It might have come at a good time for Scottie Scheffler, who was making quite a charge until two bogeys in three holes, the last one from an iron off the tee into a creek.

And it probably won't help the players like Poston who face a long Sunday to make up for the lost time and then have 36 holes of U.S. Open qualifying Monday.

Poston and Gerard were tied at 9-under par through five holes, one shot ahead of Sam Burns, who was through six holes.

Even with four hours of daylight available, the PGA Tour felt there was enough thunderstorm activity on the way to call it a day. The third round was to resume at 7 a.m., followed by a final round off both tees in threesomes for the first time all week.

Only 21 players finished the round, with Harris English (69) posting the best score at 3-under 213.

Scheffler, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win three in a row at the Memorial, started 10 shots behind and bogeyed the first hole. And then in a matter of minutes, or so it seems with Scheffler, he was in fourth place after a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch approaching the turn, and then an 8-foot birdie to start the back nine.

But then he had a three-putt par from some 65 feet, back to front, on the par-5 11th. He found a back bunker on the par-3 12th, a spot where it's nigh impossible to keep it on the green (he didn't) leading to another bogey.

And then on the 14th, his iron drifted left and led to a splash and a penalty stroke, adding to a bogey that dropped the world's No. 1 player to 2 under for the round, still eight shots behind.

Rory McIlroy also was eight behind through 16 holes.

And this was no longer the same Muirfield Village, fast and firm and frightening all week, suddenly softened by bursts of rain and even some hail.

No one felt it quite like Justin Thomas, who made a superb par save from behind the 18th green on Friday to make the cut on the number. That got him to the weekend, and he played as a single. Thomas figured that would at least give him the best weather, the best conditions to put up a good number and salvage the week.

But he only played 12 holes in dry conditions before the first delay of 1 hour, 40 minutes. Enough rain fell to make the course a touch easier. And now 32 players still on the course return to a course much softer and easier.

Thomas could only chuckle at his bad luck after his round of 72.

“That’s kind of the joy of being first off because you normally get no wind and an easier course,” he said. “But I missed the window. You know, you've got to play better.”

Poston, meanwhile, can take a little stress off with one more long day of good play. A victory or even a runner-up finish would be worth enough world ranking points to move him high enough in the world ranking to be safe for the top 60 next week and get into the U.S. Open.

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

Casey Liening, portavoz del Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale, informó que Sean Alexis, de 40 años, fue detenido con la ayuda del Departamento de Policía de Plantation.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Alexis enfrenta múltiples cargos, incluidos choque con fuga con lesiones corporales graves, choque con fuga con daños a la propiedad y conducir con una licencia suspendida o revocada.

Los investigadores indicaron que el choque ocurrió alrededor de las 6:15 p.m. cerca de West Broward Boulevard y Northwest 11th Avenue, cuando un vehículo impactó una patrulla identificada de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward (BSO) y huyó de la escena.

Indicaron que los testigos dijeron a la policía que Alexis se pasó una luz roja antes de la colisión.

Video de la escena mostró daños severos en el vehículo del agente, con el lado del conductor aplastado y las bolsas de aire desplegadas.

Las autoridades informaron que el agente, un hombre, fue hospitalizado tras el choque.

Indicaron que sus lesiones fueron consideradas como no mortales, aunque no estaba claro de inmediato si permanecía hospitalizado.

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

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The case has gone cold, but authorities hope newly released video could generate leads.

“Look at me. It’s killing me, it’s draining every ounce left in me. It’s tearing me up people,” Willis’ mother, Deborah Willis, said during an emotional plea.

With courage and unwavering strength, she spoke about her son, Terrance, who was gunned down near the busway and Southwest 184th Street in Miami in May 2021.

“He was a giver, he was giving anything, he had love and loved God,” she said.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Willis was riding a Miami-Dade Transit bus and was seated in the rear when he became involved in a small verbal altercation with someone else on board.

“Terrance was riding a MD Transits bus and seated in the rear of the bus and was involved in a small verbal altercation with someone in the back of the bus,” Sgt. Pedro Camacho said.

Investigators said Willis got off the bus and was then shot multiple times.

Five years later, detectives hope newly released surveillance video will help move the investigation forward. Authorities have identified a person of interest described as a Black male who was between 18 and 25 years old at the time and about 6 feet tall.

“It is possible that someone who was reluctant, scared or didn’t feel their input could be useful,” lead investigator Detective Oscar Andino said. “Any piece of information could be relevant to this investigation.”

Willis was a father of three and grandfather of one. His family said he was simply on his way home when his life was cut short.

His mother said she is still searching for answers.

“I don’t even want you to go to prison. I just want you to talk to me, talk to me. Prison is not gonna help you. I know this,” she said.

Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward. A Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers reward is available for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

El caso permanece sin resolver, pero las autoridades esperan que un video recientemente divulgado genere nuevas pistas.

“Mírenme. Me está matando, me está drenando cada parte que me queda. Me está destrozando, gente”, dijo Deborah Willis, madre de Willis, durante una emotiva súplica.

Con valentía y una fortaleza inquebrantable, habló sobre su hijo, Terrance, quien fue asesinado a tiros cerca del busway y Southwest 184th Street en Miami en mayo de 2021.

“Era una persona generosa, daba todo lo que podía, tenía amor y amaba a Dios”, dijo.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Willis viajaba en un autobús de Miami-Dade Transit y estaba sentado en la parte trasera cuando se vio involucrado en una breve discusión verbal con otra persona a bordo.

“Terrance viajaba en un autobús de Miami-Dade Transit y estaba sentado en la parte trasera del autobús cuando se involucró en una pequeña discusión verbal con alguien que también estaba en la parte trasera”, dijo el sargento Pedro Camacho.

Los investigadores indicaron que Willis bajó del autobús y luego fue baleado en múltiples ocasiones.

Cinco años después, los detectives esperan que un video de vigilancia recientemente divulgado ayude a impulsar la investigación. Las autoridades han identificado a una persona de interés descrita como un hombre afroamericano que tenía entre 18 y 25 años en ese momento y medía aproximadamente 6 pies de estatura.

“Es posible que alguien haya sido renuente, haya tenido miedo o no haya pensado que su información podía ser útil”, dijo el detective principal Oscar Andino. “Cualquier dato puede ser relevante para esta investigación”.

Willis era padre de tres hijos y abuelo de un nieto. Su familia dijo que simplemente regresaba a casa cuando su vida fue truncada.

Su madre afirmó que todavía busca respuestas.

“Ni siquiera quiero que vayas a prisión. Solo quiero que hables conmigo, háblame. La prisión no te va a ayudar. Lo sé”, dijo.

Los investigadores instan a cualquier persona con información a presentarse. Hay una recompensa de Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers disponible para información que conduzca a un arresto. Cualquier persona con información debe llamar a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-TIPS.

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Casey Liening, a spokesperson with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, said Sean Peter Alexis, 40, was taken into custody with assistance from the Plantation Police Department.

Jail record show Alexis is facing multiple charges, including hit-and-run involving serious bodily injury, hit-and-run involving property damage, and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

The crash happened around 6:15 p.m. near West Broward Boulevard and Northwest 11th Avenue, when a vehicle struck a marked BSO patrol unit and fled the scene, investigators said.

They said witnesses told police that Alexis ran a red light before the collision.

Video from the scene showed heavy damage to the deputy’s vehicle, with the driver’s side crushed and airbags deployed.

Authorities said the male deputy was hospitalized after the crash.

They said his injuries were determined to be non-life threatening, though it was not immediately clear whether he remained in the hospital.

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

Según la Policía de Miami, una alerta de ShotSpotter fue detectada cerca de Northwest Second Avenue y 38th Street alrededor de las 10 p.m.

Los investigadores indicaron que el conductor recibió un disparo en el hombro mientras transportaba a un pasajero.

Dijeron que, a pesar de estar herido, el conductor continuó hacia el norte y llamó a la policía desde el área de Northwest Fifth Avenue y 46th Street.

Paramédicos de Miami Fire Rescue trasladaron tanto al conductor como al pasajero al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial, según la policía. Indicaron que el pasajero pudo haber sufrido una herida por roce de bala.

Mientras respondía a la balacera, un sargento de la Policía de Miami se vio involucrado en un accidente por separado después de que otro vehículo no respetó una señal de alto, confirmaron las autoridades.

La policía informó que la patrulla del sargento volcó durante la colisión. El sargento no sufrió heridas graves, pero fue trasladado a un hospital cercano para una evaluación.

Las autoridades no han divulgado información sobre un sospechoso ni sobre lo que pudo haber provocado la balacera.

En respuesta a la balacera, un portavoz de Uber dijo:

“Lo que vivieron este conductor y este pasajero debió haber sido aterrador. Hemos estado en contacto con ellos para conocer su estado y nuestros pensamientos están con ellos mientras se recuperan. Estamos disponibles para ayudar a las autoridades en su investigación en todo lo que podamos”.

La investigación continúa en curso.

Cualquier persona con información debe llamar a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

According to Miami police, a ShotSpotter alert was detected near Northwest Second Avenue and 38th Street around 10 p.m.

Investigators said the driver was struck in the shoulder while transporting a passenger.

They said despite being wounded, the driver continued north and called police from the area of Northwest Fifth Avenue and 46th Street.

Miami Fire Rescue medics transported both the driver and passenger to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, according to police. The passenger may have suffered a graze wound, they said.

While responding to the shooting, a Miami police sergeant was involved in a separate crash after another vehicle ran a stop sign, authorities confirmed.

Police said the sergeant’s patrol vehicle overturned in the collision. The sergeant was not seriously injured but was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Authorities have not released information about a suspect or what may have led to the shooting.

In response to the shooting an Uber spokesperson said:

“What this driver and rider went through must have been terrifying. We have been in touch with them to check on their wellbeing, and our thoughts are with them as they recover. We are standing by to assist law enforcement with their investigation however we can.”

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Organized by the Miami Host Committee, Copa de Sol is designed to showcase the power of soccer when communities, cultures and generations unite.

The event has drawn soccer fans from throughout the region, with participants signing up to compete in matches running through Sunday.

About 160 teams are competing on a 4-versus-4 mini pitch.

Organizers said the festival is the result of about two months of planning and is focused on creating a community-centered experience.

“It’s all about community,” said Alina Hudak, president and CEO of the Miami Host Committee. “It’s a very fast, rapid-pace tournament. We’ve got youth teams that have been playing all day. They’re going to be playing throughout the weekend. We have corporate teams. We have women teams. We have influencers. So it’s just an opportunity to be excited.”

“The game that we love, not only the skills that it gives you but the community and the routine and the bringing people together is in danger of getting interrupted by extreme heat, by flooding,” said Jenna Lamb, U.S. campaign director for Where Football Lives.

Fans attending the event said their passion for the sport brought them out.

“I just love soccer,” said Joshua Leconte. “It’s a good event. I love soccer. That’s why I came.”

Kai Havertz put the four-time champions in front with a header from a free kick in the second minute but Antonee Robinson tied the score in the 37th with a left-foot volley from the top of the arc following Christian Pulisic’s corner kick.

Sané scored off a short pass from Havertz, a diagonal shot between the legs of Miles Robinson that appeared to take a slight deflection off the defender and beat goalkeeper Matt Freese to the far post.

The 16th-ranked United States has lost nine straight games to European opponents dating to 2022.

Hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994, the Americans open against Paraguay on Friday, then play Australia and Turkey. The U.S. hadn’t lost its last match heading into a World Cup since 2002.

No. 10 Germany starts against Curaçao on June 14 in a group that includes Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

The match drew a sellout crowd of 63,636 to Soldier Field, site of the 1994 World Cup opener. Chicago refused to bid to host 2026 World Cup matches, citing what it said was a lack of financial assurances by FIFA.

The U.S. played without top defender Chris Richards, sidelined since tearing a pair of left ankle ligaments on May 17.

Germany was missing 18-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl, ruled out for the World Cup after injuring a thigh in training. Oliver Baumann started in goal as Manuel Neuer rested while recovering from a calf muscle issue.

Freese started in goal for the 15th time in 18 matches.

Die Mannschaft went ahead after Tyler Adams' foul just outside the penalty area. Joshua Kimmich's free kick was headed in by Havertz at the top of the 6-yard box for his 22nd international goal,

Robinson scored his fifth international goal after Jonathan Tah's headed clearance attempt on Pulisic's corner kick went just outside the area. Robinson celebrated with a cartwheel and a backflip.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

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Really impressed with the Dolphins leadership Sullivan & Hafley..nice visit at the Big Chill pic.twitter.com/DK3pnZKxOr

— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) June 5, 2026

Johnson posted a photo Friday evening on X, writing: “Really impressed with the Dolphins leadership Sullivan & Hafley.. nice visit at the Big Chill.”

The gathering took place at Johnson’s Key Largo restaurant, The Big Chill.

The photo included Johnson, former Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt, Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley and restaurant owner Larry Calvano.

Sullivan and Hafley previously worked together with the Green Bay Packers, where Sullivan served as vice president of player personnel and Hafley was defensive coordinator.

Now reunited in South Florida, the pair already appears to be making a positive impression on some of the franchise’s most recognizable figures.

Johnson served as both head coach and general manager of the Dolphins from 1996-99, compiling a 36-28 record and leading the team to three playoff appearances. During his tenure, Miami drafted future Pro Football Hall of Famers Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, two cornerstone players who helped define the franchise for more than a decade.

Since taking over, Hafley and Sullivan have signed all 13 members of the Dolphins’ 2026 draft class, reached a contract extension with Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane and added quarterback Malik Willis as they look to help end a drought that has seen Miami go without a playoff victory since 2000.

Johnson publicó una foto el viernes por la noche en X y escribió: “Realmente impresionado con la dirigencia de los Dolphins, Sullivan y Hafley... buena visita en The Big Chill”.

pic.twitter.com/DK3pnZKxOr — Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson)June 5, 2026

El encuentro tuvo lugar en el restaurante de Johnson en Key Largo, The Big Chill.

En la fotografía aparecen Johnson, el ex entrenador de los Dolphins Dave Wannstedt, el gerente general de los Dolphins Jeff Hafley, el ejecutivo de los Dolphins Jon-Eric Sullivan y el propietario del restaurante Larry Calvano.

Sullivan y Hafley trabajaron anteriormente juntos con los Green Bay Packers, donde Sullivan se desempeñó como vicepresidente de personal de jugadores y Hafley fue coordinador defensivo.

Ahora reunidos en el sur de Florida, la dupla ya parece estar causando una impresión positiva en algunas de las figuras más reconocidas de la franquicia.

Johnson fue entrenador en jefe y gerente general de los Dolphins entre 1996 y 1999, acumulando un récord de 36-28 y llevando al equipo a tres apariciones en los playoffs. Durante su gestión, Miami seleccionó en el draft a los futuros miembros del Salón de la Fama Jason Taylor y Zach Thomas, dos jugadores fundamentales que ayudaron a definir a la franquicia durante más de una década.

Desde que asumieron sus cargos, Hafley y Sullivan han firmado a los 13 integrantes de la clase del draft de 2026 de los Dolphins, alcanzaron una extensión de contrato con el corredor Pro Bowl De’Von Achane y añadieron al mariscal de campo Malik Willis, mientras buscan poner fin a una sequía que ha mantenido a Miami sin una victoria en los playoffs desde el año 2000.

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Participants walked from the Lauderhill Police Department to City Hall, carrying signs that read “Our Community, Our Peace, Our Responsibility” and “Guns Down, Peace Up.”

The walk was escorted by Lauderhill police officers to ensure participants’ safety along the route.

Many of those taking part have been personally affected by gun violence, including parents who have lost children.

Among them was Brittany Bucknor, a mother who shared the story of her daughter, Destiny Bucknor, who was killed by gunfire nearly three years ago.

“I lost my daughter Destiny, who was only 19 years of age on July 4th of 2023,” she said. “She was riding with a family member in a slingshot, and they shot at the slingshot, and she was killed instantly on impact.”

Bucknor said Destiny had recently graduated from high school and survived lupus.

“She was ready to live her life, wanting to become a Black firefighter woman, and her life was taken from her shortly,” she added.

The event honored victims of gun violence while promoting peace and public safety throughout the community.

“It’s important to come out here ... guns down, peace up,” Bucknor said. “We’re here together to celebrate those who’ve lost family members due to gun violence and any type of violence.”

Organizers said the walk and festival were designed to bring the community together, support grieving families and encourage efforts to reduce violence.

The dismissal on Friday was granted under Washington's Anti-SLAPP laws, which are designed to prevent meritless lawsuits intended to silence opposing points of view on matters of public interest.

Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, had presided over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006. He called off last year’s performance shortly after Trump’s handpicked board at the Kennedy Center voted to add the president’s name to the facility.

“The Center sued Mr. Redd because he publicly and rightly objected to adding Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy," Lisa J. Banks, one of Redd's lawyers, said in a statement. "The lawsuit against Mr. Redd was political retribution, pure and simple, by the Trump Kennedy Center, and the Court correctly saw it as such in dismissing the case with prejudice.”

Redd told The Associated Press in an email Saturday morning that he is “very pleased with the judge's ruling.”

The motion to dismiss, filed in March, argued that Redd wasn't contractually obligated to perform. It included the contract provided by the Kennedy Center, which the artist never signed.

Representatives for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit's dismissal.

Los participantes caminaron desde el Departamento de Policía de Lauderhill hasta el Ayuntamiento, portando carteles con mensajes como “Nuestra comunidad, nuestra paz, nuestra responsabilidad” y “Menos armas, más paz”.

La caminata fue escoltada por agentes de la Policía de Lauderhill para garantizar la seguridad de los participantes a lo largo de la ruta.

Muchas de las personas que participaron han sido afectadas personalmente por la violencia armada, incluidos padres que han perdido hijos.

Entre ellos estaba Brittany Bucknor, una madre que compartió la historia de su hija, Destiny Bucknor, quien murió por disparos hace casi tres años.

“Perdí a mi hija Destiny, que tenía solo 19 años de edad, el 4 de julio de 2023”, dijo. “Iba con un familiar en un Slingshot y dispararon contra el vehículo, y murió instantáneamente por el impacto”.

Bucknor dijo que Destiny se había graduado recientemente de la escuela secundaria y había sobrevivido al lupus.

“Estaba lista para vivir su vida, quería convertirse en una mujer afroamericana bombera, y su vida le fue arrebatada demasiado pronto”, agregó.

El evento honró a las víctimas de la violencia armada mientras promovía la paz y la seguridad pública en toda la comunidad.

“Es importante venir aquí... menos armas, más paz”, dijo Bucknor. “Estamos aquí juntos para honrar a quienes han perdido familiares debido a la violencia armada y cualquier otro tipo de violencia”.

Los organizadores indicaron que la caminata y el festival fueron diseñados para unir a la comunidad, apoyar a las familias en duelo y fomentar esfuerzos para reducir la violencia.

Instead, the longtime owner of Richard Childress Racing held a news conference Saturday at the track to publicly address the unexpected death of Kyle Busch for the first time since the two-time Cup Series champion died on May 21 after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis.

For Childress, whose NASCAR team weathered the loss of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt in a fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, the ache was all too familiar.

“You lose two of the greatest drivers that’s ever driven a car in NASCAR and to have to go through it again,” Childress said. “I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody. But yeah, I mean, I haven’t slept very good lately.”

Childress said he spoke to Busch the night before he was hospitalized after becoming unresponsive while testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina.

Busch, who was in a contract year, died the next day. His death certificate cited hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. The 41-year-old was in the midst of a 105-Cup race win drought.

But he had finished a season-best eighth at Watkins Glen after a crew chief change, and Childress said there were positive discussions about Busch returning to the No. 8 Chevrolet next year.

“He said, ‘You give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks, I will make The Chase this year,’” Childress said. “We were that confident.”

With RCR switching to the No. 33, Austin Hill has driven Busch’s car the past two races. Childress said Hill will remain in the ride the rest of the season.

“We don’t want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other,” Childress said.

The team is safeguarding the No. 8 for the possible Cup career of 11-year-old Brexton Busch, even if Kyle’s son races for another team.

Kyle and Brexton Busch had been on hunting trips recently with Childress, who watched the father and son race at a dirt track in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area.

“Talking to Kyle at different times, knowing his plans and what he had in the future for Brexton and his family,” Childress said. “The many things that we all could have done together, that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing.”

Childress, 80, founded his team in 1969 and has been leaning on grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon to guide the organization along with RCR president Mike Verlander and team executive Mike Dillon, Childress’ son-in-law.

“It’s never easy,” Childress said. “They just gave me a little bit of time to get my head right.”

He believes Busch should go immediately into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which elected its 2027 class last month.

“Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that’s ever been,” Childress said. “His legacy is that he was a man that a lot of people thought he was tough to deal with, and that he wouldn’t last long. He is a man that loves his sport. He loved it so much he wanted to see his family carry on in it. To see the enjoyment in Kyle’s eyes watching his son race was just unbelievable.”

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

The Kentucky Derby runner-up trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher has been bet down to 8-5 after opening at 2-1 on the morning line. The rest of the money has spread out significantly, with Derby winner Golden Tempo, Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Emerging Market all 5-1.

The long shots in the field of nine are Pletcher-trained Powershift at 12-1, Growth Equity at 13-1, Ottinho at 19-1 and Vitruivian Man at 20-1.

The Belmont is being run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for a third and final time while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island was demolished and rebuilt. The race is set to return to Belmont Park next year.

Golden Tempo made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. She is looking to be the second at the Belmont after Jena Antonucci in 2023 with Archangelo.

DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career at the track.

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

Ament's first love was a “terrible” clay wheel skateboard and his passion blossomed on a family trip to California, where he skateboarded and felt the g-forces on urethane wheels on paved asphalt streets and then poured through the pages of Skateboarder magazine on the 20-hour drive home to Montana.

Ament found pictures of decks and ramps that he used as inspiration for designs that his dad, George, would help him build — like how to craft a kick tail and create the perfect tail radius — and took his skateboard to compete in larger contests around the state.

“I think the idea that he was helping me build something was the most important thing to him,” Ament said. “He gave me a life skill.”

Ament's other major life skill, as bassist for the Pearl Jam band he co-founded, also has served him well and provided him with the means to help fund the creation of world-class skateboard parks in Montana. Many are in small, isolated communities, including at least one on every state Native American reservation by the end of the year. Construction starts in two weeks for one on the last reservation on the list, Northern Cheyenne.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand artists,” Ament said on a Zoom with The Associated Press. “I think skateboarding is probably even more of an art than it is a sport.”

Ament has found the parks can help kids survive and thrive outside of daily isolation, a message spread in the short documentary “Paving the Way.” Ament created original music for the film — which captures skateboarding’s power to foster creativity, challenge stereotypes and build community, spotlighting Indigenous youth on the Flathead Reservation — that premiers Sunday at the Tribeca Festival in New York.

The film tells the story through skater and artist Alishon Kelly, who perseveres with her love of skateboarding even with a broken foot. “Paving the Way” is directed by Keelan Williams and was nominated for the Big Sky Award at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

“I think what he captures really well is just, when you have that thing inside of you, you just feel the need to be created,” Ament said. “I think it explains it really well, how cathartic it can be, how it helps you understand other aspects of your life.”

At the film’s backbone is a partnership between Jeff’s Montana Pool Service — a nod to the large bowl at the center of a skate park — and the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, as five new skateparks rise across the Flathead Reservation.

“We’re reminding people of our first peoples,” Ament said. “I think most people in this country have no idea that they even exist. I think there’s even been certain people in our government that are trying to kind of rewrite history, erase history. You even hear young people, say, younger people than me, talk about the Native people as if they’re immigrants.”

The 63-year-old Ament delivered the commencement speech at MSU-Northern in Montana last month and touched on the importance for the graduates to be being open to getting out and seeing the world, even if they come from areas that can seem disconnected from their rural hometowns. He met with some of the students after the ceremony and found the experience “gave me hope. I think sometimes I don’t always see the best of the younger generation. They’re almost to a person, so gung-ho about getting out, getting after it.”

There also are plans in the works to get “Paving the Way” out in the world — Ament hoped for distribution beyond Tribeca, where Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder was the focus of a film in the festival last year — now available on YouTube or PBS — but wanted to make sure the film is somehow available to those in Indigenous communities and to show them the hope, resilience and joy that can be found at the skateboarding parks.

“These parks are where we come together and where we look out for each other,” said Terrence Lozeau, a skater featured in the film. “You see little kids watching the older ones and learning.”

As for Ament's day job, Pearl Jam returns in September to headline the Ohana festival in Dana Point, California, in its first performance since drummer Matt Cameron left the band in May after 27 years. The band has kept the identity of his replacement under wraps and will make it official at the Sept. 27 festival.

“I think the big question is, if it’s going to work out that this is our future drummer,” Ament told the AP. “It’ll be the first show, so there’s a little bit of a trial happening. It’s exciting. It’s taken a little bit longer than we thought it would take. We’re not in any massive rush either."

Ament said the band has started writing new songs but would like to play a few dates with the new drummer before Pearl Jam hits the studio again next year.

“I think we need to get out and play like 10, 15 shows with whoever our drummer is and just kind of get that part going before we make a record,” Ament said.

So it's probably appropriate the teams split the first two games in Carolina, but if history is a guide, the winner of Saturday's Game 3 will have an enormous edge. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.

But this series has been, if anything, unpredictable.

The Hurricanes couldn't have gotten off to a better start in the opener. Nikolaj Ehlers scored just 25 seconds into the game and soon after added a second goal for a 2-0 lead. But the Golden Knights rallied with three consecutive goals to begin a back-and-forth finish.

Vegas ultimately won 5-4 when Tomas Hertl scored with 3:24 remaining off a sensational backhand pass from Colton Sissons.

The Golden Knights appeared to take full control of the series in Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead deep into third period. But Carolina scored three goals beginning with 9:40 left before Mark Stone forced overtime with a six-on-five goal with 1:21 remaining.

Seth Jarvis' power-play goal 3:56 into OT gave the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory and evened the series.

Vegas is known for putting on a show, be it at T-Mobile Arena or elsewhere on the famed Strip, but it will be difficult to top what happened in Carolina.

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

Castro's celebration of his 95th birthday with top officials and military leaders at the Ministry of Interior in Havana on late Friday offered Cuba's socialist government an opportunity to close ranks and project defiance as the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign on the fuel-starved island.

State TV broadcast footage of Castro, clad in his olive-green military uniform, entering a packed theater to a standing ovation, followed by his grandson and bodyguard, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez, and Cuban President Miguel Diáz-Canel.

Diáz-Canel delivered an effusive tribute to the “heroism and dignity" displayed by Castro and his late brother, the central figure of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro. He praised Raúl Castro, who served as defense minister of Cuba for nearly 50 years, for his “courage and loyalty (that) made him a target from a very early age for the intelligence services of our enemies."

In a more direct response to provocations by the Trump administration, Diaz-Canel warned that “there will be a decisive and resolute battle" if the U.S. acts on its threats to invade the island.

“Raúl is Raúl," he said, echoing the slogan that has appeared in billboards across Havana and in a flood of social media posts since the May 20 U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro on murder charges — an apparent attempt to mobilize national unity to counter the government's image of isolation. “Raúl is Cuba, and Cuba is untouchable.”

Friday's late-night celebration, two days after Castro turned 95, marked a rare public appearance for the low-profile but influential Cuban army general. Although he formally retired from politics in April 2021, Castro is believed to wield considerable political power.

The Justice Department’s indictment unsealed last month accuses Castro of ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles. It was the steepest in a series of escalations since the Trump administration all but cut off Cuba’s oil supplies in January, exacerbating the island's long-running problems like blackouts and a public health crisis.

The Trump administration demands that Cuba’s socialist government release political prisoners, implement major economic reforms and change its way of governance to avoid becoming a national security threat. Cuba has said it poses no threat to the U.S.

Phillips, the son of Charles' sister Princess Anne, wed Harriet Sperling, a nurse working for the National Health Service, in a church ceremony in the southwestern English village of Kemble.

They were joined by more than 100 guests including Prince William, Princess Catherine, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and other royals.

The bride wore a high-neck lace gown designed by Emilia Wickstead.

Phillips, 48, is the son Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips. He is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandson, and William and Prince Harry’s first cousin.

Phillips split from his first wife Autumn Kelly, with whom he has two children. His engagement to Sperling was announced last year.

Well-wishers cheered when the bride and royals arrived, and after the ceremony guests held umbrellas in heavy rain to throw rose petals over the couple as they left the church.

The San Antonio Spurs are down 0-2. They say they're unfazed.

Such is the state of things in the NBA Finals, where both teams were taking a travel day on Saturday. Practices resume Sunday and Game 3 of the title series is Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where President Donald Trump will be watching alongside fans who are willing to pay nearly $10,000 for seats so far from the court that 7-foot-4 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will look tiny.

The Knicks insist they're not celebrating yet. The Spurs insist they're not defeated yet.

“Every single day, we chip away and try to be the best that we can be. ... Even with the series it is now, next game, mindset has to be 0-0 again,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the late-game hero in both the Game 1 and Game 2 wins that New York got in San Antonio to take an absolute stranglehold on the series. “It’s just how it has to be. You can’t be comfortable. You can’t be satisfied with anything. Just got to continue to push forward.”

That's all they've done for a month and a half now.

They've won 13 consecutive games, the second-longest single-season playoff run in NBA history behind only a 15-game winning streak by Golden State in the 2017 postseason. They have a chance to be the first team in NBA history to make it through the last three rounds of the playoffs — the conference semifinals, conference final and NBA Finals — unbeaten.

“One of the things that we preach is being present,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “In order to be present, you can’t think about the past, you can’t think about the future. For all of us as humans, that’s hard as heck to do. I constantly, boom, flick myself in the head, tell myself, ‘Be present, be present, be present.’ I obviously mention it to the group, too. With those guys being who they are, they’ve really embraced it, and they’re really trying to live it every single moment during this run.”

They don't get rattled, even on this stage. Counting the NBA Cup final, which isn't recognized in standings or official league stats, the Knicks are 4-1 against the Spurs this season. The four wins by New York all have something in common: the Knicks trailed by double digits in each of those games.

— Cup final in Vegas, the Spurs led by 11 (and lost by 11).

— Regular-season game at MSG, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by 25).

— Game 1 of the finals, the Spurs led by 14 (and lost by 10).

— Game 2 of the finals, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by one).

“We just need to figure it out,” Wembanyama said. “We need to keep working on it.”

The only Spurs win over New York was the regular-season game at home, where they won by two after trailing by 19 and never leading by more than six.

Go figure.

“It was going to take everything to win the series anyway,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “Putting ourselves in this type of predicament is going to be tough, but I don’t think it’s anything we can’t handle.”

The Knicks have an idea of what's coming on Monday.

The Garden will be shaking to its core, since people who spent the kind of money that they're spending to come see a basketball game likely won't decide to sit quietly in their seats. The energy in the city will be beyond compare, with a 53-year wait for another NBA championship now just two games away and oddsmakers — who have the Knicks at -550 to win the series — basically saying it's inevitable. And the Spurs will come out throwing whatever punches they have left to throw.

“Knowing them, there’s going to be another level,” Brunson said. “We have to be prepared and be ready to match it and play for 48 minutes. No matter what goes on in the game, we have to have each other’s back, what’s going on, who is on a run, what’s not, who is up, who is down, making sure we are playing together for 48 minutes is really important.”

If the Knicks could use a cautionary tale, they need look no further than Mikal Bridges. He was with Phoenix when the Suns took a 2-0 lead in the 2021 finals against Milwaukee. The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo won that series in six games. It's a different situation now — those two Suns wins were in Phoenix, not on the road — but it is a reminder that two wins aren't enough.

“It’s still 0-0 as far as we’re concerned,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “Being up 2-0 means really nothing. This (San Antonio) team is going to come out on Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we’ve got to be better.”

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

Signs of trouble were everywhere.

The mood in New York was abysmal.

Mike Brown's future as coach was a hot topic.

“Stuff's going to happen,” Brown, the Knicks coach in his first year, said that night in Atlanta. “Plenty of teams have been down 1-2. I even think Oklahoma City was down 1-2 last year and they ended up winning it. I'm not saying we're going to win it or anything like that, but the reality of it is it's seven games and you take one game at a time.”

The Knicks have played 13 games since. The results: win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win and win. One game at a time, one win at a time, and quite possibly, one championship at a time. The Knicks are back in New York with a 2-0 lead over San Antonio in the NBA Finals, still riding the strength of a 13-game winning streak.

A streak like that has happened once before in NBA postseason history, when counting just single-season winning runs. Golden State won 15 in a row on its way to the 2017 title.

The common thread between those Warriors and these Knicks? That would be Brown. He was an assistant on that Golden State staff and went 12-0 as acting head coach during the playoffs while Steve Kerr was sidelined by back issues.

“You've got to have good players,” Brown said. “I’m not that smart. You've got to have good players that carry you.”

Brown's playoff record, officially, is a stellar 64-42 as a head coach.

Throw those 12 games with the Warriors on his record — which, by NBA rule and precedent, doesn't happen because Kerr was still head coach, just not present on the sideline for those games — and Brown's playoff winning percentage would rise to .644. That would be third best in NBA history among coaches with at least 100 playoff games, behind only Phil Jackson and Kerr.

Either way, Brown now has to be considered the coaching king of the playoff winning streak.

A look inside this run by New York:

Dominant margins

— The Knicks have outscored Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Antonio in these 13 games by 273 points, the biggest 13-game margin in NBA playoff history. Before this stretch, the biggest 13-game playoff point-differential margin was 225, by those Warriors — the team that Brown led on an interim basis — in 2017.

— All but two of the Knicks' wins in this streak were by double figures. The exceptions: Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia (a six-point win) and Game 2 of the NBA Finals against San Antonio (a one-point win). Six additional wins have come with a final margin between 10 and 16 points, and the other five were total blowouts — the Knicks winning those by 29, 30, 37, 39 and 51 points.

— The Knicks have led by 40 or more in four different games during the streak, including a 61-point lead at Atlanta in the clinching game of that East first-round series.

Rarely in trouble

— The Knicks have faced double-digit deficits in just four of the games, with two of those the first two of these NBA Finals against the Spurs. They trailed by 14 in Game 1 and by as many as 12 in Game 2.

— They also trailed Philadelphia by 12 in Game 3 of the East semifinals and Cleveland by 22 in Game 1 of the East final.

Road warriors

— New York is 8-0 on the road during this winning streak, the final margin in those games — even with a one-point game from Friday in there — averaging a staggering 21.5 points.

— The only team in Knicks history with a longer road winning streak, either in the regular season or playoffs, was the 1969-70 team that once won 12 in a row away from home. That team went on to win New York's first NBA title.

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

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The attack happened Thursday night in the Keystone neighborhood.

Officials said a resident had hired a professional trapper and had a nuisance raccoon trapped in a backyard.

“The person went out to investigate because of the noise and to secure the area,” North Miami Council Member Kevin Burns said. “And as they were doing that, three additional raccoons came under the fence and attacked the individual, causing severe trauma.”

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, raccoons are intelligent animals found throughout Florida. The agency says a panicked raccoon can bite.

“We have a large raccoon population,” Burns said.

Burns said he has received many emails from concerned residents following the attack.

“We advise people, along with FWC, don’t feed the animals,” Burns said.

The injured woman is recovering at Ryder Trauma Center, where several FWC officers were seen.

In a statement, the agency said the county health department has been notified.

“FWC Wildlife Assistance biologists will be providing the injured party and neighbors with technical assistance and guidance for prevention of further conflicts with raccoons,” the agency said.

El ataque ocurrió la noche del jueves en el vecindario Keystone.

Las autoridades informaron que una residente había contratado a un trampero profesional y tenía un mapache considerado una molestia atrapado en un patio trasero.

“La persona salió a investigar debido al ruido y para asegurar el área”, dijo Kevin Burns, miembro del Concejo Municipal de North Miami. “Y mientras hacía eso, tres mapaches adicionales entraron por debajo de la cerca y atacaron a la persona, causándole lesiones graves”.

Según la Comisión de Conservación de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Florida (FWC), los mapaches son animales inteligentes que se encuentran en todo Florida. La agencia señala que un mapache asustado puede morder.

“Tenemos una gran población de mapaches”, dijo Burns.

Burns indicó que ha recibido muchos correos electrónicos de residentes preocupados tras el ataque.

“Aconsejamos a las personas, junto con la FWC, que no alimenten a los animales”, dijo Burns.

La mujer herida se recupera en el Ryder Trauma Center, donde fueron vistos varios oficiales de la FWC.

En un comunicado, la agencia indicó que el departamento de salud del condado ha sido notificado.

“Los biólogos de Asistencia a la Vida Silvestre de la FWC brindarán a la persona lesionada y a los vecinos asistencia técnica y orientación para prevenir futuros conflictos con mapaches”, señaló la agencia.

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Wachter said the kittens arrived at the shelter in early April weighing just 0.33 pounds, before their eyes had even opened. After spending several weeks in a volunteer foster home, she said the siblings are now ready for adoption.

Madonna, a black-and-white kitten, was described as outgoing and playful, while Mariah, a long-haired calico, was more reserved. Wachter noted that nearly all calico cats are female.

Wachter also spotlighted Kobe, a 1½-year-old dog available for adoption. She described him as energetic, playful and well-suited for an active family. Kobe enjoys playing with other dogs, entertaining himself with toys and splashing in water, according to Wachter.

Shelter staff encourages other prospective adopters to visit the shelter and meet available pets.

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

Wachter explicó que las gatitas llegaron al refugio a principios de abril pesando apenas 0.33 libras, antes incluso de abrir los ojos. Tras pasar varias semanas en un hogar temporal con una familia voluntaria, indicó que las hermanas ya están listas para ser adoptadas.

Madonna, una gatita blanco y negro, fue descrita como extrovertida y juguetona, mientras que Mariah, una gata carey de pelo largo, es más reservada. Wachter señaló que casi todas las gatas carey son hembras.

Wachter también destacó a Kobe, un perro de un año y medio disponible para adopción. Lo describió como enérgico, juguetón e ideal para una familia activa. Según Wachter, a Kobe le gusta jugar con otros perros, entretenerse con juguetes y chapotear en el agua.

El personal del refugio anima a otros posibles adoptantes a visitar las instalaciones y conocer a las mascotas disponibles.

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

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According to deputies, Mary Maruri was reported missing on Friday near her home in the 5300 block of Southwest 62nd Avenue.

Investigators on Saturday said that she has since been reunited with her loved ones.

Authorities have not said what led to her disappearance.

Según los agentes, Mary Maruri fue reportada como desaparecida el viernes cerca de su vivienda en la cuadra 5300 de Southwest 62nd Avenue.

Los investigadores informaron el sábado que ya fue reunida con sus seres queridos.

Las autoridades no han informado qué provocó su desaparición.

Castro, quien acaba de cumplir además 95 años, se presentó este viernes por la noche en una ceremonia que celebró tanto su onomástico como el 65 aniversario de la fundación del Ministerio del Interior de la isla, informaron los medios de prensa oficiales.

La televisión mostró imágenes de la llegada del líder al teatro a donde se organizó la velada, vestido con su tradicional uniforme verde olivo y rodeado de los militares de alto rango además de la plana mayor del gobierno y del actual presidente del país, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

“Raúl es Raúl” –una consigna repetida en actos y manifestaciones revolucionarias-- , “dice el pueblo en todas las tribunas. La idea trae la singularidad de una figura excepcional que, junto a Fidel, ya ocupa una posición distinguida en la digna historia de la nación cubana por la suma de valores humanos que lo distinguieron”, expresó Díaz-Canel en las palabras centrales del mitin.

“Significa heroísmo, dignidad y escudo moral. Significa haber derrotado varios intentos de asesinato, porque su valor y lealtad lo convirtieron desde muy temprano en un objetivo de los servicios de inteligencia de nuestros enemigos y de los mercenarios entrenados y financiados por ellos. Raúl es Cuba, y a Cuba no se toca”, agregó el mandatario.

Fiscales federales de Estados Unidos anunciaron el 20 de mayo cargos contra Raúl Castro por el derribo de dos aeronaves civiles operadas por exiliados cubanos asentados en Miami en 1996, con lo que el gobierno estadounidense intensifica la presión sobre el gobierno socialista de Cuba.

La acusación alega que Castro ordenó el derribo las naves operadas por el grupo Hermanos al Rescate, con sede en Miami. Castro era en ese entonces el ministro de Defensa. Los cargos, que fueron presentados en secreto por un jurado investigador en abril, incluyen asesinato y destrucción de una aeronave.

Castro arribó a los 95 años el 3 de julio pasado y desde que fuera acusado no había sido visto en público, ya que se encuentra retirado de cargos formales, aunque su presencia es simbólicamente fuerte el país

El presidente Donald Trump desató una dura campaña contra la isla en enero pasado e impuso un cerco petrolero dispuesto a asfixiar a la isla, imponer un cambio de gobierno o “tomarla”, según él mismo aseguró.

Cuba advirtió que no está dispuesta a aceptar pasivamente una intervención militar en la isla.

El bloqueo energético estadounidense impidió la llegada de combustibles y agudizó las condiciones de crisis que vive en el último lustro con consecuencias para la población como largos apagones, deficiencias en la salud pública y la producción y la isla casi paralizada.

Ambos países reconocieron que mantienen conversaciones pero no se conoce el alcance de las mismas.

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But a new exhibit may be prompting an about-face from the federal government.

The Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library has struggled to keep its doors open, according to director Robert Kesten.

“We were notified that the federal government would not be giving any grants,” Kesten said.

So when the museum began planning its latest exhibit, Kesten was surprised to learn it had received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“And we were told that we got the grant and so I remember calling to find out if that was true,” he said.

The grant is funding an exhibit about the Revolutionary War and the story of Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a military general who many historians believe was gay.

Around 1778, the Americans were looking for military help. Kesten said von Steuben had some of the best military training in Europe.

“He had the best training in Europe,” he said.

According to the exhibit, von Steuben was wanted for arrest in Europe over homosexual activities before being recruited to America by Benjamin Franklin.

“He really was expert at military strategy,” Kesten said.

Historians believe von Steuben became one of George Washington’s most trusted military advisers.

“Some people would say he is the father of the U.S. Army,” Kesten said.

Von Steuben also wrote the military training manual known as the “Blue Book.”

“That book is still in print, and still available, and still used,” Kesten said.

The exhibit highlights von Steuben’s role in helping the Americans defeat the British during the Revolutionary War.

“He gave them strategy, he gave them a sense of purpose,” Kesten said.

The exhibit is now open and is part of the country’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Kesten said he believes it may be the only diversity, equity and inclusion-related exhibit in the country that is partly funded by the federal government.

Kesten said the exhibit’s message is especially relevant during Pride Month.

“We hurt ourselves when we dismiss people because we are uncomfortable with their lifestyle that has no impact on their ability to protect and defend the country,” he said.

The exhibit will remain on display through June as the museum faces additional state funding cuts in the coming months.

The museum has largely been operating on donations from residents, according to Kesten.

La segunda vuelta se celebrará el 21 de junio, entre el senador Iván Cepeda, aliado del presidente Gustavo Petro, y el abogado Abelardo de la Espriella, respaldado por el mandatario norteamericano Donald Trump.

Es un momento crucial para Colombia, que bajo Petro se consolidó como uno de los defensores más vehementes de la protección de la Amazonía y de la transición para dejar atrás el petróleo, el gas y el carbón, los principales impulsores del cambio climático.

Petro se opuso a nuevos contratos de exploración de petróleo y gas, prometió no impulsar el fracking —una técnica utilizada para extraer petróleo y gas de formaciones rocosas subterráneas — y buscó posicionar a Colombia como líder mundial en temas climáticos. Colombia organizó recientemente una cumbre internacional sin precedentes centrada en una transición global para abandonar los combustibles fósiles.

Analistas señalan que Cepeda probablemente representaría la continuidad de las prioridades de Petro. Ha enfatizado los derechos indígenas, la conservación ambiental y la reducción de la dependencia de Colombia de los combustibles fósiles, al tiempo que ha dado señales de apoyo a mantener los esfuerzos de Petro para orientar al país hacia las energías renovables y alejarlo de nuevos desarrollos de petróleo y gas.

De la Espriella, por su parte, ha hecho campaña con una plataforma centrada en la seguridad y el crecimiento económico. Ha expresado apoyo a ampliar las industrias extractivas de Colombia, incluido el fracking, y ha sostenido que el país debería aprovechar más sus recursos subterráneos.

“Aunque ambos candidatos aseguran que valoran la conservación del ecosistema amazónico, la elección a la que se enfrentan los votantes es entre un enfoque que se centra en mantener un ecosistema prístino frente a otro basado en la explotación productiva”, declaró Elizabeth Dickinson, subdirectora para América Latina del International Crisis Group.

“En materia de clima, esta es una elección entre priorizar la energía verde y reimpulsar los combustibles fósiles”, añadió.

Representantes de Cepeda y de la Espriella no respondieron a las solicitudes de comentarios de The Associated Press.

Visiones contrapuestas sobre el desarrollo

Petro ha chocado repetidamente con Trump por la migración, la política climática y la cooperación en seguridad. A comienzos de este año, ambos se enfrentaron públicamente en redes sociales después de que Petro se negara a permitir el aterrizaje de vuelos de deportación de Estados Unidos con migrantes colombianos, lo que llevó a Trump a amenazar con aranceles y restricciones de visado antes de que los países alcanzaran un acuerdo.

Espriella, en cambio, recibió recientemente el respaldo de Trump, quien elogió las posturas del candidato sobre el orden público y la seguridad, y dijo que la elección era importante para las relaciones entre Washington y Bogotá.

Colombia alberga una porción significativa de la selva amazónica, uno de los bosques tropicales más importantes del mundo, que está cada vez más presionado por la deforestación, la minería ilegal, el narcotráfico y el cambio climático.

El gobierno de Petro intentó combatir esos problemas promoviendo una mayor participación indígena en la política ambiental y buscó fortalecer la cooperación entre los países amazónicos. En el escenario internacional, se convirtió en uno de los defensores más visibles de la protección de la selva y del abandono de los combustibles fósiles.

Quienes apoyan ampliar la producción de petróleo y gas sostienen que Colombia sigue dependiendo en gran medida de esos ingresos y advierten que una transición rápida podría tensionar las finanzas públicas y el crecimiento económico.

Es probable que la tensión entre la dependencia económica de las industrias extractivas y la protección ambiental marque a cualquier administración que asuma el poder.

Cómo difieren los candidatos sobre la minería ilegal y la extracción de recursos

La minería ilegal, el narcotráfico y la deforestación se han expandido en los últimos años por grandes zonas de la selva, a menudo bajo el control de grupos armados. El aumento del precio del oro, la demanda persistente de cocaína y la expansión de redes criminales transnacionales han hecho que los delitos ambientales sean más rentables que nunca.

“La mayor amenaza para la conservación del ecosistema amazónico es la expansión del crimen organizado. El desafío para ambos candidatos será frenar esa expansión criminal hacia estas industrias”, indicó Dickinson.

Señaló que los grupos criminales han invertido cada vez más en la minería ilegal y la deforestación, convirtiendo la destrucción ambiental en un modelo de negocio lucrativo.

Esa realidad ha alimentado visiones contrapuestas sobre la seguridad.

Cepeda ha dado señales de apoyo a continuar las negociaciones con grupos armados, sobre la base de la política de Petro de “Paz Total”, que buscaba reducir la violencia mediante diálogos con guerrillas, organizaciones de narcotráfico y otros actores armados. Sus partidarios dicen que el diálogo ofrece la mejor oportunidad de reducir la violencia, mientras que críticos sostienen que algunas organizaciones criminales han aprovechado el proceso para consolidar el control territorial.

Incluso bajo Petro, la violencia contra defensores del medio ambiente se disparó, según Andrew Miller, director de incidencia de Amazon Watch, una organización sin fines de lucro enfocada en la protección ambiental y los derechos indígenas. Colombia ha figurado repetidamente entre los países más mortíferos del mundo para los activistas ambientales, pese a la agenda ambiental del gobierno.

De la Espriella ha prometido un enfoque más duro, centrado en la fuerza militar y en restaurar la autoridad del Estado.

Gimena Sánchez, directora para los Andes en la Washington Office on Latin America, sostuvo que las comunidades indígenas están particularmente preocupadas por cómo las operaciones de seguridad podrían afectar territorios que durante mucho tiempo han quedado atrapados entre los grupos armados y el Estado.

“La historia de la militarización de los pueblos indígenas en toda la Amazonía, pero especialmente en Colombia, ha sido devastadora”, apuntó.

Qué piden las comunidades amazónicas que se verían afectadas

Alex Rufino, integrante del pueblo indígena ticuna en la región amazónica de Colombia, afirmó que la protección ambiental no puede separarse de la inversión social.

Sostuvo que las discusiones sobre la selva a menudo pasan por alto a las personas que viven allí y los desafíos que enfrentan, incluido el escaso acceso a educación, atención médica, vivienda y empleo.

Afirmó que políticas sociales más sólidas podrían ayudar a abordar algunas de las presiones de fondo que impulsan la destrucción ambiental, entre ellas el cultivo de coca para el comercio de cocaína, el reclutamiento en grupos armados y la actividad económica ilegal. Un mejor acceso a educación, salud, vivienda y empleo, argumentó, daría a los residentes alternativas a economías que a menudo contribuyen a la deforestación, la minería ilegal y el conflicto.

El cambio climático es cada vez más visible en toda la región, con sequías en los últimos años que redujeron los niveles de los ríos y contribuyeron a la muerte de peces y delfines. También crecen las preocupaciones por la contaminación con mercurio vinculada a la minería ilegal. Estudios en la Amazonía colombiana han detectado mercurio en peces consumidos por comunidades locales y niveles elevados en algunos residentes, lo que ha encendido alarmas sobre impactos a largo plazo en la salud.

Así, mientras los políticos en Bogotá debaten estrategias de seguridad, política energética y crecimiento económico, muchos habitantes de la Amazonía dicen que el próximo gobierno debe primero escuchar a quienes viven en la selva misma.

Para Rufino, eso significa reconocer que la Amazonía no es simplemente una fuente de petróleo, minerales o madera, sino el hogar de comunidades que la han protegido durante generaciones.

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

Sin embargo, una nueva exhibición podría estar provocando un cambio de postura por parte del gobierno federal.

El Museo, Archivos y Biblioteca Nacional Stonewall ha tenido dificultades para mantener sus puertas abiertas, según su director, Robert Kesten.

“Nos notificaron que el gobierno federal no otorgaría ninguna subvención”, dijo Kesten.

Por eso, cuando el museo comenzó a planificar su exhibición más reciente, Kesten se sorprendió al enterarse de que había recibido fondos del Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades (National Endowment for the Humanities).

“Y nos dijeron que habíamos recibido la subvención, así que recuerdo haber llamado para confirmar si eso era cierto”, dijo.

La subvención financia una exhibición sobre la Guerra de Independencia de Estados Unidos y la historia del barón Friedrich Von Steuben, un general militar que muchos historiadores creen que era gay.

Alrededor de 1778, los estadounidenses buscaban ayuda militar. Kesten señaló que von Steuben tenía una de las mejores formaciones militares de Europa.

“Tenía la mejor formación de Europa”, dijo.

Según la exhibición, Von Steuben era buscado para ser arrestado en Europa por actividades homosexuales antes de ser reclutado para venir a Estados Unidos por Benjamin Franklin.

“Realmente era un experto en estrategia militar”, dijo Kesten.

Los historiadores creen que Von Steuben se convirtió en uno de los asesores militares de mayor confianza de George Washington.

“Algunas personas dirían que es el padre del Ejército de Estados Unidos”, afirmó Kesten.

Von Steuben también escribió el manual de entrenamiento militar conocido como el “Libro Azul”.

“Ese libro todavía se imprime, todavía está disponible y todavía se utiliza”, dijo Kesten.

La exhibición destaca el papel de Von Steuben en ayudar a los estadounidenses a derrotar a los británicos durante la Guerra de Independencia.

“Les dio estrategia, les dio un sentido de propósito”, dijo Kesten.

La exhibición ya está abierta al público y forma parte de la celebración del 250 aniversario del país.

Kesten afirmó que cree que podría ser la única exhibición relacionada con diversidad, equidad e inclusión en el país que está financiada parcialmente por el gobierno federal.

Kesten dijo que el mensaje de la exhibición es especialmente relevante durante el Mes del Orgullo.

“Nos perjudicamos cuando descartamos a las personas porque nos sentimos incómodos con su estilo de vida, algo que no tiene ningún impacto en su capacidad para proteger y defender al país”, dijo.

La exhibición permanecerá abierta durante junio mientras el museo enfrenta recortes adicionales de fondos estatales en los próximos meses.

Según Kesten, el museo ha estado operando en gran medida gracias a las donaciones de los residentes.

Un video de vigilancia obtenido por Local 10 News muestra los momentos previos a una balacera.

Según la policía, la balacera fue reportada a las 4:53 a.m. en la cuadra 6700 de Collins Avenue.

La policía informó que los agentes llegaron a la escena y encontraron a un hombre con una herida de bala.

Funcionarios del Departamento de Bomberos de Miami Beach trasladaron a la víctima al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial en condición crítica.

La policía indicó que el tráfico en dirección norte sobre Collins Avenue permaneció cerrado durante varias horas a la altura de la calle 67 mientras se desarrollaba la investigación.

Los residentes del área comenzaron el día con preguntas y preocupaciones, especialmente cuando el equipo SWAT fue visto en el vecindario buscando a un sospechoso en complejos de apartamentos cercanos.

“Los vi reuniéndose en la acera con sus armas, preparándose para entrar y asegurarse de que todo estuviera seguro, y fue entonces cuando pasé en mi bicicleta y le pregunté a un agente: “¿Todos están bien?” Y él me respondió: “Sí””, dijo Thomas Antone.

“Simplemente ocurrió muy rápido”, dijo otro residente, Rene Welcome. “Vi a la gente y luego vi a la policía acordonando el área y todo eso, fue peor de lo que pensé”.

Según las autoridades, una persona de interés fue detenida para ser interrogada.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles.

Cualquier persona con información debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de Miami Beach o con Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

Hegseth, speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in northwestern France during commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of the June 6, 1944, landings, said that today, “different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies.”

“Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive,” he said.

“When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late?” he added. “I pray not, and I believe not.”

Hegseth did not use the word immigration, but his remarks echoed broader Trump administration criticism of Europe over migration, borders and what U.S. officials have described as censorship of nationalist and far-right voices.

On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office condemned U.S. Vice President JD Vance for blaming immigration for the killing of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old British student stabbed to death in Southampton, even though both Nowak and his killer were British.

In December, the Trump administration’s national security strategy warned that Europe faced the “prospect of civilizational erasure” and could become “unrecognizable” within 20 years.

¿Quién se llevará el título?

El evento deportivo más visto del mundo abrirá con México enfrentando a Sudáfrica, una revancha del partido inaugural de 2010, pero la atención rápidamente se centra en los favoritos que se espera lleguen lejos en el torneo.

La actual campeona Argentina llega al torneo como una de las principales contendientes después de ganar el título en 2022, mientras que Francia sigue entre las favoritas tras alcanzar las últimas dos finales de la Copa Mundial.

Brasil vuelve a figurar entre los favoritos mientras busca su sexto título de la Copa Mundial, y España también está generando atención.

Haga clic aquí para un análisis más detallado de cómo podría desarrollarse la fase de grupos de la Copa Mundial.

Sin embargo, la conversación no se limita a las potencias tradicionales.

Algunos aficionados incluso señalan posibles sorpresas, incluida Haití, lo que representaría un avance histórico y una gran historia para los seguidores en el sur de Florida.

Mientras continúan llegando las predicciones, sigue el debate: ¿Brasil, Argentina, Francia, España o un campeón sorpresa?

Los espectadores pueden votar en la encuesta de arriba o dejar sus predicciones en la sección de comentarios a continuación.

Who will take home the title?

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The world’s most-watched sporting event opens with Mexico facing South Africa — a rematch of the 2010 opener — but attention quickly turns to the favorites expected to make a deep run.

Defending champion Argentina enters the tournament as a top contender after winning it all in 2022, while France remains in the mix after reaching the last two World Cup finals.

Brazil is once again among the favorites as it chases a sixth World Cup title, and Spain is also drawing attention.

Click here for a closer look at how the World Cup group stage could unfold.

Still, the conversation isn’t limited to the traditional powerhouses.

Some fans are even pointing to possible underdog runs, including Haiti, which would be a historic breakthrough and a major storyline for supporters in South Florida.

As predictions pour in, the debate continues: Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain — or a surprise champion?

Viewers can vote in the poll above or leave their predictions in the comment section below.

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According to Reuters, Castro appeared at an Interior Ministry event in Havana, Cuba, and was shown on Cuban state television.

The Trump administration accuses Castro of ordering the Cuban Air Force’s shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue Cessna 337 Skymasters that departed from Opa-locka Executive Airport at about 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 24, 1996. Investigators said four people were killed in the shootdown.

Castro was indicted by a Miami federal grand jury on April 23. The superseding indictment remained sealed until it was publicly announced on May 20.

Reuters reported that Castro, who turned 95 on Wednesday, was last seen publicly during May Day celebrations in Havana, shortly before the indictment was announced.

Before that, he had not appeared in public since Jan. 15, when he attended a ceremony honoring 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The case stems from one of the deadliest incidents involving Cuban exile groups and remains a source of tension between the United States and Cuba nearly three decades later.

Según Reuters, Castro asistió a un evento del Ministerio del Interior en La Habana, Cuba, y fue mostrado por la televisión estatal cubana.

La administración del presidente Trump acusa a Castro de ordenar el derribo por parte de la Fuerza Aérea Cubana de dos aeronaves Cessna 337 Skymaster de Hermanos al Rescate que despegaron del Aeropuerto Ejecutivo de Opa-locka alrededor de las 3:20 p.m. del 24 de febrero de 1996. Los investigadores indicaron que cuatro personas murieron en el derribo.

Castro fue acusado formalmente por un gran jurado federal de Miami el 23 de abril. La acusación sustitutiva permaneció sellada hasta que fue anunciada públicamente el 20 de mayo.

Reuters informó que Castro, quien cumplió 95 años el miércoles, fue visto públicamente por última vez durante las celebraciones del Primero de Mayo en La Habana, poco antes de que se anunciara la acusación.

Antes de eso, no había aparecido en público desde el 15 de enero, cuando asistió a una ceremonia en honor a 32 soldados cubanos fallecidos durante la captura del ex presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro.

El caso surge de uno de los incidentes más mortales relacionados con grupos de exiliados cubanos y sigue siendo una fuente de tensión entre Estados Unidos y Cuba casi tres décadas después.

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Police have since cleared the scene, but an urgent search remains underway for the driver who struck a BSO patrol vehicle and fled.

Video from the scene showed significant damage to the deputy’s vehicle. The driver’s side door was heavily crushed, and the airbags had deployed.

Investigators said the crash happened around 6:15 p.m. near West Broward Boulevard and Northwest 11th Avenue. After the collision, the driver involved ran from the scene, according to authorities.

Investigators were seen examining a black Hyundai SUV as they continued working to determine exactly what led to the crash.

Witnesses said the black SUV ran a red light before colliding with the deputy’s vehicle.

“The black vehicle ran through the red light,” the witness said. “Caught the sheriff car on the side. The sheriff car spun all the way down Broward Boulevard until it made a stop and the officer was very injured. We know he’s injured because he got hit on the driver’s door.”

The witness said he went to check on the deputy after the crash.

“Then I went to check on the officer,” he said. “The officer was pulled from the car. He wasn’t thrown from the car. He was pulled from the car by paramedics.”

The deputy was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Authorities have not released an update on the deputy’s condition.

The investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to identify and locate the driver who fled.

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

La Policía de Miami informó que los agentes fueron enviados a la cuadra 3800 de Oak Avenue alrededor de la 1:55 a.m.

La policía indicó que, al llegar, los agentes reportaron haber escuchado disparos en el área y posteriormente encontraron a una persona que había sido baleada.

Indicaron que personal de Miami Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima a la sala de emergencias del Hospital Jackson Memorial.

La edad, el género, la identidad y la condición de la víctima no fueron divulgados de inmediato.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera debe llamar a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

La policía ya despejó la escena, pero continúa una búsqueda urgente del conductor que impactó una patrulla de la BSO y huyó.

Video de la escena mostró daños significativos en el vehículo del agente. La puerta del lado del conductor quedó severamente aplastada y las bolsas de aire se desplegaron.

Los investigadores indicaron que el choque ocurrió alrededor de las 6:15 p.m. cerca de West Broward Boulevard y Northwest 11th Avenue. Después de la colisión, el conductor involucrado huyó de la escena, según las autoridades.

Los investigadores fueron vistos examinando una SUV Hyundai negra mientras continuaban trabajando para determinar exactamente qué provocó el choque.

Testigos dijeron que la SUV negra se pasó una luz roja antes de chocar contra el vehículo del agente.

“El vehículo negro se pasó la luz roja”, dijo un testigo. “Impactó la patrulla del sheriff en un costado. La patrulla giró por completo sobre Broward Boulevard hasta detenerse y el agente resultó gravemente herido. Sabemos que está herido porque recibió el impacto en la puerta del conductor”.

El testigo dijo que fue a verificar el estado del agente después del choque.

“Luego fui a ver al agente”, dijo. “El agente fue sacado del vehículo. No salió expulsado. Los paramédicos lo sacaron del vehículo”.

El agente fue trasladado de urgencia a un hospital para recibir tratamiento. Las autoridades no han divulgado una actualización sobre su condición.

La investigación continúa mientras los detectives trabajan para identificar y localizar al conductor que huyó.

Staged at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, the musical is in its third run on Broadway — and earned 11 Tony nominations, including for best revival. It's resonating the most with audiences this time, they said. “Three is the charm,” Ahrens said.

“When we originally did it on Broadway, which was 1998, I think a lot of people, if not most people, were thinking about this piece as a period piece,” Flaherty said. “I think now, people are responding to it as a contemporary story.”

Adapted from the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, the show's book is by the late playwright Terrence McNally. It depicts a wide swath of the American experience in New York at the turn of the 20th century, from Black Americans in Harlem to Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side to the white upper-class residents of the suburbs of Westchester County.

The story that unfolds is fiction, but features historical figures like activist Emma Goldman, educator and leader Booker T. Washington, banker J.P. Morgan, auto founder Henry Ford and illusionist Harry Houdini. The show's breadth — encompassing immense tragedy as well as great optimism — and the depth of the actors' performances has been bringing Broadway audiences to their feet, often mid-act.

It also has people returning. “They’re like, ‘I’m coming back with my parents,’ ‘I'm coming back with my grandchildren,’ ‘I’m coming back with my grandparents,’ and it’s not even like they have to see it. They want to experience it with them,” said Brandon Uranowitz, who had his own return to the show, decades after he acted as a child in the pre-Broadway production.

Now, he's nominated for best lead actor in a musical for playing the role of Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. “I think it’s sort of speaking to this generational reckoning that we’re having with America and our national identity.”

‘Ragtime’ at the Tony Awards

The original production lost the best new musical Tony Award to “The Lion King,” but Ahrens and Flaherty took home the prize for best original score, McNally best book and William David Brohn best orchestrations in a competitive year. It also won Audra McDonald, the Tonys' most decorated performer, her first award. A 2009 revival received six nominations, but lost best revival to “La Cage aux Folles.”

This could be the year it finally wins a best show award: “Ragtime” is a front-runner for best musical revival, against strong competition from “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and “The Rocky Horror Show.” Among its other nods are nominations for all three leads, and for featured performers Nichelle Lewis and Ben Levi Ross.

Portraying a range of American experiences

Joshua Henry, nominated alongside his costar for best lead actor, plays Coalhouse Walker Jr., a celebrated Black pianist at the center of his community in Harlem. Caissie Levy, nominated for her role of Mother, is the matriarch of a wealthy white family in a suburb outside New York City.

A cast of supporting characters, and a large ensemble, flesh out the lead trio's lives, relationships and eventual connections: Lewis plays Sarah, Coalhouse’s beloved; Ross is Mother’s Younger Brother and Colin Donnell her husband, Father; Shaina Taub is Goldman, the real-life activist.

Emotions in the first act peak during “Wheels of a Dream,” Lewis' iconic duet with Henry, which draws standing ovations, mid-song, nearly every night.

“She is a person who represents women — especially women of color — who don’t have a voice, women of color who are fighting to have a voice, women of color who find strength in other ways because we weren’t allowed to have it,” Lewis said of Sarah. But above all, she said, the character represents the power of trust, love and hope as a buoying force.

That hope is also what propels Uranowitz's Tateh. “Despite everything he goes through, despite the rejection, despite the oppression, despite the othering, despite antisemitism,” it’s what persists.

In the song “Journey On,” his character arrives in New York with his young daughter just as Mother's husband, Father, leaves on an expedition to the North Pole.

“You depart on a ship from a country like this,” Tateh sings, watching Father leave. “Why on Earth would you want to be leaving?” The two men are perched on separate, moving staircases on a sparsely furnished stage, but sing from the same height, emphasizing the valley between their experiences.

Like many of the characters, Father and Tateh (also “father,” in Yiddish) are nameless. The intention, Uranowitz said, is for aspects of Tateh's journey — from immigrant artist to successful moviemaker — to reflect the experience of Jewish Americans, and to resonate with people from other backgrounds as well. “If you pan out, which ‘Ragtime’ does so beautifully, it also holds just a capital ‘I’ immigration experience. And I think that’s really important for people to see right now.”

Holding a mirror to the current moment

The musical feels so relevant to 2026 that audience members have asked director Lear deBessonet, also Tony-nominated, if the creative team rewrote the script for this production. Lyrics by Ahrens and dialogue by McNally about the discrimination and brutality that Black Americans and immigrants face can seem straight out of the current moment. There are also references to keeping the country “great,” and commentary on celebrity culture and the power of industry leaders.

But the text hasn't changed. “We, in the audience, are hearing it differently,” deBessonet said. “There’s something that actually, I think is very unifying about coming together with a community of our time to look at this other time, and to look at the promise and the wound of America right next to each other.”

A 2027 tour, with deBessonet and the Broadway run’s creative team at the helm, will bring the show to a wider audience around the country.

“It does not feel like we’re looking back. It feels like we're looking in a mirror at ourselves,” Flaherty said.

There is one small change, however. When “Wheels of a Dream” is reprised in the final number, the ensemble sings “Our son will ride on the wheels of a,” and then takes a long pause before a final, resonant, “dream.” The goal is not to prescribe a particular emotional response, but to allow viewers — and the actors themselves — space for their own interpretations.

“In that moment, every single actor, every artist on that stage is invited to fill that moment with whatever feels honest to them that night,” deBessonet said. “Sometimes you can really feel that there is exuberant hope in the air. And sometimes there is grief or rage or confusion,” she added.

Ahrens said it's been a “revelation” to see how audiences have responded to the production, before and after the 2024 presidential election — and throughout this Broadway run, which concludes on Aug. 2. “It's such a visceral thing,” she said. “I don't think we've ever experienced anything like it.”

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FWC officials on Saturday said their officers were notified by the Hollywood Police Department on Thursday about the fatal incident.

Investigators said two fishermen spotted the victim in the surf near Hollywood Beach and called law enforcement at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The victim was identified by authorities as 31-year-old Kellie Melinda Williams.

FWC officials later confirmed Williams “had injuries consistent with a vessel strike.”

Williams, who was born in California and lived in South Florida, was an American Airlines flight attendant and experienced swimmer who had recently married. She disappeared while snorkeling Wednesday near Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach, according to authorities.

Investigators said her body later washed ashore on Hollywood Beach, where witnesses reported seeing fishermen pull her from the water. The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her cause of death was blunt force injuries.

FWC officials said the investigation remains active and that a full report will be available through a public records request once the case is completed.

The agency also extended its sympathies to Williams’ family and loved ones.

The FWC is asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about what happened to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Tips can be submitted anonymously.

Funcionarios de la FWC informaron el sábado que sus agentes fueron notificados por el Departamento de Policía de Hollywood el jueves sobre el incidente fatal.

Los investigadores indicaron que dos pescadores vieron a la víctima en el oleaje cerca de Hollywood Beach y llamaron a las autoridades alrededor de las 8 p.m. del miércoles.

Las autoridades identificaron a la víctima como Kellie Melinda Williams, de 31 años.

Posteriormente, funcionarios de la FWC confirmaron que Williams “presentaba lesiones compatibles con el impacto de una embarcación”.

Williams, quien nació en California y residía en el sur de Florida, era asistente de vuelo de American Airlines y una nadadora experimentada que se había casado recientemente. Según las autoridades, desapareció mientras practicaba snorkel el miércoles cerca del Parque Estatal Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson en Dania Beach.

Los investigadores indicaron que su cuerpo posteriormente llegó a la orilla en Hollywood Beach, donde testigos reportaron haber visto a pescadores sacarla del agua. La Oficina del Médico Forense de Broward determinó que la causa de muerte fueron lesiones por trauma contundente.

Funcionarios de la FWC informaron que la investigación sigue activa y que un informe completo estará disponible mediante una solicitud de registros públicos una vez que el caso concluya.

La agencia también expresó sus condolencias a la familia y seres queridos de Williams.

La FWC solicita que cualquier persona que haya presenciado el incidente o tenga información sobre lo ocurrido llame a la Línea Directa de Alerta de Vida Silvestre al 888-404-3922. Las denuncias pueden realizarse de forma anónima.

It also comes against the backdrop of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, mounting political violence in President Donald Trump's orbit and growing fears of artificial intelligence-fueled disruptions, creating a complex threat environment for authorities.

Overseeing the sprawling security apparatus is a legion of federal agencies, state and local police departments and private entities. Their responsibilities range from securing stadiums and fan zones to escorting teams and protecting dignitaries.

Their tools include hunter drones that can shoot nets over objects in restricted airspace, bag-inspecting robot dogs, giant X-ray trucks and thousands of AI-powered cameras trained on public spaces soon to be thronged by fans.

In the U.S., it’s “78 Super Bowls over 39 days,” said Andrew Giuliani, executive director of Trump’s World Cup task force, which is overseeing the multiagency effort.

“There’s never been a summer like this in American history from a security angle,” said Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

“We’re as prepared as we can be.”

An unprecedented security collaboration

The tournament has the same high-level federal security designation as the Super Bowl, just below a presidential inauguration or a national political convention, ensuring federal, state and local coordination. It coincides with other major events linked to the 250th anniversary of America's founding.

So far, Giuliani said, there are no credible threats.

The Department of Homeland Security, focused on Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown and hit by a funding lapse only recently resolved, estimates up 7 million people will visit the U.S. for the World Cup.

The U.S. Secret Service, under scrutiny after security breaches and attempts on Trump’s life, is in charge of protecting world leaders who show up to cheer on their countries. Trump has expressed interest in attending a match.

“I feel very comfortable where we’re at, and we feel like we have a zero-fail mission,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Congress this week, noting that the Secret Service was understaffed by about 860 agents. “But it’s going to be complicated.”

Officials have indicated they are confident they can keep Trump safe because they will be integrating his usual security into the robust World Cup plan on days he may watch a match.

The FBI has spent two years developing its security plan, incorporating lessons from other major events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York and testing them at smaller ones, including last week’s Israel Day parade in the city.

"We prepare for the worst day,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Amit Kachhia-Patel in New York told The Associated Press. “And that’s how we go into any single event."

To help cover security costs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed $625 million to the 11 U.S. host cities. An additional $250 million is being directed toward tracking and neutralizing suspect drones.

The disbursement of those funds was held up by the department's funding delay, which the Republican administration has argued hindered security planning.

Others involved in the planning effort said the federal government could have played a more hands-on role even before the shutdown.

John Cohen, a former senior DHS official who has been briefing state leaders before the matches, said the government was largely absent from planning meetings last year and did not begin sharing threat intelligence with host regions until recently.

“With an event of this magnitude, one would expect the federal government would’ve played a more active role,” Cohen said. “It felt like a missed opportunity to showcase that collaboration.”

Evolving threats from drones and AI

In January, thousands of officials involved in World Cup security gathered for exercises simulating crowd surges, vehicle attacks and mass shootings.

A month later, the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran.

“The security picture fundamentally changed,” said Stefano Ritondale, chief intelligence officer at Artorias, a defense intelligence company not involved in the security preparations. “There’s a major difference in preparing for a lone wolf radical who rams his car into a public place and a terrorist who is bankrolled by a foreign country we’re at war with.”

Among the greatest concerns are drones.

Since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, drones have become a prominent weapon in conflicts including Russia’s war in Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“If there is one threat that keeps me up at night, it is from drones,” said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, whose department is partnering with the FBI on drone mitigation.

Drones are prohibited over stadiums and fan zones, and Kachhia-Patel said the FBI has a “full suite of options” to thwart incursions. They include agents monitoring the sky and a “variety of means” to safely down the devices, he said without elaborating.

Before this year’s World Cup, the growing sophistication of AI videos was a particular concern, with officials warning that state actors can harness the technology to sow misinformation and panic.

On match days, the FBI will activate joint operations centers in each host city, bringing together local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to monitor and investigate threats.

“If there’s a video that shows an explosion going off at a site, and it’s AI generated, we have people on the ground who can validate whether or not that’s true,” said Kachhia-Patel.

A scoring opportunity for private tech

Some AI companies have pitched themselves to police departments in host cities, promising to comb through data and surveillance on game days to prevent threats, including unruly fan behavior.

“We know sports fanaticism around here in terms of the NFL and baseball to some extent, but nothing like international soccer,” said Jake Becchina, a police spokesperson in Kansas City, Missouri, which is hosting six matches.

The department has contracted with Peregrine Technologies, which promises to sift through police data and publicly available information such as team practice locations and the country affiliation of popular bars, to get ahead of possible conflict.

In Dallas, a recent $120 million tech upgrade will give local police body cameras capable of real-time translations, helping law enforcement communicate with international visitors soon to descend on the region.

Several drone detection and mitigation companies are joining efforts to help federal agencies secure the skies.

One of those companies, Fortem, has claimed to have signed a multimillion-dollar contract with DHS before the World Cup for an unusual drone mitigation strategy: quadcopters that can shoot nets at encroaching drones to trap them in midair. A spokesperson for DHS declined to discuss the contract.

Just as the teams will aim to perform their best on the pitch, Giuliani said the security planning was a unique chance to “show off American exceptionalism."

“If we do our job right,” Giuliani added, “nobody will be talking about security at the World Cup.”

____

Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

The June 21 runoff comes at a pivotal moment for Colombia, which under Petro emerged as one of the world’s most vocal advocates for protecting the Amazon and transitioning away from oil, gas and coal, the main drivers of climate change.

Petro opposed new oil and gas exploration contracts, vowed not to pursue fracking, a technique used to extract oil and gas from underground rock formations that has environmental consequences, and sought to position Colombia as a global leader on climate issues. Colombia recently hosted a first-of-its-kind international summit focused on a global transition away from fossil fuels.

Analysts say Cepeda would likely represent continuity of Petro’s priorities. He has emphasized Indigenous rights, environmental conservation and reducing Colombia’s dependence on fossil fuels, while signaling support for continuing Petro’s efforts to shift the country toward renewable energy and away from new oil and gas development.

De la Espriella, meanwhile, has campaigned on a platform centered on security and economic growth. He has voiced support for expanding Colombia’s extractive industries, including fracking, and has argued the country should make greater use of its underground resources.

“While both candidates claim that they value the conservation of the Amazon ecosystem, the choice that voters face is between an approach that focuses on maintaining a pristine ecosystem versus one based on productive exploitation,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit think tank.

“On issues of climate, this is a choice between prioritizing green energy and reinvigorating fossil fuels,” she added.

Representatives for Cepeda and de la Espriella did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Competing visions for development

Petro has repeatedly clashed with Trump over migration, climate policy and security cooperation. Earlier this year, the two sparred publicly on social media after Petro refused to allow U.S. military deportation flights carrying Colombian migrants to land, prompting Trump to threaten tariffs and visa restrictions before the countries reached a deal.

Espriella, on the other hand, was recently endorsed by Trump, who praised the candidate’s positions on law enforcement and security and said the election was important to U.S.-Colombia relations.

Colombia contains a significant portion of the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s most important tropical forests, which is increasingly under pressure from deforestation, illegal mining, drug trafficking and climate change.

Petro’s administration tried to combat those things by promoting greater Indigenous participation in environmental policy and sought to strengthen cooperation among Amazon nations. On the international stage, he became one of the most vocal advocates for protecting the rainforest and moving away from fossil fuels.

Supporters of expanding oil and gas production argue Colombia remains heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues and foreign investment, and warn that a rapid transition away from fossil fuels could strain public finances and economic growth.

The tension between economic dependence on extractive industries and environmental protection is likely to shape whichever administration takes office.

How candidates differ on crime and resource extraction

Illegal gold mining, drug trafficking and deforestation have expanded across large areas of the rainforest in recent years, often under the control of armed groups. Rising gold prices, persistent demand for cocaine and the expansion of transnational criminal networks have made environmental crimes more profitable than ever.

"The greatest threat to conservation of the Amazon ecosystem is the expansion of organized crime,” Dickinson said. “The challenge for both of these candidates will be to hold back that criminal expansion into these industries.”

She said criminal groups have increasingly invested in illegal mining and deforestation, turning environmental destruction into a lucrative business model.

That reality has fueled competing visions on security.

Cepeda has signaled support for continuing negotiations with armed groups, building on Petro’s “Total Peace” policy, which sought to reduce violence through negotiations with guerrilla groups, drug-trafficking organizations and other armed actors. Supporters say dialogue offers the best chance of reducing violence, while critics argue some criminal organizations have used the process to consolidate territorial control.

Even under Petro, violence against environmental defenders spiked, said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, a nonprofit focused on environmental protection and Indigenous rights. Colombia has repeatedly ranked among the world’s deadliest countries for environmental activists despite the administration’s environmental agenda.

De la Espriella has promised a tougher approach centered on military force and restoring state authority.

Gimena Sánchez, Andes director at the Washington Office on Latin America, a nonprofit focused on human rights, said Indigenous communities are particularly concerned about how aggressive security operations could affect territories that have long been caught between armed groups and the state.

“The history of militarization of Indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon, but especially Colombia, has been devastating,” she said.

What Amazon communities that would be impacted are asking for

Alex Rufino, a member of the Ticuna Indigenous people in Colombia’s Amazon region, said environmental protection cannot be separated from social investment.

He argued that discussions about the rainforest often overlook the people who live there and the challenges they face, including poor access to education, healthcare, housing and employment.

“There are more than a million people living and caring for this territory,” said Rufino, from the Amazonian city of Leticia.

He said stronger social policies could help address some of the underlying pressures driving environmental destruction, including coca cultivation for the cocaine trade, recruitment into armed groups and illegal economic activity. Better access to education, healthcare, housing and jobs, he argued, would give residents alternatives to economies that often contribute to deforestation, illegal mining and conflict.

Climate change is increasingly visible across the region, highlighting droughts in recent years that lowered river levels and contributed to the deaths of fish and pink river dolphins. There are also growing concerns over mercury contamination linked to illegal mining. Studies in Colombia’s Amazon have detected mercury in fish consumed by local communities and elevated levels in some residents, raising alarms about long-term health impacts.

So as politicians in Bogota, the capital, debate security strategies, energy policy and economic growth, many Amazon residents say the next government must first listen to the people living in the rainforest itself.

For Rufino, that means recognizing that the Amazon is not simply a source of oil, minerals or timber, but home to communities that have protected it for generations.

“The dialogue should focus on speaking from the Amazon and with the Amazon,” he said. “With the people. With young people. With women. With elders.”

___

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 15-year-old opening batter is the youngest cricketer to get an India call-up. If he plays against Ireland on June 26 in Belfast he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 when he made his test debut against Pakistan in November 1989.

Sooryavanshi set the Indian Premier League alight this season, finishing as the highest run-getter with 776 in 16 innings. He scored at a remarkable strike-rate of 237.31 and hit 72 sixes.

“He has forced us to pick him with how well he’s played,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said. “I know his age…how young he is and (it is) early in his career. But...we can see the kind of talent he has and we are hopeful, if he gets the opportunity to play for the country, he will show the same ability.

“Playing for the country will mean tougher challenges, but he has shown tremendous temperament. He has picked himself through his performances – he single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals in the IPL playoffs. Like everyone else who’s watched him play, we have high hopes of him.”

Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut at 12. At 13, he became the youngest to get an IPL deal when Rajasthan bought him for the 2025 season. He scored 252 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 206, including a 35-ball century – the second-fastest in IPL history.

He then starred in India’s win at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, smashing 175 off 80 balls in the final against England – the highest individual score in any ICC global tournament final.

Shreyas Iyer will captain a full-strength India squad in Ireland and England, a precursor to the Asian Games T20s in Japan. He replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped.

Yadav’s reign comes to an end due to poor form in both IPL and international cricket.

India will play two T20s in Ireland on June 26 and 28, and another five in England next month.

Squads for Ireland and England tours: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

India squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

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

Miami police said officers were called to the 3800 block of Oak Avenue at about 1:55 a.m.

Police said when officers arrived, they reported hearing gunshots in the area and later found a person who had been shot.

They said Miami Fire Rescue personnel transported the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room.

The age, gender, identity, or condition of the victim was not immediately released.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

After bursting onto the scene at 15, Andreeva became a Grand Slam champion at 19 when the Russian ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the French Open final on Saturday.

“I’ve done a lot of visualizations before. Not just this tournament, but I’ve had dreams, I’ve had a lot of thoughts on how it’s going to happen, if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, where,” Andreeva said, still hardly breathing as she talked quickly in true teenage style. "The feeling in real life is so much better than in your dreams.

“I can call myself a Grand Slam champion,” Andreeva added.

The biggest challenges for Andreeva have not been on the court — she already has one of the best attacking baseline games in the sport — it's been the mental side. And her stubbornness.

“Her attitude is difficult,” said Conchita Martinez, Andreeva's coach and a former Wimbledon champion. “You tell her something, and maybe she’s not open to listening. ... When she works hard and when she listens and she does everything, she has no limits.”

Andreeva acknowledged as much during the trophy ceremony.

“I know I can be a tough cookie sometimes and it’s pretty hard to put up with me,” Andreeva said.

The victory took Andreeva one step further than Martinez, who lost the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce.

Pierce presented the winner’s trophy to Andreeva, who became the youngest woman to win the clay-court Grand Slam since Monica Seles was 18 when she claimed her third straight French Open in 1992.

“You’re so young and talented. It’s so annoying,” the 24-year-old Chwalinska told Andreeva.

Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself “for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it’s tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me.

“Only I know how tough it was for me,” Andreeva added. “How nervous I was throughout these two weeks.”

Andreeva also thanked her psychologist, who she said was watching from Florida: “Everything that you’ve told me I’ve been trying to use these two weeks.”

Chwalinska opens up about depression

Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title. She was a promising junior alongside four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek before she began struggling with depression in 2019.

“Tennis is such a tough sport. It’s so individual. We start so early. We are basically kids when we start,” Chwalinska said. “People are expecting that we are going to behave like adults already and we are just kids really. So the pressure is huge.”

Andreeva was born in Siberia and moved to Sochi and eventually France to develop her tennis career.

She drew a loud applause from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she spoke a few words of French during the trophy presentation.

“Thanks for your support today and over these past two marvelous weeks here in Paris,” Andreeva said in French. “It was very important for me.”

Breakthrough at 15

Andreeva has been considered a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third-youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and made the quarterfinals.

Lately, Andreeva has had to contend with playing under neutral status and without her country’s flag because of the war with Ukraine.

When she beat Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals, Kostyuk refused to shake her hand, as has been the custom for Ukrainian players facing Russians ever since the war started in 2022.

“Every person doesn’t want to have a war in the world,” Andreeva said. “I never think about those things when I play.”

Mastering the wind

The final was played under a mostly sunny sky, though wind was a factor in the first Grand Slam final for both players.

Chwalinska double-faulted on the opening point of the match, but she was the first player to hold serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.

But then Andreeva won nine stright games to take control as she found a way to hit through the wind and answer Chwalinska’s array of spins and drop shots.

Whereas Chwalinska would retreat to handle high balls in the wind, Andreeva often would move forward and take balls on the rise.

“She definitely handled wind much better than me,” Chwalinska said. “She was not running away from the ball.”

Andreeva produced 25 winners to Chwalinska’s 10 and also had fewer unforced errors: 26 to 29.

There was a strong Polish presence in the crowd.

When Chwalinska was introduced, fans held aloft red-and-white Polish flags and chanted her name: “Ma-ja, Ma-ja.”

Andreeva had little support from the crowd, although there was a shout of “Davai, Mirra!” (“Go, Mirra”) in Russian late in the match.

Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory.

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AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.

___

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

The Navy had selected 31 sailors to promote from the rank of captain to one-star admiral, but Hegseth recently intervened to strike nine people from the list, including three women and two Black men, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not permitted to be released publicly.

As a result, the Navy is not promoting a single woman to the one-star admiral rank this year even though women make up about one-quarter of all Navy officers and nearly one-third of the sea service's midgrade ranks, according to military data from 2024.

The Associated Press spoke with eight female Navy officers of varying ranks and time in service after Hegseth's cuts, which were reported earlier by The New York Times, became public. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from their superiors.

The more junior officers said they saw the development as a sign that their careers would become politicized if they rose too far in the ranks, and some said they felt they now had a limit on how far they could be promoted. Some said it made them feel less valued within the military and wondered whether that wasn't part of the intent.

The Pentagon has not offered any rationale on why the women, or any of the other six people, were removed from the promotion list.

The Pentagon says promotions are based on merit

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's top spokesman, said on social media this week that “military promotions are given to those who have earned them” and that the Pentagon “will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions." The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request seeking further comment.

The Navy's process for choosing which officers to promote to the one-star rank has been relatively constant and transparent over the years. The service convenes a group of officers, called a promotion board, that examines the records of eligible officers and chooses the most qualified.

The board that selected the initial slate of 31 officers for promotion was directed by then-Navy Secretary John Phelan, an appointee of President Donald Trump, to “recommend for promotion the best qualified officers within their respective competitive category.”

The order from Phelan, who later abruptly departed his post in April, said the board should consider an officer's performance, competence and character, among other traits, as part of those qualifications.

It also said that given China's prominence in the Trump administration's National Defense Strategy, “special consideration shall be given to officers who have excelled in their knowledge of the political military affairs and U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region, and operational contingency planning for Indo-Pacific war plans.”

Hegseth has long argued, without offering evidence, that women in the military benefit from preferential treatment and are not suited for combat roles.

"For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts,” Hegseth told hundreds of military leaders in September.

The approach, he asserted, made the Pentagon “less capable and less lethal.”

Navy leaders and other top officials had approved promotion list

Phelan's order said the Navy cannot discriminate based on criteria such as race and sex, and it specifically noted that “this guidance shall not be interpreted as requiring or permitting preferential treatment of any officer or group of officers on the grounds of race, religion, color, sex.”

The full list of 31 people to be promoted was approved by Phelan, other Navy leaders and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, before it reached Hegseth, who chose to make the changes, the defense official said.

While Hegseth is within his rights to intervene in the list, “it’s just not the norm” and its “a break from tradition” said Katherine Kuzminski, a researcher specializing in military recruiting and retention at the Center for New American Security think tank. She said that promotions historically have been seen “the services’ business.”

Kuzminski noted that “this is a decision that’s not being made by the U.S. Navy — it’s being made by the secretary of defense” and said Hegseth's growing interference in operational aspects of the military services such as promotions is creating “tension" about what “normal” will look like going forward.

Some of the more senior Navy officers who spoke with the AP expressed concerns about the message it sends to the next generation of young sailors.

In addition to pulling the recent promotions of three women to admiral, Hegseth shortly after he took office fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the service's top officer and the first woman to hold the job. He never explained his rationale.

Since then, he also has fired two other female three-star admirals without explanation.

Some of the officers who spoke to the AP said that while they were encouraging female sailors to stick with the Navy, they acknowledged that message is coming at a difficult time.

Kuzminski said the rhetoric and actions surrounding women in the military “affects individual service member decision-making and it also affects family unit decision-making,” including whether people make a career of the military.

Kuzminski said that following the monthslong hold on military promotions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., during the Biden administration, surveys showed that partisan politics spilling into the day-to-day lives of troops affected their decision-making.

One officer said this impact was not confined to women.

In conversations with other sailors in her unit, she said that male sailors were hesitant to deal with what appears to be a growing politicization of simply following the orders of previous administrations.

As the Misterwives started to play, the drums and saxophones blared from the trembling speakers. Shires soaked in the music — but on the way home, a different sound played in her ears.

“The half hour after the show my ears were like, ‘Are we okay?’” said Shires, a social media coordinator from Houston. “There was some ringing going on.”

Concerts offer that rare, visceral opportunity to hear your favorite song sung live — really really loud — and scream the lyrics alongside diehard fans. Quieting the music with a pair of earplugs might seem to undermine the whole point.

But experts say earplugs turn the volume down, not off. And more young people — Shires included — are embracing them, taking a simple step to protect their ears for many more concerts to come. To overcome concerns some might have about coming across as a killjoy, there are fashion-forward options with attached earrings and bling that blend the plugs more seamlessly with concert attire.

“People think that we are young and invincible, and that’s true to a certain extent,” said Asia Pon, an audiologist at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California, who goes to concerts — and wears earplugs at them. “But repeated exposure over time can certainly accumulate and lead to permanent damage in the long run.”

Earplugs protect against long-term hearing damage

It takes a combination of loud noise and time to damage hearing, experts say. Starting at around 85 decibels — similar to city traffic — hearing can be damaged with prolonged, hourslong listening. The noise at concerts — from both the giant speakers and screaming fans — is often far above that level. The louder the noise, the less time it takes to hurt your ears.

The inner ear is filled with tiny, fragile hair cells that convert sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

Pon said to think of the those cells like a field of grass. If trampled once, the blades bend over but eventually stand back up. “But if you keep walking across that same area again and again, eventually that grass doesn’t bounce back,” she said.

Permanently damaged hair cells can lead to longer-term problems like tinnitus and hearing loss.

Ringing happens when hair cells get temporarily stressed from loud noise. But, listen up: No ringing doesn't necessarily mean there's no damage.

Even a simple pair of earplugs can get the job done — if they fit

Many concert venues and festivals offer free earplugs at their guest services desk and there are several over-the-counter options at retail and drugstores.

When picking a pair of earplugs, look for a noise reduction rating, typically labeled NRR on packaging, between 15 and 30 decibels. That strikes a good balance between enjoying the music and protecting the ears.

If the plugs don't fit, they won't do their job — so make sure to find a snug pair. To insert foam earplugs, Pon said to straighten the ear canal by pulling the ear up and back. Roll the plug up and pinch it tight before inserting it as deep as it'll go. Then, hold the plug in place with your finger until you feel the plug expand.

After the plugs are in, look in the mirror and make sure there aren't large chunks sticking out. Play music or watch TV at home to see how it sounds.

If it's tough to find snug earplugs at the store, concertgoers can also see an audiologist and get fitted for a custom pair. While more expensive, these typically include filters that are adjustable based on the venue and are reusable. Foam plugs shouldn't be worn more than once.

Earplugs don't make concerts sound worse

When Shires wore her first pair of earplugs to see the alternative pop band Valley, she wasn't sure what to expect. It took a little adjusting to, but soon everything smoothed out and she could hear the music clearly with some of the crowd noise filtered.

“After the first few songs, it's like they weren't even there. I was just enjoying the show,” she said. Now, she keeps them in a case attached to her keys and has worn them to see many of her favorite artists including Hayley Williams and Taylor Swift. Many of her concert-going friends wear earplugs too, and she gets asked about them by the friends who don't wear them.

If your ears feel clogged or muffled or ringing persists in the days or weeks following a concert, consider seeing an audiologist to get a hearing test. Also see a doctor if you experience more severe symptoms like dizziness, pain or ear drainage.

A slight change to a concert's sound now can preserve hearing for the future. Audiologist Meaghan Reed with Massachusetts Eye and Ear often sees patients who tell her that music doesn’t sound as clear or natural as it used to.

“It might have a temporary impact of your enjoyment of the music right now, but it’s offset by saving your ability to hear music in the future,” Reed said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000, representing the amount of the illegal gains, and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released in 2025.

The Supreme Court in May rejected Buyer's appeal without comment or noted dissent.

In granting “a full, complete, and unconditional pardon,” Trump cited Buyer’s career as a judge advocate general in the Army and in the House that was “distinguished and highly productive.” The pardon was dated Thursday and released by the White House late Friday.

Buyer said the pardon “corrects a politically motivated prosecution” and that it was “horrific to be imprisoned for a crime that I did not commit.” He maintains that he is innocent.

Trump used his Truth Social media platform on May 31 to share a pair of letters requesting a presidential pardon for Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran who left office in 2011. He was a House prosecutor at Democratic President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial and in 2016 he served on Trump’s transition team focusing on veterans’ issues.

A letter signed by more than 40 former Republicans in Congress said Buyer was “targeted by the deep state” because of his involvement in Clinton’s trial.

“Like you, Mr. President, Steve has been the victim of lawfare conducted by the Biden Administration,” they wrote in the April 2025 letter.

A second letter, from five current House Republicans, said pardoning Buyer would bring justice to his case. The June 2025 letter was signed by Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Ken Calvert of California, Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, Jack Bergman of Michigan and Pete Sessions of Texas.

Buyer, 67, was convicted in connection with insider trading involving the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, announced in April 2018, and illegal trades in the management consulting company Navigant when his client Guidehouse was set to acquire it in a deal publicly disclosed weeks later.

The Constitution gives a president broad power to grant pardons for federal crimes. The pardons do not erase a recipient’s criminal record but can be seen as act of mercy or justice.

The Iranian Football Federation's secretary-general, Hedayat Mombeini, and its vice president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, were among 14 backroom staff and officials without U.S. visas before games in Los Angeles and Seattle, according to Iranian state television.

It was unclear whether the federation’s president, Mehdi Taj, had been issued a visa.

The team’s participation in the World Cup has been complicated by the Iran war. Problems with processing visas had earlier led Iran to move its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, which is on the border with California.

The federation accused the U.S. of “vindictive behavior” in refusing visas for “key managerial and administrative members” of the team.

The decision had “effectively denied the Iranian national team the opportunity for a level playing field and a competition free from discrimination,” according to a statement on the federation's website. It added that the federation would pursue the matter through world soccer authority FIFA.

The Iranian Embassy in Ankara, meanwhile, responded to an earlier social media post from U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack, in which he congratulated his embassy staff for processing the Iran team’s visas.

“You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States’ host obligations merely by praising yourselves,” the Iranian post read. “This represents the worst possible form of politically biased interference in sport.”

One U.S. official earlier told The Associated Press that all players on the Iranian team were approved for visas, while a second official said visas had been issued for players, coaches, trainers and some support staff. A third official suggested that some applicants affiliated with the team had been rejected for requesting visas “under false pretenses.”

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the visas publicly.

The squad has been preparing for the World Cup at a training camp in Antalya. The team said that it has already received visas from the Mexican Embassy in Ankara.

The players, dressed in blue blazers over white T-shirts, left the luxury Mardan Palace hotel in Antalya on Saturday afternoon. They boarded a private jet at the Mediterranean city's airport and were due to fly directly to Mexico.

Iran plays its first two games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15, and Belgium six days later, then heads to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26. Iran and the U.S. could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if both teams come second in their groups.

In March, U.S. President Donald Trump had discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament, saying he didn’t think it was “appropriate” and raising concerns over players’ “life and safety.” A day later, Iran’s national team pushed back, saying “no one can exclude” it from playing.

Iran finalized its team on Monday, including 17 home-based players whose clubs haven't played since February because of the war. Star forward Sardar Azmoun was dropped in March, reportedly because of a social media post that angered Iranian authorities during the war.

Iran’s sports minister said in March that it would “not be possible” for the team to participate in the World Cup, but the republic’s soccer federation said in May that it was moving ahead with a team. The federation had insisted that all players and staff be granted visas, including those who had military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

___ Seung Min Kim and Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.

President Emmanuel Macron confirmed her death Saturday, saying he and his wife Brigitte had learned with “great sadness” of the passing of a woman who marked French history, and changed the lives of millions through her charity work.

“A great lady of the heart has departed,” Macron said.

For more than half a century, Chirac was the fixed point in her late husband’s restless climb — through Parliament, two terms as prime minister, 18 years as mayor of Paris and, in 1995, the presidency.

Beyond the ceremonial role of first lady, Chirac became a political presence in her own right, closely watched for her influence around her husband, who died in 2019, and for the dry discipline with which she handled his reputation as a womanizer, a subject she later addressed with unusual frankness.

Swarmed by photographers in Corrèze in 1998 — after rumors that Jacques Chirac had been unreachable the night Princess Diana died because he was with an actress — she stepped from her car and deadpanned: “Calm down. I’m not Claudia Cardinale. Or Lollobrigida.”

She appears in the official photographs with her chin lifted, blond hair lacquered into place, a small handbag on her arm, looking less like a spouse than like an institution.

But the caricature never quite contained her.

The Chanel suits, dark glasses, nasal voice and withering judgments became part of the national image.

Beneath them was a relentless worker and a cold-eyed political operator who, almost alone among the wives of French presidents, built a base of power that was her own.

She was born Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chodron de Courcel on May 18, 1933, in Paris, into money, lineage and Catholic duty.

Her father’s family included soldiers, industrialists and diplomats; an uncle had served as an aide to Charles de Gaulle in wartime London.

But her life would be most marked by her time at the prestigious Sciences Po university in Paris, where she met Jacques Chirac, a handsome and much-courted young man whose appetite for politics would come to define them both.

They married in March 1956. The union lasted 63 years and was, by her own account, a long lesson in endurance.

Jacques Chirac was famous for his warmth, appetite and instinctive connection with crowds. Bernadette’s gifts were different, observers said.

She was controlled, socially formidable, devout, exacting and sometimes devastatingly funny.

The Catholic philosopher Jean Guitton called her the last queen of France, and she did little to discourage the idea.

Her husband’s reputation as a womanizer was an open secret she chose, after much pain, to meet with dry humor.

“At first, it was hard. I was very heartbroken, and then I got used to it,” she said years later in a television documentary. “I told myself that was how things were and that I had to accept it with as much dignity as possible.”

Sent to tend her husband’s rural stronghold in Corrèze while he pursued power in Paris, she did far more than tend it. In 1971, she was elected municipal councilor in Sarran. In 1979, she became a general councilor in Corrèze and held the seat until 2015.

Her influence grew after Jacques Chirac became president in 1995. The role of first lady in France has no constitutional power, but she made the Élysée a place where her approval mattered.

She could be loyal, cutting and unforgiving, and understood that campaigns are made not only of speeches and polls but of debts, slights and resentments.

Yet she also carved out a space for female authority inside a male political culture that had little interest in sharing power — making it quietly clear that she would not be reduced to “the wife of.”

By 2023, her severe glamour and political instincts had become familiar enough for Catherine Deneuve to play her in “Bernadette,” a comic movie about her years at the Élysée.

Her deepest grief stayed mostly private.

The Chiracs’ elder daughter, Laurence, developed severe anorexia after meningitis in adolescence and attempted suicide more than once. She never fully recovered and died in 2016 at 58.

That ordeal pushed Chirac toward the charitable work that reshaped her public image.

In 1994, she took over a medical charity that collected coins to support children in hospitals. To millions of French viewers, the woman once mocked for hauteur became the face of hospitalized children and families living around hospital beds.

She continued running it until 2019, when she handed it to Brigitte Macron, the wife of France's current president, and became honorary president.

By then, she had long since become a political force in her own name.

“My husband no longer does politics, but I do,” she said to journalists, after Jacques Chirac left office in 2007.

She famously nicknamed Dominique de Villepin, the Élysée official she distrusted, “Nero,” yet also reportedly helped engineer her husband’s reconciliation with Nicolas Sarkozy, the former protégé who had betrayed him politically.

Her 2001 memoir, “Conversation,” written with journalist Patrick de Carolis, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and introduced the French to a franker, funnier and more independent woman than many had assumed.

After Jacques Chirac left the Élysée, his health declined and his public voice faded. Hers remained sharper for longer. Asked how he was, according to French media, she answered in her flat, unmistakable voice: “He keeps the dog.”

Age and grief eventually drew her out of public view.

By the time Jacques Chirac died in 2019, she was too fragile to take part in the public farewell where France and foreign leaders honored him.

The Élysée said Saturday that Macron was inviting the public to pay tribute to Bernadette Chirac opposite the presidential palace.

Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny is performing two shows of his 10-concert Spanish tour in the capital.

Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane before his arrival in Madrid on Saturday morning, Leo acknowledged the appeal of Bad Bunny when he referred to anecdotal reports of a newfound spiritual awakening, especially among young people in Spain.

The American pope said he understood that young adults are sensing a lack of meaning in their lives and mused that his visit might help “awaken” something in them.

“If they are confronted with the question ‘Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?’ I think many will see Bad Bunny,” Leo said. “But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.”

He's wasn't wrong: About 500,000 people, many of them young Spaniards, poured into a Madrid plaza for an evening prayer vigil on Saturday. They shouted “This is the youth of the pope!” as Leo zoomed around in his popemobile, and then jammed to a Spanish rendition of the 1970s American musical “Godspell.”

Leo is opening a weeklong visit to Spain on Saturday. After Madrid, the trip will also take him to Barcelona and the Canary Islands. He’s hoping to bring a message of unity in a country polarized with political and church scandals.

Leo was also asked about news that plans are moving ahead for his beloved Chicago Bears to move to Hammond, Indiana. The board of the team voted this week to move forward with a stadium development project in Hammond.

Asked if he had any words of consolation for Illinois, the Chicago-born pope quipped: “That’s out of my pay (scale).”

In other sporting comments, Leo confirmed that he would root for the United States in the upcoming World Cup, and showed his true team colors when asked about whether supports Real Madrid or the Barcelona soccer team: “That’s easy,” he said. “The pope is for all teams, but Prevost is Real Madrid,” he said, referring to his birth name.

Pope recalls his father's service on D-Day anniversary

Leo fielded a host of questions as he greeted journalists traveling with him. He spoke about Ukraine and Lebanon and his recent proclamation that the Catholic Church’s “just war” doctrine — which establishes the criteria when war can be morally justified — was “outdated.”

With Saturday marking the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, Leo also told a French journalist that he would like one day to visit Normandy, France, as pope.

“My father was there,” he said.

It was a reference to Leo’s father, Louis Prevost, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, according to the Pentagon.

Prevost also commanded an infantry landing craft, and after 15 months overseas, attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade, according to a note on the Pentagon website published soon after Leo’s election.

After the war, Prevost became a teacher and school principal in Chicago, got married and he and his wife, Mildred, had three boys. The future pope, Robert Prevost, was the youngest, born on Sept. 14, 1955.

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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.

Iran said that it targeted American military assets in both countries, after the U.S. attacked surveillance facilities on Qeshm Island and near Sirik that Iran said were used to protect borders and “ensure the security of navigation in international waters." Tehran called the attack a ceasefire violation.

The latest exchange of fire came as the Trump administration presses Iran to make a deal to end the war, which has strained the global economy and threatened a hunger crisis in some of the world's most vulnerable countries.

Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, arrived in Iran on Saturday as part of mediation efforts.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is seeking to ratchet up economic pressure on Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department is considering allowing Gulf allies to tap into frozen Iranian assets to pay for damages they sustained in the war, according to a person familiar with Secretary Scott Bessent's thinking who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations.

Iran says it targeted US air base and Navy

The U.S. military said it shot down several Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, and struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts U.S. forces in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The U.S. military said there were no reports of harm to U.S. personnel.

Earlier in the week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens.

The U.S. military kept up its blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the strait, a crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments. Energy prices have spiked, posing political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican Party before the midterm congressional election.

Deals remain elusive

Trump increasingly appears to be boxed in. U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement a week ago to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump, however, has called for unspecified changes, and Iranian officials have shown no public sign of agreeing to the deal.

The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south while saying it targets the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, also challenges efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extends to Lebanon.

The Trump administration has touted the latest ceasefire agreed to earlier in the week by the Lebanese government and Israel after U.S.-brokered talks in Washington. However, Hezbollah has rejected the agreement.

Ratcheting up financial pressure

Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Iranian sanctions expert at the Treasury Department, said it's significant that the U.S. is signaling it could allow Gulf countries to access some of the $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets stored abroad.

Iran had been seeking some of the funds as part of a deal, and rather than offering Tehran that concession, the U.S. is pressuring them to move quickly.

“So the U.S. government is saying: ’Hey, not just that we’re not going to give you these funds. As a matter of fact, we’re going to take these funds from you, and we’re going to help Gulf states to take it,” Maleki said.

Allowing Gulf states to use the frozen assets would also bolster U.S. ties there, he said. It would send a clear signal that America is sticking with its partners as they've sustained attacks and repercussions from the war.

However, Maleki said some Gulf states may be reluctant to use the funds out of concern that they could face retaliation from Iran for doing so.

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Michelle L. Price reported from Bridgewater, New Jersey. Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun called the strike against its military a “flagrant violation” of the country's sovereignty and international law during an “ongoing escalation that threatens stability and security in the south."

An airstrike on a vehicle on a road linking Nabatiyeh city with Marjayoun town killed a brigadier general, a captain and another soldier, the army said, without releasing their names. Another airstrike on Saksakiyah village killed six people and wounded four, the state-run National News Agency said.

Lebanon's army said the “continued, deliberate, and repeated Israeli aggression” aims to thwart efforts toward a solution "that would restore stability, establish a comprehensive ceasefire and lead to the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”

The Israeli military confirmed hitting a vehicle and said it was “moving suspiciously” toward soldiers near Kfar Tibnit village, after the military received “concrete indications” that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group would direct fire toward Israeli soldiers from the same area.

The military said it operates against Hezbollah and not against the Lebanese army.

Meanwhile, Israel's military announced the deaths of two soldiers in southern Lebanon, without the dates they died.

The latest ceasefire, announced in Washington, came through U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon’s government, which accuses Hezbollah of dragging the country into war and made efforts to disarm it before the latest hostilities. Hezbollah has refused the truce.

Israeli troops have seized around a fifth of Lebanon, pushing farther into the country’s south than at any time since the end of Israel’s 1982-2000 occupation. More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, two days after Israel and the U.S. began attacking Iran.

Israel has since launched a ground invasion of Lebanon and carried out attacks that have displaced more than 1 million people. The fighting has killed at least 31 Israeli soldiers and three civilians.

On Friday, Aoun and Lebanon's prime minister criticized Iran for opposing the latest ceasefire deal, saying Tehran should not use their country as a “bargaining chip” in its talks with Washington. Iran wants a ceasefire deal with the United States to include the situation in Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded Saturday on X, saying that after Aoun's comments, “one would think it’s Iran that has occupied a fifth of Lebanon, displaced a quarter of Lebanese and is bombing his country on daily basis.”

“Had Lebanon been a bargaining chip for Iran, we’d have a deal long ago. Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President,” Araghchi added, in reference to Israel.

The attack came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused an offer to meet his Ukrainian counterpart.

St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov said three people sustained minor injuries in the attack. He advised residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service, while regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region in what he called an “unprecedented attack.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 376 Ukrainian drones.

“Last night, our drones covered a distance of about 1,000 kilometers to the St. Petersburg region — to the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that drones also hit an oil depot in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

The renewed attack on St. Petersburg is the latest embarrassing blow to Putin’s efforts to cast the conflict as a distant event that doesn’t affect Russian daily life.

A Ukrainian drone strike set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and hit a nearby naval base Wednesday, hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin’s annual showcase for investment.

Speaking at the forum, Putin said Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over the event in his hometown of St. Petersburg.

Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the 4-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it. Thursday’s letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power, as well as some taunts about his age.

Responding to Putin's dismissal of the proposed meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Saturday that things would “only get worse for Russia.”

"Failures will get more humiliating," he wrote on X, warning that there are “no safe places in Russia that can be exempt” from Ukrainian long-range attacks, and that the intensity of attacks “will continue to grow.”

With the front line barely moving as swarms of drones hinder advances, both sides have sought an edge by launching long-range strikes.

In Ukraine, one person was killed and three wounded overnight into Saturday in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as Russian forces struck three districts nearly 30 times with drones and artillery, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said.

In Zaporizhzhia, seven people sought medical care after a Russian drone strike started a fire at a parking lot, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with 272 strike drones, and air defenses shot down 249 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Saturday.

The 24-year-old right-hander didn't allow a hit through 4 1/3 innings and had a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Sasaki notched his first career scoreless start after 18 previous starts. He threw 98 pitches, 72 for strikes, generating his second-best strike percentage of 73.5% in a start. He reached 100.4 mph.

“He went through some tough times and some doubts,” manager Dave Roberts said, “but he’s gotten to the other side.”

Roberts sent Sasaki back out for the seventh inning to see how the youngster would respond in a scoreless game. Sasaki retired the side, striking out two.

“He was on the attack, he didn't run,” Roberts said. “That shows a lot of growth.”

Sasaki was expected to be the next big thing coming out of Nippon Professional Baseball. But he failed to crack the Dodgers' starting rotation as a rookie. His sad face and teary eyes in his U.S. debut was shown on Japanese television, triggering some unflattering reaction on social media and around baseball.

“We all felt sorry for him,” Roberts recalled.

Sasaki's poor body language on the mound tipped opposing hitters to a lack of confidence, too.

He then missed 4 1/2 months with shoulder issues before returning as the team's closer during its postseason run to a second straight World Series.

But he arrived to spring training and walked 15 batters, again raising concerns about his ability to perform as a starter and shaking his confidence.

Over the last month, however, Sasaki has built consistency thanks to a harder splitter that touches 90 mph and complements his fastball and slider as well as improving his command.

“There is an adjustment with the ball that he had to make with his grip,” Roberts said. “You can see his demeanor on the mound. There’s just no more doubt and uncertainty."

Sasaki lowered his ERA to 4.03 and he has a 1.48 ERA over his last four starts.

“I'm just doing small things all the time, and I just keep building on it,” he said through a translator.

The Dodgers beat the Angels on Freeman's sixth career walkoff home run after both teams had three hits apiece.

“Roki has really turned the corner here and it’s fun to watch,” Freeman said, “especially after last year grinding, coming back as a bullpen guy. He just looks great out there.”

Freeman and catcher Will Smith are among a clubhouse full of teammates rooting for Sasaki to succeed on a team in which his fellow Japanese — two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — set high standards.

“You can see the care factor, the drive he’s got,” Smith said. “It’s good to see the benefits right now.”

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

The Israeli military said that soldiers shot at a vehicle perceived to be accelerating toward them near Hebron. It said an initial inquiry found that the three Palestinians wounded were uninvolved civilians.

Israeli military activity, and settler violence against Palestinians, have surged in the territory since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

The baby's father, Bethlehem University lecturer Fahd Abu Haikal, told The Associated Press that a bullet struck the windshield before piercing his right hand and striking his son and wife in the back seat Friday evening. Another bullet struck the hood, according to AP journalists who saw the car.

The bullet passed through Sam Fahd Abu Haikal’s face.

“He was the entire world,” Haikal said of the boy, who turned seven months on Friday.

The mother was in critical condition, with shrapnel close to her heart.

The baby's body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag. His father carried him. The men placed the small bundle at their feet and bowed in prayer.

The father demanded justice. “At the end they tell you it was a mistake,” he said. “Nothing is called a mistake.”

The baby’s grandmother, Feryal Abu Heikal, was also in the car. She said that they were driving near a checkpoint and stopped when they saw Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in the distance. She said she initially thought the gunfire was warning shots.

“The scene was horrific to see a 7-month-old baby with a smashed face,” she said. “What kind of army in the world does this?”

Israeli soldiers are rarely punished in such cases

Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are seldom penalized, and were indicted in fewer than 1% of cases based on 2,427 complaints alleging wrongdoing between 2016 and 2024, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that eight people were wounded in settler attacks on the town of Huwara, near Nablus, including from tear gas inhalation and rubber-coated metal bullets.

Israel's military said that riots broke out between Israelis and Palestinians, with rocks and batons, after a reported theft of livestock and soldiers dispersed them. The military said that it was aware of footage showing a soldier using violence against a Palestinian and it was under review. Images appeared to show someone being thrown to the ground and beaten.

Huwara has seen numerous attacks in recent years. In February 2023, scores of Israeli settlers rampaged there, burning dozens of cars and homes, after a Palestinian gunman killed two settlers.

The United Nations said last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians including at least 240 children have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the war in Gaza began with the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 from Jordan and sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Strike kills at least 7 in Gaza

An Israeli strike on Saturday in Gaza City killed at least seven people, including two women, a girl and her father, all from the same family, according to Shifa Hospital. Director Mohamed Abu Selmiya said that a tent near the Rimal school was struck.

Israel's military said that it attacked what it called militants in the area.

Meanwhile, Hamas said that negotiators chaired by Khalil al-Hayyah began a new round of talks in Cairo with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, in an effort to break a deadlock and move forward in implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect in October. The previous round of talks was a month ago.

Spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the talks were aimed at fully implementing the ceasefire's first phase and ending Israel’s near-daily attacks in the territory. The fragile ceasefire began in October. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the truce has seen almost daily Israeli fire.

Nickolay Mladenov, the head of the U.S.-created Board of Peace that oversees the ceasefire, acknowledged last month that the truce has stalled over the key issue of disarming Hamas.

Qassem said the talks will discuss “approaches acceptable to all parties" to implement the second phase, including addressing weapons of Palestinian militant groups and the entry of an international stabilization force.

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Samy Magdy reported from Cairo, and Sam Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Now he's back in much friendlier territory and will take the T-Mobile Arena ice Saturday for Game 3 before a Vegas fan base that has cheered him, the roars growing louder with each postseason game.

Hart has given those fans plenty of reasons to get behind him, his play in goal a major reason why the Golden Knights are in the championship round of the playoffs. The series is 1-1.

“Just really fortunate to be here in Vegas,” Hart said. “It’s a great culture of people.”

The chants in Carolina stemmed from Hart being one of five 2018 Canadian world junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault last July. The NHL ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play starting Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas.

But Hart could have been suiting up on the other side. The Hurricanes considered signing him and Michael McLeod — one of the five involved in the scandal — but decided against taking such a step.

Hart entered the Stanley Cup Final playing at such a high level that he put himself in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the NHL playoffs MVP.

He took a 12-4 playoff record into Game 1, a 2.22 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Against the Hurricanes, however, Hart has a 3.90 GAA and .855 save percentage.

Not all of it his fault. The Golden Knights' defense had several unusual lapses in the first two games, putting Hart in position to make some difficult saves. Even so, the expected goals against Hart and the Golden Knights was 4.47 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, and the Hurricanes lit the lamp six times at even strength.

Vegas coach John Tortorella again defended Hart’s play when asked how the goalie was handling the situation.

“Carter’s played very well,” Tortorella said.

Hart looked as if he would run his postseason winning streak to eight games Thursday night, taking a shutout into the final 9:40 of Game 2. But then the Hurricanes scored three times and again in overtime to win 4-3.

Now Hart and the rest of the Golden Knights will try to regroup. They are used to being in this situation, having lost Game 2 in three of the four playoff series this year, the first two at home before eliminating Utah and Anaheim each in six games.

But Vegas hasn't dealt with this kind of loss. The Golden Knights have snatched victories from other teams; this time they had it done to them.

Game 3 will tell where Hart and his teammates stand.

“It's in the past,” center William Karlsson said. “There nothing we can change, so now we just look ahead.”

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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

Freeman sent a 3-2 pitch from former Dodger reliever Kirby Yates (0-2) over the wall in deep center and was greeted by his teammates at home plate. Fans chanted “Freddie! Freddie!”

The Dodgers were on the losing end of a walkoff homer in Arizona on Thursday night. Freeman finished with two hits and a walk Friday.

Blake Treinen (3-1) got the win in relief with a scoreless ninth.

The Dodgers outscored the Angels 31-3 in winning the teams’ first three meetings this season. Friday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium was taut, with each team notching three hits.

Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki struck out a career-high 10 over seven scoreless innings. He didn't allow a hit until the fifth when Nick Madrigal doubled with one out. The Japanese right-hander lowered his ERA to 4.03.

Angels starter Reid Detmers matched Sasaki through three hitless innings of his own before Freeman singled in the fourth. The left-hander gave up two hits over six innings, struck out six and walked two.

Angels slugger Mike Trout was hitless in four at-bats, and struck out three times. His former teammate, Shohei Ohtani, didn't fare any better. The two-way superstar was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Up next

Angels RHP Jack Kochanowitz (2-4, 5.23 ERA) was set to start Saturday against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-4, 2.86).

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

“Very blurry,” Wembanyama said.

The San Antonio Spurs' situation, though, is very clear. They're in trouble. Big trouble. And Wembanyama pointed the finger of blame squarely at himself.

The Spurs had an epic comeback and an epic disaster in the same fourth quarter, falling to the New York Knicks 105-104 — after a finish that Wembanyama likely won't be able to forget anytime soon. The Spurs were down by 14 midway through the final quarter, went on a 14-0 run to tie the game, then briefly took the lead when Wembanyama had a three-point play with just under a minute left.

The score was tied with about 14 seconds remaining and it was best vs. best, the Knicks' Jalen Brunson against the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in Wembanyama.

Brunson wanted to take a jumper from about 16 feet. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama got an arm up, causing the Knicks' guard to put a little too much on the shot just to get it over the Frenchman's sky-high hand. It hit the back of the rim. Wembanyama got the rebound. The arena was buzzing. He saw Spurs teammate Stephon Castle and sent a pass his way. Problem was, Castle wasn't looking and it bounced off him. Brunson wound up with the ball and Wembanyama fouled him.

“I need to have more poise,” Wembanyama said. “More control over the game.”

Said Castle: “I was looking at him when he first got the rebound. I just started to take off to try to give him some space to dribble up the court. I didn’t see him throw it to me.”

It was a bad play. It wasn't fatal. Brunson missed one of the two free throws and the Knicks led by one. The Spurs called time. The last play was a pick-and-roll, De'Aaron Fox finding Wembanyama for a jumper from basically the same spot on the Spurs' end of the floor as Brunson tried at the other end moments earlier.

“He's made that shot a thousand times,” Castle said. “He has a game-winner with that shot this year. Yeah, I’ll take that shot every day.”

But it missed.

Game over. The Knicks stormed the floor in celebration. Wembanyama headed to the opposite tunnel, wondering how it went so wrong.

“I threw that one away. I messed up,” Wembanyama said. “We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”

They'll need all the fuel they can get right now. The Spurs trail 2-0 and will fly Saturday to New York for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday. They need to win one of those to keep the season alive, and they'll have to win twice at Madison Square Garden before this series ends if they're going to win the title.

History says that won't happen.

The Spurs jumped out to a quick lead and even resorted to the Hack-a-Mitch strategy — intentionally fouling the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson, who was the worst free throw shooter in the NBA (among those with at least 100 tries) in the regular season and has been even worse in the playoffs — in the first quarter, looking to disrupt New York’s offensive rhythm.

And even that didn’t really work. Robinson had missed nine of his last 10 free throws entering Friday; he went 3 for 6 from the line in the Hack-a-Mitch portion of the first half, which probably felt like bonus points for New York.

Those three points came in handy at the end of the night. And Robinson was the one who got a hand near Wembanyama on the Spurs' star's final shot, a neat twist in the eyes of Knicks coach Mike Brown.

“It started with Mitch and it ended with the other four guys boxing out,” Brown said. “So just a heck of a job by Mitch guarding the most iconic player in the world."

Wembanyama is the leading scorer in these finals, but he hasn’t been dominant. He’s averaging 27.5 points, though shooting only 41%. From 3-point range, he’s 4 for 15, or 27%. And he does have seven blocks, but the Knicks haven’t been afraid to go right at him, either. He had a very slow first half Friday night, taking only four shots in the opening two quarters.

That won't be enough Monday. The Spurs' best player needs to be the best player on the floor if San Antonio is going to get back into this series.

There's nothing blurry about that.

“We don’t feel like we played well or up to our standard at least in the last two games,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “New York has played very well and they’re a part of that. But we’re going to go into Game 3 (and) if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”

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

The Ugandan trader was awaiting clearance from authorities for trucks to pass through the Mpondwe border post on Thursday after they were prevented from entering or leaving Uganda as part of escalating measures to prevent cross-border Ebola contagion.

“Our things are here rotting,” she said.

On May 28, about two weeks after Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola in the eastern Ituri province, Uganda closed its western border in a decision that reflected growing fears of cross-border contagion. Exceptions were made only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, humanitarian, cargo or security reasons.

But in recent days, as the spread of Ebola in eastern Congo appeared to outpace the response, authorities in the Ugandan frontier district of Kasese have tightened the measures.

Traders say they are frustrated by the slow movement of cargo trucks. Some at the Mpondwe border post told The Associated Press that while they knew the tough measures are provoked by fear of Ebola contagion, they felt that holding up the trucks was excessive.

Sylvia Asiimwe, a clearing agent, pointed to the queue of trucks stretching over a mile on the Ugandan side. At least seven were carrying fish imported from China and destined for the Congolese cities of Beni and Butembo.

Asiimwe was adamant those Congolese towns are in the province of North Kivu, not the Ebola epicenter of Ituri. “The fish is going to spoil,” she said. “So much money.”

‘Ebola has wasted our work’

The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crossed by numerous footpaths beyond formal border posts. Trade is often booming along the route up to Mpondwe, and there is kinship between the Bakonzo people on the Ugandan side and the Banande on the other side.

Mpondwe is Uganda's top border post for informal exports that were valued at an estimated $131 million in 2023, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

After the recent border closure, some shops were shuttered and young men, deprived of casual work, sat on stools dolefully.

“The situation is bad,” said Ismail Mumbere, who often works as a vendor of roadside snacks on the Ugandan side. “A lot of people earn from here, in many businesses. But now the government has told us there is Ebola. Ebola has wasted our work.”

The current outbreak in Congo is suspected to have infected over 1,000 people. The number of confirmed cases is much lower because many suspected victims succumb to their symptoms outside hospitals and without firm proof they had Ebola.

Congolese authorities, as of Thursday, have confirmed 452 cases with 82 deaths in total. Seventy-one new cases were confirmed within 24 hours, which the authorities said is a sign of “active community transmission”.

The World Health Organization, while declaring the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, discouraged border closures. But the U.N. agency also acknowledged that neighboring countries are at high risk of contagion.

“With movement of cargo, and maybe trucks, is mobility of people, and we want to reduce that,” said Arafat Bwambale, a surveillance officer for Kasese, defending the measures.

Officials were trying to stop Congolese nationals from crossing to Uganda by way of more than two dozen footpaths along the Mpondwe border, he said.

All available vaccines and treatments for Ebola don’t work for patients with the rare Bundibugyo type spreading in Congo, making the outbreak worrisome.

Ugandan authorities are cautious after 19 confirmed cases

Uganda has confirmed 19 Ebola cases, all linked to the outbreak in the neighboring country after some Congolese nationals sought treatment in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, before it was known there was an outbreak.

The disease was believed to have been spreading for days or weeks before the outbreak was declared May 15.

Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks of its own since 2000, when the disease killed more than 200 people.

Ebola, named for a tributary of the Congo River, was first discovered in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in Congo and present-day South Sudan. Outbreaks are believed to start with the virus spilling over into humans from an infected animal such as a fruit bat. These cross-species infections often happen when people handle and eat wild meat, according to experts.

Once Ebola has infected one person, the virus then spreads through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit.

Tracing and isolating contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of Ebola, in addition to getting medical workers proper protective equipment.

Bwambale, the surveillance officer, said the nearest referral hospital in Kasese has an isolation center and is equipped with a lab that can return results on a sample within six hours. In recent days, samples taken from 41 people in the Kasese area tested negative for Ebola, which manifests as hemorrhagic fever.

Still, authorities appeared to be planning more restrictions.

A meeting of the local Ebola task force was likely to come up with “a more restricted way on how both the cargo or the trucks get into the country in a systematic way,” Bwambale said.

That alarms traders for whom the Mpondwe border post is the primary route of business.

Masika, the plantain dealer, said she would not order more goods from Congo until the current outbreak was over. But she would be in trouble if the cargo already in transit didn’t reach various locations in and around Kampala, where the fruits, deep fried or boiled, are a staple of breakfast menus in restaurants.

Masika said she couldn’t countenance a loss of 50 bags, each worth roughly $44.

“We are begging them to help us and open (the border),” she said. “We will not go back to Congo.”

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Leo is expected to double down on his messages of unity amid polarization, peace as war rages, welcome for migrants and hope for young Spaniards in the era of artificial intelligence.

In a sign that the clergy sexual abuse crisis continues to overshadow papal trips, the Vatican confirmed late Friday that Leo would meet with survivors during his visit. The Spanish Catholic hierarchy is belatedly reckoning with decades of abuse and cover-up in the once-staunchly Catholic country.

Leo’s June 6-12 visit, the first to Spain by a pope in 15 years, has three distinct chapters, in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, each with its own focus.

But Leo isn’t the only VIP who'll be paralyzing much of Madrid this weekend. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is holding two shows of his 10-concert series in the Spanish capital while the pope is in town.

Madrid, June 6-8

The highlight of Leo's visit to Madrid will be his speech June 8 to both chambers of the Spanish parliament. Even though St. John Paul II visited Spain five times and Pope Benedict XVI three, no pope has ever addressed Las Cortes Generales, as the parliament is known.

Such speeches are rare and often become one of the most important of a pontificate. The last time a pope addressed a foreign legislature was in 2015, when Pope Francis delivered a speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

Leo will find a legislature that is highly polarized, with the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hammered by a series of corruption scandals and far-right groups such as Vox harshly criticizing the Socialists’ migration policy.

Leo will also meet with the Spanish royals and preside over a prayer vigil for young people that will recall the last time a pope visited Spain: 2011, when Madrid hosted World Youth Day with Benedict.

Barcelona, June 9-10

Leo arrives in Barcelona in time to celebrate the June 10 centenary of the death of the great Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudí.

Leo will celebrate Mass in Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, and will inaugurate its central spire, the Tower of Jesus Christ, which has made the basilica the world’s tallest church.

While Catalonia’s beloved native son is on the path to possible sainthood, no announcements on his canonization are expected.

Leo will also visit another place of spiritual importance to Catalans, the Our Lady of Montserrat abbey on the sacred mountain outside the city.

Canary Islands, June 11-12

By traveling to the Canary Islands, Leo is fulfilling a wish of Pope Francis to minister to the many migrants who arrive on the Spanish archipelago after risking their lives to reach Europe from Africa.

Leo will spend two days in the Canary Islands, which are closer to Africa than the Spanish peninsula, visiting two of the seven islands and meeting with migrants and the humanitarian organizations that provide care for them.

Spain’s Socialist-led government has bucked a general trend in Europe and the U.S. by announcing it will grant legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the country without authorization. Sánchez has highlighted the benefits of legal migration to the country’s economy with an aging workforce and low birth rate.

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked in 2024 at nearly 47,000, but have fallen dramatically, with just over 2,000 people landing there in the first four months of 2026.

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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.

A person with knowledge of the NCAA's decision told The Associated Press on Friday night that the NCAA for the second time denied Texas Tech's petition to restore the quarterback's eligibility. He was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged gambling on sports, including on his own team while at Indiana.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP because there was no announcement about the appeal decision from either the NCAA or the quarterback's current school.

That came while the NCAA and Sorsby were still waiting for a ruling from a Texas judge after the quarterback filed a lawsuit May 18 seeking a temporary injunction against the NCAA in hopes of playing this season for the Red Raiders after transferring from Cincinnati.

A two-hour hearing was held Monday in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. As of Friday, there still was no decision from Judge Ken Curry.

Texas Tech had said May 26 that it was appealing after the NCAA denied the school’s initial petition to have Sorsby's eligibility reinstated.

University president Lawrence Schovanec at that time wrote in a letter to the Texas Tech community that the school felt “the NCAA’s ruling should be reversed or modified.”

The school had ruled Sorsby ineligible May 18, the same day he filed his lawsuit. Tech had to do that to be able to pursue a request for his reinstatement that it submitted to the NCAA the following day. That was denied May 22.

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The American pontiff traveled to Spain dozens of times as a priest, but this is the first visit here by a pope in 15 years. And Spaniards turned out in droves to welcome Leo, with an estimated 500,000 people — many of them young — cheering “This is the youth of the pope” at a raucous evening prayer vigil in Plaza de Lima in Madrid, where Leo was treated to a rock star's welcome.

Leo's visit signals a return of papal attention to Europe’s Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centers of Christianity in favor of smaller Catholic communities farther away.

Leo is seemingly keen to bring his message of peace, unity and human dignity to a continent sorely polarized over migration, the Russia-Ukraine war and anxiety over artificial intelligence.

The pope, known as León XIV in Spanish, opened his weeklong trip in Madrid, greeted at the airport by the country’s Catholic monarchs, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. He told reporters, while traveling, that he was particularly heartened by reports of a spiritual awakening among young people in the once-staunchly Catholic but now secularized country.

During his welcome address, Leo appealed to Spaniards, especially political leaders, to put polemics aside and invest in educating young people to appreciate diversity and complexity rather than shunning them.

“Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated,” Leo said.

He appealed to Spain’s place at the heart of Christian Europe to serve as a model for the rest of the continent, while also recalling the country's 800-year Moorish past, when cities like Toledo and Córdoba became, he said, “centers of dialogue between languages, religions and knowledge.”

“For the love of truth, I invite everyone to set aside the divisive and polarizing narratives of your societal reality and history,” he said. Doing so will help Europe “overcome sterile simplifications through the fruitful appreciation of complexity.”

Spaniards find themselves increasingly divided over issues including immigration, feminism and political corruption, while historically Spain was riven by territorial and independence movements.

Spain's parliament prepares for first-ever papal speech

The highlight of Leo’s visit to Madrid will be his speech on Monday to a joint parliamentary session of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate — the first by a pope. Such speeches are rare and often become one of the most important of a pontificate.

But Leo will find a highly polarized legislature, with the government Socialist party hammered by a series of corruption scandals. Conservative parties, including the Popular Party and Vox, have called for Sánchez to step down before a general election due by next year, and have roundly criticized his government’s migration policies.

Spain’s Socialist-led government has bucked a general trend in Europe and the United States by announcing it will grant legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the country without authorization. Sánchez has highlighted the benefits of legal migration to the Spanish economy with an aging workforce and low birth rate.

Despite some expected protests of Leo’s visit, his speech to parliament in particular is something of a milestone for Spain’s Catholic Church. Shaped by the anticlerical violence of the country’s 1936-1939 civil war, the church has dealt more recently with a credibility crisis over revelations of decades of clergy abuse and cover-up.

And yet there are signs of renewed interest in all forms of spirituality, Christian and otherwise, especially among young Spaniards, said sociologist Narciso Michavila Núñez, president of the GAD3 consulting firm that polls young people about their faith, among other things.

In recent surveys, he said, pollsters are registering newfound interest in faith among Gen Z Spaniards. Michavila and others cite the popularity of Spanish pop star Rosalía’s new hit album “Lux,” which is overtly spiritual.

“The truth from a common view is not that God is in fashion. What is new in this moment, in this visit of the pope, is that God in the Spanish society is not a tattoo anymore,” he said.

Leo pointed to the signs of a spiritual awakening in comments to reporters en route to Madrid. But he also acknowledged that he's facing stiff competition from Bad Bunny, who is holding two concerts this weekend.

“If they are confronted with the question ‘Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?’ I think many will see Bad Bunny,” Leo said. “But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.”

Pope to meet with abuse victims and migrants

In a sign that the clergy sexual abuse crisis continues to overshadow papal trips, Leo confirmed he would meet with survivors during his visit. The Spanish Catholic hierarchy is belatedly reckoning with decades of abuse and cover-up.

“Abuses are still an open wound,” he told reporters.

Spain's king also cited the church’s sexual abuse crisis in the country in his welcome speech, but he insisted such cases “neither are nor can be representative of the immense ecclesial community.”

“Your clarity and firmness, which I also wish to acknowledge, are essential in the process of healing and repairing the harm inflicted: they are essential for the victims, for the faithful, for the church, and for society,” Felipe told Leo, in an apparent reference to a recently launched church-state reparations system for some victims of clerical abuse.

Leo’s trip is the first papal visit to Spain since Pope Benedict XVI came in 2011 for World Youth Day.

After Madrid, the other highlights of the trip include Leo’s visit midweek to Barcelona, where he will celebrate Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica on the centenary of the death of its famed architect, Antoni Gaudí.

Leo will also fulfill a wish of Francis by ending his visit with a two-day stop in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key destination for migrants leaving West Africa.

Leo will meet with migrants and the humanitarian organizations providing care for them. He is expected to toss a wreath of flowers into the sea, in memory of migrants killed during the treacherous Atlantic crossing. He’ll do so from the port in Las Palmas that in 2020 earned the nickname the “Dock of Shame” because thousands of migrants were forced to sleep in the open for weeks on end during a spike in arrivals.

Francis had made reaching out to migrants and refugees a hallmark of his papacy, and Leo has followed suit by demanding dignified treatment of migrants, especially in his native U.S.

“For those of us who are immigrants and find ourselves in this situation of having family far away, someone like the pope — who is an important figure for the entire world — coming here is truly something that makes me say ‘wow,’” said Constantina Nchama, an immigrant from Equatorial Guinea.

“It’s something that happens once in a lifetime,” she said. “I’m very, very excited about that, truly.”

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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.

But at least three prominent members of his administration will be, representing the Democratic Party in a trio of governor's races that may test the resilience of the Biden brand two years after he left the White House under a cloud of disapproval.

Two Biden Cabinet members — former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland of New Mexico and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra of California — advanced to the general election ballot for governor in their states this week. They joined Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former senior adviser, who secured the Democratic nomination in Georgia's governor's race last month.

Their rise comes as a bitter feud erupts among Biden's allies, including some who worked in the White House, about the Biden family's reemergence in the public spotlight just five months before the high-stakes midterm elections. Hunter Biden is mixing it up with admirers and critics on social media, while Jill Biden is rehashing the tortured saga of the last presidential race in a new memoir. Biden himself has his own book coming out later this year.

As candidates shift toward the general election phase of the midterms, it's unclear whether the Biden connections will help or hurt the Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls come November.

“I will put my experience to work for the people of our state,” Haaland told cheering supporters this week as she accepted her party's nomination.

She did not, however, mention Biden’s name as she ticked through her experience as a single mother, her time in Congress and her leadership of the Interior Department.

Biden who?

One former Biden White House aide, Rodericka Applewhaite, suggested that some Democrats on the ballot this fall were intentionally avoiding asking the former president to help with their campaigns.

Applewhaite is among the Democratic operatives publicly criticizing the Biden's public reemergence in recent days — especially Jill Biden's book tour.

“The Bidens are burning a lot of good will that they built up over a very long time in what seems to be days," she said, offering the former president and his family a pointed suggestion. "Step aside and let us have the battles that we need to have today.”

On the ground in California, Georgia and New Mexico, Biden alumni are navigating their Biden connection in different ways.

Haaland and Becerra are eager to focus on President Donald Trump in their campaign materials, but neither referenced Biden in their primary night speeches to supporters. Nor does either cite Biden’s name in the biographies listed on their official campaign websites.

Biden did not issue a public endorsement in the New Mexico or California contests ahead of Tuesday’s contests either. Democrats have focused on hammering Republicans over Trump's time in office.

“It’s laughable that Republicans have become so desperate to avoid talking about Donald Trump that they are now trying to go after our candidates for advocating for their states and getting results when they served in the executive branch," said Kevin Donohue, a spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association. Democrats, he said, “are focused on affordability” while “Republicans are all in on Trump’s cost-raising agenda.”

That hasn't stopped Republicans from highlighting both candidates' old boss.

In fact, Republicans are actively planning to highlight Democrats' ties to the Biden administration as a weakness in the weeks ahead, according to Kollin Crompton of the Republican Governors Association.

“Deb Haaland turned her back on New Mexico to push Biden’s failed policies and the Green New Scam. New Mexico deserves a leader, not a career politician who forgot where she came from,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who chairs the campaign organization, said in a statement.

Georgia is another story.

Lance Bottoms points to her work with Biden on her campaign website. She asked for, and received, Biden's formal endorsement just ahead of Georgia's primary, which she shared widely on her campaign's social media platforms. She also said she'd invite the former president to campaign with her this fall. “As I am moving around this state, people are missing Joe Biden more and more each day," she told CNN.

Bottoms was the first of two candidates Biden endorsed since leaving office, and he called her with congratulations after her primary victory on May 19.

But even Bottoms has not highlighted her time in the administration on the campaign trail. Her stump speech regularly mentions her time serving as Atlanta's mayor and career as a prosecutor but quickly pivots to issues like affordability and the Trump administration's agenda.

“I spoke with him this morning, so he called to congratulate me,” Bottoms said of Biden after her primary win. But then she immediately pivoted. “At the end of the day, we all want the same things. We want to live in great neighborhoods, we want great schools, we want access to health care.”

Biden's bad numbers

Americans had a dimmer view of Biden's presidency when he left office than they did at the end of Trump’s first term or Barack Obama’s second, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Around one-quarter of U.S. adults at the time said Biden was a “good” or “great” president, with less than 1 in 10 saying he was “great."

It was a stark illustration of how tarnished Biden’s legacy has become, with many members of his own party seeing his Democratic presidency as merely mediocre.

Americans were similarly likely to describe both Biden and Trump as “poor” or “terrible” — about half said this characterized each president’s time in office — but about 3 in 10 said Biden was “average,” while less than 2 in 10 said this about Trump.

The Biden family has faced fresh scrutiny in recent weeks, sometimes even from former aides.

The former president's son, Hunter Biden, drew criticism for recently appearing on the podcast of far-right conspiracy theorist Candace Owens. He has garnered attention by posting online about his experience with addiction and criticisms of the media.

Former first lady Jill Biden has shocked some Democrats for comments she made as part of a book tour for her memoir, “View from the East Wing," which was released Tuesday. The former first lady said in an interview with CBS News that she was “frightened” by her husband's performance during the infamous debate against Trump. The fallout eventually prompted Biden to drop out.

In the memoir, she writes that Biden’s senior aides “insisted he needed to run” for reelection. Her memoir includes a retelling of her husband’s decision to end his candidacy and the family’s reaction to the former president’s cancer diagnosis last year.

Throughout her book tour, she has faced tough questions about the former president's health and cognitive abilities while in office, as well as her role in pushing him to seek reelection despite widespread public concerns.

The former first lady described it as “heartbreaking” that the Democratic Party abandoned her husband during an interview on ABC’s “The View.”

“That’s why Joe had to decide to get out, because he had lost the support of the Democratic Party,” she said.

Such comments have sparked a fight among allies, especially after former Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates questioned to the New York Post "why that painful conversation for the party needed to be publicly re-opened now."

Jill Biden shot back, “I want to say to Andrew, call me up and say it to my face.”

Many analysts favor Pashinyan's Civil Contract party to retain control of the parliament, but with many opposition parties running on pro-Russia platforms, the Caucasus nation's place on the international stage has been thrown into the spotlight.

In the months ahead of the election, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have warned Armenia that joining the EU could come at the expense of massive economic damage by disrupting Armenian trade ties with Moscow and its allies.

“These are the first elections in Armenia’s history where geopolitical orientation has become a decisive issue,” Mikayel Zolyan, an analyst and former member of the Armenian Parliament, told The Associated Press from Yerevan. “Until now, Armenia has remained within Russia’s sphere of influence, and this was taken for granted, but now, for the first time, this is being called into question.”

Armenians disappointed with Moscow over Karabakh

Relations between Moscow and Armenia soured in 2023 after Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region. The mountainous region had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia, part of a long conflict between the neighboring countries.

Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow, busy with the conflict in Ukraine, has rejected the accusations, arguing its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene.

“It turned out that Russia’s image as a guarantor of Armenian security was not based in reality, and it all collapsed after the Karabakh war,” said Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan.

Pashinyan has begun cautiously weakening ties with Moscow, joining the International Criminal Court in 2023 and suspending its participation in the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.

Armenia also officially declared its aspirations to join the EU and hosted the European Political Community summit in Yerevan in early May.

A convincing win in the parliamentary vote would give Pashinyan a mandate to continue the trend and finalize a deal with Azerbaijan.

Western ties could bring benefits

Western nations have sought to show some of the advantages that closer ties could bring.

In August, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to sign an agreement declaring an end to their decades-long hostilities and including provisions for the creation of a new transit corridor between Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan. An agreement in February could pave the way for a U.S. company to build a new nuclear reactor in Armenia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also has said that Europe is ready to invest in Armenia's energy industry and its “booming digital scene.”

Trump has endorsed Pashinyan and called him a “great friend” and a leader who is making his country “strong, wealthy, and very secure!”

Opposition parties back Moscow ties

Much of Armenia’s opposition is still dominated by pro-Russia groups and many are also against normalizing relations with Azerbaijan. Key opposition figures have called for Pashinyan to stand down over the loss of Karabakh.

Nineteen political forces, including two blocs and 17 parties, are taking part in the elections.

Pashinyan’s main rival is the Strong Armenia Party, which wants closer business ties with Russia and accuses Pashinyan of attempting to spark a war with Moscow. The party is led by Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is on trial for calling for the overthrow of Armenia’s government. He denies the charges.

Other potential contenders include former President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Hayastan bloc and has accused Pashinyan of “seriously undermining” relations with Russia.

Russia applies economic pressure

Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, has warned that Yerevan’s Western turn could have dire political and economic consequences.

Putin has compared Armenia’s course to that of Ukraine in thinly veiled threats and has suggested Russia's conflict with Ukraine started with its attempts to join the EU.

In recent weeks, Russian has introduced new restrictions on Armenian produce after citing sanitation violations, banning Armenian flowers, certain types of cognac and wine, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and more.

Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led customs union, was placed under formal review during a members’ meeting in Kazakhstan in May, with threats to suspend it completely it by December.

During the Kazakhstan summit, the governments of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also demanded Armenia hold a referendum on whether it would remain in their group or seek EU membership. Pashinyan has rejected the need for such a vote.

Armenian government statistics show 38% of Armenia’s exports went to countries within the Eurasian Economic Union in 2025, the vast majority heading to Russia. In comparison, just 8% of trade went to the EU.

The Russian measures prompted von der Leyen to announce Thursday that the 27-nation bloc would send 50 million euros ($58 million) to support Armenia. In a statement, she said Russia is “weaponizing” economic relations and its ban on imports was “nothing short of economic coercion.”

Facing an uncertain future

Russia could exert further pressure on Armenia because it controls a significant portion of the country’s energy and infrastructure and supplies cheap gas.

“It’s completely unrealistic to say that Armenia can somehow overcome Russian influence in a short period of time,” analyst Zolyan said.

Armenia’s civil society also isconcerned by what they have described as Russian-backed disinformation campaigns ahead of the vote. Moscow denies any interference.

Daniel Ionnisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, an independent election watchdog, told the AP that his organization has documented instances of Russian interference through social media campaigns, cyberattacks, vote buying and bribery of journalists.

That echoes findings of a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which visited Yerevan in May and said foreign interference included illicit political financing, cyberattacks, economic coercion and direct attempts to manipulate the electoral process.

“These hybrid tactics aim not only to sway public opinion but to secure long-term geopolitical leverage over Armenia,” the delegation said.

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Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.

The meeting between the two had come just after the Vermont senator announced a plan for the public to take a 50% ownership stake in artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI, using their stock to create a public wealth fund that would spread the fortune generated by AI behemoths.

Altman told Sanders that he, too, wants the public to have equity in AI companies. Though the CEO said he couldn’t support Sanders’ threshold of 50%, he nonetheless wanted to work with him to advocate for the general idea, according to people with knowledge of the conversation.

The nearly hourlong meeting in Sanders’ Senate office this week, held at Altman's request, highlighted the inherent tension between AI powerhouses and policymakers as Americans are increasingly asked to accept the costs of the AI boom even as they remain unconvinced of its direct benefits. Yet it's also creating odd political bedfellows fueled by populism as politicians from Sanders to President Donald Trump embrace giving the public a stake in AI's growth.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Trump described a potential partnership “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI" and said executives from leading AI companies will visit the White House, “probably next week,” to discuss the idea.

“There’s something very interesting about it, where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public,” Trump, a Republican, said Friday.

When reporters noted to Trump that Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, had proposed public ownership in AI companies, he pointed to similarities in their coalitions. The economic views of Trump voters and voters who supported Sanders for president, Trump said, “aren’t that far apart.”

Trump has embraced government investment in private companies in his second term, scrambling his party’s politics. His administration last year secured a 10% stake in the struggling Silicon Valley company Intel, and it considered a government takeover of Spirit Airlines earlier this year, although the airline couldn’t reach a deal and ultimately closed.

Public backlash is becoming harder to ignore

The positioning of leading figures such as Trump and Sanders comes as concerns about AI are emerging far beyond Washington.

In Michigan, Democrats recently clashed over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appearance with Altman at the site of a major data center. Candidates such as New York Democratic House hopeful Alex Bores have also made AI regulation a campaign issue by tapping into voters’ angst about the technology.

“This is a real change to society,” Altman told reporters this week. “I think it’s possible both that people can use AI a lot and like using it and also have anxiety about what it’s going to do for the future.”

Data center projects across the country have drawn opposition from residents concerned about electricity demand, water consumption and environmental impacts. Some states once eager to attract the facilities, including Ohio and Virginia, have moved to reconsider tax incentives.

“We need to pass legislation right now that says there’s not going to be any further data center development until they agree to pay for their own electricity, build their own grids and pay for their own water supply,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a leading Republican skeptic of Big Tech, told The Associated Press.

Before arriving in Washington, Altman stopped in Michigan on Monday to appear alongside Whitmer, a Democrat, at the building site of a 1.65 million-square-foot data center. Whitmer’s team claimed the project will create more than 2,500 union construction jobs.

But it also drew criticism from local activists and some Democrats, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who called the project “disgusting.” She said she was “so disappointed” in Whitmer.

“It’s a very controversial topic right now and it’s coming from the ground up,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, said about the grassroots pushback. “People feel very strongly about it."

Whitmer, however, told reporters after the event that “one thing’s very clear, everyone has a cellphone in our pocket.”

“We are all, more and more, consuming technology and data and these data centers are going to get built. So, my thought is if we can hold them to a high standard and do it in Michigan, that’s the best way to do it,” she said.

The tensions extend beyond data centers. On college campuses, commencement speakers have been interrupted by boos when discussing artificial intelligence. About 70% of college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to a 2025 poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Altman acknowledged those concerns. He said that while “the impact on jobs has been less than many people in our field expected," he understands “that college students have a lot of anxiety about the future."

Washington searches for an AI bargain

The idea that AI’s expansion is inevitable is increasingly shared by leaders across the political spectrum, even as they disagree sharply about how to manage it.

That reality was at the center of Altman’s conversations in Washington. In addition to Sanders, Altman met with Trump administration officials such as Michael Kratsios, the White House's chief science and technology adviser, and congressional leaders from both parties.

Sanders' team emphasized that the two did not reach an agreement on the main points that the senator made to Altman, including the 50% figure so the public has decision-making power. Sanders also expressed opposition to the growing election spending by the AI industry.

“Unfortunately, Sam Altman did not commit to any of those,” said Sanders' spokesperson Jeremy Slevin.

Altman, in emerging from the conversation, described it as “great,” adding that the two “obviously don’t agree on everything.”

Policy makers are also looking at how AI should be governed

Congress this week released a bipartisan framework that would establish the first broad federal approach to AI regulation while temporarily preempting many state laws.

Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s top competitors, has proposed mechanisms for coordinating pauses on advanced AI development if systems become too powerful.

The Trump administration has also begun constructing its own oversight structure, signing an executive order to establish a process for reviewing national security risks posed by advanced AI systems before their public release.

Sanders said he found the administration's move notable after years of warnings that regulation could slow American innovation.

“Even these guys are beginning to catch on that there are legitimate concerns that have to be dealt with," Sanders said.

The protest near Parliament in New Delhi marked the movement’s first step into street politics after weeks of dominating social media feeds and news headlines, attracting widespread support among young Indians.

The immediate trigger for Saturday’s protest was the reported irregularity in a recent exam that quickly became a broader outlet for frustration over India’s education system and limited job opportunities.

“Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution,” the official CJP account on X posted Friday. Young people in India make up more than a quarter of the population.

Protesters seek minister’s resignation within the week

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the online movement, joined the protest after arriving from the U.S. Police had laid steel barricades at the arrivals section of New Delhi’s international airport.

Dipke said in a social media post shortly after arriving that police granted permission to the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, to hold the protest, adding: “Cockroaches gather at Jantar Mantar.”

CJP organizers have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Supporters chanted slogans including, “Cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is going!”

Participants were encouraged to bring India’s national flag and a book, which organizers said symbolized the right to education and equal opportunity for all. Organizers urged them to remain peaceful and avoid confrontations with police.

Mansi Sehgal, a 26-year-old protester, said the protests began around exam issues but the deeper problem is that people haven’t had a space to speak up or ask questions.

“CJP is doing that. So, this is literally the first thing that people can connect and ask questions,” she said.

“This is a long fight. We are seeing that’s it’s nearly a month that we are demanding (Pradhan’s) resignation,” Dipke said at the protest venue.

Late Saturday, the CJP in a statement said the party is giving the government seven days: Either Pradhan resigns or Prime Minister Narendra Modi removes him.

“If no action is taken within seven days, this movement will spread across the country,” it added.

‘Cockroaches’ face tough challenge

The event was an early test of whether the movement can channel its online popularity into a broader grassroots support around growing frustration among young Indians over education, jobs and economic prospects.

Another challenge is how the party would navigate the kind of pushback that earlier protest movements have faced under Modi’s government.

Over the past decade, authorities have sought to stamp out protests against his government, including demonstrations against a controversial citizenship legislation and farmers’ protests. Some protest movements have faced legal action against organizers and activist arrests, which critics say reflects a broader effort under Modi to suppress dissent.

But despite challenges, protesters expressed optimism for change.

"This is a youth-first movement,” said Satya Prakash Yadav, a student. “Youth is the future and we will ensure that our future is secure.”

The online party has risen swiftly

The CJP emerged only three weeks ago. Supporters proudly call themselves “cockroaches," a term that India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant used to disparage critics and some unemployed youth during a May hearing.

Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University student, used the insult as inspiration for a parody political party. CJP’s Instagram page has now amassed more than 22 million followers.

The cockroach has become a wry badge of endurance and political articulation. Videos and memes lampooning unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction have drawn millions of views online. Parody CJP accounts have adopted the cockroach as a political symbol in satirical commentary.

The movement’s messaging blends self-deprecating humor with political criticism. Supporters jokingly describe themselves as unemployed and perpetually online.

They also say they are shut out of meaningful influence. CJP supporters argue that ordinary Indians, particularly young people, under Modi have fewer opportunities, with limited job opportunities and rising unemployment.

It’s a gimmick for Modi supporters

The group’s rise echoes a trend across South Asia of youth movements born out of social media playing a central role in anti-government protests, including uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and unrest in Nepal.

Young people in India have expressed growing disillusionment with traditional politics. Many are critical of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, citing concerns over rising religious polarization, widening inequality and mounting economic pressures.

The movement’s skeptics, particularly supporters of Modi’s party, dismiss it as little more than a social media gimmick. They argue its online popularity may not translate into street mobilization and that its rapid rise is likely fleeting.

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Associated Press journalists Shonal Ganguly and Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi contributed to this report.

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Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 News shows the moments leading up to a shooting.

According to police, the shooting was reported at 4:53 a.m. in the 6700 block of Collins Avenue.

Police said officers arrived at the scene and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.

Miami Beach Fire Department officials transported the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.

Northbound traffic on Collins Avenue was shut down for hours at 67th Street during the investigation, police said.

Residents in the area started their day with questions and concerns, especially when the SWAT team was spotted in the neighborhood, searching nearby apartment complexes for a suspect.

“I saw them gathering on the sidewalk with their weapons, getting ready to go inside and make sure that it was safe, and that’s when I rode my bike by and asked an officer ‘Is everybody safe?’ And he goes, ‘Yes,’” Thomas Antone said.

“It just happened so fast,” another resident, Rene Welcome, said. “I saw people and then I saw the police having it roped off and stuff ... It was worse than I thought.”

According to authorities, a person of interest has been taken into custody for questioning.

No other details were immediately released.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami Beach Police Department or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani greeted her leading off the bottom of the first inning as he customarily does with the umpire in each of his at-bats.

Pawol, 49, umpired during spring training for the third straight year but she did not get one of the permanent staff openings. Instead, she is part of MLB's call-up list.

She worked her first game of the automated balls and strikes challenge system on April 17 when the Giants visited the Nationals.

She became the first female major league umpire on Aug. 9, 2025, and worked a total of five big league games last season. In 2024, she became the first woman to umpire big league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol has been a minor league ump since 2016 and has worked at Triple-A since 2023.

Pawol was flirting with potential history early in Friday's game.

Angels starter Reid Detmers tossed three hitless innings before allowing a single to Freddie Freeman in the fourth.

Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki pitched no-hit ball through the first four innings before giving up a double to Nick Madrigal in the fifth.

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This story has been corrected to show Jen Pawol previously umpired this season.

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

Twenty-six years after the original film introduced audiences to its signature mix of parody and horror, the franchise is coming back with a new installment.

The original movie poked fun at popular horror films while teaching viewers to be wary of suspicious phone calls, avoid dark basements and never take horror movies too seriously.

Now, the spoof series is rising from the grave.

A brand-new Scary Movie is in the works, bringing the franchise back to its R-rated roots.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda jumped into the hunt for her first Women’s Open title by shooting the day’s lowest round at 67, leaving her just two shots back after struggling Thursday.

Opening-round leader Jennifer Kupcho, Sei Young Kim and Mexico's Gaby Lopez were in a group of six at 3-under 139, while Korda and three others were at 140.

The venerable course at this 100-year-old country club is hosting its first U.S. Women’s Open, and it remained unforgiving for the world’s best. Only two players managed a bogey-free round Friday — including China's Yin, who semi-jokingly called Riviera “passive aggressive" despite being the only player in the field to shoot two sub-70 rounds so far.

“I love it,” Yin said. “I always say that the more difficult (the course), the better.”

Yin carded her second straight 69 in the same city where she earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2023, a couple of months before she won the Women’s PGA Championship. She tied for fourth at last year's U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

Lee played under par for the second straight day at Riviera, highlighted by back-to-back birdies just before the turn. The new mother’s first two rounds are an extension of a strong start to the season that includes a third-place finish at the Mizuho Americas Open four weeks ago.

“To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool,” Lee said. I don’t want to get ahead of myself ... but if you’d told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying.”

The 31-year-old Lee grew up in suburban Valencia and had a stellar junior career before playing at UCLA and embarking on her pro career. She is a two-time Solheim Cup participant, but she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour while managing just two top-10 finishes at 44 majors.

“I'm not going to lie, it’s been very tough,” Lee said. “I’ve gone through a few stages, a few slumps, if you want to call it, in my career, even since I was like 15 years old. ... no matter what I did, no matter how much I practiced, it just wasn’t going my way.”

Lee then took most of last year off for the birth of her son, Levi. While she says her sleep rhythms are regularly interrupted by her 13-month-old these days, her parents and extended family in Valencia have relieved some of the burden during the Open.

Levi was in attendance for Friday's round, but Lee's partner only brought him out to watch the 18th hole because the youngster has a tendency to get excited: He yelled “Ball!” during his mom's backswing at The Chevron Championship earlier this year.

With family around her, Lee is finally having the moment she had long anticipated.

“I feel like I’ve definitely underachieved what I could have done out here on tour,” Lee said. “It’s definitely been really frustrating. I’m at a point now where I’ve truly accepted it, but like I said, that’s part of why I want to come back and play. I feel like I was so close so many times.”

Kim was one shot behind Kupcho after the opening round, and she was thrust into the lead early in the second despite shooting 1 over on the front nine. She bogeyed the 18th to drop her share of the lead in one of the day's final groups.

Kupcho scuffled to a second-round 73 after carding the only 66 of the tournament so far on Thursday.

Among the players who missed the 36-hole cut were world No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim, three-time major champion Lydia Ko, five-time major champion Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie West, who largely left golf in 2023.

The 36-year-old Wie West returned to competition last month at the Mizuho Americas Open, but she isn't currently planning to play beyond this U.S. Open.

She shot 7 over at Riviera — the former club of her late father-in-law, Lakers icon Jerry West — after using the final year of her exemption from winning the 2014 U.S. Open. Her husband, Jonnie West, was her caddie.

“Obviously, I would be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed,” Wie West said. “I would have loved to have made the cut today, but I had a blast, honestly, playing here at Riv. Such a special week to have played it, and to have family, friends, a lot of familiar faces coming out. It was a lot of fun. I hit some good shots, hit some good putts and kind of felt that feeling again, which is awesome.”

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

Meliá announced May 26 that it will cease operations at 15 of the 34 hotels it manages in Cuba after the U.S. announced new sanctions while upholding an energy embargo that has deepened an economic crisis on the island. Cuba’s government has blamed the U.S. blockade for prolonged blackouts, water shortages, supply problems, deficiencies in the healthcare system and disruptions in all aspects of daily life.

The company's decision follows similar moves by hotel chains including Canadian-owned Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar to limit or suspend operations in Cuba, dealing blows to the vital tourism sector that has plummeted since its 2018 peak.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the new management policy in an interview with a Spanish journalist that was broadcast Friday on the official presidential channel.

“There will be hotels that we will have to operate more with Cuban management than with shared management with foreign entities,” Díaz-Canel said. “We are proposing different business models. We are open to Cubans who want to invest and manage hotels,”

“We have also offered these business opportunities to Cubans residing abroad,” he added.

Melia’s decision came weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions against the island. Most of the sanctions targeted Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., a business conglomerate operated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, with the assertion it was a threat to U.S. national security.

The order also freezes the assets of other foreign companies, seizes accounts in the United States and prohibits travel by shareholders, investors and employees, virtually eliminating activity in the U.S. financial system.

GAESA, a Cuban conglomerate created in the 1990s, owns a wide range of businesses from car rentals and retail stores to transportation companies. The company is Meliá’s partner in hotel management through one of its subsidiaries, Gaviota.

Meliá is one of Cuba’s most important partners in the tourism sector, operating some 14,000 rooms until its partial withdrawal.

Tourism in Cuba, which reached a peak of 4.3 million visitors in 2019, saw a significant drop in the number of tourists arriving in the first quarter of this year, 48% lower than in the same period in 2025.

Only 298,000 tourists arrived in Cuba during January, February and March compared to 573,300 international visitors during the same period last year, according to government data.

In the interview, Díaz-Canel said it was “cynical” for Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to promote a narrative that Cuba’s government is ineffectual while intensifying an already harsh embargo.

The U.S. moves could be aimed at strangling Cuba to “provoke a social explosion that would give (Trump) a pretext for humanitarian aid to intervene in the country,” Díaz-Canel said.

Or they could be intended to “pursue a coercive dialogue with Cuba, employing maximum pressure to economically occupy the country.” Or they could be a prelude to a military intervention, he said.

While U.S. and Cuban officials held talks earlier this year, tensions have risen. In late May, former President Raúl Castro was charged in a U.S. indictment for his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exiles in Cuban waters.

It doesn’t guarantee that the 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, will walk off the job. But it gives them the option to do so after contract talks have stalled with the stadium’s food service provider.

The vote comes days before the stadium near Los Angeles will host the U.S. team’s opening World Cup match against Paraguay. Union member Yolanda Fierro said that unless a deal is reached workers could go on strike for the June 12 match.

Fierro said workers are concerned about pay and security on the job amid ramped-up immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said this week the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told him federal authorities would be at the matches to assist with security but not civil immigration enforcement.

“What good is the World Cup for Los Angeles when workers don’t earn enough to pay the rent and must choose between showing up and being kidnapped by ICE?” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. "If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos.”

Legends Global, which handles hospitality at SoFi, said the company has a longstanding relationship with the union and is committed to reaching an agreement through contract negotiations.

“We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Petersen said contract talks have been moving at a “glacial” pace. He said Legends has agreed to minimal wage increases for cooks and dishwashers and freezes for some suite attendants and bartenders even as the World Cup is expected to reel in ample revenue. The union is also asking Legends for protections from subcontracting and potential federal immigration raids.

Cesar Zamora, a bartender at the stadium, said he is a lifelong soccer fan and is heartbroken to see his employer not making the needed changes before this major event.

“The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security,” he said in a statement. "We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I’m ready.”

Community groups in other World Cup host cities such as Atlanta and Miami also have called for a halt on U.S. immigration enforcement during the matches, fearing arrests near stadiums and watch parties could damp the festivities.

The World Cup is expected to draw millions of fans to soccer games played in June and July in 11 U.S. host cities as well as in Canada and Mexico.

Robot makers in China say they have thousands of orders from both the government and private businesses for humanoids that can do such things as sort parcels at postal centers, as the country finds ways to cope with an aging population and rising labor costs. However, some experts believe demand for humanoids lags the capacity to build them.

China and the United States dominate research for what Morgan Stanley estimates is a $5 trillion humanoid robots market.

By some measures, the U.S. holds an upper hand in developing the artificial intelligence for such robots' high-level computing power, or “brains.” But as the world's factory floor, China leads in mass production capacity, supplies of hardware and harvesting of data for training robots.

Robot makers say real-life demand is growing

The Shanghai-based startup Matrix Robotics makes humanoid robots that employ AI. Its flagship humanoid robot, the “MATRIX-3,” stands nearly 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) tall and is equipped with hands able to make finely controlled movements. They are priced at around $99,000 per unit.

Customers for the roughly 1,000 orders it has received include coffee chains and hotels, its founder and CEO Allan Zhang, who formerly worked for Tesla, said at a recent robotics expo in Macao.

So far, Matrix has made only a few hundred of the robots, though it said it will be capable of delivering 5,000 units within this year, depending on the number of orders.

EngineAI, a startup based in southern China’s Shenzhen, says its full-sized humanoid robots could be used as security guards and museum guides. They also perform, with dancing and boxing.

A basic edition of its humanoid costs 180,000 yuan ($26,600). “The next step will be to move into more real-life scenarios,” said Issac Li, EngineAI's head of brand and marketing.

Demand for robots may lag behind

Most humanoid robots are still performative rather than functional, falling short of working in messy, unpredictable environments, said Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology.

“The use cases of these robots are still so limited,” said Chibo Tang of the venture capital firm Gobi Partners, which invests in technology startups including robotics companies. “Without the demand and without that scale from the market, these companies are not able to really go into mass production.”

China had more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers and more than 330 models in 2025, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Last year, the Chinese government even publicly warned about the risk of a bubble in the industry given the lagging state of commercialization and applications.

Corporate and academic labs are buying humanoid robots for research. And in China, many of the more than 2 billion yuan ($295 million) worth of orders in 2025 came from state-owned enterprises for use in places such as power plants, data centers or for entertainment, Morgan Stanley said.

“The economics are tough: humanoid robots remain expensive to produce, fragile in operation, and dependent on highly structured environments to function,” Sacks explained. There's “a long way to go to get to a level of functionality where people will actually feel comfortable having them in their homes providing care for elderly or children,” she said.

Still, compared to other countries, China is keen on humanoids

The more viable commercial path will more likely be through industrial and logistics settings, Sacks said. But many factories in China and elsewhere already are equipped with non-humanoid robotic arms that perform repetitive single functions and may not need many humanoid robots.

In Japan and in the U.S., humanoid robot startups are also struggling to find buyers in industrial and other work settings.

Yet over the past year, real-world deployment of humanoid robots in China has accelerated.

Chinese people are relatively “used to this rapid change in terms of technology,” said Ye Tian, an ex-Apple engineer and founder and CEO of the Chinese startup RoboScience, which focuses on developing the systems behind AI-powered robots.

As the technology matures, humanoids could perform heavy-lifting and mundane tasks in warehouses, factories and ports, said Lian Jye Su, with the technology research group Omdia.

Humanoid robots also can fill in gaps where work is dangerous or repetitive, Matrix's Zhang said. There's also a “very large household market” for handling chores in hundreds of millions of homes in China, he believes.

In Beijing, freelance social media content creator Yang Ning recently tried out a cleaning service with a helper robot with mechanical arms and hands. It can do simple tasks like organizing shoes, folding clothes and changing garbage bags, but it's accompanied by a human cleaner.

Watching the robot sort shoes at her doorway was “amazing,” she said. Still, she thought the helper robot was not that efficient and was “a bit too big and difficult to move around in a small house.”

China leads the global humanoid robots market

Last year, Chinese humanoid robots accounted for around 85% globally, according to a recent research report by Barclays.

Startups in China have the advantage of massive state support, in line with the ruling Communist Party’s 2026-2030 five-year plan targeting the frontiers of technology, including advancements of humanoid robots.

Of the more than 13,000 humanoid robots shipped in 2025, AGIBOT and Unitree, two of China’s leading robotics companies, each shipped over 5,000, while U.S. rivals like Figure AI and Tesla each shipped a few hundred or less, according to Omdia.

Morgan Stanley expects China’s humanoid sales to more than double this year to around 28,000 units. Omdia forecasts that annual shipments of advanced robots could surpass 1 million units by the early 2030s.

Some robot makers say they are already profitable. Unitree said it made 1.7 billion yuan (around $250 million) in revenue last year, with a profit of over 278 million yuan ($41 million).

Robot makers argue that as production of humanoid robots increases, costs will drop. Using more locally made parts also helped make Chinese robots 20% or more cheaper than foreign models on average, Morgan Stanley said. It estimates the average price could fall to about $21,000 by 2050, from $46,000 last year.

Some humanoid robots in China were priced at below $6,000.

Even so, cost remains an obstacle

A report by the Mercator Institute for China Studies said while China’s humanoids are already cheaper than those made elsewhere, they are still “far too expensive for widespread deployment.”

Another challenge for manufacturers is to accumulate enough good data to train more robots.

Wang Xiaogang, co-founder of the Chinese AI software company SenseTime and chairman of ACE Robotics, said his company is collecting a lot of human-centric data from factories, retailing and offices settings that could guide advanced robots to perform complicated functions.

For humanoid robots to learn more than single tasks, data from a wide variety of scenarios in public and private settings with a reasonable level of difficulty is needed, said Eric Guo, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics. But that could take years to massively scale up.

“The mass production capability in (the) robotic area is still at the very early stage,” Guo said.

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Associated Press video journalists Olivia Zhang and Wu Jia in Beijing contributed to this report.

FIFA in a social media post said fans will be permitted to bring one, soft, plastic, 20-ounce (590 milliliter), factory-sealed, disposable water bottle into any match taking place in the United States or Canada.

In a video released by FIFA, Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said fans will still not be permitted to bring in hard sided, reusable water bottles “due to safety and security reasons.”

FIFA stated, “for the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”

FIFA’s stadium rules had stated that fans could bring in a transparent, reusable bottle up to one liter, or 33.8 ounces capacity. On Thursday, the “Stadium Code of Conduct” update was criticized by an English fan group, which argued FIFA had given assurances on carrying empty plastic bottles to fill with freely available water at a tournament where heat and extreme weather are expected to be a factor.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

A brief ceremony with their families was held on the team’s 13th Pride Night, hours before the Dodgers hosted the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series.

“It’s brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us,” said Greg Baker, Bean’s husband.

The families let out audible “aahs” and applauded as a blue curtain dropped on the display under the left-field pavilion near the Dodgers bullpen. Against a swirling rainbow painted on the wall are Burke's No. 3 and Bean's No. 40 framed jerseys, along with a color photo of Burke's baseball card and a black-and-white shot of him in action. Bean's side of the display features two color photos of him. Placards describe their careers and contributions.

“He would be smiling, he would be so happy, he probably would be giving a high-five,” said Joyce Burke Henderson of Vallejo, California, one of Burke's three sisters on hand.

Burke was the first MLB player to come out as gay, announcing it in 1982 after he retired. He played for the Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to '79. He and Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker are widely credited with inventing the high-five after they slapped hands on the field in 1977.

Burke Henderson recalled that her brother initially kept his sexuality hidden before reaching a point where “he just didn't care.”

“Nowadays the world is different and we need to conform to what’s going on,” she said. “As long as everybody is safe, they’re healthy, we don’t have the right to tell people how to live their lives. That’s up to them, but just respect that decision.”

Burke died at age 42 in 1995 of AIDS complications.

Four years later, Bean became the second MLB player to reveal that he was gay. Bean did so after he had been retired for four years. Bean was appointed MLB's first ambassador for inclusion in 2014 and later became the league's senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Bean was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023 and died the following year at age 60.

“It never stops being emotional,” said Baker, who got choked up addressing the gathering. “It's so well-deserved. I'm so proud of him.”

Baker has remained close to Bean's family, including his parents Ed and Linda Kovac and three brothers who attended.

Baker said he's not surprised that more professional athletes haven't come out.

"I still think there’s a lot of work to do and I think that work is not necessarily like within the sports community. I think it’s within our community as a whole,” he said. “There's always going to be homophobia, just hopefully there’s going to be less and less of it.”

The families took turns posing in front of the wall and taking their own photos of it.

"We still love him,” Burke Henderson said. “We just appreciate the Dodgers honoring him and Billy Bean, too. We knew Billy Bean. They were both great guys.”

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

The 33-year-old third baseman hit his fourth career grand slam, a three-run homer and added a sacrifice fly to finish with a career-high eight RBIs in the Giants' 18-3 rout of the slumping Chicago Cubs. The eight RBIs tied the Giants' San Francisco-era individual game record, shared by five others. The first to do it after the team relocated from New York in 1958 was Mays in on April 30, 1961.

The other Giants to accomplish the feat were Orlando Cepeda (July 1961), Brandon Crawford (July 2019), Joc Pederson (May 2020) and Wilmer Flores (May 2025).

“I feel like I’ve been doing a good job with runners in scoring position and I’ve been having a lot of opportunities with guys on base,” said Chapman, in his 10th major league season and third with the Giants.

Chapman hit his slam in San Francisco’s six-run fourth — and in a light rain — off Edward Cabrera. It barely reached Wrigley Field’s left-center basket.

He added a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Chapman’s second homer capped the Giants’ seven-run sixth inning. He launched Ethan Roberts’ down-the-middle sweeper and sent it 432 feet to left before it struck an electric ad sign above the bleachers.

Chapman's slam was the Giants' second in two days and sixth this season — all in San Francisco’s last 18 games. The Giants are the sixth team in MLB history to hit six slams in 20 days or less, according to the club.

Chapman said he has now homered in every major league ballpark after going deep twice at Wrigley.

“I got Sacramento (the Athletics' temporary home) in Triple-A, so we’ll count it,” he said. "But this was my last one, so that’s cool.”

Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt also each homered twice and Jonah Cox added a solo shot after entering as a pinch hitter. The Giants won their third straight with a 19-hit attack after getting 20 hits in a 12-9 win at Milwaukee on Thursday.

Chapman is up to four homers and 31 RBIs on the season with a .241 average. His best output was 36 homers and 91 RBIs with the Athletics in an All-Star 2019 season.

“I haven’t been doing anything different over the last week,” Chapman said. “We went to Milwaukee and I hit that home run (on Monday) and then got a few more hits yesterday, so I felt like I was starting to feel more comfortable in the box.

“I feel like I’m on time, getting good swings off and then today just showed up and just kept trying to repeat it and, you know, the power showed up a little bit."

Even so, San Francisco is still just 26-38 and deep in the NL West standings.

“We didn’t have many guys swinging the bat early and it seems like everybody’s kind of come alive at a similar time,” Chapman said. “The quality of at-bats have been really good."

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

Las autoridades argentinas indicaron que biólogos de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de Estados Unidos (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés) se sumarán a la misión en Mendoza la próxima semana.

El inusual brote en el buque MV Hondius fue causado por el hantavirus Andes, una enfermedad transmitida por roedores endémicos de Argentina y Chile, y el único hantavirus que se cree puede propagarse entre personas en algunos casos.

Reconstruir la cadena de transmisión es un trabajo difícil, y las autoridades argentinas señalan que quizá nunca sea posible determinar con exactitud dónde fue que las primeras víctimas conocidas —una pareja holandesa que murió en abril— contrajeron el virus antes de abordar el crucero en Ushuaia. Pero expertos afirman que esclarecer el brote aportará información valiosa sobre cómo se propagó el raro virus y dejará lecciones importantes para el manejo de la enfermedad.

A medida que los pasajeros del crucero repatriados de más de 20 países han desembarcado e ingresado a centros especializados de cuarentena, epidemiólogos examinan los 11 casos confirmados de hantavirus, incluidos los itinerarios de las tres personas fallecidas, para comprender mejor la cadena de transmisión.

Científicos argentinos trabajan para reconstruir el recorrido de los turistas holandeses. Creen que la fuente original del virus a bordo pudo haber sido la exposición del hombre a excrementos u orina de roedores durante su viaje de varios meses por Argentina y Chile antes de que el barco partiera. El período de incubación típico antes de que aparezcan los síntomas es de aproximadamente tres semanas, pero puede extenderse hasta ocho.

Poco después de que se conociera la noticia del brote, el Ministerio de Salud de Argentina identificó a Ushuaia como una posible fuente del contagio, y el mes pasado envió investigadores del Instituto Malbrán —un organismo gubernamental de investigación— para recolectar muestras de roedores en diversas zonas boscosas en los alrededores de la ciudad.

Autoridades locales de Ushuaia —una ciudad que depende del turismo y es famosa por su ubicación en “el fin del mundo”— han rechazado con enojo que el virus se haya originado allí. Aunque el hantavirus Andes infecta a unas pocas decenas de personas cada año en la región patagónica de Argentina más al norte, nunca se ha detectado en Ushuaia ni en el archipiélago de Tierra del Fuego.

El Ministerio de Salud informó que aún aguarda los resultados de laboratorio de esas pruebas para determinar si la pareja contrajo allí el virus.

El ministerio señaló que especialistas del Malbrán, junto con sus homólogos de Estados Unidos en los CDC, se preparaban para analizar roedores en busca de hantavirus en la ciudad de Malargüe, Mendoza, del 8 al 12 de junio.

Un portavoz del Instituto Malbrán confirmó que la pareja holandesa visitó Malargüe mientras atravesaba en auto la región vitivinícola de Mendoza rumbo a la provincia nororiental de Misiones, durante el último tramo de su viaje por Argentina.

La directora del Malbrán, Claudia Perandones, se reunió con investigadores de los CDC en Argentina para hablar sobre la operación, que —según explicó— implicará equipos con amplio equipamento de protección, los cuales tomarán muestras de sangre de roedores muertos y trasladarán el material al laboratorio principal en Buenos Aires para su análisis. Las autoridades han dicho que los resultados podrían tardar hasta un mes.

La Organización Mundial de la Salud ha dejado claro que, dado el bajo riesgo de contagio, el hantavirus no representa una amenaza de pandemia.

Aun así, el hantavirus Andes ha generado preocupación en todo el mundo debido a su tasa de mortalidad, de hasta 30%, y a la actual carencia de tratamientos y vacunas.

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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.

Becerra leaned on his more than 35 years in public office, including as state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, to argue that he was the most qualified candidate in a crowded field.

“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are never backing down. November, here we come.”

It was not yet clear who Becerra would face in the general election. His top rivals came down to Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist who poured $215 million of his own money into his campaign.

Born and raised in Sacramento by Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra has a wife and three daughters. He has said his family’s immigrant background mirrored his “underdog” gubernatorial campaign, in which he initially failed to garner substantial support before surging in the final months.

After one of the top Democratic contenders, Rep. Eric Swalwell, was accused of sexual assault and dropped out of the race, Becerra benefited from an opening to coalesce Democratic support. He quickly racked up key endorsements from labor groups and Latino legislative leaders.

Becerra has vowed to maintain the state’s mantle as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump. As attorney general, he filed more than 120 legal actions against the first Trump administration on everything from immigration to climate policy.

The president has also been in a spat with the state over its drawn-out vote count. Trump made baseless claims about mass fraud Thursday, and on Friday, federal prosecutors said they opened investigations into allegations of election fraud. Hilton called for California to limit mail ballots to those who request them, rather than sending them to all registered voters.

During the campaign, Becerra’s rivals scrutinized his leadership as health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic and the unaccompanied migrant children crisis in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized as having inadequate living conditions, and there were also concerns about authorities failing to thoroughly vet sponsors with whom some children were placed.

If elected, Becerra said, he would declare states of emergency to address high energy costs and housing shortages and to freeze home insurance rates.

Though California is one of the nation’s most diverse states, Becerra would be the first Latino to hold the office since the late 1800s.

Newsom was barred by term limits from seeking a third stint in office.

“Habrá hoteles que tendremos que operar más con administración cubana que con administración compartida con entidades extranjeras, estamos planteando modalidad de negocios diferentes, cubanos que quieran invertir y que quieran administrar hoteles estamos abiertos para eso”, dijo el presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel en una entrevista a un periodista español y difundida el viernes por el canal oficial de la Presidencia.

“Hemos ofrecido también estas oportunidades de negocios para los cubanos residentes en el exterior”, remarcó el mandatario.

La firma española Meliá —el socio histórico más importante de la isla en la gestión de sus mejores hoteles— informó esta semana que se retiraba de 15 de 34 centros turísticos y se sumó a otras cadenas como su compatriota Iberostar y la canadiense Blue Diamond Diamond –con su marca Royalton— que también se replegaron total o parcialemete de sus actividades.

Un paquete de nuevas sanciones impuesto por el Departamento de Estado dio como fecha tope este mismo viernes para que compañías extranjeras no estadounidenses, como Meliá, dejen de operar con la corporación empresarial militar cubana GAESA, so pena de medidas como la congelación de cuentas y el bloqueo de su actividad en el sistema financiero del vecino país.

El recorte de la presencia de las cadenas se produce además en el marco de una radical caída del turismo en la isla ocasionado por un cerco petrolero impuesto por Estados Unidos desde enero. Históricamente, el gobierno de Cuba tuvo una difícil relación con su emigración y algunos empresarios exiliados tras el triunfo de la revolución están entre sus mayores detractores.

El presidente Donald Trump amenazó a los países que vendan petróleo a la isla logrando una semiparalización de todos los sectores con serias consecuencias para la población, desde apagones de más de 20 horas, cortes de agua, limitaciones en la producción de alimentos y el transporte.

Líneas áreas como World2Fly, Air France e Iberia cancelaron sus vuelos a la isla.

Mientras, el Banco Central de Cuba informó esta semana que debido a la suspensión de la relación de entidades extranjeras con la agencia financiera isleña Fincimex S.A, —del conglomerado empresarial GAESA—, se cancelaron las operaciones de las tarjetas Visa y Mastercard.

Díaz-Canel calificó durante su entrevista de “cínica” la narrativa de Trump y su secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, que acusa al gobierno de la isla de ser inoperantes, al tiempo que cierra un cerco contra la isla agravando las ya duras medidas de embargo y provocando una severa crisis económica.

El mandatario consideró que las acusaciones buscan desestabilizar a la isla y consideró posible tres escenarios: que se busque asfixiar económicamente a Cuba para “provocar el estallido social que le de un pretexto (a Trump) de ayuda humanitaria para intervenir el país".

Una segunda posibilidad sería “seguir un diálogo coercitivo con Cuba de máxima presión para ocupar el país económicamente y que eso después les diera posibilidad de provocar un cambio político” y una tercera “la intervención militar”, una solución dramática porque costaría vidas para ambos países.

Los dos gobiernos indicaron que tienen actualmente conversaciones, pero no ha trascendido el alcance real de los mismas.

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Siga a Andrea Rodríguez en X: https://x.com/ARodriguezAP

En una conferencia con la prensa internacional, Sánchez indicó que si llega al poder no pondrá “vetos” a la inversión internacional, incluyendo capitales provenientes de Estados Unidos y de China.

“China es el primer socio comercial de Perú y con Estados Unidos hay otros emprendimientos importantes por afianzar”, señaló.

El nacionalista destacó la importancia para Perú de un puerto gigante de capitales chinos llamado Chancay, en el Pacífico, e indicó que desde su funcionamiento, a inicios de 2025, aportó 1,5% del PIB nacional, alrededor de 298 millones de dólares.

“Los goles son goles en el deporte y en el primer año de funcionamiento China ha contribuido la actividad comercial portuaria del nuevo puerto de Chancay con 1,5 del PBI el primer año”, destacó.

El candidato del partido Juntos por el Perú también dijo que es promotor de otro proyecto de puerto gigante en la costa del Pacífico, llamado Corío y a más de 1.000 kilómetros al sur de Chancay, que afirma “puede ser cinco veces más grande que Chancay” y que podría tener otros capitales de inversión, incluido de grupos empresariales de Estados Unidos.

Mientras que su rival del domingo, la candidata conservadora Keiko Fujimori, del partido Fuerza Popular, sostuvo el jueves durante el cierre de su campaña en Lima que su gobierno respetará todas las inversiones desde las más grandes hasta las pequeñas.

Fujimori felicitó en 2024 la inauguración del puerto de Chancay porque dijo que impulsará el intercambio comercial con Asia. En febrero, la candidata indicó que se reunió con el embajador de Estados Unidos en Perú, Bernie Navarro, y afirmó sentirse alegre que Estados Unidos “vuelve a mirar a Latinoamérica”, incluida Perú.

Estados Unidos mostró preocupación en febrero luego que la justicia de Perú decidió que reguladores locales no podrán supervisar el cumplimiento de los derechos de usuarios en el puerto de Chancay, cuya propiedad mayoritaria pertenece a COSCO Shipping, una empresa estatal de China.

China rechazó la posición estadounidense e indicó que "lamenta profundamente los rumores descarados y la difamación acerca del puerto de Chancay por parte de Estados Unidos”.

Sánchez también habló por primera vez sobre su apoyo a impulsar una normativa a favor del aborto en casos de violación sexual, una propuesta a la que se opone su rival Fujimori.

De acuerdo a la ley actual de Perú el aborto por violación sexual está prohibido y sólo es permitido en casos donde la salud o la vida de la persona gestante se encuentre en peligro.

En 2021, la legisladora Ruth Luque, del partido Ahora Nación, impulsó un proyecto de ley para que se despenalice el aborto por violación, pero el plan legislativo no fue aprobado en un Parlamento dominado por una mayoría ultraconservadora.

En febrero, la candidata Fujimori dijo en una entrevista televisiva local que estaba a favor del aborto terapéutico en caso de que la madre corra riesgo de vida, tal como lo permite la ley. “Pero en caso de violación, no”, afirmó.

Según datos del Ministerio de la Mujer, en 2025 hubo 13.096 denuncias por violación sexual en Perú, lo cual equivale a un promedio de una denuncia por violación cada 40 minutos a nivel nacional.

Las elecciones presidenciales de segunda vuelta en Perú se realizarán el domingo 7 de junio. Quien triunfe gobernará por cinco años desde el 28 de julio.

Argentine authorities said biologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were joining the mission next week in Mendoza.

The rare outbreak on the MV Hondius was caused by the Andes hantavirus, a disease carried by rodents endemic to Argentina and Chile and the only hantavirus thought to be able to spread between people in some cases.

Reconstructing the chain of transmission is difficult work, and Argentine authorities say it may never be possible to pinpoint exactly where the first known victims — a Dutch couple who died in April — contracted the virus before boarding the cruise in Ushuaia. But experts say getting to the bottom of the outbreak will offer valuable information about how the rare virus spread and carry important lessons for management of the disease.

As repatriated cruise passengers from more than 20 countries have disembarked and entered specialized quarantine centers, epidemiologists are examining the 11 confirmed hantavirus cases, including the schedules of the three people killed, to better understand the chain of transmission.

Argentine scientists are working to retrace the path of the Dutch tourists, believing that the original source of the onboard virus to be the man's exposure to rodent droppings or urine during their monthslong trip across Argentina and Chile before the ship’s departure The typical incubation period before symptoms appear is around three weeks but can extend up to eight.

Shortly after news of the outbreak emerged, Argentina's Health Ministry identified Ushuaia as a possible source of the contagion and last month sent investigators from the Malbran government research institute to collect rodent samples in various wooded areas around the city.

Local authorities in the tourism-dependent city of Ushuaia, famed for its location at “the end of the world,” have angrily disputed that the virus originated there. While the Andes hantavirus infects a few dozen people every year in the Patagonian region of Argentina further north, it has never been detected in Ushuaia or the wider archipelago of Tierra del Fuego.

The Health Ministry said Friday that it's still awaiting lab results from those tests to determine whether the couple contracted the virus there.

On Friday, the ministry said specialists from Malbran, together with U.S. counterparts at the CDC, were preparing to test rodents for the hantavirus in the city of Malargüe, Mendoza from June 8-12.

A spokesperson for the Malbran Institute confirmed that the Dutch couple visited Malargüe as they drove through the winemaking region of Mendoza to the northeastern province of Misiones during the last leg of their trip in Argentina.

The head of Malbran, Claudia Perandones, met with CDC investigators in Argentina on Friday to discuss the operation, which she said would involve teams in extensive protective equipment taking blood samples from dead rodents and transferring the material to the main laboratory in Buenos Aires for testing. Authorities have said test results could take up to a month.

The World Health Organization has made clear that, given the low risk of transmission, the hantavirus will not become a pandemic threat.

Still, the Andes hantavirus has raised concerns around the world due to its mortality rate, as high as 30%, and the current lack of treatment and vaccines.

The World Food Program said an analysis in three vulnerable countries found that an additional 2.5 million people in Somalia, 2.3 million in Afghanistan and 1.3 million in Sri Lanka are struggling to meet their basic food needs.

In March, WFP predicted that 45 million people could be pushed into food insecurity by the end of June. That would be on top of the 318 million people around the world who are already food insecure.

“We remain by that prognosis,” WFP’s acting Executive Director Carl Skau told U.N. reporters. “That’s mainly because the correlation between the prices of energy and food is so tight in many places, and also that in the poorest countries people are already spending all their money on food, and hence when food prices rise, they eat less.”

WFP said in its report, circulated late Thursday, that its findings indicate the Mideast crisis is generating “significant spillovers," particularly on the prices of food and fuel, and disrupting trade. Especially in already vulnerable countries, the Rome-based U.N. agency said, these factors interact and quickly impact food security and livelihoods.

“These impacts are expected to intensify in the coming months, even if the crisis in the Middle East de-escalates,” WFP said.

Skau cited other global hotspots with food insecurity, including Sudan, Gaza, southern Lebanon, Yemen and Haiti.

WFP has had to limit aid to millions of needy people because of funding cuts, and Skau urged donors to step up, especially for Somalia and Afghanistan “because the human consequences of not doing more will be massive.”

Poston had eight birdies in a round of 7-under 65, a score best measured by the fact he was nine shots better than the field average, enough for a one-shot lead over Ryan Gerard going into the weekend at Muirfield Village.

Poston was at 9-under 135, a score not many saw coming.

The quality of his round could be measured by the comments of some of his peers. The interview with Tommy Fleetwood began with a statement that it seemed tougher out there.

“Is that a question?” Fleetwood replied. “Yeah, we'll expand on that. It was pretty brutal, actually.”

Justin Thomas hit a phenomenal flop shot from behind the 18th green and holed a 6-foot par putt to make the cut on the number.

“I can’t put into words how hard that was,” said Thomas, who did anyway. “That was the hardest round of golf that I can remember, major, non-major, it was just insane.”

It was all about the wind, not the strongest these players have ever felt (especially if they have been to Kapalua or Scotland) but Muirfield Village has so much trouble and so little room to play it safe that it became vexing.

That wasn't the case for Poston, who decided last week to change to what he called the “left dash ball Titleist makes."

“It’s supposed to help me a little bit in the wind,” Poston said. “So we felt like today was going to be a good test of that and it obviously performed really well. We had a couple shots that I felt like didn’t quite hit them perfect and it hung in there pretty well.”

Of course, there was a player hitting the shots, and in his case rolling the putts. So was it the golf ball or the putter?

“Both,” Poston said. “The ball got me there, the putter helped me get it in the hole.”

Only two of his eight birdie putts were inside 10 feet. Statistically, Poston picked up four shots on the field with his putting in the strokes gained category. He took 24 putts and the distance they covered was 134 feet. No matter which number, it was really good.

He might have been the only one happy to see wind.

“Yeah, sure,” Poston said with a laugh. “It’s hard to say I wasn’t when you shoot 65. I just knew it was going to play tough and the goal was to try and be patient and keep hitting the shots like I was hitting yesterday and it helps to get off to a great start, make a few nice, longish putts the first couple holes and I feel like I was just kind of off and running.”

Gerard was pleased with his 69, getting three birdies before the wind really started to get tough. And he clearly remembers when that happened.

“Seven fairway,” Gerard said. “I was spraying sunscreen and all of a sudden it started going all over the place. And my caddie was like, ‘Oh, I guess it’s windy now.’”

And it only got worse.

Scottie Scheffler hit a shank, said he felt like he was going to shoot 90 and came to life late with three birdies to salvage a 72. He was 10 shots behind in his bid for a third straight victory at the Memorial. Rory McIlroy had a double bogey and two bogeys over his last six holes for a 74. He also was 10 shots behind in his bid to win for the first time in 14 tries at Muirfield Village.

Sam Burns had another 69 and was three shots back, followed by Fleetwood (73).

Gerard, much like Scheffler, was happy with 69 considering he wasn't entirely on top of his game. He spoke of “grimy up-and-downs” to stay in the game.

“I hit it in two hazards off the tee on par 5s on the back nine and hit both greens in regulation from 240-plus,” he said. "But it’s just kind of keeping yourself in the hole — it’s not easy — and allowing yourself to be positive.

“Mentally and physically this place is a monster, not only because it’s a big walk and I’m dealing with nine million allergies or whatever they’re putting out there,” he said. “So it’s a test of patience.”

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

He was described by his family as a man full of life who shared a strong, faith-based, loving bond with them.

“Our family will never ever ever be the same. I see it every day. It is not the same. It will never be the same,” former Coral Springs Mayor Vincent Boccard said.

Authorities said Addis was struck and killed by a wrong-way driver. Dash cam video captured the crash.

His stepfather Boccard, and his mother, Terry Boccard, said the loss is still difficult to put into words.

“You don’t realize how important somebody is until they’re gone. You don’t realize the little things that they do and that you do with them,” Boccard said. “All those memories, they flood your mind. They pass through.”

Asked whether the tragedy made him want to return to public office, Boccard said he is stepping away from politics.

“I gave 20 plus years of public office to cities and I want to spend time with my family now,” he said.

“We have a new mission. We’ve got to get through this and I want to create a legacy for my son somehow,” he added.

The driver accused in the crash, 47-year-old Sult President, has appeared in court and is currently in jail. Addis’ parents said they are beginning to find some closure.

“Just the way it happened, it’s devastating, so unnecessary. I’m happy he’s now put away and he’ll have his trial. He can’t do that to someone else now,” Terry Boccard said.

In the meantime, Addis’ younger sister, Sophia, recently graduated from Coral Springs Charter School, where her brother once attended. She wore his graduation cap to honor him.

The family continues to share memories of his charisma, spirit and legacy.

Trump first raised the idea last month on his way back from meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing, saying that he intended to speak directly with Lai as he weighs whether to go ahead with a $14 billion arms sale for Taipei that Congress approved earlier this year.

The U.S. president on Friday suggested that a call with the Taiwanese leader is still in play. “I’ll always talk to him,” Trump told reporters when asked if he still intended on calling Lai.

Such a call would mark the first direct dialogue between sitting American and Taiwanese presidents in many decades, and Beijing has discouraged Trump against such an engagement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington in a statement to the Associated Press this week said that kind of phone call could undermine progress in the delicate U.S.-China relationship and urged the Republican administration to “handle the Taiwan question with utmost prudence” and “avoid sending wrong signals” to officials in the democratically run island that China views as a breakaway province.

It would be an unprecedented phone call

Trump raised China’s ire when he took a congratulatory call from Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen after winning the 2016 presidential election but before taking office.

Trump has raised the idea of a direct engagement with Lai even as he's been more circumspect about whether he'll move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Xi in Beijing. Congress greenlit the arms deal in January but it still needs Trump's approval,

The president said last month he sees arms sales with Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” in the administration's approach to Pacific policy.

At last month’s Beijing summit, Xi warned Trump that the “Taiwan question” is the most important issue in ties between China and the U.S., and that the two nations will “have clashes and even conflicts” without proper handling of the matter, according to Chinese officials.

Trump had an unusual consultation on Taiwan during his Beijing visit

Trump’s discussion with Xi about the arms sales to Taiwan seemed out of step with the U.S. policy principles known as the Six Assurances. The nonbinding principles, formulated in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan, have helped guide the U.S. relationship with Taipei, according to analysts.

The second of the Six Assurances states that the U.S. “did not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a series of congressional hearings earlier this week said that the United States' Taiwan policy has not changed.

But Trump’s rhetoric has added a more foggy dynamic to the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, said Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“Trump’s comments about Taiwan arms sales as a negotiating chip, combined with uncertainty around a possible Lai call, have created more ambiguity than Taipei would like,” Singleton said. “The real test is not the rhetoric. It is whether the pending arms package moves, and on what timeline.”

Taiwan's president is ready for a Trump call

If the call were to happen, Lai has said he would emphasize to Trump that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are crucial for global security, and make the case that China was acting as the “destroyer” of the strait’s peace.

Lai said he also would tell Trump that Taiwan’s increasing defense budget was a response to threats, and purchases of U.S. arms would be an essential means to safeguard the strait’s stability.

In 1979, Washington ended diplomatic ties with Taiwan as part of recognizing the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese have reacted strongly after other engagements by senior U.S. leaders with Taiwan’s leadership.

After an August 2022 visit to Taipei by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and five other Democratic lawmakers, China responded with large-scale military exercises that included launching short-range ballistic missiles over the island.

Trump repeats plans to call Lai despite Beijing pressure

The United States, under the “One China” policy, recognizes the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China, while still allowing for informal U.S. relations with the self-governing island.

At the same time, the U.S. has long agreed to ensure Taipei has the resources to defend itself though Washington has remained ambiguous about how far it will go militarily to counter Beijing should it decide to take Taiwan by force.

After Trump's Friday comments, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington reiterated its position that it intends to “maintain close contact” with the U.S. on arms sales and other issues.

“We will leave it up to the U.S. to announce if there’s any arrangements for President Trump to speak with President Lai,” the office said in a statement.

China would view a phone call between Trump and Lai as more provocative than moving forward with the proposed arms sale to Taiwan, said Edgard Kagan, a former U.S. ambassador to Malaysia and senior State Department official handling East Asia policy issues under Trump and President Joe Biden.

Kagan added that it was notable that Trump continues to publicly state that such a call is a possibility after China had warned the U.S. administration against a Trump-Lai engagement.

If Trump bypasses a phone call with Lai, he may create the space to move forward with a new arms sales for Taipei while dulling the blowback from Beijing, said Kagan, who is now the China Studies chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“This could give him the room to announce an arms sale, defuse the criticism that the U.S. is turning its back on Taiwan, and do it in a way that leaves the Chinese feeling there was some respect for their views,” Kagan added.

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Madhani reported from Washington.

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During the tournament, none of them will be referring to the stadium at 347 Don Shula Drive in Miami Gardens as the Hard Rock Stadium. It will be the Miami Stadium.

Heimo Schirgi, FIFA’s chief event operations officer, was leading his team to monitor everything from security to weather, flights, and tickets.

“This is where all of the information from all of the over 500 official sites that we have throughout the three countries comes together, and where we can do some centralized and informed decision making,” Schirgi said.

The FIFA World Cup, held every four years since 1930, runs from June 11 to July 19. There are 104 matches scheduled at 16 host cities, including Miami.

It is the first time the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will host a FIFA World Cup, and the first time the tournament features 48 teams.

“The whole world is already here, and we are super excited,” said Schirgi, who was born in Austria and grew up in Turkey and South Africa.

The 12 groups of four teams each will play the first 72 matches, including four games from three groups at the Miami Stadium.

“Some of the biggest matches we have in terms of demand and interest are right here in Miami,” Schirgi said.

Uruguay plays against Saudi Arabia at 6 p.m. on June 15 and against Cape Verde at 6 p.m. on June 21. Brazil plays against Scotland at 6 p.m. on June 24. Colombia plays against Portugal at 7:30 p.m. on June 27.

During the tournament’s knockout stage, there will be 32 matches, including three key games at the Miami Stadium.

The winner of Group J will play against the runner-up of Group H at 6 p.m. on July 3. The quarter-final match is at 5 p.m. on July 11, and the bronze final match is at 5 p.m. on July 18.

More related stories

• Broward’s free FIFA World Cup watch parties will be at in-door arena for 18,000
• FIFA cancels World Cup tickets to about 60 fans who got them for free due to error
• Shakira and Burna Boy to play in first of three World Cup opening ceremonies
• Some of the most dedicated World Cup fans skipping this year’s tournament, citing costs and politics

Track FIFA World Cup groups

• Group A
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E
• Group F
• Group G
• Group H
• Group I
• Group J
• Group K
• Group L

Cordero Stutz said deputies will be working on undercover operations as soccer fans take over tourist destinations and the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which FIFA will refer to as the Miami Stadium.

“The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, alongside our local, state, and federal partners, has been actively planning, training, and coordinating to help ensure that residents and visitors can safely enjoy one of the largest international events our community has ever hosted,” Cordero Stutz said in Doral.

The FIFA World Cup, held every four years since 1930, runs from June 11 to July 19 and includes 104 matches at 16 host cities, including Miami.

Brett Skiles, FBI Miami’s special agent in charge, was also at the news conference. He focused on civilian drones and warned fans against flying these to try to get a peek at the stadium.

“My advice to you is to leave your drone at home; the penalties are going to be severe,” Skiles said about violators, who could face civil fines of up to $75,000 per violation and criminal fines reaching $100,000 or more.

Aside from fines, the Federal Aviation Administration has suspended or revoked the licenses of multiple drone operators for “unsafe and unauthorized operations,” including flights near major sporting events.

Cordero Stutz said Homeland Security agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will also be running independent operations and investigations.

It is the first time the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will host a FIFA World Cup, and the first time the tournament features 48 teams. There will be seven games at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which FIFA will refer to as the Miami Stadium.

Raymond A. Martinez, the chief operating officer of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Miami Host Committee, had a message for fans: “If you do not have a ticket, don’t go to the stadium.”

The 12 groups of four teams each will play the first 72 matches, including four games from three groups at the Miami Stadium.

Uruguay plays against Saudi Arabia at 6 p.m. on June 15 and against Cape Verde at 6 p.m. on June 21. Brazil plays against Scotland at 6 p.m. on June 24. Colombia plays against Portugal at 7:30 p.m. on June 27.

During the tournament’s knockout stage, there will be 32 matches, including three from July 3-18 at the Miami Stadium.

The winner of Group J will play against the runner-up of Group H at 6 p.m. on July 3. The quarter-final match is at 5 p.m. on July 11, and the bronze final match is at 5 p.m. on July 18.

More related stories

• Behind-the-scenes look: FIFA runs World Cup operations center in Miami-Dade County
• Broward’s free FIFA World Cup watch parties will be at in-door arena for 18,000
• FIFA cancels World Cup tickets to about 60 fans who got them for free due to error
• Shakira and Burna Boy to play in first of three World Cup opening ceremonies
• Some of the most dedicated World Cup fans skipping this year’s tournament, citing costs and politics

Track FIFA World Cup groups

• Group A
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E
• Group F
• Group G
• Group H
• Group I
• Group J
• Group K
• Group L

The exchange of strikes comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran to make a deal to end the conflict.

U.S. Central Command said on social media Friday night that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with U.S. forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. The military said there were no reports of harm to U.S. personnel.

The ballistic missiles were fired after the U.S. earlier in the day shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward Strait of Hormuz.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said on social media.

Kuwaiti’s military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones attacking the country, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem airbase, which hosts U.S. forces in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in the tiny Gulf island nation of Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The U.S. military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump's Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections.

U.S. Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”

Trump promises a quick end to US-Iran conflict

It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person, wounding dozens and briefly closing the airfield.

Despite the attacks raising new concerns that the ceasefire could collapse, Trump told reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.”

“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way,” Trump said at an event with farmers in Wisconsin. “The very tough way is maybe the easier way, but we’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”

Trump increasingly appears to be boxed in on a conflict that has settled into a holding pattern. U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement a week ago to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. But Trump has called for unspecified changes and Iranian officials have shown no public signs of signing off on the deal.

Asked on Friday why it was taking so long, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them,” citing their “great independence” and the fact that “they’re strong, they’re proud.”

“There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he said in the interview.

Trump said the Iranians still have 21% to 22% of their missiles.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue

His administration also has touted the latest ceasefire agreed to this week by the Lebanese government and Israel after U.S.-brokered talks in Washington. However, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group has rejected the agreement and new attacks have put it at further risk.

The Israeli military on Friday struck multiple parts of southern Lebanon and issued evacuation warnings for nine villages, including one that has sheltered thousands of people displaced by the fighting. The strikes killed nine people in six locations in southern Lebanon, the state news agency reported.

The Israeli military said two soldiers were wounded, one severely, in an encounter Friday with militants in southern Lebanon.

The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south, also threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz because Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon.

Besides the drone interception in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military said earlier Friday that its forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean as the United States seeks to prevent Iran from profiting off its oil and other goods.

The U.S. also targeted Iran’s energy sector with new sanctions on a group of people, firms and tankers.

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Magdy reported from Cairo.

Richards tore two ligaments in his left ankle while playing for England's Crystal Palace on May 17. He has been ruled out for Saturday's friendly against Germany, but the U.S. is holding out hope that he might be able to play in its World Cup opener next week against Paraguay.

“Chris Richards is on the right path to coming back and being completely with the squad,” midfielder Weston McKennie said. “I think everyone trusts his body and what he feels and the coaching staff as well. He’s an important piece of the group, (with) his energy, his leadership on and off the field. And so obviously we’re just all behind him and can’t wait to have him back and out with the group."

During the 15-minute portion of practice that was open to the media, the 26-year-old Richards showed no signs of any issues as he warmed up with the rest of the team at Endeavor Health Performance Center, the practice home for Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.

Richards, who missed the 2022 World Cup because of a hamstring injury, is considered the best central defender for the United States.

“His training and his evolution is well, but he still is not ready to compete and to play,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said before practice.

Pochettino and the U.S. are running out of time when it comes to making a decision on Richards. They can replace injured players on their 26-man roster until Thursday.

“Maybe this is the final of the World Cup, maybe he can play,” Pochettino said of Saturday's game at Soldier Field, “but the advice of the medical area is not to play.”

The U.S. is coming off a 3-2 victory over Senegal on Sunday. Following its matchup with Paraguay, the U.S. also has Group D games against Australia on June 19 and Turkey on June 25.

Germany also is playing its last friendly before its World Cup opener on June 14 against Curacao. It also has Group E games against the Ivory Coast on June 20 and Ecuador on June 25.

“We’ll be going into this game with a lot of players that haven’t played against them yet, and players that have,” McKennie said, “so I think the new energy, the new style, the new, just circumstances in general leading into a World Cup, I think it’s going to be a great test for us.”

The U.S. has 13 players who were on Gregg Berhalter's roster for the 2022 World Cup, including 11 who made an appearance in Qatar. Berhalter was fired 10 months into his second stint as U.S. coach, but he took over the Fire when he was hired as head coach and director of football in October 2024.

Berhalter got a chance to catch up with his son, Sebastian, a midfielder on the U.S. team, and some of his former players with the Americans practicing at the Fire's facility.

“When I got them, they were young. They were babies and they were just learning what it takes to be a professional athlete,” Gregg Berhalter said. “And now when I see them, they're men. They have kids. They're adults, and they know exactly what it means to maintain themselves as professionals. And it's an amazing thing to see.”

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

Humidity levels will be quite tolerable Saturday! The day will offer sunshine, scattered clouds and hardly a drop of rain as east-northeast winds, sustained 5 to 15 mph, persist.

The onshore breeze carries into Sunday. Conditions will start to become more humid and there will be a better chance for showers in the area. Temperatures will make a run for the mid and upper 80s, both days.

Sankey, in an interview Friday on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” outlined the reasons the SEC does not support a bipartisan bill introduced last week in Congress that would regulate a college sports landscape that has changed dramatically in the new era of multimillion-dollar payrolls for players.

The commissioner said there were “about one dozen big buckets” of issues the league needed to analyze in the first section of the 111-page bill. That first section does not include a proposal in a subsequent part — the rewrite of a 1961 broadcasting law that would allow conferences to pool their media rights. The SEC and Big Ten oppose that idea, which in this bill would make the pooling voluntary.

“But I really need to see that it's voluntary to understand some components of how that would be treated under different scenarios,” Sankey said. “I think the notion that we would simply rush to say we support is not the appropriate position. I do think it’s appropriate to try to work through these issues,”

One of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has said the bill would prevent the two biggest conferences from forming a super league — a notion that Sankey knocked down in the interview with Finebaum and that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told Yahoo Sports is a “fabrication.”

In testimony this week at a Senate hearing about the bill, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, a former NBC executive, was asked about the super league concept. He said it would likely involve around 30 teams and could happen if the big keep getting bigger. But he also warned, “I don’t think it’s good for college football to be a mini-NFL.”

Sankey leaned into the irony of the idea that a Big Ten-SEC merger is being discussed at one level, while on another, some see a fatal flaw in the conferences' inability to agree on some key issues in college sports — notably, how big the next expansion for the College Football Playoff should be.

“Tony and I have laughed about that particular reality, and the notion that somehow we’re going to merge our leagues and have some magical agreement,” Sankey said.

He agreed that some action is needed sooner rather than later and said he appreciated that Cruz and bill co-sponsor, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., came together to draft a bill that could eventually help guide this troubled industry.

The Big Ten and SEC Power 4 brethren, the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences, have each come out in favor of the bill.

Another key supporter is Texas Tech regent Cody Campbell, a long proponent of the media-pooling idea, which he says could bring in billions more in revenue. In an interview last week with the AP, Campbell said he and lawmakers are open to discussing changes in the bill.

“I think it's very healthy and helpful for people with outside perspectives and without personal agendas to be involved in trying to help solve this problem,” he said. “But the main thing is, look, if you created this mess, you can't stand up and say you're the ones who are going to fix it.”

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

The developments came a day after President Donald Trump made baseless claims of mass fraud in California's drawn-out vote count from Tuesday's primary. Late-tallied Democratic-leaning mail ballots were continuing to eat into the vote totals for the president's preferred candidates for governor and Los Angeles mayor.

The announcement by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Trump's appointee as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, and the visit to Los Angeles County's ballot tabulation center marked an escalation in the president's campaign against the Democratic-dominated state, whose notoriously prolonged vote count has been a magnet for election conspiracy theories. Trump weighed in again Friday while participating in a roundtable discussion in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, claiming without evidence that Democrats were rigging the election.

“You look at what’s happening — it’s getting tighter and tighter and tighter,” he said. “And the people who were supposed to win, bad things are happening. It’s a crooked state.”

Trump has often said that changes to vote totals as late ballots are counted are a sign of fraud, when they're merely a reflection of more ballots being counted.

On Thursday, Trump said his Department of Justice was investigating the California count. By Friday morning, Essayli posted on X about ongoing investigations without providing details, saying only that California’s elections have “serious structural vulnerabilities.”

An assistant U.S. attorney came to the main ballot processing center Friday morning, according to a statement from Mike Sanchez, a spokesman for Los Angeles County's Registrar-Recorder. The prosecutor “was provided an overview of the public observation program, and participated in a walkthrough of the ballot processing operations,” Sanchez said.

He added that “election officials routinely host observers representing a wide range of interests.”

It was not the first time Trump's Justice Department has taken an interest in California's elections. Last fall, it sent observers to monitor polling sites in five counties, including Los Angeles, during the special election asking voters to change California's congressional map.

GOP candidate calls for change in mail ballot law

Also on Friday, Republican Steve Hilton, who is Trump's favored candidate for governor, called for a sweeping overhaul in California's election laws to limit mail ballots to only those who request them, rather than being sent to all registered voters. He also called for an Election Day deadline to accept them rather than the seven-day grace period the state currently allows as long as they are postmarked by the final day of voting.

Hilton said in an interview that the U.S. attorney's office might know more than his campaign does, but noted his team has been monitoring the count and has seen nothing that seems illegal.

“We certainly haven’t seen anything of that nature that would warrant legal action,” Hilton said.

Still, Hilton said the sluggish count has made California “a national and international laughingstock.” He proposed the state government send an emergency detachment of state workers to California's 58 counties to speed up the vote count.

Jesse Salinas, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officers, said he welcomed Hilton's eagerness to help but the proposal would do no good.

“It'd be more disruptive than helpful at this point,” said Salinas, who's also the clerk and registrar for Yolo County.

Anyone who handles a ballot or machine used in the vote-counting process would have to be trained by the very people working feverishly to tally mail ballots that poured in Tuesday. And, added Salinas, his own vote-counting facility is already full, with no more room for any additional staff.

Hilton, who has been endorsed by Trump, is battling two Democrats for one of the two slots on the November ballot. Reality television star Spencer Pratt, another candidate backed by Trump, is likewise competing with City Councilwoman Nithya Raman for the chance to face Mayor Karen Bass in the November election.

Because Democrats usually vote by mail, and held onto their ballots unusually late in the crowded primary, their votes are often tallied after those of more Republican-leaning voters who might have cast ballots early. The net effect is that Republican candidates appear at their high water marks in the first batch of returns on election night, only to see their leads whittled away in the days or weeks that follow, when election workers complete the lengthy process of tallying late-arriving mail ballots.

Investigators told her father, who lives in California, that a boat had struck her off Dania Beach, hours before her body washed ashore on Wednesday night in Hollywood Beach.

Williams, who had recently gotten married, was also a scuba diver who loved the ocean and had lived near it in South Florida for about four years, according to her grieving father.

Williams vanished on Wednesday while swimming in the area of Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park at 6503 North Ocean Drive, according to the Hollywood Police Department.

Hollywood police officers responded to a 911 call at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday after witnesses saw her body, east of the North Boardwalk and south of the Hollywood North Beach Park.

“We saw two fishermen and then what looked like a body on the beach ... We saw them drag her up ... it was disheartening,” Gianluca Fiore, a witness, told Local 10 News on Thursday morning.

There were Hollywood police officers on and off the beach late into the night, near North Surf Road, between New Mexico and Thomas streets.

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation investigators worked with Hollywood detectives. The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and reported Williams’s cause of death as “blunt force injuries.”

Detectives asked anyone with information about the case to call 954-764-4357 or 954-967-4567, or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 to remain anonymous.

Related reports

• Police: Body washes ashore on Hollywood Beach
• Hollywood detectives investigate woman’s death after her body washes ashore
• Police: Woman vanishes off Dania Beach, washes ashore dead in Hollywood Beach

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Despite this, President Donald Trump faced criticism over his renovation projects, and this prompted lawsuits involving nonprofit organizations.

The $14.8 million “Great Reflecting Pool” is between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The Cultural Landscape Foundation sued the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“That’s clean, beautiful water,” Trump said on Thursday about the water in the “American flag blue” pool.

The 250-foot “Independence Arch” would be at the Memorial Circle roundabout, near the Lincoln Memorial. Public Citizen sued the National Park Service to stop it.

The National Capital Planning Commission held a public meeting on Thursday, and opponents judged the arch as a “waste of taxpayer money” and a“vanity project.”

The $400 million "White House State Ballroom" required the demolition of the East Wing. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the National Park Service.

U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett is considering U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order to stop the above-ground construction of the ballroom.

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• Kennedy Center moves to erase Trump references after judge said they were illegally added