The Pembroke Pines Police Department said it was made aware of the video early Thursday and that its Investigations Division is actively investigating the incident.

In the video recorded this past Sunday from a nearby dental office, which was blurred because of its graphic nature, a man appears to stomp on an adult duck and stand on it for several minutes. A second video appears to show several ducklings scattering as the man attempts to step on them.

The incident reportedly occurred near University Drive and Southwest 13th Street in Pembroke Pines.

Manuel Cavallini who owns the dental office told Local 10 News that he thought it was “crazy” for someone to kill ducks.

Four days later, the dead duck remains in the grass.

Police said the actions depicted in the video are “illegal and cruel” and emphasized that the department does not tolerate crimes against people or animals.

The age or identity of the man seen in the video was not immediately known.

Pembroke Pines police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 954-431-2225.

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According to police, Mandrell Ceydrec Rolle Jr., of Pembroke Pines, was arrested Wednesday following the Aug. 22 hit-and-run crash.

Rolle faces one count each of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, reckless driving and resisting an officer without violence.

According to police, the incident began around 7 p.m. on Aug. 22 when multiple 911 calls were made about four dirt bike riders allegedly driving recklessly at high speeds along Collins Avenue in the Art Deco District.

Responding officers located the riders and observed the reckless behavior, police said.

Police said the group continued onto Ocean Drive before stopping in the 700 block.

Officers approached the riders on foot and took one of them, identified as Kasshun Williams, into custody without incident, authorities said.

Police said Rolle saw the officers and fled at a high rate of speed despite repeated commands to stop.

As he fled, Rolle struck a 10-year-old girl who was on the sidewalk with her mother, according to police.

The impact knocked the girl to the ground, injuring her elbow and leg. She was treated at the scene by the Miami Beach Fire Department.

Miami Beach police said detectives identified Rolle during their investigation and learned that he was on federal probation for felony possession of a machine gun.

Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest, and Rolle was taken into custody Wednesday with assistance from the City of Miami Police Department’s Tactical Robbery Unit.

“There is zero tolerance for reckless behavior that endangers the lives of our residents and visitors,” Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne A. Jones said in a statement. “Driving a dirt bike recklessly, striking a 10-year-old child and fleeing without rendering aid is unacceptable.”

Jones said the department would use its resources to identify and hold accountable those who endanger others in Miami Beach.

“If you choose to endanger innocent people in Miami Beach, we will use every available resource to identify you and hold you accountable,” Jones said.

As of Thursday morning, Rolle was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,650 bond.

The report from the Government Accountability Office found delays and holes in how the Secret Service updates its policies regarding threats, and arrives after a few turbulent years for the agency charged with the president's protection.

The would-be assassin in Butler positioned himself on a roof left unsecured, nicking the president's ear with a bullet. Months later, a man with a rifle got surprisingly close to Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course. And in April, an armed man got beyond security barriers at the White House Correspondent's Dinner, where the president sat.

The report found that between 2015 and 2025 the Secret Service dealt with 83 security incidents and that they updated their protection policies in response to 25 of them. Among the incidents was a drone that made contact with President Barack Obama's motorcade in 2015 and another flown about 200 feet (60 meters) over a rally for then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Failing to document why the Secret Service decided not to change their policy is the concern, said Nathan Tranquilli, acting director of the Government Accountability Office, adding that the drone incidents were a “compelling example” of that.

“Some of the missing information has been relevant to subsequent attacks,” the report read. It cited the Butler incident, where the culprit flew a drone for 11 minutes over the crowd, which helped him position himself to get clear shot at Trump.

The Secret Service also failed to update eight of 22 protection policies within a required time frame of four years. A memorandum of understanding between the Secret Service and the Diplomatic Security Service, which designates each agencies' responsibilities for the president's overseas security, hasn't been updated since 1991, even though an annual review and update is required. As a consequence, the memorandum doesn't address newer threats, such as drones.

“When you look at the Secret Service and you look at their mission, really it's a zero fail mission, and they’ve got a ton of challenges,” said Tranquilli. “When decisions were being made about where to put time and energy, some of these things fell to the side, and, as a result, there were some delays.”

The report recommended three fixes, including that the Secret Service revise its policy to require that, when a security incident doesn't warrant a policy update, that the rationale is documented.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, agreed with all recommendations and plans to implement changes.

Thomas Ross, 37, is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He's accused of asking a campaign manager to plant a small amount of cocaine and a prescription amphetamine pill on his opponent, Louise Secker, in the weeks leading up to the Aug. 4 primary, according to court documents.

Ross, of Joplin, defeated Secker by only a few dozen votes.

Ross did not respond to a Thursday message seeking comment about the charge, which was filed Wednesday. The federal public defender's office assigned to his case didn't immediately reply to a message asking how Ross plans to plead.

Missouri's Republican Party chairman, Peter Kinder, called on Ross to drop out of the race, describing the circumstances of his arrest as “serious and deeply troubling.”

A former campaign manager for Ross told law enforcement officers that Ross provided him with a black nylon glove that contained a small, plastic bag of white powder and a pink and white capsule. He said Ross told him to place it in Secker's purse or vehicle while Ross was out of state on vacation, according to a probable cause statement signed by an FBI agent.

Law enforcement tests later showed the substances to be cocaine and Adderall.

The FBI statement said Ross sent numerous text messages to his campaign staffer regarding “the substance.” In one, Ross said he hoped “that we could make it happen” before Secker attended a Republican women's meeting at a Joplin restaurant in June, “which would be extreme egg on the face,” according to the FBI document.

U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price said in a statement that voters deserve to have confidence in elections.

“Candidates are expected to conduct their campaigns with integrity, honesty, and respect for their opponents," Price said.

Two trailer truckloads of the famously creamy dark beer valued at 115,000 pounds ($155,000) were stolen from a depot near Liverpool in northwest England, the Cheshire Constabulary said Thursday.

“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you,’ but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for," Det. Sgt. Gary McClatchy said. “We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen."

The Guinness had been destined for pubs, but was snatched Monday night by two drivers who pulled up to an industrial park in Runcorn and hauled away the trailers containing about 800 barrels of stout.

The value of the trailers was estimated at 50,000 pounds ($67,000).

The theft comes just weeks after a beer heist in the United States captured the public's attention because of the brewer's cheeky social media posts about the loss of roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

“To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way,” the company wrote on Instagram. “P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.”

Police valued the Pabst theft from a Southern California warehouse at $70,000 and the company offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen suds.

“We thank Maria for her work,” a statement read, “and wish her all the best on her next chapter.”

The statement did not specify the reasons for the separation.

Bartiromo hosted “Mornings with Maria” that aired on Fox Business Network, the last episode of which aired Thursday morning, as well as “Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street.”

Having launched “Operation Economic Outcast” just last week to try to isolate Iran from its remaining global trade partners, the Trump administration also resumed strikes in recent days, prompting Iranian retaliation that has renewed concerns of an all-out regional war.

However, the combination of already intense sanctions on Iran and an off-and-on bombing campaign since the war began more than six months ago has not bowed the Iranian leadership and has left the administration struggling to find a way to wind down the conflict. Tehran has dug in its heels — to Trump’s frustration — as energy prices rise, the global economy roils and poll numbers on the administration's handling of the war dip ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.

Trump said Wednesday that he didn't think the conflict would last “much longer,” but he again shrugged off suggestions that its unpopularity and high gasoline prices resulting from Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz would affect the elections for Republicans.

“It doesn’t matter. And I’m not affected by the election,” he told reporters. "I’m not running. But my party is running, and I’m going to help my party. But I think my party respects the fact that we’re not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

A regional diplomat briefed on the matter described the current impasse between Tehran and Washington as reflective of both countries' domestic priorities: the midterm elections for Trump and Republicans and the internal crises within Iran.

Domestic issues are critical reasons why neither side is willing to blink first, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

The diplomat said negotiations, including those between Iran and Oman or even Iran and the U.S., will not go anywhere without addressing the initial catalyst of war: Israel. And the diplomat was skeptical of the Trump administration's new sanctions plan, saying the threats require more explanation than what the U.S. has provided so far.

The Trump administration's economic isolation of Iran is off to a slow start

The administration's new push for Iran's economic isolation was announced with great fanfare last week and a dire warning for all remaining countries to cut off financial and trade ties with Iran or face U.S. retaliation — but the campaign so far has fallen flat.

Just one branch of an Egyptian bank in the United Arab Emirates has been targeted so far. For actual sanctions to bite, experts agree that they must apply to Iran’s main trading partners: mainly China but also India and Russia. But Trump is loath to target China especially as he is preparing to host President Xi Jinping later this month.

Trump also insists that the U.S. has control over the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil transited before the war began. The strategic waterway has been a key pressure point for Iran, and reopening it fully has become one of the prime goals for the U.S. administration.

Ship traffic through the strait is well below pre-war levels due to the risk of attack if vessels don’t comply with an Iranian vetting regime near its coastline, which is in sharp contrast to the unhindered navigation before the war. There were 102 transits last week and 126 the week before, according to shipping data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, compared with 130 or more per day before the war.

“As President Trump said, the strait is open and all mines have been cleared,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Thursday. “The naval blockade remains in full force and effect, and Operation Economic Outcast is underway to sever every remaining economic lifeline sustaining the regime.”

The White House has repeatedly touted the economic impact that the sanctions have had on Iran, citing its rampant inflation and the massive loss in the value of its currency. U.S. officials have described Iran's financial system as “one big house of cards.”

Going forward, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “the price” Iran will pay will be primarily economic, “but we reserve the right ... to take military action when necessary — not just to protect ourselves but to prevent them from being able to threaten others as well.”

“They’re going to continue to feel the squeeze,” he told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade in an interview that aired Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week likened Iran to a snake that has been decapitated but whose body is still writhing.

“We are burying the head of the Iranian snake,” he said Tuesday. “The snake doesn’t know it’s dead yet, but it will stop wiggling when the sun goes down. And so the Iranian regime — they are in demise, and they will figure it out.”

Combining military force and sanctions on Iran ‘is the only option,’ one analyst says

Complicating things for the U.S., Iran’s leadership has shown signs of divisions between moderates more open to a diplomatic solution and hardliners who want to press ahead with a more confrontational approach.

President Masoud Pezeshkian is one of the most prominent voices still calling for a negotiated solution. But the hardliners appear to have gained the upper hand, and Iran shows no sign of backing down. Tehran continues to lash out at U.S. interests and allies around the region in response to military strikes.

“This kind of a hybrid approach — the combination of military force, blockade and economic pressure — that is the only option that seems to be available to the United States at this moment,” said Hamidreza Azizi, consulting senior Iran analyst for the International Crisis Group.

Still, he said, “it’s been for a long time, but now maybe more than ever, a battle of endurance between the two sides.”

Amr Hamzawy, director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pointed to two main reasons for the deteriorating situation.

“One, none of the two parties is satisfied with the outcome — meaning that the current situation does not serve U.S. interests well, and it does not serve Iranian interests well,” Hamzawy said.

The other reason is how leaders from both sides are perceived at home.

“The Trump administration is afraid of being portrayed in the U.S. as an administration that failed to end a military campaign successfully, and that’s going to impact the midterm elections," he said. “And the Iranians, especially the Revolutionary Guard, are quite afraid of appearing as if they are submitting to U.S. sanctions with no actions on their side, which might hurt them domestically.”

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Washington and David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to this report.

According to sources, retired General Abelardo Colome Ibarra, known as “ El Fury,” is currently in worse condition.

Colome Ibarra was head of the Ministry of the Interior and highly respected by the Castro brothers and the Cuban military.

Cuban officials have remained silent after the Diario Las Américas, a Miami-based newspaper in Spanish, reported on Tuesday that Castro, 95, who formally retired in April 2021, had suffered a stroke and was on life support.

Castro’s last public appearance was on June 6 at a ceremony to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior. He did not attend the official annual event to commemorate the historic assault of July 26, 1953.

The Senate’s backing of the bill comes after the lower house overwhelmingly voted in favor on May 6. It now heads to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

The proposed legislation creates a basic legal framework for rare earths and other critical minerals and a fund to provide credit to mining projects. It also provides for tax incentives for domestic processing.

Brazil has the world’s second-largest reserves of rare earth elements, used in a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, solar panels and jet engines.

While China continues to dominate critical minerals in global supply chains, Brazil is positioning itself as an alternative by leveraging its vast reserves. Countries around the world have shown interest as they seek to diversify partnerships and reduce reliance on the Asian powerhouse.

A joint analysis by the AP and Reporter Brazil identified a wave of U.S. investment after China last year restricted rare earth exports in response to U.S. tariffs, including the purchase of Brazil’s only commercial rare earth producer, Serra Verde, by a firm in which the U.S. government has a stake.

In April, USA Rare Earth said it had agreed to pay approximately $2.8 billion for Serra Verde, owner of the Pela Ema rare earth mine and processing plant in Brazil’s Goias state.

Lula has repeatedly said that the South American nation should seek to capitalize on interest in the minerals to develop a national industry, rather than simply export the raw materials.

“We’re not going to repeat what happened with silver and gold in Latin America,” Lula told journalists in Washington on May 7, after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. “With rare earths, we’re going to change our behavior. We want Brazil to be the big winner of these riches.”

The bill establishes the Mineral Activity Guarantee Fund with a contribution of 2 billion reais (about $391 million) from the federal government to guarantee projects and activities linked to the production of critical and strategic minerals.

The legislation also includes a specific program to encourage processing and transforming the minerals in Brazil, with federal incentives of 5 billion reais ($978 million) in tax credits over five years.

In addition, the bill creates the National Council for the Industrialization of Critical and Strategic Minerals, which will indicate priority projects to receive support from the fund.

Mining, which in some cases could happen near reserves in the Amazon rainforest, comes with major environmental risks.

The Climate Observatory, Brazil’s largest network of environmental groups, has criticized the bill, alleging that it increases regulatory flexibility without economic, climate or socioenvironmental trade-offs.

“Critical and strategic minerals are necessary for the energy transition, but this cannot become a blank check for mining. It makes no sense (...) to accelerate legislative proposals that do not guarantee the rights of affected communities and territories,” said Suely Araújo, Public Policy Coordinator at the Climate Observatory, in a statement on Sept. 1.

Leonardo Paz Neves, an international relations professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a think tank and university, said Brazil should engage in a public debate with regard to exploration and production of its resources.

“Access already exists,” said Paz Neves, pointing to USA Rare Earth’s recent purchase. “The big question here is whether the state will want to try to negotiate some kind of privileged agreement regarding that access.”

After meeting with Trump, Lula made clear that Brazil is talking to other countries too. “Brazil has the obligation to share with whoever wants to participate with us, be that the U.S., China, Germany or France.”

In February, Brazil and India signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between both countries.

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

The Space Hub program aims to help address the aerospace workforce gap, inspire students to pursue STEM studies and increase awareness of careers in science-related fields.

The school is located at 1200 NW Sixth Ave.

State senators, representatives, students and Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rafael Villalobos were on hand to discuss the importance of the new program.

The funds will also support technology and equipment upgrades, renovations to the school’s current planetarium and the development of state-of-the-art discovery and aerospace research labs.

“This is the future. So beyond today, which is powerful and amazing, and their incredible work, it is that character, those morals, those values that are being instilled in our children. And they’re going to go out and lead our communities into a new frontier,” said new Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Rafael Villalobos.

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The crash happened around 7:40 p.m. near Northwest 51st Terrace and Northwest 33rd Avenue.

According to MDSO, deputies with the agency’s Robbery Intervention Detail (RID) conducted a traffic stop on one of the vehicles shortly before the crash.

Deputies said they confirmed during that stop that the driver, Luis Manuel Perez, 21, of Miami, had an outstanding warrant from the U.S. military, but he fled from them.

“As additional RID units responded to the area the driver entered a dead-end street,” an MDSO spokesperson told Local 10 News in an email Thursday. “After turning around, the driver ran a stop sign, colliding with a civilian vehicle causing it to flip. The impact caused the vehicles to subsequently collide with an unmarked MDSO vehicle occupied by an RID deputy who was in the area searching for the subject.”

A picture obtained by Local 10 shows the flipped vehicle. A person can also be seen on the ground in the area, apparently in handcuffs.

“I seen him hit the car, and I seen him flip over in the air. And that’s when I ran over there,” one witness said. “I seen it while it happened. I seen it -- pieces of the car flying in the air.”

The driver of the civilian vehicle was taken by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, but later died, authorities confirmed.

Deputies said Perez was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital to be evaluated, and the deputy was treated at the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

While an arrest affidavit for Perez states that he has an active fugitive warrant from the U.S. military, it does not specify the allegations against him. MDSO officials said additional charges are pending against him as well for Wednesday’s crash.

The victim’s identity has not yet been released as authorities work to notify the next of kin.

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His first day comes as the district faces several challenges, including a proposal to potentially close more than two dozen schools because of declining enrollment.

Villalobos says under-enrolled schools can struggle to offer students a wide range of programs.

“When you have schools that are under enrolled, there are programs that are lacking that ultimately students are suffering because they are not receiving them,” Villalobos said.

He said schools operating at full capacity are more likely to have stronger elective programs, including music, art and physical education.

The possible school consolidations are raising concerns among parents.

Villalobos says the list of schools being considered for closure is preliminary. He is pausing community meetings to give the proposal a closer look.

“I wanna make sure that we have a proper set of research and communication, not only for my purposes as the new superintendent coming in, but also making sure that the board members have a better understanding of why those schools were selected, the process in which they were selected,” Villalobos said.

He says community meetings are expected to resume sometime after the second week of October.

It happened on Aug. 21 outside the McDonald’s located at 1310 S. Federal Highway.

An Olsen Middle School parent says she was picking up her kids when she saw the fight spilling out into the street.

“They basically jumped an old man,” said parent Yanelle Perez, who witnessed the fight.

Patrick Utter also said he was there for the incident, jumping into action to help the man, but adding that neither party was innocent.

“A guy that maybe had mental health issues, drinking, went into the McDonald’s and he said something wrong, he incited a bunch of young kids, and they followed him out here on the US 1 corridor,” said Utter. “The US 1 corridor is a little bit rough over here, and more importantly, these kids that are passing through here could use some supervision.”

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the man threatened to fight the kids when they were all inside the McDonald’s.

When the man left the restaurant, deputies said the children followed him outside, after which the fight broke out.

Deputies said they are investigating whether whatever was said inside the restaurant justified what subsequently occurred outside.

They said they are still waiting to speak with the man, who was not still at the McDonald’s by the time deputies arrived.

At the very end of the fight, video showed several witnesses trying to help the man.

“They took his food, beat him up, and he fell on the floor,” said Perez. “They had to have two older gentleman stop it up because it the man, he couldn’t. There was like 10-15 kids on top of him.”

Olsen Middle School Principal Janet Giancarli sent a message to parents in regard to the incident, which stated:

“An adult male approached the students and initiated a physical confrontation outside of the restaurant. The Broward Sheriff’s Office responded and investigated. No one was injured.”

“We understand that a video of this incident is now circulating on social media and is concerning. While the incident did not occur on school grounds or during the school day, we take any situation involving our students seriously and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement regarding this matter,” the statament continued. “The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

Utter said he feels there needs to be more law enforcement presence in the area.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, my friend Ed Tarks, Bernard and myself, saved this guy from a really horrific ending, and that’s why I’m going along with this interview, because we need some help over here with police at the end of the day,” said Utter.

El mensaje de Milei está previsto para las 21 local (00.00 GMT) y será retransmitido por todas las cadenas televisivas. Según el gobierno, se referirá a los “avances diplomáticos” realizados en defensa de la soberanía de las islas en el Atlántico sur, a las que los británicos denominan Falklands y cuya soberanía Argentina reclama desde 1833. Ambos países libraron una guerra por su dominio en 1982 en la que el país sudamericano resultó derrotado.

Las especulaciones en torno del anuncio de Milei aumentaron luego de que Trump —quien profesa una gran simpatía por el mandatario argentino— se refiriera el miércoles al asunto por segunda vez en la semana en una entrevista con la cadena británica GB News.

La entrevistadora le preguntó si acudiría “en ayuda del gobierno británico”, dejando a un lado la histórica neutralidad de Washington, si Milei alude al reclamo. Trump respondió que ese conflicto ha “quedado muy lejos” y a continuación mostró su malestar con el gobierno británico por no haber brindado apoyo militar durante la guerra en Irán.

El lunes había dicho ante consultas periodísticas acerca de si modificaría el alineamiento con Gran Bretaña que “siempre reviso todas mis posturas, esta es sólo una de muchas”.

Las declaraciones fueron leídas como un guiño por Milei, quien señaló que “pasó algo fuerte respecto de la causa más sagrada que tenemos los argentinos”.

Por su parte, el gobierno británico aclaró a través de Tom Wells, portavoz del primer ministro Andy Burnham, que la postura respecto de las islas es “inquebrantable”.

“La soberanía recae en el Reino Unido y el derecho de los isleños a la autodeterminación es primordial”, afirmó Wells. “Los isleños han expresado en repetidas ocasiones su deseo de seguir siendo un territorio británico de ultramar”.

A pesar de que la Constitución argentina establece que la recuperación de las islas y el ejercicio de la soberanía sobre ellas “constituyen un objetivo permanente e irrenunciable”, la relación entre Argentina y el archipiélago es mínima.

No hay comercio directo con las islas —situadas a sólo 480 kilómetros del continente—, y sólo hay un vuelo mensual desde territorio argentino.

Señalamientos contra Milei

Opositores a Milei sostienen que el anuncio de su mensaje es oportunista y basado en declaraciones ambiguas del mandatario estadounidense.

Milei ha sido cuestionado por haber manifestado admiración por la primera ministra Margaret Thatcher —quien envió tropas a Malvinas para luchar contra los argentinos—, como las que hizo durante la campaña que lo llevó al poder en 2023.

En 2025 expresó su esperanza de que los residentes de las islas puedan algún día elegir ser argentinos en lugar de británicos, comentarios que fueron criticados por sus oponentes como excesivamente conciliadores.

Recientemente el presidente apuntó contra el gesto de los jugadores de la Selección de fútbol que desplegaron una pancarta tras la victoria 2-1 ante Inglaterra en el Mundial que se jugó julio que rezaba “Las Malvinas son argentinas”.

“No mezclemos las cosas, entiendo que es difícil... las Malvinas se recuperan con diplomacia sabia y no con gestos de patrioterismo baratos", afirmó Milei a la prensa.

Ese cartel disparó en Argentina, sobre todo entre los jóvenes, un renovado fervor patriótico por las Malvinas.

Lucas Romero, director de Synopsis Consultores, dijo a The Associated Press que pareciera que Milei “está aprovechando las declaraciones de Trump para inflamar o sobreactuar un sentimiento malvinero, para embanderarse con la causa Malvinas”.

Según el politólogo, la estrategia del mandatario sería reposicionarse luego de que fuera muy cuestionado por sus críticas a los jugadores de la Selección durante un partido que “inflamó muchísimo un sentimiento muy profundo en la Argentina, que es el reclamo por la soberanía de las islas, quizás una de las causas que mayor consenso social genera”.

Pero agregó que si el anuncio de Milei no es significativo podría jugarle en contra, “entendiéndose que está sobreactuando”.

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But Miami police said “Dr. Lori” was actually Latonya Shanice Starks, who is not a licensed doctor ― and is instead a 33-year-old felon with no “legitimate job.”

Detectives said she was illegally performing injections ― some of which left patients with scarring, pain and abscesses. In one case, police said a victim believed the complications ultimately led her to have a miscarriage.

Authorities said Starks, of Aventura, ran Lori Dior Miami Med Spa at 5789 NW Seventh Ave. in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood.

‘Lumps,’ ‘irritation’, ‘abscesses’ and a miscarriage

Miami police said they received complaints in May and June about Starks who went to “Dr. Lori” to receive Sculptra, described in arrest reports as a “dermal filler.”

In one case, police said a woman who said she found Starks through the loridior_beautyspa Instagram page went to the clinic in September for Sculptra, “represented to her as a fat-dissolving injection.”

“The victim later learned she was allegedly injected with lemon bottle, which is a foreign fat-dissolving substance that is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration,” a Miami Police Department detective wrote in one of the arrest reports. “The victim stated that after receiving the injections, the substance later began breaking through her skin in the same areas where she had been injected.”

Police said the woman “suffered a severe adverse medical reaction and required repeated hospitalization over a period of approximately three months.”

The woman, who became pregnant in January, believed that she had a miscarriage months later because of medications she had to take to treat the complications, one arrest report states.

In another case, police said a woman who also found Starks through Instagram went to the clinic with her sister in October for injections.

One of the women, who said she was trying to get rid of “hip dips,” said Starks used an insulin needle to inject what the victim believed was Sculptra into her buttocks and abdomen area using an insulin-type needle, the report states.

An MPD detective noted that the substance is “typically injected from a larger syringe than an insulin-type needle because the particles can clog it.”

Police said the victim, who paid Starks $1,200, never saw a Sculptra box and wasn’t sure if that’s what she actually received. They said the victim also paid Starks $650 for her sister, who was in South Florida from Kentucky to celebrate her birthday, to get injections as a gift.

According to an arrest report, both women said they began experiencing “lumps and irritation” after getting the injections. Both women, police said, had to have multiple procedures to get abscesses drained and scarring repaired and both continue to suffer pain at their injection sites.

One of the women said she even lost her job “because she has missed work due (to) the multiple doctor appointments that she has had to go to repair her scarring and drain her abscesses,” police said.

Instagram posts and a felony record

Police said they reviewed the loridior_beautyspa Instagram, where videos showed “Starks filming herself while stating that she is no longer performing injections and instructing individuals to stop contacting her to request injections.”

A post on the account reads, “Lori Dior ONLY does trainings. I do not provide services. I can refer y’all to people but I stop (sic) doing liquid bbls 2 years ago.”

“My classes be soo GHETTO,” a post about a training session read.

Other posts include advertisements for Lori Dior’s “signature POWERBOOTY™ Buttock Enhancement Machine," showing what appear to be AI-generated clips of women having their buttocks significantly inflated by the machines on a beach.

Detectives said records revealed that Lori Dior was never licensed with the state and “further investigation revealed that Starks had previously received a cease-and-desist order from the state of Georgia for similar operations prior to conducting business in Miami.”

Georgia Department of Corrections records show Starks, a native of the Peach State, was convicted of committing multiple crimes, including first-degree forgery and shoplifting, in suburban Atlanta in 2010. Miami police said she was on probation at the time of her arrest on Wednesday.

Traffic stop and arrest

Starks, police said, was taken into custody after a traffic stop near her home in Aventura.

A search of her vehicle revealed “medical and cosmetic equipment, including needles, a sharps container, bandages, and packaging labeled Sculptra 150,” police said.

They said they received a warrant to search her apartment at the Portsview at the Waterways condo building at 3610 Yacht Club Drive and found “additional medical and cosmetic equipment.”

Authorities said Starks claimed that a registered nurse named “Kate,” whose last name, phone number or credentials she couldn’t provide, was doing the injections.

Starks is now facing three charges of practicing healthcare without a license causing serious injury, as well as two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

Records show she was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a total bond of more than $30,000.

Pero la policía de Miami dijo que la “Dra. Lori” era en realidad Latonya Shanice Starks, quien no es una doctora con licencia, sino una delincuente convicta de 33 años sin un “trabajo legítimo”.

Los detectives dijeron que realizaba inyecciones ilegalmente, algunas de las cuales dejaron a pacientes con cicatrices, dolor y abscesos. En un caso, la policía dijo que una víctima creía que las complicaciones finalmente provocaron que sufriera un aborto espontáneo.

Las autoridades dijeron que Starks, de Aventura, operaba Lori Dior Miami Med Spa en 5789 NW Seventh Ave., en el vecindario Liberty City de Miami.

“Bultos”, “irritación”, “abscesos” y un aborto espontáneo

La policía de Miami dijo que recibió denuncias en mayo y junio sobre Starks de mujeres que acudieron a la “Dra. Lori” para recibir Sculptra, descrito en los informes de arresto como un “relleno dérmico”.

En un caso, la policía dijo que una mujer que afirmó haber encontrado a Starks a través de la página de Instagram loridior_beautyspa acudió a la clínica en septiembre para recibir Sculptra, que “le fue presentado como una inyección para disolver grasa”.

“La víctima posteriormente se enteró de que presuntamente le habían inyectado lemon bottle, una sustancia extranjera para disolver grasa que no está aprobada por la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos”, escribió un detective del Departamento de Policía de Miami en uno de los informes de arresto. “La víctima declaró que después de recibir las inyecciones, la sustancia posteriormente comenzó a salir a través de su piel en las mismas áreas donde había sido inyectada”.

La policía dijo que la mujer “sufrió una reacción médica adversa grave y requirió hospitalizaciones repetidas durante un período de aproximadamente tres meses”.

La mujer, quien quedó embarazada en enero, creía que sufrió un aborto espontáneo meses después debido a los medicamentos que tuvo que tomar para tratar las complicaciones, señala uno de los informes de arresto.

En otro caso, la policía dijo que una mujer que también encontró a Starks a través de Instagram acudió a la clínica con su hermana en octubre para recibir inyecciones.

Una de las mujeres, quien dijo que intentaba eliminar los “hundimientos de cadera”, afirmó que Starks utilizó una aguja de insulina para inyectar en sus glúteos y abdomen lo que la víctima creía que era Sculptra, señala el informe.

Un detective del Departamento de Policía de Miami señaló que la sustancia “normalmente se inyecta con una jeringa más grande que una aguja del tipo utilizado para insulina porque las partículas pueden obstruirla”.

La policía dijo que la víctima, quien pagó a Starks $1,200 USD, nunca vio una caja de Sculptra y no estaba segura de que eso fuera lo que realmente recibió. Dijeron que la víctima también pagó a Starks $650 USD para que su hermana, quien estaba en el sur de Florida procedente de Kentucky para celebrar su cumpleaños, recibiera las inyecciones como regalo.

Según un informe de arresto, ambas mujeres dijeron que comenzaron a experimentar “bultos e irritación” después de recibir las inyecciones. Ambas mujeres, dijo la policía, tuvieron que someterse a múltiples procedimientos para drenar abscesos y reparar cicatrices, y ambas continúan sufriendo dolor en los lugares donde recibieron las inyecciones.

Una de las mujeres dijo que incluso perdió su trabajo “porque faltó al trabajo debido a las múltiples citas médicas a las que tuvo que acudir para reparar sus cicatrices y drenar sus abscesos”, dijo la policía.

Publicaciones en Instagram y antecedentes por delitos graves

La policía dijo que revisó la cuenta de Instagram loridior_beautyspa, donde videos mostraban a “Starks grabándose mientras afirmaba que ya no realiza inyecciones e indicaba a las personas que dejaran de contactarla para solicitar inyecciones”.

Una publicación en la cuenta dice: “Lori Dior SOLO ofrece capacitaciones. No presto servicios. Puedo recomendarles personas, pero dejé de hacer bbl líquidos hace 2 años”.

“Mis clases son MUY DE BARRIO”, decía una publicación sobre una sesión de capacitación.

Otras publicaciones incluyen anuncios de la “máquina exclusiva POWERBOOTY™ para aumento de glúteos” de Lori Dior, que muestran lo que parecen ser videos generados por inteligencia artificial de mujeres cuyos glúteos son inflados significativamente por las máquinas en una playa.

Los detectives dijeron que los registros revelaron que Lori Dior nunca tuvo licencia del estado y que “una investigación adicional reveló que Starks había recibido previamente una orden de cese y desistimiento del estado de Georgia por operaciones similares antes de realizar negocios en Miami”.

Los registros del Departamento de Correcciones de Georgia muestran que Starks, oriunda de ese estado, fue condenada por cometer múltiples delitos, incluyendo falsificación en primer grado y hurto en tiendas, en los suburbios de Atlanta en 2010. La policía de Miami dijo que estaba en libertad condicional al momento de su arresto el miércoles.

Parada de tráfico y arresto

Starks, dijo la policía, fue puesta bajo custodia después de una parada de tráfico cerca de su casa en Aventura.

Un registro de su vehículo reveló “equipos médicos y cosméticos, incluyendo agujas, un recipiente para objetos punzocortantes, vendajes y empaques etiquetados como Sculptra 150”, dijo la policía.

Dijeron que obtuvieron una orden para registrar su apartamento en el edificio de condominios Portsview at the Waterways, ubicado en 3610 Yacht Club Drive, y encontraron “equipos médicos y cosméticos adicionales”.

Las autoridades dijeron que Starks afirmó que una enfermera registrada llamada “Kate”, de quien no pudo proporcionar apellido, número de teléfono ni credenciales, era quien realizaba las inyecciones.

Starks ahora enfrenta tres cargos por ejercer la atención médica sin licencia causando lesiones graves, así como dos cargos por posesión de un arma de fuego por parte de una delincuente convicta.

Los registros muestran que permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza total de más de $30,000 USD.

When he got out after serving 23 years and started looking for work, “I had to start from the bottom. The very, very bottom,” Christian said. "I was willing to work anywhere. I just wanted to change my life."

Having a criminal record, as an estimated 1 in 3 American adults do, creates hurdles for people seeking employment, especially in fields that require licenses, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit that aims to end mass incarceration. Meeting with parole officers, a need to secure stable housing and other conditions of release, along with discrimination, compound the typical challenges of job hunting.

“Even when they come home with skills and credentials, they see fewer job opportunities and they earn less money than people who don’t have convictions,” Ruth Delaney, who directs a higher education initiative at the Vera Institute, said.

After Christian's release, his parole officer suggested applying for a job at Toyotetsu, an auto parts manufacturer. The company hires former inmates through a second-chance program. Christian, now 53, got a welding job there and began rebuilding his life.

“I had to learn on the go, on the fly," he said nine years later. "I already had my mind set — I wasn’t going to fail.”

Here are strategies shared by former inmates and reentry specialists for finding work after incarceration.

Develop skills before and after entering the workforce

People incarcerated in prisons with educational programs can build job skills by taking college-level courses or pursuing a professional certification.

Inmates interested in seeking a degree from an eligible college or university can apply for a federal Pell Grant to help cover the cost. The grants were unavailable to incarcerated students for decades, but the Vera Institute and other groups persuaded Congress to restore access.

Incarcerated people who pursue college programs have 48% lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not, according to Vera Institute research. “People who go home and are able to get living-wage jobs do better during reentry," Delaney said. “They're able to get jobs that can support themselves and their families.”

Ryan Cuellar, who went to jail at age 18, received federal financial aid after his release to learn paralegal skills, which he then used to get his record sealed. He eventually earned a master’s degree and now works as a sales consultant for a tutoring company.

“I can't drive home enough how much determination you need to have for yourself," Cuellar said.

Prison work experience is another way to gain skills that are worth including on a resume. You don't have to spell out that your employer was a correctional institution, according to Laura Rivero, an instructor at Leap for Ladies, a nonprofit that teaches employment, entrepreneurship and life skills to women in prison.

Someone who worked in the kitchen of a Florida prison, for example, could list “State of Florida” as the employer and describe the experience as “operated commercial dishwashing machines” or “prepared and served foods in a high-volume dining facility,” Rivero said.

Christian took up welding in prison, which helped him land his first job at Toyotetsu. He still is at the company, where he mentors new employees. He is taking social work classes with the goal of earning an associate degree and helping other former inmates transition into working life.

Seek out employers with second-chance hiring programs

A number of U.S. companies, including large employers like JP Morgan Chase and Virgin Atlantic, work intentionally to hire people with criminal records. The Business Roundtable, a nonprofit association of American CEOs, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have promoted “ second-chance hiring” as a policy that can help address labor shortages as baby boomers retire in large numbers.

Some types of businesses, such as restaurants and warehouses, have established track records for hiring former inmates. Manufacturing jobs and technical positions in health care are growing opportunities as well, Delaney said.

Before a release date, think about who might be able to help you find a job — cousins, former coworkers, teachers or a former boss, Rivero said.

“Some of my students have a lot of shame about their conviction, and they say, ‘I don’t want to reach out to someone because I’m ashamed of where I am,’” she said. “Maybe they don’t respond. Maybe they do. And you don’t know until you try.”

Be prepared to talk about your past

After Joe Anderson left prison and completed house arrest, a friend who worked at a welding plant said the plant needed a dock manager to handle deliveries.

Anderson went there, asked to speak to a manager, and said, “I got out of prison, I really need a job, and I will show up for work because I need this job to stay out of jail.”

The manager appreciated his honesty; Anderson got the job and held it for four years.

“I’ve never really tried to hide anything from anybody because there’s no real point in it with technology these days,” he said. “Anybody can find out anything about you.”

Parole officers showed up at the plant three or four times, Anderson said.

“It’s embarrassing, but at the same time, it got done and they’d show up, just see that I was working and then just wander off,” he said.

Anderson, 34, now earns a salary as a commercial plumber, a job that provides insurance, a pension and a 401(k). “None of that would have been possible if I wasn’t honest about what happened and if I just didn’t get up and try,” he said.

Rivero advises her Leap for Ladies students to disclose a prior conviction during job interviews. She suggested starting with a brief description of your strengths and skills, mentioning that a rough time in your life landed you in prison, and pivoting back to all your positive qualities.

“I tell them, ‘Look, you’re not your conviction, you’re not the worst day of your life,’” Rivero said. “You can frame the narrative if you bring it up."

Prepare for success by making lifestyle changes

Getting a job is an important step. Keeping it and succeeding require their own strategies.

Christian said his first job required 12-hour shifts five or six days per week, with a schedule that alternated between day and night shifts.

“It won’t just be 8-hour jobs,” he said. “You’ve got to learn how to shift your sleep patterns. ... You’ve got to get proper rest.”

After Cuellar started working, he noticed habits he had acquired while incarcerated and needed to break. “I developed a slang that I had to unlearn," he recalled. "I didn’t realize it was a survival mechanism.”

The change was a big adjustment for Anderson, who before prison was out drinking at parties and raves every night. These days he wakes up around 4 a.m. to get to work on time.

“It is 100% harder to get up every single day to go to work, bust your body, but it’s lot more rewarding at the end of the day,” Anderson said. “My children are very proud of me. My family’s proud of me again."

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Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

Doubles play also began Thursday, though Serena and Venus Williams are not on the schedule. They could play their first-round match Friday against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, who beat Serena in singles play at Wimbledon this summer.

Osaka, the two-time U.S. Open champion, started the action on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Katerina Siniakova. Osaka wore white and silver under her long white jacket with a white visor for her day match, after she was dressed in black with her hair done in cornrows under a headband in a tribute to former NBA superstar Allen Iverson for her opener at night.

Eala was also scheduled for day action after the No. 17 seed from the Philippines started at night, as was Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion.

Gauff, who won her first major title at Flushing Meadows in 2023, faces Paula Badosa in a night match that will be followed by No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who hopes for an easier time against Quentin Halys after he needed five sets to edge Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday, barely avoiding becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a men's major since 2003.

Badosa will be playing for the second straight day, forced to finish her first-round match Wednesday after play was suspended Tuesday because of rain that hampered the tournament for multiple days. The sun was out again Thursday when play began.

Other men in action include No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 9 Taylor Fritz and Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire after this year but won Tuesday on his 40th birthday to prolong his Grand Slam career and advance to face No. 14 Learner Tien.

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Según la policía, Mandrell Ceydrec Rolle Jr., de Pembroke Pines, fue arrestado el miércoles tras el choque con fuga ocurrido el 22 de agosto.

Rolle enfrenta un cargo por abandonar la escena de un choque con heridos, uno por conducción imprudente y uno por resistirse a un agente sin violencia.

Según la policía, el incidente comenzó alrededor de las 7 p.m. del 22 de agosto, cuando se realizaron múltiples llamadas al 911 sobre cuatro motociclistas todoterreno que presuntamente conducían de manera imprudente y a alta velocidad por Collins Avenue, en el Distrito Art Déco.

Los agentes que respondieron localizaron a los motociclistas y observaron la conducta imprudente, dijo la policía.

La policía dijo que el grupo continuó por Ocean Drive antes de detenerse en la cuadra 700.

Los agentes se acercaron a pie a los motociclistas y pusieron bajo custodia a uno de ellos, identificado como Kasshun Williams, sin incidentes, informaron las autoridades.

La policía dijo que Rolle vio a los agentes y huyó a alta velocidad a pesar de las repetidas órdenes de detenerse.

Mientras huía, Rolle atropelló a una niña de 10 años que estaba en la acera con su madre, según la policía.

El impacto derribó a la niña y le causó lesiones en el codo y la pierna. Fue atendida en el lugar por el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami Beach.

La policía de Miami Beach dijo que los detectives identificaron a Rolle durante la investigación y se enteraron de que estaba bajo libertad condicional federal por posesión de una ametralladora, un delito grave.

Los detectives obtuvieron una orden para su arresto y Rolle fue puesto bajo custodia el miércoles con la ayuda de la Unidad Táctica de Robos del Departamento de Policía de la ciudad de Miami.

“Hay cero tolerancia para conductas imprudentes que pongan en peligro la vida de nuestros residentes y visitantes”, dijo el jefe de la Policía de Miami Beach, Wayne A. Jones, en un comunicado. “Conducir imprudentemente una motocicleta todoterreno, atropellar a una niña de 10 años y huir sin prestar ayuda es inaceptable”.

Jones dijo que el departamento utilizaría sus recursos para identificar y responsabilizar a quienes pongan en peligro a otras personas en Miami Beach.

“Si decide poner en peligro a personas inocentes en Miami Beach, utilizaremos todos los recursos disponibles para identificarlo y responsabilizarlo”, dijo Jones.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, Rolle permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $2,650 USD.

Mama came to the shelter as a stray and, based on her condition, appears to have recently had puppies. Sadly, her puppies were never found. Despite being young — likely under two years old — Mama has been repeatedly overlooked.

Shelter staff say Mama is extremely sweet and simply needs some patience and time to feel comfortable. While she was nervous in the car and in the unfamiliar TV studio, her tail kept wagging whenever she saw someone.

Staff say fostering could be a great option for someone who wants to give Mama a chance to blossom in a calm home environment.

And Mama isn’t the only dog looking for a family. Amos, a larger adult dog who has also been at the shelter for months, is waiting for his chance, too.

The message from Animal Services is simple: don’t overlook adult or larger dogs. They can make wonderful companions when given the right home and a little love.

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

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The person said Christian Castro, the officer who authorities say shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators.

The federal charges, which remain under seal, follow Castro's release from jail last week after Texas’ governor refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to hand him over to Minnesota authorities, who have charged him separately with assault and false reporting of a crime related to the same shooting.

Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during the confrontation. But federal prosecutors dropped charges against the men after video evidence showed the officers may have lied about the encounter, and officials opened an investigation.

Earlier this week, a federal prosecutor working on the case told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims that Justice Department officials blocked the prosecutor’s push to bring a more serious civil rights charge against the officer for the shooting, ProPublica reported.

But the person familiar with the investigation disputed the prosecutor’s characterization, saying the civil rights probe is continuing and there has been no final decision on whether to bring additional charges. The prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.

An automatic email response from Evans' Justice Department account said he was on leave. Other attempts to reach him were not immediately successful.

Castro was initially arrested in May in the Minnesota case, and he was held in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico, while Minnesota officials sought his extradition. But Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to immediately sign off, citing continuing investigations of fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

Minnesota officials had sought to stop the sheriff in Cameron County, Texas, from releasing Castro, out of fear that he would flee to Mexico. According to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota, Castro had a conversation with a woman, while he was incarcerated, where he spoke about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico after his release.

But Castro was released a week ago after a federal judge refused to order Texas to extradite him.

The Department of Homeland Security previously called Minnesota’s prosecution of Castro “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” saying only federal authorities have jurisdiction in the case.

Castro was suspended from ICE without pay in February while federal authorities conducted the investigation.

“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” ICE's acting director at the time, Todd Lyons, said then. “Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”

Minnesota officials alleged that Castro, 52, fired through the front door of a home and shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh.

Castro and another officer had chased a different man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where he and Sosa-Celis lived. Minnesota prosecutors said the officer then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Attorneys for Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, who Minnesota officials have said were legally in the U.S., didn’t immediately respond to emails Thursday from The Associated Press.

The report drew no conclusions about the nature of Russini’s relationship with Vrabel, who said he took accountability for his actions without addressing photos released of the coach and the reporter at a resort in Arizona. He stepped away from the team on the third day of the NFL draft to begin counseling and returned soon afterward.

“We neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini, but the totality of the public photographs are enough to conclude a violation of company policy,” the report said.

Steven Ginsberg, executive editor at The Athletic, a New York Times-owned sports outlet, addressed the report in a message to employees Thursday.

“We undertook this review to ensure the integrity of our journalism and to maintain the trust our audience places in us. Nothing is more important than our credibility,” Ginsberg wrote.

Mike Semel, editorial director for standards and quality at The Athletic, conducted the review of Russini’s work, examining 903 stories, 204 episodes of her podcast and 77 videos.

“The review found that the vast majority of Dianna’s stories were unrelated to Vrabel, and most of those that mentioned him did not raise concerns,” Ginsberg told the staff. “We have, however, added editor’s notes to four stories — one written and three videos — that did not meet our standards.”

The photos of Vrabel and Russini were taken in Sedona, Arizona, before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post. Vrabel and Russini are both married. The NFL did not investigate Vrabel’s actions.

“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards,” Semel wrote in the report. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."

Vrabel led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in February, where they lost to Seattle. He was the AP NFL Coach of the Year in his first season in New England, finishing 63 points ahead of Jacksonville’s Liam Coen.

Russini told the AP on Thursday that she stands by what she wrote in her resignation letter in April.

“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Russini said then, adding she was stepping away "not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose 6.71% from 6.66% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.50%.

Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying a home, one reason U.S. home sales remain in a rut this year.

The average rate is now the highest it's been since July 31, 2025, when it was at 6.72%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 6.04% from 5.98% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.60%.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including inflation, broader policy rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and expectations from bond market investors for the economy. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Both mortgage rates and the bond market have been mostly rising this year due to the U.S. war with Iran, which has fueled expectations for hotter inflation as crude oil prices soared. Long-term bond yields remain steeper than they were before the conflict began in late February, helping drive mortgage rates higher.

Over the past week, renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran has ratcheted pressure on oil markets, driving up prices for crude. Higher oil prices can push up inflation, which drives up bond yields.

The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.74% as of midday Thursday on the bond market. It was at 4.67% last Thursday. Before the war, it was just 3.97% in late February.

Worries about the U.S. government’s growing debt have also helped drive up long term bond yields, prompting the U.S. Treasury Department to intervene last month.

As inflation remains elevated, pressure is increasing on the Federal Reserve to take action to help lower it.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said last week at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that inflation had not shown sufficient improvement and that the central bank might have “more work to do,” a sign he is weighing a rate increase at the Fed’s next meeting Sept. 15-16.

Wall Street expects the central bank to raise interest rates before the year ends in an effort to cool inflation, which remains well above 3%. The Fed has a stated goal of cooling inflation to a target of 2%.

The central bank doesn’t set mortgage rates, but its decisions to raise or lower its short-term rate are watched closely by bond investors and can ultimately affect the yield on 10-year Treasurys.

“We don’t expect any real mortgage rate relief this fall, but if inflation isn’t tamed, the pain will be real,” said Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com. “Higher inflation would simultaneously erode paychecks and real income growth while keeping mortgage rates elevated for longer. That’s a squeeze on housing from both sides: what people can afford, and what they’re willing to buy into.”

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. U.S. sales of those homes again slowed in July.

Firefighters relentlessly tackled wildfires throughout the summer, even in normally cooler and wetter regions in the north and Brittany, as France experienced one of its driest years ever. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux and forced a quarter of a million people to evacuate from their homes.

“We have experienced the hottest summer ever recorded since measurements began in 1900,” Environment Minister Monique Barbut said at a presentation of the climate report covering the months of June, July and August.

According to national weather agency Meteo France, the summer of 2026 recorded an average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit), covering day and nighttime. It's 3.6 C (6.5 F) above the normal average, and higher than in 2003, when temperatures were 2.7 C (4.9 F) above normal.

Millions in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe experienced extreme temperatures this summer. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Meteo France, said the summer was marked by very low rainfall, with a deficit of nearly 40%, making it the second driest since records began.

There was an unprecedented number of heat wave days, with 53 days across three episodes throughout the season, far exceeding the summer of 2022 with 33 days.

Record-breaking ocean temperatures across all of mainland France and Corsica’s coastlines were recorded, and very hot spells occurred outside the summer months, such as last May and early September, which are a sign of climate change, Meteo France added.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage

On Wednesday, the NBA imposed a sweeping punishment against the Clippers for violating salary cap circumvention rules, including suspending owner Steve Ballmer for one year, fining the team $30 million, forcing the organization to forfeit five first-round draft picks and fining Leonard $700,000.

Leonard was not suspended for any games, raising questions about what's next for the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

The Raptors and Clippers struck a deal on June 30 on a trade that would send Leonard back to the team he helped lead to the 2019 NBA championship. The Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and pick swaps to the Clippers.

In July, the trade was put on hold pending the outcome of the NBA’s investigation.

The Raptors have declined to comment on the status of the deal to acquire Leonard now that the league has announced the fallout from its investigation.

Leonard, 35, is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points while playing 65 games last year with the Clippers.

A seven-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA champion, Leonard is considered one of the game’s top defensive players. He also won the 2014 NBA title with San Antonio.

In Toronto, Leonard would join a roster led by two-time All-Star Scottie Barnes, Canadian star RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and talented youngster Collin Murray-Boyles.

The Raptors finished 46-36 in 2025-26 and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in a first-round playoff series defeat. It was Toronto’s first playoff appearance in four years.

So far this summer, the Raptors have signed general manager Bobby Webster to a multiyear contract extension and promoted him to executive vice president, and agreed to a multiyear extension with coach Darko Rajakovic.

On July 7, Leonard was in the front row at Kyle Lowry’s Toronto news conference when Lowry announced he was retiring as a member of the Raptors. Ingram attended a Clippers Summer League game in Las Vegas on July 10.

The NBA began investigating in September 2025 whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

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Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, who is the leading agency on the case, said Kentreal Sharmaine Smith, 37, was taken into custody and charged in connection with the Aug. 18 fatal shooting that occurred outside of Valentine’s Market, located at 636 SW Sixth Ave.

They said officers from the Homestead Police Department responded just after midnight to the market after a ShotSpotter alert detected 11 rounds being fired.

Authorities said they found the victim on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics pronounced him dead at 12:16 a.m.

They said 11 shell casings from a 9 mm firearm were recovered at the scene, according to the report.

Smith’s arrest report states that surveillance video and a witness placed him across the street from the market moments before the shooting, watching as the victim sat on the sidewalk at the west end of the building.

Deputies said Smith at some point climbed onto an electric bike and rode around the area of the market before approaching the victim from behind the building and opening fire.

They said Smith then fled westbound to a route that was consistent with his girlfriend’s Florida City home.

An autopsy conducted Aug. 18 by Miami-Dade County Associate Medical Examiner determined the victim died of multiple gunshot wounds, with the manner of death classified as a homicide, the report states.

Authorities located Smith at his home near the 800 block of Fifth Court in Florida City and arrested him, the report states.

Inside the home, officers found an electric bike with a 9 mm gun tucked in its pouch in the living room, according to the report.

Smith was transported to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau, where he “confessed his involvement in the homicide,” the report states.

Authorities have not released any information on the victim’s age or identity, and a motive for the shooting remains unclear at this time.

Jail records show Smith is facing one count of second-degree murder with a weapon.

As of Thursday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.” Records show he is also facing multiple drug-related charges that include possession of cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon in an unrelated case.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, la agencia a cargo del caso, dijeron que Kentreal Sharmaine Smith, de 37 años, fue puesto bajo custodia y acusado en relación con la balacera mortal del 18 de agosto que ocurrió afuera de Valentine’s Market, ubicado en 636 SW Sixth Ave.

Dijeron que agentes del Departamento de Policía de Homestead respondieron al mercado poco después de la medianoche luego de que una alerta de ShotSpotter detectara 11 disparos.

Las autoridades dijeron que encontraron a la víctima en la acera con múltiples heridas de bala. Dijeron que paramédicos del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade lo declararon muerto a las 12:16 a.m.

Dijeron que se recuperaron en el lugar 11 casquillos de un arma de fuego de 9 mm, según el informe.

El informe de arresto de Smith señala que un video de vigilancia y un testigo lo ubicaron al otro lado de la calle frente al mercado momentos antes de la balacera, observando mientras la víctima estaba sentada en la acera en el extremo oeste del edificio.

Los agentes dijeron que Smith en algún momento se subió a una bicicleta eléctrica y recorrió el área del mercado antes de acercarse a la víctima desde la parte trasera del edificio y abrir fuego.

Dijeron que Smith luego huyó hacia el oeste por una ruta que coincidía con la dirección de la casa de su novia en Florida City.

Una autopsia realizada el 18 de agosto por un médico forense asociado del condado Miami-Dade determinó que la víctima murió por múltiples heridas de bala y que la manera de muerte fue clasificada como homicidio, señala el informe.

Las autoridades localizaron a Smith en su casa cerca de la cuadra 800 de Fifth Court en Florida City y lo arrestaron, señala el informe.

Dentro de la casa, los agentes encontraron una bicicleta eléctrica con un arma de 9 mm guardada en su bolsa en la sala, según el informe.

Smith fue trasladado a la Oficina de Homicidios de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, donde “confesó su participación en el homicidio”, señala el informe.

Las autoridades no han divulgado información sobre la edad o identidad de la víctima, y el motivo de la balacera sigue sin estar claro en este momento.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Smith enfrenta un cargo de asesinato en segundo grado con un arma.

Hasta el jueves, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “por determinar”. Los registros muestran que también enfrenta múltiples cargos relacionados con drogas, que incluyen posesión de cocaína y posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego por parte de un delincuente convicto en un caso no relacionado.

Tras meses de decir que Cuba sería la próxima, el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio dijo hoy que el presidente tiene las manos atadas debido a la Ley Helms-Burton, que exige que no haya normalización entre EE.UU. y Cuba a menos que haya un cambio de régimen y un avance hacia un gobierno democrático.

Incluso si Raul Castro muriera en un futuro cercano, no espero un cambio de régimen.

Solo EE.UU. puede cambiar la Ley Helms-Burton y no espero que eso ocurra en un futuro cercano ni después de las elecciones de mitad de mandato.

2 de septiembre: Niños en Cuba comienzan nuevo año escolar en medio de más desafíos que en cualquier otro año anterior

Los niños en Cuba comenzaron el martes el nuevo año escolar enfrentando una falta de suministros, libros, uniformes y maestros, además de edificios que se están deteriorando y falta de alimentos para alimentar a los niños.

Según el ministro de Educación de Cuba, este será un año muy difícil, como ningún otro.

La educación cubana fue alguna vez uno de los grandes logros de la revolución. Sin embargo, también fue utilizada para adoctrinar a los estudiantes en una ideología en la que ya nadie en la nación isleña cree.

1 de septiembre: Raul Castro es hospitalizado, según fuentes

Fuentes confiables dentro de Cuba me informaron esta tarde que Raul Castro ha sido hospitalizado. Debemos ser cautelosos y no especular demasiado sobre lo que podría suceder hasta nuevo aviso.

El Dr. Andy S. Gomez es analista de Cuba de Local 10. Gomez es considerado uno de los principales expertos sobre Cuba. Trabajó en la educación superior durante 32 años antes de retirarse de la Universidad de Miami en 2012.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sept. 1: Raul Castro hospitalized, sources say

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

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

The Treasury Department proposed the change Thursday in a new regulation that, if made final, would kick in after May 2027. The rule is broadly aimed at ending any policies or programs that help students because of their race, and it specifically says such benefits in admissions, scholarships and facilities “would be incompatible” with the rule.

It’s the latest attempt by the Trump administration to pressure schools and colleges to weed out diversity, equity and inclusion policies that had become common before President Donald Trump returned to the White House with a promise to end them. Trump officials have used Civil Rights-era laws to unwind the policies, saying they discriminate against white and Asian American students.

Higher education leaders criticized the proposal.

“The administration’s latest rules changes are its most blatant attack to keep working class Americans and people of color from accessing higher education and a better life,” Mike Gavin, Alliance for Higher Education president and CEO, said in a statement. “By claiming that efforts to increase fair opportunity for all students are discriminatory, the administration is trying to gaslight the American people into believing that up is down and black is white.”

Thousands of colleges could be affected

Scores of universities have shut down or rebranded their DEI offices and ended scholarships and clubs designed for minority students under pressure from the White House. In a statement announcing the proposal, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that even policies that are no longer under the banner of DEI could be targeted.

“Schools rebranding race-based preferences as equitable, inclusive, or diversity-enhancing does not change their discriminatory nature,” Bessent said.

The Treasury Department and IRS estimate that up to 18,000 private schools, colleges and other education institutions could be affected by the proposal.

America’s private universities have been exempt from many taxes for more than a century because they provide a public good. The benefit saves many universities millions of dollars every year.

Trump has seen the tax-exempt status as a lever to pull in his pressure campaign against colleges that he describes as hotbeds of “wokeness.” He threatened to cut the benefit for Harvard University last year during his battle with the nation’s oldest college. In a response, Harvard officials said there was no legal basis for doing so and argued it would force cuts to financial aid and crucial medical research.

In the 1970s, a college lost tax-exempt status over a ban on interracial dating

It’s incredibly rare for the federal government to go after a college’s tax-exempt status, but there’s one notable precedent. Bob Jones University, a small Christian school in South Carolina, lost the benefit in the 1970s over a ban on interracial dating and marriage on campus. The Supreme Court upheld the IRS’s decision to deny the school its exemption. The school has since ended the ban and regained tax-exempt status in 2017.

Laws forbid the IRS from targeting individuals and organizations for ideological reasons, and federal officials are not allowed to direct IRS investigations.

To maintain nonprofit status, which allows donations to be tax-deductible, organizations must follow IRS rules on lobbying, political campaign activity and annual reporting requirements, as well as other obligations.

The Trump administration describes the new proposal as a move toward restoring merit in the nation’s education systems.

Marjorie Hass, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, said the change would most likely impact donations, which are often earmarked for scholarships.

The uncertainty around the proposal also will create challenges for schools, said Tim Powers, a vice president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

“Our institutions are committed to complying with applicable civil rights laws and maintaining safe and supportive campuses free from discrimination,” Powers said. “However, the proposed rule may create new compliance burdens and legal uncertainties for institutions of higher education that are already operating in line with existing nondiscrimination rules.”

The Justice Department has separately opened investigations into several medical schools that it accuses of favoring Black and Hispanic students in admissions. Trump officials say any such favoritism violates Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that forbids discrimination in education and was created to fight segregation and its impact.

A statement from IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said private schools that promote discriminatory practices will no longer be exempt from taxes.

“Today’s proposed regulations put institutions on notice and schools that continue to engage in racial discrimination should expect to lose that status,” he said.

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Associated Press Education Writers Annie Ma and Heather Hollingsworth contributed to this report.

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

Las autoridades dijeron que encontraron al agente de KWPD Dustin Christina, de 40 años, quien estaba fuera de servicio, sentado en el asiento del conductor de su camioneta Ford blanca estacionada alrededor de las 5 a.m. del 16 de agosto en el estacionamiento del Old City Hall, junto a Greene Street, entre las calles Duval y Simonton.

En su informe de arresto, los agentes dijeron que vieron a Christina doblar de Greene Street hacia Ann Street un par de horas antes y casi atropellar a una mujer que tuvo que correr hacia la acera para evitar ser golpeada.

Cuando los agentes se acercaron más tarde a Christina dentro del vehículo estacionado y le preguntaron cuánto había bebido, les dijo: “Tomé unas copas”, antes de afirmar que él no había conducido su camioneta hasta ese lugar y decirles a los agentes: “No hice nada. Estoy jodidamente esperando que alguien venga a buscarme y luego se fueron y ahora estoy esperando”, según su informe de arresto.

Los agentes dijeron que mientras hablaban con Christina notaron que tenía “la mirada perdida, los ojos inyectados en sangre, vidriosos, llorosos y caídos, parecía tener el rostro enrojecido y había olor a una bebida alcohólica proveniente de su persona”, según el informe.

Además, la policía dijo que cuando Christina salió de la camioneta, “se limpió la frente, se tambaleó hacia atrás contra su vehículo y utilizó la parte inferior de sus piernas para impulsarse y separarse del vehículo”, antes de que “intentara cerrar la puerta del conductor, fallara y se alejara tambaleándose de su vehículo”.

Cuando los agentes intentaron realizarle pruebas de DUI a Christina, la policía dijo que él les respondió: “No, no lo voy a hacer. Estoy sentado aquí en un vehículo que no está encendido”.

KWPD dijo que un agente supervisor en el lugar determinó que había causa probable para arrestar a Christina, quien fue acusado de DUI y de negarse a someterse a una prueba de alcohol en la sangre y fue trasladado al Centro de Detención del condado Monroe.

The center said Thursday that 6,300 new visitors looked at the database between July 21 — the date the initiative was launched — and Aug. 20. That marked a 125% increase over the previous period in 2025.

The center, in charge of combating abuse in Olympic sports, has long published the database. But without publicizing who lands on the list, people had to access the database and know who they were looking for to learn about banned and restricted people in their orbit.

Now, the center delivers a weekly email with updates about people added to the list; the updates include cases taken to arbitration that have reached a decision.

In addition to sports media, among those who commonly receive the email are national governing bodies and club owners.

“Recognizing how underutilized this tool has been, we are investing in amplifying it nationwide with the hope of increasing transparency and fostering safer sport environments," CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosley said in a news release announcing the numbers.

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Authorities said they found off-duty KWPD Officer Dustin Christina, 40, sitting in the driver’s seat of his parked white Ford pickup truck around 5 a.m. on Aug. 16. in the Old City Hall parking lot off Greene Street, between Duval and Simonton streets.

In his arrest report, officers said they saw Christina turning the corner from Greene to Ann streets a couple hours prior and nearly hitting a woman who had to run onto the curb to avoid being hit.

When officers later approached Christina inside the parked vehicle and asked him how much he had to drink, he told them, “I had a few,” before stating that he was not the person who drove his truck to that location, telling officers, “I didn’t do anything. I’m f---ing waiting for someone to get me and then they left and now I’m waiting,” according to his arrest report.

Officers said that while speaking to Christina, they noticed that he had “a blank stare, his eyes were bloodshot, glassy, watery and droopy, he appeared to have a flushed face, and there was an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person,” per the report.

Additionally, police said when Christina got out of the truck, he “wiped his forehead, stumbled backward onto his vehicle and used the lower half of his legs to push off the vehicle” before he “attempted to close his driver’s door, missed it, and stumbled away from his vehicle.”

When officers attempted to perform DUI tests on Christina, police said he told them, “Nah, I’m not doing it. I’m sitting here in a non-running vehicle.”

KWPD said a supervising officer at the scene determined there was probable cause to arrest Christina, and he was charged with DUI and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test and taken to the Monroe County Detention Center.

Yeva Smyrnova and Danyil Smyrnov both joined the army in 2023, at 18, and married two years later, in July 2025. Young as they were, decided they needed to hurry and start a family.

“We dreamed of this child, but because we were both always at war, it was very difficult,” said Smyrnova, who serves as a drone pilot under the call sign “Yunha.”

Danyil Smyrnov was killed in action on Aug. 28, 2026, on the Sumy front in northeastern Ukraine, one of a group of four soldiers killed in action serving with military intelligence. He held the rank of junior sergeant, served as a reconnaissance operator, and helped train recruits.

“This month our son is due to be born — the son Dania dreamed about so much. He dreamed of being the best father," Smyrnova told The Associated Press.

But instead of choosing a name for her firstborn child, she and hundreds of others came to say goodbye to her husband at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

In the days after Smyrnov's death, his wife wrote online that their son would be “his continuation.”

The monastery, where Ukraine typically holds funeral services for soldiers killed in the war, was packed. Mourners of all ages came to pay their respects, including fellow soldiers holding bouquets of roses.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Smyrnov was 16 and finishing high school. He went on to study psychology at a university in Lithuania but did not stay long — fighting had intensified around Bakhmut, where his uncle was serving at the time, and the young man left his studies. As soon as he turned 18, he signed a military contract.

“He … called me that evening, very happy, and said, ‘Sorry, Dad, I signed the contract. I forged your signature. Forgive me,’” recalled his father, Oleksandr Smyrnov, his voice shaking. He struggled to speak about his son, but embraced his daughter-in-law, saying he also found some comfort in the grandson soon to arrive.

Danyil Smyrnov went on to command an assault group in the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. He was wounded by shrapnel in both legs and underwent rehabilitation, then returned to service, later transferring to Ukrainian military intelligence. Many knew him by his call sign, “Surfer” — from the age of 6, he had flown to visit his mother in Bali every summer, where he became a skilled surfer.

“Despite all the horrors of war, Dania managed to find his treasure — his girlfriend, and later his wife, Yeva,” read a passage from the eulogy at the monastery, as explosions echoed through the city. “Their relationship changed them both. They were both fighting for life, for a shared future.”

Now his wife is left alone, widowed at 21.

“He wanted all of us to be able to live in peace,” she said. “And in the end, he paid for that with his life.”

Smyrnov often wrote about the war on his Instagram, an account that holds mostly photos from his military life — himself in uniform, at different positions — with his most recent photos showing him with his wife, who is also pictured in military fatigues.

In an earlier post, written around his 20th birthday, he wrote: “In my 20 years, I’ve understood one thing: people don’t value life until they feel its edge. … War is not romance. It’s an experience that strips you down to what’s real,” the message said. “The choice is simple: who will you be — a victim, or someone who takes responsibility?”

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Alex Babenko contributed to this report.

Dozens of law enforcement officers were at the apartment building where the shooting occurred Wednesday evening, along with a mobile crime scene unit from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state investigative agency.

The five wounded by gunfire included two Minneapolis police officers, while a sixth person, another officer, suffered other injuries, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a Wednesday news conference. The three officers were hospitalized but expected to make full recoveries, said Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson.

A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. Officers were inside the building within two minutes and quickly found victims, Peterson said.

Officers heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Peterson did not provide additional details about the haze.

One officer was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen, he said.

Authorities did not provide any details about the suspected shooter but said they were familiar with the person before the shooting.

One victim was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said. It was not immediately clear how the shooter died, he said.

Minneapolis council member Elizabeth Shaffer represents the neighborhood where the shooting happened. She said 16 displaced residents had sheltered in a nearby church overnight and that the Red Cross had been providing support. Shaffer said her staff hadn’t received any previous constituent complaints related to safety or building management.

“That is surprising when you read the news reports, you know, of what was happening in the building, but there was, we have heard nothing,” she said.

Resident Julius Bailey was sitting with a friend just outside the building entrance when he heard gunshots and saw a man he recognized as another resident holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running, counting eight shots as he headed for safety.

Bailey said the man with the gun was well known in the building for being belligerent and showing off his weapon. Bailey, who moved into the building in June, said he went out of his way to avoid the man.

“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.

Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.

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Associated Press reporters Mark Vancleave, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Safiyah Riddle in Los Angeles and Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Near the crash site, a 150-year-old olive tree stood at the center of a ring of limestone blocks laid into the ground featuring the names of the victims. Foreign ambassadors laid wreaths and the Patriarch of Lisbon, a senior Catholic church official, offered a blessing.

The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.

The picturesque yellow streetcar, called a funicular because it travels up and down a steep hill in tandem with a second car, is a popular tourist attraction. Authorities said that 11 of those killed were foreigners, likely tourists who stand in long lines to board it.

Lisbon attracted about 10 million tourists last year, and they are one of the city’s economic mainstays. Portugal receives around 30 million visitors each year.

Service on the Gloria funicular remains halted while the official investigation proceeds. Two other city funiculars also remain out of service during inspections. The regular streetcars that rumble through the city's streets are running as usual.

The anniversary brought renewed attention to delays in identifying the causes of the crash, which also injured 24 people, and attributing any blame.

Carris, the Portuguese company that runs the city’s road transport, said Wednesday it plans to open an international tender in the first quarter of next year for the affected funicular to be modernized, with the goal of it returning to service by 2029.

Portugal's public prosecutor's office said it hoped to publish a final report by March regarding the accident’s causes and whether there is any criminal liability.

Families of the victims complained in a letter obtained by public broadcaster RTP about “a year of silence” from authorities. They had been kept in the dark about the investigation, receiving no contact from officials, they said, according to RTP.

A preliminary report into the accident published last year said that the failure of a steel safety cable and maintenance flaws contributed to the crash. The streetcar hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreck.

Officers found Anthony Ignatiadis-Isabelle dead inside the Westwood Hills Elementary School library after responding to a report of a suspicious person, Waynesboro Police Chief David Shaw said during a news conference. Shaw said an adult staff member suffered a gunshot wound but has been released from the hospital.

Authorities did not say whether Ignatiadis-Isabelle, of Waynesboro, knew the victim or whether he had any connection to the school. Shaw said no children were inside the library at the time, and that officers responded within three minutes of getting the initial call.

“Our safety and security protocols and procedures worked,” said Waynesboro Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell. “Every student and staff member is safe and returned home to their families. Please hug your children and your families this evening.”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she was monitoring the situation.

“My heart is with these young students, their parents and families, and the teachers and staff at the school,” Spanberger said on social media. “Thank you to the first responders who are assisting at the scene.”

Waynesboro is about 96 miles (155 km) northwest of Richmond.

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Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

Five newspaper publishers in New York City agreed in 1846 to pool resources in order to speed the delivery of news about the U.S. war with Mexico using a pony-express relay through Alabama to a telegraph office. Those beginnings gave birth to an organization that in many ways became the backbone of the news industry. The AP claims some 4 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, see news produced by the company on a typical day.

Many don’t realize that.

For most of its history, the AP has effectively been a utility, providing material for other news outlets to print, broadcast or carry online, its journalists largely anonymous. AP reporters weren’t even identified with bylines until World War I. But the company has chronicled the nation’s big moments for much of the 250-year history of the American republic.

Although horses long since gave way to the internet, the journalism remains. Here are some stories behind the stories the AP has chronicled.

Covering Mr. Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address

Absorbed by the message President Abraham Lincoln delivered at the Nov. 19, 1863, dedication of a cemetery at the Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — as generations after him would be — 21-year-old AP reporter Joseph Ignatius Gilbert momentarily forgot his job.

“I unconsciously stopped taking notes,” Gilbert recalled later, “and I looked up at him as he glanced from his manuscript with a faraway look in his eyes as if appealing from the few thousands before him to the invisible audience of countless millions whom his words were to reach.”

That was a problem. There were no tape recorders or video cameras yet. So if Gilbert didn’t capture Lincoln’s words, they would reach fewer people.

Gilbert recovered, and perhaps saved his job, when the president allowed him to borrow the paper upon which he wrote the memorably short, 272-word speech, and to copy it. The reporter’s presence also insured that people would remember precisely how Lincoln delivered the address, beyond the words.

Consider Lincoln's conclusion: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Many who read the speech later put emphasis on the words “of,” “by” and “for” in his final lines. Instead, Gilbert insisted that Lincoln emphasized “the people” in each clause.

A major scoop: The end of World War II

An AP correspondent scored a major scoop reporting that Germany surrendered to Allied forces in France on May 7, 1945, ending the European portion of World War II. For that, he lost his job.

Edward Kennedy was one of 17 reporters transported by the U.S. military to a former school in Reims, France, to witness the middle-of-the-night ceremony. In return for being there, the journalists agreed to keep the news secret until military censors gave the go-ahead to report it.

The journalists figured they would have to keep the secret for a few hours. Instead, they learned the “embargo” was for 36 hours and the delay had nothing to do with keeping people safe. Rather, it was to give Russian allies the time to stage a second surrender ceremony, according to Kennedy’s memoir, published in 2012.

“The absurdity of attempting to bottle up news of such magnitude was too apparent,” Kennedy wrote. “I know from experience that one might as well try to censor the rising of the sun.”

Less than 12 hours after the secret ceremony, German officials announced on a radio broadcast that they had surrendered. The broadcast originated from a French city already controlled by the Allies. To Kennedy, that meant that the same U.S. military censors that had told him to keep the news secret had authorized the Germans to make their announcement. If they hadn’t, soldiers unaware that the war was already over might have lost their lives.

Kennedy called the chief American censor to say there he couldn’t hold the news since the military had already broken its part of the deal. The censor refused to lift the embargo, but Kennedy called a story in to the AP’s London bureau, where editors knew nothing about the embargo, and a bulletin announcing the big news went out to the world.

Competitors and the military, which briefly suspended the AP’s ability to report news from Europe, were furious. The AP had the news exclusively for a day. But its bosses, under pressure, said Kennedy had been wrong to break the agreement. His AP career was over. He pressed for vindication, but it wasn’t to come before he died in a car accident in 1963.

After publication of Kennedy’s memoir, the AP apologized to his family for how he had been treated. “It was a terrible day for the AP,” the company’s then president and CEO, Tom Curley, told reporter David Caruso. “It was handled in the worst possible way.”

Being there: The Civil Rights Movement

The importance of being on the scene, steadily and dependably, during a long-running story paid off for AP reporter Kathryn Johnson during coverage of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

On the night of April 4, 1968, Johnson was on a date in Atlanta when the car radio broke in with news that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Johnson’s companion instinctively asked if she wanted to be driven to the King family home.

She did, and arrived to see a reporter from The New York Times on the porch being told he was not welcome. The door opened, however, and the new widow Coretta Scott King saw Johnson and told the police officer guarding the home, “Let Kathryn in.”

She wasn’t a stranger. As former King aide and future U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young wrote in an introduction to Johnson’s later book, “My Time With the Kings": “Kathryn always observed scrupulously the highest standards of her profession while reporting on one of the most important continuing struggles in our country with objectivity, thoroughness and fairness.”

She spent days inside the Kings’ home, providing exclusive reports while being sensitive to what the family was going through. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis visited the home and saw Johnson helping to prepare a meal, mistaking the reporter for a white maid. Speaking in code to avoid angering some visitors who were suspicious of her presence, Johnson called an AP bureau to confirm a story she had pre-written about the expected visit.

The day after King’s murder, Johnson asked if she could have a seat on the plane that was taking the new widow to Memphis to bring his body home. Young agreed, and when other reporters protested, he told them, “Kathryn and I’ve been through the wars together.”

Incredibly, Young telephoned her boss, who told her she couldn’t go. She was needed in the office. “I’ve no doubt that had I been male, my boss would have been delighted for me to go,” she later wrote.

Johnson went on to complete a fellowship at Harvard University and returned to the AP. When she was assigned tasks like taking dictation and reporting sports scores, she left for jobs at U.S. News and World Report and CNN.

Prematurely dead: Bob Hope

When can a the simple pressing of a wrong button inadvertently illustrate the reach of a news organization? The AP once encountered a two-word answer for that: Bob Hope.

Large news organizations frequently prepare obituaries in advance for notable public figures, so when the death occurs they can move quickly with a story that puts the person’s life and achievements in perspective.

Hope certainly merited the attention. The comedian was 95 years old on June 5, 1998, when an AP editor was doing some work on the “prep” copy. In an error, that incomplete story was inadvertently sent to thousands of news outlets and others who subscribed to the AP’s news wire. The story didn’t actually say Hope died — there were blank spaces left in the copy to fill in future details — but the format was enough to fool House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Congress was in session, and Armey asked a colleague to announce Hope’s “death” and say a few words in sympathy.

The AP’s central role in the news ecosystem was such that the false news spread with lightning speed. Another news service, Reuters, moved a bulletin saying that Hope had died, attributing it to the member of Congress, according to a Washington Post account.

Out in California, Hope was getting up, feeling good enough to go out and hit a few golf balls. His family had to set the record straight. “Some folks were a bit too quick to thank Bob Hope for the memories,” Post writer Howard Kurtz quipped, a reference to Hope’s signature song.

The comic made it past his 100th birthday before dying on July 27, 2003. Honest.

Bush vs. Gore: The election that wouldn't end

On one memorable night, the AP made a mistake and covered itself in glory by avoiding an even bigger one.

The presidential election night of 2000 won’t be forgotten by anyone involved in it. Certainly not by journalists who saw predictions of a tight race between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore come true.

Shortly after polls closed in the critical swing state of Florida, TV news networks and the AP “called” that state’s race for Gore, using a combination of exit poll results, actual votes and instinct grounded in knowledge of the state’s history. But there was an error: Gore was reported to have won one county by 42,000 votes, when the margin was actually 4,200.

That made the state, in the journalists’ interpretation, too close to call so they retreated from their declaration and put Florida back in the undecided column. As the night wore on, it became increasingly clear that the entire presidential election was going to come down to who won Florida’s electoral votes.

After 2 a.m. the morning after the election, Fox News made its call: Bush had won Florida and thus would be next president of the United States. ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC quickly followed suit. But the AP did not, believing too many votes remained uncounted in traditionally Democratic areas that could swing the race.

The tension was very real in the AP newsroom that night. Editors from across the country were angrily calling in, noting the network calls and wondering why the AP was holding out. What were they going to put on the front pages of their newspapers?

“It was simply too close for AP to call,” recalled Sandy Johnson, AP’s then-Washington bureau chief, in a 2020 podcast on C-SPAN. “Believe me, we wanted to call it. Nobody wants to be the last calling a presidential race. We were crunching the numbers like mad, trying to figure out what the networks saw that we didn’t. But the lead just kept getting closer.”

In the pre-dawn hours, the networks retracted their Florida calls for the second time that night. It was a major embarrassment. One blown election call could cost a journalist’s job, but calling the same state wrong twice and prematurely declaring the winner for the entire election? Network chiefs were hauled before Congress in the aftermath to explain themselves.

The election remained undecided for three more weeks before a U.S. Supreme Court decision effectively made Bush the winner.

Getting news first — a scoop — is a bragging point for any journalist. A mistake completely undermines that, hence the AP mantra “get it first, but first get it right.” It’s a lesson that is repeated often in a fast-moving world. Just this spring, AP editor Ted Anthony steered the organization away from reports that a gunman at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner had been killed, wanting multiple sources even though other outlets were saying it.

It wasn’t true. Sometimes an outlet’s highest moments are what it doesn’t report.

9/11: 'The Falling Man’

The AP’s most memorable journalism has often been delivered through a photographer’s lens.

It takes barely a few words to bring some historic AP images instantly to mind: Joe Rosenthal’s picture of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945; Eddie Adams’ 1968 photo of a prisoner being executed with a gunshot to the head on a Vietnam street; Evan Vucci’s shot of a bloodied Donald Trump raising a fist in defiance following a 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

One of AP’s best-known images has arguably been talked about more than seen.

Richard Drew was photographing a fashion show in New York City’s Bryant Park on Sept. 11, 2001, when a message alerted him to a plane flying in to the World Trade Center downtown. He hopped on a subway and when he emerged, began recording the horror before him on his camera.

He fixed upon people who had jumped or were falling from the still intact but burning towers. One image he captured immediately stood out: a man, one leg bent, the other straight, as he fell headfirst to his death. He lined up so perfectly against the metallic lines of the tower behind him that the picture almost seemed choreographed.

Drew’s picture was carried in a handful of newspapers the next day but not many, for the same reason that television networks did not show video of people falling. It was deemed too disturbing.

But it so moved Esquire magazine’s Tom Junod that he wrote an entire cover story about it. “In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow,” Junod wrote. “Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in the last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying.”

Singer Elton John bought a copy of “Falling Man,” calling it “probably one of the most perfect photographs ever taken.” Drew, still working for AP at age 79, attended an exhibition in Paris this spring where the photo was on display.

It wasn’t the only journalism to come from the AP that day that echoed long afterward. Jerry Schwartz, who wrote the story of the day’s disaster, was the first to coin the phrase “ground zero” to refer to the World Trade Center site.

But “Falling Man” has lingered. Drew believes it will be seen more in years to come as the event recedes into history. He doesn’t find the photo macabre. “I made a photographic record of someone living the last moments of his life,” he wrote five years ago. “And every time I look at it, I see him alive.”

Junod and others have investigated to try and identify the man, believed to be a worker at the restaurant Windows on the World. But it’s still not clear who he was, and may never be. Drew likens “Falling Man” to the remains buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington.

“He’s going to remain unknown and that’s OK,” Drew said in a recent interview. “He’s a symbol for all of the people who died that day.”

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David Bauder covered media for The Associated Press for more than a decade. He retired in May.

Jackman has long been a fan of Norwich, his mother’s home city in the east of England. The Wolverine star was asked in an interview broadcast on Thursday if he would like to “buy a bit” of the club which is majority owned by Mark Attanasio, the Milwaukee Brewers principal owner.

“I’m very, very interested in talking about it right now,” he told British broadcaster TalkSport while promoting his new movie, “The Death of Robin Hood.”

“You’re the first one to know that. There’s a little exclusive,” Jackman said when asked if he would “follow suit” with Reynolds, who put Wrexham on the global soccer and culture map after buying the club with Rob Mac in 2021.

Norwich and Wrexham are now rivals in the English second-tier Championship, though Jackman’s team has the more illustrious history. Norwich last played in the Premier League four years ago, and had perhaps its finest moment in 1993, eliminating German power Bayern Munich in the old UEFA Cup.

“Good on Ryan, you do your thing, I’m all about the Canaries,” Jackman said, citing Norwich’s nickname linked to the team’s distinctive yellow and green uniform.

Norwich and Wrexham both are expected to be contenders this season to earn promotion to the Premier League, the world’s most valuable club soccer competition.

“I think it’s an exciting team and it’s going to be an exciting year,” Jackman said, praising Norwich’s turnaround since hiring Belgian coach Philippe Clement last November.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

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Jail records show Rafael Evelio Barcelo is facing felony charges stemming from two withdrawals from his parents’ Bank of America account in January and February 2025.

Hialeah police said the victims, a 90-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife, immigrated to Florida from Cuba in the 1970s and have lived in their Hialeah home since 1972.

They said Barcelo, the couple’s son, lived a few blocks away and had taken responsibility for helping manage their finances, including writing checks for household expenses.

Investigators allege Barcelo used that position of trust to take money from the couple without their knowledge or consent.

The warrant states that on Jan. 17, 2025, a $34,000 check was drawn from the couple’s checking account and made payable to “Shophar LLC.”

The check was marked “gift” in the memo line and bore Barcelo’s signature, according to the warrant. Police said the check was deposited into a business account belonging solely to Barcelo’s son.

When investigators showed the check to the couple, both denied writing or authorizing it, according to the warrant. The couple also said they did not know Shophar LLC and had never authorized the transaction.

A second withdrawal occurred Feb. 14, 2025, when a $52,000 Bank of America cashier’s check was issued from the couple’s account, the warrant states. Surveillance video from a Bank of America branch in Hialeah allegedly showed Barcelo conducting the transaction at the teller window, according to police.

Bank records obtained by investigators showed that Barcelo opened a Wells Fargo account on the same day and deposited the $52,000 cashier’s check into that newly opened account using a mobile app, The warrant states. The money remained in the account, investigators said.

The two transactions totaled $86,000.

The investigation began amid a family dispute over the care of the elderly couple, according to the warrant.

Police said the couple’s daughter and son-in-law had become increasingly involved in their parents’ care after the husband suffered a serious fall at home in December 2024.

They said the daughter had previously been designated as the couple’s attorney-in-fact for medical decisions, and the warrant states that the couple later executed financial powers of attorney naming her as their representative.

The warrant describes escalating tensions between the siblings over the couple’s care and finances.

In December 2024, Barcelo contacted Leon Medical Center about placing his father in a rehabilitation facility and indicated he wanted to keep his mother at his own residence, according to the warrant. Police said he also allegedly told the family that he planned to transfer the couple’s assets into a trust to pay for their care and apply for Medicaid.

The couple objected after learning of those plans, the warrant states.

In January, Barcelo hired a caregiver to assist his parents. The caregiver told investigators that Barcelo was responsible for part of the couple’s daily care and that she witnessed arguments between him and his sister and brother-in-law over the couple’s care, according to the warrant.

At a family meeting on Jan. 17, the dispute became confrontational.

The warrant states that Barcelo called his brother-in-law a “control freak” and told his sister and brother-in-law to stay away because he was taking control of his parents’ medical and financial decisions.

The relationship deteriorated further the following month.

On Feb. 17, Barcelo and his sons met with the couple and other family members. According to the warrant, one of Barcelo’s sons accused the daughter and son-in-law of stealing $50,000 from the elderly couple. Barcelo then said he would no longer be involved in caring for his parents.

Two days later, the couple went with their daughter and son-in-law to Bank of America to check their accounts.

That was when they learned that $86,000 had been withdrawn, according to the warrant.

Investigators said they reviewed bank records that showed the couple’s account was funded primarily by retirement and Social Security deposits. Investigators found no evidence that Barcelo had deposited his own money into the account, the warrant states.

The warrant also cites medical records and interviews with the couple’s doctors as evidence that the 90-year-old victim had significant “cognitive impairment” around the time of the disputed transactions.

A primary care physician told investigators that the man’s condition had deteriorated significantly by January 2025 and that he was unable to make medical decisions independently, according to the warrant.

A neurology provider said the man had experienced progressive cognitive decline and was unable to make medical or financial decisions, the warrant states.

Police said the investigation concluded that Barcelo “used his position of trust as the victims’ son and caregiver to exploit them,” according to the warrant.

Investigators allege the withdrawals deprived the couple of money needed for expenses including utilities, property taxes, groceries and other obligations.

Records show Barcelo is facing charges including exploitation of an elderly or disabled person involving more than $50,000, grand theft from a person over 65 involving more than $50,000, and organized scheme to defraud involving $50,000 or more.

As of Thursday morning, he was being held on a $22,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Rafael Evelio Barcelo enfrenta cargos por delitos graves derivados de dos retiros de la cuenta de Bank of America de sus padres en enero y febrero de 2025.

La policía de Hialeah dijo que las víctimas, un hombre de 90 años y su esposa de 86 años, emigraron a Florida desde Cuba en la década de 1970 y han vivido en su casa de Hialeah desde 1972.

Dijeron que Barcelo, hijo de la pareja, vivía a pocas cuadras y había asumido la responsabilidad de ayudar a administrar sus finanzas, incluyendo emitir cheques para gastos del hogar.

Los investigadores alegan que Barcelo utilizó esa posición de confianza para tomar dinero de la pareja sin su conocimiento ni consentimiento.

La orden señala que el 17 de enero de 2025 se emitió un cheque de $34,000 USD de la cuenta corriente de la pareja a nombre de “Shophar LLC”.

El cheque tenía escrita la palabra “regalo” en la línea de concepto y llevaba la firma de Barcelo, según la orden. La policía dijo que el cheque fue depositado en una cuenta comercial perteneciente únicamente al hijo de Barcelo.

Cuando los investigadores mostraron el cheque a la pareja, ambos negaron haberlo emitido o autorizado, según la orden. La pareja también dijo que no conocía a Shophar LLC y que nunca había autorizado la transacción.

Un segundo retiro ocurrió el 14 de febrero de 2025, cuando se emitió un cheque de caja de Bank of America por $52,000 USD de la cuenta de la pareja, señala la orden. Un video de vigilancia de una sucursal de Bank of America en Hialeah presuntamente mostró a Barcelo realizando la transacción en la ventanilla del cajero, según la policía.

Los registros bancarios obtenidos por los investigadores mostraron que Barcelo abrió una cuenta de Wells Fargo ese mismo día y depositó el cheque de caja de $52,000 USD en esa cuenta recién abierta mediante una aplicación móvil, señala la orden. El dinero permaneció en la cuenta, dijeron los investigadores.

Las dos transacciones sumaron $86,000 USD.

La investigación comenzó en medio de una disputa familiar sobre el cuidado de la pareja de ancianos, según la orden.

La policía dijo que la hija y el yerno de la pareja se habían involucrado cada vez más en el cuidado de sus padres después de que el hombre sufriera una grave caída en su casa en diciembre de 2024.

Dijeron que la hija había sido designada previamente como representante legal de la pareja para decisiones médicas, y la orden señala que posteriormente la pareja otorgó poderes financieros nombrándola como su representante.

La orden describe un aumento de las tensiones entre los hermanos por el cuidado y las finanzas de la pareja.

En diciembre de 2024, Barcelo se comunicó con Leon Medical Center para colocar a su padre en un centro de rehabilitación e indicó que quería mantener a su madre en su propia residencia, según la orden. La policía dijo que también presuntamente le dijo a la familia que planeaba transferir los bienes de la pareja a un fideicomiso para pagar por su cuidado y solicitar Medicaid.

La pareja se opuso después de enterarse de esos planes, señala la orden.

En enero, Barcelo contrató a una cuidadora para ayudar a sus padres. La cuidadora dijo a los investigadores que Barcelo era responsable de parte del cuidado diario de la pareja y que presenció discusiones entre él, su hermana y su cuñado por el cuidado de la pareja, según la orden.

En una reunión familiar el 17 de enero, la disputa se tornó confrontativa.

La orden señala que Barcelo llamó a su cuñado “controlador” y les dijo a su hermana y a su cuñado que se mantuvieran alejados porque él estaba tomando el control de las decisiones médicas y financieras de sus padres.

La relación se deterioró aún más el mes siguiente.

El 17 de febrero, Barcelo y sus hijos se reunieron con la pareja y otros familiares. Según la orden, uno de los hijos de Barcelo acusó a la hija y al yerno de robar $50,000 USD a la pareja de ancianos. Barcelo entonces dijo que ya no participaría en el cuidado de sus padres.

Dos días después, la pareja fue con su hija y su yerno a Bank of America para revisar sus cuentas.

Fue entonces cuando se enteraron de que se habían retirado $86,000 USD, según la orden.

Los investigadores dijeron que revisaron registros bancarios que mostraban que la cuenta de la pareja se financiaba principalmente con depósitos de jubilación y del Seguro Social. Los investigadores no encontraron evidencia de que Barcelo hubiera depositado su propio dinero en la cuenta, señala la orden.

La orden también cita registros médicos y entrevistas con los médicos de la pareja como evidencia de que la víctima de 90 años tenía un “deterioro cognitivo” significativo alrededor del momento de las transacciones en disputa.

Un médico de atención primaria dijo a los investigadores que la condición del hombre se había deteriorado significativamente para enero de 2025 y que no podía tomar decisiones médicas de manera independiente, según la orden.

Un proveedor de neurología dijo que el hombre había experimentado un deterioro cognitivo progresivo y que no podía tomar decisiones médicas ni financieras, señala la orden.

La policía dijo que la investigación concluyó que Barcelo “utilizó su posición de confianza como hijo y cuidador de las víctimas para explotarlas”, según la orden.

Los investigadores alegan que los retiros privaron a la pareja del dinero necesario para gastos, incluyendo servicios públicos, impuestos sobre la propiedad, alimentos y otras obligaciones.

Los registros muestran que Barcelo enfrenta cargos que incluyen explotación de una persona anciana o discapacitada por más de $50,000 USD, hurto mayor a una persona mayor de 65 años por más de $50,000 USD y esquema organizado para defraudar por $50,000 USD o más.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, permanecía detenido con una fianza de $22,500 USD en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

For more than 100 years, in good times and bad, Venezuelans’ identity has been built around the belief that their country’s bountiful oil resources belong to the people, not a government or a company.

This belief, and a troubled nation’s pride, took a bruising last week when acting President Delcy Rodríguez agreed to give the United States control of roughly one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves – the largest in the world.

While the deal could eventually generate billions of dollars for an oil industry and economy wrecked by years of mismanagement, many Venezuelans see it as a surrender. Some say they are not surprised; they believe that gaining control of Venezuelan oil was the ultimate objective when President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of the year, leaving Rodríguez in charge.

“It’s not just worrying, it’s outrageous, because we, like a drop in the ocean, have no power to intervene,” Lisandro Castro, an architect in the capital, Caracas, said referring to fellow citizens. “There is genuine collective concern in Venezuela right now about what we are witnessing.”

Oil influences all aspects of life in Venezuela

The 1920s discovery of oil in northwestern Venezuela sparked a booming industry that transformed a poor, agrarian country into an urbanized regional power.

U.S. energy company employees working in the South American nation went on to popularize baseball. The companies built ball fields in oil-producing areas, boosting the sport among working-class Venezuelans who then took it to the rest of the country.

Europeans facing post-World War II hardships headed to Venezuela looking for economic opportunities created by the oil riches. The Portuguese established bakeries that are still open. The Italians designed buildings that are still standing.

A democracy in its infancy, Venezuela got most of its revenues from oil exports rather than from taxing local citizens and businesses, and politicians tried to buy the will of citizens, said Ronal Rodríguez, a researcher at the Venezuela Observatory at Colombia’s Universidad del Rosario.

The country co-founded OPEC, and by the ’70s, when it boasted of the highest per-capita income in the region, the government nationalized the industry with the creation of the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.

PDVSA, as it is commonly known, only allowed foreign companies to operate as minority partners in joint ventures. Its revenues subsidized cheap gas for Venezuelans, scholarships to study abroad, free surgeries and many more benefits.

“Every Venezuelan sees oil as something they have the right to claim,” Rodríguez, the researcher, said.

Venezuela has been shaped by oil booms and busts

Plummeting oil prices globally in the 1980s devastated Venezuela's economy, necessitating an International Monetary Fund bailout. The state ended key subsidies, and social unrest followed. A military officer named Hugo Chávez attempted a failed coup.

Once elected president in 1998, Chávez expanded social services, including health, housing and education, thanks to resurgent oil prices that generated an estimated $981 billion in revenues for PDVSA between 1999 and 2011. The government handed out homes, refrigerators and medicines, and many families benefited from well-paid jobs in the public and private sectors.

Emboldened by popular support, Chávez tightened his grip on the national oil company — to the detriment of U.S. oil companies such as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.

But PDVSA’s fortunes eventually turned as oil prices fell once again. Corruption and mismanagement further eroded profits and hurt production, first under Chávez, and then Maduro, his hand-picked successor.

By 2013, when Maduro became president following Chávez's death, the country fell into a dire economic crisis. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. over democratic and human rights concerns crippled the industry and the economy further.

Instead of attracting migrants, Venezuelans became migrants; the economic turmoil led to severe food shortages, among other deprivations, prompting millions to leave the country.

Even though markets and stores are now well-stocked, people struggle to afford the basics because of soaring inflation.

Many of today's public sector workers earn roughly $160 per month, while the average private sector employee earned about $237 per month last year.

“Something is better than nothing,” former oil worker Romel Abreu said referring to the roughly 1 million barrels of oil per day that Venezuela currently produces. “If we didn’t have it, we would be fried.”

Abreu works as a security guard in Cabimas, in the country's northwest, the heart of the oil industry. Like many there, he pines for another oil boom and the jobs it would bring.

Oil deal raises skepticism among Venezuelans

Venezuelans had hoped the capture of Maduro in January would end the ruling party’s 27-year hold on power. When that did not happen – Trump chose Rodríguez over Venezuela’s opposition – people at least were optimistic about potential economic improvements from the easing of crippling sanctions.

In February, a legal overhaul opened the path to private investment in the oil industry, which some saw as a prelude to bigger changes.

“Everything that happened on Jan. 3 was simply a strategy to get where we are today,” Castro, the architect, said of Trump’s Venezuela policy. “That is, to fully immerse themselves in the country’s energy affairs for their own personal gain and benefit, not for a purpose that would truly benefit us Venezuelans.”

Under the deal, the U.S. is entering a joint venture with Venezuela’s North American Blue Energy Partners, the second-largest private oil company operating in the country, behind Chevron.

Rodríguez is giving the joint venture 100-year rights over 17 oil fields with proven reserves of 65 billion barrels. The nation's total reserves have been estimated at roughly 300 billion.

Because Venezuela’s energy infrastructure has been severely degraded, it will take years before new investments will lead to significantly higher oil production, experts say.

Speaking in Caracas on Wednesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Trump’s mission in Venezuela “is to bring peace, freedom, opportunity and prosperity to the people.” In an address to the nation Saturday, Rodríguez defended the agreement — and said she wants her country to be an “energy powerhouse.”

Cabimas residents can only hope.

“Well, on the one hand, one feels and thinks that one of the largest oil reserves has been handed over,” Erwin Ayala, an oil company worker, said outside his home. “But if it’s for the good of the country and for future generations, then yes, we agree with that, because what good is having so much oil ... if there’s no machinery, no technology, to extract it?”

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Associated Press video journalist Juan Pablo Arraez contributed to this report from Cabimas, Venezuela.

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According to Davie Fire Rescue officials, the gas leak was reported in the area of 3501 Davie Road after a construction crew struck an underground gas line.

Surrounding businesses were evacuated as a precaution as Hazmat units responded.

First responders said Davie Road is currently closed between Southwest 35th Street and 39th Street as they work to mitigate the leak.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area for the time being.

Según funcionarios del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Davie, la fuga de gas fue reportada en el área de 3501 Davie Road después de que un equipo de construcción golpeara una tubería subterránea de gas.

Los negocios de los alrededores fueron evacuados como medida de precaución mientras unidades de materiales peligrosos respondían al lugar.

Los socorristas dijeron que Davie Road está actualmente cerrada entre Southwest 35th Street y 39th Street mientras trabajan para controlar la fuga.

Se pide a los conductores evitar el área por el momento.

The linked European and Japanese spacecraft separated as planned from their cruiser, but controllers had to wait two anxious hours to receive confirmation via radio signals. The crucial operation was broadcast from the European Space Agency's control center in Germany, more than 124 million miles (200 million kilometers) away.

“It’s a brilliant moment,” said lead project scientist Geraint Jones.

If all goes well, the conjoined spacecraft known as BepiColombo will enter orbit around Mercury in November and split from each other in December to map and study the entire planet from different altitudes. As of Thursday, the spacecraft still had 2 million miles (3.3 million kilometers) to go before reaching its destination.

Launched in 2018, the BepiColombo mission is named for the Italian mathematician who took part in NASA’s Mariner 10 mission to Mercury in the 1970s. Only one other spacecraft, NASA’s Messenger, has explored the puzzling, scorching planet that is just a little bigger than our moon.

“How tiny Mercury is and still it holds some of the biggest mysteries of our solar system," mission manager Santa Martinez said earlier this week.

Added Jones: “There’s a huge amount still left to be learned."

BepiColombo already has traveled more than 6 billion miles (10 billion kilometers) on its roundabout route, according to Martinez.

It needed nine planetary flybys to reduce its energy enough to be caught in Mercury's orbit. The last flyby, in January 2025, yielded stunning photos of Mercury's impact craters and volcanic plains.

Beginning next spring, a slew of science instruments on the European and Japanese spacecraft will study the magnetic field that envelops Mercury, the planet's dense interior, and the geologic processes at the surface, including the hollows, or depressions, that scientists believe are being eaten away by minerals vaporizing from rocks.

It's a strange world of contrasts. On a planet where the temperature can top 800 degrees Fahrenheit (427 degrees Celsius), the poles are frigid with deep, permanently shadowed craters packed with ice.

Given Mercury's proximity to the sun, engineers had to design the spacecraft to withstand "extremely punishing" conditions, said the European Space Agency's Ignacio Tanco, a mission operations chief.

“It's essentially equivalent to operating with a very hot pizza oven running right on your back,” he said.

Science observations should begin next spring, with the European Space Agency covering most of the mission's $2 billion (1.7 billion euros) cost.

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The celebrated author and activist, who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the U.S. women’s movement, died Wednesday at her home in New York City. She was 92.

Hillary Clinton

“She pushed open doors not just for herself, but for literally millions of women behind her. She wasn’t going to be an astronaut, but my goodness, she made it possible for Sally Ride to be an astronaut. She wasn’t going to play college sports, but she stood behind the women in Congress who passed Title IX and opened up opportunities in sports and academics for girls. And she wasn’t on the Supreme Court when Roe v. Wade was decided, but her voice and her activism was behind that advancement for women’s rights. Gloria Steinem was, at heart, an optimist. Her activism was rooted in optimism, and that’s a moral choice she made every day. Even though we’ve faced setbacks to women’s full participation and equality in America and around the world, I want Gloria’s voice to remain in our heads.” — the former secretary of state, on social media.

Oprah Winfrey

“Every woman who has ever walked into a room knowing she belongs there; every woman who has demanded equal pay, equal respect, ownership of her own body, and the right to make her own choices; every girl who has grown up assuming that her dreams are hers to pursue — whether she knows Gloria Steinem’s name or not — is living, in some measure, inside the progress Gloria helped create. She leaves us with more freedom than she inherited and with the responsibility to keep widening that freedom for the women and girls who come next.” — the media mogul and television producer, on social media.

Jill Biden

“Gloria Steinem understood that women’s equality begins with the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies, health, and futures. For decades, she fought to make that freedom real for generations of women and girls. She spoke up when it was difficult, listened to those whose voices too often went unheard, and never stopped pushing our country forward. Joe and I are holding Gloria’s loved ones in our hearts today. Her voice changed our country, and her courage will continue to inspire us to keep fighting for the freedoms she spent her life defending.” — the former first lady, on social media.

Melinda French Gates

“Generational change doesn’t happen by accident or fate — it takes leaders like Gloria Steinem who work hand in hand with so many others to build a lasting movement. The decades of energy, brilliance, and advocacy she devoted to women’s rights helped so many of us see that we belonged at the tables where decisions are made. … What a light she was for me and so many others. What a debt we owe her.” — the philanthropist and businesswoman, on social media.

Julianne Moore

“The time I spent studying Gloria Steinem in order to play her was one of the most edifying of my life. Everything I watched, everything I read, everything I observed about her gave me a template for how I wanted to behave.” — the actor, who played Steinem in the 2020 film “The Glorias,” on Instagram.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex

“Privately, she was even better than you would imagine — spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit.” — Duchess of Sussex, on Instagram.

Roxane Gay

“Gloria was one of a kind. Genuine, generous, curious, thoughtful. She lived a staggering life and her passing is a staggering loss tempered only by the ferocity of her legacy.” — the writer, commenting on Instagram.

Abigail Disney

“Everything Gloria did was rooted in kindness. It flowed through her political activism.” — her friend and fellow activist, to The Associated Press.

Rachel Cargle

“Gloria, you changed my life. You seeded a fire in me that would result in my own activism. I am forever grateful to have learned from what you offered the world.” — the author and social justice activist, commenting on Instagram.

Harvey Fierstein

“An unstoppable visionary who demanded an equal role for females in a male dominated world and worked tirelessly, for decades, to bring that change about. The greatest irony was how many women she had to battle as they cowered behind their male owners. But battle she did. Equal rights! Freedom to choose! Access to political power! Equal pay for equal effort.” — the actor and playwright, on social media.

Jill Filipovic

“I have done what I wanted to do with my life. That would not have been possible without Steinem and the scores of other feminists who it is no exaggeration to say radically reshaped America and the world.” — the author and feminist, in her Substack newsletter.

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Up to 4 to 6 inches of additional rain is forecast through today across parts of the Piney Woods region of east-central Texas where a moderate risk (threat level 3 or 4) of flash flooding is possible.

The heaviest axis of rain will stay well southeast of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, but isolated pockets of heavy rain could lead to localized flooding south of I-20 and east of I-35 through tonight.

Edouard dropped an incredible amount of rain along a narrow corridor of southeastern Texas as it moved inland over the past 36 hours, with totals reaching over 2 feet in some places.

The magnitude of the flooding was not well captured by our computer models and poorly forecast, with the National Weather Service predicting 3 to 6 inches and a maximum of 9 inches of rain for eastern Texas shortly before Edouard came ashore Tuesday. Edouard blew through those early rainfall forecasts and the storm is a good reminder that tropical systems are capable of producing extreme rainfall and models still struggle with handling the specifics of this.

For those interested in a deep dive as to why the models were caught flat-footed and why Edouard was not an example of a brown ocean effect as some media outlets prematurely speculated yesterday, I encourage you to read this excellent forensic piece from my colleague Matt Lanza over at The Eyewall.

Atlantic hurricane season hits pause as we near the peak

It’s rare to have a stormless Labor Day across the Atlantic basin. We wrote about the details of this last hurricane season. Only about once every decade do we look out across the Gulf, Caribbean, and wider Atlantic and find no active tropical systems on Labor Day weekend.

This has happened now two years in a row (2024 and 2025) and – unless something unforeseen pops up that our models are missing – it’ll happen again in 2026.

This season feels less out of place than in 2024 and 2025 when we expected very active hurricane seasons. Even so, it begs the question whether this is part of a bigger trend toward later-blooming hurricane seasons, an idea that I and other hurricane researchers explored in this paper we published last September.

Whatever the case may be, recent experience reminds us that hurricane season can play catchup in a hurry, even into October and November, so we’ll want to stay vigilant. But for those of you taking a beach vacation this Labor Day weekend, enjoy the rare September holiday escape without any worries of a brewing storm.

Se pronostican entre 4 y 6 pulgadas de lluvia adicional hasta hoy en partes de la región de Piney Woods, en el centro-este de Texas, donde es posible un riesgo moderado (nivel de amenaza 3 de 4) de inundaciones repentinas.

El eje de lluvias más intensas permanecerá bastante al sureste del área metropolitana de Dallas-Fort Worth, pero zonas aisladas de fuertes lluvias podrían provocar inundaciones localizadas al sur de la I-20 y al este de la I-35 hasta esta noche.

Edouard dejó una increíble cantidad de lluvia a lo largo de un estrecho corredor del sureste de Texas mientras avanzaba tierra adentro durante las últimas 36 horas, con acumulaciones que superaron los 2 pies en algunos lugares.

La magnitud de las inundaciones no fue bien captada por nuestros modelos computarizados y fue mal pronosticada, ya que el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología pronosticó entre 3 y 6 pulgadas y un máximo de 9 pulgadas de lluvia para el este de Texas poco antes de que Edouard tocara tierra el martes. Edouard superó ampliamente esos primeros pronósticos de lluvia y la tormenta es un buen recordatorio de que los sistemas tropicales son capaces de producir lluvias extremas y que los modelos aún tienen dificultades para manejar los detalles específicos de estos fenómenos.

Para aquellos interesados en un análisis profundo sobre por qué los modelos fueron tomados por sorpresa y por qué Edouard no fue un ejemplo del efecto de océano marrón, como algunos medios de comunicación especularon prematuramente ayer, los invito a leer este excelente análisis forense de mi colega Matt Lanza en The Eyewall.

La temporada de huracanes del Atlántico entra en pausa mientras nos acercamos al pico

Es poco común tener un Día del Trabajo sin tormentas en toda la cuenca del Atlántico. Escribimos sobre los detalles de esto la temporada de huracanes pasada. Solo aproximadamente una vez cada década observamos el Golfo, el Caribe y el resto del Atlántico y no encontramos sistemas tropicales activos durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo.

Esto ha ocurrido ahora dos años consecutivos (2024 y 2025) y, a menos que surja algo imprevisto que nuestros modelos no estén detectando, volverá a ocurrir en 2026.

Esta temporada se siente menos fuera de lo común que en 2024 y 2025, cuando esperábamos temporadas de huracanes muy activas. Aun así, plantea la pregunta de si esto forma parte de una tendencia más amplia hacia temporadas de huracanes que se desarrollan más tarde, una idea que otros investigadores de huracanes y yo exploramos en este estudio que publicamos en septiembre pasado.

Cualquiera que sea el caso, la experiencia reciente nos recuerda que la temporada de huracanes puede recuperar terreno rápidamente, incluso en octubre y noviembre, por lo que debemos mantenernos atentos. Pero para aquellos que tomarán unas vacaciones en la playa este fin de semana del Día del Trabajo, disfruten de esta inusual escapada festiva de septiembre sin preocuparse por la formación de una tormenta.

Según la policía de Hialeah, la balacera fue reportada poco después de las 2:30 p.m. del martes en la comunidad Aquabella, en el área de Northwest 91st Avenue y 170th Street.

Agentes de la policía de Hialeah y de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade respondieron a la escena.

La policía dijo que los detectives determinaron que varias personas se reunieron en el lugar para una “pelea física previamente acordada” con el fin de “resolver una disputa en curso”.

“Durante el enfrentamiento, se sacó un arma de fuego y se realizaron múltiples disparos”, dijo el teniente Eddie Rodriguez a Local 10 en un correo electrónico el miércoles. “Las declaraciones de los testigos y la evidencia física revelaron que los disparos fueron dirigidos contra una víctima que huía a pie, así como contra una Chevy Tahoe negra ocupada que intentaba abandonar la escena. Una bala impactó el lado del conductor del vehículo”.

Rodriguez confirmó que nadie resultó herido por los disparos.

Identificó a los sospechosos como Luis Padilla Delatorre y Michael Isaac Delgado, ambos de 17 años.

Delatorre y Delgado enfrentan cargos graves de intento de asesinato en segundo grado con un arma mortal/arma de fuego y disparar/lanzar un proyectil mortal.

Ambos fueron trasladados al Centro de Evaluación Juvenil.

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According to police, someone called 911 at about 6:15 a.m. to report that a body was lying near the train tracks in the 6200 block of North Andrews Avenue.

Detectives arrived at the scene and discovered that a Tri-Rail train had struck a white male, authorities said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation into the cause of the collision remains ongoing. The victim’s identity has not yet been released.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de las Escuelas de Miami-Dade, Carlos Martinez, de 15 años, fue atacado inicialmente por dos estudiantes durante una pelea en la escuela el lunes.

Un video de celular que circula en redes sociales parece mostrar a dos personas golpeando y pateando a Martinez y, en un momento dado, derribándolo con fuerza contra el suelo.

El informe de arresto de Martinez indica que posteriormente tomó un cuchillo y corrió por el pasillo con la intención de “tomar represalias contra sus atacantes”.

Los investigadores dijeron que un video de vigilancia mostró a Martinez “metiendo la mano en sus pantalones y sacando un objeto de color claro con forma de cuchilla”.

El informe indica que el video muestra que posteriormente regresa para recoger sus pertenencias y “coloca el objeto de color claro con forma de cuchilla en el bolsillo de sus pantalones antes de intentar huir de la escena”.

Según el informe, el estudiante de 18 años que resultó herido dijo a los investigadores: “No conozco a ese muchacho en absoluto”. Dijo que Martinez estaba siendo “atacado por dos muchachos al azar” y que él estaba observando la pelea cuando, de repente, todos comenzaron a correr, según los investigadores.

El informe indica que el estudiante de 18 años dijo a los investigadores que sintió un empujón en la espalda, pero inicialmente pensó que uno de los estudiantes que huían lo había empujado. Luego, otro estudiante le dijo: “Oye, estás sangrando”. Dijo que fue entonces cuando sintió que algo le goteaba por la espalda, según la policía.

La policía dijo que el estudiante de 18 años les informó que “nunca ha tenido ninguna interacción, conversación o encuentro” con Martinez.

El estudiante sufrió una herida punzante en el lado derecho de la espalda que requirió puntos de sutura, según el informe de arresto.

La policía dijo que Martinez también sufrió lesiones durante el incidente. El informe indica que sufrió “múltiples laceraciones autoinfligidas” en los dedos índice y medio de la mano derecha, que también requirieron puntos de sutura.

El informe indica que un subdirector vio posteriormente a Martinez “huyendo de la escena del incidente hacia el estacionamiento de la escuela”.

La policía dijo que el subdirector detuvo a Martinez y le preguntó por qué estaba sangrando. Según el informe, Martinez admitió que tenía un cuchillo en el bolsillo trasero derecho de sus pantalones y el subdirector lo confiscó.

Los investigadores describieron el cuchillo como uno con una hoja de 5 pulgadas y una longitud total de 10 pulgadas.

La policía dijo que el incidente provocó un cierre de emergencia en la escuela. Según el informe de arresto, varias unidades de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade acudieron para ayudar a mantener el orden mientras los padres llegaban a la escuela para recoger a sus hijos.

Martinez compareció ante un tribunal el martes, donde los fiscales dijeron que tienen la intención de acusarlo como adulto. Un juez ordenó que permaneciera bajo detención segura y le prohibió tener contacto con los otros estudiantes involucrados en el incidente.

Los padres de Martinez dijeron a Trent Kelly de Local 10 después de la audiencia judicial del martes que su hijo había sido maltratado y amenazado por otros estudiantes durante varios días.

“Estaba amenazando a mi hijo, maltratándolo”, dijo su padre.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Martinez enfrenta cargos de agresión agravada con un arma mortal, posesión de un arma en propiedad escolar e interferencia con una institución educativa.

Local 10 se comunicó con el Departamento de Policía de las Escuelas de Miami-Dade para obtener información sobre las identidades de los otros dos estudiantes arrestados y los cargos que enfrentan.

La policía arrestó el miércoles a Michelle Luchau-Rebora, de 32 años y residente de Pinecrest, después de que se entregara en el Departamento de Policía de Homestead, que investigó el caso junto con la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

Según documentos oficiales, Luchau-Rebora trabajaba como pasante en el centro de tratamiento de alcohol y drogas New Home CORPS, ubicado en 1020 N. Krome Ave., “en calidad de terapeuta de salud mental”, cuando, en junio del año pasado, comenzó una relación sexual con un cliente.

Las autoridades dijeron que Luchau-Rebora mantenía actividad sexual durante las sesiones de terapia mientras se encontraba en el centro y agregaron que también “facilitaba coartadas en su nombre, lo que le permitía obtener autorización para salir del centro restringido y mantener relaciones sexuales en múltiples ocasiones”, en varios lugares, incluida su casa, la casa de su madre en Key Biscayne y Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Según los agentes, Luchau-Rebora “le exigió que no le contara a nadie sobre su relación porque afectaría su capacidad para trabajar como terapeuta”.

Según los informes de arresto de Luchau-Rebora, la víctima reportó la relación inapropiada al centro después de que ella terminara la relación y posteriormente fue despedida.

Ahora enfrenta cargos graves de conducta sexual inapropiada por parte de una psicoterapeuta.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center con una fianza de $5,000 USD.

“Esta es una situación lamentable relacionada con acusaciones contra una persona que se desempeñaba como pasante en New Hope CORPS. Al tener conocimiento de dichas acusaciones, New Hope informó de inmediato el asunto a las autoridades y organismos correspondientes, dio por terminada la pasantía de esta persona y cooperó plenamente con la investigación posterior.”

Stephen Alvarez, director ejecutivo de New Hope CORPS.

Its latest salvo is a federal review of California's coastal management program, which is run largely by a state commission that has had a powerful role for decades in shaping development along the coast. Environmental advocates fear federal officials could use the review to strip the California Coastal Commission of its ability to have a say in projects involving federal agencies that affect the state's rugged coastal bluffs, pristine beaches and world-class surfing spots.

The administration, citing a need for energy security and job creation, has already announced plans for new offshore oil leases in California as well as Florida, where the federal government has not allowed drilling since 1995 because of concerns about oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump officials also helped a Texas firm jump-start an old pipeline system that had been idled since its 2015 rupture caused one of California’s worst oil spills, blackening beaches for 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles and polluting habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles. Federal officials also recently took a step toward authorizing fracking on an old oil platform 9 miles (14 kilometers) off Ventura County — a move opposed by the state’s coastal commission.

“It's just part of that overall belief that they have, that they're going to get rid of renewables and go back to good old-fashioned fossil fuels, and what better place to start than California?” said Deborah A. Sivas, a professor of environmental law at Stanford Law School. “We're the feds — we're going to tell the state what to do.”

California has some working offshore rigs, but there has been no new oil leasing in federal waters since the mid-1980s and no new state leasing for even longer. The state barred new offshore oil leases after a catastrophic spill in 1969 spewed between 3.5 million and 4.2 million gallons of crude into the Santa Barbara Channel. The disaster killed thousands of seabirds and helped give rise to the modern environmental movement.

California now uses so much solar and wind energy that nearly half the state's electricity came from renewable resources in 2024, according to the state's energy commission. That's also the source of a fight with the Trump administration. Last week, state officials sued the federal government over its buyback of an offshore wind lease aimed at discouraging the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels.

California has also tried to wean residents off gas-powered cars — another push opposed by the Trump administration.

California's coastal commission is the latest target

California's coastal commission, an independent agency with appointed members, was formed in 1972. It has often been in the spotlight for taking up high-profile projects on the state's tourism-dependent coast. The panel voted against but later approved a U2 guitarist's plan for mansions on seaside bluffs, though the building proposal was eventually nixed by a court. It also rejected a proposed desalination plant to create drinking water in Huntington Beach.

The commission also has a say in federal projects along California's coast, in line with a 1972 federal coastal management law. More than 30 states have similar programs to protect their coastal resources and all are subject to periodic federal evaluation.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the unexpected review of California’s program in May while denouncing the commission’s opposition to an expanded launch schedule for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Commissioners cited concerns that more launches could harm sensitive species and limit public access to the coast.

“Obstructionist policies that delay critical national infrastructure in the name of environmental extremism are unacceptable,” Lutnick said. He said the review will examine how California has addressed federal priorities on spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance and desalination projects.

Targeting California raises a fight that could reverberate nationwide, experts say. Until now, no state with a coastal program has been stripped of its authority to review federal projects. Many Californians who spoke at an hourslong public hearing in Santa Monica in August said they don’t want their state to be the first.

“This isn’t about performance. This is about power,” said Maureen Ellenberger, a Santa Barbara resident who is upset about the decision to let Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. resume pumping through the old pipeline. “It’s about whether the Trump administration can strip California’s authority because they don’t like the answers the coastal commission gave to oil companies.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is carrying out the review. It isn't known when it will be completed.

The commission isn't new to controversy

In the past, California's coastal commission has clashed with elected officials from both political parties. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom rushed to the commission's defense this year, but in 2025 suspended its permitting requirements for home rebuilding following the devastating Los Angeles area wildfires.

Trump's battles with the commission began before his first term when he put up a 70-foot (21-meter) flagpole on his golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes. The commission ultimately allowed for it after a lengthy battle.

Last month, the commission unanimously voted to oppose the plan for fracking on a 45-year-old platform in federal waters off Ventura County after a lengthy public hearing. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released an environmental analysis for the proposal, which energy company DCOR said would more than triple daily oil output in 16 wells from 1,100 barrels to 4,000 barrels.

“This is just simply one of those cases where the juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” Coastal Commissioner Ray Jackson said during a hearing on DCOR LLC's plan. “It creates far too many opportunities for something to go wrong. When something does go wrong it is our ocean, beaches, wildlife and coastal economy that pay the price.”

The company said it’s evaluating whether to appeal to the commerce secretary.

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It happened on Aug. 21 outside the McDonald’s at 1310 S. Federal Highway in Dania Beach.

“They basically jumped an old man,” said parent Yanelle Perez, who witnessed the fight. “My children are saying it’s a new trend that’s happening after school.”

Perez, a mother of two children who attend nearby Olsen Middle School, was there to pick up her kids when the fight broke out, so she started filming.

“I don’t know what happened inside the McDonald’s, I just see this whole gang of kids, as you can tell in the video, and this one man. It’s only one man,” she said. “This lady is running for her life, an older woman. These kids are just attacking him and you can tell he can’t help himself. It’s disgusting.”

When asked why she was sharing her video and story, she said, “I just feel like parents need to be aware.”

Olsen Middle School Principal Janet Giancarli sent a message to parents in regard to the incident, which stated:

“An adult male approached the students and initiated a physical confrontation outside of the restaurant. The Broward Sheriff’s Office responded and investigated. No one was injured.

“We understand that a video of this incident is now circulating on social media and is concerning. While the incident did not occur on school grounds or during the school day, we take any situation involving our students seriously and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement regarding this matter. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

The principal did not state how she claims to know the man started the fight and Perez disputed the principal’s characterization of what happened.

“I can’t see that happening,” she said. “He was basically begging them to leave him alone.”

Ocurrió el 21 de agosto afuera del McDonald’s ubicado en 1310 S. Federal Highway en Dania Beach.

“Prácticamente atacaron entre todos a un anciano”, dijo Yanelle Perez, madre de familia que presenció la pelea. “Mis hijos dicen que es una nueva tendencia que está ocurriendo después de clases”.

Perez, madre de dos niños que asisten a la cercana escuela secundaria Olsen Middle School, estaba allí para recoger a sus hijos cuando comenzó la pelea, por lo que empezó a grabar.

“No sé qué pasó dentro del McDonald’s, solo veo a toda esta pandilla de niños, como se puede ver en el video, y a este hombre. Es solo un hombre”, dijo. “Esta mujer está corriendo por su vida, una mujer mayor. Estos niños simplemente lo están atacando y se puede ver que él no puede defenderse. Es repugnante”.

Cuando le preguntaron por qué compartía su video y su historia, dijo: “Simplemente siento que los padres deben estar al tanto”.

La directora de Olsen Middle School, Janet Giancarli, envió un mensaje a los padres con respecto al incidente, que decía:

“Un hombre adulto se acercó a los estudiantes e inició una confrontación física afuera del restaurante. La Oficina del Sheriff de Broward respondió e investigó. Nadie resultó herido.

“Entendemos que un video de este incidente está circulando ahora en las redes sociales y es preocupante. Aunque el incidente no ocurrió en terrenos escolares ni durante el horario escolar, tomamos en serio cualquier situación que involucre a nuestros estudiantes y continuaremos trabajando estrechamente con las autoridades en relación con este asunto. La seguridad y el bienestar de nuestros estudiantes siguen siendo nuestra máxima prioridad”.

La directora no indicó cómo asegura saber que el hombre inició la pelea y Perez cuestionó la versión de la directora sobre lo ocurrido.

“No veo cómo pudo haber ocurrido eso”, dijo. “Él prácticamente les estaba rogando que lo dejaran en paz”.

El choque ocurrió alrededor de las 7:40 p.m. cerca de Northwest 51st Terrace y Northwest 33rd Avenue.

Según MDSO, agentes de la Unidad de Intervención de Robos (RID) de la agencia realizaron una parada de tráfico a uno de los vehículos poco antes del choque.

Los agentes dijeron que durante esa parada confirmaron que el conductor, Luis Manuel Perez, de 21 años y residente de Miami, tenía una orden de arresto pendiente de las Fuerzas Armadas de EE.UU., pero huyó de ellos.

“A medida que unidades adicionales de RID respondían al área, el conductor entró en una calle sin salida”, dijo un portavoz de MDSO a Local 10 News en un correo electrónico el jueves. “Después de dar la vuelta, el conductor se pasó una señal de alto y chocó contra un vehículo civil, provocando que volcara. El impacto hizo que posteriormente los vehículos chocaran contra un vehículo de MDSO sin distintivos, ocupado por un agente de RID que se encontraba en el área buscando al sujeto”.

Una fotografía obtenida por Local 10 muestra el vehículo volcado. También se puede ver a una persona en el suelo en el área, aparentemente esposada.

“Lo vi chocar contra el auto y lo vi volcar por el aire. Y fue entonces cuando corrí hacia allá”, dijo un testigo. “Lo vi mientras sucedía. Lo vi, partes del auto volando por el aire”.

El conductor del vehículo civil fue trasladado por el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade al Centro de Traumatología Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial en condición crítica, pero posteriormente murió, confirmaron las autoridades.

Los agentes dijeron que Perez fue puesto bajo custodia y trasladado a un hospital local para ser evaluado, mientras que el agente fue atendido en el lugar por el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Miami-Dade.

Aunque una declaración jurada de arresto de Perez señala que tiene una orden de arresto activa como fugitivo de las Fuerzas Armadas de EE.UU., no especifica las acusaciones en su contra. Funcionarios de MDSO dijeron que también están pendientes cargos adicionales en su contra por el choque del miércoles.

La identidad de la víctima aún no ha sido divulgada mientras las autoridades trabajan para notificar a sus familiares.

Según la policía, alguien llamó al 911 alrededor de las 6:15 a.m. para reportar que había un cuerpo cerca de las vías del tren en la cuadra 6200 de North Andrews Avenue.

Detectives llegaron al lugar y están investigando si la víctima fue arrollada por un tren o “murió de alguna otra manera”, dijo la policía.

Aunque la causa de muerte sigue sin estar clara, un video grabado por Local 10 News muestra que un tren de Tri-Rail estaba detenido en las vías cercanas en medio de la investigación.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles.

Very high levels of atmospheric moisture near record levels will linger into the holiday weekend. It does not appear to be a complete washout from start to finish, but expect rounds of thunderstorms with dry time in between.

The 83-year-old German filmmaker had actually met twins who spoke in unison some 45 years ago. Greta and Freda Chaplin dressed the same and became a bit of a tabloid fascination in the 1980s in the U.K. because of a stalking case. And they did spark an idea, but it was one that lay dormant for decades, constrained by the limitations of reality.

Then someone suggested that perhaps it didn’t have to be twins: What if it were the Mara sisters instead? All of a sudden, it came to life: He wrote the script in five days.

But his story is complete invention, he said. The Maras play the fictional Jean and Joan Holbrooke, who go on a literal and spiritual journey together as they try to find their place in the world.

Herzog was joined on the Lido by the Mara sisters, and Orlando Bloom, who plays the object of both of their affections. The film does not yet have a release date in the U.S.

Rooney and Kate Mara's first film together

“At first it was very daunting, the idea that we were going to be playing the same person,” Rooney Mara said. “But I think we found pretty quickly that having a lifetime together and all this history and a childhood of playing together, there was just this unspoken world between us.”

She added: “I’ve never laughed so much, we had so much fun.”

Kate Mara said speaking in unison almost felt like a song.

“It was very musical,” she said. “It happened quite naturally.”

They were so quick to pick it up, in fact, that Herzog cut the planned two-week rehearsal short after five days. He told the sisters, who have never before been in a movie together, that he’d meet them in Ireland “in front of my camera.”

Orlando Bloom is the bucking fastard

Herzog said he was also excited to work with Bloom and to see him step out of what he’s known for: “The heartthrob for the teenies,” Herzog said. “And now you are the bucking fastard.”

Bloom said that Herzog “creates a sacred space for magic to happen.”

He added: “It’s the pinnacle of any actor’s career to be at the Venice Film Festival talking about a movie with Werner Herzog.”

Dedicated to David Lynch

Herzog dedicated the film to the late filmmaker David Lynch. While they were editing, he said he wished Lynch could be the first audience to see “Bucking Fastard.”

“We had a deep, deep understanding of each other’s work, although we were quite different,” Herzog said. “I wish we could turn the wheel of time back and invite him tonight. But it doesn’t happen like this.”

The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. One subpoena demanded Black produce nondisclosure agreements and other documents, while the other compelled him to return for a deposition before the committee.

Black’s lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority by seeking private information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose. It asks a federal judge to declare the subpoenas invalid and prevent the committee from enforcing them.

“The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility," Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement. “This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.”

Top Oversight lawmakers threaten to hold Black in contempt

The top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the committee both criticized Black's lawsuit and said they planned to discuss later Thursday whether they would hold him in contempt of Congress.

“This is unacceptable. We're very disappointed,” said House Oversight Chair James Comer. “Of all the powerful billionaires and political people we've brought in for interview and depositions, this is the first time anyone's filed suit.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, called the lawsuit “laughable” and that Black is “trying to slow the process down of getting us the information.”

“Today, the process of contempt has to begin,” Garcia said.

Being held in contempt opens up a witness to criminal prosecution. If the House approves a contempt resolution against Black, it would fall to the Justice Department to decide whether to bring charges against him.

Black paid Epstein over $150 million during their yearslong relationship

Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. He stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to Epstein.

Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million during their yearslong relationship.

A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review said the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”

Black is among a number of influential figures to appear in the investigation into Epstein and the web of wealth and influence around him. Other figures to have appeared for the investigation include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Justice Department has released related to the Epstein investigation. He also appears in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein that were released by the House committee last year, including a poem attributed to Black that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”

Before the June 26 appearance before the committee, Black maintained that he was not aware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019 and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to his “unrivaled network of relationships” with influential figures.

If jurors ultimately cannot agree on a verdict, Judge William Sullivan could declare a mistrial.

Clancy’s defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued she killed her children while experiencing postpartum psychosis exacerbated by "lousy medical care.” Prosecutors argued she intentionally planned the killings and said the nation’s health care system was “not on trial.”

Postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality. It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions. Though most people with postpartum psychosis don’t harm their children, mothers with severe cases may try to do so, and may also try to harm themselves.

Here’s the latest:

Trial has changed some minds about Clancy

Jeanne DeSanto said she first assumed Clancy was a horrible person for killing her kids, but watching the trial online changed her view.

“And then, no — it’s women’s health, it’s mental health, it’s systemic. It’s way bigger, and I’ve completely shifted,” she said Thursday, her first day coming to the courthouse.

DeSanto said that if a mistrial is declared, she wants to participate in a letter-writing campaign to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and the district attorney, urging them to stop pursuing the criminal case.

“She’s not a danger to anyone other than herself — no one else,” DeSanto said. “What’s the point?”

She hopes Clancy could eventually become an advocate for changes in postpartum mental health care, including better communication between providers.

Women who have experienced postpartum mental illness join wait for verdict

Emily Collins came to the courthouse for the first time Thursday after having watched the livestream, wearing pink clothing like other Clancy supporters there.

She said she experienced severe postpartum depression after having the first of her three children in the 1970s.

“This was all I wanted -- being a wife and mother. So I was like, what is happening to me? Very scary,” Collins said. She recalls having suicidal thoughts and struggling to get out of bed some days amid waves of depression.

Now 64 and a former social worker, Collins thinks the Clancy case should not have been brought to trial. It’s a tough one for jurors, she said.

“It’s just a polarizing subject. I don’t think they’re ever going to get everyone to agree.”

Clancy’s ex-husband hasn’t been to the trial since his testimony

Patrick Clancy was the prosecution’s first witness after opening arguments, taking the stand in late July.

He has said in interviews that he forgives his wife, whom he viewed as ill, not evil. He has since moved to New York City and remarried.

During the trial, Patrick Clancy testified about the horrific events of the day of the killings and Lindsay Clancy’s mental health deteriorating. He left the courtroom as prosecutors played his emotional 911 call.

“She killed the kids!” he was recorded yelling.

He hasn’t returned to the proceedings since testifying, but other members of Patrick’s and Lindsay’s families have been sitting together during court sessions.

Clancy gets letters of support

On his way into the courthouse, defense attorney Kevin Reddington carried a box of letters in support of Clancy “from all over the world.”

“It’s just amazing. She reads them all,” he told reporters.

Reddington said he’s ready for a second trial if this one ends with a hung jury and the prosecutor wants to try again.

“I’ve got witnesses lined up. We’re all set. So let’s go,” he said.

The wait continues

Journalists and about 20 spectators are milling about inside the Plymouth County courthouse on a rainy day while the jury deliberates. Some of the onlookers are wearing pink shirts in support of Clancy.

The livestreamed trial has generated intense interest, drawing crowds to the courthouse every day. The case has sparked deep public divisions over Clancy’s culpability and maternal mental health care after childbirth.

The jurors’ expressions were hard to read

Panel members mostly looked at the floor as they entered the courtroom on Thursday morning.

The jury hasn’t been able to agree on whether Clancy is criminally responsible

The panel has been considering whether or not Clancy is guilty of murder, or lesser manslaughter charges, or not guilty due to mental disease or defect.

A murder conviction could bring a life sentence. A not guilty verdict could result in Clancy’s continued confinement at a psychiatric hospital.

The split among the jury in terms of guilty or not guilty has not been disclosed.

The judge quizzed jurors again before deliberations resumed

Sullivan asked them if anything had happened overnight that would affect their ability to be impartial. They said no and then returned to the jury room.

Jury begins its sixth day of deliberations

The judge brought the 12 jurors and six alternates into the courtroom briefly before sending them back to the deliberation room.

What happens if the jury cannot reach a verdict?

If a verdict cannot be reached, a mistrial will be declared, and the case essentially goes back to the same status as before the trial, with Clancy charged with murder and held at a psychiatric hospital awaiting a resolution of the criminal case.

Prosecutors will decide whether to try again with a new jury. If they do, the jury selection process will begin again, and a new trial will be scheduled.

Prosecutors could also offer a plea deal to Clancy, said Brad Bailey, a Boston defense attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case.

“Any time the threat of a retrial with murder one hanging over the client is re-interjected, defense lawyers will, at the very least, explore whether or not there’s any interest in a resolution,” Bailey said.

What to know about postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict only 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality.

It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions. In a journal article on the subject in 2023, researchers at the Medical University of Lublin in Poland said about half of people with postpartum psychosis have a previous history of psychiatric problems and the most common risk factor associated with the condition is bipolar affective disorder, which causes extreme mood swings.

Though most people with postpartum psychosis don’t harm their children, mothers with severe cases may try to do so, and also may try to harm themselves.

Experts say it’s important to seek immediate help if you or your partner or family member show signs of postpartum psychosis.

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A Massachusetts woman was charged with filming the jury

Dawn Light, 56, was arraigned on an intimidation charge Wednesday at the same courthouse as Clancy’s trial. Authorities say she filmed jurors leaving the courthouse a day earlier.

Light, a retired nurse and Clancy supporter, told reporters she was there: “To see Lindsay. And I did see her. She was getting picked up by the van.”

Her lawyer Jennifer White called it a “misunderstanding.”

A not-guilty plea was entered on Light’s behalf and she was ordered to stay away from the court, jurors and witnesses.

The arrest prompted the judge to ask each juror Wednesday if they saw anything that would affect their impartiality, Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington told The Associated Press. The judge also opened the day’s proceedings with a warning that he had issued an order governing how people should conduct themselves at the courthouse. That order barred people from filming, following, contacting or tampering with jurors.

The jury has not been able to agree on a verdict

On Wednesday, the jury sent the court a note saying it couldn’t unanimously agree on a verdict, despite days of trying. The jury had sent a similar note Tuesday morning. Neither note revealed anything about how the jury might be split or said anything about the tone of deliberations.

Sullivan then gave the jury a legal instruction sometimes known as a “dynamite charge” because it is intended to help a jury break through an impasse.

He told the jurors not to abandon their own convictions just to reach a verdict, but urged them to seriously consider opposing views and reassess their positions if appropriate. No one knows, he added, whether another jury would be “more intelligent, more impartial or more competent to decide it than you are.”

Such instructions are common in many states and the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld their constitutionality, but they are barred in some states because of concerns they might be coercive.

Jurors return for a sixth day of deliberation

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial will return for a sixth day of deliberations after twice saying they couldn’t agree whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three young children.

The judge told jurors to keep deliberating Wednesday when they said for a second straight day that they were at an impasse — a sign there’s a growing chance of a hung jury and the trial ending without a resolution.

Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home in 2023. Her attorney argues that postpartum psychosis led to her actions, while prosecutors say she knew what she was doing when she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy, ages 5, 3 and 8 months.

“I know it’s been a long day,” Judge William Sullivan said, “so at this point, what I’m going to do is, first off, thank you for your time and commitment to this case. I’m going to ask you to come back tomorrow morning.”

Clancy stared at the jury with no expression when Sullivan earlier in the day explained to the courtroom that the jurors were at a standstill.

The government will release August inflation figures Sept. 11, and if that report shows inflation continues to cool, then Waller said he “would be inclined” to keep the Fed's benchmark interest rate unchanged.

“But if inflation comes in hot, I would consider a rate hike,” Waller said. Borrowing costs are only “slightly restricting” consumer and business demand, he added, “and it may not take much acceleration in inflation to nudge me into supporting” a rate hike.

Waller is an outspoken member of the Fed's seven-person governing board, and his remarks suggest that a rate hike later this month is not a done deal. Stock prices rose and bond yields fell in response. Several members of the Fed's rate-setting committee have voiced concerns that price increases are still too high, suggesting that a rate hike may be needed. Yet others have said inflation is slowly cooling and higher borrowing costs aren't necessary.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said last week at the Fed's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that inflation had not shown sufficient improvement and that the central bank might have “more work to do,” a sign he is weighing a rate increase at the Fed's next meeting Sept. 15-16.

Wall Street investors sharply increased their bets on a rate hike this month after Warsh's speech. Some bond yields that also moved higher on Warsh's remarks, raising the stakes for the September meeting.

Waller suggested he has been encouraged by signs that inflation had slowed over the past two months. According to the Fed's preferred gauge, prices ticked down 0.1% from May to June and rose just 0.2% from June to July. At that pace, inflation would move much closer to the Fed's 2% annual target.

September's meeting “is going to be knife edge and it’s going to come down to how the CPI data prints,” Joseph Purtell, portfolio manager at Neuberger, said, referring to the government's primary measure of inflation, the consumer price index.

Warsh has sought to cut back on the signals the Fed sends about its next moves, which he argues limit the central bank's policy flexibility. As a result, there has been more uncertainty going into Fed meetings about what policymakers will do than in the past.

Purtell said Warsh could probably command a majority in favor of either keeping rates unchanged later this month or raising them.

Last month, the government said inflation stayed at 3.7% on a yearly basis, according to the Fed's measure.

In an interview with Reuters following his remarks, Waller acknowledged he is heavily focused on one upcoming report. But he said looking at near-term data is necessary to pick up on any changes in trends.

“I’m willing to sit and wait and be patient” to see if the next inflation report also shows it declining, Waller said. “But if it reverses, then you know it’s time to pull the trigger and hike rates.”

On Wednesday, John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said he has also been encouraged by recent inflation data but would like to see more evidence that it is declining, suggesting he would also be willing to keep rates steady this month.

"I think that we have to wait and see,” Williams said in an interview on CNBC. “There’s no clear signs right now whether monetary policy currently is sufficient to make sure we bring inflation back to target in the next year or two, or whether you need to see further action to do that.”

That's the promise House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made, previewing an ambitious agenda with oversight of President Donald Trump's administration and legislation to address the high costs of living, if Democrats seize majority control from Republicans in the midterm elections.

But first, the Democratic leaders have to ensure they can keep their own politically diverse — and sometimes rebellious — big-tent caucus in line, which was tested this week. Two go-their-own-way Democrats bucked the party on a routine procedural vote, angering colleagues and raising a red flag about potential party divisions to come.

“His greatest challenge will be governing,” Ashley Etienne, a former top aide to Nancy Pelosi during her historic tenure as House speaker, said of Jeffries.

The House majority is expected to be decided by a handful of seats in a shrinking number of competitive districts, potentially creating a similar political dynamic to the past four years under GOP control, a chaotic new era in Congress.

In the House, the size of the majority matters. When the majority is slim, any single lawmaker can become a kingmaker, determining whether a party's agenda sinks or soars. House Speaker Mike Johnson is tested by his narrow majority almost daily, and his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was the first in history to be booted from office, ousted by a small number of opponents from his own side.

Jeffries, who is poised to become the House speaker if his party wins power and would be the first Democrat to wield the gavel since Pelosi, faces a party at a crossroads. It has a new generation of candidates, some far-left from the Democratic Socialists of America, and they are eager for change.

The Democratic leadership team responded swiftly to the slight from the two centrist lawmakers this week over the thwarted procedural vote, sending a message that they will not tolerate the kind of disruptions that have often left Republicans in disarray.

But the damage had been done.

“It was disappointing,” said seasoned Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. ”It makes us look as bad as them.”

Jeffries on Thursday said he had a “productive, forward-looking conversation” with one of the dissenting lawmakers, centrist Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, about moving forward on shared priorities.

He praised the conservative Blue Dog Democrat for “fighting hard for her district,” which is a region that Trump carried, and said McGovern also spoke with her about resolving differences.

“We value every single member in our caucus — progressives, new Dems and Blue Dogs,” Jeffries said. “The entirety of the House Democratic caucus understands what the stakes are in terms of defeating MAGA extremism in November and then, as Democrats, getting off to a fast start in January.”

Questioned about his grip on party unity, Jeffries listed the many times Democrats, in the minority, have been able to force legislation over Johnson’s objections. Those times included a war powers resolution to stop the U.S.-led attacks on Iran and a bill that would have reinstated enhanced tax credits many people rely on to buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

“Res ipsa loquitur,” he said. “That’s Latin for: The thing speaks for itself.”

A routine procedural vote becomes anything but

The procedural rule vote, which sets the terms for debate, was long a nonissue in the House. The party in power voted for it, the minority party voted against. But conservative Republicans have routinely bucked their own GOP majority on the votes, tanking the agenda.

As the tally Tuesday was teetering, it appeared Johnson once again had a revolt on his hands. Then two Democrats, retiring Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Gluesenkamp Perez, voted with the Republicans, salvaging the outcome and the week's agenda.

Golden was working to ensure passage of his bill on the lobster industry. Gluesenkamp Perez, often an ally, had joined.

Democrats were livid. Some were eager for a reprimand. Others expressed the angst coming from voters who want the party to stick together to fight Trump. The Pelosi-ism, "Unity is our strength," was revived.

“The challenge is, that if you don't have the numbers, all of a sudden a few people can be very decisive,” said Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., a former party leader who recently lost his own primary bid for reelection.

“You can never ask people to vote against their own interest," he said. ”But you also have to emphasize the camaraderie and concept of working together as a team."

A cautious Democratic leader faces new challenges

Jeffries is known as a careful leader and, as he says himself, chooses calm over chaos at a time when many Democrats prefer a quicker, attention-grabbing reaction.

In office since 2013, Jeffries is confronting the party's quickly changing climate, as he works to hold together what is arguably the most diverse party caucus in U.S. history.

Two weeks ago, Jeffries ran into trouble with progressives after having accepted a meeting with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an outside adviser to the White House. It was largely seen as the Trump administration hedging its bets if Democrats win control, but liberals questioned why Jeffries would even meet with those close to Trump.

“He asked for a meeting, and I took it,” Jeffries said in a defiant video the next day.

The Democrats have established five working groups to tackle affordability as part of next year's agenda — in housing, healthcare, childcare, groceries and gas and utilities. The top Democrats on the Oversight and Judiciary committees are preparing to root out corruption.

Jeffries also has sketched out the pillars of a Democratic legislative platform: repealing Republican Medicaid cuts, restoring the ACA, repealing Trump's tariffs and ending the Iran war.

“These are issues that we know unite Democrats,” Jeffries said. “But I don't want to get out ahead of the caucus, because there are a whole host of things that need to be worked on.”

Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said Thursday that one of its planes had spotted a “precarious” boat drifting some 120 km (74 miles) south of the island of Gran Canaria on Wednesday afternoon.

Three survivors were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital on the island. The remaining 41 migrants were brought to safety by boat and disembarked early Thursday in the port of Arguineguín, where they were being cared for by the Red Cross.

All of the survivors were men, some underage, and came from Mali or Senegal, said José Antonio Rodríguez Verona, a spokesperson for the Red Cross in the Canaries.

The survivors were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting upon reaching land, Rodríguez Verona told The Associated Press. While it was difficult to get precise information given their fragile state of health, migrants reported leaving Gambia and being stranded at sea for “many, many days.” Some estimated they had been at sea for nearly a month. Running out of provisions, they fell ill from drinking seawater.

The survivors also told the Red Cross that more than 100 people were originally on board, including women and a baby. As people died on the journey, survivors tossed their bodies in the ocean until they had no more strength to do so.

Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said in a statement that it was not able to retrieve the remains of the five dead found inside the boat due to strong winds and waves that were 2.5 meters (8 feet) high.

Helena Maleno, founder of the migrant rights group Walking Borders, which monitors deaths and disappearances on migration routes to Spain, said that 83 people had died on the voyage, including three women and a baby. In a post on X, Maleno said the boat had departed Gambia 27 days ago.

Maleno and her NGO are frequently contacted by relatives of missing migrants and often relay calls for help and rescue to Spanish authorities.

Maleno and Walking Borders did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The West African Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands is one of the deadliest crossings to Europe. While arrivals to the Spanish archipelago have fallen significantly in the past year, tens of thousands of people have died or gone missing in recent years, with several migrant boats getting lost and drifting all the way across the Atlantic to the Americas.

More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs are still rare and jobless claims remain at historically low levels.

The Labor Department reported Thursday filings for benefits ticked up to 206,000 last week from a revised 204,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose modestly to 207,250 last week.

Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly stayed within a historically low range of 200,000 to 230,000 a week.

The number of people collecting unemployment benefits rose slightly to 1.78 million the week that ended Aug. 22, up by 8,000 from the week before.

Companies, remembering the worker shortages that followed the end of COVID-19 lockups, are still reluctant to let go of staff. The unemployment rate is low at 4.1%.

But employers aren’t eager to take on new workers. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that gross hiring — before subtracting people who lost or left their jobs — fell 5% to fewer than 5.1 million new jobs. The result is what economists call a "no-hire, no-fire'' labor market in which those have work enjoy job security but times are tough for young workers trying to land an entry-level job or unemployed people seeking to get back to work.

In July, companies, government agencies and nonprofits together cut 23,000 jobs. So far this year, employers are adding 61,000 jobs a month, up from the 9,700 they averaged last year — the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002. The lingering effects of high interest rates and Trump’s erratic trade policies discouraged companies from hiring in 2025.

When the Labor Department releases its report on last month's hiring and unemployment Friday, it's expected to show that employers added 65,000 jobs in August and that the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Hiring this year remains well below the 166,000 monthly jobs created, on average, in 2023 and 2024, let alone the 491,000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed pandemic lockdowns.

It’s the latest deal by the company, whose processors are integral to the AI boom, and highlights Nvidia's push to champion increasingly popular open-source AI models.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wrote in a blog post Thursday that more than 18 million developers, researchers and creators use Hugging Face to share more than 3 million models, 500,000 data sets and 1 million applications. More than 200,000 companies also that use the platform, he said.

In July, Hugging Face's data processing systems were hacked, and ChatGPT maker OpenAI acknowledged that its artificial intelligence system was to blame, sending shock waves through the security community amid heightened concerns about the capabilities of powerful AI models.

Just over a week later, Anthropic said its artificial intelligence models hacked into three other organizations during testing. That was followed closely by an announcement from Meta, which said its AI model accessed the internet on its own and hacked another company.

The wave of AI intrusions occurred just a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release.

On Thursday, however, Nvidia's Huang said that Hugging face will remain an open platform. He signaled that Nvidia is betting that more businesses will turn to open-source AI, which lets them download and customize their own AI models, rather than pay for proprietary AI services from companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

Open models let startups, businesses, universities and public institutions build on advanced capabilities without training every model from scratch," Huang wrote in a blog post. "They enable organizations to match the right model to the right job.

Hugging Face will still support multicloud and multi-accelerator development and deployment.

Nvidia has released more than 500 models and more than 250 open data sets on Hugging Face.

“Nvidia’s investment in Hugging Face is a strong strategic hedge against the different ways AI could evolve,” Bret Greenstein, chief AI officer at global business and technology consulting firm West Monroe, said in an emailed statement. “With much of Nvidia’s valuation tied to the adoption and expansion of AI over the next decade, the company has a clear interest in supporting the entire ecosystem’s success.”

Nvidia's high-end chips have emerged as the leading building blocks for AI, and are highly sought after. The Santa Clara, California-based company reported quarterly profits of $59.69 billion late last month.

While AI has powered stock market gains and U.S. economic growth in recent years, there’s been growing skepticism about whether AI will justify the trillions of dollars being spent to develop the technology.

The AI industry is also faces increasing pushback amid objections to the expansion of data centers and fears that the rapid speed of AI adoption could lead to widespread job losses worldwide.

The $12.93 billion deal includes $1 billion for a retention plan for Hugging Face employees, Huang told CNBC.

Nvidia's shares rose nearly 2% in morning trading. Hugging Face is not publicly traded.

___

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.

Also, a federal judge in Boston is hearing arguments Thursday on whether to extend her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service requiring states to use a new mail balloting system for the midterms as part of an executive order by Trump. The hearing in the closely watched case comes the day before the first state begins sending mail ballots to voters.

Here's the latest:

Trump administration ratchets up its fight to get more oil flowing from California

Its latest salvo is a federal review of California’s coastal management program, which is run largely by a state commission that’s had a powerful role for decades in shaping development along the coast. Environmental advocates fear federal officials could use the review to strip the California Coastal Commission of its ability to have a say in projects involving federal agencies that affect the state’s rugged coastal bluffs, pristine beaches and world-class surfing spots.

The administration, citing a need for energy security and job creation, has already announced plans for new offshore oil leases in California as well as Florida, where the federal government hasn’t allowed drilling since 1995 because of concerns about oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump officials also helped a Texas firm jump-start an old pipeline system that had been idled since its 2015 rupture caused one of California’s worst oil spills, blackening beaches for 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles and polluting habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles.

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Democrats are promising a big agenda. Their unity is already being tested

Beginning on Day One, House Democrats plan to “hold the crooks accountable.”

That’s the promise House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made, previewing an ambitious agenda with oversight of President Trump’s administration and legislation to address the high costs of living, if Democrats seize majority control from Republicans in the midterm elections.

But first, the Democratic leaders have to ensure they can keep their own politically diverse — and sometimes rebellious — big-tent caucus in line, which was tested this week. Two go-their-own-way Democrats bucked the party on a routine procedural vote, angering colleagues and raising a red flag about potential party divisions to come.

“His greatest challenge will be governing,” Ashley Etienne, a former top aide to Nancy Pelosi during her historic tenure as House speaker, said of Jeffries.

▶ Read more

US trade deficit widens despite Trump’s tariffs

The U.S. trade deficit widened to $88.6 billion in July, up 24% from June and the highest since March 2025 when Trump was just beginning to ramp up import taxes to protect American industry from foreign competition. An investment boom in artificial intelligence is drawing in imports of computers and computer and telecommunications equipment.

Overall, U.S. imports rose 2.8% in July and exports dropped 2.1%.

Still, the January-July deficit — the gap between what the U.S. buys from and what it sells to other countries — is down nearly 30% from a year earlier.

Billionaire investor Leon Black sues House committee over Epstein investigation

Black refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas following a closed-door interview in June after lawmakers said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.

Black’s lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee’s authority by seeking private information.

“The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility,” Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement.

Unemployment claims tick up to 206,000 but remain at historically low levels

The Labor Department reported Thursday filings for benefits ticked up to 206,000 last week from a revised 204,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose modestly to 207,250 last week.

Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly stayed within a historically low range of 200,000 to 230,000 a week.

Companies, remembering the worker shortages that followed the end of COVID-19 lockups, are still reluctant to let go of staff. The unemployment rate is low at 4.1%.

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Trump’s plan for a fence at Lafayette Park near White House gets review by federal panel

The latest pieces of President Trump’s wide-ranging Washington makeover are set for an airing Thursday in front of a federal panel that already has blessed other big-ticket plans from the designer-in-chief.

The National Capital Planning Commission, which this spring approved Trump’s White House ballroom proposal after he razed the Executive Mansion’s East Wing without authorization, will discuss a proposed fence around Lafayette Park in front of the White House.

The panel also will review a proposed underground security screening center for White House visitors. It’s the first time the commission will take up either idea, and votes aren’t expected. But the commission and the separate U.S. Commission of Fine Arts thus far have not been an obstacle for Trump’s plans for the capital.

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Trump fact-checks his own commerce secretary on Iran war deaths

The president took the unusual step of correcting a misleading statement by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who had said in an interview that no U.S. forces had died in the Iran war.

“Sec. Lutnick had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed,” Trump posted on social media. “18 people were killed in Iran!”

Lutnick had said in a Wednesday CNBC interview that no Americans had died in the conflict that began at the end of February. But Lutnick in his remarks was specifically talking about the Iran war, which he called “an economic chokeout.”

Federal judge considers whether to extend ban against US Postal Service mail voting changes

A federal judge in Boston will hear arguments Thursday on whether to extend her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service requiring states to use a new mail balloting system for the midterms as part of an executive order by President Donald Trump.

The hearing in the closely watched case comes the day before the first state begins sending mail ballots to voters.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani is considering whether to order a preliminary injunction that would bar the Postal Service from requiring the new system to be used for the midterms. Last week, she imposed a 14-day temporary restraining order to keep it from being used. That order expires next week as more states begin sending out mail ballots.

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Trump promises to campaign for Republicans and says they have a winning midterm message

President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers facing tough reelection campaigns to run on his record in the White House despite his sagging popularity, and he pledged to campaign in all of the roughly three dozen contests that are likely to determine control of Congress.

Voters’ dim views of the economy and the war in Iran have put Republicans in a tough spot as the midterm election season enters its final stretch. But during a dinner in the Rose Garden, one of the spaces he has controversially renovated since returning to office last year, the president told his party’s most vulnerable lawmakers they had a triumphant story to tell voters.

“All you have to do is talk about it, and you’re going to win and you’re going to win big,” Trump said a week before the party gathers in Dallas for an unusual midterm convention.

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Sometimes it is just a few drops. But on this August afternoon, the monsoon kicked into high gear, setting its sights on a remote section of the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Down below, dozens of hikers were setting up camp along Bright Angel Creek and admiring the towering walls they eventually would have to traverse on the way back up.

It wasn't long before muddy water came rushing down the creek. The sound was deafening as it crashed against the rocks, carrying with it tree branches, sediment and other debris.

Violent thunderstorms and subsequent flash flooding are nothing new during the summer months in the southwestern United States. Those in the canyon last Saturday knew the risks, but this storm packed an extra punch, washing out key footbridges and doing more damage to infrastructure than previous decades of turbulent water.

Two people died and at least one is still missing. More than 80 people were airlifted out of the canyon, and the National Park Service is assessing the damage.

Forecasts warned of severe storms and flood risks

A storm of generational proportions — that is how some of the hikers described it in interviews with The Associated Press. Some talked about scrambling to higher ground as the rushing water approached. Others hunkered down under a ledge to avoid falling rocks.

“It was for sure some of the worst acute fast-forming weather I have ever seen in my time, whether it’s in the mountains or marine environments or in the desert Southwest,” said Drew Harrell, an emergency medicine physician with University of New Mexico Hospital who was on a training mission at the time as medical director for Grand Canyon National Park.

Harrell is no stranger to working in austere environments and has hiked rim-to-rim more than a dozen times. He and his team had checked the weather before starting their annual trip. They were more worried about afternoon temperatures stretching into the triple digits rather than rain.

But this storm, Harrell said, seemed to come out of the blue just as his six-member group entered “The Box,” the final 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before Phantom Ranch, an oasis at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

“It went from relatively clear skies to blowing winds in the time frame of about a minute,” he said, estimating the gusts at 40 mph (64 kph).

Hikers had little time to act

Within minutes, torrential rains, gusting winds and even hail enveloped hikers along the creek.

“We were concerned that there would be rocks and just flooding coming down from both sides of the canyon on top of us,” said Parth Desai, another physician who was with the group.

As emergency room doctors do, they weighed their options and calculated the risks as conditions changed around them.

“We saw basically the flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” Desai said. “And then we were concerned about a lightning strike.”

They made another run for it, heading down the trail toward Phantom Ranch. They maneuvered around cottonwood trees brought down by the first microburst when they saw more debris rushing toward them. They scrambled through cactus to reach higher ground.

Floodwaters overtake what is usually a shady oasis

Up the creek at the Cottonwood Campground, Mike Sumaruk and his friend were relaxing after a nearly 7-mile (11-kilometer) hike down into the canyon. The wind started howling, and the rain intensified.

“I jumped into my tent because I thought it was going to blow away and was trying to hold it down,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Then he heard this roar.

“I thought it was like thunder in the distance, but it wasn’t going away. And I said, that’s not thunder, and I unzipped the tent and got out and saw the huge wall of water,” Sumaruk said. “We just left everything.”

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, resident has hiked plenty of mountain peaks over the years, but this was his first time in the Grand Canyon. It was gorgeous, he said, lamenting that he wasn't able to see more of the natural wonder.

Sumaruk used an emergency phone at an unstaffed ranger station to contact park authorities, telling them he and about a dozen others were stranded. A park ranger traveling on foot eventually reached the group, and they waited until Sunday to be airlifted to the South Rim, where the Red Cross was waiting and counselors were on hand to help.

Harrell shared Sumaruk's appreciation for the park staff, particularly the rangers down in the canyon. He credited them with moving dozens of people at Phantom Ranch to safer areas before water took out the bridges.

“They mitigated the opportunity for there to have been more serious loss of life or injuries,” Harrell said.

The trail turned into a river

Tom Monroe and two friends set out early Saturday from the North Rim. Knowing it was monsoon season, and after seeing light rain the day before, they tried to keep an eye on the weather — though scant cellphone reception made that difficult.

Monroe said they decided to proceed after one hiker they met told them the forecast looked mild. Another who had just climbed the trail reported the way was clear.

They were aiming for Cottonwood Campground. In the first mile, it started sprinkling.

“Then it started just opening up, holy hell raining on us,” said Monroe, 59, of Flagstaff, Arizona, who runs a business making custom food-storage bags for campers.

The trio kept going, figuring it would let up. The downpour continued, mixed with thunder and lightning. Runoff started funneling down the trail. It looked almost like a river, Monroe said.

One friend took shelter in a small alcove in the canyon wall. Monroe huddled under an overhang that protected him — not just from the water but also from sand, mud and rocks falling with it.

“On either side you could see rocks the size of footballs or beach balls coming down the cliffs from the top,” he said.

The friend who was farther ahead had to scramble up a steep slope, where he grabbed tree roots to keep from getting swept away.

The 20-minute downpour seemed to last forever, Monroe said.

“None of us can really stop thinking about it,” Monroe said in a phone interview Wednesday, safely back home in Flagstaff.

Flooding doesn't dampen hikers' outdoor plans

Monroe and his friends already were planning to head outdoors again this weekend, just staying a little closer to home and doing some car camping.

And Sumaruk is thinking about a return trip to the Grand Canyon whenever hikers are allowed again. He will be watching and waiting as the National Park Service begins the arduous process of rebuilding a key water-supply line that was severely damaged, fixing the miles of trail that were washed out and replacing the footbridges.

He said he understands “weather happens” and it will take time for the canyon to recover. Years of research went into his first trip along with months of planning and training, and he is not giving up.

“I'm definitely going to give it another shot,” he said.

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Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Jamie Stengle in Dallas, contributed to this report. Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel had agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were “abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations” in the 1980s, during Lebanon’s civil war.

The first released prisoner, identified as Malek Ghazi, was handed over to the Lebanese army via the Red Cross, a Lebanese security official said. A second official said they were anticipating the release of the other four prisoners Friday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Ghazi was handed over to the ICRC at the border crossing in the coastal town of Naqoura on Lebanon's southern frontier and was then transferred to a Lebanese army intelligence office in the city of Tyre, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

Netanyahu's statement said the five Lebanese captives after interrogation were found not to be “members of a terrorist organization” or “involved in terrorism.”

Prisoner release after US mediation

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the U.S. and its ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, for assisting in the release.

“We will continue working until all our prisoners are released, the fate of the missing is revealed, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory is achieved,” he said in a statement.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department said the releases were the “result of U.S.-led mediation between two legitimate governments” and were finalized during Issa’s recent trip to Israel.

“We commend the Government of Israel and the Government of Lebanon for demonstrating good faith through these initial steps, and hope this will serve as the basis for expanded discussions on other civilian issues," it said.

Dozens of Lebanese prisoners are believed to be held in Israeli detention centers, including civilians as well as Hezbollah militants captured during fighting in southern Lebanon.

The circumstances of Ghazi’s capture were not immediately clear, but one of the Lebanese officials said he was a civilian.

On the same day as the prisoner release was announced, Israeli forces took more Lebanese citizens captive.

Lebanese state media reported that Israeli forces had entered the town of Halta in southern Lebanon earlier Thursday and seized three men “after the force surrounded several houses and prevented residents from leaving.” The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A step forward for Lebanon-Israel negotiations

The prisoner release came as talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials had appeared to reach an impasse. Lebanon and Israel in June signed a U.S.-mediated framework deal under which Israeli forces were to withdraw from areas they are occupying in southern Lebanon in exchange for disarmament of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but little progress has been made in implementation on the ground.

Another round of talks is expected to take place in Rome later this month.

“However difficult the negotiation process may seem, we will continue to mobilize all necessary efforts to safeguard Lebanon’s rights and the interests of the Lebanese people,” Salam's statement said.

An official involved in the negotiations said Lebanon had not made its participation in the next round of talks conditional on the prisoner release, but that the release of captives was an “integral part of the implementation” of the Lebanon-Israel agreement.

The Lebanese “are actively searching for the bodies of the Lebanese Jewish leaders,” including in Jewish cemeteries, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Lebanon once had a thriving Jewish community. As many as 15,000 to 22,000 Jews lived in Lebanon in the mid-1960s, but the various Arab-Israeli wars and Lebanon’s own 1975-90 civil war caused waves of emigration and today, almost none are left in the country.

Hezbollah weapons, Israeli withdrawal, remain issues

While the release of the prisoners marks a step forward in the negotiations, other issues remain difficult to resolve.

Hezbollah is not a party to the Lebanon-Israel talks and has said it will not give up its weapons in any area north of southern Lebanon's Litani river. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said they will not withdraw unless Hezbollah is disarmed throughout the country.

The Lebanese state has been reluctant to attempt to forcibly disarm the militant group, which is also a political party and social services provider with a large popular base in the country's Shiite Muslim community.

Lebanon fought a brutal civil war from 1975 to 1990, and many fear that any clash between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah could spiral into another devastating civil conflict.

Hezbollah and Israel have fought a series of wars since the militant group was founded with Iranian support in the 1980s to combat Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon at the time. Their latest war began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired missiles over the border, two days after the U.S. and Iran attacked Iran.

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Saeed reported from Herzliya, Israel. Associated Press staff writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.

The discovery by Shirakawa and two fellow American scientists, Alan Heeger and Alan MacDiarmid, demonstrated that plastic could conduct electricity like metal and be used in applications such as electronics.

Shirakawa died on Aug. 24, according to the University of Tsukuba, where he taught and researched after joining in 1979. The university did not specify a cause of death. Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, said Shirakawa died at a hospital in Yokohama, west of Tokyo.

Born in Tokyo in 1936, Shirakawa earned a doctoral degree in engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1966. Ten years later, he became a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked with McDiarmid and Heeger.

The three scientists' findings that defied common sense that plastics are not conductive paved the way for the development of inexpensive conductive materials that are lighter and more flexible than metals and used in solar cells and mobile phone screens.

Miramar city commissioners discussed the Pembroke Road Expansion Project Wednesday night during the regular city commission meeting.

The meeting included a necessary step to approve a construction agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation, which owns the right of way along U.S. 27.

The assistant city manager said plans are anticipated in the first quarter of 2027.

Pembroke Road stretches for miles from U.S. 1 on the east side of Broward County until it dead-ends along a field a couple of miles short of the Everglades.

The plan calls for widening Pembroke Road into a four-lane divided road. It also includes extending Miramar Parkway to the south, shifting it to a two-lane undivided street from Southwest 192nd Terrace to Pembroke Road.

The project was approved unanimously.

Construction could cause some temporary traffic headaches, but the project could also cut travel time by as much as a third for people traveling along Pembroke Road to and from busy U.S. 27.

The EPA proposal would eliminate a federal requirement that states notify the public and seek comment before issuing air pollution permits for data centers and other industrial facilities. States could still offer opportunities for public comment, but the EPA would no longer mandate them as a condition for states to grant permits.

Critics say the move could thwart local residents from learning about proposed data centers or making their voices heard before projects are approved and construction begins. The move comes during a widespread backlash as tech giants build hundreds of massive server warehouses to fuel artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

“By eliminating the long-standing federal requirement for public notice, this proposal continues efforts by the Trump administration to turn its back on the fundamental EPA principle of transparency,” said Mike Koerber, a former deputy director of EPA’s air quality office.

If made final, the plan could create “an unlevel playing field where citizens in one state are kept completely in the dark about new data centers and heavy industrial emissions in their backyards, while neighboring states maintain oversight,” he said.

Under the EPA plan, states with weak or no requirements for public comment could speed permits for data centers, power plants and other pollution sources without consulting the public or even informing communities where the facilities are located, Koerber and other critics said.

Communities deserve a chance to weigh in, advocates say

“Data centers and other industrial sources should not be able to get their air pollution permits in secret,” said Keri Powell, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, an advocacy organization that leads a coalition of nearly 200 environmental, health and community groups that filed comments with the EPA opposing the plan. “Communities deserve a chance to weigh in" before potentially harmful projects are approved.

An EPA spokesperson called that a false narrative.

“In our proposal we are saying that states get to pick how they want their permitting process to go for minor sources” of air pollution, spokesperson Carolyn Holran said.

The EPA proposal does not specifically identify data centers, she said, noting that the plan also would apply to laundromats, car repair shops and even landfills and steel mills that are considered “minor” pollution sources under the federal Clean Air Act.

The proposal does not demand that states make particular changes to their programs, nor does it alter federal emission standards or weaken environmental protections, Holran said. “Rather, the proposal simply aligns the national program with the Clean Air Act language to ensure that states are in the lead regarding their programs."

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who has made U.S. leadership in AI a top agency priority, said in a statement that the plan is aimed at “cutting unnecessary and burdensome red tape, unleashing American energy and advancing cooperative federalism” with states. The EPA is expected to make the rule final next year.

President Donald Trump continues to stick up for data centers, even as politicians from both parties criticize them and many communities try to block them. Trump said on social media this week that U.S. communities that don’t have data centers will “end up being backwards and poor.”

Trump says data centers are crucial in the AI race against China

Trump has acknowledged that data centers need “a little public relations help” and has pushed tech companies to generate their own electricity to shield consumers from higher utility bills. The Republican president calls data centers critical to winning the AI race against China.

Environmental groups and other critics say the EPA proposal ignores the reality that many states, particularly in the South and Midwest, don't require public notice or hearings beyond those set by federal agencies. The federal plan would leave many communities in the dark before data centers show up in their backyards, they said.

“It’s beyond cruel for Trump’s EPA to silence front-line communities who bear the brunt of unhealthy air,” said Brandon Jones-Cobb, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, another environmental group.

The EPA “has already turned its back on science, cut enforcement against industrial polluters and eliminated life-saving air pollution measures," he said. “Now it wants to shut the public out of decisions to build or expand facilities that expose communities to dangerous air pollution, including data centers.”

Powell, whose organization focuses on six Southern states from Virginia to Alabama, said many states “only do what is required by federal law” when it comes to public notice of land-use projects and other environmental concerns.

"We rely on a minimum federal requirement to ensure we have environmental protections and a voice,'' she said in an interview, calling regulation of data centers a crucial issue in a region where the energy-hungry behemoths are proliferating. Virginia and Georgia are both among states with the highest concentration of current and proposed data centers.

Americans worry data centers could cause pollution, job losses

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the environmental impacts of AI, according to a poll last year from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Americans are more likely to think that over the next decade, artificial intelligence will do more to hurt than help the environment, the economy and society as a whole, the poll found.

Besides powering AI and cloud computing, data centers are often sources of nitrogen oxide, which helps form ozone, as well as carbon monoxide and other air pollutants. Local communities also have expressed concerns about excessive water use and noise from data centers.

Many Americans worry that AI could increase economic disparities and cause widespread job losses.

Data center advocates stress that local taxes paid by the centers can help fund public schools, reducing the financial burden on homeowners.

Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said even if data centers ultimately are approved, "every community should be able to participate robustly in governmental decisions that can pollute our air.''

Rolling back the EPA rule “pulls a dark cloud, filled with soot and toxic chemicals, over communities’ right to know what polluting facilities are planned in their community,” she said.

Referees will pause play at the 10-minute mark of every match in the upcoming round of the Clausura tournament, as well as in other men's and women's leagues in Argentina, in appreciation of Messi’s career with the national team, the Argentine Football Association said late Wednesday.

The 39-year-old Messi, who wore the No. 10 jersey for Argentina, announced on Monday he will no longer play for the national team after 21 years of service. He led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022 as well as two other World Cup finals, and made 207 appearances and scored 125 goals — both national records.

Messi, who is idolized in Argentina, has never played professionally in his home country. He moved to Barcelona at the age of 13 to began a once-in-a-generation career and is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time.

Messi is continuing to play at club level with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Los incendios se han extendido por varias provincias, creando un vasto frente que se extiende desde el centro hasta el extremo oriental de la nación norteafricana. Efectivos de Protección Civil, apoyados por escuadrones del ejército, seguían combatiendo rebrotes en las provincias de Sétif y Guelma esta semana, donde se han quemado grandes extensiones de bosque.

En Jijel, una provincia a 200 kilómetros (125 millas) al este de Argel conocida por sus playas de arena fina, aguas turquesas y colinas de olivos y árboles frutales y cedros, ha sufrido los mayores daños.

No quedaba nada de los 1.200 kilómetros cuadrados (460 millas cuadradas) de bosques, solo cenizas humeantes y tocones carbonizados. La cifra oficial de muertos en Jijel era de 12, según uno de los primeros comunicados del Ministerio del Interior al inicio de la crisis a finales de agosto.

Pero la situación es mucho más trágica: en redes sociales circulan videos que muestran decenas de ataúdes alineados junto a fosas comunes, a la espera de ser enterrados antes de que los cuerpos se descompongan por el calor.

“He trabajado en Protección Civil durante 40 años. Hemos enfrentado incendios, pero es la primera vez que nos enfrentamos a una catástrofe humana, ambiental y material de esta magnitud. Hay cientos de muertos”, declaró el teniente Djabri Said a The Associated Press.

Cifra de muertos podría superar los reportes oficiales

Abdelwahab Boukrouh, periodista de la Dirección de Comunicación de la Presidencia, anunció en su página de Facebook que su familia, que vive en Ouled Riyah, un pueblo de montaña, perdió a 12 miembros durante la noche del 22 al 23 de agosto, y hay otros tres desaparecidos, incluyendo mujeres, menores y personas mayores que se vieron sorprendidas por las llamas en sus modestas viviendas.

Miles de cabezas de ganado, entre vacas, ovejas, cabras, mulas y burros, no pudieron escapar. Sus cadáveres calcinados cubren los empinados caminos que conducen a las aldeas, mientras que las viviendas han quedado reducidas a poco más que montones de cenizas humeantes.

Los medios privados y públicos —todos ellos bajo control estatal— se han ceñido a la cifra de 12 fallecidos en sus informaciones, al tiempo que han destacado la presencia de ministros sobre el terreno y los esfuerzos de las instituciones estatales para ayudar a las víctimas.

Ante la catástrofe, el presidente, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, interrumpió sus vacaciones para visitar personalmente los hospitales especializados de Argel donde se atendía a las víctimas con quemaduras graves. Declaró tres días de luto y convocó una reunión especial del Consejo de Ministros para declarar la región de Jijel “zona de desastre” y asignar recursos para afrontar la crisis.

Una ola espontánea de solidaridad nacional ha derivado en interminables convoyes de camiones cargados con alimentos, medicamentos, paquetes de agua y ropa que se dirigen a las aldeas arrasadas por el fuego. Tebboune anunció indemnizaciones para las familias afectadas, y el Estado se comprometió a reconstruir sus viviendas.

Las autoridades han priorizado la rehabilitación de las escuelas para garantizar que los alumnos puedan regresar al inicio del curso escolar, previsto para el 21 de septiembre.

Llamado a restablecer la pena capital deja reacciones encontradas

Tebboune ha rechazado lo que calificó de “teorías conspirativas” sobre los incendios y, en su lugar, apuntó a explicaciones relacionadas con el clima. Citó a otros países mediterráneos azotados por el fuego este verano, como Francia, Portugal, España e Italia. Los científicos advierten que el cambio climático está agravando la frecuencia e intensidad del calor y la sequía.

Pero Tebboune también hizo referencia a “manos criminales” y anunció que hay investigaciones en curso.

Afirmó que los responsables de los incendios “serán condenados a muerte”, al tiempo que anunció el levantamiento de la moratoria sobre la pena capital, vigente desde 1993. En ese año se produjeron las últimas ejecuciones en el país: tres insurgentes islamistas condenados por un sangriento ataque en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Argel.

Los partidos que respaldan la presidencia de Tebboune, así como las formaciones islamistas, han apoyado su postura. Pero los vinculados al movimiento democrático de Argelia y algunas organizaciones de derechos humanos se han opuesto con firmeza al regreso de la pena de muerte, calificándolo como “un retroceso de Argelia hacia la barbarie” y como un intento de quienes están en el poder de eludir la responsabilidad por el fracaso de su gestión.

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

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani repeatedly questioned attorney Michael Velchik about whether the Postal Service could actually implement Trump's plan from an executive order he issued last spring. The key piece is an online portal that would track tens of millions of mail ballots. States would be required to upload their list of mail voters to the portal to have ballots delivered, and if the data there didn't match what was on the envelopes, the ballots would not be sent.

“I don’t even have a declaration from the Postal Service: ‘This is how it will work.’ I don’t have it. I have nothing,” Talwani said, adding later that it felt like the government was running an “experiment” to see if the system would work in the upcoming election.

“As you sit here today, you can’t tell me the government has a program ready to go?” Talwani asked.

Velchik repeated that the Postal Service would “fully implement the rule” that it published last month, triggering the latest round of litigation. He argued the main issue is whether Talwani has the legal power to stop it.

“The $64,000 question is, is this authorized by the statute?” Velchik said.

Talwani is considering whether to extend her temporary order barring the Postal Service from requiring use of the system through Sept. 10. The first state to send out all its mail ballots, North Carolina, is scheduled to begin shipping them out Friday, with other states quickly following.

That tight time frame led Velchik to warn that the administration would shortly go to the Supreme Court to get permission to resume implementing the plan.

Talwani has been here before. In June, she prohibited the administration from implementing Trump's executive order for the November election, ruling the changes came too close to voting for the federal government to embark on such a project.

But the Supreme Court late last month ruled that Talwani's order was premature because the Postal Service had not yet published regulations governing how it would apply Trump's order. The agency did so just before the high court ruling came down, prompting Democrats and voting rights groups to swiftly re-file their lawsuits.

They counter that the president has no authority to set election rules, which is a power designated by the Constitution to the states and, in some cases, to Congress.

They won an initial victory with Talwani's 14-day restraining order, which the administration has already appealed.

Trump has long opposed mail voting and falsely blamed it for his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, even though he often uses that method to cast his own ballot.

Election officials say there's simply no way they can comply with the Postal Service directives, which could require a complete overhaul of their operations. Before it delivers mail ballots for any state, the Postal Service would have to approve the design of the envelopes that contain them and have the state upload a list of voters receiving them to an online portal.

Some ballots have already gone out. A few municipalities in Wisconsin opted to send mail ballots to voters earlier this week, but Friday marks the full kickoff of voting as North Carolina starts shipping its mail ballots to all voters who requested them.

The administration has contended the changes are relatively minor and legal. But the portal was still not active this week, and most election offices have already printed their envelopes and ballots.

Velchik told the judge that the federal government is offering states the choice to opt into the system, but the Postal Service has yet to identify a single state that has done so. None of the 12 states that intervened in the lawsuit to argue the Trump administration has the right to require the program have announced that they have voluntarily opted into it.

Talwani scolded Missouri Solicitor General Lou Capozzi for arguing on behalf of the project.

“You want the voters in your states to be disenfranchised,” Talwani said. “I don't understand the interest.”

Capozzi said that was misinformation: “There is no risk that people would be disenfranchised,” he said.

A whistleblower report made public this week warns that the postal system's requirements could lead to millions of mail ballots never being sent. The new rule requires all ballots to be physically brought to post offices before being mailed to voters. But if a single one's bar code registers an error, the whole batch gets thrown out, even if it contains tens of thousands of legitimate ballots.

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Riccardi reported from Denver.

With her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem, a co-founder of Ms. Magazine, was a hugely recognizable presence wherever she went. And she went everywhere: Much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centers, at rallies and marches.

“You can’t do it on the phone or on the web,” she told The Associated Press in a 2015 interview. “You have to be there with all five senses. It should be obvious that people can’t empathize with each other unless we’re in the same room.”

Steinem, who had been in declining health, died Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to a post on her social media page. She had recently completed a memoir, to be released this fall.

“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the post said. “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.”

Though Steinem had recently become more frail physically, her wit and humor remained totally intact. Her friend and fellow activist, Abigail Disney, said she'd visited Steinem’s Manhattan home a bit over a week ago, as those close to her gathered by her side. “She was just as funny and just as sharp as I have ever known her,” Disney said. And, she said, generous.

“Everything Gloria did was rooted in kindness,” Disney said. “It flowed through her political activism.”

Steinem changed her career path after a start as a journalist

Steinem began her career as a journalist, notably reporting in 1963 on degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire — an undercover assignment she came to later regret. She credits a meeting six years later, where women spoke out in favor of abortion rights, with changing her career path.

“That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me,” Steinem, who had undergone a secret illegal abortion herself at age 22, told the AP in an email in 2022, reflecting on the reversal of Roe v. Wade. “Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we’re not living in a democracy.”

Those who watched Steinem denounce discrimination for so many years likely never suspected that she’d had to overcome a deep fear of public speaking. She would have simply stuck to writing, she said, if only editors at the time had been willing to let her write about the women’s movement.

But they weren’t interested, she told the AP in 2015. “So I ended up going out and speaking, which was my nightmare,” she said. “I mean, I was terrified. But I’m grateful, even though I still get scared even now.”

Steinem's visibility endured throughout her life

Time hardly slowed Steinem down; through her 80s, she was traveling the globe and speaking out on issues of importance to her. These included everything from genital mutilation to Korean reconciliation, but it was equality for women that took precedence. “Being a feminist means that you see the world as whole instead of half,” she once said. “It shouldn’t need a name, and one day it won’t.”

As the years went on, Steinem’s visibility endured. A few days after her 85th birthday, she was leading a women’s “talking circle” at an off-Broadway play celebrating her life, where one by one, women in the audience — many fighting tears — rose to thank her and tell their own stories of discrimination. In 2020, her life was the subject of a feature film, “The Glorias, A Life on The Road.”

And at 91, she collaborated on a picture book with Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee aimed at inspiring young people to change the world. “Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” was published in February.

The constant visibility came with a price; even into her older years, Steinem expressed frustration that despite her accomplishments, she was often described as beautiful or glamorous. A 1992 Vanity Fair profile even noted her “spectacular racehorse legs.”

“Nobody ever called me beautiful until I was publicly a feminist, and that was in my mid-30s,” she told AP in a 2011 interview. “It was clear that label was being assigned to me. The most hurtful part is that you work very hard, and people say it’s because of your looks.”

Steinem often responded to hostility with humor

Of course, Steinem also had to deal with hostility — sometimes from surprising places. Appearing on Larry King’s talk show on CNN in 1990, she was visibly stunned when a female caller greeted her cheerfully, then told her to “rot in hell” because she had ruined “the beautiful American family.”

But by then, she noted, at least people were taking feminists seriously. That wasn’t the case in 1972 when she co-founded Ms. Magazine and many commentators — especially male — dismissed it as ridiculous, predicting an early demise.

Among Steinem’s detractors was President Richard Nixon, who was caught on an Oval Office tape ridiculing both her and the “Ms.” title. The ridicule was mutual: In a 1972 National Press Club speech, Steinem called Nixon “the most sexually insecure chief of state since Napoleon.”

It was just one example of Steinem’s trademark wit. Before she married at 66, she often explained her singlehood by saying “I can’t mate in captivity.” Laughter, she wrote, was “the only free emotion — the only one that can’t be compelled.”

Steinem had an unconventional childhood

Gloria Marie Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Her father was a traveling antique salesperson; she spent her early years on the road with her parents, not attending regular school. “I just read everything I could get my hands on,” she told an audience at Manhattan’s 92NY earlier this year.

In 1944 her parents divorced, and 10-year-old Gloria was left to take care of her mother, a once-promising journalist who struggled to combine her work with running a household and who eventually suffered a nervous breakdown.

As a young girl she excelled at tap dancing — it was even going to be her “ticket out of Toledo,” she said. That particular career did not materialize, though, and she attended Smith College in the 1950s — a time when, she said, women were being educated to be mothers and wives.

But marriage was not on Steinem’s mind. “I was engaged to a very nice man. It wasn’t his fault, but I just didn’t want to get married,” she told her 2026 audience. Instead, she took a modest fellowship to travel to India. After that, Steinem headed to Manhattan, where she couldn’t rent her own apartment because landlords assumed if a single woman “could earn enough, you must be a hooker.”

She wanted to write about politics. But editors gave her assignments on food, fashion, and, in what she jokingly called “the lowpoint of my life,” an article about textured stockings. Even more demoralizing was her experience with an editor who, she said, gave her a choice one day: Spend the afternoon in a hotel with him, or mail his letters on the way out.

She chose to mail the letters. “There was no word for sexual harassment then,” she has said. “It was just life.”

But one assignment in 1963 sounded compelling: posing as a Playboy Bunny for an exposé in the now-defunct Show magazine. Steinem auditioned, assuming she’d be weeded out. But she was given her bunny costume — “so tight, it would give a man a cleavage” — and worked at the job for about a month.

“I could not have made a bigger mistake,” she told the AP in 2011. “It was personally and professionally a disaster. In the short term, it was much harder to get assignments, and in the long term it’s been used to ridicule me.”

Steinem's writing became more political in her 30s

Steinem was in her 30s when she joined the editorial board of New York magazine, and her writing became more political. In 1969, she went to cover an abortion rights hearing. She had never told anyone about her illegal abortion at 22, in London. That was the moment, she has said, that triggered her career as a women’s rights activist.

Steinem founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 along with Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug.

Unlike her friend Abzug, however, Steinem was not comfortable in front of a crowd. Gradually, with her early speaking partner Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a Black feminist and child welfare advocate, she found her footing. The two formed a powerful partnership at a time when feminism was viewed as largely a white, middle-class movement. In an iconic photo, the two raise their right arms together in the Black Power salute.

As she grew more famous, Steinem drew attention not just for her work but for a glamorous Manhattan life. Asked once about her streaked hair and aviator glasses, she explained that the hair was inspired by Holly Golightly, the free-spirited character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

The glasses? They were “more about hiding,” she said.

When reaction was hostile, Steinem would try to reason that it was a step above ridicule. But sometimes it stung, like a snarky Esquire profile in the early ’70s, so hurtful that she cried, and colleagues called a news conference to defend her.

Steinem co-founded Ms. Magazine and stayed with it as an adviser

Then came Ms. Magazine in 1972. “I was so obsessed with the fear that it would fail and be a disgrace to the movement,” Steinem said later. And opponents hoped that would happen. TV newsman Harry Reasoner, an especially tart critic, later apologized on air. Steinem continued with Ms. until it was bought in 2001 by the Feminist Majority Foundation, and remained an adviser.

Steinem never had children, and said she never regretted it. “No, not for a millisecond,” she told the AP. “It’s important that some of us not have children, to show that we have a choice.”

In 2000, Steinem made a choice she’d never planned to: She got married, at 66, to British activist and businessman David Bale, whom she met at a fundraiser. Bale was the father of actor Christian Bale.

“I thought, ‘I haven’t changed, marriage had changed,’” Steinem said. “David and I wanted to be together, we loved each other. He needed a green card.” They married at a Cherokee ceremony in Oklahoma. Several years later, he became ill with brain lymphoma, and Steinem cared for him until his death in 2003.

Steinem said she had few regrets in life, but did miss being present when her father died. She received word that he’d been in a serious car accident, but did not respond in time, and he died alone. “I had taken care of my mom as a child, and I feared I’d never come back,” she explained.

She was also sorry that she didn’t become closer to her mother. “I was so fearful of becoming her,” she said in an HBO documentary, “Gloria: In Her Own Words.”

Steinem wrote about life on the road — though she never learned to drive

Steinem’s books included the 2015 road memoir “A Life on the Road” — but she wryly noted at the time that she’d never learned to drive. It would have taken away, she said, from her ability to converse with hosts who picked her up from airports or train stations. And, she noted, she always loved to chat with taxi drivers.

On Jan. 21, 2017, when hundreds of thousands of women gathered in Washington in their pink “pussy hats” for the historic Women’s March, it surprised nobody that the keynote speaker, and the most rousing, was Steinem.

“We are linked,” she told the crowd. “And this is a day that will change us forever because we are together.”

For many women, Steinem was the galvanizing voice that day. She would go on to advocate fiercely. But, though many saw her as a singular figure in history, she often liked to say that if she hadn’t come along, someone else would have accomplished the same things.

By the same token, she said, it was less important that younger people listen to her, and more important that they listen to themselves.

“The primary thing is not that they know who I am,” she said, “but that they know who THEY are.”

In an unusually candid summary by a soccer official about an aborted transfer, Thiago Scuro held a news conference and gave — in English — a detailed, step-by-step rundown on how Balogun’s proposed move to Everton for a reported 40 million pounds ($54 million) fell apart with the clock ticking on deadline day.

According to Scuro, Balogun underwent a medical examination at Everton on Tuesday afternoon. Three hours later — and with four hours left until the deadline — Everton contacted Monaco raising questions about the results of the medical “which, for our medical staff, as well as for the player’s personal medical staff, made no sense at all,” Scuro said.

There followed discussions between the clubs and medical departments, before Everton contacted Monaco again to say it was ready to complete the signing of Balogun, according to Scuro.

“At the last moment, the player decided not to sign,” Scuro continued in the news conference held Wednesday. “And basically, the allegation of Balogun is that, ‘I’m not feeling well by the way the club treated me, I’m not feeling well by the way the medical department of Everton brought doubts about my future or my health. I have nothing (wrong with his health), so I’m not comfortable to sign a long contract here.'”

There was no immediate response from Everton about Scuro’s comments when contacted by the Associated Press. The Premier League club’s leadership — its owners are the Texas-based Friedkin Group — is being criticized by its fans for the way the Balogun deal was handled, as it leaves the team with just one senior striker — Thierno Barry — since his backup, Beto, was sold to Fiorentina on deadline day.

There has been no public comments from Balogun, either, following the latest fiasco surrounding the New York-born striker.

During the World Cup, Balogun was the star player for the U.S. team but was red-carded during the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His one-game suspension was deferred by FIFA after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, calling Gianni Infantino — president of soccer's world governing body — to see if the red card could be reviewed.

Balogun was, therefore, allowed to play in the round of 16 and had a forgettable performance as the U.S lost to Belgium 4-1. The intervention prompted a formal complaint to FIFA's ethics investigator and led to a general outcry in the soccer world, with Balogun later acknowledging FIFA’s decision to suspend his ban created “outside noise” that affected the U.S. team mentally.

Balogun could still leave Monaco

Scuro has left open the possibility of Balogun, who has two years left on his contract at Monaco, still leaving the club, saying: “We still have markets that have the financial capacity to do something.”

Among the leagues whose transfer windows are still open are Turkey (closes on Friday) and Saudi Arabia (closes on Oct. 12).

Monaco is under pressure to sell Balogun or another of its top players because it needs to generate money to comply with the French league’s financial rules.

When it first appeared that Balogun’s move to Everton was off, Monaco began negotiating with Chelsea over the sale of midfielder Lamine Camara and they reached an agreement, Scuro said.

However, that deal was also scrapped when Everton reversed its decision on Balogun and attempted to get it over the line.

In the end, neither player moved.

“Balo leaving was the trigger for everything to be OK,” Scuro said. “Basically, our financial plan was working almost perfectly until 7 p.m. (on Tuesday).

“Now we have to face this situation and find solutions in different ways.”

Monaco is next in action on Friday, away to defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

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Almost immediately, it went viral. The early trailer rapidly gained more than 90 million views on YouTube, galvanized by people awed by the apparent scale and emotional depth of Laika’s most ambitious film yet. Sample comment: “AI is the future. Laika: Hold my meticulously handcrafted stop motion beer.”

“People that I worked with — hardened industry folks with wizened black husks of hearts — were sending me text messages: ‘Jesus Christ, your trailer just made me cry,’” Knight says, chuckling.

Why did Knight's strange, indie stop-motion animated movie resonate so strongly?

“The making of the art leaves fingerprints on the art,” Knight surmises. “And I think people feel that.”

There’s no shortage of people proclaiming that AI is the future. There are significantly fewer proselytizing about stop-motion animation’s assured destiny. But Laika, the Portland, Oregon-based studio, has for two decades tried to keep an old movie art form alive while mixing in more modern, computer-generated advances. (“We’re not Amish,” promises Knight.)

The studio’s first release in 2009, Henry Selick’s “Coraline,” is still its most beloved. But Laika’s commitment to handcrafted filmmaking and darkly gothic tales has won a loyal following over the years, even though its last release was the 2019 flop “Missing Link.”

Yet “Wildwood” might always have been what Laika was building toward. The film, which opens in theaters Oct. 23, is based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 fantasy novel, illustrated by Carson Ellis. Set in Portland, it’s about a teenage girl named Prue McKee (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) whose infant brother is kidnapped by a flock of crows and taken into an enchanted forest. The voice cast includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson and Jacob Tremblay.

The film, heavy with grief and radiant with adventure, isn’t just in Laika’s tonal sweet spot. It’s set in its backyard.

“It’s everything I love in one film,” Knight said in a recent exclusive interview. “I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done at Laika.”

Stop-motion animation as 'a quiet act of rebellion'

It was also the biggest challenge. Knight, the son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight (who’s chairman of Laika and has helped bankroll it), acquired the rights to “Wildwood” before it was released. The adaptation is some 16 years in the making.

“I felt like we had to develop the tools, the tricks, the technologies to actually do justice to this story. We built on all of our learnings from our earlier movies and stood on those shoulders. I felt like: OK, I think we’re ready to do it,” Knight says before laughing. “And we were not.”

At 139 minutes, “Wildwood” is uncommonly long for an animated film, let alone a stop-motion animated one. Its staggering production included 136 sets and 231 practical puppets. One character, a golden eagle known as The General, took some 3,000 hours to make.

“These are great acts of care and devotion,” Knight says. “In this modern era where everything is so rapid pace, where entire worlds can be generated with a click of a mouse, the idea of taking your time, and with great devotion and care coaxing life out of something, is very special. I like to call it a quiet act of rebellion.”

Laika isn’t the only big stop-motion company still around. The Bristol, U.K.-based Aardman Animations remains a free-flowing font of pastoral whimsy. (It releases “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom” on Sept. 18.) But it’s a precarious business. And it’s easy to wonder if Laika could have kept such long-term productions going without the Knight family wealth.

Focus Features exited its pact with Laika after the release of 2016’s Oscar-nominated “ Kubo and the Two Strings.” Fathom Entertainment, the distributor owned by theater chains, is stepping in to release “Wildwood.” Laika and Fathom have enjoyed unique success in rereleases of “Coraline.” A 2024 rerelease generated an astounding $52.4 million worldwide, fresh evidence of audiences' yearning for something tactile and soulful.

Embracing the ‘cobwebbed corners of yourself'

Laika was born in 2003 when Philip Knight acquired Vinton Studios, the company founded by animator Will Vinton. Travis Knight was then an animator there. The name, Laika, comes from the dog launched into space in 1957.

From the start, Knight envisioned an animation studio where darkness and light weren't treated as opposites. Laika has since carved out a sensibility more surreal and more idiosyncratic than the output of animation factories like Pixar or Illumination. “Wildwood,” notably, is rated PG-13.

“When you devote this much of your life to something, you don’t want it to be some candy-colored confection, a bit of pop culture fun,” Knight says. “You want it to be meaningful.”

To a large degree, “Wildwood” is about grief and the heavy cost of carrying it. For Knight, whose older brother, Matthew, died a few years before he encountered Meloy's book, the story is tinged with personal experience.

“You want the stories you tell to be about something. That often involves climbing into the darkened, cobwebbed corners of yourself and pulling those things out,” Knight says. “I did lose my brother. He was too young. A handful of years ago, my wife lost her brother and her nephew. These things are seismic in families. So the movie does wander, sometimes generally and sometimes not, through the corridors of grief.”

That a movie like “Wildwood” is so labored over, Knight believes, gives it its magic. That doesn't mean he doesn't see the inherent absurdity of an arduous process that, he says, moves at the speed of “continental drift.”

“You build thousands of tiny things. You put them under lights. You move them microscopic distances. You take a picture,” says Knight. “And then you repeat that process over and over and over again until you finish the movie or society collapses.”

But as “Wildwood” nears its release, Knight firmly believes it's all worth it — that something in the making of the movie comes across to moviegoers.

“There is a yearning for something that’s handmade, for something that someone has cared into existence,” he says. “It’s always been rare, it’s always been special. But it’s even more so now.”

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The court decision came hours after coach José Mourinho said the club opened a disciplinary proceeding against Asencio following a DUI conviction.

He was cleared of charges that he showed a sex video to another person without the consent of those involved in the video. One of the women in the 2023 video was underage.

Asencio and three other players from youth squads at the time were involved. The other three players were convicted of making and distributing the video without their consent, but their sentences were suspended on condition they don't misbehave again, among other things.

The women forgave the players, according to the court.

Earlier Thursday, Mourinho said Madrid opened a case against Asencio following a DUI incident last month. A Spanish court fined the 23-year-old Asencio and suspended his license.

“While the proceeding is open I see him as a Real Madrid player,” Mourinho said. "He’s injured and will continue to be sidelined for a couple of weeks. That helps me not to have to deal with this problem now.”

Asencio hasn't played this season because of a muscle injury.

“He’s an exemplary professional. While he was fit, nobody trained harder or better than him," Mourinho said. "Now he’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. But a Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 12 months a year. Everything you do off the field is still about Real Madrid. It still damages the prestige of a club that is untouchable. I’m not happy, and everyone makes mistakes, but accumulated mistakes are different.”

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The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency referred Bang to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday, asking him to be indicted on a charge of violating the capital markets act, according to the police agency and the prosecutor’s office.

Police have been investigating Bang, the billionaire founder and chairperson of Hybe, over allegations that he misled investors in 2019 by indicating that Hybe had no immediate plans to go public, prompting them to sell their shares to a private equity fund shortly before the company proceeded with an initial public offering.

Police earlier said that the fund may have paid Bang somewhere around 200 billion won ($147 million) in a side deal that promised him 30% of post-IPO stock sale profits.

South Korean media reported that police referred four other people, including Hybe executives and private equity fund officials, to prosecutors on Thursday as well, asking for their indictment.

Hybe officials have said Bang denies any wrongdoing.

“We have consistently responded to the allegations with objective evidence and facts," Bang's legal team said in a statement Thursday. "We expect the allegations to be fully and transparently resolved through the legal process.”

Police earlier sought Bang’s arrest twice in April and May. But prosecutors rejected those requests, saying police failed to provide sufficient grounds for his arrest and failed to comply with prosecutors' demand for further investigation of Bang.

Observers say prosecutors could again ask for further police investigation, rather than indicting Bang immediately.

News of Bang’s legal troubles flared after BTS returned and launched a much-awaited world tour earlier this year after a nearly four-year musical hiatus due to the band members’ mandatory military service in South Korea.

The Lincoln was supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 260 days. Its lengthy deployment drew concerns last month about deteriorating mental health among the crew as well as shortages of key food supplies aboard.

The Navy downplayed any problems, and President Donald Trump commented that the deployment was “not nearly long enough.”

The ship has been deployed for a total of 286 days, according to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Its total uninterrupted time at sea before Wednesday’s arrival in Chonburi province was 264 days.

The ship is expected to depart Thailand this weekend and continue its journey back to the U.S.

After clambering down from buses, laden with luggage, several service members told The Associated Press they were excited to be in Thailand.

Vendors and travel agents gathered outside the Hard Rock Hotel, the designated pickup and drop-off point for troops traveling from the Lincoln, which is docked nearby at Laem Chabang port.

They swarmed service members as they arrived, offering a range of souvenirs and services. Many sailors waved them away while waiting for their rides.

Two other ships from the Lincoln’s strike group are docked elsewhere in Thailand, with the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. at Chonburi’s Sriracha port and the cruiser USS Robert Smalls in Map Ta Phut in neighboring Rayong province.

A-ngoon Sombat traveled 200 kilometers between Pattaya and the central province of Ayutthaya to sell colorful braided bracelets to the visiting crew, as she does every time she hears a U.S. ship is coming for a port call in Chonburi province.

She set up opposite the hotel entrance and had managed to make some sales, but said she is still unsure if business will be good this week.

“There are many vendors around. It’s really up to how lucky each of us are,” she said.

Ship crews take shelter from heat in a mall

Dozens of service members could be spotted strolling around Pattaya's Terminal 21 mall with shopping bags in their hands as the afternoon sun was blazing outside.

A 20-year-old serving as a navigator aboard the Petersen, who declined to give his name because he was told not to speak to media while ashore, said the morale among his crew members was really high now that they had arrived in Thailand.

The sailor said it was his first deployment for the U.S. Navy. He said it was a bit of an ordeal but he was happy to finally be on his way home.

He declined to comment when asked about the reports about the conditions on the Lincoln.

Small crowd gathers to spot the Lincoln

A spot just outside the Laem Chabang port had turned into a small attraction by Wednesday evening, as people gathered to catch a glimpse of the Lincoln.

People arrived by car and motorcycle to peer through a mesh fence at the ship, which is as long as about three American football fields. They took photos and videos, excitedly chatted with strangers about their chance to see the vessel.

American Keith Eldridge, who has lived in Thailand for five years, traveled from the neighboring province of Chachoengsao just to see the ship. He was too late to catch the Lincoln docking but found the viewing spot through a recommendation from other enthusiasts he met along the way.

He said it was impressive for him to get to lay his eyes on this “engineering marvel.”

“When you get to look at something so big, wrapped up with so much technology, the radars, the sonars, the weapon systems, the propulsion systems, it is truly amazing that we can build it, float it, and we fight from it,” he said.

The Lincoln’s commanding officer, Capt. Dan Keeler, said the ship will be heading home soon, but may make further supply stops. He declined to comment on the exact date the strike group is expected back in the U.S.

The shortages are adding to the hardships of those living in temporary shelters after having lost homes and belongings.

Suresh Kumar Karanjit, who has been staying at a relief center in Devighat, a town in one of the worst-affected areas in Nuwakot district, lost his younger brother in the floods last week. He said the camp did not have the exact medicine prescribed for his heart condition.

Karanjit only managed to get the cash he needed to buy his regular medicine after selling a carton of noodles he received as relief for 400 rupees ($2.60). “We have been living here for a week. The relief materials are being provided, which is good. But there is a lack of medicine,” he said.

Nepal’s disaster chief, Dharam Raj Uprety, said health centers staffed by doctors and stocked with medicine have been set up at each shelter. Uprety said authorities were also focusing on hygiene and sanitation to reduce the risk of disease.

The Aug. 26 floods that were likely caused by a glacier collapse devastated towns and valleys in Nepal, destroying homes, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure. At least 1,252 people were killed and more than 4,200 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. China as of late Wednesday said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.

Nearly 4,000 people displaced in Nepal are staying in 34 relief centers.

In some of the worst-affected areas, residents were finding other ways to navigate after floodwaters left communities cut off from regular routes.

In Bidur town, along the Trishuli River, residents used a temporary zip line to cross between the riverbanks. Army personnel helped people onto the makeshift crossing and assisted them as they reached the opposite bank, while others waited along the riverbank for their turn.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts have increasingly focused on tunnels at several hydroelectric projects where workers are believed to be trapped. About 900 workers remain missing, while specialized rescue teams from India, China and the United States are involved in efforts to reach those trapped in the tunnels.

It was unclear whether workers feared to be trapped in the tunnels were alive.

At the Trishuli-3A tunnel, workers began manually opening the upper section of the passage, according to lawmaker Ram Neupane. An access road was built over the past week to reach the excavation site, but more rock blasting and debris clearing will be needed before heavy machinery can reach the area, he said.

The extraordinary step against one of the league's founding members in 1933 came as SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified 400 miles away in a courtroom not far from Tiger Stadium, defending the league's ability to enforce its rules as several dozen athletes try to play this fall after they turned pro.

Former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright sat next to each other in the gallery as the hearing began, with Sankey taking the stand a short time later.. At least seven bailiffs were on hand.

The lawsuit asks for a court injunction barring LSU from violating the SEC’s First Amendment rights by forcing it to “associate with conduct that is contrary to the conference’s purpose and mission.” It was filed in northern Alabama because the SEC is based in Birmingham.

Attorneys for the athletes, the NCAA and the SEC were appearing before East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden, who scheduled the hearing concerning the status of his earlier temporary injunction preventing the NCAA from ruling recent former pros or fifth-year college athletes ineligible — a stance also taken by the SEC and other Power Four conferences with formal rules adopted last week.

Jorden also wanted the NCAA to explain why it should not be held in contempt after the power conferences set up potential punishments of its member schools who place former NFL or NBA athletes on their football or basketball rosters.

The players in question also include former Denver Broncos defensive back Blake Cotton, who like Harris and Wright is hoping to join LSU and new coach Lane Kiffin.

Wright, who played for Kiffin last season at Mississippi, started practicing with at LSU this week, too late to be eligible for Saturday's home opener against Clemson under the NCAA's required seven days of practice. Harris, who also played at Ole Miss last season, has committed to LSU, while Cotton, who played at Utah last fall, has been recruited by Kiffin.

All three are among a host of athletes who've argued in lawsuits around the country that they are unfairly being denied an opportunity to spend a fifth year in college under newly adopted NCAA rules allowing for five full years of competition. In all, the NCAA says there are approximately 450 athlete plaintiffs seeking additional eligibility through litigation, with some 300 of them winning the ability to play at least for now and about 150 who have been rejected.

The athletes in the case who signed pro contracts have argued they did so only because current rules that would have allowed them another college season weren't adopted until after their decisions to leave for the chance to make an NFL roster.

The SEC filed a brief in the case on Wednesday in which it stated that the question before the judge should be a narrow one regarding whether the conference "can enforce and require its member institutions to comply with SEC rules.” The SEC's proposed punishments include significant fines, up to half-season suspensions for coaches and member universities' loss of voting on privileges on league business matters.

Sankey provided an affidavit stating that SEC university presidents voted 15-0 in favor of the new rules, with LSU's Wade Rousse abstaining. Sankey also said the SEC was acting on its own and not attempting to collude with NCAA to stop Kiffin from bringing in ex-pros.

The fight over eligibility between schools and their own conference s and the NCAA has simmered for months and spilled into politics.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr reportedly sent a letter of support to Sankey, encouraging him to take “all measures available” to punish LSU if it added former NFL players to its 2026 roster of 105 players, which was due to be submitted to the SEC by Friday. He also criticized the judge's injunction.

“It is no coincidence that the very institution set to potentially use this temporary order to flout the SEC’s rule is in the trial court’s own backyard,” Carr wrote.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also weighed in, writing in a brief that the NCAA had subjected athletes in the case to a “classic bait-and-switch.”

“The NCAA's ever-changing rules have consequences beyond these individual athletes,” said Murrill, who attended the hearing and chatted with plaintiff attorneys before the proceeding. “They affect the universities that recruit them, the other student-athletes with whom they compete, and the coaches and administrators responsible for complying with an increasingly complicated set of rules.”

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A young American roster led by the trio of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese now complement U.S. stalwart Breanna Stewart as the team looks to win its fifth straight championship.

The Americans will be missing four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, who the team announced Monday would miss the World Cup along with Kelsey Plum. They were replaced by newcomers Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The world has been catching up to the Americans with France coming within a point the U.S. in the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That's the closest any team has come to beating the U.S. in either the Olympics or World Cup since the Americans last lost in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup to Russia.

“I think there’s no question that the world is improving at a rapid rate. It’s so exciting to see, and I see it at every level,” U.S. coach Kara Lawson said Tuesday. “There’s more depth to the teams at the World Cup. Now when you look at rosters, there’s a number of just high-quality players. ... I think it’s going to be the most difficult World Cup to win that we’ve had because of that.”

The Olympic loss is still on the mind of the French team, which has more than a half-dozen WNBA players on its roster, including Gabby Williams, Marine Johannes and Dominique Malonga.

“We sure still do think about it,” Malonga said. “We know we were right there against the best team in the world.”

Other top teams that could reach the podium are Australia, Spain and China.

Moving the calendar date of 2030 World Cup

The next World Cup, which will be held in Japan, will move to Nov. 26-Dec. 8 in 2030 and won't potentially conflict with the WNBA schedule.

“I would I would call it one of the most significant decisions by the central boards in this decade,” FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis told The Associated Press. “We understood that, the women’s game needs its own dedicated spot in the world calendar and in particular in the basketball calendar.”

The women's World Cup used to be the same year as the men's tournament until 2014. Now the tournaments are held in different years with the men's championship a year before the Olympics and the women's tourney two years before the Games.

“It's a major decision because it creates a big window for essentially every league in the world,” Zagklis said.

With no major men's tournaments this year, Zagklis said that FIBA sponsors could focus more on the women this time.

It will also help with ease the challenges for the WNBA, which this has suspended play in the league during the tournament. Play in the WNBA will resume on Sept. 17 after stopping on Aug. 31. There are over 50 current WNBA players competing in the World Cup.

More teams in this World Cup tournament

The format of the tournament has changed for the betterment of the players, with the addition of four teams in Germany. The 16-team format is not new; it was used from 1990-2018. Now teams will play three pool games in four days as opposed to the five games in six days — which they did in the 2022 World Cup when only 12 teams went to Australia.

The top teams will then earn a break before the quarterfinals begin while the second and third-place teams in each group will play to reach the elimination round. Instead of playing eight games, teams will potentially only need six to win the title.

Zagklis said this could be an extremely competitive tournament.

“Within the top 10, virtually everyone can beat anyone,” he said. “We saw that in 2022 where Nigeria beat in the group Australia and then Australia got the bronze medal. We saw it in the qualifier, where USA was trailing Belgium for 39 minutes.”

WNBA coaching tree in Berlin

Many current and former WNBA coaches are heading up teams in the World Cup.

Mike Thibault is in charge of Belgium while Sandy Brondello is heading up Australia again. Her husband, Olaf Lange, took over Germany and will lead the host nation. Former Phoenix Mercury coach Corey Gaines is leading Japan and Chicago Sky assistant Rena Wakama is once again in charge of Nigeria.

The Americans are led by Lawson with WNBA head coaches Nate Tibbetts, Natalie Nakase and Stephanie White serving as assistants. Jose Fernandez is a scout for the team.

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Inside, in what is normally a sports hall, hundreds of people are sleeping overnight on trestle beds.

More than 2,000 people including volunteers and students are taking part in the biggest civil defense exercise in Europe since the end of World War II. In the scenario, critical infrastructure in the central Finnish city of Kuopio, including power and water, has been disrupted by cyberattacks and there’s the threat of missile strikes from Finland’s neighbor, Russia.

The goal is for local authorities and ordinary people to rehearse what they would do if they came under attack for real.

But while underground bunkers and shelters may offer some protection from missiles, they are no defense against the campaign of sabotage and disruption that Western officials say Russia is carrying out across Europe. That has involved setting fires, attacking water facilities and power stations, and sending drones for sabotage into European Union airspace.

Finland's border with Russia stretches more than 830 miles (1,300 kilometers) from the Baltic Sea up to the Arctic Circle. In 2024, along with Sweden, Finland joined NATO, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Until then, Finns were prepared to defend themselves against Russia largely alone.

Finland looks to Ukraine for lessons

Finland’s defense, said retired Army Colonel Asko Muhonen, relies not only on the military but on the “mindset” of ordinary Finns who are ready to take responsibility for their country’s security.

Muhonen, who organized the exercise in Kuopio, said that comes partly from the system of conscription which continued in Finland, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Not everyone is happy about doing national service but “it’s our duty to serve and protect this country like people have before us. That’s why we have our independence,” said Jyry Pietikainen, 23, a conscript who was taught how to run the Kuopio shelter overnight.

Finland also needs to learn lessons from Ukraine, Muhonen said.

While the biggest shelter in Kuopio can fit 7,000 people, Ukrainians sometimes only have a few minutes to run to a subway station or underground parking lot. That means people need a shelter they can reach easily that offers some form of protection — not necessarily one that can withstand a nuclear attack, he said.

Dmytro Untila, 20, a Ukrainian student at the university in Kuopio, was at home in Odesa when Russian missiles struck his city on Feb. 24, 2022, the first day of the war. He sheltered in the entrance hall of his building because he didn’t have anywhere else to go, he said.

Training for such a situation would have definitely helped in Ukraine, he said, “because nobody knew this could happen.”

The biggest threat to energy infrastructure in the Kuopio region is heavy snowfall, storms and bad weather, said Juha Räsänen, CEO at the Savon Voima electricity company.

But since the invasion of Ukraine, and the company’s decision to stop buying Russian biofuel, the number of cyberattacks against the network has significantly increased, Räsänen said.

Last year, engineers also found at least 10 stickers placed on particularly vulnerable parts of the energy network infrastructure. Other energy companies in Finland have also found them and don’t know where they came from, he said.

“If there was an explosion at that point, it could destroy a whole dam,” Räsänen said. Drones have also been spotted over power lines but those responsible have not been identified, he said.

It is not possible to guard against all threats, Räsänen said, which is why it’s important people are prepared to look after themselves without help for at least 72 hours — if the power supply goes out, or if water becomes undrinkable.

The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service said it investigated “a wide range of observations” and found nothing of concern.

Since 2022, people have been more vigilant because of the security situation and therefore have reported things like reflective stickers related to land survey works, it said in a statement. Drone sightings, it said, have “largely been explained by everyday occurrences.”

“Small things are happening all the time,” including Russian jamming of GPS signals, said Vuokko Lahtinen, 32, who was visiting a sauna in Kuopio.

For that reason, “the best defense of Finland is to make it not worth attacking,” she said.

That relies on the country’s military and defense forces but also Finnish people who feel like “we have something we want to fight for,” she said.

In Finland, she said, there is a “general feeling of responsibility,” which has grown out of local community groups and even initiatives such as recycling.

“On a very simple daily level, if you do things that matter, then it has a butterfly-wing effect,” Lahtinen said.

Finland fought several wars with the Soviet Union

In its wars with the Soviet Union, Finland lost around 11% of its territory, and more than 400,000 people, around 12% of the population, fled their homes from an area that is now in western Russia.

At Kuopio's veterans’ museum, Risto Mönkkönen, 95, showed AP a piece of paper on which he had written down the dates the city was bombed and who died.

“I cannot forget it,” he said explaining how, as a child, he and his father ran into a shelter just as a bomb hit, killing five of his father’s friends.

Pirkko Naukkarinen, 102, recalled how, aged 16, she worked in a field kitchen by the front lines, sometimes sharing dugouts with soldiers and diving for cover in ditches as the Soviet air force attacked the retreating Finnish army.

Aili Toivanen, 92, told AP she was forced to leave her home twice over the various wars. Both times, her family was told by Finnish soldiers that they had one hour to pack their belongings.

The first time, she looked back and saw her home burning — set on fire by Finnish soldiers who did not want to leave anything behind, she said. The second time, she said, the Soviet air force bombed the family’s departing train and they jumped out, hiding in ditches before they took refuge in Kuopio.

When Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, she said, with tears in her eyes, that she worried she would have to leave her home for a third time.

Finns feel their country is worth fighting for

At the shelter in Kuopio, thousands of people filed in, including schoolchildren and university students.

“Kids would need to know this, because they might have to do something alone. The adults can’t always help,” said Amanda Hill, 11, whose school studied in the shelter for the day.

Sitting on the floor of the shelter with his fellow conscripts, Pietikainen explained why it’s not crazy to practice what happens in a crisis.

“We’re Finns, so we’re kind of pessimistic about life in a way,” but history shows what can happen with Russia, he said.

When it comes to the threats from Moscow, Muhonen said, “don’t believe what they say but observe what they do.”

Lavrov's announcement came after Berlin blamed Moscow for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4. The explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian plane at the airport, a major international freight hub used for providing support to Ukraine. The drone was later defused.

Earlier Thursday in Munich, several incendiary devices were thrown at a construction site near a building where several companies, including from the defense sector, are located, the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office said. There was a brief fire that caused no significant damage, police said, adding they suspect the target was one of the companies in the area.

Two Bulgarian nationals were arrested, police said, but their suspected involvement was not confirmed.

Western officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of conducting a campaign of sabotage and disruption in their countries with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations, something Russia denies.

Germany says it has become a “daily target” of the Kremlin’s hybrid campaign.

It said Wednesday it was closing both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in the German capital.

Lavrov countered that cultural centers belonging to Germany’s Goethe-Institut would be closed in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, adding that any other response would show a lack of “self-respect” on Russia’s part.

He told an economic forum in the Far East city of Vladivostok that Germany “could not have failed to understand” that closing the center in Berlin would “signify the end of their cultural presence in Russia.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Berlin wants to distract from its own failings and dissatisfaction among voters. Any proof being offered “has been planted,” Putin said.

Europe increasingly views itself as facing what it calls hybrid attacks by Russia, marked by cyberwarfare and disinformation as well as a conventional military threat. Each side accuses the other of state terrorism.

The tension has continued for months and grown into a major foreign and defense policy challenge for countries in the European Union.

Putin is testing the West with tactics that fall “just below the threshold of war” and is determined to “harass NATO members,” the head of Britain’s MI6 spy agency said last year.

European countries seek to counter Russia's threat

Following Germany's claims, Poland, Denmark, Finland, the U.K., the Czech Republic and Lithuania have summoned Russian diplomats stationed in their countries.

In Norway, authorities on Wednesday seized a Russian vessel in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at the request of Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz energy group.

A Norwegian court ordered the seizure as part of efforts by Naftogaz to recover a $4.22 billion arbitration award stemming from Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and its seizure of Ukrainian energy assets, including gas fields and pipelines. After Moscow refused to pay the 2023 award, Naftogaz petitioned national courts for orders to seize Russian commercial assets.

Putin on Thursday compared it to “state terrorism,” and Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Norway’s ambassador to Moscow, Heidi Olufsen, to protest the seizure of the vessel, which it said belongs to the state weather and environmental monitoring agency.

It carried workers, scientists and cargo to Russian settlements on one of the islands in Svalbard, the ministry said, adding that Moscow "will seek to lift the vessel's arrest.”

In Finland, meanwhile, more than 2,000 people took part Thursday in the biggest civil defense exercise in Europe since the end of World War II. Among the threats envisioned were missile strikes from neighboring Russia.

EU weighs how to respond further

EU ministers on Wednesday weighed how best to respond to the attempted drone attack but struggled to find new ways to meet the challenge without resorting to military means.

The EU has slapped almost two dozen packages of sanctions on Russia over the war, targeting over 3,000 officials, oligarchs and entities including banks, energy companies and drone makers.

One senior EU official said the bloc’s anti-terrorism procedures could be put to effective use.

“If we list individuals as terrorists, we can deploy a range of instruments to actually target those individuals and to track them, all their activities and people associated with those individuals,” EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Bartjan Wegter said.

He told The Associated Press that EU methods for combating terrorist financing and money laundering, as well as boosting the resilience of infrastructure like airports, could be put to good use.

“It is a very worrying development,” Wegter said of the failed Leipzig drone attack. But he noted that “it is not new what we’re seeing.”

Both Russia and Iran have used hybrid warfare methods before, he said.

“They’re actually deploying terrorist tactics” that are meant to “destabilize our society," Wegter added.

Denmark sounds alarm about Russian sabotage plans

Danish security services are warning that Russian acts of sabotage against the country’s defense industry may be imminent.

Intelligence services have seen signs of specific planning by Russia to conduct sabotage operations in Denmark, Emil Græsholm, head of counterintelligence at the national security and intelligence service PET, told the Berlingske newspaper.

The targets are primarily companies in the defense industry and especially those associated with delivering military components to Ukraine, he said.

Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin said PET has not presented any concrete evidence that Moscow was preparing sabotage acts in Denmark. He said Græsholm’s comments were actually an acknowledgement of Denmark’s involvement in Ukraine.

The transformation of Danish territory into a production and logistics base for the Ukrainian military posed a security risk to Denmark, he added.

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told AP on Wednesday that the German airport incident was “a very serious act that could have very grave consequences.”

But he said the threats aren’t discouraging Italy from further helping Kyiv as Rome weighs whether to send SAMP/T air defense batteries. As in other Western countries, limited weapons production capacity is hampering efforts to supply more to Ukraine, he said.

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Davies reported from Manchester, England.

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

Founded in 1919, Bauhaus blurred lines between art and industry, influencing global design to this day. It remains a cultural icon that attracts a steady stream of visitors to its iconic school building and the museum in Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt.

Attacks on Bauhaus by Alternative for Germany, also known as AfD, come as Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany is about to vote in an election that could see a far-right party take control of one of the country’s states for the first time since World War II.

AfD hopes to gain an absolute majority in the state legislature in the election on Sunday, an outcome that would shake German politics and possibly have repercussions for the region's cultural freedom.

AfD says Bauhaus violates the ‘human need for security’

In its election program, the party slams the Bauhaus as a school that “always strove to avoid any sign of national rootedness.”

AfD says its plans after a victorious election include implementing the slogan “Think German” to replace the state’s current advertising tagline “Think Modern,” which it has denounced as a “policy of a lack of identity.”

In 2024, AfD attacked the Bauhaus in Saxony-Anhalt’s Parliament as an “aberration of modernism.”

In that debate, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the AfD cultural policy spokesperson in the state legislative body, claimed “the Bauhaus violated the human need for security and comfort in every conceivable way.”

The lead AfD candidate in the upcoming election, Ulrich Siegmund, recently tried to tone down some of the more radical attacks by his party. He told The Associated Press at a campaign event in Moeser that Bauhaus itself wasn’t a problem but “we just mustn’t limit our culture and our history to it. We are much, much more than just the Bauhaus.”

If AfD wins the election and takes control of the state Parliament, the party could theoretically cut the state funding for Bauhaus.

German culture minister vows to fight for Bauhaus

The AfD attacks have led to a clash with Germany's cultural establishment and the country's culture minister, who is leading the defense of the Bauhaus.

“The AfD is attacking the Bauhaus, using the very same words the Nazis used 100 years ago,” Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said in a recent AP interview. “And that is why democrats, whether they lean conservative or left, are fighting back against it.”

Bauhaus changed the world when it was founded in Germany 100 years ago and has become a global brand icon of “new design, new architecture, and the creative industries,” Weimer said.

“And this idea, which is very modern, of bringing together elements from different disciplines has always been hated by the far right,” he added. “The Nazis banned and persecuted it. And today we have new Nazis … growing stronger, and attacking the Bauhaus all over again.”

Weimer vowed that Germany's national government would continue to finance the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau to ensure its independence and survival even if AfD win the Saxony-Anhalt election.

Bauhaus school blurred lines between artistic and industrial

The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius and others as an art school in Weimar and later moved to Dessau. Its artistic approaches and design styles continue to influence art and architecture to this day.

The Bauhaus school blurred the lines between the artistic and the industrial, producing some of the precursors of modern mass design and helping make its design influential far beyond its relatively brief existence.

After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, the school closed and many Bauhaus teachers and students left the country, spreading its style around the globe from Chicago to Tel Aviv.

Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the last Bauhaus director, emigrated to the United States in the late 1930s. His famous buildings in the minimalist style with sleek glass and metal facades continue to impress Bauhaus fans to this day.

Bauhaus still attracts visitors from around the globe

Up to 150,000 visitors, including many from abroad, come to Dessau every year to see the original, iconic Bauhaus building and visit the Bauhaus museum, which is a testament to the enduring fascination and relevance of the Bauhaus to this day, said Barbara Steiner, the director and CEO of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.

She welcomed a pro-Bauhaus manifesto that was initiated in August by Weimer, the culture minister, and signed by more than 2,500 groups and individuals in reaction to the AfD's attacks on Bauhaus.

The manifesto includes pledges to defend the Bahaus from anti-democratic attacks by a broad alliance of cultural and architectural institutions and churches, saying they “reject nationalism that is hostile to culture.”

“The Bauhaus stands for intellectual, social, and aesthetic openness and continuous renewal. It stands for exchange, transnational networking, and mutual inspiration. This openness is a great strength of German culture and enriches Germany,” the manifesto says.

“Ultimately, the AfD’s accusations are very stereotypical,” she said. “They have in mind a version of the Bauhaus that never existed historically and, of course, doesn’t exist today either.”

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Geir Moulson and Fanny Brodersen in Moeser, Germany, and Markus Schreiber in Dessau, Germany, contributed to this report.

“We keep telling the legislature we need to move inward,” said Bol Sebalt, 43, who was born and raised on the low-lying beachfront. “But because of a shortage of funding we cannot.”

The fate of Melekeok, a chiefdom of 300 people, is echoed by stories from many island nations in remote parts of the vast Pacific Ocean. Their leaders, gathered for a summit in Palau this week, are wrestling once more with the question of how tiny countries with little global power can use major polluters’ geopolitical interest in their region to secure a chance of survival.

Some hope for funding to help them adapt to changes they can’t reverse. Sebalt, a legislative clerk, is also a trained volunteer for her local disaster readiness team, making her one of 200 people across the western Pacific country now prepared to shepherd their communities through events such as catastrophic typhoons that have struck before.

Almost a year ago, Sebalt moved to a subdivision being prepared inland for Melekeok’s people, where she’s the only resident so far. Sebalt said funding for plumbing, sewage and enough street light poles for others to move in was sourced in small chunks and much too slowly.

“We cannot move faster than climate change,” she said.

Pacific officials warn of no way out but curbing emissions

About 32 kilometers (20 miles) across the volcanic island, down winding roads fringed by tropical jungle, leaders from some of the small Pacific nations most imperiled by rising seas renewed dire warnings Wednesday about their expected fate.

The officials standing in sweltering, wet heat outside the annual Pacific Islands Forum summit were responding to a bleak first-of-its-kind report issued by the United Nations, which said Earth would soon exceed the safe temperature threshold agreed upon in the 2015 Paris climate accord because of warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

“Loss and damage is a reality that currently exists in my country,” Vanuatu Climate Adaptation Minister Ralph Regenvanu said.

“It will only accelerate with any overshoot, encompassing economic and non-economic losses that no finance can fully restore,” he said, adding that the loss encompassed “our ancestral lands, our heritage, our identity.”

For years, Regenvanu and other Pacific leaders have urged action from major polluters that would limit global warming to an accepted goal of 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above mid-19th century temperatures, which scientists said could avoid the dramatic impacts on people and the planet expected at 2 C.

Wednesday’s report finally admitted that the world would cross the 1.5 threshold “in the next few years,” while recommending efforts to bring down the temperature. The leaders gathered in Palau said that would be too late.

Warmer seas would devastate the Pacific’s tuna fisheries, which produce 30% of the world’s catch, and the mangroves where fish hatch, according to the regional scientific organization SPC. This year’s El Nino chaos has left parts of the Pacific in drought while others flooded, and such events would only intensify, the body added.

“There is no other way out,” said Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s minister for climate change. “The only way out for us is to ensure that we continue to push for 1.5, to stay alive, to stay in our countries.”

The summit’s host urged climate funding instead of geopolitics squabbles

Ahead of each year’s Pacific leaders summit, many of the 18 member states and territories cite climate change as the most pressing discussion topic.

But it’s often swept aside by geopolitical jostling from major powers on the sidelines of the event as they seek to shore up more influence in the strategically important region than their rivals. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr., suggested this week that countries who sought involvement in the region could instead do so by funding climate projects, including his push to see the sunny region become the first in the world powered entirely by renewable energy.

A geopolitical sideshow between China and Taiwan promptly erupted, however, when envoys from Beijing and Taipei were seated in the same row at the summit’s opening ceremony. But there are other obstacles to the leaders’ ambitions.

A Pacific-managed fund created by the summit’s members and intended to finance grassroots adaptation projects across the region has so far faltered because major donors haven’t pledged the hoped-for amounts. While some have cited governance concerns with the Pacific Resilience Facility, due to be headquartered in Tonga, the model is also new for an aid-dependent region where donors are used to controlling where money goes.

“International financial institutions have very lengthy, long processes to deliver the direct access funding that we require in the Pacific,” Tonga’s Prime Minister Fatafehi Fakafanua told The Associated Press.

“The PRF was purposefully designed to work immediately for the urgent needs of the Pacific Island people,” he added. “That is something that differentiates the PRF from the existing financial models that we are using here in the Pacific.”

Small island states are questioning larger forum members’ commitment

Then there are the tensions between small island nations who make up the majority of the Forum and its two largest powers and biggest donors, Australia and New Zealand, about their climate efforts.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Palau on Wednesday that Pacific leaders understood his country’s transition away from fossil fuels couldn’t “happen overnight,” and required greater capacity for renewable power generation.

“Australia is highly regarded when it comes to climate change and the talking down of Australia doesn’t happen from outside Australia, I make that point,” he said.

An hour later, Regenvanu of Vanuatu told reporters that Australia was not doing enough.

“Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels,” he said. “The very least a country like Australia should be doing is stopping future expansion and it’s not doing that.”

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Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, contributed to this report.

The S&P 500 was up 1.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 631 points, or 1.2%, as of 1:53 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%. The indexes are coming off their first gain after a three-day slide.

Gains in big technology and communication services stocks led the way higher. Their large market values tend to give them more influence over the broader market’s direction.

Microsoft rose 2.8%, Apple gained 0.7% and Meta climbed 3.6%.

Giant chip maker Nvidia, whose high-end chips have emerged as AI’s best building blocks, rose 2.2% after saying it would buy the artificial intelligence platform Hugging Face for $13 billion.

Markets rose in Europe, but ended mixed in Asia.

Oil prices ticked higher as the six-month long U.S. war with Iran intensified.

Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday in retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week. The fighting between the U.S. and Iran heated up after the U.S. hit Iranian rocket launchers Sunday on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran was planning to use them to send mines into the waterway.

The renewed fighting has sent U.S. crude prices sharply higher this week, though the momentum cooled Thursday. After rising in the early going, the price of Brent crude, the international standard, was down 0.1% to $95.55 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.5% to $91.51 a barrel.

Rising oil prices have added to existing inflationary pressures and exacerbated a bond-market sell-off earlier this week.

But bond yields have shown signs of stabilizing.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, dropped to 4.76% from 4.79% late Wednesday. It has been rising steadily throughout the year and was as low as 4.20% at the beginning of 2026.

The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which closely tracks expectations for Federal Reserve moves on interest rates, slid to 4.33% from 4.39%. It remains significantly higher for the year, though, and was as low as 3.50% at the beginning of 2026.

Traders had their eye on several companies following their latest quarterly snapshots.

Snowflake jumped 20.4% after its quarterly profit and revenue blew past analysts’ estimates. The company noted that artificial intelligence continues to be a strong driver for its business.

Other tech companies echoed the theme of strength in AI-related demand, but that wasn't enough to send their stocks higher.

Broadcom's results beat Wall Street’s estimates and the chipmaker forecast that its AI chip revenue would double in its fiscal year that ends in 2028. But its stock fell 3.6% after its revenue outlook fell short of expectations.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise also raised its guidance for cloud and AI demand strength as it reported quarterly results that topped analysts’ estimates. But the company’s shares slid 3.5% on worries about supply constraints and other concerns.

Elsewhere in the market, Tyson Foods fell 7.4% after the meat company lowered its guidance for revenue and operating income for its fiscal year, citing margin compression due to volatile cattle prices amid a severe U.S. cattle shortage.

And Victoria's Secret slumped 14.5% after its latest quarterly earnings beat Wall Street estimates, but its revenue fell short of expectations.

In economic news, the Labor Department reported Thursday that more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs are still rare and jobless claims remain at historically low levels.

On Friday, the crucial U.S. employment report for August is released. The previous report for July showed that the jobs market stalled, with employers cutting positions.

Both inflation and the jobs market have been key focuses for Wall Street and the Federal Reserve.

The Fed is trying to balance its tasks of supporting employment and taming inflation. Wall Street expects the central bank to raise interest rates before the year ends in an effort to cool inflation, which remains well above 3%. The Fed has a stated goal of cooling inflation to a target of 2%.

The government will release August inflation figures Sept. 11, shortly before the Fed's policymaking committee's next meeting, which ends on Sept. 16.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, a retired bishop and vocal advocate for democracy in the city, was a trustee of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which helped pay medical and legal fees for arrested protesters until it ceased operations in October 2021. The other defendants — singer Denise Ho, scholar Hui Po Keung, and former pro-democracy lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho — also served as trustees.

The five were found guilty and fined 4,000 Hong Kong dollars ($512) each in 2022 for breaching the Societies Ordinance, which requires local organizations to register or apply for an exemption within a month of their establishment. Their convictions were the first of their kind.

Observers say the case was significant to the city's freedom of association and it has been closely watched amid the city's drastic political changes following massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Judges Jeremy Poon, Aarif Barma and Derek Pang said the fund did not apply for registration or exemption within one month following its establishment. They said the five former trustees had intended to use the fund as a vehicle to appeal for, collect and apply donations for supporting the 2019 protests.

The fund is more than “mere sum of moneys held by the appellants on trust,” they said.

“Nothing in the evidence suggests that any individual including the appellants would be subject to an unacceptably harsh burden by the restrictions imposed by the registration scheme on their exercise of the right to freedom of association,” they wrote in their judgment.

After the hearing, Ng told reporters that the defendants would appeal to the city's top court. She said the top court needed to clarify what counted as a “society” and whether people would need to register with police or apply for exemption when taking part in any activity with others.

“It has a great impact on Hong Kong's civil society,” she said.

Zen appeared in court with a walking stick in his hand. He and the four others were first arrested in 2022 on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law, although they were not charged under that law. Zen's arrest at that time sent shock waves through the Catholic community.

After he was convicted in 2022, Zen said his case should not be seen as connected to the city’s religious freedoms.

The 2019 protests were sparked by a since-withdrawn bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China, and evolved into months of violent unrest.

The security law has crippled Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement since its enactment in 2020, with many activists being jailed under it. The impact of the law has also damaged faith in the freedoms of the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Beijing and Hong Kong authorities insist the law is necessary for the city's stability.

The National Capital Planning Commission, which this spring approved Trump's White House ballroom proposal after he razed the Executive Mansion's East Wing without authorization, will discuss a proposed fence around Lafayette Park in front of the White House.

The panel also will review a proposed underground security screening center for White House visitors. It's the first time the commission will take up either idea, and votes are not expected. But the commission and the separate U.S. Commission of Fine Arts thus far have not been an obstacle for Trump's plans for the capital.

The fine arts panel, which is controlled by Trump appointees, approved the visitors' center plans at its July meeting. It heard a presentation on the Lafayette Square fencing but took no action. The fencing also carries the most potential for controversy and opposition on Thursday.

The planning commission is not as dominated by Trump appointees but still has a clear tilt in the Republican president's favor. The 12 members include three presidential appointees, plus Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, General Services Administrator Ed Forst and, from Congress, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. James Comer, both Republicans. The new chairman, Mark Paoletta, will chair his first meeting. White House Counsel Will Scharf previously held the role.

Both proposals come at a time when security for the president is a top concern. The administration says the projects would be an improvement over temporary structures that have long been used for security, such as bicycle racks fashioned into barriers.

Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including two during the 2024 campaign and a third this past April as he attended a Washington dinner with White House journalists. Those concerns were heightened in May after U.S. Secret Service officers fatally shot a man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint.

But Lafayette Square fencing still would be a marked permanent change to the usual access and appearance of the grounds in front of the White House. The square last had permanent fencing in the late 1800s.

The administration’s 79-page proposal for the 8-acre (3-hectare) park calls for fencing all the way around with larger gates at the north and south entrances. Options call for either including or excluding monuments located at each of the park’s four corners.

The White House Visitor Screening Facility, meanwhile, has been viewed as a noncontroversial part of the administration's call for increased security measures.

The administration says the permanent facility, which it wants open by July 2028, would replace a series of temporary tents that have been used for years, in a bid to improve security on the White House complex and enhance the experience for visitors. The original design had it being built underground near the southern end of Sherman Park, just southeast of the White House. But consultations with other entities led to it being moved to the western edge, away from utility infrastructure.

But Democrats are dreaming of pulling off upsets in what might be called “reach” House districts, where Republicans usually win and likely will again — but where races could tighten if a rare political wave gains strength in November.

The party in power traditionally suffers losses during midterm elections. Democrats managed to avoid a predicted 2022 “red wave,” but they saw Republicans flip both chambers when President Donald Trump was reelected last cycle.

Now, with an unpopular war in Iran and lingering concerns about inflation, Democrats are hoping that this year could be a replay of 2018, when a backlash against Trump changed the balance of power in Congress.

“House Democrats are expanding the battlefield deep into Trump terrain,” said Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella countered that “national Democrats can keep throwing darts at the map and calling wherever they land a battleground, but nobody is buying it."

Here are some long-shot races, where stronger Democratic performances might signal an especially good election nationally for the party.

A candidate moved back to Nebraska after DOGE cuts

While all eyes are on the open seat in Nebraska's hotly contested "blue dot” 2nd Congressional District in Omaha, another race in the nearby, but more rural, more conservative, 1st District might be heating up.

The seat hasn't gone blue since President Lyndon B. Johnson topped the ticket in 1964, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the race to its list of those “in play," meaning national party support.

Hoping to break the losing streak is Chris Backemeyer, a former senior State Department official who said he left Washington after the Elon Musk-ledDepartment of Government Efficiency “came in and just wanted me to fire a lot of people."

Born and raised in the college town of Lincoln, the bluest part of an otherwise Republican district, Backemeyer quit his job and embarked on a cross-country road trip with his wife and three children, before eventually attending a town hall last summer hosted by Republican Rep. Mike Flood.

The line to get into the event stretched for blocks, Backemeyer recalled, and the atmosphere turned tense as audience members pressed Flood on cuts to Medicaid and reductions in federal veterans benefits. Backemeyer said he remembers thinking Nebraskans “deserve better.”

Flood was first elected in 2022, and won by 20-plus points two years ago. A former state legislator and owner of a broadcast communications company, he has continued to hold town halls with constituents — despite many of his House Republicans refraining from doing so.

As he campaigns in conservative areas, Backemeyer said “I've never been run out of town anywhere." But he also knows that making it to Congress won't be easy.

“I've had to convince just Democrats here that I can win," he said.

Democrats seek another Kentucky bump

Rep. Andy Barr’s seat in Kentucky’s 6th District is open as he runs to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. Barr is one of 36 Republican House members not seeking reelection this cycle, compared to 23 Democrats.

Former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran Zach Dembo is the Democratic nominee against Republican Ralph Alvarado, a physician and ex-state senator endorsed by Trump in the primary.

The central Kentucky district has remained solidly red since Barr defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler in 2012, and the National Republican Congressional Committee said it now has the advantage in voting registrations.

But Dembo’s party sees hope in the fact that the district easily backed Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear during an off-year gubernatorial contest in 2023.

During that race, its largest county, Fayette — which includes Lexington — voted Democratic by more than 40 percentage points. A year later, however, the district easily reelected Barr as Trump carried Kentucky.

Trump's primary endorsement may scramble a Nevada race

In the 2nd District of northern Nevada's high desert, Republican Rep. Mark Amodei is retiring after 15 years in Congress. But his chosen successor, rancher and former state Sen. James Settelmeyer, didn't win their party's nomination to succeed him.

Trump endorsed small business owner and retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo, who won the primary despite Amodei calling the president's choice “a mistake.”

Flippo faces Teresa Benitez-Thompson, a social worker, former majority leader of the Nevada legislature and onetime Miss America contestant who left her seat in 2024 due to term limits.

The district, which includes Reno and the state capital of Carson City, has never elected a Democrat. Trump improved his vote share in all three of his presidential runs from 2016 to 2024, and his party holds a sizable, districtwide voter registration advantage.

Benitez-Thompson is arguing that she can push back on federal overreach. Flippo says he would solidify the district's place in Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.

Will Mace's leaving jeopardize her Republican seat?

Rep. Nancy Mace is vacating her seat in South Carolina's 1st District after finishing a distant fifth in the state’s Republican primary for governor. She has a history of on-and-off feuding with Trump, and he opposed her campaign after she pushed to release files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Now Republicans have nominated Jenny Costa Honeycutt, an attorney and Charleston County councilwoman, to run against Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a larger purge at the Pentagon last year and later won a tough primary fight.

Trump easily carried the district in 2024, but having no incumbent could change the dynamics. Democrat Joe Cunningham flipped the seat during Trump's first term, though Mace won it back for Republicans in 2020 and redistricting has likely made the seat more red since then.

A redrawn Texas district that may not be so reliably red

Texas' 35th district was once safe blue territory stretching from San Antonio to Austin. But its boundaries were significantly redrawn by the state's Republican-controlled Legislature.

The new district encompasses an electorate that is majority Hispanic and backed Trump by double digits in 2024. But Democrat Johnny Garcia, former sheriff of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, has tried to woo disillusioned former Trump voters by campaigning as a “law-and-order" candidate who also opposes the president's sweeping tariffs.

Garcia is facing Republican Carlos De La Cruz, brother of Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who could potentially have her own, even tighter race for reelection in another part of the state, South Texas' District 15.

A retired Air Force veteran in a district with a heavy Air Force presence, Carlos de la Cruz was endorsed by Trump in a crowded primary. The field he bested included Republican state Rep. John Lujan, who helped pass the new district's boundaries.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson recently campaigned in the district, bringing national party presence that might yet prove necessary if Garcia can keep things closer than expected.

On Thursday, after 1,413 days — nearly four years — Meloni’s conservative administration became Italy’s longest-serving uninterrupted government since World War II, surpassing the record set by the late Silvio Berlusconi between 2001 and 2005.

None of Italy’s 68 governments in the country's 80 years as a republic has yet to complete a five-year term without interruption. Berlusconi came closest, but a government crisis forced him to resign briefly in 2005 before forming a new Cabinet.

Meloni and her party will celebrate their feat on Friday with a large preelection rally in the southern city of Bari.

Meloni, straightforward and pragmatic, has managed to stave off the crises and defections that have toppled past governments. The results — or lack of results — from this uncharacteristic period of stability may ultimately define Meloni’s legacy and her odds of winning another term.

“If you have five years in office and not much to show when you go back to voters, it can weigh against you,” said Nathalie Tocci, an international relations expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University.

From outsider to insider

When Meloni took office in October 2022, she was Italy's first female prime minister. Her government was also the first led by a party with neo-fascist roots, and European allies and financial markets viewed her with unease.

But Meloni has largely governed pragmatically. She maintained steadfast support for Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion, worked within European institutions and embraced fiscal discipline.

Her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump became one of her most notable foreign policy assets — at least initially.

While political instability has reshaped governments elsewhere in Europe — including the United Kingdom and France — Meloni has kept the same coalition in place since taking office, a rarity in modern Italian politics and a central pillar of her reelection bid.

“Meloni has reaped a part of what she sowed, because I know few people so determined, so hardworking, so precise, so meticulous, who have sacrificed both their human and private spheres in order to serve the institutions,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday.

“For this she is now reaping exactly what she deserves in terms of international credibility,” he said, speaking in a room in the ministry filled with photos of his predecessors. “She is not reaping the same on the Italian level.”

Heading toward the next election, due by the end of 2027, there is no longer any debate that Meloni can govern. The question is whether voters believe her government delivered enough to deserve another term.

Making the economic case

Supporters point to tighter public finances, the rollback of costly measures, more than 1 million additional jobs, unemployment below 6% and youth unemployment at new lows. They also cite a sharp decline in the arrival of migrants.

“Duration is not synonymous with results,” Crosetto said, referring to the government’s record, “but these are important ones.”

Meloni says those gains resulted from policies supporting businesses and job creators.

“The government’s strategy has focused on supporting those who create wealth and jobs,” Meloni said at a recent labor event. “We have reached a record high in employment.”

While she and her supporters point to jobs, fiscal discipline and political durability, her critics counter that many of Italy’s persistent problems remain. Weak productivity, demographic decline and long-standing inefficiencies in healthcare, education and public administration remain largely unaddressed.

“The Meloni government has been certainly stable and long-running, but it hasn’t achieved much in terms of structural reforms,” political analyst and pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco said.

Opposition leaders say Meloni's government has yet to find concrete ways to stimulate long-term economic growth beyond just controlling public debt and state deficits.

Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and a possible rival at the polls, pointed to the higher cost of living.

“The government is celebrating, but Italians are not,” Conte said in a recent speech outside parliament.

Turning global standing into political capital

Meloni’s transformation from nationalist outsider to establishment figure has reassured investors and European leaders.

“Italy has somewhat lost its role as Europe’s black sheep,” said Stefano Manzocchi, an international economics expert and professor at Rome's LUISS University.

Her knack for the balancing act was highlighted during recent tensions with Trump.

After Trump claimed that she had “begged” him for a photo at a Group of Seven summit in France, Meloni shot back: “Italy doesn’t beg.” It won her points with Italians who saw it as evidence that she could maintain relations with Washington while publicly defending Italy and Europe.

“I like Meloni, I like her character because she is authoritative and doesn’t let anyone walk on her,” said David Del Sarto, a 52-year-old taxi driver in Rome.

A challenger on her right

Tocci, the Johns Hopkins professor, noted that by pairing nationalist positions on migration and identity with tactical ability, Meloni helped accelerate the mainstreaming of Europe’s hard right. Once viewed with suspicion by much of the political establishment, nationalist parties have increasingly gained influence within governments and European institutions.

Meloni's supporters see her evolution as proof that nationalist conservatives can govern responsibly while remaining committed to democratic institutions and Western alliances.

But Meloni’s willingness to become more moderate has also been viewed as a weakness by some — and it has opened room for more conservative challengers.

Retired army Gen. Roberto Vannacci — known for hard-line positions on immigration and national identity — has emerged as a prominent voice on Italy’s far right, threatening Meloni by launching his own political party. He argues that Meloni has abandoned many of the combative promises that energized her political base, choosing instead to project an institution-friendly image to European and U.S. allies.

He may succeed in siphoning off conservative voters and lawmakers who feel Meloni moderated too much in her pursuit of stability.

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AP videojournalists Paolo Santalucia and Trisha Thomas contributed to this report.

It's been a difficult summer for Russians — a season of almost daily turmoil, frustration and anxiety.

The war that President Vladimir Putin unleashed on Ukraine 4½ years ago has come home and is harder to ignore. Nightly swarms of drones closed Russian airports, struck oil refineries or set ablaze the warehouses of retail giants Wildberries and Ozon.

Over 43,300 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Russia and illegally annexed Crimea in June, July and August, according to Defense Ministry data compiled by The Associated Press, although some clearly hit their targets. In the same period last summer, about 7,700 were intercepted, the ministry said.

“We were living a normal life, and then suddenly it’s like this,” retiree Margarita Terekhova said about waiting in line to refuel her car in Moscow, part of the nationwide gas crisis from refinery attacks that persisted into August.

As the calendar turns toward autumn, increased awareness of the war and its consequences comes at a challenging time for the Kremlin. A parliamentary election takes place Sept. 18-20 — the first since the full-scale invasion.

While there's little doubt about the outcome of the tightly controlled balloting that features few opposition candidates, analysts say it still holds potential for political volatility.

“Elections are a time when people should reflect on themselves, the country, where it’s going and what to do about it,” said Nikolay Petrov, senior research fellow at the NEST Centre, founded by exiled tycoon and opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Even in a strictly controlled environment, “things that are unexpected, inconvenient (and) painful for the authorities” can happen, Petrov said.

Russia's mood shifts

The summer's first major attack came June 3, when an oil terminal outside St. Petersburg was struck just as Putin's signature economic forum there got underway. Since then, Ukraine hit refineries, along with Wildberries and Ozon warehouses — from Moscow to Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, to Omsk in Siberia.

That intensified campaign — with its expanded geography and a growing number of drones — shocked Russians, says Denis Volkov, director of the country’s top independent pollster, the Levada Center.

Ukraine has not disclosed how many drones it launches, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has talked about expanding the strikes, which he calls “long-range sanctions.” Officials in Kyiv say they will continue trying to pressure Russia into ending the war, even as Moscow intensifies its bombardment of Ukraine.

The attacks have remained the most noteworthy topic for two months this summer, Volkov told AP.

Social media documented gas station queues or travelers stranded by canceled flights. Tearful entrepreneurs told followers their inventory was destroyed at the stricken warehouses.

Images of massive fires at oil refineries and warehouses showed up online despite restrictions on publication of content detailing the attacks.

Asked if Russians should get used to fuel shortages, Putin said Thursday in Vladivostok that “we must be prepared for anything, and our preparedness for everything will signal to those who want to harm us that it's better not to do it.”

While the shock over this summer's events has since eased, Volkov said, there is a longer-term downward trend that sociologists have tracked since last year: a worsening assessment of Russia’s economic situation and declining approvals of top politicians.

Putin’s traditionally high approval rating has fallen somewhat this year. Data from the Levada Center showed it at 76% in August, down from 87% in September 2025.

Chris Weafer, CEO of the Macro-Advisory Ltd. consultancy that works in Moscow, said there's more awareness of the war and less complacency about it.

“People are grumbling more, they’re talking more,” he said, with a striking level of pessimism, especially in the business community, about the prospects for its end.

Rumors of a possible mobilization

There also appears to be nervousness fueled by persistent rumors of an impending troop mobilization — like the widely unpopular one in September 2022 that drafted 300,000 men.

Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials maintain Russia is planning another mobilization after the State Duma election. Putin rejected the claims, saying they were “an information attack by the enemy.”

Still, the prospect has prompted some Russians to leave the country. One 23-year-old Muscovite told AP she left last month with her husband, worried he might be drafted.

The young woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns for her safety, also mentioned fear of Ukrainian attacks. She believes many feel exhaustion from the war, which now can affect “the life of any person in any corner of the country,” she said.

Volkov said worries over a new mobilization have long lurked in the background but flared up slightly last year after U.S.-led peace efforts stalled with no end to the war in sight.

People “don’t want (the conflict) to expand and more people to be dragged into it against their will, and this breeds certain concern, anxiety,” he said.

Authorities don't want a war debate

Volkov and Weafer said this increased awareness and the dampened mood aren't translating into anti-war demonstrations, public unrest or even enough protest votes to affect the balloting.

But things like turnout and “debate ahead of the election” still matter to authorities, Weafer said, even with an all-but-certain outcome.

Petrov pointed to the Yabloko party, the longtime voice of the liberal opposition that campaigns for an end to the war. It initially was allowed onto the ballot, and its young supporters flooded social media with videos promoting the party.

But on Aug. 10, the Supreme Court kicked Yabloko off the ballot, leaving it to compete only in single constituency races. Ten days later, the head of its Moscow office, Kirill Goncharov, said the party, with about 4,000 members, got 8,000 new applications.

“The context of the summer of 2026 is that there is a demand for peace,” Goncharov said.

Yabloko’s slogans resonated with young voters, and that “upended the Kremlin’s calculation” of giving people a relatively safe outlet for their discontent, Petrov said.

Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center said Yabloko's removal showed that authorities did not want the election to become a debate “for and against peace.”

Petrov said the Kremlin needs elections “as a demonstration of its great legitimacy.” It doesn’t care so much about the results, since it largely controls all the parties.

“Elections, like in Soviet times, should demonstrate the complete loyalty of all citizens," he said, adding that the vote should signal that Putin and the Kremlin have everything under control, and that people are ready to do “whatever authorities ask of them.”

Ukraine plans more turmoil for Russia

Russians interviewed in Moscow this week about how they spent their summer recounted contented moments, but they also described living with the effects of daily drone attacks.

Natalya Bazhenova from Chita in Siberia told AP she waited two full days in line for gasoline. Visiting the Voronezh region near the Ukrainian border, she got constant texts warning of drones but heard no explosions.

Ksenia Smirnova said her family canceled a flight to a Black Sea resort and is going by train instead.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy ominously warned airlines in Russia that the risks could continue.

“Although the Russian authorities are not properly informing people about this, Russian airspace will effectively be closing — the war started by Russia is closing its skies,” he said. “For now, the skies over Russia are for drones — not for civilian aviation.”

There’s the baby who remained in foster care, even after his mother completed the steps to bring him home. She had found a job, as the state required, but couldn't afford his childcare.

It’s hardly news that childcare is expensive, straining the budget of even middle-class parents. But these families all qualify for government-funded childcare assistance, intended to drastically reduce the childcare bills of needy parents so they can work or go to school. Instead, Indiana's program, which had run short on funds, waitlisted them.

Hundreds of thousands of children were sitting on childcare assistance waitlists in 23 states and the District of Columbia as of this spring, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In three more states, many eligible families who applied were simply turned away.

Childcare assistance, funded by the federal government with help from states, is supposed to aid working parents who are low-income, homeless or caring for foster children. But waitlists have ballooned since 2023, when eight states had them, according to the AP analysis. Reporters collected waitlist and enrollment data from 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Long waitlists often force parents to make financial tradeoffs

Many of the waitlists first started after $28 billion in pandemic aid expired in the fall of 2024. The Republican-led Congress declined to extend the extra money. Some states have increased funding to try to fill the gap, but families' need for childcare assistance has only grown, as they've faced mounting costs for food and gas.

While eligible families sit on waitlists, untold numbers of adults are sidelined from education or the workforce because they can't afford childcare. Those parents who remain in school or keep working make difficult tradeoffs. In interviews, parents described forgoing necessities, falling behind on bills or relying on acquaintances to watch their children. Unable to find viable childcare, some have resorted to bringing their children with them to work or class.

For Meygan Maloney's family in rural Indiana, waiting for childcare assistance means month after month of falling short financially. Maloney was working as a caregiver for disabled adults before she had her second child in 2023. Around the same time, the family took emergency custody of a close relative’s newborn daughter.

The next three years were marked by deepening financial struggles. Maloney only received $300 a month to care for her foster daughter, and both toddlers were put on a waitlist when she applied for childcare vouchers for 2025.

While the girl returned to her family in the fall, Maloney and her husband are still behind on bills. They recently refinanced their home, and her husband is working seven days a week as a tire technician and delivery driver. A local childcare provider gave her a steep discount, allowing her to leave her son four mornings a week to clean at a local hospital.

“I felt useless as a stay-at-home mom. I felt like I wasn’t contributing to our household,” Maloney said, her voice cracking. “We’re trying to get out. But for us to get out, we need the assistance."

Foster parents left to pay for childcare in Indiana

Indiana started its waitlist in December 2024, a few months after pandemic aid ran out and it became clear the state would struggle to support families already in the program. Until May of this year, it put virtually everyone who applied on the waitlist, including foster parents. By spring 2026, nearly 37,000 children were waiting for assistance.

Maloney and other foster families feel like they were misled by the state, which had for many years paid for childcare for foster children. Malinda Cox, an Indianapolis mom who took in a newborn last year, said she was forced to dip into her family’s savings to pay for the baby boy's childcare so she could return to work. At one point, she considered giving up custody of the boy because her family could not afford his childcare bill.

In the meantime, the boy’s biological mother was completing the requirements she had to satisfy to take him home. She had taken parenting classes and gotten a job. But she could not afford daycare, and because the boy could not get childcare assistance, he had to remain with Cox.

“We started to feel, like, guilty. He should be home with his mom, but (because of) this massive system upset, he’s not,” Cox said.

In April, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, announced the state would send $200 million in surplus funds to the state’s childcare assistance program, which would allow it to move roughly 8,000 children off the waitlist.

Even before the recent growth in waitlists, federal funding for childcare assistance has always fallen short of providing for every needy family, providing enough money to serve a fraction of those eligible. Experts say waitlists represent the tip of the iceberg, because many eligible families who need the help don't know about the program or haven't applied, daunted by tales of long waitlists.

The origins of the funding shortfall are cultural, said Ruth Friedman, who headed the Office of Child Care under Democratic President Joe Biden. For decades, “childcare was the responsibility of the family,” she said. “The system is fundamentally broken, and if the government doesn’t help fix the system … it will not be affordable for families.”

There are stark differences of opinion on whether the government should provide help — or how much. This year, 40 congressional Republicans called for “robust” funding of the federal program that underwrites childcare assistance. Instead, it received the same money as the year before. President Donald Trump said during his campaign that he could make childcare more affordable by using tariff revenue, but this spring he told a White House audience that paying for childcare should be up to the states.

“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of daycare. You got to let a state take care of daycare, and they should pay for it, too,” Trump told people gathered for an Easter luncheon.

His administration has largely focused on allegations of fraud in the program, at one point halting funding to five Democratic-led states. After a lawsuit, a judge ordered Trump's administration to restart the funding.

Moms bring babies to college or work

Without affordable childcare options, parents have resorted to bringing their children with them to work or school.

In Minnesota, Deaira Gresham's 1-year-old daughter has been on the waitlist for childcare assistance since birth, one of 9,000 children in her state awaiting aid as of this spring. Gresham, who works as an in-home health aide and takes a full load of classes at a chiropractic school, had some help with the baby from her mother. But often, she was forced to take her daughter with her to class and to her clients’ homes. It took a toll — Gresham failed several classes juggling school and caring for a baby.

This fall, she lucked out, getting a childcare grant for parenting students, allowing her to put the little girl in full-time care.

“Parents are in desperate need,” Gresham said. “We need that break. We need to be able to go to school, go to work and know that our kids are in good hands.”

It’s not just their work or college classes that parents worry about. Research has shown that high-quality childcare can boost a child's social-emotional and academic development.

Carmen Perez, who lives north of San Francisco, has applied for childcare help for all four of her children. Her eldest son never received it before aging out of the program. He struggled academically in ways that his sisters, who attended subsidized preschool, did not.

Now her 2-year-old son is one of 380 kids on a waitlist for assistance in Marin County, California. She fears he will face the same challenges as his older brother. “It makes me sick.”

On a rainy May day in Indianapolis, Cox bundled up her foster son and delivered him to a social worker. She packed up her own car with the boy’s things — clothes, diapers and a small changing table. The boy’s biological mother still had not gotten childcare assistance, but Cox had negotiated a deal with a childcare provider to offer a massive discount. When even that was out of the mother’s reach, Cox agreed to pay half.

She arrived at the boy’s new home to watch him reunite with his mother. She felt a mix of grief over parting with him and elation over seeing his delight with his mother.

Three weeks later, the mother got notice: He had finally been approved for a voucher.

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

Clancy, a 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children in the basement of their home in 2023. Her attorney argues that postpartum psychosis led to her actions, while prosecutors say she knew what she was doing when she killed Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy, ages 5, 3 and 8 months.

Just before jurors entered the courtroom Thursday with their eyes to the floor, Clancy took a deep breath at the defense table.

Clancy’s livestreamed trial has generated intense interest, with reporters and spectators packing the courtroom. The case has also sparked deep public divisions over her culpability and the issues around maternal mental health after childbirth.

Throughout the trial, Clancy has received letters of support “from all over the world,” defense attorney Kevin Reddington said Thursday. “It’s just amazing. She reads them all.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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Lindsay Clancy's reaction to the jury

Clancy stared at the jury with no expression on Wednesday as Judge William Sullivan explained to the courtroom that jurors were again at an impasse — a sign there’s a growing chance of a hung jury and the trial ending without a resolution.

Sullivan told the jurors not to abandon their own convictions just to reach a verdict, but urged them to seriously consider opposing views and reassess their positions if appropriate.

No one knows, he said, that another jury would be “more intelligent, more impartial or more competent to decide it than you are.”

Lindsay Clancy could go on trial again

If the jury ultimately can’t agree on a verdict, the judge could declare a mistrial. Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to put Clancy on trial again, drop the charges or try to negotiate a plea deal with her lawyer.

If the jury decides Clancy was criminally responsible for her actions, it could convict her of either murder or manslaughter. If she is acquitted, a judge could still order her confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines that she poses a danger to the public.

The evidence against Lindsay Clancy

Jurors have heard testimony from relatives and doctors about how Clancy’s mental health declined in the months before the killings and how her treatment included several medications and a short stay in a psychiatric hospital.

Medical experts hired by the prosecution and the defense reached sharply different conclusions about her psychiatric state when she killed the children.

Patrick Clancy has said in interviews that he forgives his now ex-wife, whom he views as ill rather than evil.

Clancy strangled the children with exercise bands in their home’s basement, then jumped from a second-floor window. She remains paralyzed from the waist down. Her lawyers say she heard a voice telling her to kill the children so she could end her own life.

The prosecution argues she deliberately sent her then-husband on errands to get him out of the house, and prosecutors have questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt.

A series of small, pro-Netanyahu parties are competing in the run-up to the Oct. 27 vote. But instead of strengthening the Israeli leader, these parties — including hard-line blocs led by polarizing Cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich — risk weakening his chances for reelection by splitting the vote among Netanyahu’s base.

The election is largely a referendum on Netanyahu’s nearly uninterrupted 17-year rule and his handling of a turbulent period marked by mass protests, Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and nearly three years of war. A victory would mark a stirring comeback for the embattled leader, while a loss would likely end the reign of a man who has shaped Israeli politics for three decades.

With his legacy on the line, Netanyahu is imploring his erstwhile allies to unite into larger parties that have a better chance of entering parliament.

“When we unite, we win. When we split up, we lose,” Netanyahu told Channel 14, a TV station that serves as an unofficial mouthpiece for the prime minister.

Here’s a closer look at Netanyahu's situation:

Forming a government is tricky

Israeli voters choose between political parties, not individual candidates.

Parties that receive the most votes secure the most seats in the 120-member parliament. But any party that can muster just 3.25% of the vote wins representation. That means that more than a dozen parties can be part of any given parliament.

No single party has ever captured the parliamentary majority needed to form a government. Instead, a party leader — usually the head of the largest party — forms a coalition with smaller partners to secure a 61-seat majority.

Netanyahu currently heads a coalition of religious and ultranationalist parties.

The outgoing coalition faces an uphill battle

Opinion polls have indicated that Netanyahu and members of his outgoing coalition are facing broad public unhappiness as they seek reelection.

The government’s popularity has suffered following the Hamas attacks — the deadliest in Israel’s history — and the subsequent, inconclusive wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Now Netanyahu’s prospects could be further weakened by divisions in his hard-line base.

Two parties that ran together in the 2022 elections — Smotrich's Religious Zionism and Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power — have so far rejected Netanyahu’s calls to merge again due to rocky relations between the two men.

At the same time, smaller parties led by former members of Netanyahu’s Likud party and another list formed by a hard-line retired military general find themselves competing for the same voters. These parties are differentiated more by the personalities of their leaders than their ideologies.

Falling short of the threshold could be devastating for Netanyahu

If any of these smaller parties fail to enter parliament, their votes would be lost and Netanyahu’s reelection prospects dimmed. The failure of small parties to cross the threshold contributed to Netanyahu’s defeat in a 2021 election, while rivalries among his opponents led to Netanyahu’s return to power in 2022.

For this reason, Netanyahu has been urging his ideological brethren to join together into larger blocs. That would require some individual sacrifices but improve their chances of crossing the threshold and being part of another Netanyahu-led government. In a small boost for Netanyahu, one of the small parties agreed Wednesday to be folded into Smotrich's list.

The parties have until Sept. 8 to consolidate, pull out of the race or continue on their own. Their decision could seal his fate.

With time running out, Netanyahu has been stepping up his calls with increasingly alarmist language.

In his Channel 14 interview, he told a cheering studio audience that only he could defeat Hamas and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. He warned that victory by his opponents, whom he derisively calls “the left,” would be disastrous for the country.

“The left is ready,” he said. “If we don’t unite, we will lose.”

One was about a father and son, another was about two actors. But nothing was quite working until he started thinking about the historical event that had fascinated him since he was a teenager.

“I realized then that the story could be about one of the guys experiencing guilt and regret over all these things he’s done,” the British-Irish filmmaker said. “It took it away from being a simple comedy to something much deeper and sadder.”

“Wild Horse Nine,” which stars Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich as a pair of CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 coup, is one of the most anticipated movies at the festival where it’s in competition for the Golden Lion. It will have a theatrical release later this year and, if McDonagh’s track record is any indication, might be an awards player.

A possible Oscar for Malkovich

McDonagh's previous two films, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” both bowed at Venice and went on to receive multiple Oscar nominations, including best picture. “Three Billboards” won two, for Rockwell and Frances McDormand.

When someone suggested that “Wild Horse Nine” might be Malkovich’s ticket to an Oscar win after two nominations, he said, “the nicest thing is that the film gets attention.”

“I’ve had a long career, and I’ve had really spectacular collaborators and collaborations,” Malkovich said. “So I never feel in competition with any of them because generally I love what they do.”

McDonagh had pursued Malkovich for previous films, but he’d always had prior commitments. The actor said he wanted to make sure he would be available for this one.

“It’s a film that, with great humor, addresses two very traumatic occurrences — the death of John F. Kennedy and Chilean coup — with grace and intelligence and a kind of fairness,” Malkovich said.

Filming on Easter Island

“Wild Horse Nine” is one of the few Hollywood films to have been made on Easter Island, where they had to transport cameras and period-specific cars. Parker Posey, who plays Rockwell’s wife, even flew in to do off-camera phone scenes.

“What a mystical place,” said Posey, who also appears on camera as well.

Another newcomer to McDonagh’s world was Steve Buscemi, who said he “practically stalked” McDonagh at the Venice Film Festival a few years ago to tell him, “you have to work with me right?”

McDonagh said that it’s one of the best film experiences he’s ever had.

Questioning the CIA

At the heart of the film is the complicated relationship between Rockwell’s Lee and Malkovich’s Chris, who seems increasingly agitated, prickly and forgetful, bogged down by the weight of the historical events he’s covertly had a hand in.

McDonagh wanted to make a pointed film about the CIA and the “awful things they’ve done all around the world,” he said.

“We know what the KGB are like but we probably don’t question the CIA as much as we ought to,” McDonagh said. “I’m always questioning, even in the less political films, I like to question authority or what we’re told.”

The film was meant to be a historical piece about the 1973 Chilean coup, and yet McDonagh has been struck by the tentacles and connections to current events, like the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“They don’t seem to be making it covert anymore,” McDonagh said. “It just feels like things are getting stupider, and stupider and stupider.”

He added: “Watching it now it does seem to have sort of commentary on present day geopolitics. It’s going to be fascinating to see how an audience takes it.”

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For coverage of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival