Records show the home, in the 500 block of Valencia Avenue, belonged to Henry Parra, 55, and Adam Hlavaty, 42, who were killed in last Wednesday’s crash along with five other people ― including others with South Florida ties ― in northern Kenya’s Samburu County.

Coral Gables police said the burglary happened sometime between Thursday and Saturday, after the crash.

They identified the burglary suspects as Geybert Alexander Garcia, 40, and Melany Perdomo, 24, who live together near the unincorporated Palm Springs North area of northwest Miami-Dade.

According to investigators, the pair “ransacked the residence and removed numerous items belonging to the decedent such as personal and business documents, jewelry, electronics, and artwork.”

They also stole the couple’s 2023 Land Rover and 2020 Porsche Taycan, an arrest report states. The report mentions the crash, but doesn’t state whether or how investigators believe that Garcia and Perdomo became aware of the couple’s deaths before the burglary.

Police said Parra and Hlavaty’s housekeeper discovered the heist on Sunday.

Authorities said a ping from the couple’s stolen MacBook, along with vehicle location from the stolen Range Rover, placed the stolen items at Garcia and Perdomo’s home in the 8300 block of Northwest 195th Terrace.

According to the report, after confirming the cars were parked outside of the home, Coral Gables police and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant there on Tuesday.

Investigators said Garcia hid in a closet while officers found Perdomo in an upstairs bedroom.

During the search, “officers located and identified numerous stolen documents” belonging to the couple, as well as the key fob to the Range Rover, the arrest report states.

“Additionally, several valuable pieces of artwork were recovered from inside the residence, including an art sculpture belonging to the victims and valued in excess of approximately $500,000,” it states. “Officers also located several items and instruments consistent with the production and/or alteration of fraudulent identification documents and personal identifying information.”

Additionally, investigators said they found a Ford F-250 with an altered VIN that turned out to be stolen out of Indian River County.

Jail records show Garcia and Perdomo were each arrested on multiple felony charges, including burglary and grand theft auto.

Both were being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bonds listed as “to be set” as of Wednesday morning.

Additionally, Perdomo, despite being listed in her arrest report as being born in Florida, had an immigration hold entered into her jail record.

The action, filed by about two dozen states against the U.S. Postal Service, marked a new phase in the high-stakes litigation just two days after the Supreme Court ruled against them in a separate case, but did not say Trump’s order was legal.

The high court majority found the Democratic lawsuit was premature, but that was before the Republican administration issued a rule governing U.S. Postal Service delivery of mail ballots. Election officials warn it will be impossible to implement in the days before the first wave of mail ballots are sent out next week.

“Across the country, states are already deep into preparations for the 2026 elections. Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of 25 Democratic attorneys general filing the lawsuit, said in a statement. “USPS has no authority to decide who can and cannot vote by mail.”

Trump’s executive order remains barred from taking effect under a separate injunction that the administration argues needs to be immediately rescinded in light of the high court’s ruling in the previous Democratic state lawsuit. It also had succeeded in a third case filed in May in the District of Columbia, convincing a judge that it was too early to prevent its implementation of the executive order.

All previous challenges were filed before the administration published its mail ballot rule Friday night. The rule says that if states want their mail ballots delivered, they will need federal approval of the design of their envelopes and must give the Postal Service a list of voters eligible to receive them.

National Democrats on Tuesday cited the rule in asking the federal judge in the Washington case to block Trump’s order after he declined to do so last spring, saying the administration at the time had not taken concrete action. In Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani also found that the administration moving forward with the mail ballot rule had violated a separate injunction she had placed on the Postal Service prohibiting it from enacting Trump’s order, although she did not take any action against the government.

Talwani, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, had issued the injunction against Trump’s executive order in the prior Democratic state case, which is the one the Supreme Court overturned on Monday. She has yet to act on the administration’s urging her to revoke her second injunction. It was issued Aug. 11 in a case against the executive order and was filed by the League of Women Voters and other voting rights groups while the Supreme Court was considering the administration’s appeal of the judge's first order.

Trump has long targeted mail voting, which he falsely blames for his 2020 election loss and is disproportionately used by Democrats as a result of Trump’s condemnations. Since returning to power, Trump has tried to claim authority over election rules, saying he thinks Republicans should “take over” vote counting in Democratic areas.

He issued his first election executive order just months after retaking office, attempting to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote, among other changes. He has also been pushing a sweeping election bill that has stalled in the Senate amid opposition from Democrats and even some within his own party.

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Jail records show Orlando Armin Villasmil Noriega, 37, was arrested Tuesday by the Hallandale Beach Police Department.

Police said Noriega worked as a manager at the South Florida chain’s location at 4 N. Federal Highway.

According to an arrest report, he was responsible for depositing the previous day’s cash revenue at a nearby Bank of America when he opened the business each morning.

Police said Noriega opened the restaurant on April 18 and removed deposits containing nearly $9,000 in revenue from the previous two days. Surveillance video showed him leaving the business with the money, according to the report.

The deposits were never received in the business’ Bank of America account, and the bank found no record of Noriega attempting to make the deposits, police said.

They said Noriega was again captured on surveillance video on April 19 removing a deposit bag containing just over $5,000. Police said he was not seen making a deposit at the bank.

From April 23 through April 26, Noriega worked as the closing manager and was responsible for preparing deposits and placing them in the business’ safe for the next day’s opening manager, according to investigators.

Deposits from those days, totaling more than $19,000, were never deposited, police said.

When questioned by police about what happened to the money, a witness told investigators that Noriega said the deposits were made at night, the report states.

Police said making nighttime deposits was not authorized at that Bank of America location and investigators were unable to locate surveillance video showing Noriega making the deposits.

They said Noriega was scheduled to work April 27 but called in sick and told the business he was “terminating his employment” with Flanigan’s. He reportedly said he was moving to North Carolina in May.

According to police, Noriega deprived the business of $33,091.06. The business is now seeking incarceration and restitution.

Records show Noriega is facing one count of grand theft of more than $20,000 but less than $100,000.

As of Wednesday morning, he was no longer listed as an inmate in Broward County jail records.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Orlando Armin Villasmil Noriega, de 37 años, fue arrestado el martes por el Departamento de Policía de Hallandale Beach.

La policía dijo que Noriega trabajaba como gerente en la ubicación de la cadena del sur de Florida en 4 N. Federal Highway.

Según un reporte de arresto, era responsable de depositar los ingresos en efectivo del día anterior en un Bank of America cercano cuando abría el negocio cada mañana.

La policía dijo que Noriega abrió el restaurante el 18 de abril y retiró depósitos que contenían casi $9,000 USD en ingresos de los dos días anteriores. Un video de vigilancia lo mostró saliendo del negocio con el dinero, según el reporte.

Los depósitos nunca fueron recibidos en la cuenta de Bank of America del negocio, y el banco no encontró ningún registro de que Noriega intentara realizar los depósitos, dijo la policía.

Dijeron que Noriega fue captado nuevamente en un video de vigilancia el 19 de abril retirando una bolsa de depósito que contenía poco más de $5,000 USD. La policía dijo que no fue visto realizando un depósito en el banco.

Del 23 al 26 de abril, Noriega trabajó como gerente de cierre y era responsable de preparar los depósitos y colocarlos en la caja fuerte del negocio para el gerente que abriera al día siguiente, según los investigadores.

Los depósitos de esos días, que sumaban más de $19,000 USD, nunca fueron depositados, dijo la policía.

Cuando la policía preguntó qué había sucedido con el dinero, un testigo dijo a los investigadores que Noriega afirmó que los depósitos se habían realizado por la noche, señala el reporte.

La policía dijo que los depósitos nocturnos no estaban autorizados en esa ubicación de Bank of America y que los investigadores no pudieron localizar videos de vigilancia que mostraran a Noriega realizando los depósitos.

Dijeron que Noriega tenía previsto trabajar el 27 de abril, pero llamó para reportarse enfermo y le dijo al negocio que estaba “terminando su empleo” con Flanigan’s. Según reportes, dijo que se mudaría a Carolina del Norte en mayo.

Según la policía, Noriega privó al negocio de $33,091.06 USD. El negocio ahora solicita encarcelamiento y restitución.

Los registros muestran que Noriega enfrenta un cargo de hurto mayor de más de $20,000 USD, pero menos de $100,000 USD.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, ya no figuraba como recluso en los registros de la cárcel del condado Broward.

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The modeling suites that were originally gung-ho on 96L’s development this week – notably the legacy physics-based Euro and American GFS models, the latter of which catapulted 96L into a hurricane in its forecast yesterday – have backed off considerably in recent cycles, showing 96L struggling throughout its journey this week across the deep tropical belt between Africa and the Caribbean.

As a result, the National Hurricane Center nudged down its development odds for 96L from high to medium early Wednesday.

That said, 96L for now remains a healthy disturbance and it wouldn’t take much additional organization for it to clear the hurdles to become a tropical depression or named storm today or tomorrow before environmental conditions become less conducive into the weekend.

The next name on the list is Dolly.

Google DeepMind first on and first off

Google’s DeepMind machine-learning based ensemble system – which had a banner, breakthrough year in 2025, becoming the new gold-standard hurricane forecast system – has been consistently first to sniff out new systems but also been consistently first to drop development odds when the picture turns less conducive.

This bellwether behavior has been true for 96L as well. When most other modeling camps insisted on the possibility of significant development this week, DeepMind balked, yesterday showing next to no chance of formation this week.

Overall development odds for 96L from DeepMind have fallen from 60% a few days ago to 40% yesterday to around 20% today. The now low odds don’t come until the disturbance is over the southwestern Atlantic and near the Bahamas in about a week, a scenario the model has been promoting for several days.

The odds are low and the trend is lower today than yesterday for this late-blooming scenario, but it’s one we’ll watch given the disturbance’s proximity to Florida and the U.S. next week.

This is beyond El Niño’s shear-induced moat over the central Atlantic and in a region where waters are at record or near-record warmth for the time of year so it’s worth following the trends.

The odds remain low and they’ve trended a little lower since yesterday so it’s nothing for us to worry about at this point.

Will 96L break through or fumble this week?

We’ll have to give this one some time and see how it plays out this week. As we discussed in yesterday’s newsletter, the harder it falls this week, the better, as a weaker system will have less time to recover on the other side of the shear zone next week.

Intensity models generally limit any organized development to tropical depression or low- mid-tier tropical storm strength the next few days. But again, it’s left to be seen if 96L will even cross these entry-level development thresholds before it hits a sizeable roadblock this weekend.

Interests in the eastern Caribbean islands should continue to monitor the forecast this week but right now 96L or what comes of it does not pose a significant threat.

95L no more

The development window for the disturbance in the middle North Atlantic previously designated Invest 95L quickly closed Tuesday and the remnant low-pressure area is being ushered out to sea by strong jet stream winds today.

Los conjuntos de modelos que originalmente apostaban con fuerza por el desarrollo de 96L esta semana, en particular los modelos tradicionales basados en la física, el europeo y el GFS estadounidense, este último llevó a 96L a convertirse en huracán en su pronóstico de ayer, han reducido considerablemente sus expectativas en ciclos recientes, mostrando a 96L enfrentando dificultades durante su recorrido esta semana por el cinturón tropical profundo entre África y el Caribe.

Como resultado, el Centro Nacional de Huracanes redujo ligeramente las probabilidades de desarrollo de 96L de altas a moderadas la madrugada del miércoles.

Dicho esto, 96L sigue siendo por ahora una perturbación saludable y no necesitaría mucha organización adicional para superar los obstáculos y convertirse en una depresión tropical o tormenta con nombre hoy o mañana, antes de que las condiciones ambientales se vuelvan menos favorables hacia el fin de semana.

El próximo nombre en la lista es Dolly.

Google DeepMind, primero en detectar y primero en descartar

El sistema de conjunto basado en aprendizaje automático DeepMind de Google, que tuvo un año sobresaliente y decisivo en 2025, convirtiéndose en el nuevo sistema de referencia para pronósticos de huracanes, ha sido consistentemente el primero en detectar nuevos sistemas, pero también el primero en reducir las probabilidades de desarrollo cuando el panorama se vuelve menos favorable.

Este comportamiento como indicador también se ha cumplido con 96L. Cuando la mayoría de los otros grupos de modelos insistían en la posibilidad de un desarrollo significativo esta semana, DeepMind se mostró contrario y ayer indicó una probabilidad prácticamente nula de formación esta semana.

Las probabilidades generales de desarrollo de 96L según DeepMind han disminuido de 60% hace unos días a 40% ayer y alrededor de 20% hoy. Las probabilidades, ahora bajas, no aparecen hasta que la perturbación se encuentre sobre el Atlántico suroccidental y cerca de las Bahamas dentro de aproximadamente una semana, un escenario que el modelo ha estado proyectando durante varios días.

Las probabilidades son bajas y la tendencia es menor hoy que ayer para este escenario de desarrollo tardío, pero es uno que vigilaremos dada la proximidad de la perturbación a Florida y Estados Unidos la próxima semana.

Esto se encuentra más allá de la barrera de cizalladura inducida por El Niño sobre el Atlántico central y en una región donde las aguas registran temperaturas récord o cercanas a niveles récord para esta época del año, por lo que vale la pena seguir las tendencias.

Las probabilidades siguen siendo bajas y han disminuido un poco desde ayer, por lo que no es algo de lo que debamos preocuparnos en este momento.

¿Logrará 96L desarrollarse o fracasará esta semana?

Tendremos que darle algo de tiempo y ver cómo evoluciona esta semana. Como comentamos en el boletín de ayer, cuanto más se debilite esta semana, mejor, ya que un sistema más débil tendrá menos tiempo para recuperarse al otro lado de la zona de cizalladura la próxima semana.

Los modelos de intensidad generalmente limitan cualquier desarrollo organizado a una depresión tropical o una tormenta tropical de intensidad baja a moderada durante los próximos días. Pero, nuevamente, queda por ver si 96L siquiera superará estos umbrales iniciales de desarrollo antes de encontrarse con un obstáculo considerable este fin de semana.

Quienes tengan intereses en las islas del Caribe oriental deben continuar monitoreando el pronóstico esta semana, pero por ahora 96L, o lo que llegue a desarrollarse de este sistema, no representa una amenaza significativa.

95L ya no existe

La ventana de desarrollo para la perturbación en medio del Atlántico Norte, anteriormente designada como Invest 95L, se cerró rápidamente el martes y el área remanente de baja presión está siendo arrastrada mar adentro hoy por fuertes vientos de la corriente en chorro.

The sisters will play doubles at the tournament after receiving a wild card Wednesday into the event they won twice.

Serena Williams returned to tennis this summer after a four-year absence, and the sisters were set to play at Wimbledon before Serena had to withdraw after injuring her knee in her singles loss. They played in the Cincinnati Open, losing in the first round.

The Williams sisters won the 1999 and 2009 U.S. Open doubles titles and are 27-7 in their nine appearances. They last played in 2022, losing in the first round in what was expected to be Serena's final match in Flushing Meadows.

Serena, 44, played with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles Tuesday, winning one match before losing in the quarterfinals. Venus, 46, is entered in the women's singles event.

The Williams sisters teamed to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles along with Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They shared the No. 1 ranking in women's doubles for eight weeks.

Serena opted not to compete in singles at the U.S. Open, where she won six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles. But she felt good enough to accept wild cards into both doubles events.

She and Venus won their first U.S. Open doubles title the same year the younger Williams won her first singles championship there. The height of their dominance as a team would come about a decade later.

They won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009, before picking up their second title in Flushing Meadows later that summer. They won in Australia again in 2010 and then picked up the French Open title, making the sisters the holders of all four major trophies at the time.

The first round of the women's doubles tournament begins Sept. 3.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

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The U.S. Secret Service and Homestead Police Department are searching South Florida businesses for card skimmers — devices designed to steal information from credit and debit cards.

Local 10’s Jolena Esperto joined authorities during an operation targeting the devices and learned how quickly criminals can install them.

Surveillance video from businesses in Homestead and West Miami showed men using a silver pan to obstruct the view of employees while allegedly tampering with payment terminals.

At Mexico Market in Homestead, manager Sergio Carballo said employees once caught suspects attempting to tamper with a machine.

“One of them talked to the cashier,” Carballo said. “He tells her, ‘Show me one of those medicines.’ He holds the pan right in front of the machine, while other one is right here doing his thing.”

Carballo said an employee noticed something was wrong.

“We closed the register right away,” he said. “I had to compare with this one because you really can’t tell.”

Skimming devices can be made to look nearly identical to legitimate payment terminals and placed directly over the existing keypad or card reader, making them difficult for customers and employees to detect.

Once installed, the devices can capture information from cards that are swiped or inserted.

During the operation, authorities inspected payment terminals at several Dollar General and Dollar Tree locations, along with smaller businesses such as Mexico Market.

Skimmers are not limited to store checkout counters. A Local 10 employee previously used a gas pump that was later found to have a skimming device attached to it.

Stores that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, cards are also targets, according to authorities.

Jason Harris with the U.S. Secret Service said when criminals steal government benefits through skimming, the financial impact can extend beyond the individual victim.

“It’s money that the government has given as benefits, but those funds are fraudulently diverted to the criminals,” Harris said. “It means it’s costing taxpayer dollars because government has to reimburse those people for the funds lost.”

While accompanying investigators, Local 10 spoke with Betty Coats as she shopped at a Dollar General.

Coats said she has experienced credit card fraud and believes a skimmer may have been responsible.

“You have to go through a lot of work when you have credit card fraud,” Coats said. “You have to go through so many channels just to get your identity.”

She said the experience changed the way she pays for purchases. Coats now tries to use cash or tap-to-pay rather than inserting or swiping her card.

The Secret Service and local law enforcement continue working to identify and remove skimming devices before more consumers — and taxpayers — become victims.

El Servicio Secreto de Estados Unidos y el Departamento de Policía de Homestead están buscando clonadores de tarjetas en negocios del sur de Florida, dispositivos diseñados para robar información de tarjetas de crédito y débito.

Jolena Esperto, de Local 10, acompañó a las autoridades durante un operativo dirigido a estos dispositivos y descubrió la rapidez con la que los delincuentes pueden instalarlos.

Videos de vigilancia de negocios en Homestead y West Miami mostraron a hombres usando una bandeja plateada para obstruir la vista de los empleados mientras presuntamente manipulaban terminales de pago.

En Mexico Market en Homestead, el gerente Sergio Carballo dijo que empleados sorprendieron en una ocasión a sospechosos intentando manipular una máquina.

“Uno de ellos habló con la cajera”, dijo Carballo. “Él le dice: ‘Muéstrame una de esas medicinas’. Sostiene la bandeja justo frente a la máquina, mientras el otro está aquí haciendo lo suyo”.

Carballo dijo que un empleado notó que algo estaba mal.

“Cerramos la caja de inmediato”, dijo. “Tuve que compararla con esta porque realmente no se puede notar la diferencia”.

Los dispositivos para clonar tarjetas pueden fabricarse para parecer casi idénticos a las terminales de pago legítimas y colocarse directamente sobre el teclado o lector de tarjetas existente, lo que dificulta que clientes y empleados los detecten.

Una vez instalados, los dispositivos pueden capturar información de las tarjetas que se deslizan o insertan.

Durante el operativo, las autoridades inspeccionaron terminales de pago en varias tiendas Dollar General y Dollar Tree, junto con negocios más pequeños como Mexico Market.

Los clonadores de tarjetas no se limitan a las cajas registradoras de las tiendas. Un empleado de Local 10 utilizó anteriormente una bomba de gasolina en la que posteriormente se descubrió un dispositivo para clonar tarjetas.

Las tiendas que aceptan tarjetas de Transferencia Electrónica de Beneficios, o EBT, también son blanco de estos delincuentes, según las autoridades.

Jason Harris, del Servicio Secreto de Estados Unidos, dijo que cuando los delincuentes roban beneficios del gobierno mediante la clonación de tarjetas, el impacto financiero puede extenderse más allá de la víctima individual.

“Es dinero que el gobierno ha otorgado como beneficios, pero esos fondos son desviados fraudulentamente a los delincuentes”, dijo Harris. “Significa que está costando dinero a los contribuyentes porque el gobierno tiene que reembolsar a esas personas los fondos perdidos”.

Mientras acompañaba a los investigadores, Local 10 habló con Betty Coats mientras hacía compras en una tienda Dollar General.

Coats dijo que ha sido víctima de fraude con tarjetas de crédito y cree que un clonador de tarjetas pudo haber sido el responsable.

“Hay que pasar por mucho trabajo cuando se es víctima de fraude con tarjetas de crédito”, dijo Coats. “Hay que pasar por muchos procesos solo para recuperar la identidad”.

Dijo que la experiencia cambió la manera en que paga sus compras. Coats ahora intenta usar efectivo o pagos sin contacto en lugar de insertar o deslizar su tarjeta.

El Servicio Secreto y las autoridades locales continúan trabajando para identificar y retirar dispositivos para clonar tarjetas antes de que más consumidores, y contribuyentes, se conviertan en víctimas.

Storm systems are named by procedures set by the World Meteorological Organization, and the lists of names are reused every six years. For the Atlantic region, the lists are alphabetical and alternate male and female names.

This season started with Tropical Storm Arthur coming ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast in June, and Tropical Storm Bertha dumped rain in Louisiana and Texas in July. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed and quickly dissipated in the Atlantic earlier in August.

The National Hurricane Center was monitoring a weather system off Africa that may strengthen into a named tropical storm.

Conditions were somewhat favorable for the area of thunderstorms south of the Cabo Verde Islands to become a tropical depression sometime in the next week, forecasters at the Miami-based center said early Wednesday.

If it further develops, with maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph), the system would be named Tropical Storm Dolly.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast a below-average Atlantic hurricane season due to El Nino. It forecast eight to 14 named storms, with three to six of them reaching hurricane strength and one to three of those intensifying to major hurricanes.

The NHC and other weather agencies name storms to easily communicate warnings about them to people and to avoid confusion. The WMO says names are chosen to be short, easy to pronounce and familiar to the regions of the world where the storm names are used. It meets regularly to evaluate potential names, and some names are retired for reasons of sensitivity, particularly for deadly or destructive storms.

One name from the 2025 season was retired, Melissa, which was a Category 5 hurricane that brought devastation to the Caribbean.

La policía de Miramar detuvo al agente Isaiah Williams por múltiples cargos, entre ellos agresión doméstica por estrangulamiento y robo mediante arrebato con un arma de fuego. Posteriormente, BSO suspendió sin sueldo al hombre de 27 años.

La policía de Miramar dijo que respondió a un complejo de apartamentos en Southwest 45th Court, cerca de Red Road, alrededor de las 2 a.m. del lunes. Indicaron que para cuando llegaron, Williams ya se había marchado.

Según el informe de arresto, un amigo dejó a la víctima en la vivienda de Miramar que compartía con Williams. Ella dijo a la policía que Williams estaba molesto, la insultó y la golpeó, provocando que cayera por las escaleras.

“El acusado estaba encima de ella, donde le dio un puñetazo en el rostro con el puño cerrado”, señala el informe. “Cuando la víctima se dio vuelta para protegerse el rostro, el acusado le dio un puñetazo en la parte posterior de la cabeza y le jaló el cabello. La víctima declaró que el acusado puso su mano derecha debajo de su cuello y apretó, luego la levantó del suelo por el cuello”.

Ella se defendió y dijo a la policía que Williams amenazó con matarla y que tomó su arma de su bolso, según el informe.

Ambos forcejearon por el arma antes de que Williams se la arrebatara y huyera, dijo la policía.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima resultó herida, con una cortada en el labio, un moretón en la nariz y rasguños en el cuello.

Williams se entregó el lunes por la tarde y compareció ante un juez de fianzas el martes.

Llevaba puesto un chaleco antisuicidio. Un juez fijó su fianza en $47,500 USD y le ordenó no tener contacto con la víctima, entregar sus armas y usar un monitor GPS.

Según un reporte de arresto, el incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 7:30 a.m. del sábado cerca de la intersección de Southwest 87th Avenue y 184th Street.

El reporte indica que Raimiero Rios conducía una SUV negra hacia el sur por Southwest 87th Avenue cuando comenzó a tocar la bocina a dos ciclistas que también se dirigían hacia el sur.

Rios luego desvió la SUV hacia los ciclistas, obligando a uno de ellos a salirse de la carretera, según el reporte.

Los agentes indicaron que Rios luego atropelló al segundo ciclista con la SUV.

Después de la colisión, Rios sacó un arma y disparó en dirección al ciclista, según el reporte.

El incidente fue captado en video.

Los agentes que respondieron al lugar indicaron que encontraron un agujero de bala en el suelo. No se reportaron heridos.

El reporte indica que Rios fue trasladado a la estación del Distrito Municipal de Cutler Bay de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade para ser interrogado, donde invocó sus derechos Miranda.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de agresión agravada con arma de fuego, un cargo de agresión física agravada con arma mortal y un cargo por disparar un arma de fuego desde un vehículo.

Hasta la mañana del martes, permanecía detenido en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, donde su fianza figuraba como “por determinar”.

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The move could impact up to 200,000 people, raising questions about what happens to those with asylum cases already pending.

“What the administration is trying to propose is to revoke anyone that came in under a B1, B2 visa and later for an asylum application,” said immigration attorney Maria Vivanco.

In the coming weeks, the U.S. State Department is expected to announce the revocation of those so-called B1 and B2 visas that were issued between 2016 and 2026, whose holders sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, according to new reporting from the Associated Press, which obtained State Department documents and spoke to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

“There are many aspects of why someone is filing an asylum application, but the main takeaway is that they’re filing to become refugees of the United States and not go back to their home country, which is the main intent of the B1 and B2 visa,” said Vivanco.

A State Department spokesperson said it’s working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke the visas.

Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, his administration has ramped up restrictions on visa applications.

Legal experts say the revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation.

“Just make sure you have copies of everything you filed,” said Vivanco. “Copies of the actual application and you make sure you have those documents with you.”

If this happens, it would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history, but it will also likely face legal challenges.

La medida podría afectar hasta a 200,000 personas, lo que genera interrogantes sobre qué sucederá con quienes ya tienen casos de asilo pendientes.

“Lo que la administración está tratando de proponer es revocar la visa de cualquier persona que haya ingresado con una visa B1 o B2 y posteriormente haya presentado una solicitud de asilo”, dijo la abogada de inmigración Maria Vivanco.

En las próximas semanas, se espera que el Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. anuncie la revocación de esas denominadas visas B1 y B2 que fueron emitidas entre 2016 y 2026, cuyos titulares solicitaron asilo o están solicitando asilo actualmente, según un nuevo reporte de The Associated Press, que obtuvo documentos del Departamento de Estado y habló con dos funcionarios estadounidenses familiarizados con el asunto.

“Hay muchos motivos por los que alguien presenta una solicitud de asilo, pero el punto principal es que están solicitando convertirse en refugiados de Estados Unidos y no regresar a su país de origen, lo cual es la intención principal de la visa B1 y B2”, dijo Vivanco.

Un portavoz del Departamento de Estado dijo que está trabajando con el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional para identificar y revocar las visas.

Desde que el presidente Donald Trump asumió el cargo para su segundo mandato, su administración ha intensificado las restricciones sobre las solicitudes de visas.

Expertos legales dicen que las revocaciones no necesariamente resultarían en una deportación inmediata.

“Solo asegúrese de tener copias de todo lo que presentó”, dijo Vivanco. “Copias de la solicitud en sí y asegúrese de tener esos documentos con usted”.

Si esto sucede, sería la mayor revocación masiva de visas de una sola vez en la historia de Estados Unidos, pero probablemente también enfrentará impugnaciones legales.

Dr. Gregory Saathoff, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Virginia and a senior psychiatrist for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, reiterated Wednesday that he did not believe Clancy’s account that a voice ordered her to kill 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan.

During questioning, prosecutor Jennifer Sprague asked Saathoff a series of questions about Clancy's account: Did the voice tell her where to kill the children? How to kill them? What to use? In what order? Saathoff answered no each time.

“Having no instructions as to how to do it, but being able to execute those decisions … that is surprising that she’s able to accomplish all of this without any other kind of direction or plan,” he said.

All three were strangled with exercise bands in the family's basement before Clancy tried to kill herself while her husband was getting takeout and at the pharmacy on Jan. 24, 2023. Saathoff said her ability to accomplish everything she did without direction indicated Clancy “had control, control of the sequence of what she was doing throughout.”

“In the small amount of time that Miss Clancy had in the home without her husband, it was important, in order to carry this out, as well as her suicide, to do this quickly, methodically, and alike,” he said.

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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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Clancy's mental health is a key issue at her trial. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington does not dispute that Clancy, 36, killed the children but says she shouldn’t be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth. Clancy then also tried to kill herself.

She has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Saathoff, who has treated thousands of patients with psychosis, said he found Clancy's account unconvincing.

He found it unusual that Clancy said the voice stopped once she was done strangling the children, that the voice was constant rather than intermittent and that she never previously reported hearing a voice to her medical providers. She also gave a different timeline to other evaluators about when she first heard the voice that day, he said.

“Committing the act is not curative of the voice,” Saathoff said of the voice stopping abruptly. “I’ve not ever seen that.”

Saathoff will be cross-examined by Reddington after prosecutors finish questioning him. That will be followed by closing arguments, possibly as early as Thursday.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported just before 2:30 a.m. in the area of Northwest 36^th Street and Lee Drive.

Deputies said Miami Springs police officers responded to the scene and discovered the driver was heading west on Northwest 36^th Street, approaching Lee Drive, when the vehicle “traveled toward the right shoulder, entered the sidewalk, and struck a business storefront.”

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews also responded and transported the driver to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead, deputies said.

MDSO officials confirmed that detectives from their Traffic Homicide Bureau have assumed the investigation.

The circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation. The driver’s identity has not yet been released.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, el accidente fue reportado poco antes de las 2:30 a.m. en el área de Northwest 36th Street y Lee Drive.

Los agentes dijeron que oficiales de la policía de Miami Springs respondieron a la escena y descubrieron que el conductor se dirigía hacia el oeste por Northwest 36th Street, acercándose a Lee Drive, cuando el vehículo “se desplazó hacia el arcén derecho, ingresó a la acera y chocó contra el frente de un negocio”.

Equipos de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade también respondieron y transportaron al conductor al Centro de Trauma Ryder del Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde fue declarado muerto, dijeron los agentes.

Funcionarios de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade confirmaron que detectives de su Oficina de Homicidios de Tránsito asumieron la investigación.

Las circunstancias que llevaron al accidente continúan bajo investigación. La identidad del conductor aún no ha sido divulgada.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023, but the deal cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury in federal court in California.

The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and is one of the biggest in state consumer protection history, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement.

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health," Jones said. The settlement "will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”

Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard."

The company urged its rivals to adopt similar safety measures.

The $17 billion settlement is a fraction of Meta's 2025 revenue of $201 billion.

The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public. It also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.

The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overseeing the proceedings. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, began his testimony late Tuesday and defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy.

The cases in other states had been expected to go to trial later. In addition, nine attorneys general filed lawsuits in their respective states.

Under the proposed settlement, Meta agreed to adopt a series of safety features, including a “hard cap” on daily time limits and pauses for children using Instagram and Facebook.

It will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm.

There will be stronger and more user-friendly parental controls and limits on social comparison features such as “like” counts.

The federal lawsuit was the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. It followed newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, that found that the company knew about the harm Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues.

Meta has since added a host of safety features to Instagram, including separate accounts for teenagers with stronger protections around messaging and privacy, along with content restrictions.

But child safety experts, along with some former Meta employees, have long contended that the features are little more than window dressing.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta engineering director, said during his testimony last week that Meta consistently prioritized profits over safety in designing its products, focusing on how often and for how long people used them, even if it was detrimental to their mental well-being.

“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” he said.

While the four states in the Oakland trial did not officially say how much they had been seeking, Meta said in a court filing that financial penalties in the case could amount to as much as $1.4 trillion — a figure legal experts said was unlikely, if not impossible.

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Chan reported from London. Associated Press Writer Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade dijeron que acudieron al Krome Service Processing Center, ubicado en 18201 SW 12th St., la tarde del lunes después de recibir un reporte sobre el robo.

Un reporte de arresto de MDSO indica que, mientras miembros del personal preparaban documentos de deportación, el detenido les dijo que le faltaban $5,382 USD.

Las autoridades indicaron que revisaron imágenes de vigilancia que mostraban a Matthew Christian Torres, un guardia de seguridad de 31 años empleado por Akima Protective Services, colocando el dinero del hombre dentro de un libro de registro, sin registrarlo y, en cambio, “ocultando el dinero dentro de su chaqueta negra y entrando a un baño de empleados”.

“(Torres) luego regresa al área común de pertenencias y saca de la parte interior del área del pecho la bolsa de plástico transparente que contenía el dinero”, escribió un agente en el reporte al describir el video. “(Él) luego coloca el dinero dentro del bolsillo derecho de un pantalón cargo beige. Cabe señalar que (Torres) nunca informó a un supervisor sobre el dinero perteneciente a la víctima”.

Los agentes arrestaron a Torres, de Palmetto Bay, por un cargo de hurto mayor de tercer grado.

Hasta la mañana del martes, Torres permanecía detenido en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center con una fianza de $2,500 USD.

Local 10 News se comunicó con ICE y Akima para solicitar comentarios sobre el caso.

“ICE toma muy en serio las acusaciones de conducta indebida. Exigimos a nuestro personal y contratistas los más altos estándares de conducta profesional y ética. Cuando recibimos una queja, investigamos el asunto exhaustivamente para determinar su veracidad y garantizar el estricto cumplimiento de los estándares integrales que ICE debe seguir conforme a diversas normas nacionales de detención.

“Las acusaciones de conducta indebida por parte de empleados o contratistas de ICE deben ser reportadas a la Oficina del Inspector General del DHS al 800-323-8603, a la Oficina de Responsabilidad Profesional de ICE al 833-442-3677 o a ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov, un buzón electrónico monitoreado. ICE recomienda reportar las quejas sobre centros de detención a la Línea de Información y Reportes de Detención al 888-351-4024, un servicio gratuito con operadores capacitados para ayudar con una amplia variedad de temas. También hay asistencia lingüística disponible.”

Portavoz de ICE

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Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said they were called out to the Krome North Service Processing Center, located at 18201 SW 12th St., on Monday afternoon after receiving a report about the theft.

An MDSO arrest report states that while staff members were preparing deportation documents, the detainee told them that he was missing $5,382.

Authorities said they reviewed surveillance footage that showed Matthew Christian Torres, a 31-year-old security guard employed by Akima Protective Services, placing the man’s money inside a log book, never logging it and instead “concealing the money inside his black jacket and enter(ing) a employee restroom.”

“(Torres) then returns to the property common area and removes the clear plastic bag containing the money from the inside of his chest area,” a deputy wrote in the report, describing the video. “(He) then places the money inside the right pocket in beige cargo pants. It should be noted that (Torres) never advised a supervisor of the money belonging to the victim.”

Deputies took Torres, of Palmetto Bay, into custody on a third-degree grand theft charge.

As of Tuesday morning, Torres was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,500 bond.

Local 10 News contacted ICE and Akima seeking comment on the case. Akima had not responded to our request at the time of publication.

“ICE takes allegations of misconduct very seriously. We hold our personnel and contractors to the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior. When we receive a complaint, we investigate the matter thoroughly to determine its veracity, and to ensure strict compliance with the comprehensive standards that ICE is required to follow under various national detention standards.

“Allegations of ICE employee or contractor misconduct must be reported to the DHS Office of Inspector General at 800-323-8603 or the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility at 833-442-3677 or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov, a monitored electronic mailbox. ICE encourages reporting detention facility complaints to the Detention Reporting and Information Line at 888-351-4024, a toll-free service with trained operators to help on a wide range of topics. Language assistance is also available.”

ICE spokesperson

Los sistemas de tormentas se nombran mediante procedimientos establecidos por la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM), y las listas de nombres se reutilizan cada seis años. Para la región del Atlántico, las listas son alfabéticas y alternan nombres masculinos y femeninos.

Esta temporada comenzó con la tormenta tropical Arthur, que tocó tierra en la costa del Golfo de Estados Unidos en junio, y la tormenta tropical Bertha dejó lluvias en Luisiana y Texas en julio. La tormenta tropical Cristobal se formó y se disipó rápidamente en el Atlántico a principios de agosto.

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC) de Estados Unidos estaba monitoreando un sistema meteorológico frente a África que podría fortalecerse hasta convertirse en una tormenta tropical con nombre.

Los pronosticadores del centro de huracanes con sede en Miami indicaron a primera hora del miércoles que las condiciones eran algo favorables para que el área de tormentas eléctricas al sur de las islas de Cabo Verde se convierta en una depresión tropical en algún momento de la próxima semana.

Si se desarrolla más, con vientos máximos sostenidos de al menos 63 km/h (39 mph), el sistema se llamará tormenta tropical Dolly.

La Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica de Estados Unidos (NOAA) ha pronosticado una temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico por debajo del promedio debido a El Niño. Pronosticó entre ocho y 14 tormentas con nombre, con tres a seis de ellas que podrían alcanzar fuerza de huracán y de una a tres de esas podrían intensificarse hasta convertirse en huracanes mayores, es decir categoría 3 o más.

El NHC y otras agencias meteorológicas nombran las tormentas para comunicar con facilidad las advertencias sobre ellas a la población y evitar confusiones. La OMM señala que los nombres se eligen para que sean cortos, fáciles de pronunciar y familiares para las regiones del mundo donde se usan los nombres de tormentas. Se reúne con regularidad para evaluar posibles nombres, y algunos se retiran por razones de sensibilidad, en particular en el caso de tormentas mortales o destructivas.

El nombre Melissa se retiró de la temporada 2025, que fue un huracán de categoría 5 que causó devastación en el Caribe.

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

The federal approval is notable because President Donald Trump has created massive hurdles for clean energy, particularly offshore wind. His government has implemented policies that slow energy permitting and development, canceled billions in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects and spent nearly $4 billion to buy back leases to stop offshore wind projects. But Trump officials see promise in harnessing the power of the ocean's waves.

Companies can now bring wave energy technologies off the coast of Oregon to PacWave South to test their ability to generate power in the open ocean and deliver it to the local grid. The goal is to advance an industry that's still in its infancy but has enormous potential for cleanly generating large amounts of electricity.

Oregon State University developed the test facility. After Trump returned to office in 2025, PacWave had to pass a “go/no-go” review at the Energy Department that required approval by the energy secretary to open, PacWave Director Dan Hellin said. Hellin said the approval came through last summer and they connected to the grid this summer.

But the facility has yet to generate any electricity because no wave energy devices have arrived, with developers facing delays in federal funding.

Marine energy refers to power generated from tides, currents or waves

The Department of Energy has invested nearly $150 million since 2016 in the facility's siting and construction costs. The university is marking the facility’s opening Thursday in an invitation-only event.

Bringing PacWave South online will help streamline the testing and permitting process that has held back marine energy for decades, an Energy Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Burning coal, oil and natural gas for electricity emits carbon dioxide, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. By contrast, marine energy is carbon-free.

It has the potential to power about 57% of U.S. electrical needs, according to federal estimates. The Energy Department says that even if only a small portion of this is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to America’s energy system.

The department also says the wave energy devices that will be tested at the PacWave site can enhance national security, in contrast to its characterization of wind energy. The administration has worked to stop offshore wind development on the grounds that it’s a national security risk since late last year.

The Energy Department said that technologies that convert wave energy to electricity are “uniquely suited to provide power sources for national security applications.” Those could include remote sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles and other equipment that requires persistent, low-visibility power in remote and sensitive offshore and coastal environments, as well as power resiliency for forward military bases.

Developers can bring several types of wave energy converters there

The PacWave South site in Oregon isn’t the first grid-connected wave energy test site in the nation — the U.S. Navy has one in Hawaii — but it's the first to be connected to the continental U.S. grid. It's also “pre-permitted,” which means developers can bring several types of wave energy converters there without having to acquire permits on their own for testing, saving them time and money. Those include point absorbers, oscillating water columns and attenuators.

“When you’re developing this technology, ultimately you have to get to that stage of full-scale open water testing, connected to the grid. And that’s the real bottleneck for the global industry, the fact that there’s very few facilities like this,” Hellin said.

A point absorber is the most common type. These buoy-like devices move up and down, converting the motion of waves into electricity. An oscillating water column uses the rise and fall of waves to push and pull air through a turbine to generate electricity. An attenuator is a long, floating device. As its sections flex with the motion of the waves, that movement is converted into electricity. These devices use subsea cables to connect to the grid to supply that electricity to shore.

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

Years ago, a young Cuban man sat one morning in the famous Malecon of Havana, looking at the ocean and said to himself “Either they kill me or I will kill myself,” feeling the frustration of living and surviving each day in Cuba.

On July 11, 2021, many young Cubans took to the streets of the island nation after years of frustration to protest the living conditions they faced each day. There were many expectations that change was not far away. As a result, many of the protesters were thrown in jail or kicked out of the country.

Five years later, with the many sanctions that have been placed by the U.S. on the Cuban government and their leaders, many of these same youngsters felt the end of the regime was near. In South Florida, the feeling was mutual. Politicians in South Florida said the regime would fall by the end of 2026. Now the same politicians say that Cubans on the island and Miami need to be patient. Change could come by 2029.

For many young Cubans on the island, time has run out. There is no more waiting. No more suffering. No more empty promises. Many of them have started to leave Cuba to anywhere around the world. For Cuban-Americans in South Florida, it is just one more disappointment.

Aug. 25: What will happen when Raul Castro dies?

Washington, D.C. keeps sanctioning the Cuban government and members of the elite. The Cuban government has shown their capability to survive at the cost of the Cuban people. The question I ask myself is what will happen when Raul Castro dies?

Will those Cuban military officers that have not benefited from the economic corruption within the government be willing to support someone Castro picks to succeed him? Or will they challenge the new leadership?

Aug. 21: CEPAL releases economic performance indicators for 2026, predicting Cuba’s economy will slow down 10.3%

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) just came out with their economic performance indicators for 2026. It predicts that Cuba’s economy will slow down 10.3%, which is the worse performance in all of Latin America.

How much more will the Cuban people be able to take is anybody’s guess.

Aug. 20: Cuba’s president says health system on verge of total collapse

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted earlier this week that the health system, one of the so-called “great accomplishments” of the Cuban revolution, is on the verge of total collapse. There are thousands of Cubans on the island waiting for surgeries that cannot be performed due to the lack of doctors, medicines, equipment and poor hospital conditions.

For years, Cuba has been sending medical brigades around the world to help pay-off their debt and export the ideals of their revolution. The U.S. government has accused Cuba of human trafficking for these actions.

Aug. 18: Trump’s Cuba strategy: Is there really a plan?

Does the Trump administration really have a plan for Cuba?

After months of rhetorical back-and-forth, you begin to wonder whether the Trump administration really knows what to do with Cuba. We keep hearing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was given the responsibility to deal with Cuba and the rest of Latin America, which he knows extremely well. But from what I hear, White House senior staff keeps getting in the way.

Continuing to sanction operations and individuals in Cuba will not bring down the government. Now we hear from Secretary Rubio and members of our Cuban-American congressional delegation that the target date has been moved back, and they hope that by 2029, changes in Cuba will have taken place, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Aug. 14: Cuba turns to global investors as US sanctions and property claims raise risks

The Cuban government has realized that efforts to attract investment from U.S. and Cuban-American businesses have largely failed because of the many sanctions imposed by the United States and the fact that the risks still outweigh the opportunities.

However, the Cuban government is trying very hard to attract companies from around the world to take over many operations and businesses in Cuba. With many European hoteliers and other companies having recently left Cuba, it will still be a challenge to attract new investors.

One thing these companies should keep in mind before starting operations in Cuba is that they could be operating in properties that were confiscated by the Cuban government in the early 1960s. They could potentially face legal challenges in the future as a result.

For American companies alone, there are 5,913 businesses and properties that were confiscated and registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Aug. 13: Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday prompts reflection on his legacy in Cuba

Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro, a man whose narcissistic personality took control of Cuba after overthrowing Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959. He made promises to the Cuban people that he later betrayed for his own selfish ambitions and thirst for power.

At his trial on Oct. 16, 1953, following the failed attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, he famously said, “History will absolve me.”

In the end, history will judge him as a ruthless dictator who destroyed Cuba, impoverished its people and inflicted tremendous suffering on an entire nation.

Aug. 12: Cuba poses a tough foreign policy challenge for Rubio

“Who is on first, what is on second, I don’t know is on third.”

The famous comedy routine by Abbott and Costello can be compared to the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategies these days. Diplomatic negotiations are complex and complicated, especially when dealing with countries, governments, and individuals with whom the United States has not had good relationships.

Reliable sources tell me there are tremendous differences between the staffs at the White House and the Department of State over how to handle negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, Israel-Gaza, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. It does not help when those negotiating on behalf of the United States have limited to no diplomatic experience.

For now, let’s stay within the area of expertise: Cuba. While President Trump thinks Cuba can be resolved in two months, Secretary of State Marco Rubio knows very well, as does his senior staff, that negotiating with Cuba is not easy.

The Cuban government is willing to continue introducing cosmetic changes to its moribund economy without relinquishing political control. The United States can continue to sanction everyone on the island, and the Cuban government could not care less. All the while, the people of Cuba continue to suffer tremendous hardships. Yet the people are unlikely to turn against the government. The consequence of doing so can mean spending years in jail.

Meanwhile, in Miami, the guessing game continues over who will replace Raúl Castro when he dies, along with preparations for possible transition plans for Cuba. A transition to a democratic system of government in Cuba will take time. A civil society cannot be built overnight. It is also important to remember that Cuba did not have a democratic government before 1959.

For Rubio, expectations from the Cuban American community are high. Yet most in the community understand that it will not be easy to get the Cuban government to make political changes short of a U.S. military invasion. However, Rubio needs a win, especially if he is considering another presidential run. The failures of the Trump administration’s foreign policies around the world could affect Rubio’s future presidential campaign.

So, what will be Rubio’s next step on Cuba? The clock is ticking.

Aug. 10: Will the cat catch the mouse this time?

While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio continues to put pressure on the Cuban government to change, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel went on Cuban television this past weekend and announced to the Cuban people that the government was making major “transformational changes” to the economy.

Díaz-Canel also told the Cuban people that it would take time and patience -- two things the Cuban people do not have anymore. Díaz-Canel went on to say that the benefits of these changes will begin to show by 2029.

Sources in Washington, D.C. have told me that the Trump administration is looking to see if there is someone in the Cuban government, like Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela, to hand over Raul Castro or even take over the current government and be willing to negotiate with the U.S.

The Miami Herald reported this weekend that General Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas, currently the Cuban Minister of the Interior, may be acceptable to the U.S. General Casas is considered a hardliner and therefore unlikely to break with the Cuban leadership.

As I have said before, the case of Venezuela is quite different than Cuba. While Raul Castro is alive, I believe the Cuban government will continue in power and make promises to the Cuban people they cannot keep.

Aug. 8: Cuban opposition leader says Cuba’s transformation must include those on the island

According to Cuban opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer, any plans to transform Cuba must include Cubans on the island.

But do Cubans on the island have the capacity and capabilities to participate in such a process? After living for almost 68 years under a totalitarian system that has shaped the population’s personal values and attitudes, it could take time not only to change it but, more importantly, to sustain those changes.

Democracies are not built in one day. It will take time and patience. Let’s also remember that before the Cuban Revolution, Cuba had a dictatorship under Batista.

Aug 6: US announces new set of economic sanctions against Cuba; 2 of Cuba’s top generals also sanctioned

The U.S. State Department announced a new set of economic sanctions against Cuba on Thursday. At the same time, two of Cuba’s top generals were also sanctioned, Alvaro Lopez Miera, Minister of Defense; and General Roberto Sotolongo, head of the armed forces.

Aug. 5: CIA Task Force on Cuba created, per report

The New York Times has reported the creation of a CIA Task Force on Cuba with the purpose of putting additional pressure on the Cuban government to make political and economic changes to their system.

This news will probably be received by Cuba as an additional threat by the U.S.

Aug. 5: Cuban president confirms ongoing conservations between Havana, US

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed today that there are ongoing conversations between Havana and DC for the purpose of avoiding a military confrontation and trying to find solutions to the issues between both nations.

The Cuban government understands that they are running out of options and most likely will need to reach an agreement with the U.S. Will it include regime change?

Aug. 3 update: Rubio speaks about Cuba’s ongoing espionage activities in the US

This past weekend, in an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio spoke about Cuba’s ongoing espionage activities in the U.S.

Rubio went on to say that Cuban spies continue to infiltrate the U.S. government, financial institutions, organizations, and academic institutions. Rubio claimed that Cuba continues to be a national security threat to the U.S.

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.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ratcliffe did not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was informed of the contacts that were "on the intelligence agencies’ level.”

“Of course, President Putin is immediately informed of everything,” Peskov added, refusing to say what was discussed.

Russian state news agencies reported that a U.S. military plane landed in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Tuesday and departed later that day.

U.S. President Donald Trump played down the significance of Ratcliffe’s trip, saying it was “sort of semi-routine.”

“I hate to disappoint people,” he said on conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck's radio show Wednesday.

A senior Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that Washington informed Kyiv a delegation would be traveling to the Russian capital and asked it to suspend strikes until it left. The official said the request did not apply to all Russian territory, but specifically to Moscow, St. Petersburg and some northern regions. Strikes on other parts of Russia continued, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk publicly.

CBS News first reported on the visit.

Kremlin says US-Russia relations are in a ‘profound crisis’

Peskov said that “contacts between intelligence agencies are, in and of themselves, a positive phenomenon, a positive process,” but he stressed that Russia-U.S. relations remain in a “profound crisis.”

He added that it was “too early to say” what impact Ratcliffe's visit would have on the ties between the two countries.

Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russia’s security services, told AP that visits like the one by Ratcliffe do not “happen every year.”

Official channels of communication between Moscow and Washington have been kept alive since the 1980s and exist so both sides can talk if American or Russian lives are in danger or for other reasons, Soldatov said.

In 2021, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Putin’s Security Council, met CIA Director William Burns in Moscow months before Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Burns later met Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, in Turkey in November 2022 to warn Russia not to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

Details of Tuesday’s discussions have not been revealed but such meetings normally take place only when there is a matter of pressing national security and when it is in “American national interests,” Soldatov said.

Russia-U.S. relations sank to Cold War lows after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but appeared to warm after Trump returned to office. He had promised to end the war swiftly, holding multiple phone calls with Putin and even hosting him in Alaska a year ago.

In his radio appearance Wednesday, Trump repeated that he wants to see the Russia-Ukraine war end.

Efforts to negotiate a peace deal have largely stalled, with U.S. attention turning to its war with Iran and both Moscow and Kyiv stepping up their long-range attacks on each other. Putin has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's push for an immediate ceasefire, arguing that Russia wants a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce.

Russia has proposed to mediate in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, Moscow's important ally in the Middle East.

Russia and Iran have a partnership treaty

After Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Tehran provided Russia with Shahed drones and later licensed their production in Russia. In January 2025, Moscow and Tehran signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty. But even as it has built ties with Iran, Russia also has remained friendly with Israel, and analysts have described its relations with Iran as complex and challenging.

In March, AP reported that Russia provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter. The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information.

Asked at the time whether Russia would go beyond political support and offer military assistance to Iran, Peskov said there has been no such request from Tehran. Pressed on whether Moscow provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the Iran war’s start, he refrained from comment.

Soldatov said it’s possible Tuesday's meeting involved protecting U.S. personnel, bases or facilities in the Middle East that have been targeted by Iran. Ratcliffe could have traveled to Moscow to try to influence this relationship, he added.

——

Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Emma Burrows in London contributed.

This time, she is certain she will be back.

The 21-year-old from the San Francisco Bay area made history in February when she became the first American woman since Sarah Hughes in 2002 to stand atop the podium at the Winter Games. Liu also became the first women's skater to win two golds in the same Olympics when she was part of the U.S. squad that successfully defended its team gold medal.

It was a remarkable comeback for Liu, a one-time teen phenom who abruptly walked away from figure skating after the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Liu had become burned out by the grind of the sport and had no designs on ever returning to the ice.

Yet she returned in 2024 with a fresh, almost effervescent outlook on the sport, and it carried her all the way to the Olympic title.

“While people are announcing programs, imma take this time to announce that I will not be competing this season,” Liu wrote in an Instagram late Tuesday. "I always want to challenge myself in new ways, so my artistry & skating can evolve. It’s important to me that my sport reflects my personal growth. I’m gonna take the time to recalibrate, fine-tune things & whatnot.

“So fear not, I’ll be back, & in the meantime I’ll be rooting for my teammates near & far.”

It's not uncommon for figure skaters to take a season off following the Olympics. French skater Lorine Schild, for example, announced last week that she was taking a break “after an emotionally charged season and a few months off the ice.”

The figure skating season has already begun with some lower-tier events, but for marquee skaters such as Liu, the real competition begins with the first of the Grand Prix stops in late October in Angers, France. There are five other Grand Prix events before the Grand Prix Final, and the U.S. championships and the world championships take place early in the new year.

Liu is a two-time national champion but finished second to Amber Glenn the past two years. In 2025, she became the first U.S. woman to win a world title since Kimmie Meissner in 2006, though she skipped her defense earlier this year after her Olympic victory.

“Taking time so you can live life to the fullest and do things your way ... Love you girl,” Glenn wrote in reply to Liu's announcement.

Liu was scheduled to begin her season alongside Glenn at Skate America on Nov. 13 in Everett, Washington, and also compete with fellow Olympic teammate Isabeau Levito at the Finlandia Trophy the following week.

Sarah Everhardt will be the first American woman to compete in a Grand Prix event this season when she takes the ice at the Grand Prix de France. Levito is due to compete at Skate Canada the following week, while rising stars Alina Bonillo and Sophie Joline von Felten will make their highly anticipated Grand Prix debuts at the Cup of China the first weekend of November.

On the men's side, 21-year-old superstar Ilia Malinin is scheduled to compete alongside Jason Brown at Skate America and the NHK Trophy in Japan. He was heavily favored to win gold at the Milan Olympics — and did help the U.S. triumph in the team event — but endured a disastrous free skate that left him out of the medals entirely.

Malinin rebounded in March by winning his third consecutive world championship.

___

See AP’s full sports coverage here

Stubbornly high prices are shaping up to be a key issue in the midterm elections, now just 10 weeks away, particularly as the Iran war keeps gas prices high, President Donald Trump is threatening new tariffs on Canada and China, and spending on AI infrastructure has pushed up the cost of computers, gaming consoles, and semiconductors.

Inflation remained high in July even as gas prices fell, partly because the cost of services, including health care, utilities, and financial services, jumped. Yet the government plans to change the way it calculates the cost of some services starting with next month's figures, which could lower measured inflation.

Inflation remains elevated and above the Federal Reserve's target

The Commerce Department’s Wednesday report showed that prices rose 3.7% in July compared with a year earlier, the same as June. Inflation has worsened since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, when it stood at 2.9%. It’s noticeably above the Fed’s target of 2%.

Wednesday's figures are from the personal consumption expenditures price index, a separate gauge from the more widely followed consumer price index, which was reported earlier this month. The PCE index is running hotter than the CPI, partly because it puts much less weight on rental costs, which have been cooling steadily in recent months.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation was also unchanged at 3.3% in July. It had fallen to 2.6% before President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in April 2025.

On a monthly basis, overall prices rose 0.2% from June to July, after declining 0.1% the previous month and jumping 0.5% in May. Core prices also moved up 0.2% from June to July, up from 0.1% in the previous month. Some Fed officials have said that core inflation running at about 0.2% a month would be a reassuring sign that inflation is heading back to the 2% target.

The inflation gauge will be revised lower next month

Many economists have noted that the PCE index has been pushed higher by the way it calculates the cost of financial advice, as well as how it measures prices for software and computer accessories. When stock markets rise, that translates into bigger gains in what the government calls “portfolio management services.” Yet that measure doesn't always fully capture what Americans actually pay for financial services.

At the same time, the PCE also likely captures some business-related spending on software, even though it should only focus on consumer spending, analysts say.

As a result, the Commerce Department has said it plans to adjust those measurements, among others, starting next month. Economists, who largely agree with the changes, forecast that they will reduce annual PCE inflation by 0.2 percentage point or so.

Why do things still feel expensive?

Even as inflation has cooled from its post-pandemic highs — it topped 7% according to the Fed's preferred gauge in 2022 — consumer sentiment surveys show that most Americans are still gloomy about the economy and their finances.

A key reason is likely that inflation, even at lower levels, has eroded incomes. Wednesday's data show that compared with a year ago, inflation-adjusted incomes have risen just 0.2%, after several months of decline.

And gas prices have rebounded this month, which will likely push up inflation when the August figures are reported next month. Prices ticked up again overnight to $4.10 per gallon on average nationally, according to AAA.

Consumers did boost their spending at a robust pace in the April-June quarter, according to a separate report released Wednesday, and businesses also strongly increased their investments, largely on the AI infrastructure buildout. The economy grew just 1.5% during the second quarter, however, as much of the business spending went towards imports.

But Americans may be turning more cautious as inflation stays high. Consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, was unchanged in July, the government said Wednesday.

How will this affect the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve?

The new inflation data is unlikely to fully resolve a split at the Fed, where most officials are willing to hold interest rates steady to see if inflation can cool on its own. But many Fed officials have supported raising rates in a bid to slow borrowing and spending to combat higher prices.

New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will deliver a high-profile speech Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that will be closely watched by Wall Street for any signs of his thinking about next steps.

Persistent inflation has contributed to higher long-term interest rates, which have lifted borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. Many Wall Street analysts say that a lack of clarity from Warsh about how the Fed will respond to persistent inflation has also pushed up those rates. The yield on 30-year Treasury bonds briefly reached a 19-year high earlier this month, prompting an unusual intervention by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Bessent said the Treasury would double its buybacks of longer-term bonds — those lasting for 10 to 30 years — starting next month. Such a move would theoretically raise Treasury prices and lower yields. The announcement initially had little effect, though yields have since declined slightly.

Growth in gross domestic product — the nation's output of a goods and services — decelerated from a 2.1% pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The second-quarter growth number was unchanged from the department's first estimate.

Still, consumer spending — which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity — increased at a healthy 3.4% annual clip, up from 0.5% in the January-March period.

The reason for the lackluster growth was imports. They are subtracted from growth because GDP is only supposed to count domestic production. Imports rose at a 12.5% annual pace from April through June, partly due to a surge in shipments of computer chips and other products that support artificial intelligence investment, and sliced 1.64 percentage points off second-quarter growth.

Beyond the headline figures, the U.S. economy has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of fighting with Iran and the spike in energy prices it caused. Business investment, excluding housing, rose at a 8.5% pace in the second quarter, reflecting the AI investment boom. And a measure of the economy’s underlying strength — which strips out volatile government spending and trade numbers — grew at a strong 4.2% rate, up from 1.7% in the first quarter.

Investment in housing rose, ticking up for the first time since the end of 2024. The housing market has been depressed by high mortgage rates,.

Wednesday's report was the second of three Commerce Department looks at second-quarter GDP growth. The third and final report is due Sept. 30.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. reported that an inflation measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve was unchanged last month in the latest sign that many Americans are still struggling with higher costs.

The Commerce Department’s report showed that prices rose 3.7% in July compared with a year earlier, but the pace was the same as June. Inflation has worsened since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, when it stood at 2.9%. It’s noticeably above the Fed’s target of 2%.

Stubbornly high prices are shaping up to be a key issue in the midterm elections, now just 10 weeks away, particularly as the Iran war keeps gas prices high, President Donald Trump is threatening new tariffs on Canada and China, and spending on AI infrastructure has pushed up the cost of computers, gaming consoles, and semiconductors.

Sen. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on South Carolina’s general election ballot, notching another win for President Donald Trump after he threw his support behind the political novice. And Justice Department lawyers told a court that if Trump’s name does not appear somewhere on the Kennedy Center, then the cultural center may be “required to be taken down.”

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Here’s some of what Meta agreed to apply to its platforms under the settlement

1. a “hard cap” on daily time limits 2. pauses for children using Instagram and Facebook 3. elimination of push notifications during weekday school hours 4. “robust” age-assurance measures 5. “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm 6. stronger and more user-friendly parental controls 7. limits on social comparison features such as “like” counts

Instagram’s leader had taken the stand, but not Mark Zuckerberg

The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, where a jury was to determine whether Meta contributed to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public. The states also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy as he began his testimony late Tuesday. Meta then settled before CEO Mark Zuckerberg was to testify.

Here’s what Meta is saying about its $17 billion settlement

Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.”

The company urged its rivals to adopt similar safety measures.

Meta’s social addiction settlement is a boon to state revenues

The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and is one of the biggest in state consumer protection history, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement.

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health,” Jones said. The settlement “will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”

Trump says he believes Ayatollah Motjaba Khamenei is still alive

The president during his interview with Glenn Beck was asked about recent reporting in The Atlantic and elsewhere questioning whether the Iranian supreme leader is still alive.

Motjaba Khamenei was anointed supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening moments of the U.S.-Israel bombardment of Iran on Feb. 28.

The younger Khamenei was also badly injured in the opening strikes and has remained out of public view since his elevation nearly six months ago.

“He was very seriously wounded. But I don’t think he’s dead,” Trump said. “And if he is, they’re putting on a pretty good show,” Trump added, noting that Iranian officials reference “going back to talk to him all the time, you know, to get a final blessing on things.”

Trump says he’ll do something about the US beef processing ‘monopoly’

The president and Glenn Beck, a rancher as well as a conservative pundit, were having a freewheeling discussion on beef processing when Beck complained that a handful of companies control the U.S. industry and inflate prices.

“Is that just a question of regulation, do you think?” the president asked. He also asked Beck which agency is “controlling those regulations — the Department of Agriculture?”

Trump, who has been under intense pressure to reduce beef prices and recently angered U.S. suppliers by relaxing tariffs on beef imports, called the industry a “monopoly” as Beck claimed inspection standards prevent more processors from entering the market.

“I’m surprised the ranchers and the farmers haven’t done it, because they’re smart as hell,” Trump said. “That’s been going on a long time … before I got here.”

“This is a very big thing you just told, because you just gave me a very good idea,” Trump said, without elaborating.

Trump describes CIA director’s visit to Moscow as routine

The president said on Glenn Beck’s radio show that John Ratcliffe’s unannounced trip to Russia was “sort of semi-routine.”

Trump repeated that he wants to see the Russia-Ukraine war to end, and he indicated that he’s followed the rampant speculation about who Ratcliffe has been meeting with and why. But the president downplayed the significance of Ratcliffe going to Moscow.

“I hate to disappoint people,” he said.

Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states over teen social media addiction

Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, their attorneys general announced Wednesday.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023. This deal cuts short a federal trial that was expected to put CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury.

The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone, but the total is just a fraction of the company’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion.

Trump continues to needle Canada in trade war

The president kept up his complaints about Canada, which is now embroiled in a full-scale trade war with the U.S.

Speaking on Glenn Beck’s radio show on Wednesday, Trump repeated his claim that Canada was one of the worst countries to deal with and that it had taken advantage of the U.S. when it comes to trade and tariffs. “I just said, we’re taking them on,” Trump said.

Trump orders flags lowered to honor Dolly Parton

“She was a nice person,” Trump said Wednesday during a live radio interview with conservative personality Glenn Beck.

Trump also said Parton, who died Tuesday of cancer at age 80, was ‘amazing’ and not “a very political person.”

He said his decision to order U.S. flags on federal property to fly at half-staff for a week in Parton’s honor was a “natural thing” to do.

How data center controversies have transformed the midterm elections

The snowballing opposition to data centers across the United States has transformed the midterm election landscape and has Trump defending the world’s richest companies.

Few people had even heard of a data center before the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT ignited worldwide demand for chatbots and other generative AI products that typically require large amounts of computing power. Now Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft expect to plunge more than $700 billion into data centers in the U.S. this year alone.

Trump continues to stick up for data centers, even as politicians from both parties run from them and many communities try to block them. His administration is pushing to help tech giants build and connect data centers to power plants and high-voltage power lines.

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Trump champions data centers, but some Republicans are wary

Republicans as well as Democrats are turning data centers into a punching bag.

The president says AI development is key to competing against China, and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said a federal pause on data center construction might be a “dangerous prospect.” But most registered voters oppose building a data center in their area, according to a July Fox News poll, including 60% of Republicans and 53% of MAGA voters.

Many Democratic leaders and candidates have withdrawn support for data centers. Now even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a halt on approval of new data centers until audits determine their impact on the state’s electrical grid.

Trump says tech companies “can use a little public relations help,” but he says data centers bring “jobs and lots of money and lower taxes.”

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Key inflation gauge remains elevated during Iran war and ongoing US trade fights

An inflation measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve was unchanged last month, in the latest sign that many Americans are still struggling with higher costs.

The Commerce Department’s Wednesday report showed that prices rose 3.7% in July compared with a year earlier. Inflation has worsened since the Iran war began in late February, when it stood at 2.9%. It remains noticeably above the Fed’s target of 2%.

Stubbornly high prices are shaping up to be a key issue in the midterm elections, particularly as the Iran war keeps gas prices high, Trump is threatening new tariffs on Canada and China, and spending on AI infrastructure has pushed up the cost of computers, gaming consoles, and semiconductors.

Analysts predict an eventual US-Canada trade war compromise

The U.S. and Canada have ramped up their trade war with steep new tit-for-tat tariffs, but analysts are betting the longtime allies will eventually strike a deal to end a conflict neither side really wants. “If there is political will, there is an off ramp,’’ said former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler.

The prospects for compromise appear bleak right now with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacting to Trump’s new 50% U.S. tariffs on certain Canadian goods by taxing about $20 billion in American products including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.

“You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,’′ Carney, who came to power last year on the promise that he’d stand up to Trump.

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Three Secret Service officials have been placed on administrative leave pending investigation

Three U.S. Secret Service officials were placed on administrative leave Tuesday, pending the outcome of an investigation by the agency’s professional standards office.

The three were operating in non-law-enforcement capacities and were being investigated for potential misconduct, the agency’s public information office reported. However, the cause for the action remained unclear as the Office of Professional Responsibility was beginning its review.

The Secret Service has been under scrutiny as Trump has been the subject of at least three assassination plots in the past two years. In April, police said an armed man breached security at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which Trump was attending.

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Kennedy Center risks financial ruin without Trump’s name, Justice Department argues

Justice Department attorneys argued that if Trump’s name does not appear somewhere on the Kennedy Center, then the money from donors for renovations would shrivel up and the “decrepit, dilapidated” cultural center may be “required to be taken down.”

That came from a court filing late Monday on the long-running saga over whether the president’s name can be added to the cultural institution and venue meant to honor John F. Kennedy after his assassination. The original attempt to add “Donald J. Trump” on the building’s facade was halted by the court in May following a lawsuit from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center.

The center’s Trump-aligned board of trustees then voted again this month to get the president’s name back on the cultural institution in a different way: by appending “Renovated and Restored By President Donald J. Trump” under the title on the building’s facade. Another phrase, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would be a possible addition, as well as renaming the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center to honor the president.

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Darline Graham wins South Carolina GOP nomination to replace her late brother in US Senate

U.S. Sen. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination to replace her late brother on South Carolina’s general election ballot, notching another win for President Donald Trump after he threw his support behind the political novice.

Graham defeated U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday’s special Republican primary runoff, two weeks after they were the top two finishers in a 10-way primary.

Despite being a political unknown, Graham bested some of South Carolina’s top political names in the special election spun up after Lindsey Graham’s sudden death last month. She was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term and swiftly won an endorsement from Trump, who encouraged her to enter the race for a full term and campaigned for her in the state last week.

Graham will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November.

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Canada strikes back at US with retaliatory tariffs as trade war escalates

Canada struck back at the United States on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment, as the trade war between the once-friendly neighbors escalated sharply.

The confrontation threatened one of the world’s largest trading relationships and further strained ties between the United States and a country long considered one of its closest allies. A prolonged dispute could raise costs for American businesses and consumers less than 2½ months before the midterm elections.

The new tariffs extended well beyond industrial goods, hitting everyday purchases such as seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper, with some facing duties as high as 50%.

“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in French, calling the situation “an unprecedented challenge imposed on Canada.”

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The news comes less than a week after the couple surprised fans and critics alike with plans to return to Britain. The return was reported by media such as the BBC and the Daily Telegraph, with the newspaper reporting that their plane landed at Birmingham International Airport around noon.

Flight tracking websites showed a private charter flight from Van Nuys, California, arrived at the airport at 11:56 a.m.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have already enrolled at British schools and will start classes in September. The family plans to live at a private, nonroyal residence outside of London, but haven’t said exactly where that will be.

Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago to earn their living through lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

Relations with the rest of the royal family quickly soured as the couple said palace staff had been insensitive to Meghan’s mental health and leveled charges of racism and media manipulation at members of the royal family.

Harry recently expressed an interest in reconciliation so he could spend more time with his father, King Charles III, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer. But relations with his brother, Prince William, who is heir to the throne, remain tense.

The airport recorded 13 million passengers during the second quarter, following 31.5 million passengers in the first half. That was a 31.3% drop over passenger traffic in the first half of 2025, the airport said.

Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf region was disrupted by shutdowns and restrictions after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The Dubai airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.

Aircraft movements totaled 150,600 in the first half, down 32.1% year on year, with only 62,500 in the second quarter, the airport said.

CEO Paul Griffiths noted, however, there has been a steady increase in passenger volume each month in the second quarter, and said the momentum is expected to continue.

“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic,” Griffiths told The Associated Press. “However, the trajectory now is universally positive.”

He said the airport was waiting for overseas airlines, particularly from Europe, to restart operations.

“I'm very confident we'll be back to full operation in a very short space of time,” he said.

Musk, the founder of the aerospace company SpaceX, has become one of the most influential, and contentious, private sector figures in Ukraine’s war effort. His decision to provide access to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet network, was a lifeline for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and remains critically important.

Starlink has become deeply embedded in Ukraine’s military operations, with commanders and soldiers relying on satellite connectivity to communicate and coordinate operations.

Musk’s decision-making could shape Ukraine’s future military capabilities. Starlink doesn't currently operate over Russian territory, but Zelenskyy wants Musk to reconsider the policy. That would allow Ukrainian forces to maintain satellite connectivity for longer-range drone attacks targeting Russia's military and economic infrastructure.

Musk made no immediate comment on the award, which was announced by presidential decree.

Musk has restricted Starlink use in Russia

The technology has been integrated into Ukraine’s drone operations, helping operators maintain links with drones and navigate them over longer distances. Ukraine's access to Starlink is the main reason for the early successes of its middle-strike drone campaign, which caught Russian forces off guard and undermined their logistics lines earlier this year.

The campaign has put pressure on Russian logistics in Crimea, giving Ukrainian forces a degree of battlefield momentum that Kyiv has not enjoyed since its successful counteroffensives around Kherson and Kharkiv in late 2022.

Musk has allowed the Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including in Russian-occupied regions, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia.

Earlier this year, SpaceX blocked unauthorized Starlink terminals being used by Russian forces in occupied territory, strengthening Ukraine’s position.

Musk’s oversized influence over Ukraine

Musk is both a crucial partner for Kyiv and a potential source of vulnerability. As Starlink has become embedded in its wartime communications, Musk and SpaceX have significant influence over how the technology can be used, making it important for Kyiv to preserve a positive relationship.

Zelenskyy has sought U.S. help in persuading Musk to permit Ukraine to expand its ability to use Starlink beyond its borders. Musk has said he believes that would be a significant and dangerous escalation, Zelenskyy told reporters last week.

Musk's influence has spilled into politics

A reported mix-up over whether SpaceX had approved Ukraine’s use of Starlink for operations inside Russia contributed to tensions between Zelenskyy and then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was the government's main interlocutor with Musk.

Fedorov was dismissed in July as part of a broader government shake-up.

Zelenskyy said inaccurate information from the Defense Ministry that SpaceX had approved the bid had contributed to an awkward exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian president of deceiving him. He did not say when that occurred.

That contributed to “some of the steps” taken against Fedorov, Zelenskyy told reporters last week, without explicitly accusing him of deliberately providing false information.

Federov's dismissal also highlights the political element of Musk’s role in Ukraine’s war effort.

The top diplomats of the two countries met to discuss managing commercial shipping traffic in the vital waterway, which remains largely shut down nearly six months after the Iran war began.

Officials in Thailand said the USS Lincoln was scheduled for a brief stopover in the country as the aircraft carrier prepares to reposition after a lengthy deployment, including support for the Iran war.

Meanwhile, Israel’s strikes continued in Gaza, testing the already fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

No military vessels will transit through Hormuz, Iran says

Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on a new framework for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz that would exclude military vessels from traversing the vital waterway, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV late on Tuesday night.

“If the understanding becomes binding, no military vessel will be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “No military vessel at all.”

Gharibabadi said the proposed route is temporary, and that Iran and Oman must negotiate within 30 to 60 days on a permanent maritime traffic scheme.

Commercial shipping traffic into the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters, he said.

The Trump administration told Oman it opposed parts of the evolving deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way.”

Israel launches deadly strike in Gaza, health officials say

An Israeli strike on a tent for displaced people Wednesday in southern Gaza killed one person and wounded at least four others, according to officials at the territory’s Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck a “military operative,” without elaborating.

Even as U.S. efforts to advance the fragile ceasefire in the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war continue, Palestinians in the strip have reported a surge in deadly Israeli strikes.

Israel has said it targets Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, as well as those who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed that day in Israel and 251 abducted by militants. Israel's retaliatory military campaign in the enclave killed more than 73,400 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The health ministry, part of the Hamas-controlled government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Traffic at Dubai’s airport dropped sharply during Iran war

Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest travel hubs, said Wednesday it saw a sharp drop in passengers during the second quarter as the war with Iran disrupted air travel and prompted many travelers to choose routes that avoided the Middle East.

The airport recorded 13 million passengers in the second quarter, down 31.3% in passenger traffic in the first-half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, with 31.5 million passengers

Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf region was disrupted by shutdowns and restrictions since Feb. 28. The airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.

CEO Paul Griffiths noted, however, that passenger volume has steadily increased each month in the second quarter, and said the momentum is expected to continue in the second half.

US aircraft carrier will stop in Thailand as its Mideast deployment draws to end

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will make a stop in Thailand after its grueling deployment in the Middle East, Thai officials said, without specifying a date or port for security reasons.

The Lincoln has been deployed during the Iran war. Its very lengthy deployment, including a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days, raised concerns about deteriorating mental health among the crew.

A statement from the Royal Thai Navy on Tuesday said a short stopover by U.S. Navy ships was for recuperation and that no military exercises would be carried out during the visit.

Germany draws down its mission in Iraq's Kurdish region

Germany has ended the military mission of its advisers in Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdish region after years of supporting the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts against Islamic State militants, the Kurdish region’s Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said Wednesday.

The ministry said it held an official ceremony at Camp Stephan at Irbil International Airport to mark the mission’s end. Germany had already reduced its footprint in Iraq but had maintained a small contingent at the base.

The end of the German mission comes as U.S. forces have also begun withdrawing from northern Iraq ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to end their military presence in the country.

U.S. bases in the Kurdish region have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran war on Feb. 28.

Human Rights Watch criticizes Houthis for trying civil servants in terrorism court

Human Rights Watch condemned a decision by Yemen’s Houthis to refer at least six people to a criminal court known for trying terror and espionage charges.

The New York-based advocacy group said at least five of those facing charges in the notorious Specialized Criminal Court are either United Nations employees or civil society workers. The group also said one of the defendants, Ali Mudhwahi, a national public health expert with UNICEF, was tortured and forced to confess that vaccines were spying tools.

Since the Houthis took over in 2015, dozens of journalists, political activists and members of religious minorities have stood trial in the Sanaa-based court on charges that are usually punishable by death.

The beloved singer, songwriter, actor, author, theme-park entrepreneur, and philanthropist was 80.

The superstar’s red robe with black lace, which she wore for one of her many photo shoots and interviews with TV Guide, was on display at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

“I’m devastated, but like she said, ‘Bittersweet, bittersweet memories.’ I think everybody that knew Dolly has a little part of her in their heart,” Patty Lisboa, a fan in Hollywood, said. “Like, how do you not feel Dolly?”

Related story: Dolly Parton’s greatest songs, and the stories behind them

Joan Pendergrass, the widow of music legend Teddy Pendergrass, was also spotted at the Hard Rock near Parton’s memorabilia.

“We were shocked,” she said of learning about Parton’s death.

Pendergrass said the impact from Parton’s celebrity reached well beyond country music.

“She has given back so much,” she said. “She has given so much of herself. What a beautiful, petite (person), but so large at heart.”

Parton performed a concert on Oct. 18, 2011, at Hard Rock Live during her Better Day Tour. She performed classics like “9 to 5,″ “Coat of Many Colors,” and “Here You Come Again.”

Parton played some songs from her 1971 gospel album, which included songs like “Golden Streets of Glory,” “I Believe,” and “Lord Hold My Hand.”

Related story: Stars from TV and film pay tribute to Dolly

Parton played the fiddle, which she said she learned to play by ear. She also played the 5-string banjo, the dulcimer, the harmonica, the piano, the guitar, and the autoharp.

Parton’s last tour was “Pure & Simple” in 2016.

Carl Dean, Parton’s husband of about 60 years, inspired “Jolene.” She said they met when she was 18 in Nashville, where he died on March 3, 2025, at 82.

Related story: Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations has died at 80

One of Parton’s last video on Instagram was about her health challenges, which prompted her to cancel her Las Vegas residency. She said was working on her museum and hotel in Nashville, and on her “Dolly: A True Original Musical” Broadway show.

“Some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy headed, as my grandma used to say,” she said in May. “And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels — and you know that I’m going to be wearing them. Not to mention, all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big … uh, personality.”

In Hollywood, on Tuesday afternoon, Oliver De Leon, a grief-stricken fan, said the 11-time Grammy Award winner had touched his heart with her music.

“She is an American icon,” De Leon said. “Not just country, but all music.”

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Thank you for standing by me and showing me so much love and support over the past year. I’ve still got some healing to do, but I am on my way! See you soon. 💖 🦋 pic.twitter.com/HXpJqTUJXZ

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) May 4, 2026

That’s according to the family of Luis Aviles.

His son, Josh Aviles, is in his ninth month being deployed onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East.

From the ship, Josh Aviles posted a family statement to social media, which read, in part:

“Luis has been released back to our family. We are grateful for all of the support for both Luis and Josh throughout this situation.”

It was Sunday in Key West when Luis Aviles, 48, was arrested by CBP agents after leaving his home to take his car to a mechanic.

Family members call him humble and said he has a work permit and no criminal history, but federal authorities tell Local 10 News that Luis Aviles has been in the country illegally from Nicaragua for nearly 20 years.

Officials added that his son’s military service has no bearing on his status.

On Monday, Luis Aviles’ younger son, also named Luis, told Local 10 News that the situation was stressful for the family.

“We can’t do much about it. We’re trying our hardest, whatever we can do,” said Luis Aviles Jr. “He’s a good father. He doesn’t deserve it.”

The case has garnered national attention in light of reports about supply shortages and personnel concerns onboard the USS Lincoln.

Josh Aviles said he was working 12-plus hour shifts on the ship, with an added toll of worrying about his father.

Over the years, she made countless appearances there.

On Tuesday, Parton’s family shared the news that the country music icon had passed away at the age of 80 at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.

One of the most beloved personalities in music and beyond, Parton was known for her soaring vocals, poignant songwriting, massive blonde wigs and colorful, attention-grabbing outfits.

She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You” – which was later covered by Whitney Houston – that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.

Parton’s other crossover hits included the title song from the film “9 to 5,” the 1980 comedy starring Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin; and her duet with longtime friend Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream.”

Beyond her music, Parton’s most lasting legacy might be her generosity. She started her education nonprofit, Imagination Library, to send free books to children in Tennessee and she established the Dollywood Foundation after opening her Dollywood theme park in east Tennessee.

Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was given a lifetime achievement award by the Recording Academy.

With 55 Grammy nominations and 10 wins, Parton is the third-most nominated woman in Grammy history.

It happened at approximately 5:50 p.m. near the 2900 block of Northwest 17th Terrace in Oakland Park.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the scene after receiving reports of a vehicle striking a child.

Oakland Park Fire Rescue crews rushed the child to a nearby hospital with injuries considered non-life-threatening, authorities said.

Deputies said the driver of the vehicle that struck the child remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

Authorities have not said whether that driver will be facing any charges.

It is one of the most perilous political efforts that a member of Congress can undertake, so it is telling that the push is being led by two lawmakers who have little to lose at this stage of their careers.

“We’ve been at this six years, eight years. It’s incredible how long I’ve been at it,” Cassidy said. “But Durbin came up to me and he goes, ’Bill, I’m leaving the Senate soon. We need to take a ride at it.'”

Their idea to extend Social Security’s solvency is one of a few that have been formally offered this Congress. None has gained much traction, but it is a start as more lawmakers weigh in on a problem that will likely confront the group of senators elected this fall as well as the next president. Pressure for action is sure to grow as 2032 draws closer.

Senate bill seeks 50 years of Social Security solvency

The measure that Durbin, D-Ill., and Cassidy, R-La., are pushing would not dictate an outcome, but instead set up a process for Congress to take action. It calls for the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board to collect public input and submit draft legislation to Congress that would keep the program's retirement trust fund solvent for at least 50 years.

The resulting bill would then be introduced by the majority leaders of the Senate and House. If they do not want to go along, any member could sponsor the bill. It would then be referred to the two committees with jurisdiction over Social Security — the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

Both committees would have the chance to debate the bill and amend it if they wish. If not, the original bill drafted by the advisory board would be placed on the Senate and House calendars for consideration. Lawmakers could offer substitute proposals, with final votes after 100 hours of debate. Passage would require a three-fifths vote in the 100-member Senate and a simple majority in the 435-member House.

Even though the bill does not prescribe a solution for replenishing Social Security, sponsors have struggled to win support. Cassidy voiced exasperation in a recent floor speech.

“For some people, the time to do Social is never," Cassidy said. “Don't disturb Congress. They don't want to take a tough vote. Even if that vote only sets up a process.”

AARP has come out against the bill, saying that the effort amounts to “fast-tracking” Social Security changes through a process that limits what type of amendments are offered and sets arbitrary procedural deadlines.

A different bill proposes an investment fund for older adults

Separately, Cassidy has a proposal with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that calls for the creation of a $1.5 trillion fund that would be invested in stocks and other higher-risk assets over 75 years.

The seed money would be financed by the Treasury Department through additional borrowing. At the end of the 75 years, the fund's assets would be used to repay the Treasury for the seed money as well as the borrowing that would occur over those years to keep Social Security payments going out — now projected at about $26.6 trillion.

Cassidy projects such an investment fund would earn enough to cover about two-thirds of that $26.6 trillion in borrowing, meaning other actions such as raising payroll taxes or cutting benefits would still be required to completely close the gap. But those tax increases or benefit cuts would be smaller than otherwise necessary without the investment fund.

“The advantage of the 'Save Our Seniors Fund' is that it lessens your political battle,” Cassidy said.

Debt watchdogs are worried.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said “this is a dangerous, debt-funded gamble that would come with huge risks and costs.”

Some propose lifting the payroll tax cap

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, do not agree on much, but they have joined forces in calling for lifting the cap on the Social Security payroll tax.

Currently, the payroll tax that funds Social Security applies to a maximum of $184,500 in income. That means most people pay Social Security taxes on all of their income, but the wealthier do not.

“Why should a middle-class nurse pay a larger share of her paycheck than a wealthy corporate lawyer?” the two senators wrote in The New York Times.

But while the two promised forthcoming legislation on the matter, they have not filed it yet. Some conservative groups have forcefully pushed back on the idea, saying the tax increase would lead to lower wages and fewer jobs at businesses seeking to offset the additional tax burden.

Eliminating the cap would generate more than $3.2 trillion for the trust fund over the course of a decade, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a nonpartisan debt watchdog.

Others have called for lifting the cap, but only above a certain income threshold. For example, a bill from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., would apply the payroll tax to income above $400,000. The bill would require those making more than $400,000 to contribute more to Medicare.

Others are calling for lifting the cap and increasing benefits

Progressives in the House and Senate have sponsored a bill that would lift the payroll tax cap to cover all earnings above $250,000, including capital gains and dividends, and increase the tax that high earners must pay on investment gains.

The bill would boost payments to Social Security beneficiaries by roughly $2,400 a year and increase the annual cost-of-living adjustment. The effort is being led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore. The House version has 39 cosponsors, all Democrats.

In a recent letter to colleagues, Sanders said expanding benefits and requiring the wealthiest in the United States to pay the same percentage of their income into Social Security as tens of millions of working people is “how we extend Social Security's solvency for generations to come. That is how the Democratic Party begins to regain the trust of the American people.”

“Dog Mom Walk” brings people and their pups together at pet-friendly venues across South Florida. The destination changes and the pack just keeps growing.

“It’s amazing how big it’s grown since day one. It’s never in the same place,” said Dog Mom Walk co-founder Ana Elvir.

The group connects on social media, then takes that connection offline — giving dogs a pack and their people a community.

At its core, Dog Mom Walk is exactly what the name suggests: a way for people who love their dogs to find one another.

“Get all the local dog moms together and make amazing friendships and genuine connections,” said Elvir.

Elvir and her dog, Teddy, were already well known on social media through their “Tour with Teddy” page, highlighting pet-friendly places across South Florida. As interest grew, Elvir and her friend Claudia took those online connections offline — launching Dog Mom Walk in 2023.

That changing scenery is part of the point. Rather than sticking to one neighborhood or route, the group uses its walks to introduce members to pet-friendly destinations from West Palm Beach to Miami-Dade County.

Many of the gatherings are outdoors, but August heat called for a different kind of walk — one with air conditioning and “window sniffing” at Aventura Mall.

The mall helped facilitate the indoor outing, with cleaning crews on hand to keep things sanitary as the pack made its way through the shopping center.

Don’t let the name fool you: dog dads are also welcome.

The group is headed to The Shops at Merrick Park in Coral Gables next month, with a possible Fort Lauderdale stop planned after that.

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

El gobierno de China, al otro lado de la frontera norte, también lanzó labores de búsqueda y rescate, con grandes bajas en la zona fronteriza tibetana de Gyirong, informó la televisora estatal CCTV. No se reportó de inmediato un saldo.

Funcionarios en Nepal dijeron que se reportó la desaparición de 384 turistas, incluidos 291 de países como Estados Unidos, Reino Unido y Malasia. Funcionarios de la junta de turismo de Nepal señalaron que la mayoría de los desaparecidos probablemente eran turistas de India y de la diáspora india en peregrinación al monte Kailash en la región autónoma china del Tíbet, un sitio sagrado para los hindúes.

El portavoz de la policía de Nepal Abi Narayan Kafle, quien dio el saldo de muertos, también dijo a The Associated Press que al menos 28 funcionarios policiales estaban entre los desaparecidos.

Funcionarios emitieron avisos a residentes de varios distritos de Nepal y pidieron que se alejaran de las riberas de los ríos Bhotekoshi, Trishuli y Narayani. El río Bhotekoshi se desbordó alrededor de las 9 de la mañana del miércoles y destruyó varias aldeas, además de carreteras y proyectos hidroeléctricos, de acuerdo con funcionarios.

“Hemos pedido tanto a India como a China que nos ayuden en las labores de rescate”, indicó Sasmit Pokharel, portavoz del gobierno nepalí.

Los empinados valles de Nepal son salvavidas económicos y corredores de viaje, pero precarios cuando ocurre un desastre. Las imágenes mostraban lo que parecían ser los segundos pisos de edificios en el duramente golpeado distrito de Nuwakot cubiertos de lodo después de que pasó el torrente. Escombros colgaban de ramas de árboles y cables , vehículos quedaron sepultados y sobrevivientes atónitos estaban cubiertos de lodo.

El Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos reportó un sismo de magnitud 4,4 la madrugada del miércoles, a unos 100 kilómetros (60 millas) al norte de Katmandú, cerca de la frontera con la región autónoma china del Tíbet.

El río Trishuli corre aproximadamente paralelo a una carretera al norte del área de Katmandú que se utiliza para llegar a una de las caminatas más populares de Nepal en la zona de Langtang.

Países expresan alarma por ciudadanos desaparecidos

Autoridades de Corea del Sur apuntaron que ciudadanos suyos que trabajaban en la construcción de una planta hidroeléctrica en Nepal estaban entre los desaparecidos.

El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Malasia también sostuvo que su embajada en Katmandú ha recibido reportes de agencias de viajes de que habían perdido contacto con 11 malasios que se cree estaban en el distrito de Rasuwa, duramente golpeado por las inundaciones.

Mientras tanto, las autoridades chinas realizaban operaciones de búsqueda y rescate a gran escala en la zona fronteriza tibetana de Gyirong, de acuerdo con la televisora estatal CCTV. El presidente chino Xi Jinping ordenó a las autoridades intensificar los esfuerzos, informó la agencia estatal de noticias Xinhua.

El primer ministro indio Narendra Modi habló con el primer ministro de Nepal Balendra Shah y ofreció ayuda. “India está preparada para proporcionar a Nepal todo tipo de asistencia humanitaria posible. Nuestros equipos están coordinando estrechamente las labores de rescate y socorro”, dijo Modi en una publicación en redes sociales.

En una declaración conjunta, Australia, Reino Unido, la Unión Europea, Finlandia, Francia, Noruega y Suiza expresaron solidaridad con las personas afectadas en Nepal, y añadieron: “Alentamos a todos los que se encuentran en las zonas afectadas a seguir la orientación de las autoridades locales y los avisos oficiales de seguridad a medida que la situación continúa evolucionando”.

Inundaciones repentinas el año pasado en la misma región

Las mismas regiones afectadas por el desastre del miércoles registraron inundaciones repentinas similares a las de agosto del año pasado, cuando un lago glaciar en el vecino Tíbet se desbordó a consecuencia de las altas temperaturas en la región montañosa. Nueve personas perdieron la vida y se registraron daños en infraestructura crítica, incluyendo un puente que conecta Nepal y China.

Expertos climáticos del Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Integrado de las Montañas, con sede en Katmandú, señalaron que una avalancha procedente de un glaciar probablemente causó la inundación repentina del miércoles .

El río Lhende Khola, un afluente del río Bhotekoshi, registró su máximo nivel de crecida el miércoles, señalaron.

“El Lhende Khola se ha desbordado dos veces en catorce meses, esta vez el detonante fue una avalancha de hielo y roca procedente de un glaciar del lado nepalí que bloqueó el río y liberó una súbita crecida aguas abajo”, explicó Saswata Sanyal, especialista en reducción del riesgo de desastres del grupo de investigación climática.

Señaló la importancia de las alertas tempranas en “un Himalaya que se está calentando”.

La región del Himalaya, que atraviesa Nepal y varios países cercanos, incluida India, es especialmente vulnerable a las lluvias intensas, las inundaciones y los deslaves porque se está calentando más rápido que el resto del planeta debido al cambio climático provocado por el ser humano. Las investigaciones han mostrado que los fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, incluidas las olas de calor y las lluvias, y el derretimiento de los glaciares, se han vuelto más frecuentes en la región.

Investigadores de Katmandú hallaron a principios de este año que los glaciares en toda la región del Hindu Kush Himalaya se están derritiendo a un ritmo acelerado, con tasas de pérdida de hielo que se han duplicado desde 2000, principalmente debido al aumento de las temperaturas globales y al cambio climático.

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Arasu reportó desde Bengaluru, India; Hyung-jin Kim en Seúl, y Eileen Ng en Kuala Lumpur.

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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de los patrocinadores y las áreas de cobertura financiadas en AP.org.

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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.

“I think it’s important for everyone to do their share to help their fellow man,” she told The Associated Press in 2022, adding, “I get paid more attention than maybe some others that are doing more than me."

Fans across generations and places may disagree, saying it will remain a pillar of the music legend and multimillionaire businesswoman's legacy, following her death Tuesday at the age of 80. One of her most enduring images is that of the charismatic humanitarian, whose good humor and straightforward generosity lifted the well-being of communities in her home state and beyond.

Weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the American South in 2024, she donated $1 million of her money, matched by her Dollywood companies and their partners, to the flood-ravaged community in her native Tennessee. The Library of Congress called Parton a “titan of children’s literacy” for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library.

Also well-known is the $1 million gift she made to Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center to help develop Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The not-for-profit Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital recently received an undisclosed sum to improve pediatric care across eastern Tennessee.

Then there’s the quieter giving that the public was still uncovering in her final years. Internet sleuths realized she’d long paid for many Tennessee high schools’ band uniforms. She bought a Nashville strip mall with her “I Will Always Love You” songwriting royalties to support the surrounding Black neighborhood.

“I just give from my heart,” she said in a 2022 speech accepting the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. “I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will.”

Parton's simple philanthropic solutions were ‘magical’

The simplicity of her solutions is what made Parton so “magical,” according to Stacia West, the co-founder of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research and an associate professor at the University of Tennessee. West studied Parton’s $12 million fund for families who lost their homes in the 2016 fires that swept through Sevier County, Tennessee. Through The My People Fund, as it was called, Parton's foundation provided families $1,000 per month for half the year with no strings attached.

The concept of providing unconditional cash was much more “taboo” at the time, West recalled. That trust in the fund’s beneficiaries to exercise their own agency is one lesson that West said philanthropy can take from Parton.

“The piece that really carries forward is her belief in the goodness of people and her ability to apply that to seemingly difficult problems,” West said.

Parton applied the same framework to her reading initiative, West noted. Rather than hand out library cards that still required the time and transportation to visit a local branch, Parton simply mailed books straight to participants' doors.

The fourth of 12 children from a poor Appalachian family, Parton said her father inspired the Imagination Library. He was a “very smart man,” she once recalled, and she “often wondered what he could have done had he been able to read and write.” Kids across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia have received more than 330 million books since the program began.

Her Imagination Library was only part of her work to educate children

Ohio first lady Fran DeWine described Parton's “devotion to children and literacy” as “unparalleled.” Over a million children had received nearly 28 million books in the state, according to DeWine.

“Her generosity and selfless spirit leave a legacy that will live on for generations to come,” she said.

In addition to the Imagination Library’s work, Andrew Carnegie Foundation President Dame Louise Richardson noted the Dollywood Foundation’s efforts to “secure educational success for children born in poverty.” Parton started the foundation to provide college scholarships for students from the county where she grew up near the Great Smoky Mountains.

“What’s more, she made philanthropy fun!” Richardson said in a statement.

Parton's family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Imagination Library — a fitting request given that Parton once said the initiative “meant as much, if not more to me, than nearly anything that I've ever done.”

“Of course, I’ll always be a singer-songwriter,” she said in a 2024 appearance expanding the program in Kentucky. “But I just hope people will just say she was a good ol’ girl, you know? She tried hard, she worked hard and she tried to make the world a better place and try to make people happy. And I will be doing that till I keel over.”

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Gamboa reported from Cleveland. Staff writer Julie Carr Smyth contributed reporting from Columbus, Ohio.

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

Officials in Nepal said 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals were reported missing. Sunil Sharma, a Nepal Tourism Board spokesperson, said 133 missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in China's autonomous region of Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from the Britain and 24 from Canada, he said, adding that people from at least 26 countries had been present in the affected area.

At least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking in the Gosaikunda lake in Rasuwa, coinciding with the Nepali festival of Janai Purnima on Friday, Sharma added.

China's state broadcaster CCTV said a mudslide in Tibet's Gyirong County near Nepal killed at least three people and left 265 missing, based on a preliminary count.

Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle, who gave the local death toll, also told The Associated Press that at least 28 police officials were among the missing.

Officials warned residents in several of Nepal’s districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi flooded around 9 a.m. Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads and hydropower projects, officials said.

“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” said Sasmit Pokharel, a Nepali government spokesperson.

Nepal’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but precarious ones when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border with China’s autonomous region of Tibet.

Though the current monsoon season is less favorable for trekking in Nepal, it’s a major season for Kailash trekking in Tibet, which follows the route in Nepal’s Rasuwa district bordering Tibet’s Gyirong.

Countries express alarm over missing citizens

South Korean government officials said citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.

Malaysia’s foreign ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in the Rasuwa district, also hit hard by floods.

Chinese authorities were conducting large-scale search and rescue operations in the Tibetan border area of Gyirong, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to step up the efforts, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help. “India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts,” Modi said on social media.

In a joint statement, Australia, Britain, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland expressed solidarity with the affected people in Nepal., adding: “We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve.”

The same region saw flash floods last year

The same regions saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding Wednesday, they said.

“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

He noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.”

The Himalayan region, which spans several countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because it is warming faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change. Research shows that extreme weather events, including heat waves, rains and melting glaciers, have become more frequent.

Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000, primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.

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Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India. Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

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

The new Prelude faces off against a small collection of two-door rivals that includes the Toyota GR86, a car that follows the classic formula of rear-wheel drive, an available manual transmission and a low price tag. Which of these two-doors is the better buy? Edmunds’ auto experts tested both to find out.

Driving experience

This is where the GR86 makes its strongest case. At Edmunds’ test track, a manual transmission-equipped GR86 accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. This isn’t outrageously quick, but the GR86’s 228-horsepower four-cylinder engine has enough power to have some fun on highway entrance ramps or when powering out of corners. Toyota also offers an automatic transmission; that slows the car’s acceleration by about a second.

The Prelude’s 200-horsepower four-cylinder hybrid powertrain simply doesn’t hit as hard as the GR86’s. Edmunds’ test Prelude needed 7.2 seconds to get to 60 mph. Honda’s hybrid system doesn’t have a transmission or gears in the traditional sense. It’s smooth and great for congested traffic, but you don’t get the same level of engagement that you do from revving out the GR86’s engine.

The GR86 also draws praise for excellent steering feel and balance that Edmunds identifies as its best traits. The same goes for the Prelude. It’s undeniably front-wheel-drive in character, which some drivers prefer less than the GR86’s classic rear-wheel-drive merits. But the Prelude is an excellent front-driver with class-leading handling grip.

It’s a close call, but the GR86’s extra character gives it the win here.

Winner: Toyota GR86

Comfort and features

Away from the backroads, the Prelude pulls ahead. Its cabin is more comfortable, with supportive front seats, high-quality materials, and a straightforward control layout carried over from the Civic. The 9-inch touchscreen uses a Google-based operating system, is quick and easy to navigate, and both Apple Carplay and Android Auto connect wirelessly. Edmunds’ editors also like the Prelude’s adaptive suspension that allows for a smooth ride on daily commutes.

The GR86 leans harder into its sporting mission, which does nothing for its everyday livability. The cabin is noisy at speed, and the infotainment system feels dated with wired-only phone mirroring. Getting in and out requires some effort because of the car’s low stance. It’s not uncomfortable, but the Toyota clearly favors the driving experience over ease of use.

Winner: Honda Prelude

Cargo and practicality

The Prelude’s hatchback-style trunk holds 15.1 cubic feet, a genuinely useful figure for a small coupe and far more than most rivals offer. The GR86, in contrast, manages just 6.3 cubic feet. And its shallow trunk and small opening severely limit what cargo actually fits, even though the rear seats fold down to swallow a spare set of its own wheels and tires, which adds practicality for track days. But for road trips or even a grocery run, the Prelude has a clear edge.

Winner: Honda Prelude

Fuel economy

There’s no contest here. The Prelude’s hybrid powertrain returns an EPA-estimated 44 mpg in combined city/highway driving, a number the Edmunds team matched in real-world driving. The GR86 earns an estimated 22 mpg with a manual transmission and 24 mpg with the automatic, numbers that reflect the lower efficiency of its traditional gas engine. Plan to spend a lot more for fuel if you choose a GR86.

Winner: Honda Prelude

Pricing and value

This is where the GR86 comes roaring back. With its base trim level starting at $32,795, including destination fees, the 2027 GR86 is impressively affordable for a new performance car. In its midgrade $35,695 Premium trim, the GR86 comes stocked with features such as heated front seats, an upgraded stereo, traffic-adaptive cruise control and blind-spot warning.

The 2027 Prelude comes in only one trim level priced at $43,595. It has a few comfort features the GR86 lacks, such as the adaptive suspension, full leather upholstery and lane keeping assistance, but it’s hard to ignore that the entry cost is almost $10,000 more than a GR86.

Winner: Toyota GR86

Edmunds says

The Prelude has a lot going for it. It’s the more comfortable, more efficient and more practical of the two, with tech and cargo space that makes it far easier to live with every day. For these reasons, it edges out the GR86 in Edmunds’ rankings of affordable coupes. Still, the GR86 shouldn’t be dismissed if you’re seeking a more connected driving experience.

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

The depositions involve a civil case where Unity Resources, a mineral assets company, was accused of fraud. Paxton was connected to Unity but not a defendant, and the case was settled.

Talarico's campaign confirmed it would ask a court on Wednesday to release the documents.

The Democratic state representative is counting on voters recoiling from past accusations against Paxton, the Texas attorney general, even though similar tactics have failed in previous campaigns.

In addition to seeking the depositions, Talarico recently resurfaced video of Paxton pocketing an expensive pen at a courthouse security checkpoint. Talarico also has talked about how Paxton was impeached, although Paxton was later acquitted, and how he faced criminal charges for securities fraud, which ended with an agreement with prosecutors involving restitution payments but no admission of guilt.

Paxton has repeatedly denied allegations against him and, much like his supporter President Donald Trump, calls them politically motivated smears. It is an approach that has worked over the years, including when Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in this year's Republican primary.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported the contents of one deposition, including that Paxton had possibly violated attorney-client privilege. That was disputed by those involved. The Journal also reported that Paxton said he could not recall the answer to a question about 90 times during the deposition.

In a draft of the court filing, lawyers for Talarico's campaign argued there is “no basis under Texas law or procedure to withhold them from the public. Keeping them secret violates Texas’s constitutional guarantee that judicial proceedings be free and open to public scrutiny.”

• Live team coverage as the world and South Florida react to the passing of country music superstar Dolly Parton
• US State Department looking to revoke hundreds of thousands of legally-obtained visas, per report
• Klay Thompson seeks redemption after joining Miami Heat

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The depot in the Tambov region southeast of Moscow, which is several hundred kilometers (miles) from the Ukrainian border, was previously hit on July 18 when seven people were killed. That attack heralded the start of Ukraine's aerial campaign that has delivered repeated blows to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries. The company’s size and commercial importance have brought comparisons with Amazon.

Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone capabilities developed since Russia's February 2022 invasion have allowed it to hit dozens of Wildberries facilities across Russia in recent weeks. Ukraine says goods sold by the company include equipment and technical components that are used by the Russian military. The attacks have also served Ukraine’s war goals by unsettling Russians living far from the front line and hurting the Russian economy.

Ukraine has also targeted oil facilities that are the backbone of the economy in Russia, which is one of the world’s largest energy producers.

Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck a Lukoil refinery in Kstovo, in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, overnight. The facility, which has an annual processing capacity of about 125 million barrels, was on fire after the attack, a General Staff statement said.

Nizhny Novgorod has repeatedly been targeted by Ukraine. Local Gov. Gleb Nikitin confirmed the attack and said that an unspecified “industrial facility” sustained damage, without providing further details.

The relentless barrages prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to decree Monday that the state can temporarily seize control of critical infrastructure facilities if private owners don't protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks or don't rebuild them after the strikes. Analysts said the move aimed to compel companies to pay for their own security and bring damaged assets back into service, despite the financial cost.

Russia has targeted Ukraine with ballistic and cruise missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones, killing thousands of civilians. A woman and a 4-year-old child were killed in a Russian strike on a residential building in the northern Chernihiv region, emergency services said on Wednesday.

Ukraine has been firing hundreds of drones at Russia almost nightly, hoping to overwhelm air defenses. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces overnight shot down 426 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions and illegally annexed Crimea.

Ukraine struck Russian oil facilities, airfields, logistics and infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Wednesday, referring to attacks over the previous 24 hours. He didn't provide details of the targets.

Wildberries confirmed the overnight attack and a fire at its depot in the Tambov region and said the facility was evacuated, but it didn’t elaborate on the extent of the damage.

Tambov's Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said that the fire completely destroyed the logistical center and injured two people — a 19-year-old man who suffered a concussion, and a 49-year-old woman, who broke her finger.

Elsewhere, two people were killed and two others were wounded in Russia’s Lipetsk region, south of Moscow, after a drone fell on a house, setting it ablaze, the region’s Gov. Igor Artamonov said.

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

One baby of the 15 who were in the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences was rescued, the hospital said.

Television footage showed rescue workers using ladders to reach the third-floor nursery through broken windows. Grieving parents and relatives gathered at the hospital, some weeping while others demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.

The government has opened an investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry’s highest civil servant, to be removed from office.

A woman who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out.

“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child."

The fire was confined to the hospital's nursery

The fire was confined to the nursery at the institute, which is one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals. The rest of the facility was unaffected with no other injuries reported, according to hospital officials and witnesses. The blaze was later extinguished, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf said.

It was among Pakistan’s deadliest recent tragedies involving children. In June, 14 schoolchildren were killed when the roof of a tutoring center under construction collapsed in the eastern city of Lahore.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who confirmed the death toll, told the Geo News channel that he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to oversee the investigation.

Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson, said a doctor rescued one baby. She said the bodies of six babies had been handed over to their families, while the remaining bodies would be released soon.

The government is investigating how the fire started and the response

The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit a report within 24 hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, and evaluate the emergency response, according to a government order.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sharif, the prime minister, expressed sorrow over the fire.

“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who held a high-level meeting with officials from relevant agencies hours after the fire.

President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.” He called for those responsible to be brought to justice and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built over the spots where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.

Through many centuries, as Muslim rulers governed this region and changing politics affected the influence of religious powers, an arrangement evolved as unique as the church's jumbled architecture. Today, the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches share the ownership of the worship space.

I watched through a tiny door slot as a representative from a Muslim family — they’ve been entrusted with the basilica’s keys since the 13th century — climbed a small wooden ladder to reach the upper bolt. Then he passed the ladder back through that same opening, which a Greek Orthodox priest locked shut too. Another wished us “Good night!” in English before hurrying away.

Most nights, from 9 p.m. to dawn, when the doors are reopened with the same ceremony, about a dozen priests, a smattering of registered pilgrims and a few cats have the sprawling, dark basilica to themselves.

While the priests and a few nuns quickly went about their rest or chores, it took us visitors a few quiet, contemplative moments to even decide where to start wandering in the venerated, labyrinthine space.

A unique prayer experience in Jerusalem's holiest church

Peter Stängle, a pilgrim from Brazil, repeatedly prayed on his knees. His tattooed forearms and his forehead rested on the stone of the unction, where Jesus’s body is believed to have been prepared for burial.

“A lot is going through my mind — what I did wrong in my life, is there salvation for everybody, maybe even for me?” he said.

He'd been so distracted by the stream of visitors during the day — even though it's a far tinier number than before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Israel-Hamas war and the Iran war decimated tourism — that he considered hiding at closing time in one of the many side chapels. Then he discovered he could simply sign up to spend the night in prayer in the church.

The complex was mostly built in the Middle Ages on sites venerated since the 4th century. With renovations and additions still ongoing, our steps echoed on millennia-old stones while 20th-century wall mosaics glittered.

It's a multistory, meandering construction decorated in the different styles of the denominations that use it. In addition to their dedicated altars, all pilgrims tend to venerate three spots — the unction stone, the shrine built over Jesus' tomb, and the upper chapel of Calvary, where a stone marks the spot where Jesus’ cross stood, according to tradition.

Stängle and I sat facing it for a long time. Only a handful of oil lamps flickered in the shade of the side-by-side Catholic and Greek Orthodox spaces, with glass enclosures dividing the stone for their respective worshippers' veneration.

We also crossed paths in front of the Holy Edicule, the marble shrine erected over Jesus’ cave tomb. Three Armenian pilgrims sat solemnly in front of it until a cat strolled up and nestled at their feet, almost touching the beads of the rosary that one white-veiled woman held.

Different Christian traditions share holy worship spaces

It’s at the Edicule that each night around midnight, after the ringing of the bells, the first services are held as the resident clergy start the prayers that wrap up usually around 6 a.m. That's normally when we overnighters are let out, and daytime worshippers can come in.

The reverence, said the Rev. Giuseppe Gaffurini, “enriches the Basilica.”

“You can still breathe in the presence of he who was crucified and rose from the dead," said Gaffurini, who heads the monastic community of 10 Franciscans living in rooms above the Catholic section of the church.

The Italian priest laments that the ongoing conflicts have prevented hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from attending services at the basilica. He had often admired their devotion — those touching or kissing the cold, historic stones, and those hugging each other in tears.

He remembers first visiting to chant in some of the nighttime liturgies 15 years ago. He had taken monastic vows three decades earlier, so he didn’t expect it to be a transformative experience — but it was so searing that he hasn’t left.

“The joy of the encounter at the sepulcher of the risen one erases a lifetime of fatigue and launches you forward again,” Gaffurini said.

He then retired to his room for a few hours’ sleep before the Franciscans’ dawn services started, his brown robes fading in the candlelit space.

A fellow friar from Guinea-Bissau was the first up from the Catholic order. He rang a bell and opened the Catholic chapel of the Blessed Sacrament — where Franciscans have worshipped for 700 years — so that priests of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Coptic rites could incense it on their around-midnight tour of the sacred spots inside the church. Ethiopian and Syrian Orthodox clergy also have clearly defined access to the church in an often controversial 19th-century arrangement.

The Franciscan, a Greek Orthodox priest and an Armenian one robed in bright red, nodded at each other as incense wafted near the Edicule. Then each started distinctive rites in rotation — an accommodating coexistence that’s a welcome change from centuries of at-times violent fights about the right to worship here.

“We’re living a particularly positive period of relationships with the other churches,” said the Rev. Francesco Ielpo, the Franciscan priest who, as Custos of the Holy Land, oversees more than 300 friars in the region ministering to the basilica and many more holy sites.

That positivity and collaboration, he says, "is, I believe, the first and most important sign to be really prophets of peace.”

At night, clergy and pilgrims are alone with their thoughts — and faith

Before the latest wars, the shop-filled maze of narrow alleyways that surround the church inside Jerusalem's Old City was often packed shoulder-to-shoulder with jostling pilgrims. On a 2016 trip here, the crowds were so dense I didn't even make it into the basilica's stone courtyard.

A team of archaeologists and a few groups of visitors still come in daily, crossing paths with Jews and Muslims going to pray at their respective major holy sites a few hundred meters (yards) away. For the Christian priests, nuns and monks who can be easily spotted because of their flowing robes, those encounters are increasingly tense.

But inside the church, especially in the silent wake, you're alone with your thoughts — and for Christians, with an almost tangible representation of the central tenet of the faith.

You’re locked inside a cool, dark space, on the very site where Jesus suffered a brutal form of execution, the crucifixion. And yet, to believers, this is also where that page turned — where he defeated death, leaving the promise of eternal life for the faithful.

As we sat on a bench below the Calvary chapel — across from a 17-year-old Armenian priest on one of his first nights here — I asked Gaffurini if this mystery still affected him after 15 years.

“Fifteen?” he shot back. “It would still do so after 50 years.”

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

Loud and clear.

Murphy, the two-time defending National League Manager of the Year, benched Pratt after he failed to get a bunt down and didn’t run hard out of the batter's box on a bloop single during a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets in 10 innings.

“I’ve got to be better,” Pratt said. “It’s not winning baseball. I didn’t help the team win and it won’t happen again, that’s for sure.”

Batting ninth, Pratt was asked to bunt after Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz opened the third with singles against Mets starter Zac Thornton. Pratt fouled off Thornton’s first pitch and then pulled back his bat on the second one, a fastball right down the middle.

“We asked him to get a bunt down, pulled back on a strike, and that happens, maybe,” Murphy said. “Trying to get a guy second and third for (Jackson) Chourio in a game where we weren’t swinging it too good.”

Swinging away with two strikes, Pratt fouled off the next two pitches before hitting a comebacker to Thornton, who fired to third to force Mitchell. Thornton then retired Chourio and Brice Turang to escape the jam.

Murphy was particularly annoyed in the fifth.

With one out, Pratt hit a flyball to shallow right field. He paused in the batter’s box and gazed skyward for a moment before running at normal speed to first base.

The ball landed between three Mets in fair territory near the line and briefly bounced past right fielder Carson Benge. Pratt accelerated for a moment rounding first before heading back to the bag.

“No excuses. I should have been running hard, no matter if it is foul or fair,” Pratt said. “I should have been (hustling) to get to second base.”

Murphy immediately pulled Pratt for pinch-runner David Hamilton, who committed the walk-off throwing error at third base in the 10th.

Pratt, who turned 22 last week, made his major league debut on June 16 — about 2 1/2 months after the Brewers signed the shortstop prospect to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract.

“I love the kid and I believe in the kid immensely, but he’s got to be a player that does those things,” Murphy said. “It’s just not tolerated. By anybody. It sends a message to everybody else, too — you’ve got to run.”

Pratt looked surprised as he ran off the field. Television cameras caught him talking in the dugout to veteran teammate Sal Frelick.

“There’s a certain way to play here and I may be new, but it doesn’t matter,” said Pratt, selected by Milwaukee in the sixth round of the 2023 amateur draft. “It’s the way we’re right through the organization from rookie ball to the big leagues. And I didn’t do that. And I will do that. No excuses.”

Pratt is batting .259 with two homers, 18 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 49 games for the Brewers, who have the best record in the majors at 81-51 and are seeking a fourth straight NL Central crown.

“He’s a great kid — it’s not laziness,” Murphy said. “You’ve got to have your head in the game. Because there’s games like today, it comes down to (Francisco) Lindor’s great catch or whatever it might be, an errant throw or whatever. You’ve got to be locked in if you’re going to play at this level. So hopefully, a good learning experience.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Dan J. Sullivan, who goes by Dan Sullivan, was among the top four finishers after the Aug. 18 primary and on Tuesday moved on to the November matchup, which is a ranked choice contest. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola also have advanced.

The challenger Sullivan, a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg, sued for a spot on the ballot and succeeded after a judge invalidated a decision by a top state elections official who said he had filed his candidacy with an intent to confuse voters. The allegation was driven by claims raised by the senator and his GOP allies. The state Supreme Court ultimately ordered Dan J. Sullivan eligible for the ballot.

While the challenger sought to appear on the ballot as Republican Dan J. Sullivan, the Division of Elections listed him as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation. The senator was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent.

A call seeking comment from the challenger was not immediately returned Tuesday, and emails to campaign staff for the senator also were not immediately returned.

President Donald Trump endorsed Sen. Sullivan for reelection and called the other Sullivan’s candidacy an attempt to trick voters. Dan J. Sullivan criticized the incumbent for embracing Trump’s endorsement and said the president was “more interested in raising tariffs on our allies than in lowering the cost of groceries, housing and energy.”

It was too early to determine who would fill the fourth and final slot in the Senate general election race.

The Senate race was one of three major contests on Alaska’s primary ballot, which also featured races for the state’s lone U.S. House seat and governor.

In the congressional race, Republican Rep. Nick Begich, seeking a second term, advanced earlier to the general election along with independent Bill Hill. The other two spots remained too early to call.

Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, former state lawmakers, advanced on election night in the race for governor, topping a field of mostly Republican candidates all vying to succeed Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Tom Begich is Nick Begich’s uncle. Republican Bernadette Wilson also advanced on Tuesday, with the fourth spot remaining too early to call.

The state accepts absentee and overseas ballots up to 10 days after the primary as long as they were postmarked by election day.

The incumbent Sullivan and Peltola are the leading candidates in the Senate race, after raising the most money and having statewide name recognition. It’s one of a handful of Senate races around the country considered competitive and pivotal for both parties’ hopes of controlling the chamber.

Dan J. Sullivan’s presence on the general election ballot adds a twist to the race because of Alaska’s ranked choice voting system. Under it, candidates who finish third or fourth in the general election can play a crucial role in deciding the eventual winner if their supporters rank other choices beyond them.

Larger-than-life at 5-foot-nothing, the country star, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur and theme park enthusiast who died Tuesday, transcended celebrity in rhinestones and fringe. She was embraced by fans across gender, race and class, embodying a mythology typically inaccessible to even the most influential historical figures.

It’s hard to name a more adored artist — one who could deliver a perfectly timed dirty joke seconds before a folk classic of her own composition. (This is where, if Parton were reading along, a self-deprecating quip would come in — lest anyone forget she was a whip-smart jokester, too.)

Throughout her endeavors, Parton worked to build a better world, while becoming inextricable from the American imagination. It is one of her greatest legacies: to take what you have and help someone with it.

One of the most beloved artists of all time

In 2015, when Parton returned to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry announcer Bill Cody introduced her as “the most beloved artist of all time,” quickly amending it to “female artist.” As history has proven, he was correct the first time.

Parton’s legacy starts with the immortality of her music: songwriting as solace, an exercise in creativity and an unwavering ability to write experience into art. Across her career, Parton wrote and performed perennial hits (“Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Little Sparrow,” take your pick) and others that took on a life of their own (most famously, “I Will Always Love You,” made immortal by Whitney Houston ).

Parton grew up in poverty, one of 12 kids in East Tennessee’s rural Sevier County, where she started writing songs as a toddler. By 10, she was on the radio and TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. By 13, she had made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. At 21, she joined “The Porter Wagoner Show,” her star power quickly eclipsing its host.

The accomplishments — and the trials and tribulations that came with them, which she let roll off her shoulders with enviable resiliency — came fast and furious, as they do with once-in-a-lifetime talents. There are the 10 Grammys, the numerous Hall of Fame inductions, and the fact that she revolutionized the world of country music for women alongside Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, creating a path for crossover artistry. But there are also her Hollywood forays. It’s telling that her first feature film, “9 to 5,” celebrated women in the workplace and messed with their devious bosses.

One of her superpowers was rooted in a kind of irony: Everything about Dolly Parton is truly Dolly Parton or else she wouldn’t partake — down to the false eyelashes and big wigs. She built an economic empire with down-home sensibilities. If authenticity is currency in popular culture, Parton showed the world how it was done.

An honest-to-goodness iconoclast

There’s a moment in her 1983 television special, “Dolly in Concert,” where Parton calls herself “the original punk rocker.” It’s a fitting description: Armed in a uniform of high heels, acrylic nails (the better to write songs with), tight clothes and big blond beehive, the image of Parton was enough to scandalize. Jokes about her breasts were prevalent for decades; she wielded them like a weapon.

Her first big break came in 1967 with a single, ironically titled “Dumb Blonde.” It’s a clever admonishment of a man who calls a woman stupid. It was fabulously misunderstood and misconstrued, forecasting the wonderful hypocrisy inherent in many public appreciations of Parton: She had full autonomy; make a low-brow pass at her and she’ll have the last laugh. Always.

That spirit was inherent in her business ventures as well. Too poor to travel to Disneyland as a child, Parton opened her Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, amusement park, Dollywood, in 1986. Many thought it was a bad idea; it proved to be her most lucrative business venture. It’s also, crucially, a blessing for the local economy. According to a 2021 study by the Tennessee Aviation System Plan, Dollywood brings in $1.8 billion each year.

A great unifier

Parton’s career kicked off in the transformative ’60s, perfectly aligning with the emergence of the women’s liberation movement. Though she didn’t use the word herself, much of Parton’s career — and in particular, her songwriting — has been viewed as a kind of feminism. Take the early hit, 1968’s “Just Because I’m a Woman.” Parton’s sweet soprano and idiosyncratic tremolo are on full display as she reminds her male partner that he need not judge her for having previous sexual partners because he has done the same. “My mistakes are no worse than yours,” she sings, “Just because I’m a woman.”

Or consider 1970's “Down from Dover,” a tearjerker about a pregnant teenager abandoned by her family and the child’s father. She gives birth to a stillborn baby, alone, without medical treatment. “I guess in some strange way she knew she’d never have a father’s arms to hold her,” Parton sings. “And dying was her way of telling me he wasn’t coming down from Dover.” It’s evocative then and now.

Still, across political divides, Parton is welcomed with open arms. It may have something to do with the fact that, when it came to capital-P party line, Parton valued apoliticism. During the 2016 presidential election, she said a woman would do a great job in office. When it was viewed as an endorsement of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, she said her words were taken out of context. She never said who she voted for. And she declined the Presidential Medal of Freedom three times, twice from President Donald Trump and once from President Joe Biden so as to not appear biased. As a result, she was beloved by all — even in periods of unmitigated division.

A fantastic philanthropist

With the same resolve she exhibited in her performances, Parton was dedicated to charity work.

In 1988, she launched the Dollywood Foundation, originally designed to combat high school dropout rates. Its early '90s Buddy Program paired junior high students in Sevier County and gave $500 to each if they both finished high school. In 2016, when wildfires ravaged her native Great Smoky Mountains, the foundation announced it would give $1,000 each month for six months to families who lost their homes. The following year, it was revealed the foundation’s My People Fund helped 900 families with roughly $9 million in the first six months after the fires.

In 1991, she launched a sanctuary for bald eagles that couldn't survive in the wild; in 2000, she started a college scholarship giving $15,000 to five high school seniors in Sevier County. In 2020, she donated $1 million to COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s vaccine.

Best known is her Imagination Library, founded in 1995. Parton’s father was illiterate; it inspired her to launch an organization providing books to those without resources. By 2025, she had given away over 200 million books to children in need.

Parton was truly one of one — a generous country music heroine from the small-town South turned global phenomenon.

“I hope I’ll be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world,” she told The Associated Press in 2024. “And left, you know, a few good things behind.”

But as Harold Jezler followed the media coverage from the United States, he couldn’t help but notice Gilman’s gaunt and sickly appearance and think of the implications for his wife, Olga, who has been detained in Russia since 2022 and faces her own health problems.

“You just look at the pictures and the guy is not in good shape. It’s concerning for me and for all the families, I would imagine," Jezler said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Is this what it takes for the government to really make a move and prioritize this — that the person is basically in dire straits? It was a very bittersweet thing to see that."

Gilman is the latest in a succession of prisoners freed by Russia going back years, but his release hardly cleared the decks of Americans held there. Some who remain are grappling with medical problems and receiving what family members and advocates say is below-standard care, adding urgency to the calls for their release.

Among those jailed are a Navy veteran with gastrointestinal illness, a man with an autoimmune disease, another with severe dental damage and Olga Jezler, 36, who was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition involving abnormal tissue growth from the uterus that can cause severe pain and infertility.

“These are American citizens who are innocent of violations of Russian law. They're being held in Russia because they are Americans or because they have American status, and we shouldn't need to wait for their health to be on the brink of death for there to be an urgency to bring them home,” said Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer for Global Reach, a firm that advocates for hostages and detainees and represents multiple Americans jailed in Russia.

The State Department said it was aware of concerns about medical care and continues to raise the issue with the Russians. The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service did not respond to a message seeking comment.

A former detainee describes medical care in Russian prisons

Paul Whelan assumes he received better-than-normal care in the Russian prison system given the high-profile nature of his captivity and his value as trade bait. But the more than five years the Michigan man spent in captivity on espionage charges the U.S. government called baseless gives him a good vantage point.

He spent the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russian custody, when he says extra raw onions were distributed as an apparent source of immunity. Prisoners with damaged teeth, he recalled, were more likely to have them yanked out than repaired. Prisoners had to make do, including with makeshift bandages, in the absence of a ready supply of first aid kits and bartered with guards for fresh fruit and vegetables, he said.

He had complained for months of a hernia, and when he finally was taken for an emergency, middle-of-the-night surgery, he recalls seeing medical instruments that were dropped on the floor cavalierly returned to the surgical tray.

“The poor conditions are part of the punishment,” said Whelan, who was freed in 2024 in a blockbuster prisoner swap. “You are supposed to get less of everything than normal citizens would get.”

The medical care of Russia's prisoners has long been a source of scrutiny, including because of the 2009 death of whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky of untreated pancreatitis and more recently with the case of Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran who before his 2022 release had coughed up blood and experienced lung pain and a broken rib.

Gilman, a Massachusetts teacher, had been detained since 2022 on charges of assaulting a police officer. His family disputed the charges, and the State Department classified him as wrongly detained.

Before Gilman was flown out of Russia, he had been in “a dissociative stupor” for 47 days due to abuse he suffered in prison, Lebson has said. After Gilman was moved to the hospital, he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed.

The images of Gilman on the plane ride home raised troubling questions about his condition and the care he received, said Liz Richards, director of hostage advocacy and research at the Foley Foundation, a hostage advocacy organization. “We know he wasn't getting the medical care and treatment that he needs.”

“I really do think Russia realized, if we don't release him, he is going to die, and that would create an international incident between our two countries — to have a Marine Corps veteran, an American, die in custody in Russia because of their treatment,” Richards said.

Calls to release other Americans with health problems

Chuck Zimmerman, 59, was sailing from the U.S. to New Zealand in June 2025 when he was intercepted by the Russian navy in international waters and charged with transporting firearms on his yacht. His representatives say he voluntarily disclosed them after arriving in Sochi, a Black Sea port city. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Within months, he developed excruciating stomach pain that became so bad that he took to making himself vomit to ease the discomfort.

An initial diagnostic test failed to identify the source of the pain, but a doctor consulted by the advocacy group Hostage US identified possible causes as a gastric ulcer, pancreatitis or a hiatal hernia with gastric bypass disorder, according to Global Reach.

“It's heart-wrenching to know that he's having to make himself do that to stop the pain,” said his younger sister, Robin Stultz, who says her brother tells her he worries he might die in Russia. “It's hard for me to sit down and eat dinner knowing that he's throwing up his.”

A recent letter from 16 senators to Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited Gilman's weakened condition in urging that more be done to secure the release of five other Americans. Besides Zimmerman and Jezler, the letter names Aleksandr Antonov, who advocates say has a traumatic brain injury; Andre Khachatoorian, jailed for nearly five years and living with an autoimmune disease; and David Barnes, who advocates say requires urgent dental surgery.

Other Americans who remain jailed include Stephen Hubbard, who is accused of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine and has been classified by the U.S. as wrongfully detained, and Travis Leake, a rock musician held on drug-related charges. Richards, of the Foley Foundation, says that about 28 Americans are jailed in Russia, including a half dozen the organization considers wrongfully detained.

Olga Jezler, a green card holder, was arrested in 2022 after arriving in Russia to visit a sister grappling with cancer and charged with possessing CBD capsules that her husband and representatives say were legally permissible to carry.

She has been diagnosed with endometriosis, and a growth on her ovary continues to expand. Her husband and supporters are concerned the Russian government approach will be simply to remove the ovary if the cyst keeps growing, jeopardizing her ability to have children, as opposed to trying to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible — which they say would be the standard of care in the U.S.

The couple recently marked their seventh anniversary, but “it's the fifth one we've celebrated apart,” Harold Jezler said.

“She's been there,” he lamented, “way over half our marriage."

The prospects for compromise looked bleak Tuesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacting to new 50% U.S. tariffs on certain Canadian goods by responding in kind on about $20 billion worth of American imports, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.

“You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked,'' Carney, who came to power last year on the promise that he'd stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump, said over the weekend.

Doug Ford, Ontario’s populist premier, told The Associated Press on Monday that he was ready to escalate even further by cutting off his province’s shipments of electricity and critical minerals to the United States.

Soon after, Trump declared his intention to hammer the Canadian auto industry with another set of import taxes if the Canadians don’t “fall in line.’’

With the breakdown threatening to harm one of the world's largest trading relationships and clouding efforts to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated during his first term, experts cautioned that there's still time to pull back from the brink of an even bigger trade war.

They’ve done it before. “If there is political will, there is an off ramp,’’ said former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler.

'It's not real until somebody walks away'

U.S.-Canada trade talks typically get testy, said Christopher Sands, who heads the Center for U.S.-Canada Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

The two neighbors have a long history of sparring over things like Canada’s protected dairy market and subsidized softwood lumber exports.

“We’ve gone through this with Canadians before,’’ Sands said. “It’s almost like it’s not real until somebody walks away from the table. ... I’m not panicked.’’

There are reasons to think something can be salvaged from the rubble of bilateral trade talks that collapsed Friday.

First, the U.S. tariffs that Trump imposed Saturday cover just $20 billion worth — around 5% — of Canada’s exports to the United States and are unlikely to do much lasting economic damage. Oxford Economics reckons the trade conflict would reduce Canadian economic growth only slightly next year — from a previously forecast 1.6% to 1.4%. On Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer even tried to downplay the trade rift as a “tempest in a teapot.’’

Moreover, Carney’s retaliatory tariffs wouldn't take effect until Sept. 8. “That gives us this week. It gives us next week,’’ Sands said. “Time to take a breather and talk about how to avert’’ an all-out trade war.

Despite Trump’s tough talk on Truth Social, his punitive auto tariffs wouldn’t kick in until Jan. 1 — well after the Nov. 3 midterm elections in which the president’s Republican Party is hoping to keep full control of Congress despite voter frustration with the high cost of living.

So there’s at least enough time for the countries to find a stopgap solution.

Cutler, now senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, suggested that the U.S. could tap an emissary that both countries trust to get talks back on track; she recalled that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner helped negotiate the USMCA eight years ago.

Canada would likely balk at a one-sided deal

Cutler also noted that Trump suspended his global tariffs for months last year to allow U.S. trading partners to negotiate with him. Many did, including the European Union and Japan, and ended up agreeing to lopsided trade agreements to dodge the worst of Trump’s tariffs.

Canadians, though, are in no mood for a Trump-friendly trade deal.

The American president has enraged the Canadian public with inflammatory talk of making their country the 51st U.S. state. And on Tuesday, instead of trying to lower the temperature, he declared that he was considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. He has also repeatedly hit Canada with tariffs and threats of them, including when he suggested he might punish Canada for wildfires that were blackening U.S. skies.

“Fighting with Washington is hugely popular in Canada right now,” said Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute, a Washington-based free-trade think tank. “Guys like Doug Ford — like him, love him or hate him — understand this is a political winner for them.’’

The latest U.S.-Canada conflagration flared up last month when Trump said he planned to hit Canada with 50% tariffs. He complained that Canada had been unfairly restricting U.S. exports of dairy, alcoholic beverages and autos. Trump set a deadline of Aug. 19 — last Wednesday — for the two countries to reach a deal and head off the tariffs.

Because the Supreme Court struck down his biggest tariffs in February, the president turned this time to an obscure provision of a Depression-era trade law that gives him the power to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. No investigation is required, nor is there any limit on how long the tariffs can last. But no president has ever imposed such tariffs before, so they are untested in court.

‘No choice’ but to walk away

Last week, negotiators appeared to be close to resolving their differences. Less than two hours before levies were set to take effect, Trump announced a three-day reprieve, posting on social media that “Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!” Greer, the U.S. trade representative, later told CNBC that the United States had offered to cut in half existing 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, and to sharply reduce levies on Canadian auto and softwood lumber imports.

But it all fell apart Friday and the Canadians walked away, with Carney saying the Americans had sought “to destroy our major industries, including autos, steel and aluminum. ... That was one of the main reasons we said no. It was a bad deal.’’ Carney also said that Washington viewed protections for French and Canadian culture — considered fundamental rights in Canada — as irritants to trade.

Ford said he understood that late in the talks, Washington demanded veto power over trade deals Canada pursued with other countries, which would have violated Canadian sovereignty.

Despite the differences, Cato’s Lincicome said, “both sides understand the economic consequences of some sort of a full-blown trade war.’’

The two countries last year did $880 billion worth of trade, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Canada sends 72% of its exports to the United States. And U.S. communities along the border depend on Canadian electricity. American farmers need Canadian potash fertilizer. And U.S. refineries in the Midwest rely on imports from Alberta’s oil sands deposits.

Then there’s U.S. politics. “Voters hate tariffs,” Lincicome said. “They associate them with higher cost of living, and (Trump has) got to be hearing from political folks that if he wants any chance of salvaging the midterms he can’t start a trade war with Canada.

“My guess — and it’s only a guess — is that cooler heads do prevail somewhere in the next few weeks.’’

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Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press reporter Seung Min Kim contributed.

Christian Castro, an agent for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 wounding of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Minnesota authorities have been seeking to have him extradited since his arrest, but he remains in custody in Brownsville, Texas, a city bordering Mexico.

Texas law says he must be released after 90 days of detention, which is Thursday. Minnesota’s governor and attorney general filed a lawsuit asking a judge to compel Texas to return Castro to their state and to keep the Cameron County sheriff from releasing him until his extradition.

Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child’s bedroom wall. Prosecutors say Castro then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

At a federal hearing Tuesday in Brownsville before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., attorneys with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office argued it would be hard to compel Castro to face charges in their state if he is released, and even harder if he flees.

Rodriguez said he was inclined not to keep the sheriff from releasing Castro, but he said he would provide an order responding to the temporary restraining order on Wednesday.

Attorneys representing the Texas Governor’s Office said the governor has not yet officially decided to deny or grant Minnesota’s extradition request and therefore the lawsuit is premature.

“I think ripeness is a significant issue,” Rodriguez told attorneys.

Gov. Greg Abbott ordered an internal state investigation to determine if Castro is legally considered a “fugitive.” Trevor W. Ezell, Abbott's general counsel, also questioned whether the court could impose a deadline for the governor to respond to an extradition request.

“There’s nothing legally left for them to investigate,” Kimberly Ann Svendsen, an attorney representing the Minnesota attorney general, told the judge.

Abbott said last week that he would not respond to the extradition request, citing ongoing investigations of fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota, which President Donald Trump used to justify his immigration crackdown there.

Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who spent years investigating gang homicides, described Davis as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips who could order younger members to act.

Prosecutors have not accused Davis of firing the shots that killed Shakur in Las Vegas nearly 30 years ago. Instead, they allege Davis orchestrated the shooting in retaliation for a casino brawl hours earlier involving Shakur and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Under Nevada law, someone who helps another person commit murder can be convicted of the crime.

Ladd testified that Shakur's shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.

Davis has said in past interviews that he was riding in a white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men when they pulled alongside Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight in a black BMW. In a 2008 police interview played for jurors last week, Davis said he provided the gun and Anderson opened fire.

Asked Tuesday who would have been the leader among the four men in the Cadillac, Ladd answered, “Mr. Davis.”

Ladd said that Anderson, a younger-ranking gang member, could not have opened fire with Davis in the car without Davis' permission. If Davis had told the others to handle the dispute later, Ladd testified, “there wouldn’t have been a shooting.”

Defense attorney Michael Sanft emphasized the lack of physical evidence supporting that theory. Ladd acknowledged that, aside from Davis’ own admissions, he had no physical evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas that night and no phone records showing Davis ordered the shooting.

Law enforcement experts said they collected bills and letters from Las Vegas hotels in Anderson’s and Davis’ residences, but they didn’t know when they were dated, or the current location of that evidence.

Prosecutors have argued that Davis’ own words are central to their case, while Sanft has characterized his client’s accounts as fabricated bravado and accused investigators of failing to corroborate them.

Ladd was the 23rd witness called by prosecutors. The state is expected to rest its case Wednesday, with the defense expected to finish Friday and closing arguments anticipated Monday.

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Associated Press Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. reported from Los Angeles.

It's a dramatic shift from two years ago, when few people had even heard of a data center.

But the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT ignited worldwide demand for chatbots and other generative AI products that typically require large amounts of computing power to train and operate. Now, Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft expect to plunge more than $700 billion into data centers in the U.S. this year alone.

Here are some takeaways from the shifting politics of data centers.

Sprawling into rural America

Tech giants and developers need huge tracts of land to accommodate mammoth computing warehouses, so they've been exploring deeper into rural America.

The push has united conservative ranching and farming communities with left-leaning environmental advocacy groups, who share a combined concern about drought-stricken waterways, pollution in food-growing areas and shrinking farmland.

In New Mexico, where Oracle and OpenAI are building Project Jupiter, a $165 billion data center complex planned near the Mexican border, concerns over dwindling water supplies are mounting.

There, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, challenged the state’s approval of well drilling permits to supply millions of gallons of water to Project Jupiter. The center said the state approved a permit last year after ignoring public-notification procedures in state law.

Samantha Barncastle Salopek, a water rights lawyer who comes from a pecan-farming family, said farmers and ranchers are worried about their water rights in a state hammered by drought. She is running as a Republican for a seat on the Doña Ana County commission.

Trump defies political wisdom on data centers

Trump continues to stick up for data centers, even as politicians from both parties run from them and many communities try to block them.

He said last week that if he were a mayor or a governor with a chance to land a big data center, “I would absolutely want it, because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous.”

Trump also acknowledged, however, that data centers need “a little public relations help.”

The Republican president is a leading champion for the industry, seeing it as critical to winning the artificial intelligence race against China.

His administration is pushing to help tech giants build and connect data centers to power plants and high-voltage power lines and convert Cold War-era uranium enrichment plants into data center and power plant complexes.

Data centers could see the regulatory landscape toughen

Governors who once pursued data center projects for their states are shifting their stances or taking steps to toughen regulations on data centers.

In some states, governors have halted their state’s sales tax exemption for new data center projects. Other states are trying to force data centers to pay for their own electricity supply, limit their water use, disclose more about their operations and win community support before they get a state permit or tax exemption.

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered regulators to take steps to ensure Texans were not paying higher electricity bills because of data centers, and promised to push a legislative agenda next year to impose tougher regulations on data centers, including taking away the state’s billion-dollar-plus-per-year tax break.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ordered a one-year ban on large data centers.

Worries that AI’s energy demands will scuttle climate goals

The explosive energy demand of artificial intelligence has set in motion the biggest-ever construction boom of natural gas-fired power plants, and sent renewable energy allies in search of ways to ensure that data centers will be powered by climate-friendly sources, too.

Michigan, Oregon and Minnesota have enacted laws in the last 18 months designed to protect their preexisting requirements that electric utilities use only emissions-free energy sources by 2040. Similar legislation is in play at the end of California’s legislative session this month.

In other states, including Georgia, Colorado and North Carolina, environmental advocates and corporations with clean energy goals are working regulatory levers to push monopoly utilities that historically control the energy supply and grid access.

Data centers still have a friend in labor unions

Members of building trades unions are employed on a huge number of massive data center projects, as union locals scramble to recruit new apprentices and expand training centers to feed the explosive demand.

National union leaders say their ranks are growing faster than they have ever seen. Meanwhile, tech giants are putting millions toward training programs.

Unions aren't just working on the projects. They are also advocating for data centers in Congress, statehouses and communities. In packed town council meetings where a project is under consideration, union members often show up to answer complaints about data centers in ways that executives at tech giants and the development firms rarely do.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

But just like around many parts of the country, opposition has been building in ways that defy typical partisan boundaries. Conservative farmers and the state Sierra Club chapter recently found common cause against labor leaders as they filled the firehouse in Murdock — population around 275 — to share concerns about data center development moving too quickly.

The scene exemplified an unlikely coalition that worries about dwindling farmland, declining water supplies and rising electricity bills — not to mention how massive corporations could reshape small town America into nodes in a national network of computing warehouses.

The debate around data center projects is one of the rare modern issues to cut across party lines, demographics and geography — from Republican-dominated Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming to swing-state Pennsylvania to Democratic-leaning New Mexico.

Supporters of data centers, including Republican President Donald Trump and some union leaders who usually back Democrats, praise a potential jobs and economic bonanza, while helping the U.S. thwart China in the geopolitical race for technological supremacy.

But hostility toward developments coming at breakneck speed has surged ahead of November's midterm elections, and forced national, state and local elected officials to adapt to a shifting political landscape.

Judy Stroy, a fifth-generation Nebraska farmer whose late husband grew corn and soybeans and whose son still does, worried that with “the amount of ground that’s getting gobbled up every year, our food source is in trouble.”

“That should scare everyone,” she said.

Some areas have paused data center expansion

Stroy's fields are just outside Murdock, a village named for a railroad official at the company that first laid tracks here in the 1890s. There's a school, a post office, a bar and a Corn Grower’s State Bank branch, plus the Midwest Farmer's Coop where growers sell their produce and buy supplies like feed and fertilizer.

Murdock is in Cass County, where officials recently approved a 12-month moratorium on allowing data center development.

That might freeze energy company Tenaska's plans to potentially option 1,300-plus acres of land along Highway 75, south of the nearby villages of Murray and Beaver Lake, in a project that activists fear would pave the way for a data center and its own natural gas power plant.

Tenaska spokesperson Leighton Elise Eusebio said the company has been exploring "the feasibility of developing power generation to serve large loads, whether that is a data center or other form of economic development.”

“We believe there are opportunities to work with public power, communities and other stakeholders to develop power generation that will benefit Nebraskans,” Eusebio said in a statement.

Meanwhile, data center operator CyrusOne has nearly 400 acres under its control outside another Cass County community, Plattsmouth, also along Highway 75, but no development has occurred nor has a project been announced, according to a CyrusOne spokesperson.

The area may be seen as particularly favorable because the highway has been widened, offering easy access to Omaha to the northeast, and to the college town of Lincoln to the southwest. The Missouri River provides a reasonably close, major water source.

Some landowners accepted large checks to sell. Local land typically can go for $10,000 an acre, residents say, and developers sometimes offer four times that, or even more.

Such paydays can be extra enticing as farming has gotten more expensive amid rising diesel prices and soybean exports that have declined in the midst of Trump's tariff fight with a major market for the crop, China.

“What if somebody offered me $40,000 an acre for my ground? It would be hard to turn down,” Stroy conceded.

Nebraska Sierra Club attorney Ken Winston noted that tech giants have made donations to municipal programs in Lincoln to help mitigate the impact of data centers.

“We need to be aware of the fact that they’re going to happen somewhere," Winston said. “But communities need to be able to protect themselves and if they don’t want them, they should be able to say no."

Major project sparks New Mexico divisions

There is no development moratorium in New Mexico that could stop Project Jupiter, a $165 billion data center complex planned near the Mexican border, but concerns over dwindling water supplies are mounting.

“It is not about blue vs. red, or whether we’re a purple state or county,” said Samantha Barncastle Salopek, a longtime water attorney, who is running as a Republican for a seat on the Doña Ana County Commission partly because of the project.

“This is about the local community coming together and saying, ‘Hold on, hold on.' We didn’t get enough information, and now we’re very concerned because also we have to cut back our water use anyway," she said.

Barncastle Salopek, whose family grows pecans, said she frequently fields worried calls from farmers, ranchers and local business owners across the political spectrum and in other states.

“When we have to fight over the last piece of the pie, those big companies are going to win,” she said of pressure on remaining water supplies. That's because New Mexico has been hammered by persistent drought, and large swaths of the Rio Grande have dried up in the central part of the state.

The largest reservoir stands at 1.3% capacity, lows unseen since the early 1970s, even though New Mexico is on the hook to deliver more water to Texas under a recent settlement approved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Activists worry that New Mexico's pecan, chile and other farms could disappear, taking schools, hospitals and supporting businesses and incomes with them.

Oracle, which announced Project Jupiter, has offered funding for youth programs and pledged to invest $50 million in water and wastewater systems in Doña Ana County.

It also plans to partner with an agriculture technology company to install sensors providing real-time data to farmers to help them use water more efficiently — estimating an eventual savings of 21 million gallons annually.

An Oracle spokesperson called the project a generational New Mexico investment, saying it would generate $4.7 billion in taxes and create more than 7,000 construction jobs and 1,500 long-term jobs while being designed to use little water over 15 years, given its closed-loop cooling and fuel-cell systems.

Still, the Center for Biological Diversity last week filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court, challenging the state’s approval of well drilling to supply millions of gallons of water for Project Jupiter’s construction.

The court on Sunday granted that request, halting authorization to use water from a new well until the legal fight is concluded.

During a recent protest in the state capital of Santa Fe, the demonstrators included Jesus Rodriguez, who traveled four-plus hours from his micro-farm in southern New Mexico.

“The fact is that now the money has taken over,” said Rodriguez, who described himself as disillusioned with American politics. “Now it shows that the Democrats, Republicans, or whatever other party is involved, they don’t care about the land. They care about money. And that’s because they want power.”

Some labor leaders see new job opportunities

Data centers have found an ally in organized labor, including Mike Gage, president and secretary-treasurer of the Nebraska State AFL-CIO. Gage said he personally was worried that some workers are seeing their jobs replaced by AI, but that the centers can also create construction jobs and longer-term positions for people running the finished product.

“This problem is also a very big opportunity for some small communities,” Gage said. He noted that a data center built decades ago in Council Bluffs, Iowa, near Omaha, still employs about 60 people today.

Heather McKenzie, who works in labor relations in Lincoln, said putting more data centers in Nebraska can slow an exodus of skilled young people leaving the state.

“I don’t think that enough people understand that this is going to create really good jobs,” she said. “I think a lot of people view it in a negative sense because it’s being sprung on them.”

Chris Backemeyer, a Democratic congressional candidate in the district that includes Murdock, is a former State Department employee. He said he heard about Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offering to host data centers for the U.S., which might concentrate technology outside the country.

“That scares the bejesus out of me,” Backemeyer said.

Trump champions data centers, but some Republicans are wary

The president has warned about China's technology gains and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said that a federal pause on data center construction might be a “dangerous prospect.”

Still, most registered voters oppose building a data center in their area, according to a July Fox News poll, including 60% of Republicans and 53% of MAGA voters.

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a one-year ban on large data centers. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a fellow Democrat, said his administration would no longer prioritize data center projects when it comes to issuing construction permits or granting developers lucrative tax exemptions if they don’t meet certain standards.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a halt on approval of new data centers until audits determine their impact on the state's electrical grid.

Abbott told ABC News that data centers hadn't been working in collaboration with state or local officials and “basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them, and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.”

The Republican Party's Senate campaign arm is worried enough about the issue potentially deciding races in Ohio, that it drafted a memo outlining how to respond. But politicians on both sides of the aisle have turned data centers into a punching bag.

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a Republican running for an open House seat, has pledged to halt their construction.

“If Silicon Valley wants to build their liberal empire, they can do it somewhere else,” he said in an ad.

That overlaps with an ad for the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Democrat Paige Cognetti, who said "we are not for sale” when it comes to data centers. Cognetti is trying to unseat first-term Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in a battleground district.

Trump is undeterred, saying that what data centers mean “for a community is jobs and lots of money and lower taxes.” The president has also conceded, however, that tech companies and developers maybe “can use a little public relations help.”

Seeking to soften fears about rising utility prices, Trump says his administration has urged data centers to build their own power plants.

Yet, during a recent meeting in the conservative East Texas town of Tyler, residents complained of being forced to live in a “gas cloud” so data centers can get enough electricity.

The complaint echoed a similar objection from Kardal Coleman, who leads the Democratic Party in big-city Dallas County. He wrote a recent email decrying data centers for "replacing our jobs, polluting our air, and exacerbating the climate crisis, not to mention the noise disturbing our neighborhoods.”

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Montoya Bryan reported from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% but remains near its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 43 points, or 0.1%, following the first few minutes of trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.

Wall Street is making relatively few big moves ahead of an earnings report coming from its most influential stock, Nvidia, after trading ends for the day. Expectations are once again high for the chip giant, whose tremendous growth in profit because of the artificial-intelligence boom has made it the largest stock by value in the U.S. market.

AI stocks have become shakier through the summer on worries that their prices shot too high and that demand for chips may fizzle out if AI does not produce as much profit as hoped. That has anticipation high to see what kind of forecast Nvidia gives for upcoming revenue.

Strong profit growth across U.S. companies broadly has been the main reason the U.S. stock market has run to records this year.

Abercrombie & Fitch leaped 26.2% after reporting much stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Growth was so strong that the retailer raised its forecast for earnings over the full year, as well as for how much cash it will send to investors by buying back shares of its own stock.

J.M. Smucker climbed 6.3% after likewise reporting sweeter results than analysts expected for the spring. The seller of Folgers coffee and Smucker’s jams also raised its forecast for profit over the full year.

On the losing end of Wall Street was Intuit, even though the company behind TurboTax, Credit Karma and QuickBooks topped analysts’ profit expectations in the latest quarter. It fell 3% after giving a forecast for profit growth of nearly 25% in its upcoming fiscal year, which fell short of analysts’ expectations.

Outside of earnings reports, Meta Platforms climbed 2.7% after agreeing to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by states across the country.

In the bond market, which has been home recently to some of Wall Street’s strongest action, Treasury yields edged higher following the reports on inflation and economic growth.

Yields have shot higher through the summer on worries about high inflation and the U.S. government’s growing and gargantuan debt, along with other factors. They got so high that the U.S. Treasury Department made a surprise announcement last week to intervene in the market, though analysts say its effect could be limited.

The latest update on Wednesday said that the measure of inflation the Federal Reserve has historically preferred to use sat at 3.7% last month. That was the same rate of inflation as in June and slightly worse than the 3.6% that economists expected, according to FactSet. It remains far worse than the 2% goal the Fed has set.

Growth in spending by U.S. consumers, which is the main engine of the economy, slowed at the same time.

The overall economy grew at a 1.5% annual pace in the spring, according to a revised estimate of its performance, the same amount as the government's first estimate.

It all helped Treasury yields squiggle up and down before the 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.65%, up from 4.64% late Tuesday.

Helping to restrain the climb in yields was another drop for oil prices, which tempered worries about upcoming inflation a bit.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.8% to $85.70. It’s been swinging sharply through the summer on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly across much of Europe and Asia.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

Raleigh led off the second inning against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola with a 362-foot shot to right field for his 18th homer of the season.

The four-homer streak matched the Seattle record set by Mike Cameron on May 2, 2002.

The homer came in Raleigh’s first at-bat after the switch-hitting catcher hit three homers in a 9-2 win against the Phillies on Monday night. Raleigh walked in his next plate appearance in the fourth inning, and the streak ended in the sixth with a strikeout against Nola.

The Mariners beat the Phillies 4-1.

Raleigh had struggled all season after finishing as the runner-up for the AL MVP last year with 60 home runs. He entered the series against Philadelphia with a .159 batting average and 14 homers. On Monday, he was 3 for 3 with a walk between the first and second homers.

The Mariners' team record for homers in a two-game span is five, set by Edgar Martinez on May 17-18, 1999. The last Seattle player to hit four home runs over two consecutive games was Kenji Johjima on June 24-27, 2006.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

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According to an arrest report, the incident happened at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Southwest 87th Avenue and 184th Street.

The report states Raimiero Rios was driving a black SUV south on Southwest 87th Avenue when he began honking at two cyclists who were also traveling south.

Rios then swerved the SUV toward the cyclists, forcing one of them off the roadway, according to the report.

Deputies said Rios then struck the second cyclist with the SUV.

After the collision, Rios pulled out a gun and fired a round in the direction of the cyclist, according to the report.

The incident was captured on video.

Grant Cordery is an avid cyclist who runs a bike shop in Deerfield Beach.

Cordery is friends with members of the cycling group that was involved in the incident.

“It’s disgusting in my opinion, and I think I speak for all cyclists that we just want to be treated with the same respect,” he said. “A vehicle is definitely a weapon. I think there just needs to be more patience in the world and more respect in the world, for sure.”

Deputies who responded to the scene said they found a bullet hole in the ground. No injuries were reported.

Residents in the area told Local 10’s Roy Ramos that the area where the incident occurred is popular with riders.

“I saw two cyclists sitting on the grass with their bikes lying beside them, and I saw two police officers,” said Kathy Javach, who was driving in the area at the time of the incident.

Witnesses said Rios took off before deputies arrived but later turned himself in.

Jail records show he is facing one count each of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.

As of Tuesday, he was being held on a $15,000 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He has since posted bond.

The three were operating in non-law-enforcement capacities and were being investigated for potential misconduct, the agency’s public information office reported. However, the cause for the action remained unclear as the Office of Professional Responsibility was beginning its review.

The Secret Service has been under scrutiny as President Donald Trump has been the subject of at least three assassination plots in the past two years. In April, police said an armed man breached security at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, which Trump was attending.

The Secret Service has also found itself in the spotlight after other recent incidents.

The Justice Department last month subpoenaed New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The subpoenas, which were later withdrawn, came after The Times reported that Trump was urged to leave Turkey on the old Air Force One at the urging of the Secret Service.

Then, Trump earlier this month acknowledged that he had actually slipped away from Air Force One as he departed Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to concerns that he was being targeted for assassination by Iran.

Trump only confirmed he slipped away after The Washington Post reported that he had taken part in the elaborate ruse in which some of his staff, Secret Service and journalists flew on the old model Air Force One while he was snuck onto an alternate military aircraft to get out of Turkey.

Last month, the Secret Service also confirmed that one of its agents serving on Vice President JD Vance's security detail was being investigated over allegations tied to a suspected news leak. The Secret Service said the investigation was tied to a July MS NOW report detailing some of its agents’ frustration over last-minute travel requests from Vance and his family.

The classified document was submitted to Capitol Hill on Monday as required by the Atomic Energy Act, according to the administration official, a congressional aide, and two others familiar with the matter. All four spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the classified matter.

The agreement was signedlast month in Washington by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. But the next day, Trump announced he was requiring the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as part of the pact — raising doubts that the agreement would come to fruition.

Neither the administration official nor the others familiar with the matter would comment on whether Trump's call for the Saudis to join the accords is detailed in the classified document submitted for the congressional review.

Under law, Congress has 90 days while in session to review the agreement. Unless Congress passes a joint resolution rejecting the agreement during the review period, the agreement can take effect without a vote by either chamber.

It is unusual for the entire contents of such agreements to be classified at such a high level. Previous civil nuclear pacts with other countries — known as 123 agreements — have been made public, although some of them have contained classified annexes that were not released.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not have any immediate comment on the matter.

But Trump's continued insistence on the Saudis joining the accords could complicate the path to final approval. The accords approved in 2020 expanded the number of Arab and Muslim-majority nations with diplomatic ties with Israel.

The Saudis were taken by surprise by Trump’s announcement that the completion of the civil nuclear deal would hinge on Riyadh’s agreement to join the accords.

Trump faced fierce criticism from some lawmakers, including some who are concerned it could potentially help the Saudis fulfill their long-standing desire to enrich their own uranium and, in the process, spur new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition.

The Saudis, meanwhile, have made clear that normalizing relations with Israel would first require the establishment of a clear path for Palestinian statehood. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood as being untenable for his country’s security.

The deal, if approved, is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve U.S. firms in developing the program following a joint U.S.-Saudi study.

The formal submission of the agreement to Congress for review was reported earlier Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal.

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Miramar police took Deputy Isaiah Williams into custody on multiple charges, including domestic battery by strangulation and robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm. BSO placed the 27-year-old on unpaid leave afterward.

Miramar police said they responded to an apartment complex along Southwest 45th Court, near Red Road, around 2 a.m. Monday. They said by the time they arrived, Williams had already left.

According to the arrest report, a male friend dropped the victim off at the Miramar home she shared with Williams. She told police Williams was upset, called her names and hit her, causing her to fall down the stairs.

“The defendant was on top of her, where he punched her in the face with a closed fist,” the report states. “As the victim turned over to protect her face, the defendant punched the back of her head and pulled her hair. The victim stated the defendant put his right hand under her neck and tightened his grasp, then lifted her off the ground by her neck.”

She fought back, telling police Williams threatened to kill her and she reached into her purse for her gun, it states.

They struggled for the weapon before Williams snatched it from her and took off, police said.

Authorities said the victim was hurt, with a cut on her lip, a bruise on her nose and scrapes to her neck.

Williams turned himself in Monday afternoon and faced a bond court judge on Tuesday.

He was wearing an anti-suicide vest. A judge set his bond at $47,500 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim, surrender his weapons and be fitted with a GPS monitor.

The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 227 in 68 strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” almost a year ago. As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.

The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed an image of what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.

Tuesday's strike came just two days after the U.S. military carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs. That action came after a pause of more than two months in the U.S. campaign against alleged smugglers.

The Trump administration is pursuing deals with allied nations to extend its offensive to land across multiple Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama this month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil. Guatemala denied reaching such a deal. Ecuador launched similar missions with the U.S. in March.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing smugglers.

Paz tomó juramento en el Palacio de Gobierno a Christian Morales, quien fungía como viceministro del Tesoro y del Crédito Público, parte del equipo del exministro de Economía, José Gabriel Espinoza, quien fue destituido el viernos por no presentarse a dar un inform e sobre las políticas económicas del gobierno ante la Asamblea Legislativa.

“Daremos continuidad a las medidas que se han venido implementando y profundizaremos aquellas que están dando resultados”, dijo Morales.

Paz destacó que el nuevo ministro conoce de cerca las gestiones realizadas por Espinoza como el proceso de negociación de un crédito por 1.900 millones de dólares del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) para respaldar el programa de reformas económicas.

Paz pidió continuar con las negociaciones con otros organismos, al tiempo que instó a seguir el plan de redistribución de recursos a las gobernaciones y a las alcadías con el fin de poner fin a un Estado centralista.

Paz asumió en noviembre del año pasado con la promesa de sacar a la nación andina de la peor crisis económica en 40 años, pero su gobierno se vio afectado por protestas y más recientemente por algunos reveses y escándalos que ponen a prueba su administración.

El gobernante dijo que espera que en los próximos días la Asamblea Legislativa aborde un proyecto de ley de inversiones que forma parte de un paquete de medidas estructurales para enfrentar la crisis.

The event billed as “An Icon Returns to New York” packed the stands full of fans there to watch the 45-year-old from Switzerland face Roddick — soon to be 44 — in a prime time exhibition. Many wore hats with the distinctive “RF” logo that became commonplace in the sport during Federer's decade and a half of dominance featuring 20 Grand Slam titles.

“It's great to be back in New York,” Federer said. “I have incredible memories, obviously, of this court, of the fans here, of the city.”

Federer reminisced about visiting for the first time to play juniors in 1998 and reaching the final. Three years later, his debut on center court was a straight-sets loss to Andre Agassi.

“He smashed me 6-1, 6-2, 6-4,” Federer said. “I had no shot. And I was like, ‘OK, not so easy, not fast, Roger.’ But, still, I’ll remember this center court forever.”

In 2005, Federer defeated Agassi to win the U.S. Open for the second of five in a row through ’08.

“The one against Andre, I think, was extremely special: playing a legend that was coming towards the end of his career — that we had a chance to play against each other,” Federer said. “And every player I was able to play against in the finals here also was a U.S. Open champion. It’s been an incredible run. I loved it.”

Roddick, who won the tournament in '03, credited the fans and Federer for his return.

“It comes down to Roger,” Roddick said. "Obviously we played a bunch and he beat me a bunch, but we were always able to navigate a friendship through the middle of our careers that’s lasted till now and will hopefully last forever. It’s just about showing up when Roger asks you to.”

Federer, who last competed at the U.S. Open in 2019 and retired in 2022, then teamed up with John McEnroe and faced Roddick and Agassi in a doubles exhibition.

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This story has been corrected to Federer defeating Agassi for his second U.S. Open title of five in a row from 2004-08, not 2005-09.

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Probably not the ideal situation to start a first-year quarterback, but players drafted first overall — as Fernando Mendoza was — usually join a team with a lot more questions than answers.

And there are plenty with Las Vegas.

Could that be a factor for when Raiders coaches decide to start Mendoza? He likely will be the backup to Kirk Cousins when the season opens Sept. 13 against Miami.

“They’ve all got to get ready,” coach Klint Kubiak said. "Whoever is playing quarterback for us, it’s a team thing. It’s not the QB playing well and everyone else is not or the other way around.”

The Raiders' offense last season was statistically the worst in the NFL. Las Vegas' averages of 14.2 points and 245.2 yards per game were each last in the league.

It didn't help that the Raiders' offensive line also was statistically at the bottom, but management hopes that is no longer the case. The club signed three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the richest contract ever for an interior offensive lineman. Kolton Miller, who missed all but four games last season because of an ankle injury, is one of the league's best left tackles.

But how much the Raiders improve up front remains a question, particularly at right guard where Jackson Powers-Johnson is competing with Caleb Rogers for the starting role.

Also questionable is how the receiving corps will perform even without a clear-cut first option. Kubiak criticized the receivers after Thursday's 22-20 preseason victory at Houston.

“When you go out and you have trouble with your assignments, I’m going to have an opinion about it, and it’s not just them,” Kubiak said Tuesday. "We’ve had plenty of other guys that have got to step up. A lot of young guys, and then guys that we’re counting on in that receiver room.”

Now there's also the significant question at running back after second-year starter Ashton Jeanty went down with an injury in practice Sunday. He was unable to put pressure on his right leg as he was helped off the field, and the Raiders have been quiet about his prognosis.

Rookie Mike Washington Jr., drafted in the fourth round, is taking first-team snaps in practice. He also has performed well enough in training camp that he was getting some of those repetitions even when Jeanty was healthy.

So the Raiders have some decisions to make, most notably at quarterback and when to turn the offense over to Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner last year at Indiana. It seems like a matter of time before Mendoza takes over, and Kubiak continues to insist it's an ongoing competition even with Cousins still quarterbacking the starting offense in practice.

But as Kubiak said, the decision on when to play Mendoza will depend on the quarterback and not the offense around him.

“We’re trying to grow in all phases of our offense, every player, every position group,” offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said. "Ultimately, coach (Kubiak) has the final say on how and when we’re going to play this person, that person, and not just quarterback, but any position group, and how players develop over time. We like to see the guys develop in practice, we like to see what they’re doing in these preseason games and then basing decisions on that.”

Mum's the word on Jeanty

Kubiak was asked several ways Tuesday about Jeanty's health, and he refused to bite.

Raiders players and coach knelt and prayed when Jeanty was hurt.

“I think that says a lot about him being on the mend and us counting on him,” Kubiak said, the closest he came to providing an indication on where Jeanty stands. "So really excited to get him back, and I’m a huge believer in the power of prayer.”

Smooth transition behind center

One of the major questions regarding Mendoza was how he would be able to adjust to taking snaps directly under center. He took snaps out of shotgun almost exclusively at Indiana.

Linderbaum didn't even realize that was the case, an indication of how well Mendoza has adjusted.

“Under center, he’s perfect," said Jordan Meredith, the backup center who has worked most closely with Mendoza. "I’ve had no issues the whole time. He’s been detail oriented in the huddle, taking command of every play that he gets. I see that he’s ready for anything the coaches ask of him.”

Brother vs. brother

The Raiders host San Francisco on Thursday night in the final preseason game for both teams. Kubiak's brother, Klay, is the 49ers' offensive coordinator.

“My brother is the smartest guy in the family, and I’m not kidding," Klint Kubiak said. "He’s brilliant, works really hard. I love him. Not going to love him on Thursday night.”

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Police detained 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, shortly after 3 p.m., when the truck he was driving containing the device was illegally parked east of the Capitol grounds, Capitol police said.

Officers said they were investigating why the suspect, who drove from California, had made the trip and why he was transporting it.

A guillotine is an instrument for administering capital punishment by beheading and consists of a heavy blade mounted on a tall wooden frame. It was invented in late-18th Century France and became a symbol of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

Beijing is Iran's biggest trading partner and its leading oil buyer. While the U.S. is trying to isolate the Islamic Republic from its remaining economic partners, President Donald Trump also is preparing to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to maintain a fragile trade truce.

Absent from Bessent's remarks this week were specifics about how the Trump administration would target China, casting doubts on how effective the new campaign would be when the U.S. must balance putting maximum pressure on Iran and avoiding higher tensions with China that could be costly to the American economy.

“The announcement yesterday was very careful in my view to avoid specifics (against China), which could have led to a disruption in the summit,” Edgard Kagan, senior adviser and Freeman Chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Tuesday. “For Xi, a state visit to Washington is a big deal; and for Trump, hosting it is a big deal.”

That means both Washington and Beijing will have a dance to do, said Kagan, who served as U.S. ambassador to Malaysia from December 2023 until this February.

"I think the real question is, is there room to push (the Chinese) to reduce what they're doing with Iran, to put more pressure on the Iranian regime in a way that doesn't lead them to say, 'This is unreasonable, and we're not going to comply,'” he said.

China is likely to wait and see and do the minimum

In response to “Operation Economic Outcast,” which Bessent announced Monday, Beijing said its cooperation with Iran has always been “within the framework of international law." China receives more than 80% of Iranian oil shipments but usually through indirect channels.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said China-Iran cooperation “should not be disrupted or undermined."

“China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its own rights and interests,” Lin said. He repeated China's opposition to “illegal unilateral sanctions."

Kagan described Beijing's remarks as “a holding response" and said Beijing will try to do the least to comply without openly confronting the U.S.

“They’ve tended to be careful not crossing explicit red lines, but they haven’t addressed the spirit of what the U.S. has sought,” Kagan said, pointing to practices such as ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure the origin of Iranian crude oil to evade American sanctions.

Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, said China will not go along with the new campaign if the U.S. goal is to destroy the Iranian economy and seek the government's collapse.

But “if the goal is to exert enough pressure for Iran to make concessions on the Strait of Hormuz and potentially ending the conflict, I think China can and will demonstrate its cooperation without having to completely sever ties with Iran,” Sun said. “China only needs to do enough to demonstrate it is cooperating, such as cut back on its oil import from Iran.”

With a planned summit between Trump and Xi weeks away, “neither side wishes to have a major escalation bilaterally at this point,” she said. “China needs to give U.S. something, and U.S. needs to understand and accept that it is not going to be everything U.S. asks for.”

US is not likely to act tough on China, analysts say

So far, the Trump administration has refrained from imposing sanctions on major Chinese businesses or banks connected to the U.S. financial system and thus vulnerable to American penalties.

The Treasury Department said Monday that it was penalizing nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, accusing them of involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, cyber activities and oil shipments.

It targeted a number of entities and individuals based in mainland China and Hong Kong for supporting Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. It sanctioned a China-owned crude oil tanker for transporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China this year as well as a Hong Kong-based business for its role in the shadow fleet that ships out Iranian oil.

With Xi's visit coming up, Trump may not act tough on China now, said Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.

“Given how keen Trump has been to maintain both a trade truce between the United States and China and his personal rapport with Xi, he seems unlikely to do a volte-face just a month before Xi’s state visit and adopt a highly confrontational posture,” he said.

Plus, Xi’s visit to the U.S. could pave the way for Trump to return to China in November for the leaders summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping.

In his second term, Trump has been less hawkish on China than in his first presidency and frequently touts his good relationship with Xi following a major trade war last year that featured back-and-forth escalating tariffs. The U.S. business community also welcomes Xi's visit, saying it's a good sign if the two leaders meet in person, even when any substantial deals may be elusive.

“Beijing is betting that Washington will be reluctant to jeopardize the current leader-level dynamic by targeting major Chinese entities before the summit," said Craig Singleton, senior director for China at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

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Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

Oswaldo Pirela, who is from Venezuela and lives in Arizona, was back home with his family following his release on Monday, his sister Daniela Pirela said. The Padres also confirmed that Pirela, a catching coordinator in their minor league system, was no longer in custody.

“We are pleased that Oswaldo Pirela has been released on bond and reunited with his family. Out of respect for his privacy and the ongoing matter, we will have no further comment at this time,” the team said in a statement.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Pirela at the El Paso International Airport during a work trip on Aug. 16. The Padres have a minor league affiliate team in the city, the El Paso Chihuahuas.

The Department of Homeland Security has previously said Pirela came to the U.S. legally in 2014 and “overstayed his welcome” after 2018. His family has disputed Homeland Security's account and says Pirela had applied for asylum and obtained work permits.

On Tuesday, DHS said in a statement that Pirela was released on bond pending removal proceedings, adding that work authorization or a pending application do not “confer legal status."

Pirela had a brief minor-league playing career as a catcher in the Texas Rangers organization.

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Turbay is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The orchestra and management have had strained relations since BSO decided in March to force out music director Andris Nelsons next summer after 13 seasons. The prior contract was set to expire last Sunday and was extended for 48 hours.

“This agreement marks an important step toward a more collaborative future for the BSO," orchestra management, trustees, the Boston Musicians’ Association, the BSO Players Committee and management said in a joint statement released by the BSO. “It creates a precedent-setting partnership between musicians and management in artistic planning and centers excellence across all the work we do on our stages and in our communities. It also establishes a truly collaborative process in the search for our next music director.”

“We are one institution of musicians, staff, and boards, committed to working together in partnership to advance our artistic mission, inspire audiences, and serve Boston, the Berkshires and beyond," the statement added.

BSO musicians and many audience members were angered by the decision in March to end the tenure of Nelsons, a five-time Grammy award winner.

“While the contract is an important first step, nothing else has been resolved,” the BSO Patron Action Network said in a statement. “Andris Nelsons has not been reinstated as music director. CEO Chad Smith has still failed to provide any transparency around his future vision for the BSO, while stonewalling the dialogue that is essential to rebuilding trust with musicians, donors, patrons, and subscribers.”

Smith said in a statement the deal “deepens our collaboration with the musicians and strengthens their role in the artistic planning process."

“The agreement guarantees the musicians a meaningful role engaging collaborators and planning repertoire that ensures artistic excellence," BMA president David Rufino said in a statement.

BSO Players Committee Chair Todd Seeber added “the agreement guarantees the musicians a critically enhanced role in the engagement of titled conductors, including the music director.”

The orchestra’s season is scheduled to open Sept. 17.

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96L will be the first system of the peak part of the season to run the gauntlet through El Niño’s staunch central Atlantic wall of wind shear. Forecast models are divided on whether it survives its passage through the teeth of 2026’s formidable shear zone this weekend but if it can, the surviving scenarios show the possibility of more earnest strengthening over the western Atlantic later next week.

This is over a week out and 96L is still in its infancy. With high uncertainty ahead, we’ll need to stay patient and let this one play out.

96L showing signs of organization

Satellite-derived wind estimates over 96L around daybreak Tuesday showed a sharp turning of winds and improving circulation.

Though the circulation isn’t fully closed yet, the satellite pass gave the National Hurricane Center confidence to bump up the short term development odds to high. Though thunderstorm activity remains scattered and disorganized, 96L is by no means starved of convection like its deep Atlantic predecessors 92L and 94L.

Statistical guidance shows an environment with ample moisture and decreasing wind shear over the next few days, which should position 96L for gradual development into early Friday.

By the weekend, 96L will begin to hit some obstacles – both in terms of higher wind shear and drier mid-level air – as it draws near and north of the easternmost Caribbean islands for early next week. The question is how organized it gets before then and whether it can survive beyond that point into next week.

Next week’s wildcards

The first question is whether 96L survives. The second question is where it lands on the other side of the shear zone.

A weaker system would favor a track farther south and west and perhaps into the Caribbean where wind shear will stay high and prohibitive to future development.

On the other hand, if 96L, or what forms from it, rides north of the islands, there’s an opportunity for a second act middle to later next week.

There are exceptionally wide bookends on this one, so take each modeling camp with a grain of salt beyond the next few days.

The American suite of forecast models, like the GFS, and its high-resolution hurricane counterparts, like the HAFS, strengthen 96L into a hurricane and turn it quickly into the open Atlantic over the weekend.

This fast-strengthening scenario seems like an outlier based on what we’re seeing in the early stages.

Google’s DeepMind 1,000-member machine learning-based ensemble system, on the other hand, is advertising little in the way of development this week, keeping 96L weak or undeveloped, with a better chance of development east of Florida and near the Bahamas next week (orange dots in the plot below).

It’s worth noting the model is showing low odds of development at this time frame for next week but we’ll want to keep an eye to the trends to see how those long-range odds evolve. DeepMind has lower development odds than yesterday, primarily because it dropped development odds this week east of the islands.

The European modeling system effectively splits the difference between the GFS and DeepMind, advertising a weak system riding farther west and near or north of the islands into next week, with a turn northward next week and the possibility of a second act over the subtropics east of the U.S.

The bottom line is it’s way too soon to know where this will head or even if it survives into next week. As with most systems of Cabo Verde origin, this could bring lots of drama. Best case scenario is 96L doesn’t pull itself together and falls flat in the face of the shear this weekend, a credible scenario to be sure.

That said, given that the time of year (late August/early September), we’ll need to babysit this one for a little bit before we feel comfortable that it won’t break through next week. For now, it’s one to monitor and periodically check back in on in the coming days.

Invest 95L’s development window quickly closing

Invest 95L – an area of low-pressure a few hundred miles northeast of Bermuda over the open North Atlantic – continued to struggle early Tuesday. Wind shear is expected to pick up notably later today and on Wednesday as the system accelerates northward.

If anything forms, it’ll be weak and very short-lived. Regardless, the system poses no organized threat to land this week and will get swept into the north Atlantic graveyard by Thursday.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance are both set to headline respective nights, with Vance to speak on Wednesday night and Trump on Thursday.

The unusual gathering, aimed at promoting the party's candidates and the Trump administration's agenda, is being billed by the Republican National Committee as “a primetime showcase for President Trump’s success, candidates, and causes that have propelled the 2026 midterms to unprecedented focus.”

Throughout the event, Republicans, who are grappling with an unpopular president, stubbornly high prices, an unpopular war and surging Democratic enthusiasm, are expected to try to paint the opposing party as radically left by highlighting Democratic socialist candidates who have been surging this year.

Candidate showcases will be held each night from 6 to 7 p.m. to introduce candidates running in competitive races.

The first night will include segments focused on tax cuts, healthcare affordability, the border, trade and domestic manufacturing, with appearances by "workers and everyday Americans.”

The second will highlight families benefiting from policies like no taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, as well as overseas prisoners who have been released, border security, efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and a tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

It will also include a segment marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the families of first responders.

There was no mention in the advisory of any programming related to foreign policy nor the unpopular war in Iran.

The convention will also try to appeal to the “MAHA” — or Make America Healthy Again — wing of the party, with segments like one entitled, “Chronic Disease & Corporate Capture: Breaking the hold of corporate interests on public health agencies and empowering families to Make America Healthy Again.”

Several will promote bans on stock trading by members of Congress — a measure Trump has backed, even as he has faced repeated accusations of profiting from the presidency.

“Over two action-packed days, we will take Americans through the defining issues of our Party’s agenda and what is at stake in November,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement announcing the plans.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that the Republican National Committee, not the Republican National Convention, is billing the event as a showcase.

The confrontation threatened one of the world’s largest trading relationships and further strained ties between the United States and a country long considered one of its closest allies. A prolonged dispute could raise costs for American businesses and consumers less than 2½ months before the midterm elections.

The new tariffs extended well beyond industrial goods, hitting everyday purchases such as seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper, with some facing duties as high as 50%.

“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in French, calling the situation “an unprecedented challenge imposed on Canada.”

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian goods, saying doing so would help protect jobs and launch a “movement of resistance.” She said the tariffs would put pressure on particular U.S. states.

A senior Canadian official said Ottawa did not design the new measures around the U.S. electoral map, unlike during Trump’s first term, when retaliatory tariffs were crafted to hit politically sensitive products. Back then, Canada targeted U.S. yogurt that came largely from Wisconsin, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan’s home state, as well as whiskey from Kentucky, home state of then-Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the government’s strategy, said the new tariffs were chosen primarily to match U.S. measures and put pressure on American industries and supply chains, with state-level political effects a secondary consideration.

Canada’s retaliation came after the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs over the weekend on Canadian goods following the collapse of trade negotiations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Washington of trying to subordinate Canada and said U.S. demands during the failed talks showed that Americans wanted to “destroy our major industries.”

Trump told Canadian leaders to ‘fall in line’

Trump intensified the confrontation Monday, telling Canadian leaders to “fall in line” or face consequences “far WORSE” than existing tariffs and threatening new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel.

Trump added another provocation Tuesday, saying the United States was giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” in a feud with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Such a change would be reminiscent of the Republican president’s executive order last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

In the hours before Canada’s announcement, Trump went on a social media tear against the country, accusing it of ripping off American farmers and driving American companies out of business.

“I deal with many countries, and Canada is easily the most difficult and unreasonable,” Trump wrote in one post. “They feel entitled, but they are not a State, and will be entitled no longer!”

Because the Supreme Court struck down his biggest tariffs in February, the president turned this time to an obscure provision of a Depression-era trade law that gives him the power to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. No president has ever imposed such tariffs before, so they are untested in court.

Tariffs on many US products would double

The tariffs will take effect Sept. 8 at rates of 15%, 25% and 50%, with Canada matching the corresponding U.S. tariff rate on more than 700 products. The tariffs on many American products would double from 25% to 50%, with the largest share of the new measures affecting steel and aluminum.

Canadian officials said the goal is not to raise revenue but to protect Canadian companies and reduce U.S. imports.

U.S. steel imports, for example, have already fallen 30% since Canada imposed a 25% tariff, and the new 50% rate is expected to cut them further, Canadian officials said.

Goods facing 50% tariffs include some steel and aluminum products, furniture and clothing. Appliances, dairy products including cheese, fish and seafood, and certain steel and aluminum derivatives will face 25% tariffs. Existing Canadian countertariffs on U.S. autos will remain in place.

Canada also announced a support package for workers and businesses affected by the dispute worth $7.5 billion in Canadian dollars ($5.4 billion in U.S. dollars).

Canadian officials acknowledged the countertariffs will raise costs for some businesses and consumers but said they expect the overall economic effects to be moderate.

British Columbia Premier David Eby backed Carney, arguing that any agreement with Trump would have been unstable.

“Any agreement that would have been signed with this president wouldn’t have lasted as long as it took him to write a signature,” Eby said. “This is the president that would have signed the deal and then turned around and called it the worst deal.”

He said he hoped countries such as Mexico, which is also negotiating with Washington, would “join us and say enough is enough.”

Countries have integrated supply chains

Canada and the United States have deeply integrated supply chains across the auto, energy, agriculture and manufacturing industries, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border.

Businesses and consumers are caught in the middle, facing uncertainty about how much prices may increase.

Michael Howard II, owner of a furniture business in Warren, Michigan, outside Detroit, said the tariffs will hamper the “ability for us to put food on the table for our family” and affect ”the ability for us to give back to our community.”

Howard and his wife started their business a decade ago.

“To say that we don’t need Canada is just disingenuous,” he said. “It’s dishonest. And it’s just absolutely not truthful. We need our neighbor, but also they need us.”

On Monday, Carney said U.S. negotiators had raised objections to French-language content on streaming platforms and French-language labeling rules. He rejected the idea that those issues were negotiable, saying in French: “For the Americans, questions about the French language, Quebec culture, francophone culture and Canadian culture are irritants. Here in Quebec, here in Canada, they are rights.”

In a social media post early Tuesday, Trump wrote: “I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec.”

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Washington and Mike Householder in Warren, Michigan, contributed to this report.

Owner Michael Alter made the announcement in a rare news conference on Tuesday. Alter told reporters Freedom is not allowed inside of Wintrust Arena for Sky games “unless sometime in the future he’s able to prove to us to our satisfaction that he is able to abide by our rules without being a potential threat.”

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Freedom was removed from Sunday's game after he was confronted by Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.

Freedom was sitting along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then did a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking in Freedom’s direction.

Cloud, 34, started yelling and pointing at Freedom, 34, as she approached him. A standing Freedom held his arms out and stepped onto the court as security and a handful of Sky players moved in between the two.

“It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and just see how much attention he could get and stir up and create,” Alter told reporters.

Freedom stopped near the basket to plead his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out and encouraged the crowd to respond as he walked toward the front lobby.

He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing the arena.

“I just got kicked out of a @WNBA game for supporting WOMEN!” Freedom wrote on social media. “Let that sink in, AMERICA!”

Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, have declared for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women. But a person familiar with the decision told the AP on Monday that they are not eligible. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.

Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

Sky trying to identify people who threw sex toys onto court

Also Tuesday, Alter said the team has reviewed what happened when multiple sex toys were thrown onto the court during a 73-70 victory over Golden State on Friday night.

“We know who the people are,” Alter said. “We saw them, but we don’t have their names yet. We're trying to get their names. We know how they exited, so we’re going to address that to make that more difficult.”

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Ottawa released a list of more than 700 targets Tuesday. Starting Sept. 8, Canada’s government says it will impose steeper import taxes on goods ranging from fish and cheese to smartphones and steel imported from the United States.

Canada said it was focusing its retaliation on products “most affected by U.S. tariffs.” The levies will be set at 15%, 25% or 50% — rates that the government said would match U.S. tariffs on goods targeted in Washington’s latest round as well as products covered by previously imposed sectoral duties.

Tuesday’s announcement came just days after the Trump administration’s 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, ranging from honey to hockey sticks, took effect. That represents just 5% of the value of goods Canada sent to the U.S. last year, but the punishing rate comes on top of a series of tariffs Trump has imposed on the country during his second term in office. More threats of escalation have piled up in the meantime. As a result, businesses—and, by extension, households—on both sides of the border could soon feel the strain of even higher prices.

Here’s a recap of some of the affected products.

Canada details retaliation plans for U.S. steel, fish and more

Canada plans to impose steeper tariffs on hundreds of U.S. products starting Sept. 8.

Many of the goods are highly specific and mirror products on which Washington began imposing 50% tariffs over the weekend. The list also includes products made of steel and aluminum, which already face a 50% U.S. sectoral tariff on most imports globally, although some goods qualify for lower duties under an adjustment rolled out by the White House earlier this year.

Some of the many U.S. items Canada is now targeting include:

1. Live and frozen fish, crustaceans, oysters and mussels 2. Cheese and curd products 3. Natural honey, molasses and baking mixtures 4. Perfume, makeup and hair preparations 5. Carpets and other floor coverings 6. Toilet paper, facial tissues and envelopes 7. T-shirts, jackets, coats and gloves 8. Various metal products made of steel or aluminum, including wire, rods, pipes and foil 9. Stoves, ranges, refrigerators and other household appliances 10. Smartphones and video game consoles 11. Motorcycles and trailers 12. Fishing rods and exercise equipment

The new tariffs on these products will carry rates of 15%, 25% or 50%. Canada’s tariffs on many American products would double from 25% to 50%, with the largest share of the new measures affecting steel and aluminum.

U.S. already slapped a long list of Canadian goods with new tariffs

The Trump administration already outlined its own lengthy list of more than 550 Canadian products that are now subject to 50% tariffs. That list includes natural honey, vegetable seeds and flower bulbs; alcoholic beverages such as beer and vermouth; ice skates and other sports accessories; various household goods; and smartphones.

Trump imposed the tariffs by reaching back to a long-dormant Great Depression-era law. Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which has never been used before, authorizes the president to impose import taxes of up to 50% on goods from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses.

Trump claimed that Canada discriminated against U.S. autos, alcohol and dairy products, particularly following the implementation of his earlier import taxes last year. It’s worth noting that the list of Canadian goods facing the latest levy is far more diverse.

More threats of escalation pile up

Threats of stronger countermeasures and further escalation have continued to pile up—and it’s possible that even more products could face steeper import taxes down the road.

Trump took to social media Monday to say that his administration would also increase tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel to 50% starting Jan. 1, 2027. Like other countries, Canada currently faces a broader 25% tariff on autos. A 50% sectoral tariff on most steel imports is already in effect.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the auto-sector proposal would “gradually dismantle” Canadian production. He also accused Washington of trying to subordinate Canada and said U.S. demands during the failed talks showed that Americans wanted to “destroy our major industries.”

Beyond tariffs, Trump added another provocation Tuesday, saying the United States was giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid a feud with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Ford told The Associated Press this week that his province would be ready to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the U.S. if the trade war worsens.

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AP Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

“He's our child,” Nausheen Gilkar said, wiping away tears on the witness stand.

“She's unstable,” Gilkar said of surrogate McKenna West, who was sitting across from her in the Dallas courtroom. “She's trying to take him from us.”

The hearing offered the fullest public airing to date of a deepening and high-profile dispute over surrogacy and abortion that has rushed right-to-life groups and GOP officeholders to the side of West, a nurse who flew from Alaska to have the baby on Aug. 12 in Texas, where most abortions are banned.

Gilkar and her husband, Omar Ahmed, say they named the newborn Rumi. Attorneys for West, who has called the child Gabriel, said she is seeking sole conservatorship to make medical decisions for the child.

It was not clear when the judge would issue an order in the case.

West told the court that she was 23 weeks pregnant when she made an appointment for an abortion at the couple's urging but was not comfortable with it.

“I knew that this baby, despite the diagnosis, had a great chance at survival and a great chance at leading a long life,” West said.

After West gave birth, the couple obtained a restraining order barring her from seeing or holding the child.

The judge did not rule on final custody or conservatorship Tuesday, and the restraining order was left in effect.

Couple say child's condition has declined ‘significantly’

Court documents filed by the couple's attorney prior to the hearing said Rumi was in critical condition and appeared to be “suffering from potential complications” from a procedure after he was born.

The child has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital defect in which one side of the organ is underdeveloped, preventing normal blood flow.

Fewer than 1,000 newborns each year have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without treatment, death can come within days or weeks.

Gilkar told the court that the baby had no blood flow to the left side of his heart. Since surgery, she said, he has gasped for air, choked on tubes and needed a blood transfusion.

“He’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” Gilkar said. “He’s the love of our lives. He’s suffering a lot.”

Surrogate's attorney presses couple over proposed abortion

West and her attorneys have argued that Gilkar and Ahmed were not committed to guaranteeing that the baby would undergo surgeries or “life-saving care.” They say West should have conservatorship because the couple asked her to terminate the pregnancy after learning of the baby's diagnosis.

On the stand, West told their attorney, Lee Budner, that if the court finds that the couple are committed to the baby receiving the surgeries, she would drop any custody claims.

Jeff Domen, an attorney for West, repeatedly pressed Gilkar on the couple's desire to terminate the pregnancy, asking her to confirm that she requested it. Asked if she regretted the decision, Gilkar responded that she did not.

“Would you trust somebody to care for your child that wanted your child dead?” Domen asked.

Gilkar said she did not know how to respond to the question.

Accusations that surrogate broke contract

Gilkar and Ahmed say West violated the surrogacy contract they entered in August 2025.

Gilkar told the court that she entered the contract after going through eight rounds of in vitro fertilization in Los Angeles and her body “gave up.” She had to undergo a hysterectomy, she said.

“It was not my first choice, it was my only option,” Gilkar said.

West stayed in the couple's home in Los Angeles, Gilkar said, and she was there with West for the IVF transfer.

“I was holding her hand,” Gilkar said, crying.

The couple’s attorney referenced court records from California that determined West has no rights to legal or physical custody. West said she wanted the judge to disregard that ruling, saying she was willing to fight for him since the diagnosis.

Surrogacy is not regulated on a federal level, and experts say each state has its own laws, which can leave room for gaps in interpretation.

“We believe Ms. West is the mother of this child,” Domen said.

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This story was first published Aug. 25, 2026. It was updated Aug. 26, 2026, to correct that Gilkar said her son was “the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” not “the most beautiful person I’ve never seen.”

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Wilder reported from Austin.

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Wilder is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Critics say the costume, along with its promotional image of a Black child modeling the get-up, is reminiscent of caricatures from Jim Crow-era minstrel shows that embedded stereotypes into popular culture and helped justify discrimination, segregation and racial violence.

“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale,” Target said in a statement.

“We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners. Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again.”

The costume misstep happened as Target’s sales have started rebounding from earlier company moves that alienated some customers and from a perception the quality of its stores and merchandise had declined.

It is the latest controversy for the retailer, which joined companies like Meta, Walmart, and McDonald’s in rolling back their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election.

The “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween costume,” an orange-and-black circus clown costume, now deleted from the Target website, featured gloves, a top hat and a grinning mask with large teeth.

‘Not simply getting it wrong’

“A Jim Crow-era minstrel costume is not simply getting it wrong. It is a profoundly harmful symbol of racism that should never have been designed, approved, or sold by Target,” said the Rev. Jamal Bryant, a Georgia pastor who led a 40-day “Target Fast” boycott last year. “It shows that Target still lacks corporate diversity among decision-makers and needs concrete internal change.”

In January 2025, the Minneapolis-based corporation ended its three-year DEI program, stopping reports to external groups like the Human Rights Campaign and ended a program focused on carrying more products from Black- or minority-owned businesses, replacing it with a new “Belonging” strategy. The company previously stated that the murder of George Floyd was a catalyst for its DEI initiatives.

Activist-organizers called for a boycott of Target, which lost roughly $12.4 billion in market value by the end of February from January.

Minnesota civil rights activists, separate from Bryant, organized a national Target boycott, resulting in a 33% fall in the corporation’s stock prices and wiped out over $20 billion in market value.

Target's recent recovery

Target has managed a recovery in recent months. The stock closed at $165.44 on Aug.21, a fresh 52-week high, after a strong second quarter. On Aug. 24, Target’s shares closed at $169.89.

Target’s stock is up roughly 63% this year, a sharp rebound from the depths of the boycott. The company’s turnaround strategy, launched by new CEO Michael Fiddelke after former CEO Brian Cornell stepped down, includes store refreshes, increased staffing, and more aggressive pricing. Target announced a plan in March to invest $2 billion in 2026, including $1 billion in additional operating investments, with plans to open more than 30 new stores this year as part of its path to 300 new stores by 2035, while investing in over 130 planned full-store remodels.

Bruce Winder, a retail analyst and former retail buyer, says that inventory errors, such as the recent Prada and Gucci controversies, “can happen to the best of them.”

“These things happen over time. I think the most important thing for Target, and they did it, was to quickly take accountability, quickly say sorry, acknowledge that this was a big mistake, and pull the product from the shelves,” Winder said.

Boycott organizers undeterred

Target boycott organizers in Minneapolis, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and community leaders Monique Cullars-Doty and Jaylani Hussein, remain steadfast in their divestment calls.

They have continued to press the company to reinstate its DEI programs and continue its commitments to Black communities, and they say the costume controversy is a refresher on their mission.

“It’s important for people to understand that the Target boycott never ended; that it was indefinite from the beginning, unless and until Target reversed course on its decision to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Armstrong, an organizer of the national Target boycott.

“What we’ve seen is Target engaging in PR campaigns: recruiting high-visibility Black ministers to meet with them, partnering with (rapper and businessman) Jay-Z, all types of different shenanigans to deflect from the fact that they abandon their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and capitulation to the Trump administration.”

Hussein, another boycott organizer, said the costume incident was “not surprising.”

“It was almost predictable because of the behavior of Target, and I think this is going to build on the momentum of the boycott. More people are going to be upset,” he said.

“It’s not just an incident with a costume. There are a lot of people right now in this country across many parts who’ve changed their culture of shopping, who have found other places to put their money behind.”

Target Corporation’s stock closed at $163.47 on Aug. 25, dropping 3.78% from its previous close the day prior.

Josefina Riquelme was running errands in Miami Lakes on Sunday night when she saw the coyote on the side of the road.

Riquelme called the non-emergency police number, and a deputy responded to the scene off Loch Ness Drive near the Miami Lakes Golf Club.

Riquelme said she was told that not much could be done about the coyote.

Coyotes have been forced to search for new places to live because of all the new construction in South Florida.

They normally eat rodents and garbage but can view small dogs and cats as prey.

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The 42-year-old veteran and Hialeah lawmaker joins Donalds with a shared goal of keeping Florida red in November.

Ávila has touted himself as the “most conservative member of the Legislature” and has served as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard for nearly a decade.

Donalds says that military service is among the reasons he selected Ávila, pointing to what he described as Ávila’s record as a warrior for the country and for conservative values.

The announcement was made at Miami’s Freedom Tower — a fitting backdrop for Ávila, whose parents fled communist Cuba.

The historic tower now serves as a museum, but it was once used to process Cuban refugees escaping communist rule.

“My parents fled communist Cuba and left behind home and business. They knew what happens when government takes over. Socialism turns opportunity into misery,” Ávila said. “I’m honored to be in Freedom Tower. This is the peak of freedom.”

Donalds echoed that message as he introduced Ávila as his choice for lieutenant governor.

Both Donalds and Ávila also took aim at their Democratic opponents, David Jolly and his lieutenant governor running mate, Gwen Graham, accusing them of pushing socialist ideals.

Jolly responded almost immediately after the announcement, congratulating Ávila while arguing that the race would ultimately be about Donalds’ relationship with President Donald Trump.

Political analyst says Democrats face a strategic choice

Florida International University politics professor Eduardo Gamarra said the strategy puts Democrats on the defensive, forcing them to respond to what Republicans say they are rather than what they say they stand for.

“Well, it’s an easy thing to do for the Republicans, right?” Gamarra said. “I think the Democrats, in my view, are making a mistake by spending most of their campaign focusing on denying that they’re socialists rather than focusing on their message of who they are and what they stand for.”

Gamarra said Democrats should instead focus on issues that affect voters across party lines, including affordability, health care and education.

“I think the Democrats have to find their own identity which could center on issues of who they are and how they are proposing an alternative to what currently governs the state,” he said.

In a post on X Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis also called Avila “a good dude” and stated that he “appreciated his service in the National Guard.”

Miami-Dade County went for Trump in the 2024 presidential election and for DeSantis in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

But the county remains a key battleground heading into November, amid debates over immigration enforcement and affordability.

South Florida and Hispanic voters in focus

The selection of Ávila also gives the Republican ticket a running mate with deep ties to South Florida’s Hispanic community.

State Rep. Hillary Cassel, a Republican representing Broward County’s House District 101, pointed to Ávila’s ability to connect with Spanish-speaking voters, noting that Spanish is the most widely spoken language other than English in Florida.

Cassel, who said she is a former Democrat, also defended Ávila’s conservative credentials and said his selection reflects what she described as the ticket’s broader focus on conservative values.

“While it might seem like a dynamic duo, and a new type of ticket, at the end of the day those foundational principles they still have, those conservative values,” Cassel said.

Cassel said she left the Democratic Party after becoming an elected official because of what she described as the direction of the party.

“You can’t separate them,” she said, referring to Democratic candidates and the party. “When they say, vote for Angie Nixon, she is part of the Democratic Party. That is the party that they are embracing. They are embracing socialism.”

Cassel also said Ávila’s background could help the Republican ticket connect with voters across Florida.

“From a strategy perspective, we picked the best candidate that we think are going to speak to voters,” she said.

She pointed to Ávila’s family history, noting that his parents fled communist Cuba, and said that experience could help him make a connection with voters concerned about socialism.

Asked specifically about Ávila’s ability to speak Spanish and connect with Hispanic voters, Cassel said his language skills could be an important asset for a Republican ticket seeking support in Florida’s diverse electorate.

“Florida is an incredibly diverse state,” Cassel said. “To be able to connect with people and be able to understand there are different languages here, and Spanish being the number one foreign language, so to speak, spoken in this state, that he can connect with those voters.”

Cassel said the broader goal is for the Republican ticket to connect with voters across different communities.

“I think this ticket is about connecting with Floridians and meeting them exactly where they are, and that means embracing our wonderful Hispanic and Cuban and Latin population,” she said.

Republicans look to Miami-Dade

Florida Republicans are counting on the diverse and historic ticket to help maintain GOP control of the governor’s mansion.

Miami-Dade GOP Chairman Kevin Cooper said Ávila’s selection should not be viewed simply as a response to Donalds’ performance in Miami during the Republican primary.

“People want to say, ‘Oh, is Byron not doing well in Miami, therefore he picked a Miami running mate?’ No,” Cooper said. “I think this is an indication of the importance of Miami and elevating Miami on the statewide level.”

Gamarra said Donalds is also looking to Miami-Dade because of the large number of voters the county can deliver in a statewide election.

“He (Donalds) did well, but not as well as expected, right? He didn’t reach 50%,” Gamarra said. “And so he’s really looking for a community that really concentrates a large proportion of votes.”

Gamarra added that Miami-Dade’s Cuban American electorate makes the county an especially logical target for Republicans.

A diverse ticket in a statewide race

The ticket also includes racial and ethnic diversity that Republicans say reflects Florida’s electorate.

When asked by Local 10’s Christina Vazquez about the diversity of the ticket, former Miami-Dade Mayor and Republican congressional candidate Daniella Rizo said the campaign does not intend to make diversity the centerpiece of its message.

“Totally, totally, it is. We don’t lead with that. We think that people’s accomplishments and character speak for themselves, and I think this ticket does,” Rizo said.

The campaign comes as Republicans look to consolidate support in Miami-Dade and other parts of South Florida while Democrats continue to focus on issues including affordability and what they describe as potential voter fatigue with President Donald Trump.

Donalds did not clear 50% of the statewide Republican vote in the primary, which is why political analysts say locking in Miami-Dade’s engaged Republican Hispanic vote could be key to winning the statewide race in November.

With 1.28 million registered voters, Miami-Dade is Florida’s most populous county — making its vote count significant in a statewide race.

A video circulating on social media is challenging some of the guidelines new mothers have traditionally been told to follow.

Dr. Sharell Bindom, a neonatal-perinatal medicine specialist with Memorial Healthcare System, said parents should be cautious about changing their breast milk storage practices based on information posted online.

For freshly expressed breast milk, Bindom said the general guideline is four hours at 77 degrees, four days in the refrigerator and six to 12 months in the freezer.

Once frozen milk has been thawed, she said, it is safe on the counter for one to two hours.

But a social media video has prompted some mothers to question whether breast milk can safely be kept longer than two hours after a baby has started drinking from it.

The video has drawn more than 40,000 likes and more than 1,000 comments, with reactions from women and mothers ranging from support to concern.

Some commenters wrote, “I’ve been doing this forever!” and “I’ll take things moms have known for decades for 300,” while another said, “She would’ve liked to hear this before because she wasted so many bottles of breast milk.”

Bindom said the research behind the claims does not provide enough evidence for her to recommend that mothers wait longer before discarding leftover milk.

“The problem with that study is that the actual samples that they took, where they looked at the safety of discarding the milk, it was a very small sample size,” Bindom said.

She said another concern is that researchers looked at the number of bacterial colonies rather than necessarily identifying the types of bacteria present.

“The big thing in there is that we’re only looking at the number of colonies of bacteria that are growing,” Bindom added. “We’re not necessarily looking at the types of bacteria that are growing, and we don’t know if when you take small amounts of bacteria, if it’s safe to actually feed a baby and not make it sick.”

Bindom said she would like to see more research before changing the current recommendations.

“You don’t know what happens until you actually feed that leftover milk to a baby and would you want to take the risk that if you fed that?” she said.

Bindom also cautioned parents about relying on social media for medical advice.

“I think social media runs on sensationalism,” she said. “It runs on the attention economy and so, of course, something that sounds great and is very interesting is what they’re gonna put out. But it’s not always the safest thing for your baby.”

For first-time mother Stephanie Mentore-Blanc, the issue hits close to home. She has been pumping breast milk for 10 months for her son, Maximus.

Mentore-Blanc said she took classes at the Memorial Hospital while she was pregnant and did extensive research before deciding to breastfeed.

“While I was pregnant, I did take a lot of classes at the Memorial Hospital and did a lot of research and some of the benefits. And it was like it’s a personal decision that I wanted to make to try to give him that opportunity,” Mentore-Blanc said.

She said one misconception is that breastfeeding and pumping are easier than they actually are.

“It sounds a lot easier than what it is. I can say earlier it is a little overwhelming. It does require a lot of patience, time and planning,” Mentore-Blanc said.

The work involved in pumping can also affect mothers emotionally, she said.

“I didn’t get a little in my head. You know, going on social media and seeing other — it’s usually pumping moms or nursing moms — may show, ‘Hey, I just made 30 ounces in 20 minutes,’ and it kind of like makes you feel like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m not enough,’” Mentore-Blanc said.

Mentore-Blanc has also experienced the frustration of having to discard breast milk.

“I’ve had to discard some milk and not just willingly. There’s been some times where I’ve made a mistake and turned too quick and I’ve knocked over my collection cup. If I knocked over a bottle and I have to watch the ounces just drip down the counter, and it’s been quite an emotional,” she said.

She said she has followed the “444” guideline she learned from lactation consultants.

“I was always taught by lactation consultants and whatnot to, you know, follow the 444. So four hours, you have to discard things of that nature,” Mentore-Blanc said.

After seeing the social media video, Mentore-Blanc said she understands why some mothers may be tempted to keep leftover milk longer.

“So I choose to follow that method. It is — I can see where you would, as a pumping or nursing mom, like, ‘I’m leaving some ounces. Like, it took me a lot to make that and now I just have to discard it.’ So, you know, I understand everyone’s choice,” Mentore-Blanc said.

But for now, she said she is not ready to change her own approach.

“I would need to know more and see what the research yields in the future to make that decision,” Mentore-Blanc said.

While breast milk is widely valued for its benefits to babies, Mentore-Blanc said mothers should also give themselves some grace throughout the process.

“I would say every journey is different. As long as you are doing what’s best for you, your family, your child, give yourself grace and understanding and understand that there’s no perfect way to do motherhood,” Mentore-Blanc said.

Doctors say parents with questions about breast milk storage and feeding should consult their health care provider or a lactation professional rather than relying solely on information shared on social media.

Leftover breast milk that is no longer considered safe for feeding does not necessarily have to go to waste. Bindom also suggests using it in a baby’s bath as a gentle way to moisturize and soothe the skin.

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Devlin praised “the openness and airiness” of the Hollywood Police Department’s new 100,000-square-foot headquarters.

Devlin said the design of the first floor “invites collaboration, cooperation, and communication” because of its accessibility.

“You can access internal affairs, property records through separate entrances, and the records department right through the lobby,” Devlin said.

The glassy building at 401 South Park Road cost the city’s taxpayers more than $80 million.

The design includes rooms named after fallen officers, including the roll call room named after Officer Yandy Chirino, who died on Oct. 17, 2021, after a car burglary suspect shot him.

For police officers’ training, the new 50-yard firing range has a dynamic targeting system. There is also a fitness center and a defense tactics room.

The real-time intelligence center has screens with live feeds from more than 40 surveillance cameras, a live view of police officers’ locations, and the capability to get drones up in the sky to relay information to the police officers on the ground, police said.

“It has more room for growth and technology,” said Deanna Bettineschi, the department’s public information manager. “It’s something we have been very excited about for so long.”

City officials haven’t announced their plans for the old police headquarters. They are getting ready for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new one at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Related links

• New HPD headquarters site
• General obligation bond projects

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Devlin elogió “la amplitud y luminosidad” de la nueva sede de 100,000 pies cuadrados del Departamento de Policía de Hollywood.

Devlin dijo que el diseño del primer piso “invita a la colaboración, cooperación y comunicación” debido a su accesibilidad.

“Se puede acceder a asuntos internos y registros de propiedad a través de entradas separadas, y al departamento de registros directamente desde el vestíbulo”, dijo Devlin.

El edificio de vidrio, ubicado en 401 South Park Road, costó a los contribuyentes de la ciudad más de $80 millones USD.

El diseño incluye salas que llevan los nombres de agentes caídos, entre ellas la sala de pase de lista que lleva el nombre del agente Yandy Chirino, quien murió el 17 de octubre de 2021 después de que un sospechoso de robo de vehículo le disparara.

Para el entrenamiento de los agentes de policía, el nuevo campo de tiro de 50 yardas cuenta con un sistema dinámico de blancos. También hay un gimnasio y una sala de tácticas defensivas.

El centro de inteligencia en tiempo real cuenta con pantallas con transmisiones en vivo de más de 40 cámaras de vigilancia, una vista en tiempo real de la ubicación de los agentes de policía y la capacidad de desplegar drones para transmitir información a los agentes en tierra, dijo la policía.

“Cuenta con más espacio para crecer y para la tecnología”, dijo Deanna Bettineschi, gerente de información pública del departamento. “Es algo que nos ha entusiasmado mucho desde hace mucho tiempo”.

Las autoridades de la ciudad no han anunciado sus planes para la antigua sede de la policía. Se están preparando para una ceremonia de corte de cinta en la nueva sede a las 4 p.m. del jueves.

Enlaces relacionados

• Sitio de la nueva sede del HPD
• Proyectos de bonos de obligación general

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Con el respaldo de 83 legisladores, de un total de 151, se aprobó el proyecto denominado Ley Orgánica que Regula el Apoyo Complementario y Subsidiario de las Fuerzas Armadas a la Policía. El opositor partido Revolución Ciudadana, del expresidente Rafael Correa, votó en contra.

Para hacer frente a una creciente espiral de violencia criminal, el presidente Daniel Noboa ha decretado 23 estados de excepción desde que llegó al poder en noviembre del 2023, el último de ellos está vigente desde mediados de este mes en diez de las 24 provincias.

La proponente del proyecto, la legisladora oficialista Inés Alarcón, aseguró durante el debate que Ecuador “necesita una respuesta permanente y constitucional ante las amenazas” del crimen organizado y delitos como el narcotráfico y la extorsión. Añadió que las respuestas del Estado ante esas situaciones no deben “exclusivamente estar supeditadas a medidas extraordinarias”.

La ley ecuatoriana permite el apoyo de los militares a la policía en el control de la seguridad interna únicamente en medio de situaciones de seguridad excepcionales, entre las que no estaban la violencia desatada por las bandas criminales.

El gobierno de Noboa mantiene en vigencia un decreto de conflicto armado interno desde enero del 2024, con el cual intenta frenar la recurrente violencia criminal desatada en el país desde inicios de esta década.

Noboa ha recibido el apoyo en la lucha contra el crimen organizado de varios gobiernos, incluyendo el del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, que ha donado equipos de seguridad.

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The Broward College Board of Trustees has named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rabia Azhar as acting president.

Alston has previously served as a Broward County commissioner and School Board member; in both cases, he was appointed to those offices by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He has also previously led the Greater Miami Expressway Agency and was on the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Board of Trustees.

Local 10 News is working to find out what led to the change.

La Junta de Síndicos de Broward College nombró a la vicepresidenta sénior y directora de operaciones Rabia Azhar como presidenta interina.

Alston se desempeñó anteriormente como comisionado del condado Broward y miembro de la Junta Escolar; en ambos casos, fue nombrado para esos cargos por el gobernador Ron DeSantis.

También dirigió anteriormente la Agencia de Autopistas del Gran Miami y formó parte de la Junta de Síndicos de la Universidad Agrícola y Mecánica de Florida.

Local 10 News está trabajando para determinar qué llevó al cambio.

The NFL's announcement of the punishment on Tuesday did not disclose the nature of the violation. Jones spent each of the past two years on Minnesota's practice squad, before being promoted to the active roster and appearing in the final game of the 2025 season. He went undrafted out of Maryland, where he had 2,040 receiving yards on 151 receptions with 14 touchdowns over a six-year career.

Jones remains eligible to participate in what remains of the preseason, including the final exhibition game at Denver on Friday. His suspension will begin on Sunday, and he will be eligible for reinstatement on Sept. 28.

The 26-year-old Jones was already going to have a tough time making the active roster for the regular season, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings locked into the starting spots and Tai Felton and Myles Price in line for backup roles after strong performances during training camp.

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It's a hot topic now that the LIV Golf League is done with its shortened season. The speculation is just starting to ramp up on which players might be wanting back, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau chief among them.

Brooks Koepka mutually ended his contract with LIV Golf when he left at the end of 2025, and that would be a starting point now.

“Anyone who’s interested in coming to the PGA Tour needs to demonstrate that they are relieved of their contractual commitments or any tail obligations they might have in that legacy model,” Rolapp said Tuesday. “Brooks certainly did that, and until then, we weren’t really able to consider anything seriously. I would say the same thing here.”

Any path back does not sound like a smooth one. Along with preaching meritocracy, Rolapp brought up rules that applied to the players who bolted for LIV Golf with big signing bonuses. LIV players typically have been banned from PGA Tour-sanctioned events for one year from the time of their last LIV appearance.

“The tour is a membership organization. It has rules. Those rules exist for lots of reasons — for fair, competitive reasons,” Rolapp said.

“Rules only matter if they’re enforced,” he said. “So accountability and discipline are essential to any organization, and certainly for the integrity of the tour and for the game, especially in a game that prides itself on rules and integrity.”

Si Woo Kim having a big year without winning

One of the popular topics for years was looking at the list of players who have earned more than $10 million in their PGA Tour careers without ever winning.

Si Woo Kim is on the verge of passing $10 million in one year without winning. He is at $9,735,444, assured of going over the mark because last place at the Tour Championship pays $355,000.

There hasn't been many last-place finishes for the 31-year-old South Korean.

He has been runner-up three times this year, most recently in the first FedEx Cup playoff event (by eight shots to Scottie Scheffler). He has 11 finishes in the top 10 — only Scheffler has more — and his only missed cut was at the U.S. Open.

“I think it’s the best year for me, like all my golf career,” Kim said. “I’ve been playing so much consistently this year. I haven’t won yet, but even if not win, I still like the way I finished this year.”

The biggest change has been his putting, going to a long putter. It's still well below average — he ranks No. 106 in the key putting stat — but it's his highest ranking in that category, and a big improvement from being No. 161 last year.

“I was struggling with the putting yips pretty much the last 10 years,” he said. “Like shaking hands during putting. First year I got broomstick I won Sony Open after Presidents Cup. Now without the putting yips I think I can play good.”

He's still not able to take down Scheffler in their money games at Royal Oaks in Dallas. Kim beat him once at the start of the year, but they played another match and Scheffler got it all back. Kim was asked if he could estimate how much he has lost to the world's No. 1 player this year.

“I can’t say how much I lost, but I think I’m paying for his second son, all the diapers,” he said.

Rookie of the year could come to Tour Championship

The PGA Tour Player of the Year award is getting plenty of attention going into the Tour Championship. Scottie Scheffler was a leading contender until Wyndham Clark won the BMW Championship, giving him three wins, including a major. Scheffler has two wins but leads most of the major statistical categories.

Another race could be decided at East Lake. Kristoffer Reitan of Norway and Alex Fitzpatrick of England are the only two PGA Tour rookies to reach the Tour Championship.

Reitan won a signature event at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow. Fitzpatrick didn't have a PGA Tour card until he teamed with his older brother, 2023 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Fitzpatrick since then, however, has had four top 10s, all against some of the strongest fields in the signature events. Reitan has two other top 10s beyond the Truist.

“I would say maybe it all comes down to this week,” Fitzpatrick said. "But truthfully it’s not something that I’ve really thought about that much. I think with everything else that’s gone on this year, to be here has been amazing.

“Whatever happens this week between me and him, whoever is the Rookie of the Year is amazing,” he said. “But we’ve both had great years, and we’ll both be proud no matter what.”

Jackson Koivun also is a rookie and won the 3M Open, but his body of work didn’t start until he turned pro at the Canadian Open in early June.

Money matters

The race to replace Tiger Woods atop the PGA Tour career earnings is now a two-way race, with Scottie Scheffler still having the advantage.

Scheffler is $608,506 away from passing Woods, who has led the career earnings list since Feb. 13, 2000. That would require a minimum of 13th place at the Tour Championship, where the $40 million purse now counts as official money instead of a bonus.

Rory McIlroy, who picked up $1.36 million for his third-place finish at the BMW Championship last week, needs to make $3,150,795 at the Tour Championship to pass Woods. That would require a minimum of fourth place.

Divots

Preston Stout of Oklahoma State will get exemptions to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews for winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading male in the 2026 World Amateur Golf Ranking. Playing them requires that he remain an amateur. ... The new PGA Tour schedule in 2028 will be a lot more compact, freeing up the latter part of the year for the European tour and some of the national opens. Patrick Cantlay is not one who sounds terribly interested in going. “I do think the fall is a nice time for Europe to have their biggest events, but for me right now, the offseason is key in feeling fresh and ready to go, especially when I imagine a schedule that’s even more golf over a shorter period of time,” he said. ... Getting to the Tour Championship means Adam Scott's streak playing in the majors, assuming he stays healthy, will reach at least 106 in a row. He's at 101. He is assured of all four majors next year and the Masters (past champion) in 2028.

Stat of the week

The Solheim Cup between the United States and Europe will feature only 13 of the top 50 players currently in the women's world ranking.

Final word

“If I don’t get love at the Presidents Cup as a USA guy, then I don’t know. I might move to Mexico or something.” — Wyndham Clark, joking about crowds who always seem to pull for the other guy.

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Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said he would immediately appeal.

In a lawsuit brought on behalf of the Ohio Alliance of Retired Americans and the progressive group Red Wine & Blue by the Democrat-aligned Elias Law Group, U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. in Cleveland ruled that the requirement appears to conflict with the National Voter Registration Act, which he said takes precedence.

His injunction suspends the practice of requiring such documentation ahead of the Oct. 5 registration deadline for this fall’s midterm elections.

It comes as President Donald Trump pushes Congress to pass a bill that would, among other election changes, require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Ohio is among a handful of states with proof-of-citizenship laws in place for the first time this year. South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming also put similar requirements on the books for this year's midterms. Arizona had one already in force for state and local elections.

In South Dakota on Tuesday, the League of Women Voters and a Sioux Falls voter filed a lawsuit over that state’s new proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration. Among their requests is that a judge force the state to accept photocopies of eligible ID forms and also to rescind guidance requiring people using certain ID types to register in person.

Ohio's requirement was added last year to its motor voter law. In his ruling, Solomon wrote that the requirement “is more than the signed attestation to U.S. citizenship that Ohio’s other voter registration methods accept. Therefore, (the challenged provision) likely conflicts with the NVRA, because it is more than ‘the minimum amount of information necessary.’”

He further found that Ohio's overall “motor voter” registration process has illegally been limiting the option to sign up to vote to those who successfully obtain a driver's license, rather than offering it to everyone who submits an application for one, as federal law requires.

Ben Stafford, a partner at Elias Law, said in a statement that Ohio voters would now be able to register at the BMV without the requirement to show citizenship paperwork. He described the regulation as “exactly the type of government-imposed barrier that the NVRA exists to prevent.”

The judge's order prevents Ohio from requiring any driver’s license applicant to produce proof-of-citizenship documents before being offered the chance to register to vote, even those applicants turned away for lack of the proper paperwork. It doesn't cover applicants who indicate they are not U.S. citizens.

LaRose criticized the ruling and pointed to a case in Franklin County, which includes Columbus, that he said proves the process Solomon has required doesn't work. The case involved a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who was ineligible to vote but did so in 2018 after she said a clerk at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles mistakenly led her to believe she was allowed to do so. The woman was found not guilty by reason of entrapment.

“Under this order, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles would be required to offer a voter registration form to a person who is applying for a driver’s license, even if that person can’t verify that they’re a citizen,” LaRose said in a statement. “We strongly disagree with that decision, and I’ve asked our legal team to file an immediate appeal.”

Solomon's decision aligned with court decisions elsewhere.

In May, in the first major legal test of Trump's citizenship-related election demands, a federal judge in New Hampshire ruled that the state must make voter registration easier by letting applicants attest to their U.S. citizenship if they don’t have the documents to prove it.

When New Hampshire's law took effect for the first time, for local elections in 2025, some election clerks said they knew of would-be voters who couldn't produce the necessary documents and were turned away — for example, women who had changed their last names when they married.

In June, a federal judge permanently barred the Trump administration from implementing most of the president's first executive order on elections, including a requirement that people show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston effectively converted what was a preliminary injunction blocking much of the attempted overhaul into a permanent one.

A 2025 University of Maryland study estimates that 21.3 million Americans eligible to vote do not have documents or have easy access to the documents required to prove citizenship.

Brad Ireland, whose former wife and two children were among the dead, identified the shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith. Smith's parents, who were also killed, had asked him to move out, but he returned on Sunday and opened fire, Ireland said.

The victims represented four generations of the blended family, ranging from a great-grandmother in her 90s who used a wheelchair to a 7-year-old girl, according to Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, and was authorized to release these details.

Gunshots followed by an inferno

Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. Investigators confirmed Tuesday there were eight victims, including four children, and that the suspect had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.

The investigation has been complicated by concerns about the structural integrity of the house after the fire burned it to its foundation, said Jeff Stovall, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department.

Firefighters fought the blaze until around 1 a.m. Monday, according to Billings Fire Department Chief Matt Hoppel. The home is in a subdivision outside of city limits that’s not required to have fire hydrants.

Efforts to fight the fire were delayed until the site was secure, allowing the blaze to tear through the home.

12-year-old calls 911

Among those killed were Ireland’s ex-wife, Megan Ghekiere, and their two children, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7. Also killed were Ghekiere’s two stepchildren with her current husband: Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12.

“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer said. “Charlotte called 911 and she tried to save her family. And that’s something the family does want out there.”

She described the family as “very loving and close,” and said the children all got along and that their parents remained amicable even after divorcing.

“I feel like our entire community is devastated, even people that never knew any of them,” Mercer said.

The family relocated from Seattle

The Smith family was originally from the Seattle area. Ireland said that after he and Megan Ghekiere divorced six years ago, she moved to Montana with their children. That's where she met the man who would become her second husband, Adam Ghekiere, who was working and not at the home when the shooting occurred.

Her parents, Dana and Barb Smith, soon followed, buying a house in Billings near their daughter’s home. Evelyn Smith, Dana’s elderly mother, lived in a nearby retirement community, Ireland said.

Alan Smith moved in with his parents in Montana and stayed with them for years before being asked to move out a couple weeks ago, Ireland said. He unexpectedly returned to the home on Sunday evening, where the Smiths had gathered for a weekly family dinner.

Alan Smith killed his grandmother, his parents, his younger sister and the four children before setting the house on fire, Ireland said. He tried to flee before being confronted by law enforcement, he said.

Suspect was a ‘hermit,’ relative says

“There were many red flags and many people spoke out,” said Ireland, who lives in Arizona. “No one listened.”

Alan Smith was a “hermit” who spent most of his days in his room on his computer, Ireland said.

“No one knew what he did in there 24/7,” he said.

Alan Smith had attended Eastern Washington University but had been unable to find or hold a job. A search of criminal records in Montana and Washington found no record Alan Smith had ever been arrested or charged with a crime.

Ireland said that to his knowledge Alan Smith had never been violent, though he could be verbally abusive.

Friends of the victims have set up two GoFundMe accounts to raise money on behalf of Adam Ghekiere and his ex-wife, Erica Schneider.

Husband races back to house

Adam Ghekiere, who works at the airport in Billings, told the AP that he heard over a dispatch radio about an active shooting. After calling each member of his family, he raced across town to the Smith home.

When he got there, the house was ablaze, and two hours later, he learned his wife and children had been killed. His children weren't supposed to be there because family dinner was usually on Friday, he said.

“I don’t think he expected my kids to be there,” Ghekiere said, referring to his brother-in-law. “Monster isn’t even enough to describe what he did.”

Ghekiere said police confirmed his daughter, Charlotte, was the one who dialed 911 from inside the house.

“I keep hearing her quote to me every time I would say ‘I love you’ and she would say ‘I love you more,’” he said.

22nd mass killing this year

The shootings were the 22nd mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Fifteen of those have stemmed from domestic disputes, which is higher than the average of about 50% of U.S. mass killings, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University who manages the database.

The Montana shooting is the deadliest in the U.S. since April, when a Louisiana father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, and shot and wounded his wife and another woman.

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Biesecker reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Gene Johnson in Seattle and Mikella Schuettler in Phoenix contributed.

—-

Schuettler is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The report from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force had more than two pages redacted but provided more details about what led to York's arrest and ultimately to him pleading no contest Monday to two misdemeanors.

York initially responded to an advertisement placed by police on a known prostitution website on Saturday, according to the report, sending two messages that went unanswered and saying his name was “Joe” and that he wanted to visit the woman.

York texted again Sunday morning and said he wanted to see the woman. He said he was staying nearby and asked for her address. He asked how much the woman charged and was told it was $160 for “full service sexual activity,” the report said.

York took a rental car to a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, where he was given a fictitious lot number. He texted when he arrived at the mobile home park. He was then directed back to the main road, where he was stopped by marked police units. Police found York had $160 that was seized and they sent a text to his phone to determine it was the same one used to arrange the meeting.

He was booked into jail and was released after posting a $5,000 bond. York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution, but prosecutors amended that to disorderly conduct. He pleaded no contest Monday to that charge and to possessing criminal tools for using his phone to respond to the ad.

He was sentenced to one day in jail for both offenses to be served concurrently and was credited with one day served when he pleaded no contest. He also was fined $1,150. The $160 that was seized from him was given to the human trafficking task force as part of the plea. York also completed an online course.

York has been in Ohio, where he grew up near Youngstown, for most of the summer. He had filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May, according to court records.

The NFL issued a statement saying the league is aware of the arrest and will review it under the personal conduct policy. Owners are subject to possible fines or suspensions for violating the policy.

The team said that the “legal matter” had been resolved and that it would have no additional comment.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that he has talked to York the past two days and doesn't believe the arrest will have any impact on the team.

“Obviously, it’s a very tough situation," Shanahan said. "The views for the organization going forward are the same as usual. There won’t be any difference in that. But I know it’s extremely fresh. I think it’s a very, very personal situation. I got a lot of respect for Jed. I got lot of respect for Danielle. The family does mean a lot to me. With it being this personal, I’m trying as hard as I can to keep it that way.”

Shanahan said he doesn't expect any change in York's involvement with the team, saying he has always allowed Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to make the football decisions.

Shanahan said he doesn't feel the need to address the situation with his players.

Star linebacker Fred Warner said the players were aware of it but that he didn't believe it would be a distraction.

“We all have social media, so we see things,” he said. “But at the same time, I got a lot of love, a lot respect for Jed, and don’t feel the need to comment on the situation. I think the team is kind of the same way. It really wasn’t a conversation being had in the locker room. Of course, yeah, you notice it, but at the time, we were so hyper-focused in this building of trying to prepare for Week 1. A lot of guys are on the bubble trying to make the team. So we’re just trying to get better as a football team and that's a personal situation, and letting it stay personal with him.”

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Eventually, officers said they took Yordan Soublett Herrera, 33, into custody inside an Aventura Mall parking garage.

The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 14.

Video showed Soublett Herrera running from police and even hiding under cars while trying to evade capture.

During his attempt to flee from police, officers said Soublett Herrera ran into and knocked over innocent bystanders, running down an escalator while actively discarding stolen merchandise.

Officials said Soublett Herrera, who is on felony probation for theft, has a lengthy criminal history, with multiple prior theft convictions, five felony convictions, and an active no bond felony theft warrant out of Broward County.

That came from a court filing late Monday on the long-running saga over whether the president's name can be added to the cultural institution and venue meant to honor John F. Kennedy after his assassination. The original attempt to add “Donald J. Trump” on the building's facade was halted by the court in May following a lawsuit from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center.

The center's Trump-aligned board of trustees then voted again this month to get the president's name back on the cultural institution in a different way: by appending “Renovated and Restored By President Donald J. Trump” under the title on the building’s facade. Another phrase, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would be a possible addition, as well as renaming the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center to honor the president.

In response, Beatty again asked the federal court to block those stylings, arguing that they were “clear violations of the Kennedy Center statute” that barred the board from making the center into a memorial to anyone else. A federal judge will hear arguments on that request on Thursday.

Justice Department attorneys replied in Monday's filing with a grim picture of the state of the Kennedy Center: “a financially insolvent facility, housed in a decrepit, dilapidated, crumbling building” that “continues to race toward physical and financial ruin.”

Renovations were required, they argued, but “an order blocking the Board from appropriately recognizing President Trump will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stop. There will simply not be the expertise or funding necessary to rebuild and renovate this decimated structure.”

If allowed to deteriorate further, they continued, the Kennedy Center “will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site.”

That could be an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River, they said, adding that it would “fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy” but would be easier to build and maintain.

This latest attempt to add Trump's name on and around the center was met with some incredulity from Beatty's attorneys, who said it “is a transparent attempt to effectuate the renaming in another guise.”

“It’s déjà vu all over again,” they wrote. “Plaintiff and the Court should not need to play Defendants’ game of whack-a-mole.” They requested a final ruling to stop the renaming attempts “and put an end to this childish gambit.”

It's not the first time the board of trustees has used the argument that fundraising could be impeded without Trump's name on the building. A panel of judges in July said that the claim came without the support of “ specific facts or evidence.”

The Kennedy Center has fallen on harder times since Trump got more involved, with several artists canceling performances and attendance dropping.

This is one of several attempts by the presidential administration to put Trump's stamp on the U.S. capital, including a plan for a 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch, and, as Trump called it, a “military complex slash ballroom ” at the White House.

Finalmente, los agentes dijeron que detuvieron a Yordan Soublett Herrera, de 33 años, dentro de un estacionamiento de Aventura Mall.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 6:30 p.m. del 14 de agosto.

Un video mostró a Soublett Herrera huyendo de la policía e incluso escondiéndose debajo de vehículos mientras intentaba evitar ser capturado.

Durante su intento de huir de la policía, los agentes dijeron que Soublett Herrera chocó contra personas inocentes y las derribó, bajando corriendo por una escalera eléctrica mientras se deshacía de mercancía robada.

Las autoridades dijeron que Soublett Herrera, quien se encuentra bajo libertad condicional por un delito grave de robo, tiene un extenso historial criminal, con múltiples condenas previas por robo, cinco condenas por delitos graves y una orden de arresto activa sin derecho a fianza por un delito grave de robo en el condado Broward.

Ocurrió alrededor de las 8:30 p.m. del miércoles en Tacos & Cantina La Potranca, ubicado en 2923 Biscayne Blvd., en el vecindario Edgewater de la ciudad.

“Cuando vi el video, me dio rabia”, dijo Brisa Briones, gerente general del restaurante.

La mujer entra con una bolsa de papel vacía, mira a su alrededor y toma todo el frasco de plástico de las propinas, metiéndolo dentro de la bolsa. Briones dijo que contenía alrededor de $200 USD en propinas.

Después, Briones dijo que empleados del restaurante sacaron el pedido para llevar de la pareja, “dos o tres” taquitos, y se fueron después de tomar un puñado de servilletas.

La mesera Glendys Ramirez dijo que la pareja pagó “en efectivo”.

Briones dijo que los empleados crearon el frasco de propinas para que los clientes con pedidos para llevar pudieran destinar sus propinas a los cocineros que prepararon su comida.

“La gente en la cocina trabaja muy duro”, dijo. “No se merecen eso”.

Briones dijo que los empleados del restaurante se dieron cuenta de que faltaba el frasco al día siguiente.

Ahora la policía de Miami está utilizando el video para investigar. Se pide a cualquier persona que tenga información llamar a la Línea de Alto al Crimen de Miami-Dade al 305-471-8477.

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It happened at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tacos & Cantina La Potranca’s location at 2923 Biscayne Blvd. in the city’s Edgewater neighborhood.

“When I saw the video, they made me angry,” Brisa Briones, the restaurant’s general manager, said.

The woman comes in with an empty paper bag, looks around and grabs the entire plastic tip jar, stuffing it inside the bag. Briones said it had about $200 worth of tips inside.

Afterward, Briones said restaurant staffers brought out the couple’s to-go order, “two or three” taquitos, and they left after grabbing a fistful of napkins.

Server Glendys Ramirez said the couple paid “with cash.”

Briones said staff members created the tip jar so customers with to-go orders could direct their tips to the cooks who made their food.

“The people in the kitchen work so hard,” she said. “They don’t deserve that.”

Briones said staff at the restaurant only realized the jar was missing the next day.

Now Miami police are using the video to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

La conferencia de prensa de presentación está programada para las 3 p.m.

El tirador de élite de 36 años superó el proceso de waivers y firmó con Miami el pasado fin de semana después de pasar las últimas dos temporadas en Dallas.

Se espera que Thompson aporte su tiro de tres puntos de élite a un equipo del Heat que también incorporó a Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis y Tim Hardaway Jr. esta temporada baja.

El presidente del Heat, Pat Riley, calificó anteriormente a Thompson como uno de los jugadores más icónicos que jamás haya jugado en la NBA.

Thompson pasó las primeras 13 temporadas de su carrera con los Golden State Warriors, ganando cuatro campeonatos junto a su compañero “Splash Brother” Stephen Curry y siendo seleccionado cinco veces al Juego de Estrellas.

Ahora, Thompson espera con entusiasmo un nuevo capítulo en Miami.

“Mis articulaciones simplemente se sienten bien estando aquí con este clima”, dijo Thompson en una publicación del Heat en redes sociales. “Estoy ansioso por conocer a mi personal y a mis compañeros de trabajo”.

También dijo que ha estado disfrutando de la comida de Miami y adaptándose a la ciudad.

“Siempre estaba aquí de paso, así que es agradable establecerme, simplemente poder disfrutar de un gran lugar”, agregó Thompson.

Thompson llega con uno de los historiales de triples más impresionantes en la historia de la NBA. Tiene nueve partidos en su carrera con al menos 10 triples anotados, solo por detrás de los 28 de Curry.

También es uno de solo dos jugadores en la historia de la NBA en anotar al menos 10 triples en un partido de playoffs, destacándose su legendaria actuación en el Juego 6 de 2016 contra el Oklahoma City Thunder.

Thompson también posee el récord de la NBA de más triples anotados en un solo partido, al encestar 14 contra los Chicago Bulls en 2018.

La mayoría de los partidos de Miami esta temporada, al menos 68, serán transmitidos por Local 10 News.

WPLG Local 10 y el Heat anunciaron un nuevo acuerdo ampliado de derechos de transmisión, convirtiendo a Local 10 en la casa del baloncesto del HEAT en todo el sur de Florida. HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener más información sobre cómo ver los partidos.

Los fanáticos del Heat también pueden llamar al 786-777-4375 para obtener más información sobre cómo comprar boletos para la temporada 2026-2027.

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The 36-year-old sharpshooting forward cleared waivers and signed with Miami this past weekend after spending the past two seasons in Dallas.

Thompson will bring his elite three-point shooting to a Heat team that also added Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason.

Heat president Pat Riley previously called Thompson one of the most iconic players ever to suit up in the NBA.

Thompson spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Golden State Warriors, winning four championships alongside fellow “Splash Brother” Steph Curry and earning five All-Star selections.

Thompson said the opportunity to play “high-level basketball” and make a “deep postseason run” were among the biggest factors that drew him to Miami.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra had high praise for his newest player, calling Thompson a “world-class champion” and “one of the best to have ever done it.”

Spoelstra said the Heat have “the makings of something special” with the roster coming together in Miami.

Thompson said he has a great deal of respect for Spoelstra, who worked with his former Golden State coach Steve Kerr with Team USA. Thompson also praised Spoelstra’s reputation around the league.

Thompson said he takes pride in impacting the game on both ends of the floor, while understanding that his biggest strength — his shooting — can create opportunities for his teammates.

He said he knows his shots will be available and that those shots can open lanes for other players.

That could be especially important alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

Thompson described Antetokounmpo as one of the best players of all time and said he believes his shooting can help create more room for the two-time MVP to operate. He also expects to benefit from the attention Antetokounmpo and Adebayo command around the rim.

The chance to play alongside players who have already experienced winning is also a major motivation for Thompson.

He called the opportunity a “huge motivator” and said he still has “a lot to prove.”

Thompson described the upcoming season as a “redemption season” and said he cannot wait to get to work, adding that he believes he can still play at a high level.

Klay Thompson on showing he can still play at a high level for a winning team:

“It’s kind of a redemption season for me to show I can still have an impact on winning.”

Says when you taste winning the way he has that it makes you work to want more. It’s his motivation. pic.twitter.com/mRtSu8v6ia

— Will Manso (@WillManso) August 25, 2026

Thompson, who will wear No. 11 with the Heat, said he does not spend time thinking about his previous injuries. Instead, he said he is excited to embrace the challenge of getting back into the best shape possible with his new team.

Thompson said forward Andrew Wiggins was the first new teammate to reach out to him because Wiggins was the only Heat player who already had his phone number, dating back to their time together with Golden State.

But Thompson said he is excited to make new friends and build new connections in Miami. The move also brings Thompson closer to family.

His father, former NBA player Mychal Thompson, attended Miami’s Jackson Senior High School, and Klay Thompson spoke proudly about his father’s connection to the school, saying his father claimed that team was the best in Florida high school history. Klay Thompson also said he is glad to be closer to family in the Bahamas.

The majority of Miami’s games this season, at least 68, will be airing on Local 10 News.

WPLG Local 10 and the Heat announced a newly expanded media rights agreement, making Local 10 the home of HEAT basketball across South Florida! CLICK HERE for more information on how to watch!

Heat fans can also call 786-777-4375 for more information on how to purchase tickets for the 2026-2027 season.

Watch the full press conference in the video below.

El legislador de Hialeah y veterano de 42 años se une a Donalds con el objetivo compartido de mantener a Florida republicana en noviembre.

Ávila se ha descrito como el “miembro más conservador de la Legislatura” y ha servido como capitán en la Guardia Nacional del Ejército de Florida durante casi una década.

Donalds dice que ese servicio militar es una de las razones por las que seleccionó a Ávila, señalando lo que describió como el historial de Ávila como un luchador por el país y por los valores conservadores.

El anuncio se realizó en la Torre de la Libertad de Miami, un escenario apropiado para Ávila, cuyos padres huyeron de la Cuba comunista.

La histórica torre ahora funciona como museo, pero anteriormente se utilizaba para procesar a refugiados cubanos que escapaban del régimen comunista.

“Mis padres huyeron de la Cuba comunista y dejaron atrás su hogar y su negocio. Ellos sabían lo que ocurre cuando el gobierno toma el control. El socialismo convierte las oportunidades en miseria”, dijo Ávila. “Me siento honrado de estar en la Torre de la Libertad. Esta es la cima de la libertad”.

Donalds se hizo eco de ese mensaje al presentar a Ávila como su elección para vicegobernador.

Tanto Donalds como Ávila también arremetieron contra sus oponentes demócratas, David Jolly y su compañera de fórmula para vicegobernadora, Gwen Graham, acusándolos de promover ideales socialistas.

Jolly respondió casi inmediatamente después del anuncio, felicitando a Ávila mientras argumentaba que la contienda finalmente giraría en torno a la relación de Donalds con el presidente Donald Trump.

“Le deseo lo mejor. Pero, seamos sinceros: esta contienda no dependerá de la relación de Byron Donalds con Ávila, sino de la relación de Byron con Donald Trump”, dijo Jolly en un comunicado.

En una publicación en X el martes, el gobernador Ron DeSantis también calificó a Ávila como “un buen tipo” y afirmó que “apreciaba su servicio en la Guardia Nacional”.

El condado Miami-Dade votó por Trump en las elecciones presidenciales de 2024 y por DeSantis en la contienda por la gobernación de 2022.

Pero el condado sigue siendo un campo de batalla clave de cara a noviembre, en medio de debates sobre la aplicación de las leyes migratorias y el costo de vida.

Con 1.28 millones de votantes registrados, Miami-Dade es el condado más poblado de Florida, lo que hace que sus votos sean significativos en una contienda estatal.