (3.8 liters) — about 75 cents less than prices near home. “Gas is ridiculous. But I have found, honestly, over the years, this gas station specifically is cheaper than a lot around here. Probably the cheapest.”

Lewis isn't the only driver who has discovered that some of cheapest fuel can be found on Native American reservations.

Especially in California, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Washington state — places with dozens of tribally owned stations, including some in busy travel corridors — tribes exempt from state fuel taxes can sell for much less than competing stations nearby.

Gas prices push the drive to find bargains

Apps such as Gas Buddy make finding the cheapest gas easier than ever.

Nationwide, gasoline prices have risen by well over $1 since the Iran war began Feb. 28, reaching an average of $4.15 a gallon, according to AAA.

Prices have been higher, topping $5 during the summer of 2022, but economists believe they will continue heading up and contribute to inflation in the weeks of ahead as geopolitical tension persists.

Deals are to be found, though, at many of the almost 500 tribally owned convenience stores with gas stations across the U.S.

Fifty-five are in California. At the Chukchansi Crossing Fuel Station & Travel Center between Fresno and Yosemite National Park, the $5.09 gas was 60 cents less than nearby stations.

New Mexico resident Jamie Cross usually finds savings on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where gas was as low as $3.79 this week.

“I hope we don’t go any higher,” Cross said Thursday.

In eastern New York state, on Cattauragus Indian Territory between Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania, the cheapest gas was about $3.65 at more than half a dozen stations — 50 cents less than in towns nearby.

Tribal lands find a fuel tax escape

So how do tribes do it? Two words: Tax exemptions.

Generally tribes must pay the federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24.3 cents per gallon for diesel, and pass that cost along to drivers. State fuel taxes are a different matter.

For well over a century, U.S. courts have found that states don't have authority to collect taxes from Native Americans on their land, said Dan Lewerenz, a University of North Dakota assistant law professor who specializes in Native American law.

“The Supreme Court consistently held to this view and it’s one of the most enduring principles in federal Indian law,” Lewerenz said.

Federally recognized Native American tribes are in 35 states with state gasoline taxes ranging from 9 cents per gallon in Alaska to 71 cents in California.

From there, things get complicated based on where the fuel is taxed — at fuel terminals, say, or when distributors buy or sell fuel — and depending on various agreements between states and tribes.

Court rulings come into play. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that off-reservation distributors in Kansas may charge state tax on sales to tribes for on-reservation fuel sales. But in 2019, the Supreme Court held that an 1855 treaty between the U.S. and the Yakama Nation that ensured the free travel of tribal members on roads with their goods prohibited state fuel taxes on tribal lands in Washington state.

“This is a little bit different than the principle that Indians aren’t taxed within Indian Country because this particular treaty reserved certain off-reservation rights for the Indians as well,” Lewerenz said.

Gas is just one way stores make money

Convenience store gas sales are not as profitable as bringing people inside from the pumps.

Selling snacks adds profit. But tribal businesses are increasingly offering groceries in what otherwise would be “food deserts” far from grocery stores.

“Sometimes these gas stations and convenience stores are the nearest, best place to purchase affordable food or household supplies,” said Matthew Klas, with the Minneapolis-based consultant Klas Robinson Q.E.D.

Klas does market research and consults for tribal businesses and tracks the 245 tribes nationwide that, as of 2025, operated 496 convenience stores with gas stations.

Oklahoma, California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan and New York have the most. Some tribes, including the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma and Oneida Indian Nation in New York, have their own store chains.

Drive-through smoke shops, car washes and truck stop amenities also bring in revenue. Then there are the casinos: 205 tribally owned gas stations are located at or near casinos.

Some tribal casinos are resorts with gas stations. Some tribal gas stations are casinos of a sort called “gasinos,” which only have a small number of gambling machines.

Tribally owned businesses are a major revenue generator for Native American reservations. On the Seattle area’s Tulalip Reservation, rising gas sales were being reinvested in the community, helping to cover the cost of roads, police, health care, education, housing and other needs, Tulalip Tribes Federal Corporation CEO Tanya Burns said in a statement.

“Like any government, we provide critical services to our people,” Burns said.

It's not just about savings

“It’s terrible,” Todd Hall of Paden, Oklahoma, said of diesel prices as he spent about $90 to fill up his tow truck at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation gas station about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City.

But, he added: "They’re cheaper here than anywhere else.”

Hall paid $4.57 per gallon for diesel, and said the price is over $5 at many locations in the area.

Mark Foster said he saves about $5 a week buying fuel at the tribally owned gas station. But he’s a faithful customer because the tribe is a good community partner, he said.

“I like the way the tribe operates,” he said. “And the price is good too.”

At the Tulalip Market north of Seattle, Jared Blankenship was griping not about prices but that he was having to pay for gas at all.

“Yeah, well, my electric car just got totaled,” Blankenship said. “So this sucks. This is new. It’s either Costco or looking wherever’s cheap, like the rez. So here we are.”

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Lindsey Wasson in Seattle; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Savannah Peters in Edgewood, New Mexico, contributed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star singled in the fifth inning against Kumar Rocker of the Texas Rangers, extending his streak to 44 games. It was his 13th game reaching base in as many tries this season. His streak began on Aug. 24, and lasted the final 31 games of last season.

“He’s taking walks, he’s getting hits, and he really hasn’t got going yet,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Ohtani struck out once and was intentionally walked in the eighth with runners on first and second.

“Players like to hit, they like to swing the bat, but he's smart enough to know that if they're not going to pitch to him, they're going to pitch around him, then it's a better plan to take the walk,” Roberts said.

Ohtani is tied with Len Koenecke (1934) and Zack Wheat (1919-1920) for the fifth-longest on-base streak in Dodger franchise history. He has reached base safely in each of his seven bobblehead nights as a Dodger.

“I thought he was going to hit a home run tonight,” Roberts said, "and I think he wanted a home run tonight on his bobblehead night, but it just wasn’t to be.”

Suzuki reached base in 43 consecutive games in 2009 with the Seattle Mariners. Ohtani has said he admired Suzuki while growing up.

Ohtani had already passed the Hall of Famer in another category. In 2024, Ohtani's 59 stolen bases broke Suzuki's record for steals by a Japanese-born player in a season. Suzuki had 56 in 2001.

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

“I just keep seeing a lot of different aspects of life getting more expensive, and it’s harder,” said Eble, an account manager for a public relations agency.

Car ownership has long been integral to the American dream. But as automakers slash the production of inexpensive models to cater to customers who can afford oversized pickups and sport utility vehicles, buyers find themselves facing sticker shock at the same time they are already frustrated by the lingering effects of high inflation.

Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March, the biggest yearly increase since May 2024, while new car prices were up 12.6% from a year ago, the Labor Department reported Friday.

New vehicles now sell for an average of nearly $50,000, up 30% in six years, and average monthly payments — based on 10% down and a 6-year note — recently hit $775. Looking for something on the cheap end? The share of vehicles listing for less than $30,000 is about 13% — down from 40% five years ago, per the car review site CarGurus.

To cope, buyers are spreading their payments out longer. Consumers choosing 7-year loans make up more than 12% of all sales, up from nearly 8% a year ago, according to auto buying resource J.D. Power. Such contracts wind up costing more in the long run because of interest payments.

“The ability to buy transportation is still out there. The question is just, what do you get for your money?” Charlie Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive, said.

The rising cost of cars is contributing to increased concerns about affordability throughout American life. Consumers, especially young people, say they feel like everyday needs like housing, food, utilities and child care are getting costlier and wages aren't keeping up.

It is a vulnerable position for Republicans ahead of this year’s midterm elections, especially as the Iran war has pumped up gas prices that makes getting behind the wheel even more expensive.

Size, technology and ‘must-have’ features add to costs

Sticker prices have been rising since automakers discovered Americans are willing to pay more for bigger, more expensive SUVs and pickup trucks that bring the companies more profit from each sale. They have largely phased out smaller, cheaper sedans.

That is especially true for domestic carmakers; the average selling prices for many vehicles from Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis have generally trended higher than those for Asian companies Honda, Hyundai, Mazda and Subaru.

Car companies are also savvy about placing desired options in more expensive trim levels that can lure consumers into a vehicle that costs more than they planned, said David Undercoffler, the head of consumer insights at CarGurus.

Advanced safety technology — lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, collision warnings and more — all add to the cost of a vehicle. Automakers are required by federal industry rules to add some features, such as rear-view cameras.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed up auto prices because production fell, affecting both the new and used markets. Though production recovered, other supply chain disruptions and tariffs have affected prices. Meanwhile, government data shows that car insurance prices have soared 55% compared with six years ago, or just before the pandemic, driving up the number of Americans going without. Car repairs, on average, are 48% more expensive.

The share of new car buyers earning below $100,000 fell to 37% last year, down from 50% in 2020, according to Cox Automotive.

Some carmakers have acknowledged affordability concerns. In February, Ford said it would have several vehicles prices under $40,000 by the end of the decade. GM has pointed to vehicles from Buick and Chevrolet, including the Trax, as cheaper options.

Looking to used market for relief

Chesbrough thinks consumers are sometimes unrealistic in their wants.

“There are vehicles out there for less than $30,000. What everybody wants is the mid-sized SUV with leather seats and the sunroof for $25,000, and that’s not available,” Chesbrough said.

Those buyers, he said, are being pushed into the used market.

But as those buyers shift to used, they are finding fewer affordable options there, too. The share of used vehicles priced less than $30,000 fell from 78% in 2021 to 69% in February, according to CarGurus. The average used vehicle sold for about $25,000 in February, and the average used monthly payments hit $560.

The inventory of used cars is being hit by a couple of trends. One is that consumers keen to avoid a big expense are hanging on to their cars longer — nearly 13 years on average now, 18 months longer than a decade ago, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And a downturn in the popularity of leasing means fewer two- and three-year-old cars hitting the market after leases expire.

J.D. Power estimates that consumers might spend up to $140 less on a lease payment than the average finance commitment, a good option especially for drivers whose annual mileage is predictable. But experts say there is still an affordability challenge.

What buyers can do

Sam Dykhuis, 27, of Chicago, needed to buy her first car recently when she started a new job as a scheduler for United Airlines. She searched for something used under $20,000, and eventually paid a little more than that for a 2021 Mazda CX-5. To hold down the cost, she tapped savings to buy the car outright. She pays insurance six months at a time to save a few bucks, too.

Still, “My paycheck went down and my expenses went up,” Dykhuis said. “Certainly, I have to be more just on top of it than I was previously."

Eble, 30, and Marcus, 31, say they appreciate cool vehicles but don't consider themselves “car people" and are hoping their search is easier as a result. Still, finding something in their $20,000 to $30,000 budget might not be as easy as it once was.

They are considering cars such as a newer Trax, a Mazda or maybe an electric vehicle. New EVs generally cost more upfront, but consumers can save in the long run. The used EV market will also soon be flooded with two- or three-year-old EVs that were leased at the time federal credits were generous.

Like Dykhuis, they say they also might buy their new ride outright to avoid a new monthly payment.

“It feels like if anything happens out of our control … it just seems so much more difficult to figure out how to orient our finances," Eble said.

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

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

In Argentina, the U.S. administration worked to prop up the country’s financial markets to the tune of $20 billion -- then Trump threatened to pull the assistance if its elections didn’t go his preferred way.

And in Honduras, he backed a conservative former mayor for president — and pardoned a predecessor from the same political party as Hondurans were preparing to vote.

In his second term, Trump has made a public flex of his political influence abroad on a scale that few if any U.S. presidents have exerted, trying to marshal power that he’s used domestically to sway races in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Using endorsements to reward loyal and like-minded leaders, he has shattered a U.S. tradition of avoiding overt involvement in the internal politics of other countries, and made the use of some foreign policy tools more about politics than about advancing U.S. interests, according to his critics.

“The impact of that is to really cheapen a relationship,” said David Pressman, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Hungary during the Biden administration. Pressman, who was on the ground in Budapest as Orban publicly backed Trump in 2024, said Hungarian positions on key issues such as Ukraine felt “infused through a political U.S. rubric,” rather than articulated as sovereign foreign policy.

The most significant test yet of Trump’s political power abroad may come Sunday, when voters in Hungary render a verdict on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's bid for a fifth term. Orbán was the first European leader to back Trump during his 2016 run and remained a close ally even during Trump’s period of political exile, making sojourns to see him in south Florida and again endorsing the Republican in his 2024 comeback race.

“I love Hungary and I love that Viktor,” Trump said this week as Vice President JD Vance, visiting Budapest, put him on speakerphone at a rally with more than 1,000 Orbán supporters.

Trump says he loves to pick winners

Trump has long reveled in his status as kingmaker in the Republican Party. Now, he boasts that foreign leaders come to him seeking his approval.

“I love it when I give endorsements and people win,” Trump said last month at a summit with several Latin American leaders whom he had backed.

Often, his picks share his policy views, like fellow immigration hard-liners Orbán and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, or the chainsaw-wielding Argentine President Javier Milei, who used the tool to illustrate his zeal to slash spending.

Trump and his officials have often used the Conservative Political Action Conference as a stage for promoting their foreign political friends.

At a CPAC gathering in Warsaw last year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged Poles to vote for conservative Karol Nawrocki, and implied that the future of the U.S. military presence in Poland could hinge on the election’s outcome. Nawrocki would go on to win.

In Hungary last month, Trump greeted CPAC attendees with a video message from behind the Resolute Desk, urging support for Orbán.

“The prime minister has been a strong leader who’s shown the entire world what’s possible when you defend your borders, your culture, your heritage, your sovereignty and your values,” Trump said. He later added, “I hope he wins, and I hope he wins big.”

The White House defended Trump’s approach as a sign of transparency.

“President Trump is a great American statesman who will speak or work with anyone, and he makes no secret about those he likes or supports,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “Many individuals who align with President Trump’s ideology are getting elected to top offices around the world because everyone wants to replicate his immeasurable success on behalf of the American people,” she said.

Sunday's election is a big test of Trump's foreign political clout

Few foreign leaders have amassed as much political support from the Trump administration as Orbán. The U.S. president has fired off multiple Truth Social posts promoting the prime minister, whose hard-right authoritarian approach to governance has endeared him to Trump, as did his fealty to the U.S. president even when Trump was out of power.

“Hungary: GET OUT AND VOTE FOR VIKTOR ORBÁN,” Trump posted Thursday night. On Friday, he said his administration “stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the United States” to help Hungary's economy, if Orbán and Hungarians need it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as a senator, once aired concerns about “democratic erosion” under Orbán. Nonetheless, Rubio endorsed him in February and promoted the “very, very close personal relationship and working relationship” between Trump and the prime minister.

During Vance’s two-day swing to Budapest this week, he made the administration’s endorsement of Orbán explicit even as he decried foreign election interference from the European Union.

“Of course we’re going to work with whoever wins the Hungarian election because we love the people of Hungary and it’s an important relationship,” Vance told reporters. “But Viktor Orbán is going to win the next election in Hungary, so I feel very confident about that and about our continued positive relationship.”

But Orbán had been trailing in independent polls ahead of the April 12 election and Trump — whose push to acquire Greenland and war in Iran have made him unpopular throughout Europe — may have less sway than he once had.

Past presidents have been more subtle

Past administrations have used different methods to influence power abroad. For instance, the Central Intelligence Agency under President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped engineer a 1954 coup that forced out Guatemala's president, Jacobo Arbenz.

There have been rare cases when past presidents made their support explicit, such as when former President Bill Clinton backed Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s 1993 move to dissolve parliament and set up new legislative and presidential elections.

But Trump’s political engagement abroad is without precedent, said James Lindsay, a distinguished senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“Trump is just different than other presidents, and he’s viewed differently than other presidents, and that is a strength you can take advantage of,” Lindsay said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Trump's blatant involvement in elections abroad should be viewed as part of the what the administration called the “‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine” in its national security strategy released in December. The 1823 Monroe Doctrine, named for President James Monroe, has been used to justify U.S. military interventions in Latin America.

Kaine, who was a missionary in Honduras at a time of deep covert U.S. involvement in Latin America, called the doctrine “poison language” for the region. “It's violating best practice,” he said. “America has been deeply involved in regime support, opposition and regime change in the Americas for centuries, and it is not a legacy that we should be proud of.”

Trump has offered carrots — and sticks — during foreign races

Sometimes Trump's support for foreign candidates has come with more than an endorsement.

In October, Trump was particularly blunt about his intent to withhold assistance for Argentina if Milei's political coalition didn’t prevail in legislative elections that month. Shortly before Milei's visit, the administration had finalized a $20 billion currency swap line, aid that had drawn fierce criticism from U.S. farmers and Democratic lawmakers.

“If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina. OK?” Trump told a reporter as he hosted Milei at a White House lunch.

In the final days of last year's Honduran elections, Trump not only made his preference for Nasry Asfura clear, but also emphasized that “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad” if Asfura lost. Both Milei and Asfura were successful in their respective elections.

Trump also announced a pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez for U.S. drug trafficking and weapons convictions. “This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success,” Trump wrote on social media.

Trump has repeatedly floated a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including in a formal letter and during a speech to the country’s parliament. Netanyahu is enmeshed in a far-reaching corruption case that includes allegations of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. He faces what could be a tough reelection campaign this year.

A fiery Vance speech in the early weeks of the Trump administration strained ties with Germany when, at the Munich Security Conference, he criticized mainstream German parties for refusing to work with a far-right party.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz later said it was not the place for a U.S. leader to “say something like that to us in Germany.”

“I wouldn’t do it in America, either,” Merz said.

But that wasn't the case for the past few days at the annual National Action Network conference in New York, where Democratic politicians and potential presidential candidates repeatedly made the case for diversity, equity and inclusion policies that seemed to have fallen out of favor.

“We have the high ground on this issue,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared to a packed audience of Black activists. He criticized Republicans as “extremists” who “are trying to do an all-out assault on civil rights, on voting rights, certainly on diversity, equity and inclusion.”

“They’re not trying to celebrate merit, they’re trying to elevate mediocrity,” Jeffries contended. “They want to suggest that diversity, equity and inclusion are foreign values. They’re not foreign values, they’re American values.”

DEI initiatives became widespread in workplaces, colleges and government agencies after Black Lives Matter protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

But Republican leaders, including Trump, have argued that DEI programs are divisive and discriminate against white people.

On his first day in office, Trump signed executive orders banning “illegal DEI” throughout the federal government. A March order went further by mandating that any companies that work with the federal government must also comply with the administration’s anti-DEI platform.

“We ended DEI in America,” Trump said in his State of the Union address in February.

Democrats had mixed and at times muted responses to the administration’s anti-DEI crusade over the last year, with some in the party blaming a focus on diversity and identity as a reason why the party alienated many voters across racial and socioeconomic lines.

But some Democrats discussed as potential White House contenders are promoting DEI policies.

The rhetorical shift also reflects the party’s efforts to court and energize Black voters, who often view attacks on DEI as linked to broader opposition to civil rights and economic justice.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro leaned in during his appearance on the first day of the National Action Network.

“We believe diversity is our strength in the Commonwealth,” Shapiro said. “We continue to have an Office of Diversity and Equity and Inclusion when other states have shuttered them.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the nation's only sitting Black governor, touted that his state had “unapologetically” responded to the rollback of DEI policies in Washington by creating state offices focused on supporting minority businesses and social mobility while combating racial inequality. He offered his state as a model for equitable policymaking.

“We are seeing what the policies and the position are when it comes to belief in diversity from this federal administration,” Moore later told The Associated Press. “I actually think the future of how we should think about it should be seen in the present, of how places like Maryland are actually moving in this moment.”

During his remarks, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted that he’d directed his state to “set aside a whole bunch of that money to address inequities that have plagued the Black community over so many years” and defended Illinois’ policies meant to reduce socioeconomic and racial inequality.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who will address the conference Saturday, is expected to highlight his commitment to diversity despite political backlash, according to political adviser Eric Hyers.

Beshear, who leads a state Trump last carried by more than 30 points, vetoed what he described as a hateful bill from his Republican-controlled legislature last year that would have banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs from public universities. The legislature overrode the veto days later.

“He never wavered even when there was a post-2024 backlash,” Hyers said of Beshear. “He believes in his core that diversity is a strength, not a weakness.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, who founded and hosts the conference, told The Associated Press he was looking for 2028 contenders to show “that what they’re campaigning on is something that addresses the race gap in the country, specifically, not just generalizations.”

Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat and influential former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, warned that leaders in either party who do not support DEI may oppose core American values.

“DEI stands for ‘diversity, equity and inclusion.’ Who, in search for a more perfect union, would shy away from diversity equity and inclusion? If you’re against those things, you are against democracy,” he told the AP.

Iran’s theocracy is tattered but alive, with new economic leverage. The United States and Israel will hold elections this year, their leaders potentially facing voters having fallen short of their war aims. The NATO alliance, already strained, is under even more pressure. The Gulf Arab states face an emboldened Iran in their backyard.

With the U.S. and Iran beginning face-to-face talks Saturday in Pakistan, Associated Press journalists in the Middle East and Washington share their assessments on how the war is reverberating across the world during the tenuous ceasefire:

Israel's ambitious goals not yet fully met

If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to be graded for the war, he would get an “incomplete.”

Netanyahu set some ambitious goals at the outset of the fighting on Feb. 28, saying he wanted to remove the threats posed by Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and its support for hostile proxy groups. He pledged to create the conditions for a popular uprising against the Iranian government. None of these goals has been fully achieved.

In a televised address after the ceasefire, Netanyahu acknowledged “we still have goals to complete.” But he nonetheless claimed “immense achievements.”

“Iran is weaker than ever, and Israel is stronger than ever. This is the bottom line of this campaign,” he said.

With elections later this year, the question for Netanyahu is whether the Israeli public agrees with his assessment.

Israelis overwhelmingly supported the war against archenemy Iran, especially in the early days of the campaign. But as the war dragged on, Israelis also grew tired as nonstop air-raid sirens disrupted daily life and sent people scrambling into bomb shelters around the clock.

Netanyahu is now hoping that in the coming ceasefire talks the U.S. will shore up the battlefield gains into a permanent agreement that guards Israel’s interests. He also must ensure that his relationship with President Donald Trump remains strong after an inconclusive war that was deeply unpopular in the U.S.

Otherwise, Netanyahu could find himself struggling for his job when his war-weary nation heads to the polls.

— Josef Federman, deputy news director for the Middle East

Depleted Iran finds leverage

Iran, battered by nationwide protests in January and heavy airstrikes in the war, suddenly finds itself in a position of power.

Just the threat of sea mines and possible attacks from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has ships staying away from the Strait of Hormuz, in effect keeping the waterway crucial for international energy shipments closed.

Even hard-liners have spun the killing of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei into the idea of replacing him with a younger, more hard-line version of himself in his son, Mojtaba.

The government has put forward its own maximalist demands ahead of the Islamabad talks — including continuing to enrich uranium in its nuclear program, one of the chief reasons Trump gave for going to war.

Yet Iran’s military sites now sit in ruins, its missile arsenal broadly depleted, and the threat of more protests by its people still looms in the future. That unrest could be spurred on by the sheer level of destruction in Iran’s oil and gas industry, as well as attacks targeting steel mills and other economic sites.

— Jon Gambrell, news director for the Gulf and Iran

Gulf Arab states in the middle

After insisting and pleading with Iran to leave them out of the conflict, the Gulf Arab states still found themselves targeted by Iran, which rained down drone and missile fire on airports, energy sites, military bases and civilian targets across the region.

Many had to close refineries or declare themselves unable to meet their promised oil output due to the war. Even with a ceasefire in place, Iran’s new control of the Strait of Hormuz through threats alone means Gulf states still aren’t able to get their energy shipments out to market.

They aren’t a monolith though, with opinions ranging from Oman’s efforts at diplomacy to the United Arab Emirates denouncing Iranian aggression and insisting the status quo cannot stand.

— Jon Gambrell, news director for the Gulf and Iran

Ceasefire uncertainty in Lebanon

In Lebanon, the regional war has taken a devastating toll and the prospect of a ceasefire now leaves more questions than answers.

The U.S. and Israel are at odds with Iran over whether or not their ceasefire extends to the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran says it does; the U.S. and Israel say it does not.

In the meantime, Lebanese and Israeli officials have agreed to enter into direct negotiations, which Lebanon hopes will lead to a ceasefire and Israel hopes will lead to disarmament of Hezbollah. Netanyahu said the negotiations would also include talks about a potential peace agreement between the two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations.

While the talks represent a significant step, reaching an agreement will not be easy. Lebanon wants a halt to Israeli strikes before the talks start, a condition that Israel is unlikely to agree to.

In practice, most analysts say Lebanon does not have the capacity to disarm Hezbollah by force or to enforce any ceasefire agreement that Hezbollah does not agree to.

For now, the Israel-Hezbollah war that has displaced more than a million people and killed nearly 1,900 continues.

— Abby Sewell, news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq

Strained NATO relations pushed to the brink

Trump has repeatedly tested the 32-member alliance.

He cut off direct U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, threatened to take the Arctic territory of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark, and cajoled members to spend more on defense.

Now, his differences with NATO allies over Iran are raising new questions about whether the alliance, created as a curative to post World War II instability, can survive.

Since launching the war, Trump has derided allies as “cowards,” slammed NATO as “a paper tiger” and compared U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, the former premier known for a policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

Trump is angry at member countries ignoring his call to help as Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, and at alliance members Spain and France restricting the use of their airspace or joint military facilities by U.S. forces supporting the operations in Iran.

Trump says the moment is “a mark on NATO that will never disappear.”

— Aamer Madhani, White House reporter, Washington

United States faces economic woes

Trump won back the White House promising to curb inflation, bring down prices many Americans saw as too high and trigger a jobs boom. The war in Iran has done exactly the opposite, raising gas prices, leaving stock markets reeling and sending shock waves through the rest of the economy as the labor market weakens and inflation begins rising anew.

With November’s midterms looming, none of that is good for Republicans trying to keep control of Congress. Trump initially tried to calm economic fears by visiting swing states. But he first scoffed at affordability worries as a hoax, then stopped those trips altogether as the war consumed his administration.

Making a ceasefire stick might eventually stabilize oil prices and financial markets, but reversing economic pain around the globe may take far longer, potentially affecting voters closer to Election Day.

Polling also shows that most Americans believe U.S. military action in Iran went too far. And the war has even caused a rift within Trump’s once seemingly unflappable MAGA base.

— Will Weissert, White House reporter, Washington

Energy prices and markets

The conflict has largely shut down the flow of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil travels, and has damaged oil and gas production facilities across the Middle East.

In response, oil prices have shot higher all over the world. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times. Brent rose 0.7% to $96.58 Friday.

Prices at the pump have jumped as well, reaching about $4.15 a gallon in the U.S., up from just under $3 before the conflict began. Higher gas costs can sap Americans’ ability to spend on other goods and services, slowing the economy and threatening to worsen unemployment.

U.S. consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. The surge in gas prices will stretch the budgets of lower- and middle-income households.

— Christopher Rugaber, economics reporter, Washington

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AP writers Jonathan J. Cooper and Mike Catalini contributed.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday night because contracts can’t be signed until Saturday.

The 10-time All-Star spent last season with the Atlanta Dream after playing the first 11 years of her career for Phoenix, which drafted her No. 1 in 2013.

The 35-year-old Griner is from Houston and the Connecticut franchise is moving there in 2027.

The 6-foot-9 forward won a WNBA title in 2014 with Phoenix and was the league's leading scorer in 2017 and 2019. She was the defensive player of the year in 2014 and 2015.

Griner also helped the United States win gold in each of the past three Olympics.

Last season for Atlanta, she averaged 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, which were all career lows.

Griner missed the 2022 season when she was detained for nearly 10 months in Russia after authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. She was freed in a prisoner swap when the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The Sun have a young nucleus that Griner will provide a veteran presence for. The team lost Marina Mabrey in the expansion draft to Toronto. Connecticut has Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Leila Lacan, all of whom were drafted over the last two seasons. The Sun also acquired former UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards last season.

This has been a busy offseason since the league and the players’ union signed a transformational labor deal that saw average salaries rise nearly fourfold. Players can earn over $1 million annually for the first time in league history, which is more than four times the previous maximum salary. More than 80% of players in the league are free agents.

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

Except they both sat out. They weren't alone.

All the other regular starters for the Thunder and Nuggets were ruled out, too. And around the league, no fewer than 168 players — including 14 members of the Memphis Grizzlies, who used only six players in a blowout loss at Utah — were held out on Friday night because of injuries or illnesses.

Every team in the league was playing game 81 — the next-to-last game — of their seasons on Friday night. They're all off Saturday, and then all teams play again Sunday to close the regular season.

Some teams had something to play for Friday. Some did not. Sometimes, that didn't seem to matter.

“If we didn’t clinch (the No. 1 overall seed) coming into tonight, everybody would be playing,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters before the game. “We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies and stuff like that.”

Oklahoma City already had the No. 1 seed for the entirety of the postseason wrapped up, so rest and health appear to be the priority for the Thunder.

The Nuggets entered Friday still having seeding to play for, and in Jokic's case, there's still award eligibility to obtain. He needs to play in one more game, which would have to be Sunday if he's going to get on the ballot for MVP, All-NBA and other awards.

“We're all aware of that,” Nuggets coach David Adelman told reporters before the game, then said postgame that “an adult conversation” would be had on Saturday about the best course of action.

Some players got to award eligibility with a few extra minutes to spare.

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, needing to play 20 minutes to reach the 65-game standard and be eligible for postseason awards, was taken out after hitting exactly that number of minutes — then went back into the game, evidently having persuaded the Spurs that he needed a bit more on-court work.

He finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.

“If I had 65 (games) before, I for sure wouldn't have played,” Wembanyama said.

Said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson: “We need as much on-the-job training, on-the-court experience together as we can. That's what we're trying to do without overdoing it.”

There was also a record shooting effort on Friday. Boston made 29 3-pointers, tying the record for 3s in a game. It was the fourth time in NBA history a team made 29, and the second time this week after Memphis did it on Monday in a loss to Cleveland.

“Hopefully, we didn't use them all up in one game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Play-in dress rehearsal for Warriors?

Not everybody was resting for the playoffs.

Golden State was building for the postseason — or, at least, what it hopes will be a playoff run. The Warriors are going to the play-in tournament and tuned up by getting Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis in the starting lineup together for the first time this season.

“We’ll just take a look at that tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Golden State played Sacramento. “We have a season full of data and film on some of the combinations. But some of decisions we have to make, there’s no data. It’s just kind of a hunch so we have give some of that a look tonight.”

Jazz and Grizzlies combine to use 13 players

Utah — a team that seems to have spent the season ensuring it would have a bottom-four record to guarantee a top-eight draft pick — used seven players in its 147-101 win over Memphis, and was the deeper team.

Memphis had only six players.

It wasn't the game of the year, to put it mildly.

“Congrats to the Jazz,” Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “They played a really good game. Shot the ball really well. We knew we had limited bodies going into this game. Guys gave everything they had, but you could see they were extremely fatigued.”

Jazz coach Will Hardy called the game a great way to end Utah's home schedule.

“Just a fun night,” Hardy said.

Playoff picture becomes clearer

Atlanta became the 11th team to grab one of the 12 guaranteed playoff spots, rolling past a Cleveland team that sat Donovan Mitchell.

“It feels great,” guard CJ McCollum said after the Hawks clinched either the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the East. “The guys did a great job of rallying together.”

In other playoff-related news:

— Boston secured No. 2 in the East, behind No. 1 Detroit (which had previously clinched).

— New York locked up No. 3 in the East.

— Cleveland is certain to be No. 4 in the East after that loss to the Hawks.

— Atlanta knows it will be in the playoffs, either as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

— Charlotte will be in the play-in tournament after falling to Detroit.

— Orlando will be in no worse than the 7-vs.-8 play-in game in the East.

— Miami is locked into the 9-vs.-10 play-in game in the East.

— Portland beat the Los Angeles Clippers, giving the Trail Blazers the inside track to the No. 8 seed in the West. The Clippers would have wrapped up No. 8 with a victory, and now need help Sunday to avoid being No. 9. The difference? The teams in the 7-vs.-8 game get two chances to win one game and make the playoffs. The 9-vs.-10 teams have to win two elimination games to advance. “It's a very important win,” Blazers star Deni Avdija said.

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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.

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

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Deputies said it happened just before 4:40 p.m. near the 16500 block of Golf Club Road, near the Bonaventure Golf Club.

“I don’t know. It’s very scary. I don’t know,” said neighbor Patricia Guerrero.

Authorities said the video shows “a light-skinned male wearing a khaki hoodie and distinctive red and black pants exposing and pleasuring himself in an adjacent parking lot,” then “slowly approaching the victim, surveying his surroundings and removing his shoes before grabbing her from behind.”

“She struggled with the attacker before he got up, put on his shoes, and ran to a nearby scooter, which he used to flee the scene,” a BSO news release states.

“This is really a nice neighborhood and this never happened before,” Guerrero said.

“I hope they find the guy and they do something about it because this neighborhood is safe,” said neighbor Jose Caraballo.

Anyone with information on the suspect is being asked to call BSO Detective Michael Kravecz at 954-626-4006 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

According to BSO, tips leading to an arrest “are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.”

The Aces have agreed to deals with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Jewell Loyd is finalizing a deal, according to a different person familiar with the situation.

All three people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the signings until the deals become official. None of the deals can be signed until Saturday.

The trio are free agents, along with four-time league MVP A'ja Wilson, who has said she planned on returning to the Aces.

ESPN was the first to report the deals.

Gray and Young have been there for the entire run of success by the Aces since they won their first championship in 2022. Gray, who has won four titles in her career — including one in Los Angeles — averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the Aces last year while playing in all 44 regular-season games. She was limited to 27 games a year earlier because of injuries.

Young averaged 16.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds for the Aces last season. Las Vegas selected her with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.

Loyd was acquired in a trade from Seattle before last season and was a key part of Las Vegas' championship run. She averaged 11.2 points and came off the bench for the first time in her career. She helped Seattle win titles in 2018 and 2020. The six-time All-Star led the league in scoring in 2023.

This has been a busy offseason since the league and the players' union signed a transformational labor deal that saw average salaries rise nearly fourfold. Players can earn over $1 million annually for the first time in league history, which is more than four times the previous maximum salary. More than 80% of players in the league are free agents.

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

In a five-minute AI-generated animation modeled after classic martial arts movies, China’s state media frames out an allegory for the war in Iran. A white eagle in regal attire representing the U.S. unleashes an evil laugh before his army attacks a group of Persian cats draped in black cloaks standing in for Iranians, who vow to fight after losing their leader and close off a crucial trading route.

Touching on injustice, revenge and worldly wisdom, the metaphor-rich short is the latest example of several AI-generated animations created by China's state media in recent months to mock the U.S. as a global bully, including President Donald Trump's threat to take over Greenland and his plan to exert U.S. predominance in the Western Hemisphere.

The deft use of AI animation comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping has pushed for years to boost the country's abilities to spread its messages globally, gain a greater say on world affairs and counter Western narratives that Beijing often sees as biased or even derogatory about China. Pro-Iran groups similarly have used sleek, AI-generated memes to taunt the U.S. and Trump.

It's part of an intensifying global info war in which the U.S. is vowing to up its game to counter foreign anti-American messaging and push back on worldviews against America’s interests.

Recent cables by the State Department have warned that foreign messaging campaigns, carried on digital platforms by foreign state-controlled media, “pose a direct threat to U.S. national security and fuel hostility toward American interests.”

China finds new ways to spread its worldview

AI-generated “infotainment” spread via social media is likely to be more effective in persuading younger audiences worldwide to accept Chinese viewpoints and is becoming routine in the country’s messaging, said Shi Anbin, professor and director of Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communications at Tsinghua University.

“It is a new way for Chinese mainstream media to engage global Gen Z audience and social media users to understand Chinese standpoint and viewpoint of international affairs,” Shi said.

The short on the Iran war probably is one of the sleekest efforts by China's state media.

Released by the state broadcaster China Central Television on social media, it has gone viral at home and garnered rave reviews from its Chinese audience for translating a complex geopolitical war into an easy-to-understand affair. It made its way to the English-language world after an X user subtitled it and posted the clip online, drawing more than 1 million views in only a few days.

“It’s hardly even like propaganda — it almost seems more just a historical fiction dramatization of the situation,” said Andrew Chubb, a senior lecturer in the School of Global Affairs at Lancaster University whose studies include political propaganda.

Messaging turns away from the dull

It's a long way from the days when China's messaging was dull. Party newspapers carried slogan-filled, hollow-sounding speeches lauding the country's merits while denouncing Western influence. Students and junior officials complained of the dry study materials they were required to learn to pass exams on party history and ideology.

As young people turned away from stiff party language, Beijing began to change.

It no longer frowns upon impish web language but embraces it to retell the party history and has turned to rap music to extol the party's feats. It now recruits pop singers and actors to star in patriotic films, counting on their popular appeal — rather than orders or free tickets — to draw young people to movie theaters. Even anti-corruption television series have become hits with intriguing plots, punchy lines and superb acting.

Urged to make messaging appealing and effective, state media are experimenting with nontraditional formats, including short-form, digitally native content using AI, said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general for the Beijing-based think tank Center for China & Globalization.

“Whatever one thinks about the format, the message itself clearly resonates with increasingly larger audiences, which helps explain why such content gains traction online,” Wang said.

A social media ‘matrix’ targets a global audience

China has directed money into promoting a narrative that targets a global audience, with the party building a massive “matrix” of social media accounts — managed by diplomats, state media, influencers and even bots — on various platforms, including X and Facebook. And they seize opportunities to send their message.

In February, the official Xinhua News Agency released an AI-generated music video lampooning the U.S. threat to take over Greenland.

“Anything I want, I’ll get it. One way or another, I’ll get it,” sings a bald eagle character dressed in military uniform.

In March, after Trump convened the “Shield of the Americas” summit, Xinhua posted a short video depicting a bald eagle caging small birds in the name of security.

“Sometimes, security comes with a little control,” the suited bald eagle tells the caged birds.

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Tang reported from Washington. AP writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The report assessing the blueprint adopted in Seville, Spain, last June to narrow the gap and achieve U.N. development goals for 2030 was issued ahead of next week’s spring meetings in Washington of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the main global financial institutions promoting economic growth.

The managing director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, said it had been prepared to upgrade global growth, but the Iran war has now darkened the outlook for the world economy.

Li Junhua, the U.N. undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, said the geopolitical tensions were compounding the struggles of developing countries to attract financing. “This is an extremely perilous time for international cooperation, as geopolitical considerations are increasingly shaping economic relations and financial policies,” he said.

The report pointed to rising trade barriers and repeated climate-related shocks as also adding to the growing gap.

At last year’s conference in Seville, the leaders of many of the world's nations, but not the United States, unanimously adopted the Seville Commitment, which was aimed at closing the $4 trillion annual financing gap for development. It called for scaling up investments in developing countries and reforming the international financial architecture, including the World Bank and IMF.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for major changes to the two institutions, saying the IMF has benefited rich countries instead of poor ones, and the World Bank has failed in its mission, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which left dozens of countries deeply indebted. His criticisms echo those of outside critics who cite frustration in developing countries with the U.S. and its European allies dominating decision-making at financial institutions.

The U.N. report on implementing the Seville Commitment said it represents “the best hope” to close the widening financial gap.

But in 2025, Li said 25 countries decreased their development assistance to poorer countries, leading to a 23% overall drop from 2024, the largest annual contraction on record. The biggest decline — 59% — was from the United States, he said.

Based on preliminary data, Li said, a further decline of 5.8% is expected in 2026.

The report said tariffs — including those imposed by the Trump administration — have had a major impact on developing countries. Average tariffs on exports from the world’s poorest nations surged from 9% to 28% in 2025, the report said, and for developing countries, excluding China, average tariffs increased from 2% to 19%.

Although Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán this week, such a display has become the exception rather than the rule among conservatives and far-right leaders in Europe.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni refused to let the United States use an air base in Sicily to launch attacks on Iran. France’s National Rally leader Marine Le Pen described his war goals as “erratic.” And the head of Germany’s Alternative for Germany party called for American troops to leave their bases in the country.

Even with a fragile ceasefire in place with Iran, Trump’s support for Orbán may not work out for the autocratic Hungarian leader, who faces a tough election this weekend. He’s long been an icon for the global right and many American conservatives who have hoped the Trump administration could replicate the Hungarian leader’s effort to choke off immigration and restructure government to ensure his Fidesz party stays in power.

That longstanding connection could insulate Orbán from some of the anti-Trump blowback rattling the rest of Europe, but that’s not guaranteed, said Charles Kupchan, a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“Getting a blessing from Donald Trump is now a mixed blessing,” he said.

Iran adds to friction over Greenland

The backlash over the war follows European broad revulsion at Trump’s threats earlier this year against NATO ally Denmark over his demand that the country give Greenland to the United States.

Trump tied the two issues together on Wednesday, complaining that NATO didn’t help more in recent weeks.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” he wrote on social media. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!”

Daniel Baer, a former ambassador and State Department official in President Barack Obama’s administration, said the latest round of tension with Europe’s far right shows the limits of Trump’s hope of helping nationalist leaders worldwide.

“Building some sort of international coalition around national chauvinism is very difficult,” said Baer, now with the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. “It’s clear the majority of people in these countries, if not anti-American, have turned anti-Trump.”

Orbán has stood out for not shifting with the anti-Trump political tide in Europe.

In an interview with conservative British broadcaster GB News last month, Orbán argued that when it came to the war with Iran, “the question is whether (Trump) has started a war or a peace.”

“It hasn’t (been) decided yet, historians will make a decision on that,” Orbán said. “I think we need some time to understand whether we are moving to the peace by these strikes, or just the opposite. It’s too early to say.”

Orbán’s caution toward raising any critical word toward Trump goes beyond shared ideology. The Hungarian leader has for years sought to convince voters that his close ties with Trump — as well as with other global figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin — make him uniquely suited to represent Hungary’s interests abroad.

Consequently, he has played up Trump’s praise of him to his base, and campaigned for reelection by assuring Hungarians that his alliance with Trump’s administration is a guarantee of security and prosperity.

Orbán risks backlash with Trump ties

Orbán reveled in the attention from Vance this week. The vice president slammed Orbán critics in the European Union for what he called “foreign interference” in the election, even as he stumped for the Hungarian leader.

On Wednesday, Vance briefly discussed what he called a “fragile truce” in the Iran war during an appearance at an elite higher education institution in Hungary, which has received generous funding from Orbán’s government and is run by the prime minister’s political director.

Vance praised the school for being “an institution that tries to build up the foundations of Western civilization.” The Trump administration has tried to exert more influence over elite universities in the U.S., echoing Orbán’s agenda in Hungary.

Some analysts are unconvinced of Orbán’s strategy, noting that perceptions of the current U.S. administration have been turning more negative even in Hungary.

“Vance’s visit could have the opposite effect on Orbán’s popularity than the one intended,” said Mario Bikarsku, senior Europe analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

Kupchan said most European far-right parties have established political staying power independent of any American influence, and may not have an incentive to go along with Trump’s agenda.

“Trump’s effort to create a transnational movement of far-right populists may affect the margins, but the main reason you’re seeing Reform U.K. and AfD and National Rally and other far-right parties prosper has little to do with Trump and more to do with national factors,” he said.

Part of that is a global backlash against any party in power. In Europe, that’s mainly benefited the out-of-power far right. But in Hungary, that’s put Orbán’s future in jeopardy — he’s been in power for 16 years.

“We’re living in an age,” Kupchan said, “where being an incumbent sucks.”

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Riccardi reported from Denver.

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Anfernee Watts, who also has a 2-year-old daughter, had already appeared in Broward bond court on Thursday. Both judges found probable cause for the charges and denied him bail.

Watts “admitted to fabricating a story to present to law enforcement, placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a police officer wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

Crystal Garcia was 20 years old when she gave birth to their son on July 11 at Memorial Regional Hospital, according to police.

A pediatrician reported the baby boy was in good health on July 28, according to the arrest warrant. The tragedy unfolded a few days later.

“She intentionally restrained the baby by tightly wrapping him in a blanket, securing a pacifier in his mouth, and strapping him into a car seat before placing him inside a bathtub and isolating him behind a closed door while loud music played,” and she “willfully ignored his distress and failed to check on him for several hours,” a detective wrote, according to the warrant.

Hollywood Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the baby dead at 1:50 p.m. on Aug. 1st, in a house at 6660 Thomas St., records show.

Police officers noticed a “disposable changing pad that appeared to have blood spotting on it,” and the baby “had visible foam in his mouth and cracked lips that appeared to have dried blood on them,” according to the arrest warrant.

Watts told police officers that he had attended a job interview when the baby died, but the alleged interviewee said that was false, according to the warrant.

The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the baby’s cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death to be a homicide. The evidence also includes a video recorded by a Ring surveillance camera showing Garcia with a garbage bag before calling 911.

Watts’ mother contacted police to report that Garcia, 21, told her the baby died while pinned between the bed frame and the mattress, according to an arrest warrant.

Garcia left voicemails to police from Aug. 4 to Wednesday and admitted to lying and to report that she had “smothered” the baby, according to the arrest warrant.

“Crystal admitted she lied to the police out of fear of being arrested,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest warrant.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested the couple on Wednesday.

Corrections was holding Garcia without bond on Friday at the North Broward Bureau, a detention center in Pompano Beach, according to inmate records.

Garcia and Watts are each facing five charges: Obstruction of a criminal investigation, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with evidence, and willfully touching, removing, or disturbing a dead body, clothing, or surrounding items without authorization.

Watt’s mother has had custody of their 2-year-old daughter since she was about 5 months old after Garcia and the baby tested positive for THC at birth, according to the arrest warrant.

Read a part of the arrest warrant

Related stories

• Couple appears in Broward court accused of 3-week-old son’s death and cover up

The world-famous DJ born in Nigeria promoted dance parties in the 1990s in Beirut, Lebanon, and techno took her to London, where she gained notoriety.

“It’s amazing being part of this community that I supported from the beginning, and that’s where I discovered myself on the dance floor,” Moudaber said. “It was at gay parties in New York.”

The celebrity is the Ambassador of the Association For Electronic Music, the host of The Mood Radio, and a Lower Eastside Girls Club advocate in New York.

Miami Beach officials displayed a rainbow crosswalks and launched PRIDE with a ceremony on Friday. Moudaber will be celebrating at M2 in South Beach.

“We have to be strong. We have to stick together, and this is what our community is all about, standing our grounds, and sticking together, and fight, fight, all the time, and we will always prevail,” Moudaber said.

M2 opens at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday at 1235 Washington Ave., in South Beach. Moudaber is set to perform during Urge Turns It Up With Pride. For more information, visit this page.

Swalwell was among the leading Democrats in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. But in just hours, he saw his most prominent supporters - including U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor unions - drop their endorsements and call for his exit from the race.

Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate who has avoided engaging in the contest to replace him, said in a statement: “As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who hasn’t endorsed in the race, said the “serious allegations” must be investigated.

“As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign,” she said in social media posted by her staff.

The allegations surfaced at a critical stage of the wide-open campaign to lead the nation’s most populous state. The exodus of support threatened to cripple Swalwell's campaign, less than a month before voters receive mail ballots in advance of the June 2 election.

This turmoil in the race came after the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a woman said Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019 and 2024. The newspaper reviewed text messages about the alleged 2024 assault and spoke to people whom she had told about it. She told the newspaper she did not go to police because she was afraid she would not be believed.

The woman worked for Swalwell in 2019 when the first alleged assault occurred, and the 2024 assault allegedly occurred after a charity gala, the newspaper reported. She said in both cases she was too intoxicated to consent to sex.

Swalwell denied the woman's account and suggested they were part of an attack due to his campaign's momentum.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

The paper didn’t name the woman, and The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify her account and identity. Her lawyer declined to comment.

The woman received a cease-and-desist letter from Swalwell’s attorney, the Chronicle reported. The attorney, Elias Debaie, confirmed he sent out at least one letter and called the allegations “baseless.”

Swift backlash from prominent Democrats

On Friday afternoon, Schiff said in a social media post he's “deeply distressed” by the allegations, calling for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial bid.

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who helped run Swalwell’s campaign, said he’s immediately ending his role.

“The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay,” Gomez said on social media.

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and California Rep. Adam Gray also said they're yanking their support. Mark Ramos, who heads the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, called on Swalwell to end his campaign.

Powerful labor unions, including the California Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association, said they're suspending their support. The California Federation of Labor Unions said it’s “acting urgently” on next steps.

A spokesperson for House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the allegations require a “serious and thorough investigation.”

“These brave women must be heard and respected,” spokeswoman Christie Stephenson said in a statement. "It is imperative that the investigation follow the facts, apply the law and take place immediately.”

Growing calls for Swalwell to drop out

Uncorroborated and nonspecific rumors that Swalwell behaved inappropriately with female staffers have circulated on social media for weeks, but the Chronicle's story is the first reported account of someone making a direct accusation. At a Tuesday campaign event in Sacramento, he told reporters he's never had a sexual relationship with a staff member or intern.

CNN also reported that several women accused Swalwell of sending them inappropriate sexual messages.

Swalwell earlier this week announced a series of campaign functions he’s planned around the state, but canceled the scheduled event Thursday in Palm Springs.

Swalwell is among several leading Democrats in the crowded field to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and he immediately came under pressure from all other Democratic rivals to withdraw from the race.

Swalwell, originally from Iowa, was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco. He launched a presidential run in April 2019 but shuttered it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters. Swalwell, who is married and has three children, is perhaps best known nationally as a House manager in President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial during his first term in early 2021.

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Blood reported from Los Angeles.

The 29-year-old MacIntyre, who tied for second last week at the Texas Open, raised some eyebrows Thursday at Augusta National — where decorum is held in high esteem — when he flashed the middle finger upon hitting a ball into the water. MacIntyre also slammed a couple of clubs and muttered some curse words loud enough to be caught live by the TV mics.

It was unclear whether Augusta National took any disciplinary action.

MacIntyre finished at 7 over, missing the cut by three shots, and headed straight to the Player Services Building. At one point, someone posted to his Instagram story what appeared to be an AI-produced image of a Masters gnome in his likeness giving the bird.

Whoever it was had a sense of humor about things.

Bryson DeChambeau probably didn't find anything funny about his finish.

He was 3 over coming to the par-4 18th before hitting his drive under a pine tree. He managed to punch his next into a bunker left of the green but left the ensuing shot in the sand. His fourth rolled off the front of the green, and the bogey pitch that DeChambeau needed to make the cut never had a chance; the two-time U.S. Open champ made triple bogey and finished at 6 over.

It was a grind for many of the game's best players to make the low 50 and ties and play the weekend.

Brian Harman was a full 10 shots better than his opening round on Friday, pairing a 69 with that 79 to make the cut on the number. Rasmus Hojgaard and Jon Rahm each improved by eight shots with rounds of 70 to also make the cut on the number.

Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion, was among the favorites before his opening 78.

“Yesterday was just an anomaly where everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Rahm said. “Not that I shot myself out of the tournament but I’m going to need an absolute miracle starting today, and didn’t quite do enough. I’m going to need a heck of a round tomorrow to give myself a chance and even then, might be a little too far away.”

Or a lot too far away. Rory McIlroy finished at 12 under after rounds of 67-65, giving the defending champion a six-shot lead over his closest pursuers, Sam Burns and Patrick Reed. That set a 36-hole record for the largest lead at the Masters.

JJ Spaun, the U.S. Open champion and the winner last week in San Antonio, opened with a 2-over 74 but put himself in trouble right away with three bogeys in a four-hole span early Friday. Not even two birdies in his last three holes could save him. He finished at 5 over.

Former British Open champ Cameron Smith shot 74-77 to miss the cut for the sixth straight time in a major.

Nobody had a bigger roller coaster around the cut line than Akshay Bhatia.

Playing late in the day, the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational was at 4 over before his bogey at the 16th. Bhatia got back on the cut line by holing out from a bunker at the 17th, then proceeded to double bogey the closing hole to miss the cut.

None of the six amateurs made the cut, including U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell, who spent the two days playing with McIlroy. Jackson Herrington, whom Howell defeated in the finals last year, and British Amateur champion Ethan Fang fared the best among the amateurs, each finishing at 8-over par.

“Maybe if I'm allowed to come out and practice, I'll be out here tomorrow,” Herrington said. “It's the best place on Earth. I know that.”

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Vineyard Wind filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Massachusetts against GE Renewables. That comes after the parent company for GE Renewables said it would be terminating its contracts for turbine services and maintenance at the end of April.

GE Vernova says Vineyard Wind owes it $300 million for work it performed. But Vineyard Wind counters that the manufacturer remains on the hook for about $545 million to make up for a catastrophic turbine blade collapse in July 2024 and the delays that caused.

Fiberglass fragments of a blade broke apart and began washing onto Nantucket beaches in July 2024 during the peak of tourist season. GE Vernova agreed to pay $10.5 million in a settlement to compensate island businesses that suffered losses.

The lawsuit states that the project already has been significantly damaged by GE Renewable's “inexcusably poor performance,” and allowing the contractor to back out now would case irreparable harm. Craig Gilvarg, spokesman for Vineyard Wind, said Friday that the lawsuit is meant to ensure that GE Renewables fulfills its obligations to the project “and to the people of Massachusetts and New England who are relying on the significant power and economic benefits this project is already providing.” He said Vineyard Wind is expected to provide $3.7 billion in savings to electric customers over the life of the project.

GE Vernova said the company is exercising its right to terminate agreements for nonpayment for work performed.

“The company remains committed to the safety of the wind farm and stands by our performance and our contractual obligations," the company said in a statement. "We will vigorously defend our position through the appropriate legal process.”

Construction finished on Vineyard Wind in March, making it the first project to reach this stage during President Donald Trump’s time in office. It had already been providing power to the grid for over a year as more turbines were finished. It is expected to reach full operations in the coming months.

According to the lawsuit, GE Renewables is the only company able to perform the remaining work, and it would be virtually impossible to find another turbine supplier willing to take its place. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

GE Vernova has said that insufficient bonding at one of its factories in Canada was responsible for the blade coming apart and that there was no indication of a design flaw. Sixty-eight out of the 72 blades that had been installed at Vineyard Wind at the time were removed and replaced. Vineyard Wind said that set the project behind nearly two years.

The Trump administration has been particularly critical of the project because of the blade failure.

It was one of five major East Coast offshore wind projects the Trump administration halted construction on days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states sued, and federal judges allowed all five to resume construction, essentially concluding that the government did not show that the national security risk was so imminent that construction must halt.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, located 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. It has 62 turbines that will generate a total of 800 megawatts. That is enough clean electricity to power about 400,000 homes.

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U.S. District Judge Michael Liburdi's ruling means a Monday arraignment hearing for Kalshi has been called off. State prosecutors allege Kalshi is running an illegal gambling operation. The order was issued in a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.

The judge's order said the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission had sufficiently shown that “event contracts” fall within the Commodity Exchange Act's definition of “swaps,” and that it had demonstrated a reasonable chance of success in showing that the act preempts Arizona law.

“The Act grants the CFTC ‘exclusive jurisdiction’ over the regulation of ‘swaps,’” traded or executed on a Designated Contract Markets, the order said.

Kalshi operates by allowing customers to buy and sell “Yes” or “No” contracts tied to the probable outcome of an event.

The commission had sued Arizona in response to cease-and-desist letters sent to Kalshi from state gambling regulators and the criminal charges filed against the prediction market operator. The commission argued Arizona is intruding on its exclusive federal power to regulate national swaps markets.

Liburdi had previously denied Kalshi’s attempt to bar prosecutors from moving forward with the case and declined a request from the company for a ruling saying federal law trumps Arizona’s gambling laws. Liburdi said it was too early in the case for him to rule on that issue.

State prosecutors have charged Kalshi with 20 misdemeanor counts of wagering for allegedly accepting bets on political outcomes, college sports and individual player performance.

Arizona, the first state to file criminal charges against Kalshi, prohibits operating an unlicensed wagering business and betting on elections. The criminal charges mark a new front in a high-stakes legal battle over whether prediction markets should be subject to the same rules as gambling companies.

Kalshi maintains it’s a financial marketplace rather than a gambling operation and should only have to answer to the federal Commodities Futures Trading Commission, not the state of Arizona.

“The attorney general's office disagrees with the court's ruling and we will evaluate our next steps,” said Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Robert DeNault, head of enforcement at Kalshi, said in a posting on X that the ruling is “a step in the right direction.”

“Arizona’s decision to weaponize state criminal law against companies that comply with federal law sets a dangerous precedent,” Michael Selig, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said in a statement. “And the court’s order today sends a clear message that intimidation is not an acceptable tactic to circumvent federal law.”

Kalshi has said its product is different from gambling operations because Kalshi’s customers engage in “swaps” between one another instead of betting against the “house.”

In a lawsuit filed just days before prosecutors leveled the criminal charges, Kalshi argued federal law trumps Arizona’s efforts to subject it to state statute. It also contends that shutting down its ability to offer event contracts would threaten its viability, undermine confidence in the integrity of its platform and cause other problems for the business.

The company said Arizona filed the charges to interfere with its lawsuit.

Lawyers for the state contend Kalshi has marketed itself as a platform for sports and election betting and that Arizona should be able to enforce its gambling laws to hold Kalshi accountable for flouting state law.

Kalshi sued Arizona, Utah and Iowa in attempts to stop anticipated state actions against the platform. Other states have taken some form of legal action against Kalshi.

So far, the outcomes have been mixed. Federal and state judges in Nevada and Massachusetts, respectively, issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket from offering sports being in their states, while federal judges in New Jersey and Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi.

Earlier this month, the federal government filed lawsuits against Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois challenging their efforts to regulate prediction market operators.

The Trump administration has so far backed the platforms.

President Donald Trump’s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. Trump’s social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict.

Many issues could derail the truce and the negotiations aimed at making a broader deal to stop the fighting permanently.

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon. And U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform that Iran has no leverage except to restrict ship traffic in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s traded oil once passed.

Kuwait, meanwhile, said it was targeted by seven drone attacks since Thursday that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though the Guard denied launching any assault, it has carried out attacks across the Mideast in the past that it did not claim.

Preparations for the talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be moving forward, with Vance boarding Air Force Two for the long flight to Islamabad.

Elsewhere, negotiations between Israel and Lebanon were expected to begin Tuesday in the U.S. capital, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said Friday. Beirut is keen to hold direct talks to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, but under a ceasefire similar to the one with Iran.

Before his departure, Vance said he believed the negotiations with Iran will be “positive.”

But he added, “If they’re going to try and play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”

In Islamabad, security forces locked down key parts of the Pakistani capital, erecting barricades along routes from the airport to the city.

Hours later, the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived in Islamabad, Iranian state TV reported. The delegation included security, political, military, economic and legal teams. The report said negotiations will begin only if the other side accepts Iran’s preconditions.

Earlier in the day, Qalibaf posted on social media that two points he said had been mutually agreed on — a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets — have yet to be implemented.

“These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin,” he wrote.

Israel and Lebanon will have direct negotiations

Israel’s insistence that the ceasefire in Iran does not include a pause in its fighting with Hezbollah has threatened to sink the deal. The militant group joined the war in support of its backer, Iran.

The day the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. It was the deadliest day in the country since the war began Feb. 28.

Trump said Thursday that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dial back the strikes.

Then on Friday, Israeli warplanes struck near a state security office in the southern town of Nabatieh, killing 13 officers, according to the Lebanese president’s office. Israeli forces said they also hit about 10 rocket launchers in Lebanon that had fired toward northern Israel.

A day earlier, Netanyahu said he authorized the negotiations with Lebanon with the aim of disarming Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors, which have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948.

Aoun’s office confirmed that the two sides were set to negotiate after Lebanon and Israel’s ambassadors to the U.S. held a call with Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon to discuss terms. The U.S. State Department will mediate.

In a first statement since Israel announced direct negotiations with Lebanon, Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem urged Lebanese officials to stop offering “free concessions,” but he did not take a clear stance on the talks.

Two days after Israel’s barrage, people sifted through the wreckage of their homes, trying to salvage furniture and personal mementos. Some expressed gratitude that they did not lose loved ones.

“There is no substitute for family,” said Wissam Tabila, 35. “Everything else can be replaced.”

Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices skyrocketing, driven stocks down and roiled the world economy. Tehran’s control over the waterway has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war.

The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $97 Friday, up more than 30% since the war started.

Before the conflict, over 100 ships passed through the strait each day — many carrying oil to Asia. With the ceasefire in place, only 12 have been recorded passing through.

Trump said Iran has little clout in the negotiations.

“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways,” Trump posted Friday. “The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”

Questions linger about missile and nuclear programs

Questions also remain over the fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs, which the U.S. and Israel sought to eliminate in going to war.

The U.S. insists Iran must never be able to build nuclear weapons and wants to remove Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to make them. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Trump has said that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove the uranium, though Tehran has not confirmed that.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, a top Iranian officer told the state-run Iran newspaper. Iran’s government has not provided any definitive death toll from the war.

In Lebanon, at least 1,953 people have been killed and 1 million have been displaced. Over a dozen people have died in Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, while 23 civilians were killed in Israel. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed.

In other developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces shot down Iranian‑designed Shahed drones in several Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war. The missions, carried out with domestically produced interceptor drones, were part of efforts to help partners counter the same weapons Russia uses in Ukraine, he said.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; and Kareem Chehayeb and Hussein Malla in Beirut contributed to this report.

Relatives and colleagues remembered Mann as a stickler for details and a deeply kind person who blended his love of journalism with his empathy for everyone he worked with.

“Billy Mann was a wonderful representative for The Associated Press in global hot spots from the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos to the turbulent Middle East,” said longtime AP United Nations bureau chief Edith M. Lederer. “He was well-liked for his warm personality and admired for his deft reporting.”

A Georgia native who met his wife, Mimi, at the University of Georgia’s journalism school, Mann was a rabid Georgia Bulldogs fan. “Outside of family, it was his biggest passion,” said his daughter Samantha Rudolph.

A long journalism career took him many places

Upon graduating, Mann went to officer candidate school, became a naval officer and served for four years at a base in the Philippines and at the Pentagon.

After leaving the Navy, Mann joined the AP in Louisville, Kentucky. He worked at the agency’s New York headquarters and elsewhere in the United States before becoming Cairo bureau chief for 10 years.

“He would sit in his office in the back, smoking cigars, feet on the desk, reading copy,” his daughter remembers. “He was just surrounded by incredible people who looked up to him in every way.”

While in Cairo, an early 1990s trip to Somalia — ravaged by famine and warfare — left even the veteran correspondent traumatized.

“It was seeing the hunger and the deprivation, the remnants of war,” his daughter remembered. “He refused to talk about it. He saw things that he didn’t want to talk about.”

Mann was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 and died of a virus in a memory care facility, said Mimi Mann, his wife of more than 60 years.

Despite the disease, she said, “he kept his love of journalism.”

In Egypt, Mimi Mann remembered, she fought to cover archaeology, becoming one of the first people to cover the field for a major news service. When French scientists started making discoveries using sonar in the pyramids, she said, the AP told her, “No one cares about the pyramids.”

“I said, ‘Well I do,’" Mann said, and she went on to become known as a wordsmith documenting a field that few laypeople knew about.

“He was good at interviewing but he would always say that my mom was 1,000 times better,” Samantha Rudolph said. “She was the real reporter.”

A 'stickler for details’ with a soft spot for a certain boxer

Bill Mann’s most fondly remembered interview took place when he was working at the AP’s Louisville, Kentucky, bureau and met boxer Cassius Clay, who went on to become world champion Muhammad Ali.

“He interviewed countless heads of state, talked to everybody and what stood out was Muhammad Ali,” his daughter Rudolph said. “He always said that without a doubt his best and favorite interview was Muhammad Ali.”

Ken Guggenheim, one of Mann’s former editors, said that, “Billy was just the consummate AP man. He was just a stickler for details, determined that the grammar was right, the style was right and that the story would be perfect when it would hit the wire.”

Above all, however, Mann’s kind and generous personality set him apart, they said.

“Everyone loved Billy,” Guggenheim said. “He was someone who showed you could be a great journalist and a great person at the same time.”

Mann is survived by his wife, daughter, son and four grandchildren.

The building is scheduled to come crashing down in a controlled implosion.

Miami police say the entrance to Brickell Key will be closed from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Police will be in the area, along with Miami Fire Rescue in case of any emergencies and onlookers will be kept back at least 800 feet as the concrete structure is already armed with multiple explosives.

“We expect that there’s going to be a lot of dust, but these companies have planned vigorously to make sure that this goes on without any harm to the surrounding buildings, to the atmosphere,” Officer Michael Vega, a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department, told Local 10 News.

The implosion is only slated to last 20 seconds as the building falls in place, all to make room for ultra luxury residences and a hospitality site that will bear the same Mandarin Oriental name.

It’s slated to stand 66 stories at its highest point. Neighbors are being asked to prepare.

“Between eight and maybe nine, that they should not use air conditioning,” Vega said. “Make sure that all their doors are closed, make sure that all their windows are closed.”

Residents are also being advised to be mindful of their pets, who may be scared by the implosion.

Engel died Friday at a Bronx hospital of complications of Parkinson’s disease, according to his family.

“During his over 44 years in public service, Eliot Engel fought tirelessly for his constituents at home and for peace and security around the world,” the family said in a statement.

Engel won his first congressional election in 1988, defeating a 10-term incumbent on an insurgent, reformist platform. More than 30 years later, he left office in similar fashion after losing a 2020 primary to now-former Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a race seen as a progressive upset over the party’s pragmatic wing.

A former teacher and state Assembly member, Engel rose through the ranks of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, eventually becoming its chair in 2019. He was a strong supporter of Israel and one of the first lawmakers to call for military intervention on behalf of Kosovo, then a province where ethnic Albanians were seeking independence from Serbia, in their war in the 1990s. A U.S.-and-U.K.-led NATO bombing campaign opened the way for Kosovo's eventual independence nine years later.

Engel was "a fierce advocate for Kosovo and the Albanian community at a time when few others were paying attention,” U.S. Rep. Richie Torres, a fellow Bronx Democrat, said in a statement Friday.

Engel also helped negotiate the Harkin–Engel Protocol, an international agreement that aimed to eliminate the “worst forms of child labor” on cocoa farms in West Africa.

And he headed the Foreign Relations Committee as it worked on the 2019-2020 impeachment inquiry into Trump over the Republican's efforts to prompt Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to scour for dirt on Trump's then-rival Joe Biden.

After Trump was impeached and then acquitted in February 2020, Engel vowed not to abandon the issue, saying there were “a lot of unanswered questions that the American public deserves to know” answers to.

Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic set in — and with it, questions, spurred by an article in The Atlantic, about Engel's absence from his district.

That scrutiny grew following a hot mic incident in which Engel was heard trying to convince another Bronx official to let him speak at a news conference, saying: “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care.”

During his years in office, Engel became known for waiting for hours to get an aisle seat in the House chamber for the State of Union address, so he could greet the president — in full view of TV cameras — as the chief executive entered.

But Rep. George Latimer, a Democrat who now holds what was Engel's seat, said “his legacy consists of hard work on issues and kindness to all.”

Miami-Dade and Broward counties can expect scattered clouds Friday night with the slight chance for a passing sprinkle or light shower. Generally, winds will be sustained 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 25 mph.

Similar conditions are forecast for Saturday and Sunday, northeast to east-northeast winds sustained around 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph.

Both days will feature a sun/cloud mix -- can’t rule out a quick-moving, random shower. Plan for seasonable temperatures, lows near 70°F, highs around 80°F.

For some, it’s their first experience taking in the beachfront music scene, while others make the trip year after year.

“This is our third year in a row,” said Susie Magendantz, a visitor from Daytona Beach. “It’s our happy space. It’s my peaceful place. We love coming here,” added Eric Magendantz.

With the good times comes a focus on safety.

Uniformed officers from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department are stationed throughout the area, making it clear they’re there to help festivalgoers.

Police are also sharing safety tips with the public.

They say to be cautious in crowded areas due to the potential for pickpocketing and to keep phones and valuables close.

Festivalgoers are urged to stay aware of their surroundings and to know their entrances and exits.

Officials also warn not to accept drinks from strangers and not to leave drinks unattended.

People are encouraged to travel in groups with friends and not to leave anyone behind.

Police add that attendees should use official rideshare services only and verify the license plate, make and model of the car before getting in.

Road closures are also planned.

Seabreeze Boulevard and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard will shut down around 10 p.m. to allow people to leave the area.

Anyone in the area who is not attending the festival is urged to be mindful of those closures.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Maria Del Carmen Alvarez-Concepcion, 57, was arrested Thursday afternoon on charges of soliciting/accepting kickback payments, organized fraud and second-degree grand theft.

An arrest report states that a current board member and homeowner at the Greynolds Park Club Condominium Association, located at 17890 W. Dixie Highway, contacted MDSO about concerns he had regarding the mismanagement of association funds by certain members of the board of directors and the on-site building manager, identified as Alvarez-Concepcion.

Detectives said the board member told detectives that on Jan. 23, he was approached by a contracted vendor who reported that Alvarez-Concepcion had been soliciting and accepting kickback payments “in the form of cash and Zelle transfers.”

The report states that the board member “further reported longstanding concerns regarding the defendant’s exclusive control over multimillion dollar contracts, lack of financial transparency, questionable fees, missing records, and the exclusion of certain board members from major association decisions.”

According to the report, the vendor who spoke with the board member met with detectives on Feb. 13 and corroborated the information initially provided by the board member.

Detectives said that the vendor claimed that between March 7, 2025, and Dec. 5, 2025, Alvarez-Concepcion repeatedly solicited and accepted kickback payments, saying that he paid her about $19,910 in cash and Zelle transfers during that time period.

Authorities said the payments were not authorized by the association and were “intentionally concealed from the board of directors.”

According to the report, between Feb. 18 and March 19 of this year, Alvarez-Concepcion accepted an additional $1,000 in kickback payments.

In total, she is believed to have accepted $20,910 in “undisclosed kickback payments,” authorities said.

According to the arrest report, Alvarez-Concepcion was located Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of the condominium community and was taken into custody.

Detectives said she provided them with a “self-serving” statement, in which she “admitted to accepting kickback payments while acting in her position as an on-site manager.”

“This arrest reflects our commitment to protecting residents and holding accountable those who exploit positions of trust, and we will continue to aggressively combat association fraud in our community,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a statement.

As of Friday morning, Alvarez-Concepcion was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed her bond at $10,000, which she has since posted.

Ambas sedes diplomáticas se sumaron a la misión en el país de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA) que el miércoles, el mismo día en que Mazariegos fue reelecto como titular de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), presentó un informe en el que condenó la violencia hacia la comunidad estudiantil que pedía elecciones democráticas.

La tensión se elevó el martes cuando los estudiantes universitarios exigieron que se abrieran las puertas del campus. Las autoridades académicas habían ordenado clases virtuales y cerrado el lugar para supuestos trabajos de mantenimiento para evitar protestas contra la reelección.

Desde dentro de la universidad hombres vestidos de negro y armados con palos tiraron bombas incendiarias y gas pimienta a los estudiantes que protestaban, de los cuales algunos resultaron heridos. Tras varios intentos los estudiantes derribaron los portones y tomaron las instalaciones.

El miércoles cientos de estudiantes protestaron por la elección que se llevó a cabo en un hotel en Antigua Guatemala, a unos 45 kilómetros de la capital, donde los aliados de Mazariegos votaron por su reelección y les fue negada la entrada a varios electores.

En el lugar hubo incidentes y guardias de seguridad de Mazariegos hicieron disparos. Nadie resultó herido y no hubo detenidos.

Los electores a los que no se les permitió el ingreso eligieron simbólicamente como rector a Rodolfo Chang, un veterinario y catedrático.

Estudiantes, particulares y diputados buscan que la fiscalía investigue a Mazariegos y sus allegados por presunto fraude.

Mazariegos fue sancionado en 2023 por el gobierno de Estados Unidos por socavar las instituciones democráticas al aceptar el cargo también en un cuestionado proceso electoral.

La Constitución establece que la USAC, con más de 300 años de antigüedad, es autónoma, recibe un 5% del presupuesto anual de la nación y no puede ser intervenida.

La USAC es una de las instituciones que este año renuevan autoridades en Guatemala, entre ellas la Corte de Constitucionalidad y la Fiscalía General.

Oneka Davis is an example of that.

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She’s a mom whose love and perseverance carried her family through the darkest of times.

Three years ago, the 38-year-old mother of six girls was abandoned by the person she trusted most.

“My husband decided he no longer wanted to pay bills. He no longer wanted to help,” Oneka said. “So he packed up and he left me with our daughters.”

He also left them without a home. Oneka’s salary as a full-time county track repair technician wasn’t enough to cover the rent.

“We stayed at hotels,” she said. “From there, it was back to square one, living out of my car.”

“Your daughters are with you in your car?” Local 10’s Mayte Padron asked.

“Yes,” Oneka said.

“So, it’s you and your six daughters?” Padron asked.

“Yes,” Oneka responded.

Oneka’s daughter, Melanie, 15, shared what it was like for her.

“At first, I didn’t understand. I was very confused,” she said. “It was very hard. We would search for a place, but then they would turn us down.”

The family lived this way for 2 1/2 years. And during that time, they were hit by another crisis. Oneka’s youngest daughter, Noa, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“She had brain surgery at 3 years old,” Oneka said. “Everything was removed successfully.”

“She made it through. She’s healthy,” Oneka added.

And it was the love of family and love of community that changed the course of the family’s lives.

“My union got involved and my union reached out to Chapman Partnership and Chapman immediately stepped in to help,” Oneka said.

Chapman Partnership is a leading emergency housing provider in Miami-Dade County.

“We are just incredibly blessed to be able to help families, like Oneka and her family, to transition themselves very rapidly into stable housing,” Kavaja Sarduy, Vice President of Operations for Chapman Partnership, said.

“I am so thankful to have a roof over my head, to be able not to worry about them being safe. I know that they are safe,” Oneka said.

Natalia, Melanie, Paris, Hazel, Justise and little Noa are indeed safe, happy and very grateful for their mom.

“Mom, I want to tell you that you are a vessel in my life and I love you dearly,” Natalia said.

This is only the first chapter in Oneka’s story and we hope to bring you another update soon.

Until then, it’s important to point out that Oneka does not receive any government assistance -- not for food or for rent.

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Oneka Davis es un ejemplo de ello.

Es una madre cuyo amor y perseverancia sacaron a su familia adelante en los momentos más difíciles.

Hace tres años, la madre de 38 años y seis hijas fue abandonada por la persona en la que más confiaba.

“Mi esposo decidió que ya no quería pagar las cuentas. Ya no quería ayudar”, dijo Oneka. “Así que empacó sus cosas y me dejó con nuestras hijas”.

También las dejó sin hogar. El salario de Oneka como técnica de reparación de pistas del condado a tiempo completo no era suficiente para cubrir el alquiler.

“Nos quedamos en hoteles”, dijo. “De ahí, volvimos al punto de partida, viviendo en mi carro”.

“¿Tus hijas estaban contigo en el carro?”, preguntó Mayte Padron de Local 10.

“Sí”, respondió Oneka.

“¿Eran tú y tus seis hijas?”, preguntó Padron.

“Sí”, respondió Oneka.

La hija de Oneka, Melanie, de 15 años, compartió cómo fue esa experiencia.

“Al principio, no entendía. Estaba muy confundida”, dijo. “Fue muy difícil. Buscábamos un lugar, pero nos rechazaban”.

La familia vivió así durante 2 años y medio. Y durante ese tiempo, enfrentaron otra crisis. La hija menor de Oneka, Noa, fue diagnosticada con un tumor cerebral.

“Tuvo una cirugía cerebral a los 3 años”, dijo Oneka. “Todo fue removido con éxito”.

“Salió adelante. Está saludable”, agregó.

Y fue el amor de la familia y de la comunidad lo que cambió el rumbo de sus vidas.

“Mi sindicato se involucró y contactó a Chapman Partnership, y Chapman intervino de inmediato para ayudar”, dijo Oneka.

Chapman Partnership es uno de los principales proveedores de vivienda de emergencia en el condado Miami-Dade.

“Nos sentimos increíblemente bendecidos de poder ayudar a familias como la de Oneka a hacer una transición rápida hacia una vivienda estable”, dijo Kavaja Sarduy, vicepresidenta de operaciones de Chapman Partnership.

“Estoy muy agradecida de tener un techo sobre mi cabeza, de no tener que preocuparme por su seguridad. Sé que están seguras”, dijo Oneka.

Natalia, Melanie, Paris, Hazel, Justise y la pequeña Noa están seguras, felices y muy agradecidas con su madre.

“Mamá, quiero decirte que eres una bendición en mi vida y te amo mucho”, dijo Natalia.

Este es solo el primer capítulo en la historia de Oneka y esperamos poder traer otra actualización pronto.

Hasta entonces, es importante señalar que Oneka no recibe ninguna asistencia gubernamental, ni para alimentos ni para el alquiler.

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Good News South Florida se transmite los viernes en el noticiero matutino de Local 10 a las 10 a.m. y se retransmite los viernes a las 3:30 p.m. y los domingos por la mañana a partir de las 6 a.m.

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Sunrise police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Thomas Jamaine Roberson.

On Thursday, the victim told police about a domestic violence incident involving her boyfriend, Roberson, with whom she had been in a relationship for five to six months, according to the report.

Police said the victim is about 10 weeks pregnant with Roberson’s child, and the two lived together as a family.

The victim said that around midnight Thursday, she asked Roberson to return her cellphone after the couple got into an argument at a home in Sunrise.

Roberson initially denied having the phone but later retrieved it from under a pillow inside the home they shared, the report states.

Shortly after, police said Roberson left the home and took the victim’s vehicle, which was registered to her grandmother but in the victim’s care, along with her cellphone and other property.

About an hour later, they said Roberson returned to the home but refused to give the phone back.

The victim then reminded Roberson that she was pregnant, to which he responded, “I don’t care,” the report states.

Sunrise police said the victim later found Roberson’s loaded gun hidden inside the home in a laundry basket under clothing.

Shortly after, they said Roberson then pulled the victim, tearing her shirt and causing her to fall onto her neck.

The report states that Roberson refused to call 911, and the victim remained on the floor for about an hour after the incident.

Police said the victim attempted to flee the home multiple times, but at least twice Roberson “restrained her and brought her back inside against her will.”

The victim later fell asleep, then woke up and requested her phone. Roberson gave it to her after she handed him the gun, according to the report.

Police said the victim then gathered her two children, ages 2 and 3, and attempted to leave on foot when Roberson used his vehicle to block her path and “forcibly took both children from her custody without her consent, placing them into the vehicle without proper constraints.” Investigators noted Roberson is not the father of the children.

The victim then attempted to call 911 using her laptop, but Roberson allegedly grabbed it and threw it to prevent her from calling, police said.

They said the victim later fled and located her two children inside a vehicle before driving away and calling 911.

While on the phone with dispatchers, police said Roberson located the victim, forcibly entered her vehicle to turn off the ignition and took her phone.

He then attempted to remove her from the vehicle and threatened to kill her before fleeing with the vehicle while one of the children was still inside, according to the report.

A short time later, police said Roberson released the child to the victim and returned to the home, where she observed “extensive property damage, including overturned furniture, destroyed food items, and damaged electronics valued in excess of $1,000.”

Roberson was later located in Fort Lauderdale, where police said he fled from a traffic stop, leading to a pursuit that ended in a rollover crash near Powerline Road and Northwest 12th Street.

Fort Lauderdale police said the crash involved a vehicle, which overturned after being struck. They said several people, including Roberson, were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with minor injuries.

Jail records show Roberson is facing charges including robbery with carjacking, aggravated battery of a pregnant female, obstruction of justice, grand theft of a vehicle, child neglect and interfering with custody of a minor.

As of Friday morning, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail and ordered to have no contact with any victims or to possess firearms, weapons or ammunition.

La policía de Sunrise identificó al sospechoso como Thomas Jamaine Roberson, de 24 años.

El jueves, la víctima informó a la policía sobre un incidente de violencia doméstica con su novio, Roberson, con quien mantenía una relación de cinco a seis meses, según el informe.

La policía indicó que la víctima tiene aproximadamente 10 semanas de embarazo de Roberson y que ambos vivían juntos como familia.

La víctima dijo que alrededor de la medianoche del jueves le pidió a Roberson que le devolviera su teléfono celular después de una discusión en una vivienda en Sunrise.

Roberson inicialmente negó tener el teléfono, pero luego lo sacó de debajo de una almohada dentro de la casa que compartían, según el informe.

Poco después, la policía indicó que Roberson salió de la vivienda y se llevó el vehículo de la víctima, registrado a nombre de su abuela pero bajo su cuidado, junto con su teléfono y otras pertenencias.

Aproximadamente una hora después, regresó a la vivienda, pero se negó a devolver el teléfono.

La víctima le recordó que estaba embarazada, a lo que él respondió: “No me importa”, según el informe.

La policía de Sunrise indicó que la víctima luego encontró el arma cargada de Roberson escondida dentro de la casa en una canasta de ropa debajo de prendas.

Poco después, dijeron que Roberson la jaló, rompiéndole la camisa y provocando que cayera sobre su cuello.

El informe indica que Roberson se negó a llamar al 911 y que la víctima permaneció en el suelo durante aproximadamente una hora tras el incidente.

La policía dijo que la víctima intentó huir de la vivienda en múltiples ocasiones, pero al menos dos veces Roberson “la retuvo y la llevó de regreso al interior en contra de su voluntad”.

La víctima se quedó dormida y luego despertó y pidió su teléfono. Roberson se lo devolvió después de que ella le entregó el arma, según el informe.

La policía indicó que la víctima reunió a sus dos hijos, de 2 y 3 años, e intentó irse a pie, cuando Roberson utilizó su vehículo para bloquearle el paso y “le quitó por la fuerza a ambos niños sin su consentimiento, colocándolos en el vehículo sin las debidas sujeciones”. Los investigadores señalaron que Roberson no es el padre de los menores.

La víctima intentó llamar al 911 usando su computadora portátil, pero Roberson presuntamente la tomó y la lanzó para impedir la llamada, según la policía.

Posteriormente, la víctima logró huir, encontró a sus dos hijos dentro de un vehículo y se fue conduciendo mientras llamaba al 911.

Mientras hablaba con los operadores, la policía indicó que Roberson la localizó, entró por la fuerza al vehículo para apagarlo y le quitó el teléfono.

Luego intentó sacarla del vehículo y la amenazó de muerte antes de huir con el auto mientras uno de los niños aún estaba dentro, según el informe.

Poco tiempo después, la policía dijo que Roberson devolvió al menor a la víctima y regresó a la vivienda, donde ella observó “daños extensos a la propiedad, incluyendo muebles volcados, alimentos destruidos y aparatos electrónicos dañados valorados en más de $1,000 USD”.

Roberson fue localizado más tarde en Fort Lauderdale, donde la policía indicó que huyó de una parada de tráfico, lo que provocó una persecución que terminó en un choque con volcadura cerca de Powerline Road y la calle 12 del noroeste.

La policía de Fort Lauderdale indicó que el choque involucró a otro vehículo que volcó tras ser impactado. Varias personas, incluido Roberson, fueron trasladadas al Broward Health Medical Center con heridas leves.

Registros de la cárcel muestran que Roberson enfrenta cargos que incluyen robo con robo de vehículo, agresión agravada contra una mujer embarazada, obstrucción de la justicia, hurto mayor de un vehículo, negligencia infantil e interferencia con la custodia de un menor.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel principal del condado Broward y se le ordenó no tener contacto con las víctimas ni poseer armas de fuego, armas o municiones.

Scheffler hit 3-iron into a tributary of Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th, and his second shot into the par-5 15th went over the green and rolled into the pond on the 16th hole.

Both led to bogeys, and he didn't recover. His 2-over 74 was his first round over par at the Masters since a 75 in the second round in 2023.

“It was frustrating to get it back to even, have a couple of par 5s in front of me, and then not do many things I felt wrong and wasn't able to convert basically anything coming down the stretch,” said Scheffler, who was at even-par 144.

The water balls stand out. Scheffler tried to play a draw into the 13th, a deceptively difficult shot because the ball is slightly above the feet but a shot not cleanly struck tends to stay out to the right, and that's where the trouble is.

“I just tried to kind of swing it with the slope and just didn’t catch it that solid and kind of hung out there,” Scheffler said. “But that was one ... to that pin specifically that’s a shot that I could get in there close, so I felt like it was worth the risk of going for it.”

The real problem was his putting. He didn't make many, mainly an issue of speed more than line.

“I felt like I definitely played better than my score,” he said.

Scheffler, trying to win his third Masters in the last five years, now has a big climb. The two times he won, he went into the weekend with at least a share of the lead.

Li feels sick but still shows major form

The majors seem to bring out the best in Haotong Li of China, even when he's so sick he wonders if he can even play.

Such was the case Friday at the Masters. Li said he was in the bathroom most of the night and “kind of live in the toilet” even when he got to Augusta National. And then he made four straight birdies on the back nine and shot 69 to finish at 4-under 140.

“I didn’t hit many balls on the driving range. I was feeling really, really bad,” Li said. “No energy, fuzzy, want to throw up something. I actually just planned to play a few holes, see how it goes. If really sick, then I probably just decide not to. So glad I survived today.”

Li closed out the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale with a 63. Three years later, he opened 67-65 at Harding Park in the PGA Championship to become China's first player to lead after any round of a major championship.

No low amateur this year

For the second straight year, none of the amateurs will be sticking around for the weekend.

That's not to suggest they all are leaving disappointed, and some of them are not in any hurry to leave at all.

“My friends were telling me, ‘Thank you for inviting me, it was awesome to see you.’ Yeah, I would love to have played better, but it's fine,” Mateo Pulcini of Argentina said after going 81-78. “We're going to keep having fun. We're going to come to watch tomorrow and Sunday and enjoy the moment and the tournament.”

Amateurs have access to stay in the Crow's Nest in the top of the clubhouse even if they fail to make the 36-hole cut.

Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand, who won the Asia-Pacific Amateur, had rounds of 80-75. He also had the pleasure of spending two rounds with Fred Couples, who even at 66 oozes charisma and cool.

“Oh, man, if you give me an hour I can write 100 bullet points what I learned this week,” said Laopakdee, who plays at Arizona State. “Play with Freddie and Min Woo (Lee), I learned a lot. If you watch Freddie first 14 holes (Thursday), it was perfect golf.”

Koepka is in the mix

Brooks Koepka's first mission was to get in the mix in his return to the PGA Tour after four years with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He didn't think it would take until the Masters, but here he is.

Koepka has made 11 birdies through two rounds, enough to offset some soft bogeys. He had a 69 on Friday and goes into the weekend at 3-under 141. Key to his second round was changing the setting on his driver and getting the ball in play.

“Ball-striking has been really good this week. Putted better today. Short game has been kind of iffy,” he said. “But I like the way I’m playing right now. Just need to be a little bit more aggressive.”

Tom Watson was critical of the PGA Tour for letting Koepka return under a program that kept Koepka from getting equity grants for five years and not having access to bonus money this year. Watson felt the tour reneged on its promise to ban LIV players for life. If anything, he said Koepka or anyone else should have spent a year on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I would have to look at exactly what he said. Just going off your summary, everybody is entitled to their own opinion,” Koepka said. “He’s not the first person that’s thought that. I’m just grateful to be out here. The people that make those decisions let me out here. If you’re going to get the opportunity to come back out, you’re going to take it.”

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

Investigators said people were killed and six others were injured in the attack, which happened nearly a year ago.

The material, released by the State Attorney’s Office, include body camera video showing officers rushing to the scene, confronting the suspected gunman and taking him into custody.

Recordings of 911 calls capture the urgency of the moment.

“Can you tell me exactly what’s happening?” a 911 dispatcher asked the caller.

“There’s a shooter at the FSU Student Union” the caller responded.

Authorities later identified the suspect as Phoenix Ikner, who was 20 years old at the time of the shooting.

Records related to his parent’s custody dispute show Ikner’s identity before 2020 was Christian Gunnar Eriksen, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Norway, and included allegations that he had been diagnosed with “several health and mental issues” by the time he was 11 years old, ABC News and First Coast News.

After the FSU shooting, Leon County Sheriff Walter A. McNeil said Ikner was a “long-standing” member of The Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council and identified, Jessica Ikner, a deputy who served in LCSO for over 18 years, as his mother..

“Her son had access to one of her weapons and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,” McNeil said referring to the deputy’s stepson.

Newly released court documents also detail Eichner’s alleged conversations on the day of the shooting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, including questions about the university and prompts such as when the FSU student union is busiest.

Attorneys in Tallahassee have since filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT on behalf of one of the victims. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also announced an investigation into the company this week.

Investigators said Eichner faces nine charges, including first-degree murder. His trial is expected to begin in October.

Local 10 digital journalist Andrea Torres contributed to this story.

Según la sentencia, fechada el 31 de marzo y a la que tuvo acceso The Associated Press el viernes, el perito independiente solicitado por el juez dio la razón a los demandantes y estableció que el siniestro ocurrido en mayo de 2018 fue un “accidente institucional", es decir, que se gestó dentro la compañía por las negligencias en el mantenimiento y colocó a los pilotos como "la última barrera de defensa y a quienes desafortunadamente no les fue posible controlar el desplome a baja altura" de la aeronave.

Por eso, el juez ordenó a la empresa, Aerolíneas Damojh, pagar 1,5 millones de dólares por familia de los cuatro miembros de la tripulación que fueron los primeros en demandar. La compañía no se presentó al juicio y fue juzgada en rebeldía. La empresa que aseguraba el avión también fue demandada pero quedó exenta de multas.

El avión, un Boeing 737, se estrelló sobre un campo de yuca poco después de haber despegado del aeropuerto internacional José Martí en La Habana en lo que fue una de las peores tragedias aéreas de la isla en décadas. Aunque algunas personas fueron hospitalizadas, finalmente solo sobrevivió una mujer.

Un año después del accidente, Cuba dijo que el siniestro se debió a errores de cálculo de la tripulación. Previamente las autoridades de aviación civil mexicanas habían suspendido temporalmente a la empresa, que había tenido irregularidades en el pasado, y abrió una investigación sobre el caso.

L a AP preguntó por la situación actual de dichas pesquisas a la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes pero no recibió respuesta de manera inmediata.

Damojh utilizaba el nombre comercial de Global Air y rentaba el avión con tripulación incluida a la aerolínea estatal de la isla, Cubana de Aviación, que era la que operaba el vuelo.

“Es una sentencia ejemplar... que se logró probar después de muchísimos esfuerzos”, dijo uno de los abogados litigantes, Samuel González. Según explicó, el juez confirmó lo que el jefe de mantenimiento de la empresa dijo a varios familiares desde el primer día, “que el avión no podía volar”, máxime porque días antes había tenido un golpe.

”Ese avión voló por la cabeza de todos nosotros durante diez años sin mantenimiento", agregó. “Cayó en Cuba... pero pudo haber caído en cualquier parte”.

La sentencia todavía puede ser apelada. González cree que Damojh está tramitando su quiebra, “que puede ser una quiebra fraudulenta, en cuyo caso también denunciaremos”.

Además de esta primera demanda de familias de la tribulación, el abogado señaló que hay una acción civil colectiva ya en trámite en representación de todas la víctimas y una denuncia penal por homicidio contra la empresa y todo aquel que resulte responsable ante la Fiscalía General de la República.

Esta última investigación está ralentizada, según González, porque las autoridades cubanas no han aportado la información solicitada. La fiscalía no respondió de manera inmediata a la AP sobre el estado de este caso.

Queda por verse si hubo responsabilidad por acción u omisión de autoridades mexicanas, aunque el equipo litigante ya interpuso denuncias en otras dependencias, entre ellas la fiscalía anticorrupción, contra quienes autorizaron el vuelo y dieron el certificado de aeronavegabilidad al avión.

The FAA and Defense Department have signed an agreement outlining the safety precautions that they say will protect travelers anytime these lasers are used, but their statement didn't spell out what those safeguards will be.

The FAA didn’t immediately respond to questions seeking more details about the agreement.

In early February, the FAA closed the airspace around the El Paso airport for several hours after another agency used a counter-drone laser without notifying the aviation safety regulator. That left many travelers scrambling to find new flights. A second, more limited airspace closure later that month followed the military shooting down a drone owned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A demonstration of the lasers conducted last month at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico convinced the FAA that they can be used safely.

"We will continue working with our interagency partners to ensure the National Airspace System remains safe while addressing emerging drone threats,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.

Drones are commonly used along the border by Mexican cartels looking to deliver drugs or surveil officers. Officials told Congress last summer that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet (500 meters) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024.

The use of armed drones regularly carry out devastating attacks in the Ukraine and Iran wars highlights the threat.

Lawmakers in Congress said they are glad to see the agencies working together better now. But Democratic senators who raised questions after the anti-drone laser uses in February say they need detailed answers before they can be sure the lasers are safe. The FAA has not yet held a briefing for Congress.

“It is absolutely critical that meaningful interagency collaboration continues — the FAA must be at the table whenever any counter-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) is deployed that could impact the safety of our national airspace,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

In the second incident, the military used the laser to shoot down a “seemingly threatening” drone flying near the U.S.-Mexico border on Feb. 26. It turned out the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said.

That led the FAA to close the airspace around Fort Hancock, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of El Paso.

The Trump administration has said it was working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones. U.S. Army Brigadier General Matt Ross said that this agreement will allow the use of the most advanced tools to defend the homeland.

“By working hand-in-hand with the FAA and our interagency partners, the Department of War is proving that these cutting-edge capabilities are safe, effective, and ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use in the national airspace,” Ross said.

The U.S. government has handed out more than $250 million to help states prepare to respond to drones before hosting World Cup matches and celebrations planned this summer for the country's 250th birthday.

Another $250 million in grants will be awarded later this year to strengthen the nation’s drone defenses.

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At The Berry Farm in southwest Miami-Dade, children and parents spread out across 40 acres Saturday for the farm’s annual Eggstravaganza.

Kids of all ages raced through egg hunts, played on playgrounds, visited baby animals and posed for photos with the Easter Bunny.

“We actually live in Chicago,” said Christine Burger, a grandmother attending the event. “And the weather is better than Chicago. It’s a whole lot of outdoor activities for us to do today too.”

Karl Wiegandt of The Berry Farm said the event has grown over the years and has become a tradition for many families.

“This is the sixth year we’ve done the egg hunts here at the berry farm and we’ve really learned a lot,” Wiegandt said. “We do 39 egg hunts to keep organization, enough eggs for all the kids, and really for parents to be able to get those pictures where it’s not a congestion of kid running at the same time.”

“We always say we try to create that forever moment and picture and those memories. I think we’ve done a great job of it,” he added.

The event continues on Easter Sunday.

In Broward County, families gathered in Plantation for the city’s annual Royal Easter Egg Hunt at Pop Travers Park.

Children from toddlers to 10 years old were split into age groups, each taking turns running across the field to collect eggs.

“It was very nice to come out on a Saturday. I got up really early to do it. I wasn’t expecting this but it was really good. The kids enjoyed it,” said Ambria Butts.

After the hunt, families stayed to enjoy inflatables, games and a visit from the Royal Easter Bunny.

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Investigators said it happened on Feb. 24 near suspect Joel Xavier McNeil’s home in the county’s unincorporated West Little River area.

According to an MDSO arrest report, the victim told investigators that she had arranged a “quick visit out call” with McNeil early that morning, in which she would drive to him and have sex with him.

Authorities said the woman picked McNeil up near his home and the two drove close to a Dollar General, but McNeil had her turn around and head back to where she picked him up, near his home.

Deputies said at around 7:30 a.m., he had the victim pull over along the side of the road near Northwest 18th Avenue and 93rd Terrace, and “began to rub (her) inner thigh.”

According to the report, after she asked McNeil to pay first, he “stopped, used his phone, then pulled out a pistol from his waistband and pulled the slide backwards to chamber a round.”

The report states that he then told her “that he was police and (he) was going to need her to wait right there.”

Authorities said the woman put her hands up and asked what McNeil what he was doing and he asked her, “Where is the money?”

Deputies said the victim told him she had no money and showed her empty purse. At that point, they said McNeil, listed in the report as 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, grabbed hold of the woman’s jacket as she tried to leave the vehicle and held her at gunpoint.

Authorities said she briefly got back in the vehicle, then ran out again and broke free from McNeil’s grip as another car headed her way.

“The victim then walked in front of the passing vehicle and asked for them to help her and call the police, however the vehicle continued driving away, not assisting (her),” the report states. “The victim then used her cellphone camera to record (McNeil) in her vehicle as he continued to ask her to come back into the vehicle. (He) then jumped over to the drivers side of the vehicle, closed the door and drove off in an unknown direction.”

On Thursday, authorities said McNeil’s father had called MDSO regarding a dispute over McNeil leaving their home in the 1800 block of Northwest 93rd Street.

Deputies said a check revealed an unrelated domestic violence warrant and a probable cause message in connection with the escort robbery.

As four deputies tried taking McNeil into custody, he started “pulling his hands away and rolling on the ground in an effort to avoid being handcuffed,” a separate arrest report states.

He was eventually taken into custody on charges of armed robbery, false imprisonment with a deadly weapon, falsely personating an officer with a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and resisting an officer without violence.

Appearing in court on Friday, a Miami-Dade judge ordered he be held without bond.

As of Friday afternoon, McNeil was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, online records show.

Bowser’s proposal makes education and health care spending — especially for Medicaid — priorities but would cut funding for several areas, including $127 million set aside for future collective bargaining agreements and non-union pay increases for city employees.

Notable in the proposal is the decrease in the proposed general funds budget to $12.7 billion, a 3.3% cut from 2026. General funds are what pay for city services. Bowser said the cuts are necessary because of a drop in revenue due in part to federal workforce reductions and rising costs, including higher Medicaid expenses and higher administration costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), because of a change in federal law that shifted some costs to states.

Bowser, speaking to the Council, assured members the city is “not broke” as she walked them through what she called the three periods of her tenure, the days of growth, the COVID-economic years and post-COVID.

“We are adjusting to what DOGE has done to our workforce and commercial corridor,” she said, referring to the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal government. She said the rising costs and decreased revenue have left the city with an estimated budget gap to address.

“I think we all have to be clear-headed about where we are and what it will take to keep growing,” said Bowser, who has served as mayor since 2015 and has announced she will not be running for reelection this year.

Members of the council questioned Bowser and members of her staff on proposed targets, including taking aim at programs intended to help defray the cost of child care in a city where a family pays on average more than $25,000 a year for infant care, according to the advocacy group Child Care Aware of America.

The plan would cap the District’s child care subsidy program, which helps the city’s poorest families afford care, at 6,000 children. Families currently receiving the subsidies would continue to receive them. And it would eliminate a program that supplemented the wages of child care providers, a measure passed during the pandemic to help attract and retain workers to a field with historically low wages.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said the council would likely vote on the budget in June.

Washington's budget has been complicated in the last two years. In 2025 the House passed a federal government funding bill that would force the district’s government to revert to its 2024 budget parameters, effectively cutting $1.1 billion from its previously balanced budget midway through the financial year.

The remaking of the federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency heavily impacted the Washington region. Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, estimated more than 50,000 jobs were lost in the region. Clover said those job losses meant more than lost salaries and income taxes for the workers, also hitting businesses that support those workers.

The D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis estimated that Washington had a net loss of 22,000 federal jobs at a combined annual pay of more than $3 billion.

City Administrator Kevin Donahue said the reduction in the federal workforce, primarily by DOGE, cost about $325 million in lost revenue from cuts in jobs and the accompanying consumer spending. Those losses will be even higher in the 2027 fiscal year.

Los investigadores dijeron que el hecho ocurrió el 24 de febrero cerca de la vivienda del sospechoso, Joel Xavier McNeil, en el área no incorporada de West Little River.

Según un informe de arresto de MDSO, la víctima dijo a los investigadores que había coordinado una “visita rápida a domicilio” con McNeil esa mañana, en la que ella conduciría hasta él para tener relaciones sexuales.

Las autoridades indicaron que la mujer recogió a McNeil cerca de su casa y ambos condujeron hacia un área cercana a un Dollar General, pero McNeil le pidió que diera la vuelta y regresara al lugar donde lo había recogido.

Los agentes dijeron que alrededor de las 7:30 a.m., él le indicó a la víctima que se detuviera a un lado de la vía cerca de la avenida 18 del noroeste y la terraza 93, y “comenzó a tocar la parte interna de su muslo”.

Según el informe, después de que ella le pidiera que pagara primero, él “se detuvo, usó su teléfono y luego sacó una pistola de la cintura y deslizó la corredera hacia atrás para cargar un proyectil”.

El informe indica que luego le dijo “que era policía y que iba a necesitar que se quedara allí”.

Las autoridades dijeron que la mujer levantó las manos y le preguntó qué estaba haciendo, a lo que él respondió: “¿Dónde está el dinero?”

Los agentes dijeron que la víctima le indicó que no tenía dinero y le mostró su bolso vacío. En ese momento, McNeil, descrito en el informe como de 6 pies y 5 pulgadas de estatura y 200 libras, sujetó la chaqueta de la mujer cuando ella intentó salir del vehículo y la mantuvo a punta de pistola.

Las autoridades indicaron que ella volvió brevemente al vehículo, luego salió corriendo nuevamente y logró soltarse del agarre de McNeil cuando otro vehículo se acercaba.

“La víctima caminó frente al vehículo que pasaba y les pidió ayuda y que llamaran a la policía, sin embargo, el vehículo continuó su marcha sin asistirla”, señala el informe. “Luego, la víctima utilizó la cámara de su teléfono celular para grabar a McNeil en su vehículo mientras él continuaba pidiéndole que regresara. Posteriormente, él se pasó al lado del conductor, cerró la puerta y se fue conduciendo en dirección desconocida”.

El jueves, las autoridades dijeron que el padre de McNeil llamó a MDSO por una disputa relacionada con que su hijo había salido de la vivienda en la cuadra 1800 de la calle 93 del noroeste.

Los agentes dijeron que al verificar, encontraron una orden de arresto por un caso no relacionado de violencia doméstica y una causa probable vinculada al robo de la escort.

Mientras cuatro agentes intentaban detener a McNeil, este comenzó a “retirar las manos y a rodar en el suelo en un intento de evitar ser esposado”, según otro informe de arresto.

Finalmente fue puesto bajo custodia y enfrenta cargos de robo a mano armada, privación ilegal de la libertad con arma mortal, hacerse pasar por agente con arma mortal durante la comisión de un delito grave y resistirse a un agente sin violencia.

Durante su comparecencia en corte el viernes, un juez de Miami-Dade ordenó que permaneciera detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, McNeil permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según registros en línea.

Mayor Quinton Lucas and nine of 12 City Council members introduced a proposed ordinance Thursday to allow the city manager to negotiate with the Royals over a new stadium near the city's historic Union Station and its World War I museum, about 6 miles northwest of the Royals' current Kauffman Stadium.

The city expects the new stadium to cost $1.9 billion, and Missouri last year enacted a law allowing the state to cover half, or $950 million. If Kansas City issued its bonds, the Royals would need $350 million in private funds.

Kauffman Stadium sits beside the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex, owned by Jackson County, Missouri, and home to both teams since 1973. Their stadium leases expire in 2031, and in April 2024, county voters rejected extending a tax that would have helped pay for renovations of both.

The Royals also have considered another site for a new stadium about 5 miles north in neighboring North Kansas City.

Kansas legislative leaders who would have to approve a deal to attract the Royals have shown little appetite for one after the state committed in December to issuing $2.4 billion in bonds to cover 60% of the cost of a new, $3 billion domed stadium for the Chiefs in Kansas City, Kansas. Two of them, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican, and Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Democrat, issued a joint statement Friday congratulating Missouri, adding, “We're looking forward to what's ahead.”

The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council could vote on the proposed ordinance as early as Thursday, but City Manager Mario Vasquez said the work toward keeping the team “is just beginning.”

The team said in a statement Friday: "We are grateful for their engagement in this process, as well as for the critical work of the State of Missouri, and look forward to more detailed conversations as we consider solutions that are best for our team, our fans, and our community.”

Economists who have studied pro sports teams have concluded for decades that subsidizing stadiums isn’t worth the cost for their communities because the venues pull economic activity away from other parts of the area instead of expanding the overall economy. Yet states and cities continue providing subsidies to renovate stadiums or build new ones.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe called the Royals “a key economic catalyst” for his state.

“The State of Missouri is committed to continue working alongside the Kansas City Royals organization and the City of Kansas City to ensure the Royals remain in Missouri — where they belong," Kehoe said.

Of the 60 stadiums used by MLB and NFL teams, 49 are publicly owned or sit on public land.

New York state and Erie County together chipped in $850 million, or 40% of the cost, for the Buffalo Bills' new $2.1 billion NFL stadium. Ohio state and local governments have pledged $1.2 billion to cover half the cost of a new stadium for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, though the state's portion is held up by a lawsuit.

Kansas officials have described the Chiefs' stadium as the largest economic development project in state history. The team also plans a retail district around the stadium and a new training complex in Olathe, Kansas.

“It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail.

The “Gulf Crossing” video more than three years ago marked the start of a sailing adventure — chronicled on Facebook — for a couple who are now at the center of criminal investigations after Lynette went missing in the Bahamas.

A few days after Lynette disappeared, police in the Atlantic Ocean island nation arrested Brian. He denies causing his wife's death and has been cooperating with law enforcement, his attorney, Terrel Butler, said.

On Friday, Brian's attorney reiterated his innocence and said his wife has not been found. She said police had just finished an intensive 4-hour interview with him in which she described him as continuously asking about his wife.

“He was a bit puzzled because he was uncertain as to why they were questioning him about causing harm or possible murder when they had not given him any information in terms of where she is, if they had recovered her,” she said.

Brian Hooker had told police that his wife of more than 20 years fell overboard Saturday night from a small motorboat that was carrying the couple from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, small islands on the eastern end of the Bahamas. He said Lynette, 55, had the keys and the boat's engine shut off.

“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement Saturday.

He paddled to shore and alerted others early Sunday, said authorities, who arrested and questioned him Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has opened an investigation separate from the one by Bahamas authorities.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette's daughter, has said it's unlikely her mother would “just fall” from a boat.

And while the couple is seen smiling, laughing and joking in social media videos of their voyage, they have a history of contention.

Brian and Lynette Hooker accused each other of assault in 2015, according to a Kentwood, Michigan, police report obtained by NBC News.

Brian Hooker, who was intoxicated and bleeding from the nose, told police his wife had struck him multiple times in the face, the report said. He told officers Lynette also was drunk. She was arrested for assault and spent the night in jail. A warrant was denied because it wasn't clear “who started the assault.”

Aylesworth also told NBC that the couple’s relationship was volatile and that they have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”

The couple’s home is in Onsted, about 72 miles (117 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. The closest big body of water is Lake Erie, about 60 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Onsted.

Lynette Hooker's mother, Darlene Hamlett, said Wednesday that the family “grew up on water” and that her daughter's life has been “near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming.”

The couple posted videos of their years sailing around the Caribbean on their “Sailing Hookers” Facebook page.

Lynette, in the March 2023 video, describes the start of the couple's voyage aboard the Soul Mate as the sailboat slips through the Kemah, Texas, fog and into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Pretty cool,” Lynette said as Brian blared the Soul Mate's foghorn. Later, while changing an engine alternator belt, he looks up at his wife and says, “Hi sexy.”

In an earlier video, the couple explains how they bought the Soul Mate in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and fixed it up.

“After several years of driving around the country, looking for our perfect sailboat, we finally found her in Texas,” Lynette said in that eight-minute video, posted in January 2023. “She was a little rough on the edges. The decks needed to be redone, but we knew we were up for the task.”

That video shows them working together, scraping, priming and painting. “The decks are done! we're still married! party time!” is printed in a message on the video.

A video posted two years ago shows them using their smaller motorboat to buy food on land. The video doesn't give the couple's location.

“We got the grub,” Brian says into the camera, which shifts to a case of beer at his feet and bags of groceries in the bow. “Delivery ... the way of life, man.”

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Associated Press writers R.J. Rico and Dánica Coto contributed to this report. Freelance videographer Keith Gomez also contributed to this report.