As the father of an 8-year-old boy remained hospitalized on Wednesday at the Broward Health Medical Center, Wray said 80% of his brain was dead.

“May have to make a decision to pull the plug,” Wray said through tears.

Surveillance video shows Lawrence Edmonson walking to his parked car to retrieve a knife on Aug. 6 before he allegedly stabbed the man at the popular bar at 2432 East Sunrise Boulevard, according to police officers.

“I want see Justice for my son,” Wray. said. “He don’t bother nobody. He would take the last out of his pocket and give to you.”

Edmonson, 52, fled, but officers used a tag reader to track him and a grappler device to stop him, according to police.

Wray had questions for Edmonson: “Why? Why did you do that? He is my baby, my son, he was the one who was taking care of me. I don’t have that no more.”

Edmonson faced a charge of premeditated attempted murder and was at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale without bond, according to court and inmate records. Edmonson’s sister told a bond court judge that he is a father of four.

Now the former prosecutor and state attorney general is looking to fill the role permanently, if elected by voters.

“We’ve delivered for the space coast and private investment, we’ve rolled back regulations to help one of our number one industries which is the Florida orange, we have brought in billions of dollars in disaster relief we’d been waiting on for many, many years because we got in there, got to the work, and that isn’t party related,” said Moody.

But three other Republicans are vying for the same senate seat.

Among them is Chris Gleason, a U.S. Army veteran and data forensics expert.

“I have a long and demonstrated history of trying to do the right thing and exposing corruption and fraud wherever I see it on both sides of the aisle,” said Gleason.

Candidate Dr. Neelam Taneja Perry is currently in a legal battle. She is accused by the state of writing prescriptions for people she never met.

“For me it’s not just politics, it’s my mission,” she said.

Perry said she decided to run after hitting a snag of her own when accessing treatment for a prior health scare.

“I stand for the people,” she said. “I am fighting for the rights of the people, not just in healthcare, but there’s corruption at every level and every field. My opponent works for special interests.”

Pastor Ernie Rivera believes his background in finance and as a licensed housing manager could help curb South Florida’s affordability problems.

“Our campaign is based on faith, family and Florida first,” said Rivera. “I think that describes exactly why people would be interested. We worked with the Trump administration, the first Trump administration. We served in many areas helping the communities.”

The winner in the Aug. 18 primary will to head-to-head with the prevailing Democrat during the main election in November.

It’s the biggest jackpot so far this year. It comes after the United Kingdom joined most U.S. states in offering the game, adding the to the jackpot pool.

Of course, the $1 billion figure represents a pre-tax sum of annuity payments.

Those opting to take a lump sum cash payout would come away with $433 million before taxes and almost $273 million afterward, according to lottery website USA Mega.

No matter how you slice it, it’s an eye-popping number.

Watch the video above to see how customers at a Hollywood gas station say they’d spend the big haul.

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After crowded fields in November left multiple races without a clear majority winner, the top candidates faced off one-on-one.

Miami Mayor

• Eileen Higgins defeats Emilio González

In the first round of voting, Eileen Higgins emerged as the top vote-getter with roughly 36 percent of ballots cast, but she fell short of the more than 50 percent threshold required to win outright.

Following her was Emilio González, with approximately 19 percent of the vote.

Higgins received 59 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Miami Commissioner – District 3

• Rolando Escalona defeats Frank Carollo

Rolando Escalona, a political newcomer, defeated Frank Carollo in Tuesday’s runoff, receiving 53 percent of the ballots cast.

Miami Beach Commissioner – Group 1

• Monica Matteo-Salinas defeats Monique Pardo Pope

Miami Beach voters chose between two candidates hoping to address tourism impacts, public safety and storm-preparedness.

They ultimately selected Monica Matteo-Salinas, who received 71 percent of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Hialeah Councilmember – Group III

• Gelien Perez defeats Jessica Castillo

Galien Perez received 80 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Hialeah Councilmember – Group IV

• William “Willy” Marrero defeats Javier Morejo

Willy Marrero received 71 percent of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s runoff election.

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After all ballots were cast, it was Eileen Higgins who came out on top, defeating Emilio Gonzalez after receiving approximately 59 percent of the votes.

Higgins celebrated with family and friends at the Miami Women’s Club, which was appropriate as she made history on Tuesday.

Higgins now becomes the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor.

“It’s very exciting to be the first woman to serve the city of Miami,” Higgins said. “It’s hard to think of it that way because we always know Miami was founded by a woman, but I hope this sends a message to any girls or teenagers out there that of course you can be a mayor, of course you can be an engineer. You can be anything you want.”

For González, he accepted defeat with positivity. He and his supporters were toasting to new beginnings and breaking plates, an old Greek custom, after news of the loss came in.

“We’re celebrating democracy, we’re celebrating our city,” said González. “Every day for me was a different adventure. I was talking to different people, visiting different neighborhoods and organizations, and I just had a blast. I really did. I enjoyed every minute of it, and by the way, if you’re not going to enjoy it, you shouldn’t do this.”

In the first round of voting, Higgins emerged as the top vote-getter with roughly 36 percent of ballots cast, but she fell short of the more than 50 percent threshold required to win outright.

Following her was González, with approximately 19 percent of the vote.

If either candidate had not secured more than half the votes in the runoff, the city might have required another follow-up to determine a winner.

Now we know that won’t be necessary.

The Dec. 9 runoff marked the first time since 2001 that Miami has required a second round to select its mayor.

The polarizing quarterback will start Cleveland's exhibition opener at Chicago on Saturday — his first game action since 2024 — and Shedeur Sanders will play in the second half as the Browns' QB competition creeps toward a conclusion.

First-year coach Todd Monken informed Watson and Sanders of his plans for the first two preseason games following Wednesday's practice.

The QBs have been battling for Cleveland's starting job throughout training camp, with every throw, incompletion and interception scrutinized by media and fans — both in person and online.

Monken intends to play his starter for the first half against the Bears and hopefully get him a two-minute drill. The second QB will play the third quarter.

The roles will be flipped against Buffalo on Aug. 22 in Cleveland.

“We’re going to see both of them,” said Monken, who disclosed his plans for the Chicago matchup without offering any explanations behind his rationale for them. "One’s going to start this week and one’s going to start next week.”

The Browns will practice against the Bills on Aug. 20 before their preseason game.

Cleveland opens the regular season against Jacksonville on Sept. 13. Monken hopes to have his No. 1 QB in place well in advance of Week 1. Time is running out.

Watson and Sanders are at different ends of their respective career spectrums.

The 30-year-old Watson's tenure with the Browns has been mired by injuries and turmoil. Cleveland acquired him in 2022 and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 and came back the next season only to twice rupture his Achilles tendon.

He was also suspended 11 games by the NFL in 2022 after being accused of sexual assault and misconduct by two dozen massage therapists while playing in Houston.

When he goes behind center Saturday, it will be Watson's first snaps in a game since Oct. 20, 2024, a span of 22 months.

“I’m super excited,” Watson said before practice. “All the hard work that I put in with the training staff, with my team, my personal team, to get to this stage has been tremendous. I’m super excited for those opportunities and can’t wait for it.”

After a terrible start in this camp, Watson has made steady improvement. He's been more decisive, accurate and shown glimpses of the Pro Bowl-level player he was with the Texans — the one who enticed the Browns to make a monumental investment.

Watson knows he can't retrieve lost time. He'll never be the same QB. The guy from his days in Houston is long gone.

“I’m different, man,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been here early on, bringing up Houston was cool. But I’m 30 now. I had some injuries and things like that. So my game has definitely changed, but the mentality in how I play and how I approach it doesn’t.”

While others have varying expectations about Watson can do, he's realistic about his current abilities. He's also proud of his resiliency.

“I have a clear vision,” he said. “I have a clear mind. The world knows what I went through."

Monken has seen enough positives from Watson to believe he might be able to recapture his old form. The only way to find out is on the field.

Monken believes Watson can be special again. He wants him to feel that way, too.

“I would never put limitations on a player,” he said. “I’d hate that he would do that. Why can’t he play like that? I don’t know. I haven’t seen it yet. I’m not going to say he can’t until I see it, until we see it. I’ve seen a lot of really good things over the course of the four or five months I’ve been here. I’m not going to put that on him. If he thinks he can’t play like that, that’s on him.”

Sanders showed promise while starting seven games as a rookie in 2025. The immensely popular fifth-round pick said he's made strides in Monken's offense, but knows he's an unfinished product.

He needs to improve in everything.

“It’s like a chart within myself and seeing, OK, if I got 10 different areas to improve, let’s improve each area every day until it gets to max threshold," he said. "Max threshold, that’ll take some time. That’s going to take a couple years, max threshold. But I think I’m improving in every area overall.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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What’s up for vote?

In Miami, the election covered the mayor’s office and City Commission seats for Districts 3 and 5. In addition, there were four charter-amendment questions on the ballot.

Voters in Miami Beach also selected their choice for mayor, along with commissioners for Groups I, II and III.

In Hialeah, the election covered the mayor’s office and councilmember seats for Groups III, IV, VI and VII.

In Homestead, the election covered the vice mayor’s office, along with councilmember seats for Seat 1 and Seat 5. Voters also decided on four referendums.

In Surfside, there were also four referendums on the ballot.

And in Marathon, voters selected up to three choices for City Council.

For Local 10 App users, CLICK HERE to view all election results in Miami, CLICK HERE to view in Hialeah, CLICK HERE to view Miami Beach, CLICK HERE to view Homestead and CLICK HERE to view all election results in Monroe County.

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At Auburndale Elementary, students picked out free backpacks filled with school supplies, with plenty of colors and styles to choose from.

“I’m feeling excited!” said Keila, a fifth grader.

Second grader Camilla said she chose a purple backpack because it also had pink on it.

The Auburndale event was one of several held across Miami-Dade Public Schools on the eve of the new school year.

Local commissioners partnered with schools to welcome students and their families.

“I went to public school just a few blocks from here. I remember the first day of school. It was scary, intimidating — new kids, new teachers, principal,” said Miami Commissioner Rafael Rosado. “What we’re doing is welcoming them back so they can see our smiles, our excitement and our support for them.”

The events also gave students a chance to get a preview of their classrooms and learn more about the programs they will take part in during the school year.

At Bowman Ashe/Doolin K-8 Academy in southwest Miami-Dade, students and families got a look at the magnet school’s STARTs program, which includes music and robotics.

Teachers were also getting ready to welcome students back.

“Meeting with parents and having that connection ultimately brings students that success,” said Rachel Ruiz, a teacher at Bowman Ashe/Doolin Academy. “I’m beyond excited. The butterflies are good butterflies. I’m ready to teach them.”

For some families, this school year will come with its own personal adjustments.

Temporary Protected Status was recently ended for thousands of Haitian nationals in the U.S.

Miami-Dade school leaders had a message for parents who were impacted.

“Parents should not keep their children at home,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres. “Please bring them to school.”

Work permits also expired for Haitian nationals who worked in the school system, and leaders are adjusting.

“We have to take the appropriate measures, but we try to make sure that we monitor closely TPS impact on our school district,” said Dotres.

School leaders said they are ready to help families who may have anxiety about the current immigration crackdown.

As for employees, officials said they have human services looking at every employee’s status, but everyone’s situation is different.

Several back-to-school events were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, including a school resource fare in South Miami Heights running until 4 p.m., an event at Shenandoah Elementary at 1 p.m. and another at Citrus Grove K-8 at 2:30 p.m.

As students begin returning to classes across South Florida, Local 10 wants to help celebrate the milestone by sharing your favorite back-to-school photos.

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In a matter of seconds, video shows the 1-year-old breathing again during the May 12 incident.

“Baby’s responsive, but barely breathing,” one of the officers is heard saying on his police radio. “Water is coming out of his mouth.”

He was taken into the arms of medics and rushed to a hospital.

Officers Renato Bejar and Hector Rosado were both recently commended for their bravery.

The boy is now reportedly doing OK.

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Surveillance video showed Charles Anderson “suddenly approach the victim while she was seated on her assistive walker” and punch “her in the face with closed fists in an aggressive manner without any apparent provocation,” a police officer wrote, according to a police arrest report.

Police officers responded to the woman’s apartment after a neighbor reported hearing her yelling on July 24 in the area of Northwest 18 Avenue and 27 Street in Allapattah, according to a police officer’s arrest report.

The victim said Anderson had “asked her for money to purchase gas, and she refused,” a police officer wrote, according to the police report.

Miami Fire Rescue personnel took the victim, who has a disability and is unable to walk, to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for a laceration beneath her chin that required stitches, according to the police report.

Police officers detained Anderson for questioning at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Northwest First Avenue and 20th Street, and he confessed, according to police.

“The remembered that he and the victim got into a verbal altercation, which caused him to become upset,” he then “blacked out ... he put his hands on the victim ... he noticed the victim was bleeding and fled,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Anderson shortly before 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Anderson faced charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm and aggravated abuse to a disabled adult. His bond was $22,500.

En cuestión de segundos, el video muestra al bebé de un año respirando nuevamente durante el incidente del 12 de mayo.

“El bebé responde, pero apenas respira”, se escucha decir a uno de los agentes por su radio policial. “Le está saliendo agua de la boca”.

Fue puesto en brazos de los paramédicos y trasladado de urgencia a un hospital.

Los agentes Renato Bejar y Hector Rosado fueron reconocidos recientemente por su valentía.

Según reportes, el niño ahora se encuentra bien.

The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staffers in the western city of Herat on Sunday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told U.N. reporters. He said the U.N. mission has not been informed of the charges against the two men or been able to visit them.

The mission has called on the Taliban "to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials,” Haq said.

The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war.

Shortly after, it barred girls from secondary schools and later extended the restrictions to higher education, employment and other sectors, effectively excluding women and girls from public life.

The U.N. mission's mandate from the U.N. Security Council includes promoting and supporting humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, promoting human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance and economic stability.

The two men were detained as a humanitarian crisis in the poverty-stricken Asian nation is worsening and as Taliban forces are engaged in cross-border fighting with Pakistani forces. Clashes escalated sharply in February when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Islamabad later declared it was in “open war.”

Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said their detention “seriously threatens the U.N.’s work throughout Afghanistan and its ability to deliver lifesaving aid.”

“Taliban authorities should immediately release those held and ensure all aid agencies can work without intimidation or interference,” she said.

El video de vigilancia mostró a Charles Anderson “acercándose repentinamente a la víctima mientras estaba sentada en su andador de asistencia” y golpeándola “en la cara con los puños cerrados de manera agresiva y sin ninguna provocación aparente”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según un reporte de arresto.

Los agentes de la Policía acudieron al apartamento de la mujer después de que un vecino reportara haberla escuchado gritando el 24 de julio en el área de Northwest 18 Avenue y 27 Street en Allapattah, según el reporte de arresto de un agente de la Policía.

La víctima dijo que Anderson le “pidió dinero para comprar gasolina y ella se negó”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según el reporte policial.

Personal de Miami Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima, quien tiene una discapacidad y no puede caminar, al Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde fue atendida por una laceración debajo de la barbilla que requirió puntos de sutura, según el reporte policial.

Los agentes de la Policía detuvieron a Anderson para interrogarlo a las 2:30 p.m. del martes en Northwest First Avenue y 20th Street, y confesó, según la Policía.

“Recordó que él y la víctima tuvieron una discusión verbal, lo que hizo que se molestara”, luego “se desmayó... puso las manos sobre la víctima... notó que la víctima estaba sangrando y huyó”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según el reporte de arresto.

El Departamento de Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Anderson poco antes de las 6:55 p.m. del martes en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Anderson enfrentaba cargos de agresión agravada con lesiones corporales graves y abuso agravado contra un adulto con discapacidad. Su fianza era de $22,500 USD.

Mientras el NHC continúa asignando a 92L altas probabilidades de convertirse en una depresión tropical o tormenta tropical en los próximos días, los modelos de pronóstico han reducido su ya tibio interés a largo plazo en el sistema, especialmente a medida que se acerca a las islas este próximo fin de semana.

En el boletín del martes, analizamos dos escenarios para 92L:

• Un sistema más débil (más probable), como máximo una depresión tropical o una tormenta tropical de baja intensidad, siguiendo una trayectoria hacia el oeste hacia el Caribe o sobre las Antillas Menores, las Islas Vírgenes y Puerto Rico desde finales del fin de semana hasta principios de la próxima semana.
• Un escenario de fortalecimiento (menos probable) que se desviaría hacia el norte de las islas hasta principios de la próxima semana.

El miércoles, los escenarios más fuertes y más hacia el norte están prácticamente descartados. Aunque 92L no está demasiado lejos de convertirse en una depresión tropical o tormenta con nombre, está rodeada por una masa de aire seco que será un obstáculo durante gran parte de esta semana. Para cuando llegue al Caribe oriental, una fuerte corriente de cizalladura del viento debería darle un golpe definitivo, y es poco probable que sobreviva al fin de semana.

Para las islas del Caribe afectadas por la sequía —incluidos Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes de Estados Unidos— el sistema podría traer lluvias beneficiosas desde este fin de semana hasta principios de la próxima semana.

Como ocurre con cualquier sistema tropical, existe el riesgo de lluvias localmente intensas, pero en este momento no se espera que represente una amenaza generalizada mientras atraviesa la región este fin de semana y hasta el lunes.

Los modelos de IA rápidamente se enfocan en la próxima onda

Los modelos de IA rápidamente dirigieron su atención el martes de 92L a una nueva onda que avanza hacia el Atlántico oriental desde África. El NHC presentó este sistema en su pronóstico tropical el martes por la noche, inicialmente con bajas probabilidades de formación esta semana.

A diferencia de su contraparte 92L al oeste, los modelos de IA son mucho más optimistas sobre el fortalecimiento de esta próxima onda más adelante, especialmente la próxima semana mientras se acerca al Atlántico central.

Tanto DeepMind de Google como el sistema de modelado basado en IA de Europa muestran mayor interés en las perspectivas a largo plazo de esta nueva onda. Todavía estamos en las primeras etapas y los modelos convencionales basados en la física aún no se han sumado a la tendencia. Veremos si la señal a largo plazo se mantiene en los modelos de IA, pero por ahora tenemos mucho tiempo para seguir este sistema.

De cualquier manera, el aumento de actividad es un buen recordatorio de que estamos entrando en el período de seis semanas más activo de la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico. Aunque esperamos una menor actividad general esta temporada debido a El Niño, durante la temporada alta solo hace falta una pequeña zona de condiciones favorables para producir un huracán fuerte, incluso durante los años de menor actividad.

Cristobal se forma sobre el Atlántico Norte, supera las probabilidades y se apodera de los trópicos profundos

Como hemos analizado en los boletines esta temporada, esta temporada existe una vía un poco más fácil para que se formen rápidamente tormentas en los subtrópicos en comparación con los trópicos profundos tradicionales debido a El Niño.

Un ejemplo de ello es la amplia zona de baja presión en el Atlántico Norte abierto que ayer tenía solo un 10% de probabilidades de desarrollo, pero logró suficiente organización a primera hora del miércoles para convertirse en Cristobal, la tercera tormenta con nombre de la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico.

Cristobal tendrá una corta duración y no representa ninguna amenaza para tierra mientras se dirige mar adentro esta semana.

Hawai’i en alerta por impactos tropicales este fin de semana

Una perturbación en el Pacífico central, a unas 1,000 millas al sureste de Hawai’i, fue designada como Ciclón Tropical Potencial Uno-C (anteriormente Invest 93C) por el Centro Nacional de Huracanes a última hora de la mañana del miércoles. Un ciclón tropical potencial es un sistema que aún no se ha formado, pero que se espera que lo haga y que podría provocar condiciones de tormenta tropical o huracán en zonas terrestres en un plazo de 2 a 3 días.

Se pronostica que el sistema se convertirá en una tormenta tropical más tarde hoy o el jueves, se fortalecerá y amenazará a las islas de Hawai’i durante el fin de semana. El primer nombre de la lista para la temporada de huracanes del Pacífico central es Lala.

Es difícil y poco común que un huracán golpee Hawai’i desde el este, en gran medida debido a que las temperaturas del agua normalmente disminuyen rápidamente cerca de la cadena de islas y al norte de ella, pero este año las aguas están mucho más cálidas de lo habitual sobre el Pacífico central. Aunque es poco común que los huracanes golpeen Hawai’i, no es algo desconocido y huracanes fuertes han azotado el estado en el pasado.

Es demasiado pronto para saber si el sistema representará una amenaza de huracán, pero ante esa posibilidad, los residentes y visitantes de todo el estado —desde la Isla Grande hasta Maui, Oahu y Kauai— querrán consultar frecuentemente los pronósticos durante los próximos días.

Como mencionamos en el boletín del martes, debido a la geografía extrema del estado, no se necesita una tormenta tan fuerte como en el territorio continental para causar problemas, especialmente en áreas pobladas como Oahu, donde las amenazas de tormentas son menos comunes.

De cualquier manera, las personas deberían comenzar a tomar las precauciones necesarias ante una creciente amenaza de condiciones meteorológicas y oleaje peligroso debido al sistema este fin de semana.

In January, major grain traders withdrew from the soy moratorium, which helped slash deforestation over its nearly two decades in effect, after top soy-producing states passed bills revoking tax benefits for participating companies.

Brazil is the world’s largest soybean producer, accounting for about 40% of global output. Much of the crop is grown in central and northern states that include parts of the Amazon biome, such as Mato Grosso, Para and Rondonia.

The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, plays a critical role in regulating the climate far beyond South America. Scientists warn that forest loss could accelerate global warming and disrupt agriculture as far away as the U.S. Midwest and parts of Europe.

The South American country produced 171.5 million metric tons of soybeans in the 2024-25 season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. China was the top destination for exports, according to Brazil’s official trade data.

Launched in 2006 as a response to pressure from environmental groups and international buyers, the moratorium was a voluntary commitment rather than law. Major soy traders agreed — and the Brazilian government later endorsed — a ban on purchasing soy grown on Amazon land cleared after July 2008.

But soy producers long argued that the moratorium hurt business because it was stricter than Brazilian environmental law. Under national rules, farmers in the Amazon must preserve 80% of their land and may legally clear the remaining 20%, while the moratorium bans any deforestation, even when permitted by law.

The soy moratorium helped reduce deforestation in risk areas by 35% in the first decade since it became effective in 2006 without hurting productivity, according to a study published July in the journal Science. The end of the pact could drive up to 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) of deforestation in the next decade and leave an area the size of Portugal vulnerable to legal deforestation, the study said.

After reaching record levels in the 1990s and 2000s, deforestation declined until former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2019–2022 term, widely criticized for weakening environmental protections. Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration, deforestation has fallen again, reaching its lowest levels in a decade.

Greenpeace Brazil legal coordinator Angela Barbarulo called the court’s recognition of the moratorium’s constitutionality “enormously important,” but said the ruling was undercut by its endorsement of state laws that penalize farmers and companies that adopt environmental standards beyond those required by law.

“There is an apparent contradiction between recognizing the environmental importance of the soy moratorium while simultaneously validating state laws that can weaken its effectiveness,” she said. “When it comes to protecting the Amazon, we should not allow state legislation to create loopholes or incentives that undermine environmental commitments built collectively.”

The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, or ABIOVE, said the Supreme Court ruling ends years of legal uncertainty and validates voluntary sustainability commitments adopted by traders. However, the group referred to the moratorium in the past tense, suggesting Wednesday’s decision is unlikely to revive the pact.

ABIOVE also said it hoped the ruling would “open a new phase of dialogue among different parts of the supply chain, with a focus on legal certainty, competitiveness and sustainability.”

The Mato Grosso Soy Producers Association, which opposed the moratorium, said in a statement that the ruling reinforced the authority of state governments to push back against private-sector measures that impose environmental restrictions beyond those required by law. It also pledged to continue fighting any future agreements that recreate the moratorium’s restrictions.

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

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While NHC continues to assign 92L high odds of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm in the next few days, forecast models have pared back their already-lukewarm long-term interest in the system, especially as it approaches the islands this upcoming weekend.

In Tuesday’s newsletter, we discussed two scenarios for 92L:

• A (more likely) weaker system (tropical depression or low-end tropical storm at most) taking a westward trajectory into the Caribbean or over the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for late weekend into early next week.
• A (less likely) strengthening scenario curving north of the islands into early next week.

On Wednesday, the stronger, farther north scenarios are effectively off the table. Though 92L isn’t too far removed from becoming a tropical depression or named storm, it’s surrounded by a slug of dry air that’ll be a thorn in its side for much of this week. By the time it reaches the eastern Caribbean, a firehose of wind shear should give it a knockout punch, and it’s unlikely it survives the weekend.

For the drought-stricken islands of the Caribbean – including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – the system could bring beneficial rains this weekend into early next week.

As with any tropical system, the risk for locally heavy rain exists, but at this time it’s not expected to pose a widespread threat as it passes through this weekend into Monday.

AI models quickly latch on to the next wave

The AI models on Tuesday quickly turned their attention from 92L to a fresh new wave rolling into the eastern Atlantic from Africa. NHC introduced this system in their tropical outlook Tuesday evening, starting out with low odds of formation this week.

Unlike its counterpart 92L to the west, the AI models are much more bullish on this next wave strengthening down the line, especially next week as it approaches the central Atlantic.

Both Google’s DeepMind and the European’s AI-based modeling system show more interest in the long-term prospects of this new wave. We’re still in the early innings and the conventional physics-based models haven’t jumped on the bandwagon just yet. We’ll see if the long-range signal sticks with the AI models, but for now we have plenty of time to follow this one.

Regardless, the uptick in activity is a good reminder that we’re turning the corner into the most active 6-week stretch of the Atlantic hurricane season. While we expect lower overall activity this season due to El Niño, during peak season it only takes a small pocket of conducive conditions to get a strong hurricane, even during the down years.

Cristobal forms over the North Atlantic, overcoming the odds and scooping the deep tropics

As we’ve discussed in newsletters this season, it’s a little easier pathway this season for quick-forming storms in the subtropics versus the traditional deep tropics due to El Niño.

A case in point is the broad area of low pressure in the open North Atlantic that had only 10% development odds yesterday but gathered enough organization early Wednesday to become Cristobal, the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Cristobal will be short-lived and poses no threat to land as it heads out to sea this week.

Hawai’i on alert for tropical impacts this weekend

A disturbance in the central Pacific about 1,000 miles southeast of Hawai’i was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone One-C (formerly Invest 93C) by the National Hurricane Center late Wednesday morning. A potential tropical cyclone is a system that hasn’t yet formed but is expected to do so and could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to land areas within 2 to 3 days.

The system is forecast to develop into a tropical storm later today or on Thursday, strengthen, and threaten the Hawaiian Islands by the weekend. The first name on the list for the Central Pacific hurricane season is Lala.

It’s difficult and unusual for a hurricane to strike Hawai’i from the east – largely due to water temperatures that typically drop off quickly near and north of the island chain – but this year waters are running much warmer than usual over the central Pacific. While it’s uncommon for hurricanes to hit Hawaii, it’s not unheard of and strong hurricanes have struck the state in the past.

It’s too soon to know whether the system will be a hurricane threat, but with that possibility, residents and visitors across the state – from the Big Island to Maui, Oahu, and Kauai – will want to check back frequently on the forecasts in the days ahead.

As we mentioned in Tuesday’s newsletter, due to the state’s extreme geography, it doesn’t take as strong of a storm as it does on the mainland to cause problems, especially in populated areas like on Oahu where storm threats are less common.

Either way, folks should begin taking necessary precautions for an increasing threat of weather and dangerous surf conditions from the system this weekend.

Their enthusiasm was buoyed by Tuesday’s primary, which saw former sportscaster Michele Tafoya win the Senate nomination and state House speaker Lisa Demuth win the primary for governor. Both women defeated rivals seen by some GOP strategists as too extreme for Minnesota’s left-of-center electorate.

And the newly minted GOP ticket wasted no time before hammering Democrats over the fraud. Dozens of people have been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars meant to provide food, shelter, healthcare and childcare to people in need.

“We have seen now what all of these years of single-party rule has done to this state,” Tafoya said Wednesday. “And it is mobilizing voters in a way that I think is new and refreshing and exciting. And that’s what we’re going to tap into.”

Republicans are mostly playing defense as they look to hold onto their narrow House and Senate majorities. President Donald Trump is unpopular, and voters have a negative view of the state of the economy and the country’s direction.

In the fight for Senate control, most of the competitive seats on the ballot this fall are held by Republicans and in states that Trump won by healthy margins in 2024, such as Texas and Iowa. Minnesota presents one of the GOP's few opportunities to go on offense.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, is emerging from a contentious and expensive primary, and as the state’s No. 2 Democrat, Republicans think she’s uniquely vulnerable to attacks over fraud. Demuth faces Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has easily won other statewide races.

Republicans see an opening in Minnesota

Minnesota isn’t as blue as the GOP’s two-decade losing streak suggests.

Republicans have come close to winning in the recent past — Trump lost the state by just 1.5 points in 2016. The Legislature is nearly evenly divided, with 101 Democrats and 100 Republicans; the state House is tied and has a Republican speaker under a power-sharing agreement between the parties.

“The Republican party has just really struggled to field good candidates, to run strong campaigns, and as a result, it’s withered,” Amy Frederiksen, a Republican strategist and former minority leader in the state Senate, said in an interview before the primary.

Frederiksen said backlash to the fraud scandal gives Republican candidates a chance to reach new people. Republicans say the state's Democratic leaders should have caught the fraud, which unfolded over years as organizations with state contracts to provide social services stole hundreds of millions of dollars through various means, including faking clients and billing for services that were never provided.

Amid the outcry, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz dropped his reelection campaign.

“There’s an opening for Republicans to make the case that even though Tim Walz isn’t running for re-election, it's not enough to just replace Tim Walz with another Democrat,” said Brian McClung, who was deputy chief of staff for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to win a statewide race in Minnesota.

Still, winning GOP converts will be hard. On top of the headwinds Republicans face nationally, in Minnesota they will also face Democrats galvanized by last winter's immigration operation in the Minneapolis metro area. Citing fraud, Trump surged federal agents into the city for an aggressive enforcement push that led to tense and deadly confrontations.

The GOP is pinning its hopes on Michele Tafoya

Tafoya has caught the attention of Republicans in Washington, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee supported her early.

A well known sportscaster who reported from the sidelines of NFL games for years, she has a profile separate from politics and doesn’t have a lengthy voting record that Democrats can mine for ammunition to use against her.

She supports abortion rights up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, a position that put her out of step with many GOP primary voters but could help neutralize a potent Democratic line of attack.

Democrats immediately previewed their plan to beat her — they will link her to Trump.

“We are not about to give Donald Trump another loyal soldier like Michele Tafoya to take his orders and do his bidding,” Flanagan said in her victory speech Tuesday night.

Flanagan has suggested Republicans are disingenuous to focus on fraud in Minnesota when she says Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself.

“They’re going to have to answer for that corruption,” she told reporters at a campaign event last weekend.

Proceeds from online donations and ticket sales collected during the “Unidos por Los Nuestros,” or “United for Our Own,” concert will address both immediate and longterm needs, including rebuilding homes, repairing schools and community spaces, supporting children and providing mental health support, among other initiatives.

“Uniting for a common cause — taking action and helping fellow human beings facing hardship — is a duty we all share,” said Anthony, a multiple Grammy Award winner whose nonprofit Maestro Cares Foundation will administer the funds along with the Univision Foundation.

Proceeds from the concert will support the nonprofit groups All Hands and Hearts, CARE, Global Empowerment Mission, Techo and World Central Kitchen.

The concert was expanded after Monday's disaster in Colombia

The event was initially created to benefit Venezuela after 7.2- and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes rocked northern areas of the country just 39 seconds apart on June 24, killing at least 6,300 people. Those plans changed Monday, when western parts of Colombia also experienced a deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake, spurring event organizers to include the neighboring country.

Authorities and residents are just beginning to understand the devastation in Colombia, where at least 181 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured, but researchers there have called it the country's worst quake this century.

For Venezuela, the fundraiser comes at a crucial time as public and media attention fades on a humanitarian crisis that will last years, said Rodner Figueroa, co-founder and vice president of the I Love Venezuela Foundation, which channels resources to nonprofits working in Venezuela and is a Global Empowerment Mission partner.

“The biggest challenge right now is to keep the moment alive,” said Figueroa. “The need in Venezuela continues to be at a scale that is unbelievable.”

Tens of thousands of displaced survivors there need housing, clean water and sanitation, and ongoing medical attention. More than six weeks later, people are still searching for missing friends and relatives, often without any official help.

Performers from across Latin America rally to the cause

The benefit concert will take place Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. ET at Miami’s Kaseya Center and will be shown live on Univision, ViX, WAPA and TelevisaUnivision radio stations, iHeartLatino and Venevision Play in Venezuela.

Viewers can donate by scanning on-screen QR codes, texting UNIDOS to 707070 or visiting univision.org during the broadcast.

Additional music acts include Piso 21, Gente de Zona, Elena Rose, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ricardo Montaner, Mau y Ricky, Olga Tañón and others. The performers span Latin genres, from salsa and reggaeton to pop, and join from across Latin America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Dozens of Latin television personalities, journalists and other celebrities will help host the event, including Don Francisco, longtime host of the TV show “ Sábado Gigante ” and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.

“We have all witnessed the devastation that has affected our communities at some point — we have seen it happen time and again in many of our countries and across the globe,” said Anthony, who also advocated and raised funds after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. “The need is immense."

Some Colombian artists committed to the fundraiser well before they knew an earthquake would soon affect their own homeland. The Urbano Latino musician Feid, born in Medellín, has been reaching out to his more than 14 million Instagram followers this week to support aid groups there.

Latin music also shares a special connection with Cali, Colombia, one of the hardest-hit cities and a globally recognized hub for Salsa music and dance.

“Unidos por Los Nuestros” is being organized by Cárdenas Marketing Network, Maestro Cares Foundation, TelevisaUnivision and PIMIENTO Entertainment.

Additional benefits are also planned

Other musicians are also mobilizing relief efforts. The Venezuelan band Rawayana founded Fundación El After shortly following the disaster to support impacted young people. Shakira and other Colombian musicians, including Karol G, Ryan Castro and J. Balvin, rallied support for Colombia on Monday through social media. Metallica’s foundation donated $100,000 for Venezuela to humanitarian organization Direct Relief.

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will host a benefit concert for earthquake recovery Aug. 23 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, his last performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic before he joins the New York Philharmonic.

Proceeds from Dudamel's “A Concert for Venezuela” will benefit recovery funds of the United Nations Development Programme and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Beck, Natalia Lafourcade, and Carlos Vives will join Dudamel.

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

ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to outfit officers and agents with “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices,” according to a notice published Monday and revealed first by The Associated Press.

The devices known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate its electrical mode. They must be applied directly to someone’s skin to produce a voltage that causes pain, which is intended to gain compliance from people who are resisting. Unlike Tasers, they do not leave burn or contact marks.

New York AG says she is ‘outraged' by plan

The size of the purchase suggests ICE plans to give the device to most or all of its officers. The gloves have been used by local departments more often in jails than in the streets, where ICE officers have increasingly used force to extract people from cars and faced protests over their actions carrying out President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

“We are outraged,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news conference Wednesday, where she warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, issued a statement that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen.

“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” the statement said. “Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards.”

Lawsuit alleges shocks from gloves contributed to man's death

While the devices are marketed as nonlethal and safe for the heart, a pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky. An internal investigation found two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds apiece — far more than the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit.

“These actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the risk of serious health complications,” the investigation by the Madison County Detention Center found, according to court documents.

An Associated Press review found two other lawsuits alleging injuries from the gloves, including a man with heart problems who was shocked at a Las Vegas trade show and a defendant who said he was laughed at after he was unnecessarily shocked in court. Both cases have been dismissed.

Several Democrats in Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell Frost and Delia Ramirez, said on social media that ICE did not need another weapon.

“This won’t make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike,” Jayapal wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Former ICE leader, law professor worry gloves will be misused

The manufacturer warns the devices should not be used against some populations that ICE agents routinely encounter: the elderly, small children, pregnant women and the severely handicapped. The device's user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay.

“It's too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn't pose a threat," former ICE acting director John Sandweg said Wednesday in an interview on MS NOW.

The maker of the Taser recently phased out its drive-stun feature, a similar pain compliance tool that had been misused by some officers.

Michael Mannheimer, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University who has written about police use-of-force and issues in federal law enforcement operations, agreed the gloves raised concerns about officers using disproportionate force.

“One concern I would have is if ICE agents have this at their immediate disposal, will they use it more than they should? Will they jump over lesser force that could be appropriate and successful to attain compliance and instead use this first?" he said.

The notice published in a DHS database indicated the solicitation for a no-bid contract to purchase the gloves could be released as early as Friday, and the contract would last through March 31, 2027. The founder of Compliant Technologies LLC, which manufactures the gloves, declined comment.

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Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer contributed to this report.

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A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday in Colombia. The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes hit on June 24 in Venezuela.

Francine De La Rosa, a GEM executive member, was at the GEM warehouse in Doral, where volunteers received a truckload of aid for western Colombia.

“We really need to double up because a lot of help is needed,” De La Rosa said.

GEM also announced partnerships in Colombia with two nonprofits: Motorrad Angels Foundation, a nonprofit that travels to hard-to-reach areas, and Fundación Solidaridad por Colombia, a Bogotá-based nonprofit founded in 1975 with offices in Medellin and Córdoba.

Spence Taylor, a GEM team member who experienced the earthquake on Monday in Bucaramanga, spent about a month in northern Venezuela, and he was working in the city of Pereira, where officials reported 79 dead.

“One thing that you see here that is fundamentally different from Venezuela is the Colombian people and the government is very strong. The response is actually very impressive,” Taylor told CNN. “So, you see a lot more first responders, you see people flooding in from the areas that weren’t affected.”

Taylor recently told CNN that GEM had teams going to Chocó, an impoverished region where the earthquake’s epicenter was, and there was a GEM team in Cali, where the mayor reported 74 dead. Taylor said teams were packing family kits.

“We are doing our best to source those here in Colombia. But right now, I would say to the Colombian diaspora, it is very helpful with cash donations,” Taylor told CNN.

The government’s official toll in Colombia had increased to at least 239 dead and 3,755 injured.

On Tuesday, Colombia’s first lady, Ana Lucie Pineida listed GEM in Miami-Dade as an authorized drop-off point. On Wednesday, Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella asked donors to exercise caution.

“For those who want to help by donating, there are official channels and collection and gathering points; do not donate to politicians who only commit the crime of illegal fundraising of money, especially if they come from being associated with people involved in corruption scandals,” De La Espriella wrote on X in Spanish. “What a shame that there are people profiting from the tragedy; that must be investigated.”

GEM representatives asked the public for in-person donations of new camping gear, hygiene supplies, and first-aid kits with items that are not expired.

The warehouse is accepting donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1850 NW 84th Ave. in Doral. For more information about how to donate to GEM or volunteer in Doral, visit this page.

Related stories

• BOXR Gym hosts fundraising run in downtown Miami
• More than 43,175 people homeless in Colombia’s Chocó region, officials report
• Earthquake response to test U.S.-Colombia relations under new president, expert says

American citizens were paid as much as $30,000 to enter into bogus marriages with immigrants seeking lawful permanent resident status as part of the scheme orchestrated from New York, according to court papers. The defendants charged up to $100,000 per green card, bringing in tens of millions of dollars over the course of the decade-long scheme, according to officials.

Authorities say they believe the group arranged more than 1,000 sham weddings, describing it as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.

“This scheme was not a quick, fly-by-night operation but rather a yearslong, multibillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States,” Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters.

The charges come against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration that have sought to crack down on who is able to enter the country or become a citizen.

After recruiting U.S. citizens, the defendants would arrange fake weddings and in some cases stage photos of families at places such as restaurants afterward to make them look legitimate, according to officials. The defendants would then help the immigrants through the lawful permanent status application process.

“These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in America,” Blanche said.

The 11 defendants, including people accused of officiating the sham weddings, are charged in an indictment filed in New York. It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether they had lawyers to speak on their behalf.

Un terremoto de magnitud 7.4 sacudió Colombia el lunes. Terremotos de magnitud 7.2 y 7.5 azotaron Venezuela el 24 de junio.

Francine De La Rosa, miembro ejecutivo de GEM, se encontraba en el almacén de GEM en Doral, donde voluntarios recibieron un camión cargado de ayuda para el occidente de Colombia.

“Realmente necesitamos redoblar los esfuerzos porque se necesita mucha ayuda”, dijo De La Rosa.

GEM también anunció alianzas en Colombia con dos organizaciones sin fines de lucro: Motorrad Angels Foundation, una organización que viaja a zonas de difícil acceso, y Fundación Solidaridad por Colombia, una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Bogotá, fundada en 1975, con oficinas en Medellín y Córdoba.

Spence Taylor, miembro del equipo de GEM que vivió el terremoto del lunes en Bucaramanga, pasó aproximadamente un mes en el norte de Venezuela y estaba trabajando en la ciudad de Pereira, donde las autoridades reportaron 79 muertos.

“Una cosa que se ve aquí que es fundamentalmente diferente de Venezuela es que el pueblo colombiano y el gobierno son muy fuertes. La respuesta es realmente muy impresionante”, dijo Taylor a CNN. “Entonces, se ven muchos más primeros socorristas, se ve a personas llegando en masa desde las zonas que no fueron afectadas”.

Taylor dijo recientemente a CNN que GEM tenía equipos dirigiéndose a Chocó, una región empobrecida donde se encontraba el epicentro del terremoto, y que había un equipo de GEM en Cali, donde el alcalde reportó 74 muertos. Taylor dijo que los equipos estaban preparando kits familiares.

“Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para conseguirlos aquí en Colombia. Pero en este momento, yo diría a la diáspora colombiana que las donaciones en efectivo son muy útiles”, dijo Taylor a CNN.

Representantes de GEM pidieron al público donaciones presenciales de equipos nuevos para acampar, artículos de higiene y kits de primeros auxilios con artículos que no estén vencidos.

El almacén está aceptando donaciones de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. en 1850 NW 84th Ave. en Doral. Para obtener más información sobre cómo donar o ser voluntario, visite esta página.

Historias relacionadas

• Terremoto en Colombia: el gimnasio BOXR organiza carrera benéfica en el centro de Miami
• Más de 43 175 personas se han quedado sin hogar en la región colombiana del Chocó, según informan las autoridades
• La respuesta ante el terremoto pondrá a prueba las relaciones entre EE. UU. y Colombia bajo el mandato del nuevo presidente, según experto

The administration last week announced plans to award the contract to the Burke Law Group, a Houston-based firm with little experience in immigration. The contract offer came as the administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign and after it let a key contract with nearly 100 providers working with immigrant children around the country expire at the end of July with no replacement.

Unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody are being temporarily represented by another group, but it is unclear how things will shake out after its contract expires in December. A Wednesday statement from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the contracts, offered no insight into why Burke declined the offer.

“Burke Law Group has declined to apply and has not been awarded any grant," the agency, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an emailed statement in response to a query about the contract.

Burke Law Group published a short statement on social media Tuesday night saying it had considered applying for a “small portion” of the contract. It did not explain why it decided against it.

Burke Law Group's founder, Marcella Burke, served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.

Others on its roster include Justin Shubow, a supporter of Trump’s efforts to require federal buildings to adhere to classical and traditional architectural styles, and a former Trump appointee to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Prominent conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro is listed as senior counsel.

Migrant children who are detained after entering the U.S. without their parents are usually entrusted to federal government care. Congress created various legal protections for them, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which requires the government to provide legal representation for children put into deportation proceedings.

About 1,800 children were living in shelters and roughly 22,000 facing deportation were living with outside sponsors such as family members, according to the legal service providers whose contract expired.

The Burke Law Group, with fewer than 30 lawyers and only two with relevant immigration experience listed on its website, was one of two groups tapped by the government to fill in the gap.

A temporary contract for $20 million was awarded through the end of the year to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a legal aid group whose previous work with the government involved helping resettle Afrikaners.

Attorneys with USCRI started showing up in immigration court last week, unannounced, claiming to represent children they had not yet met and sparking confusion among judges and lawyers from the expired contract still providing representation.

Some legal aid providers whose contracts expired sued the administration after they went without payment since last year. On Aug. 6, a California federal judge ordered the federal government to pay the providers.

“These half-baked plans are not sufficient to comply with this court’s order,” Caelin Moriarity Miltko, an attorney representing the providers, told the judge last week, referring to the interim contracts the government is trying to set up.

“Plaintiffs have ethical obligations to the children they represent today, to continue providing that representation to the best of their abilities, and that representation cannot transfer instantaneously to a new group simply because defendants have changed the contract,” Miltko said.

Bilal Askaryar, director of communications at Acacia Center for Justice, the organization that handled the expired contract with the government, confirmed on Wednesday that the groups started to receive payments covering six out of nine months owed, with the rest in progress.

Leavitt, 28, called it a “bittersweet decision" in a social media post Wednesday shortly after President Donald Trump announced she would be stepping down. She recently returned to the White House podium after the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son.

“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt wrote.

Trump did not outline plans for who might replace her in the high-profile role. He said in a social media post of his own that her decision to leave is one “I totally understand and respect!” and indicated she would continue to play a role in his orbit.

“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” the president wrote.

Leavitt worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked as an aide in the White House press office. She then became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Leavitt briefed from the White House press room less frequently than some of her recent predecessors. Trump, who regularly engages with reporters during White House events and during his travels, primarily deployed Leavitt to Fox News and other conservative news outlets to trumpet his agenda and take shots at Democrats and the mainstream media.

Trump’s first-term press secretaries included Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who were known for quarreling with reporters. Another, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, often lectured the news media during her appearances in the press briefing room.

The two-time scoring champion shared his decision on social media in a post featuring a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan where the guard never says a word.

“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”

Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in 2008 out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before they moved to Oklahoma City. He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder and spent this past season with the Sacramento Kings.

Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times and was a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.

Westbrook leaves with 209 triple-doubles, the last on March 15. Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198 going into this season. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 2016-17, when he earned his only MVP award.

He averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 2015-16 season.

Westbrook also played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers and Clippers — splitting the 2022-23 season between the Los Angeles teams and Denver.

Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.

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

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Miami police said Lesly Gisselle Flores, 29, who resides in the city’s Riverside neighborhood, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Aug. 9 incident that occurred at La Porteña Cafeteria, located at 503 SW 17th Ave.

The report states that officers were dispatched to the restaurant shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a “fight in progress.”

Police said the victim told officers she was washing her hands when Flores began shoving her out of the way to use the sink.

The report states that Flores told detectives the victim was washing her hands when she asked whether she could use the sink. Police said Flores claimed the victim responded, “Did your mom not show you any manners?”

Flores then said she told the victim, “Don’t bring my mom into this,” and claimed that the victim then punched her in the face, according to the report. Flores said she punched the victim back and that the two women became involved in a fight, the report states.

The victim initially told officers she did not fight back and instead tried to cover herself while Flores continued striking her until a manager and other people intervened, according to the report.

The report states the victim told detectives Flores then repeatedly struck her in the left eye with a cellphone.

It states that the victim claimed the blows from Flores caused significant injuries, including an orbital fracture and damage that required surgery.

She also told deputies that when she tried to get up, Flores bit her underneath her left arm and in the chest area, preventing her from standing or defending herself, according to the report.

An employee eventually intervened and pulled Flores from the restroom, the report states.

Deputies said the victim’s friend reportedly saw two cellphones on the floor. The victim told detectives one belonged to Flores and was the phone used to strike her, they said.

Detectives later showed the victim a photo lineup, and deputies said she identified Flores as the woman who attacked her.

Deputies said they arrested Flores Monday night and transported her to MDSO’s Violent Crimes Office for questioning. According to the report, detectives read Flores her Miranda rights, and she chose not to speak without a lawyer.

Jail records show Flores is facing one count of aggravated battery with a weapon causing great bodily harm.

As of Wednesday, Flores was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed as “to be set.”

A motive for the attack is unclear at this time.

La Policía de Miami dijo que Lesly Gisselle Flores, de 29 años, quien reside en el vecindario Riverside de la ciudad, fue arrestada el martes en relación con el incidente del 9 de agosto ocurrido en La Porteña Cafeteria, ubicada en 503 SW 17th Ave.

El reporte señala que los agentes fueron enviados al restaurante poco después de las 5 a.m. del domingo tras recibir un reporte de una “pelea en progreso”.

La Policía dijo que la víctima les contó a los agentes que se estaba lavando las manos cuando Flores comenzó a empujarla para apartarla y usar el lavabo.

El reporte señala que Flores les dijo a los detectives que la víctima se estaba lavando las manos cuando le preguntó si podía usar el lavabo. La Policía dijo que Flores afirmó que la víctima respondió: “¿Tu mamá no te enseñó modales?”

Flores luego dijo que le respondió a la víctima: “No metas a mi mamá en esto”, y afirmó que la víctima luego le dio un puñetazo en la cara, según el reporte. Flores dijo que golpeó a la víctima de vuelta y que las dos mujeres comenzaron a pelear, señala el reporte.

La víctima inicialmente les dijo a los agentes que no respondió a la pelea y que, en cambio, intentó cubrirse mientras Flores continuaba golpeándola hasta que un gerente y otras personas intervinieron, según el reporte.

El reporte señala que la víctima les dijo a los detectives que Flores luego la golpeó repetidamente en el ojo izquierdo con un celular.

Señala que la víctima afirmó que los golpes de Flores le causaron lesiones significativas, incluida una fractura orbital y daños que requirieron cirugía.

También les dijo a los agentes que cuando intentó levantarse, Flores la mordió debajo del brazo izquierdo y en el área del pecho, impidiéndole ponerse de pie o defenderse, según el reporte.

Un empleado finalmente intervino y sacó a Flores del baño, señala el reporte.

Los agentes dijeron que, según se informó, el amigo de la víctima vio dos celulares en el piso. La víctima les dijo a los detectives que uno pertenecía a Flores y que era el teléfono utilizado para golpearla, dijeron.

Los detectives posteriormente le mostraron a la víctima una rueda de fotografías, y los agentes dijeron que identificó a Flores como la mujer que la atacó.

Los agentes dijeron que arrestaron a Flores la noche del lunes y la trasladaron a la Oficina de Delitos Violentos de MDSO para interrogarla. Según el reporte, los detectives le leyeron a Flores sus derechos Miranda, y ella decidió no hablar sin un abogado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Flores enfrenta un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma que causó lesiones corporales graves.

Hasta el miércoles, Flores permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, donde su fianza figuraba como “por determinar”.

El motivo del ataque no está claro en este momento.

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According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Andre Hart stole more than $65,000 from “several” seniors in metro Phoenix.

Authorities said Hart, 22, was participating in a phone-based scam in which fraudsters posed as bank representatives.

They said the victims “were persuaded to withdraw large sums of money and deliver the funds to someone they were told was an undercover investigator” and “were then sent an unwitting Uber driver who believed they were performing a package pickup and delivery.”

The Uber drivers would then hand the “package” to Hart, they said.

Authorities said his third trip to the Grand Canyon State would be his last before being handcuffed.

“Police were in the process of surveilling Hart to arrest him when they saw him receive one of the ‘packages,’” a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office states. “After taking him into custody, another Uber driver approached police to deliver another ‘package.’”

Records show that Hart was arrested by police in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona on July 30 on four counts of fraudulent schemes and artifacts and three counts of theft.

Jail records show he was being jailed in Maricopa County on a $100,000 bond.

Según la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Maricopa, Andre Hart robó más de $65,000 USD a “varios” adultos mayores en el área metropolitana de Phoenix.

Las autoridades dijeron que Hart, de 22 años, participaba en una estafa telefónica en la que los estafadores se hacían pasar por representantes bancarios.

Dijeron que las víctimas “fueron persuadidas para retirar grandes sumas de dinero y entregar los fondos a alguien a quien les dijeron que era un investigador encubierto” y “luego les enviaban a un conductor de Uber que no sabía lo que estaba ocurriendo y que creía que estaba realizando la recogida y entrega de un paquete”.

Los conductores de Uber luego entregaban el “paquete” a Hart, dijeron.

Las autoridades dijeron que su tercer viaje al Estado del Gran Cañón sería el último antes de que fuera esposado.

“La Policía estaba en proceso de vigilar a Hart para arrestarlo cuando lo vieron recibir uno de los ‘paquetes’”, señala un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Maricopa. “Después de detenerlo, otro conductor de Uber se acercó a la Policía para entregar otro ‘paquete’”.

Los registros muestran que Hart fue arrestado por la Policía en el suburbio de Phoenix de Glendale, Arizona, el 30 de julio por cuatro cargos de esquemas y artefactos fraudulentos y tres cargos de robo.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que estaba detenido en el condado de Maricopa con una fianza de $100,000 USD.

Now-retired Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn said in her lawsuit that the raid violated press freedoms and protections from unreasonable law enforcement searches guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. She also said it almost immediately led to health problems, causing the return of potentially life-threatening seizures that had been controlled for years with medication.

Zorn's attorney, Randy Rathbun, and an attorney for the city Marion, Jennifer Hill, filed a joint statement Tuesday — the third anniversary of the raid on the newspaper's offices — that Zorn's lawsuit was being dismissed. It was among the lawsuits filed in federal court against local officials over the raids of the newspaper's offices, the home of Publisher Eric Meyer and the home of a former City Council member.

Rathbun did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment. Another attorney for the city, Scott Ufford, declined to comment about the settlement but confirmed the amount.

Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody said he was investigating whether the paper had committed identity theft or other crimes in accessing a local restaurant owner's state driving record, but authorities who examined the raids said they were not legally justified. Meyer, Zorn and others saw the raids as retaliation for hard-hitting local coverage and efforts to gather information about Cody's past in law enforcement.

The raids put a national spotlight on Marion, a town of about 1,900 residents about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, and Cody later resigned. Meyer's 98-year-old-mother, also the paper's co-owner, who lived with him, died the day after the raids, and he blames stress from the raid at their home for her death.

Marion County agreed in November to pay a little more than $3 million to parties in the five lawsuits, including $600,000 to Zorn, to settle claims against its officials. While some of the remaining legal claims against the city and past and present officials have been settled or dismissed, some still remain, and a pretrial Zoom hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

Questions about Cody's conduct after the state launched an investigation of the raid led two special prosecutors to file a felony obstruction of justice charge against him in state district court, alleging that he persuaded a witness, the local restaurant owner, to withhold information from authorities. He pleaded not guilty, and a trial set for the end of this month has been postponed.

The NFL announced the headliners for the halftime show Wednesday. The game will air on Netflix in the U.S. on Sept. 10. The Jonas Brothers will be part of the entertainment lineup for the league's international schedule this season involving seven countries and four contents.

“We couldn’t be more excited to perform at halftime during the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia,” the Jonas Brothers said in a statement. “Playing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of such passionate Australian fans is an incredible honor.”

The Jonas Brothers — featuring Nick, Joe and Kevin — have sold more than 20 million albums and recently landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tim Tubito, the NFL's senior director of global game presentation and entertainment, said the league's first regular season game in Australia is a landmark for the NFL.

“The Jonas Brothers are global entertainers whose music connects across generations, making them the ideal artists to help us celebrate this historic game in Melbourne," Tubito said. "We look forward to delivering a memorable halftime performance for our fans in Australia and those watching around the world.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

The grand jury, which had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, and it was unsealed Wednesday, when 32-year-old Nick Reiner entered a not guilty plea.

Rob Reiner, a director, actor and Hollywood luminary, and his wife, a photographer and producer, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested within hours and charged two days later.

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

Lying in wait means a suspect waited for or hid from victims in order to ambush them, and as an allegation it's meant to show premeditation. A finding that he was lying in wait along with a murder conviction would make Reiner eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they haven't decided whether to seek it.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”

Unsealed indictment gives few new details in secrecy-shrouded case

The unsealed indictment reveals few new details in a case that has been shrouded in secrecy. It does not explain how or why Reiner was lying in wait. It also includes an allegation that he used a knife in the killing, but authorities have said previously that the couple was stabbed.

Prosecutors have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides.

The Los Angeles County chief medical examiner told The Associated Press he would like to make their autopsy reports public, but a court order has prevented him from doing so.

Indictment released as Nick Reiner seeks trust funds

The indictment comes as Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense.

Reiner said in a court petition that the trustees who oversee the funds have denied them to him without legal justification. The money was to have gone to Nick Reiner even if his parents were alive, legal filings say. The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but trustees would not share the exact amount.

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue,” the petition says.

He is seeking to hire back high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who initially represented him before Reiner’s siblings would no longer agree to fund his defense and a public defender took over.

A hearing on the petition is set for next week.

The LA County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Reiner, declined to comment on the indictment.

Grand jury process happens in secret

California prosecutors can charge a defendant and take the case through a preliminary hearing — a sort of trial in miniature where evidence is publicly aired and a judge decides whether it should be sent to trial — as recently happened with singer D4vd.

Or they can use a grand jury to go through the process in secret. They can also publicly file charges and later seek a secret grand jury indictment, essentially creating a new version of the case, as happened here and in the Los Angeles prosecution of Harvey Weinstein.

Rob Reiner had prolific career as actor and director

Rob Reiner began as an actor, starring in the TV sitcom, “All in the Family,” as Michael “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal son-in-law to a much more conservative and bigoted Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor. Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role, and last month got a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work as a guest star on “The Bear.”

He became a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally…” during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.

Nick Reiner was the second of the three children they had together. He and his father co-wrote the script for the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which was partly based on the son’s teenage struggles with addiction and homelessness.

His older brother Jake Reiner wrote in April that the experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center of it was “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”

The lawsuit alleges that Trump's deal to post first on his own company's site about U.S. policy decisions on war, tariffs and other issues violates the Constitution and that official announcements should be made available to everyone at the same time. The suit comes after his media company, Trump Media & Technology, rolled out a new subscription service earlier this month charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month to get his posts faster so they can trade off them.

“A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would have been hard to even fathom just a few years ago,” said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, a plaintiff in the case along with news outlet The Intercept.

Trump Media said selling fast access to traders is common in its industry, and that the plaintiffs are just trying to silence the president.

“Information from President Trump is disseminated by countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs," it said in a statement, using the acronym for the fast access service. "Now, left wing activists are trying to wrongfully weaponize the courts to censor him again and harm our shareholders.”

The early access service comes as the publicly traded Trump Media loses hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter and its stock has dropped below $10 from $62 shortly after going public two years ago.

The plaintiffs argue that Trump's deal giving exclusive Truth Social access to his posts for six hours before being distributed elsewhere violates two parts of the Constitution — the First Amendment right to access a president's comments on equal terms with other members of the press and public and the Fifth Amendment prohibitions on charging unreasonable conditions for government benefits.

The suit asks that Trump Media be forced to end both the new paid service, called Truth API, and its exclusive access deal with his company in general.

Even before the new API service was started earlier this month, ethics watchdogs criticized Trump's posting on Truth Social as a brash attempt to profit off the presidency, similar to other money making venture s, especially ones related to cryptocurrencies. Earlier this year, the president filed a required annual financial disclosure report that showed he took in more than a $1 billion last year from new crypto businesses that his administration regulates.

Among other moves since he was reelected, Trump's digital finance company, World Liberty Financial, got a $500 million investment from a company tied to the government of the United Arab Emirates and sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of special souvenir Trump meme coins to his fans and possible federal favor seekers, including a billionaire fighting a federal law suit that was later paused, then settled.

In addition to the president, the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York names his deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and his executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as defendants.

The grand jury, which had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, and it was unsealed Wednesday, when Nick Reiner entered a not guilty plea.

The director, actor and Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and charged two days later.

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

The unsealed indictment reveals few new details in a case that has been shrouded in secrecy. But the lying in wait allegation along with other circumstances mean Reiner is elligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors say they haven’t decided whether to seek it.

Heidi Beirich, a political extremism expert who left the law center about six years ago, was named in an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Beirich, 59, of Palm Springs, California, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. She was charged in the government’s existing case against the SPLC in Montgomery, Alabama.

In ankle cuffs and wearing a red T-shirt, Beirich made her initial court appearance for a bond hearing in Riverside, California, Wednesday afternoon. She did not enter a plea and U.S. Magistrate Judge David T. Bristow ordered her to surrender her passport and appear in court in Alabama within two weeks.

The judge released Beirich on her own recognizance after prosecutors declined to file a request for detention. Her lawyer, Michael Proctor, said in court that Beirich is a “highly, highly responsible, pro-social and trustworthy” member of society with no criminal history.

Earlier in the day, Proctor said his client is innocent of the charges and described the case as politically motivated. He accused prosecutors of trying to punish his client for her “decades-long record of success dismantling hate groups.”

“A free and fair society does not use the justice system to silence its political opponents,” Proctor said in a statement.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the new charges at a news briefing in Washington, but did not name Beirich. CNN was first to report on the charges against Beirich.

“This is exactly what we said would happen in a case like this,” Blanche said. “Our investigators and the U.S. Attorneys and the agents working the case will keep on working it even after the initial indictment.”

An SPLC spokesperson said the case against it and Beirich “will not shake our resolve.”

“Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We are confident in our position and look forward to presenting the evidence and making our case in court.”

Beirich led the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, which incurred the anger of conservatives with its annual report on organizations that it classified as hate groups. Critics accused the law center of unfairly tarnishing right-wing groups with the same label that it applied to white supremacists.

Beirich co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism in 2020 after leaving the SPLC. She has testified before Congress about far-right extremism and is frequently interviewed about the subject by news outlets. Her current organization did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday.

A superseding indictment filed in June appears to refer to Beirich as “Employee-2” and by her former title as director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project.

The indictment alleges that between 2007 and 2023, more than $4 million in donated funds were secretly funneled to people who infiltrated or were associated with violent extremist groups. Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

The indictment says “Employee-2” oversaw the payment of donor money to SPLC informants or “field sources," including KKK members and white nationalists who initially approached the SPLC for help leaving the extremist organizations. The SPLC employee was in a romantic relationship with a source who infiltrated a neo-Nazi group at the direction of the law center, the indictment alleges

Proctor said Beirich “won’t be silenced or intimidated by the government’s false and politicized allegations.”

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Kunzelman reported from Washington and Chandler from Montgomery, Ala. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer and Collin Binkley in Washington and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

He would have preferred Thursday’s matchup with the Packers take place in Green Bay rather than Pittsburgh. Rodgers wanted to have one final moment in the place where he spent his first 18 seasons and won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl.

“I was really hoping this one was going to be in Green Bay, not just to get back at Lambeau one more time, but to head out to Chives for a dinner and maybe head out to Green Bay Country Club for a quick nine or something,” Rodgers said Wednesday in a Zoom session with Packers reporters. “I was really hoping it was going to be in Green Bay, for a lot of reasons.”

This will be the second time Rodgers has faced his former team since leaving the Packers in 2023, though there’s no indication yet on whether he will play Thursday. Both games were in Pittsburgh, so Rodgers will head into retirement after this season having never played against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

“It would have been strange, being in that locker room and stuff,” Rodgers said. “But I would have found my way over, like many former players have over the years, found my way over to Flea’s (Packers head athletic trainer Bryan Engel’s) office and hang out back there and see some of the guys and see some of the trainers and equipment staff and all the people I really care about that still work there.

"Yeah, I was definitely bummed out that we weren’t in Lambeau for this one.”

Rodgers’ Steelers lost 35-25 to the Packers last October. Jordan Love, the quarterback Green Bay selected in the first round of the 2020 draft to become Rodgers’ eventual successor, threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns that night.

When he was asked what he missed the most about Wisconsin aside from football and the fans, Rodgers talked about the house he owned during his Packers years, the meals he enjoyed at Chives and the rounds of golf he played. Then he turned the subject back toward football.

“The falls there are just awesome, when the weather gets that cool little nip,” Rodgers said. “I loved the night games at Lambeau, especially the Sunday nights, Monday nights and occasional Thursday nights. Just so much fun. There’s nothing like that crowd. I’ve been other places, I knew that when I was in Green Bay, but there’s nothing like that fan base and the way they travel and the crowds at home.

“Players around the league, they talk about how special it is to play at Lambeau, and sometimes you might miss that or forget about that when you’re playing because it becomes so normal to have such an amazing crowd and they’re tailgating and they’re loud and they rarely sell their tickets to other teams’ fans. There’s a lot of great things about Wisconsin. I grew up there, really, and became a little more mature as an adult over the years there and had a great time and still have a lot of close friends there, a lot of fond memories.”

Rodgers did play his other former team as a visiting player last season when he made his Steelers debut and led Pittsburgh to a 34-32 victory over the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Rodgers was with the Jets from 2023-24 after they acquired him from Green Bay, though he missed virtually all of 2023 after tearing his Achilles tendon in the season opener.

The Steelers host the Jets on Aug. 21 in their second preseason game.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

With Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared for team drills as he continues his recovery from surgery on his left knee, the Falcons' expected quarterback competition has been put on hold. Tagovailoa, the former Miami Dolphins starter who signed a one-year deal with Atlanta, has a clear path to the starting job as long as Penix is limited to individual work and seven-on-seven drills in practice.

Stefanski said Tagovailoa and other first-team players will play “a series, maybe 10 plays. We'll see which comes first.” Stefanski said the playing time could vary for some starters.

When asked if Tagovailoa's start means he has won the starting job for the season, Stefanski said: “As you guys know, I’m not there, we’re not there. ... We just will cross that bridge when we get to it. Obviously, I feel very good about where Tua is, where all of our guys are.”

Cooper Rush, who was signed at the start of training camp to give the team another veteran at quarterback, will play behind Tagovailoa. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will finish the game.

Stefanski said Tagovailoa is “looking forward to getting his first action in a game in the system. There’s a lot of newness for him as well, in terms of that type of thing. It’s his first time in (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) as a Falcon.”

Tagovailoa said Tuesday he believes preseason games are important as he adjusts to the Falcons' playbook.

“Preseason plays a big role, I would say, for your team collectively,” Tagovailoa said. “You don’t have the coaches out there. You gotta go out there, you gotta make the calls, whether it’s right or wrong. You gotta live with them, and then from there you come in the next day, you watch film, you talk about it, and you go from there.”

Added Tagovailoa: “With the walk-throughs that we’ve had, you start to get more and more comfortable with the terminology. ... So getting comfortable, but it’s still something that I need to look over, need to continue to study and continue to process.”

Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said Tuesday Tagovailoa “is becoming more comfortable with the system” after being limited by lower back tightness at the start of training camp. “Really the last three or four days he’s really come on when you’re acclimating a quarterback into a new offense,” Van Pelt said.

While some teams hold out starters for most or all preseason games, Stefanski's decision to give his first-team players at least one series is consistent with the first-year Atlanta coach allowing players to be tackled in full-pads drills. Some coaches opt for “thud” tackles where players are not taken to the ground.

Stefanski said his goal is to have players “physically ready ... and mentally ready” for a 17-game regular season “and then more.”

“I just believe in making what we do out in the grass as close to football and as close to game-like as you can,” he said. “In order to do that, you have to practice hard. That’s just what comes with the territory of what we believe in.”

Stefanski said Penix will continue to be held out of team drills next week when the Falcons travel to Indianapolis for joint practices with the Colts.

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

El ataque contra el bus de la empresa 41, que recorre la capital de norte a sur por más de 50 kilómetros, fue el tercero del martes. Los delincuentes dispararon cuatro veces al vehículo cerca de la medianoche; el chofer esquivó los tiros, pero los criminales dejaron un papel con un teléfono con código de Colombia para coordinar los pagos extorsivos y advirtiendo a los transportistas que si salían a trabajar el miércoles iban a morir.

“Mañana chofer que sale, chofer que se va”, se lee en el papel dejado en la puerta del bus y que fue difundido por canales de televisión locales. La policía confirmó a la prensa que la empresa sufría extorsiones. Desde 2025 los buses de esa empresa han recibido disparos en dos ocasiones y luego mensajes extorsivos.

La extorsión es uno de los delitos que más afecta a los peruanos y los más perjudicados son los transportistas, quienes son asesinados si no pagan a los delincuentes. En 2025 unos 239 transportistas fueron asesinados en Perú, según el observatorio del crimen y la violencia.

En un segundo ataque, un chofer de un minibús quedó herido en una vía de 13 kilómetros que conecta el puerto del Callao y la capital luego de que su vehículo recibió cuatro tiros. En el tercer ataque otro bus que conecta el este de Lima con el Callao acabó con los vidrios rotos por cuatro hombres que exigían pagos.

El sábado, el gobierno lanzó de forma discreta el plan Escudo donde militares y policías cuidarán algunos de los más de 22.000 vehículos y terminales del transporte público de Lima, para evitar ataques extorsivos. Esa misma noche la puerta de la terminal sur de la empresa 73 fue tiroteada y la compañía dejó de funcionar tres días. Casi todos los ataques extorsivos ocurren en la periferia capitalina donde vive la mayoría de los 10 millones de vecinos y que cuentan con escasa vigilancia policial en sus espacios públicos.

Los expertos y algunos legisladores opositores han cuestionado el enfoque gubernamental porque fue aplicado sin éxito por los últimos gobiernos y sugieren concentrarse en aumentar la inteligencia humana y electrónica.

Keiko Fujimori, quien asumió la presidencia el 28 de julio, pidió “paciencia” y confianza en su gestión durante una actividad pública, señalando que “no podemos dar resultados en 15 días".

Aseguró que el plan de su gobierno es diferente y se caracteriza por motivar a policías y militares, buscar coordinación entre instituciones que antes se criticaban y el uso de una estrategia “donde se utiliza la inteligencia”.

La fiscalía indicó que entre enero y el 17 julio se registraron 107 ataques criminales extorsivos al transporte público en la capital, pero no detalló el número de asesinados.

En las recientes elecciones presidenciales la principal preocupación de los peruanos fue la lucha contra el crimen, en especial las extorsiones que agobian a los negocios y que se han expandido por casi todo Perú. Las denuncias por este delito pasaron de 2.421 en 2019 a 26.734 en 2025, según datos oficiales.

Fujimori ganó tras prometer acabar con el crimen y en su campaña electoral recordó que actuaría como su padre —el fallecido y sentenciado expresidente Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000)— en cuya gestión se capturó a los líderes del grupo violento Sendero Luminoso.

The unclassified assessment, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and reported earlier by NBC News. A Pentagon official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the department will submit the report in the coming months but had nothing more to announce.

Civilian casualties from U.S. military operations have drawn concerns, including from lawmakers in Congress, after a U.S. missile struck an Iranian primary school in the opening days of this year’s war, killing up to 168 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have slashed the size of an office focused on reducing civilian harm, the AP has reported.

The Pentagon review focused on three airstrikes in April 2025 that were launched during the U.S. campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, as well as Israel.

Those strikes targeted hostile forces in or near Yemen’s rebel-held capital city of Sanaa as well as the Ras Isa port, the report said. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured.

The strike on the port was the most deadly, killing 80 people and injuring 171 others. It sent massive fireballs billowing skyward and turned tanker trucks into burning wrecks. The Houthis aired graphic footage of the aftermath on their al-Masirah satellite news channel, showing corpses strewn about the port.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said at the time that the "strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”

“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” U.S. Central Command said in its statement in April 2025.

The command determined that the three strikes “more likely than not” resulted in civilian harm, the review said. The information was based on U.S. intelligence sources, imagery and open-source reporting.

It was determined that condolence payments were not appropriate for the three strikes, according to the Pentagon’s review, which did not explain why that was the case.

Such payments may be one of several responses when U.S. military operations injure or kill a civilian, the review stated, adding that they’re not required by law and not an admission of wrongdoing.

Such payments are not unheard of. Following an errant drone strike in Afghanistan that killed 10 people, seven of them children, in 2021, the Pentagon said it was committed to offering condolence payments to relatives.

The U.S. military first launched attacks against the Houthis in 2023, during the Biden administration, after the militants started launching drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis said the attacks were aimed at stopping Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and supporting the Palestinians, though they occurred as the Houthis tried to strengthen their position in Yemen.

The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II, U.S. military leaders and experts told the AP in 2024. American fighter jets and Navy destroyers shot down Houthi drones and missiles that were launched at commercial vessels and U.S. warships.

The Houthis now are carrying out a growing number of strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce and open a new front in the Middle East war.

The screen door, despite — or thanks to — its modest making, is fundamental to the American home, to the suburban and rural soundscape and to what remains of our collective innocence.

The door that is barely a door. Made of lightweight aluminum or wood, with a wire mesh and a latch lock that gives under a thumb nudge, it is about as shabby as a barrier gets. Its mission to let the breeze in and keep the mosquitos, pesky flies and assorted vermin out appears simple, but its impact goes beyond that.

Semi-transparent, a screen door is an invitation, allowing a peek inside. It says someone is there. In architectural terms, it means this threshold wants breaching.

The screen door creates a liminal space, a quasi-open passage where one can see, hear and even smell what nature and the local community offer on the other side.

Its sieve-like surface gives way to the semi-private backyard. It allows a grandmother to leave the sturdy, opaque real backdoor wide open, almost forgotten, until it is time to go to bed. In the meantime, she can listen to songbirds, contemplate her flowerbeds or keep an eye on her grandchildren at play.

Fittingly, there exists what appears to be an apparently apocryphal origin story of the screen door. It says it was invented by a woman in Iowa in the late 19th century. Accurate or not, it is one of those modern myths worth embracing.

As if it were a symbol of good behavior, the screen door resists being slammed. Its closing mechanism cushions the blow, gently pushing back against the tug of a human hand, wheezing as it finally gives in.

At best, the creaking of a screen door announces a loved one’s arrival. It demands our trust in the outside world. It tempers our anger, quells our suspicions.

Once shut, the quiet says you are home.

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

En Key Largo School, los miembros del personal se preparaban para recibir a casi 800 estudiantes en el plantel de primaria y secundaria.

El director Darren Pais dijo que los padres deben prestar mucha atención a los cambios que afectan a los estudiantes al regresar a clases, incluidas las rutas y los nombres de los autobuses.

“Queremos asegurarnos de que lleguen a la parada del autobús un poco temprano”, dijo Pais. “Tenemos algunos cambios en nuestras rutas de autobús y tenemos cambios en los nombres de nuestros autobuses”.

Pais también recordó a los padres que los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido deben completarse nuevamente este año, incluso si un estudiante calificó para el programa el año pasado.

“Si firmaron los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido del año pasado, tienen que hacerlo nuevamente este año”, dijo Pais. “Por favor, asegúrense de entregarlo”.

Con los estudiantes pasando de las vacaciones de verano nuevamente a una rutina escolar, Pais dijo que dormir lo suficiente será importante.

“Ha sido verano, así que tienen que volver a esa rutina”, dijo. “Así que los teléfonos tienen que guardarse, ya saben, un par de horas antes de acostarse, pero tienen que descansar”.

Pais dijo que Key Largo School, ahora en su año 56, continuará enfocándose en lo académico mientras brinda a los estudiantes oportunidades para participar en actividades y eventos familiares.

Se espera que regrese la celebración anual de Halloween Spooktacular de la escuela, junto con otras noches familiares programadas durante todo el año. Pais dijo que la escuela también tiene una nueva junta de la PTA que está trabajando en actividades adicionales.

El programa de teatro de la escuela se está preparando para dos grandes producciones: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” y “Beetlejuice”. Se espera que participen estudiantes de segundo y tercer grado hasta octavo grado, y que estudiantes de secundaria ayuden ocasionalmente con la utilería.

“Sí tratamos de involucrar a todos”, dijo Pais. “Así que sí, estamos emocionados, muy emocionados”.

La emoción ya era evidente durante el evento Meet the Teacher del martes, cuando Pais dijo que asistió alrededor del 90% de las familias.

“Todos estaban muy emocionados y sé que estarán emocionados hoy, y simplemente no puedo esperar a ver esa energía”, dijo.

Pais animó a los estudiantes a aceptar el nuevo año escolar, calificándolo como un día especial para la comunidad de Key Largo School.

“Es un gran día para ser un tornado y vamos. Terminemos este año”, dijo.

Pero también recordó que la emoción del primer día podría venir acompañada de algo de cansancio.

“Mañana habrá algunos zombis, pero está bien”, dijo Pais. “Por eso tienen que acostarse temprano”.

Mientras que algunos alumnos aún no estaban del todo preparados para despedirse de mamá y papá, otros estaban listos para empezar con buen pie.

“Lo más importante es establecer una relación con mis pequeños y, a partir de ahí, lo académico surge de forma natural”, afirmó la profesora de infantil Katherine García. “Una vez que tienes esa relación, te quieren y aprenden de ti”.

“Para algunos padres, como Jocelyn Sanabria, llevar a sus hijos al colegio fue una sensación agridulce”.

”Es muy emocionante y conmovedor”, dijo. “Estoy intentando contener las lágrimas porque ha estado en casa conmigo prácticamente desde que nació, así que es hora de soltarlo un poco”.

Mientras los estudiantes comienzan a regresar a clases en todo el sur de Florida, Local 10 quiere ayudar a celebrar este momento compartiendo sus fotos favoritas del regreso a clases.

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At Key Largo School, staff members were preparing to welcome nearly 800 students to the elementary and middle school campus.

Principal Darren Pais said parents should pay close attention to changes affecting students as they return to school, including updated bus routes and bus names.

“We want to make sure that you get to the bus stop a little bit early,” Pais said. “We do have some changes in our bus routes, and we have changes to our bus names.”

Pais also reminded parents that free and reduced-price meal forms must be completed again this year, even if a student qualified for the program last year.

“If you have signed your free and reduced lunch forms from last year, you have to do it again this year,” Pais said. “Please make sure you get that in.”

With students transitioning from summer break back to a school routine, Pais said getting enough sleep will be important.

“It’s been summertime, so you’ve got to get back in that routine,” he said. “So phones have to go away, you know, a couple of hours before bedtime, but you gotta get your rest.”

Pais said Key Largo School, now in its 56th year, will continue its focus on academics while giving students opportunities to participate in activities and family events.

The school’s annual Spooktacular Halloween celebration is expected to return, along with other family nights planned throughout the year. Pais said the school also has a new PTA board that is working on additional activities.

The school’s drama program is preparing for two major productions: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Beetlejuice.” Students from second and third grade through eighth grade are expected to participate, with high school students sometimes helping with props.

“We do try to get everybody involved,” Pais said. “So yeah, we’re excited, very exciting.”

The excitement was already evident during Tuesday’s Meet the Teacher event, when Pais said about 90% of families attended.

“Everybody was super excited and I know they’re going to be excited today, and I just can’t wait for that energy,” he said.

Pais encouraged students to embrace the new school year, calling it a special day for the Key Largo School community.

“It’s a great day to be a tornado and let’s go. Let’s get this year done,” he said.

But he also offered a reminder that the first-day excitement could come with some fatigue.

“There’ll be some zombies tomorrow, but that’s OK,” Pais said. “That’s why they got to get to bed early.”

While some students weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to mom and dad, others were ready to hit the ground running.

“That is the number one priority setting a relationship with my kiddos, and then from there, academics comes naturally,” said kindergarten teacher Katherine Garcia. “Once you have that relationship, then they love you, they learn from you.”

“For some parents, like Jocelyn Sanabria, sending their children to school was a bittersweet feeling.”

“It’s very exciting and emotional,” she said. “I’m trying to hold back the tears because he’s been home with me pretty much since he was born, so it’s time to let go a little bit.”

As students begin returning to classes across South Florida, Local 10 wants to help celebrate the milestone by sharing your favorite back-to-school photos.

Scientists reported Wednesday on the radiation-shielding vest worn around the moon by a female test dummy in 2022. No one was aboard that Artemis I debut flight, which paved the way for humanity’s long-awaited return to the moon in April by a flyby crew of four.

Radiation remains one of the biggest threats to astronauts as NASA works toward a moon base. Shielding garments could keep lunar crews safe when solar storms strike and even allow them to venture beyond their shelters if necessary, the U.S., German and Israeli team reported in the journal Science Advances.

A version of the vest was previously tested on the International Space Station. It didn't travel with the Artemis II astronauts since it was a short 10-day mission with limited room, but may wind up a carry-on for future moon crews.

Meant to be worn only during high-radiation and potentially cancer-causing solar events, the vest covers the most vulnerable human organs and tissue: lungs, stomach, bone marrow, breasts and ovaries. Women are believed to be especially susceptible to radiation-induced cancer.

Artemis I carried two female manikins that spent nearly a month flying to the moon and back. Dubbed Zohar and Helga, the manikins — each a life-size 3 feet from head to lower torso — were strapped into the passenger seats of NASA’s Orion capsule.

Zohar wore the 57-pound (26-kilogram) AstroRad vest, developed by the U.S.-Israeli startup StemRad and Lockheed Martin. The companies had already tested a prototype on the space station for comfort and function, modeling it after gear worn by nuclear disaster teams.

Helga flew vest-less, but like its companion contained thousands of radiation sensors.

The study's lead author, StemRad’s Jordan Houri, called it “the largest experiment ever conducted to determine astronaut radiation exposure beyond low-Earth orbit.” NASA, the German Aerospace Center and the Israel Space Agency provided the funding. Radiation exposure is much less for space travelers closer to home, thanks to Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field.

Artemis I encountered no major solar outbursts. But based on measurements gathered as NASA's Orion capsule zipped through the inner Van Allen radiation belt, Houri and his team simulated how much protection the vest would provide during extreme solar particle events like those in 1972 and 1989 that detonated magnetic sea mines and collapsed a power grid.

Lucky for NASA, the 1972 solar outburst occurred in between that year's two moon landings, keeping the crews of Apollo 16 and 17 safe from potentially lethal radiation exposure.

The latest findings showed the vest could reduce an astronaut’s radiation dose by about 60% in a solar storm as fierce as the one in 1972 and by nearly 40% in a calamity mirroring 1989. That’s equivalent to 193 days and 131 days, respectively, of unnecessary deep space radiation exposure, the scientists noted.

While none of the Apollo moonshots exceeded two weeks, the moon-base stays envisioned by NASA will likely last weeks, if not months, driving up the risk of enduring a dangerous solar storm. Mars expeditions will last even longer — months, years and possibly entire lifetimes if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk achieves his goal of building a city on the red planet.

The scientists are using their observations to trim more weight from the vest without sacrificing protection. They’re also investigating how to make radiation shielding from items already aboard a spacecraft — recycling that could save the lives of crews.

Houri doesn't anticipate a need for further deep-space testing anytime soon, since Zohar and Helga “provided us with an exceptionally large, high-fidelity dataset.”

Zohar and her vest are now on display at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, where their journey to the moon began.

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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.

Everyone wanted a pope-themed hat.

“When things go bananas ... that’s when it gets really fun,” said Brooks Boyer, Chicago's chief revenue and marketing officer.

Fun is the overarching theme when it comes to stadium giveaways, and business has been good at major league ballparks this year.

An array of creative promotions — everything from the New York Mets handing out fake glasses and mustaches for a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night to the Texas Rangers giving away a Nolan Ryan bloody lip jersey — has played at least a small role in an MLB-wide average attendance of 29,618 through Tuesday's games, the highest such number for a full season since 2017.

Bobbleheads remain popular — like the Brandon Nimmo Bull Riding bobblehead in Texas, or the butter-churning Nick Kurtz “Big Amish” bobblehead with the Athletics — but it's not just those iconic figurines that are drawing big crowds. The Brewers handed out 25,000 bar dice sets to fans 21 and over on Saturday, and they had a crowd of 40,625 at American Family Field.

The pitch clock and other innovative rules introduced by MLB in 2023 are often credited for spurring fan interest. But it's clear from the long lines — and occasionally astronomical resale prices on eBay — what a clever giveaway can do for ticket sales, too.

“I definitely think across the league, there’s been an increase in demand and desire, and even necessity, to do things that are outside of the box," said Meagan Hermosillo, the director of marketing and promotions for the Arizona Diamondbacks. "For us, we can’t really do a standard bobblehead or a standard anything. It has to have some kind of unique factor if we want it to move the needle.”

Chicago's pope hats took creative — and careful — planning

The White Sox ended up giving the pope hats — shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle — to everyone in the crowd of 38,113 for Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan, helped push the club's season-long attendance to 1,460,383, surpassing its total of 1,445,738 for all of 2025.

The team leaned into the theme. There were signs posted in the ballpark that read “LEO KNOWS MUNE” and “LEO KNOWS KONERKO,” referring to current White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and former slugger Paul Konerko. Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw out a ceremonial first pitch, and former White Sox pitcher Donn “The Pope” Pall kicked off the game with the “play ball” announcement.

“I thought it was a great idea, knowing that the Pope is from Chicago and he's a Sox fan, which is great,” said Edward Lopez, 58, a truck driver from the south side of the city.

Lopez was supposed to go to the game with his girlfriend, but she wasn't able to make it. So he went through two different gates to make sure he secured two pope hats.

“It was worth it,” he said.

Promotions for the White Sox go through a committee led by senior director of marketing and promotions Mike Downey. They throw out ideas and concepts, and they also look at samples from different vendors.

The team also is handing out wooden domino sets to 10,000 fans on Aug. 22 and magic wands to 20,000 fans on Sept. 4, a nod to the viral wand-waving dugout displays of injured reliever Mike Vasil.

“We’ve always looked to have our giveaways be something that we know people would wear or use or value because it adds value to the ticket,” Boyer said. “So it starts with that.”

While planning the pope hat night, religious sensitivities were part of the conversation for the promotions committee.

“We haven’t done items that would be Pope Leo’s likeness,” Boyer said. “We wouldn’t do that without the permission of the Vatican. ... We’ve been very careful. There is a little bit of nuance and finesse that needs to be done. And items, you know a lot of items may not be for everybody.”

Teams are eagerly jumping on larger cultural moments for eye-catching promotions

The Baltimore Orioles handed out a Tupac Shakur bobblehead in May. The New York Yankees gave out a “ KPop Demon Hunters ” bobblehead on Tuesday night, and they have a George Costanza calzone bobblehead — paying tribute to a 1996 “Seinfeld” episode — coming up on Aug. 27. Every MLB team except Toronto had a Star Wars Night this season.

Following in the footsteps of the minor leagues in many cases, it's not enough anymore to just feature a popular player for a giveaway.

“You can see that teams are doing a much better job with their understanding (of) who they’re trying to target,” said Jim Strode, an associate dean and professor at Ohio University’s College of Business. “When I think of the ‘Seinfeld’ one, I’m thinking, you know, they’re targeting Gen X, they are targeting some, you know, younger baby boomers to try to get out to the ballpark.”

There is also what Lauren Anderson, the director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon, described as the “collector chase game.” There were multiple fans looking to buy additional pope hats at Tuesday night’s game, and there were several listings for the giveaway and the “KPop Demon Hunters” bobblehead on eBay on Wednesday.

“You want something that’s unique and cool and something that you can, you know, I’m one of 5,000 people to get these, I’m one of 10,000,” Anderson said. “I mean, there is also a bit of the game of people want something that’s limited so they can flip it and sell it, like on an eBay."

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AP Baseball Writer David Brandt contributed to this report.

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

What seemed at first like an easy idea — slapping a new tax on people who own luxury second homes in the Big Apple but live elsewhere most of the year — has instead created a lot of confusion in the city’s notoriously convoluted world of real estate arrangements.

“It seems very simple but the more you dig into it, the more nuances you look at, the more complicated it gets,” said Gary Bingel, a state and local tax expert and partner at EisnerAmper, an accounting firm.

It has also prompted pushback from both the city's very wealthy and the merely moderately wealthy.

President Donald Trump, whose gilded Manhattan penthouse could be subject to the tax since his primary residence is now in Florida, said he was looking into whether federal intervention could “avert this disaster, before it is too late.”

A group of homeowners sued over the city’s rollout of the tax, arguing that officials had not done enough to figure out who would have to pay the tax and instead made it property owners' responsibility. A judge temporarily paused the process this week, but the city moved to appeal, allowing the tax effort to continue until it’s sorted out in court.

Securing a new tax on multimillion-dollar second homes, known as pied-à-terres, was an early win for Mamdani in his quest to raise taxes on the city's highest earners to pay for his ambitious liberal agenda.

The so-called pied-à-terre tax would levy a new surcharge on one-, two- and three-family homes valued at more than $5 million, as well as condos and co-ops valued at $1 million or more, if those dwellings are not a person's primary residence.

The idea, according to officials, would bring $500 million to the city's coffers annually, paid primarily by bigwigs who get to enjoy city life but don't pay city income taxes.

That's where things start to get hairy.

It's common for high rollers to place their properties in trusts, obscuring ownership while allowing the property to pass more easily to family members. Limited liability companies can similarly shield an owner's identity, also making it hard for government officials to tell who actually lives in any given apartment.

From there, there are numerous arrangements that can complicate who would be subject to the tax. For example, letting a distant family member stay at a second home without formal documentation, or if someone owns one or more properties and rents them out, but the tenants don't have documentation that the unit is their primary residence.

“Those situations make it difficult to prove people are in there,” said Mark Limardo, a partner at the law firm Herrick in Manhattan who focuses on taxes. “The concept is simple, but the ownership rules and the documentation rules have made it very complicated.”

Outcry and litigation

City Hall, for its part, argues that it shouldn't be difficult to provide proof that someone actually lives in the city and says that its finance department is experienced in parsing tangled webs of paperwork.

Mamdani, no stranger to razzing wealthy people, debuted the tax with a video singling out hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin by standing outside a Manhattan penthouse the billionaire purchased for around $239 million. The clip sent Mamdani's supporters swooning, but Griffin later said it was “frightening” that a public official would call attention to one of his homes, especially after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the same neighborhood.

The city then published an expansive online list of property owners who it said could be subject to the tax, listing their names, addresses and property values. The list, which the city is legally required to publish, inflamed tensions between the mayor and the city's wealthy, many of whom argued the roll amounted to doxing or public shaming.

The administration has mailed notices to a much smaller group — about 17,000 properties — that it suspected would be subject to the tax, telling them they could apply for exemptions. Mamdani announced the mailers in a celebratory social media post that read: “If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you’ve got mail.”

He later pushed back the deadline for exemption requests following public outcry from people who claimed to have received the letters in error or had trouble navigating the process.

Stewart Sterk, a real estate law professor at Cardozo School of Law in New York, predicted last week's lawsuit wouldn't be the last, saying he expected many of the targets of the tax to file individual cases over denied exemptions, given the vast number of apartments at play and the various arrangements people have connecting them to their properties.

“This is going to be a subject of litigation for quite a while,” he said.

Such refuge was probably never more welcome than on the heels of this past summer.

It was just over a month ago that Kelce exchanged vows with Taylor Swift in a star-studded wedding that tied together one of the best tight ends in NFL history with the biggest pop star on the planet. At the intimate gathering in cavernous Madison Square Garden, Adam Sandler served as the surprise officiant, Stevie Nicks performed to a crowd of sports and entertainment icons, and fans lined the New York City sidewalks outside the historic venue hoping to catch a glimpse of it all.

“The wedding was the best night of my life,” Kelce said Wednesday, speaking for the first time at camp. “I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and had fun with us. That's about all I got for that night. It was a crazy night.”

The guest list included actors Bradley Cooper, Zoë Kravitz, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke; models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss; comic Chris Rock; film director Steven Spielberg; and plenty of NFL players, including retired quarterback Tom Brady and several of Kelce's teammates with the Chiefs, like his best friend and quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

The Swift-Kelce relationship began with his failed attempt at giving her a friendship ring at a concert. Kelce invited Swift to watch him play at Arrowhead Stadium, she took him up on the offer, and the rest of their courtship has been a celebrity fairytale.

Right down to the nuptials at Madison Square Garden, which has always captured Kelce's imagination, and where Swift has played to plenty of sold-out shows; she also turned up there to watch the Knicks play the Spurs in the NBA Finals in June.

“I always told myself I'd go for a playoff game when the Knicks were rocking, and my wife went when I was stuck in minicamp,” Kelce said with a wry smile. “It was kind of cool to live out my childhood dream to be in that venue. I can't thank the owners of MSG enough for allowing us the opportunity to do that, knowing we wanted a private event.”

Besides the wedding, Kelce has been busy pursuing several business opportunities since the end of last season, including his decision to buy a small share of David Blitzer's stake in his hometown Cleveland Guardians.

That puts him into rivalry territory with Mahomes, who owns his own small stake in the Kansas City Royals.

Yet on the field, the quarterback and tight end continue in lockstep, and never has it been more important for them to lift each other up. Mahomes is coming off a season-ending knee injury that required surgery in December, and Kelce is trying to prove that at age 36 — he turns 37 in October — he can still get it done in a young man's game.

“I still got a lot of love for this game. I still think I can go out and play at a high level,” Kelce said. “I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than last year. I think that's the biggest thing for me.”

There are few things that Kelce has not accomplished over 13 seasons on an NFL field. He's won three Super Bowl rings, was voted first-team All-Pro four times, and he has been invited to the Pro Bowl each of the last 11 seasons.

He contemplated retirement prior to last year, but the fact that Kansas City had just been blown out by Philadelphia did not sit well with him. So, Kelce came back for another go-around, catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns while playing in every game — numbers that would represent a career year for most tight ends.

The Chiefs scuffled to a 6-11 finish, though. And if Kelce wasn't going out on a Super Bowl loss, he certainly wasn't quitting after a season like that.

“The fact that we didn't make the playoffs,” he said, “I moved on pretty quick.”

He moved onto wedding planning, to be sure. But also into preparing for the upcoming season, which most believe will be his last, one way or another. Kelce was ever-present throughout the offseason, whether it was voluntary workouts or mandatory minicamp, and he has been a constant source of energy during the hot, humid practices that are the hallmark of training camp.

“This is always going to be my sanctuary. I think St. Joe has a special place in my heart,” Kelce said. “You need to have these days. You need to have this time of grinding with the guys, being around them all day, starting to create that chemistry and standard for how we are going to do things. This year it's ramped up even more.

“I think that's a big thing,” Kelce added, “just enjoy these moments with these guys I've built this culture with.”

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Desde el lunes por la mañana, los equipos de búsqueda y rescate han estado rescatando a las víctimas de entre los escombros en Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales y otras zonas gravemente afectadas.

Hasta el miércoles, se habían registrado al menos 254 fallecidos, entre ellos 95 en Cali y 79 en Pereira, según las autoridades.

El presidente colombiano Abelardo De La Espriella, que tomó posesión del cargo el viernes tras una ceremonia celebrada en Cali, visitó Quibdó el lunes y Pereira el martes, donde estimó que había unos 2.595 heridos y más de 1.000 viviendas destruidas.

El gimnasio BOXR Gym también está aceptando donaciones. El evento tendrá lugar a las 18:30 h en el gimnasio situado en el 1310 NE First Avenue, justo al norte de la Interestatal 395. Para más información, llama al 305-417-3607.

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Since Monday morning, search-and-rescue teams have been pulling out victims from the rubble in Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and other hard-hit areas.

As of Wednesday, there were at least 254 dead, including 95 in Cali and 79 in Pereira, according to Colombian officials.

Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office on Friday after a ceremony in Cali, visited Quibdó on Monday and Pereira on Tuesday, when he estimated there were about 2,595 injured and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed.

BOXR Gym is also accepting donations. The event is at 6:30 p.m. at the gym at 1310 NE First Avenue, just north of Interstate 395. For more information, call 305-417-3607.

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The suspects were identified as Garlens Junior Jean-Philippe, 21, Garvens Jean-Philippe, 18, both of North Miami, and Kanarious Jerome Harris, 17.

Deputies said their arrests followed a traffic stop shortly after the vehicle left the school grounds.

The report states that an MDSO detective was conducting surveillance in northern Miami-Dade County around 2:12 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted a black 2025 Mercedes-Benz C300 near Northwest 96th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Deputies said that the suspected vehicle was known to law enforcement after its driver previously fled the scene in an unrelated case. Detectives also noted that the vehicle’s front windshield was tinted past the legal limit and that its front windows had a measured opacity of 5%.

Detectives began covert surveillance and followed the Mercedes to Miami Central High School, located at 1781 NW 95th St., according to the report.

The report states that Garlens Jean-Philippe was driving, Garvens Jean-Philippe was in the front passenger seat, and Harris was sitting in the rear passenger seat at the time of the incident.

Detectives said they watched as the car entered the school’s parking lot and remained there for about 10 minutes. They said no one was seen entering or exiting the vehicle during that time. The Mercedes then left the school grounds, with detectives continuing to follow it, according to the report.

Deputies then conducted a traffic stop near Northwest 13th Avenue and 123rd Street, the report states.

After the three occupants were ordered out of the vehicle, a MDSO detective reported seeing a loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun on the front passenger-side floorboard. The gun was within immediate reach of Garvens Jean-Philippe, according to the report.

Detectives said they also found a loaded Milsport .300 BLK-caliber AR-style pistol on the rear bench seat, next to and within immediate reach of Harris, the report states.

“Both firearms were not securely encased and readily accessible for immediate use,” a deputy wrote in the report.

The report also notes that classes were not in session at the time, but the school was “active and open to teachers and administrators.”

According to the report, Garlens Jean-Philippe claimed ownership of the firearms and made “spontaneous statements” to detectives acknowledging that the AR-style pistol had been left within Harris’ reach. He also said he was unaware that the law prohibited that, the report states.

Jail records show Garlens and Garvens Jean-Philippe were later transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, while Harris was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, according to the report.

Records show Garlens Jean-Philippe is facing one count each of illegal possession of a firearm on school property and contributing to delinquency/ dependency of a child. Gavens Jean-Philippe is facing one count each of illegal possession of a firearm on school property and illegal possession of a firearm by a minor.

As of Wednesday, both men remained at TGK, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”

Authorities have not released a mugshot or details about the charges for the Harris.

At City Park in Sunrise, it’s the main event.

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The beat sets the pace. The weights add resistance. And Paige Romans brings the energy — turning a monthly community workout into a celebration of rhythm.

“It is the soul of calypso music. Anything high and positive vibration is soca music,” said Paige Romans, owner of Soca Fitness.

Romans is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and owner of Soca Fitness in North Lauderdale. Her workouts built a following that caught the attention of the city of Sunrise, which recruited Romans to bring that same energy — free of charge — to the community on the last Friday of every month.

“You can’t run away or shy away from positive vibrations. You really can’t. Even if you try, at some little point you’re going to smile and feel good about that moment,” she said.

Romans may lead the workout, but the energy quickly becomes a group effort.

City leaders say the groups have grown every single month, with more people bringing friends.

“The way this program resonates with people — they come out, they release those endorphins through moving and they get happy, and they meet the person next to them. Smile. Have a good time. You’re going to see it,” said Khya Cummings, recreation supervisor for the city of Sunrise.

Romans wants Soca Fitness to celebrate the culture behind the music, build community through movement and inspire more people to simply show up.

“That’s what I’m hoping. For this community get bigger. More people to understand that movement is literally a gift and they should take on that in their day to day,” Romans said. “All the time, just show up. You’re never going to know how you are within a certain class until you actually do it. So, just show up.”

For those who want more Soca, Romans encourages them to stop by her studio. She also runs classes and fitness training virtually to keep everyone in step, so they never miss a beat.

Click here for more information on Soca Fitness or here to view the calendar of events for city of Sunrise.

Los sospechosos fueron identificados como Garlens Junior Jean-Philippe, de 21 años, Garvens Jean-Philippe, de 18, ambos de North Miami, y Kanarious Jerome Harris, de 17.

Los agentes indicaron que las detenciones se produjeron tras una parada de tráfico poco después de que el vehículo saliera del recinto escolar.

El informe señala que un detective del MDSO estaba realizando una vigilancia en el norte del condado de Miami-Dade alrededor de las 14:12 horas del martes cuando avistó un Mercedes-Benz C300 negro del año 2025 cerca de la calle Northwest 96th y la Séptima Avenida.

Los agentes indicaron que el vehículo sospechoso ya era conocido por las fuerzas del orden, ya que su conductor había huido anteriormente del lugar de los hechos en un caso no relacionado. Los detectives también señalaron que el parabrisas delantero del vehículo estaba tintado por encima del límite legal y que las ventanillas delanteras presentaban una opacidad medida del 5 %.

Según el informe, los detectives iniciaron una vigilancia encubierta y siguieron al Mercedes hasta el instituto Miami Central High School, situado en el 1781 de la calle NW 95th St.

El informe indica que, en el momento del incidente, Garlens Jean-Philippe conducía, Garvens Jean-Philippe ocupaba el asiento del copiloto y Harris se encontraba en el asiento trasero.

Los detectives afirmaron que observaron cómo el coche entraba en el aparcamiento del colegio y permanecía allí durante unos 10 minutos. Según ellos, no se vio a nadie subir o bajar del vehículo durante ese tiempo. A continuación, el Mercedes abandonó el recinto del colegio, mientras los detectives seguían siguiéndolo, según el informe.

A continuación, los agentes realizaron una parada de tráfico cerca de la Avenida 13 Noroeste y la Calle 123, según indica el informe.

Tras ordenar a los tres ocupantes que salieran del vehículo, un detective de la MDSO informó de que había visto una pistola Glock calibre .40 cargada en el suelo del lado del acompañante. El arma se encontraba al alcance inmediato de Garvens Jean-Philippe, según el informe.

Los detectives afirmaron que también encontraron una pistola tipo AR Milsport de calibre .300 BLK cargada en el asiento trasero, junto a Harris y al alcance inmediato de este, según indica el informe.

“Ninguna de las dos armas de fuego estaba guardada de forma segura y ambas eran fácilmente accesibles para su uso inmediato”, escribió un agente en el informe.

El informe también señala que, en ese momento, no había clases, pero que la escuela estaba «activa y abierta para profesores y personal administrativo».

Según el informe, Garlens Jean-Philippe reconoció ser el propietario de las armas de fuego e hizo “declaraciones espontáneas” a los detectives en las que admitió que la pistola tipo AR se había dejado al alcance de Harris. También afirmó que desconocía que la ley lo prohibiera, según el informe.

Los registros penitenciarios indican que Garlens y Garvens Jean-Philippe fueron trasladados posteriormente al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, mientras que Harris fue llevado al Centro de Evaluación Juvenil, según el informe.

Los registros muestran que Garlens Jean-Philippe se enfrenta a un cargo por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego en un recinto escolar y a otro por contribuir a la delincuencia o dependencia de un menor. Gavens Jean-Philippe se enfrenta a un cargo por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego en un recinto escolar y a otro por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego por parte de un menor.

Hasta el miércoles, ambos hombres permanecían en el TGK, donde sus fianzas figuraban como «pendientes de fijar».

Las autoridades no han hecho pública ninguna foto policial ni detalles sobre los cargos que se le imputan a Harris.

The clashes were part of a government operation against what it calls members of “ Fitna Al Hindustan, ” a term Pakistani authorities use for Baloch separatist groups that Islamabad alleges are backed by India. New Delhi denies supporting militants in Pakistan.

The military said two soldiers were also wounded. The car bombing took place in the province's district of Surab.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populous province and has long faced a separatist insurgency led by the outlawed ethnic Baloch Liberation Army. The BLA has carried out numerous attacks in recent years, often targeting security forces, Chinese interests and infrastructure projects.

Balochistan has also seen attacks by Pakistani Taliban who are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.

U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday. Al-Zaidi said in a statement afterward that he had affirmed Sept. 30 as the “fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.”

A U.S. official confirmed that the U.S. expects to complete its pullout by Sept. 30, but declined to say how many troops remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.

“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq,” the official said.

Two Iraqi Kurdish officials said a drawdown of U.S. troops and military equipment from Erbil began about three weeks ago.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The U.S. presence in Iraq grew to more than 170,000 troops at the peak of counterinsurgency operations in 2007. In December 2011, the final combat troops departed. But in 2014, the rise of the Islamic State group and its capture of a wide swath across Iraq and Syria brought U.S. forces back at the Iraqi government's invitation.

After IS lost its hold on territory it once claimed, coalition military operations ended in 2021. The U.S. maintained about 2,500 troops in Iraq for training and to conduct counter-IS operations with Iraq’s military.

Iraq also wants to disarm non-state groups

Iraq's prime minister has also set a Sept. 30 deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons, saying they will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.

Some Iraqi militias have justified their existence by pointing to the U.S. military presence, which they describe as an occupation, although the current U.S. mission came at the invitation of the Iraqi government after IS militants rampaged across the country in 2014, seizing large swaths of territory.

It seems unlikely that the Iraqi government will meet its deadline for disarming non-state groups. Some of the country’s most powerful Iran-backed militias and have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons.

La decisión se da a seis días de la detención de Aguirre, que sacudió al estamento político mexicano y volvió a poner el foco de atención en el caso, el más representativo de la crisis de desapariciones que ha golpeado por décadas a México. Hasta la fecha, más de 134.000 personas están desaparecidas.

El exgobernador, quien es uno de los exfuncionarios de más alto rango detenido por el caso, fue vinculado a proceso la madrugada del miércoles bajo la hipótesis de que habría ocultado información de “alta relevancia” para las investigaciones, dijo en un comunicado la Fiscalía General de México.

El juez del caso ratificó la prisión preventiva del exgobernador, de 70 años, quien permanecerá recluido en el penal federal de máxima seguridad del Altiplano, en el Estado de México.

Aguirre dirigió Guerrero de 2011 a octubre de 2014, un mes después del crimen que ocurrió en la ciudad de Iguala entre el 26 y 27 de septiembre.

A casi doce años del hecho no está claro ni el móvil del crimen ni el destino de los estudiantes, aunque se encontraron restos calcinados de tres de los jóvenes y se presume que todos fueron asesinados por miembros de un cártel local que traficaba heroína y que actuó coludido con fuerzas de seguridad y autoridades locales, estatales y federales, incluidos militares.

Según la fiscalía mexicana, el exgobernador habría participado en el ocultamiento de los videos que pudieron haber registrado los hechos.

Durante la audiencia inicial, que se extendió por más de 14 horas, la defensa de Aguirre objetó los señalamientos del Ministerio Público alegando que el entonces gobernador no se encontraba en Guerrero cuando presuntamente recibió las grabaciones y ordenó su destrucción, sino que estaba en la Ciudad de México.

Aguirre, exmilitante del Partido de la Revolución Democrática — de donde surgió el oficialista Morena —, fue apresado el 6 de agosto en el Estado de México por funcionarios federales. Su detención se dio a casi cuatro años del arresto del exprocurador federal Jesús Murillo Karam, otro de los altos exfuncionarios procesados por el caso.

Murillo Karam, quien enfrenta acusaciones de desaparición forzada, tortura y obstrucción de la justicia en el caso de los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos, obtuvo en abril de 2024 la medida cautelar de arresto domiciliario debido a su avanzada edad y los problemas de salud que padece. El mes pasado un juez le levantó la medida y ordenó el uso del grillete electrónico y restricciones de movilidad.

Abelardo De La Espriella, the new president of Colombia, had taken his oath of office on Friday in Cali, where Mayor Alejandro Eder announced Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sent a plane with 50 tons of aid and was preparing to send a second.

Adam Ratzlaff, a Florida International University researcher with experience in conducting analysis for the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank has been following the updates.

“This may be an opportunity to see the U.S. government working hand-in-hand with the new Colombian administration,” said Ratzlaff, the founder and chief executive officer of Pan-American Strategic Advisors, a strategic advisory firm and think tank.

The U.S. State Department also announced the deployment of a disaster assistance response team of humanitarian experts to Colombia.

“This is going to be a real testing point for the administration at a time when he is still staffing up. He is very close to the Trump administration. Obviously, the Trump administration would like to see him doing well,” Ratzlaff said.

The Trump administration deployed the U.S. military to northern Venezuela and committed more than $386 million in humanitarian assistance after the devastating 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on June 24.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, under Trump’s second administration faced both sweeping program cancellations and massive staff layoffs.

“The United States just gave a lot of aid money to neighboring Venezuela. The administration has laid out the Western Hemisphere as its priority. The question will be, ‘How much appetite is there for addressing humanitarian crisis?’” Ratzlaff said.

The U.S. hosts the largest portion of the Colombian diaspora, estimated at 1.6 to 2 million Colombian-Americans and immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

“It may mean that a lot of the aid going to Colombia will have to come from the diaspora,” Ratzlaff said. “The largest diaspora in the United States from South America is from Colombia, so we would hope to see a lot of aid flowing in country from the diaspora, but the geo-politics on this will be complicated.”

Before the earthquakes, the U.S. had already pledged $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia, and De La Espriella announced Colombia was joining the “Shield of the Americas,” also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, which Trump launched in March.

Related story: Shield of the Americas: What we know about the summit in Doral this weekend & Noem’s new title

En Auburndale Elementary, los estudiantes escogieron mochilas gratuitas llenas de útiles escolares, con muchos colores y estilos para elegir.

“¡Estoy emocionada!”, dijo Keila, estudiante de quinto grado.

Camilla, estudiante de segundo grado, dijo que escogió una mochila morada porque también tenía color rosado.

El evento de Auburndale fue uno de varios realizados en las Escuelas Públicas de Miami-Dade en la víspera del nuevo año escolar.

Comisionados locales se asociaron con las escuelas para dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes y sus familias.

“Fui a una escuela pública a solo unas cuadras de aquí. Recuerdo el primer día de clases. Era aterrador, intimidante: nuevos estudiantes, nuevos maestros, director”, dijo el comisionado de Miami Rafael Rosado. “Lo que estamos haciendo es darles la bienvenida para que puedan ver nuestras sonrisas, nuestra emoción y nuestro apoyo para ellos”.

Los eventos también dieron a los estudiantes la oportunidad de conocer sus salones antes del inicio de clases y aprender más sobre los programas en los que participarán durante el año escolar.

En Bowman Ashe/Doolin K-8 Academy, en el suroeste de Miami-Dade, estudiantes y familias conocieron el programa STARTs de la escuela magnet, que incluye música y robótica.

Los maestros también se preparaban para dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes.

“Reunirnos con los padres y tener esa conexión, en última instancia, ayuda a que los estudiantes tengan éxito”, dijo Rachel Ruiz, maestra de Bowman Ashe/Doolin Academy. “Estoy sumamente emocionada. Los nervios son buenos nervios. Estoy lista para enseñarles”.

Varios eventos de regreso a clases todavía estaban programados para la tarde del miércoles, incluida una feria de recursos escolares en South Miami Heights hasta las 4 p.m., un evento en Shenandoah Elementary a la 1 p.m. y otro en Citrus Grove K-8 a las 2:30 p.m.

Mientras los estudiantes comienzan a regresar a clases en todo el sur de Florida, Local 10 quiere ayudar a celebrar este momento compartiendo sus fotos favoritas del regreso a clases.

The trial scheduled to begin next week is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta faces 29 states in the federal multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023, but the Oakland trial will only include the first four — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.

Eight states, including Tennessee where a trial is ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts.

The 2023 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint says. “It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked prospective jurors about their own social media activity, knowledge about other lawsuits Meta faces, and any strong feelings they may have about social media companies and their role regarding the allegations.

The trial is the latest in an avalanche of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies including Google's YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over claims their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to addict them.

Last week, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial.

The penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

In the second phase, prosecutors asked the judge to impose fundamental changes at Meta aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight.

The states are seeking heavy penalties and changes to the way Meta operates its platforms to make them safer for children. Meta has repeatedly said it has introduced dozens of features to do so. It is appealing the New Mexico decision.

“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” the Menlo Park, California, tech giant said in a statement. “We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re always working to do better.”

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Wesky Gillo, 21, had a child rape charge added to his docket on Tuesday while he was already behind bars, having been picked up while out on bond on Aug. 7 for driving on a suspended license.

According to the North Miami Police Department, the assault happened on Sept. 3, 2025 at the girl’s apartment. That’s one day after they said Gillo approached her after school.

Authorities said Gillo had texted with the victim and told her he was 17 and the two arranged a meeting at the girl’s apartment while her mother was at work.

Police said Gillo had the girl perform oral sex on him and then asked her to have intercourse. They said “the victim repeatedly told him no, but eventually complied out of fear.”

Authorities said Gillo left after “the victim began to cry” during the five-minute assault.

According to another arrest report, the KFC incident happened nearly a year before the rape.

North Miami police said on Oct. 7, 2024, Gillo, then 20 and working at the KFC at 701 NW 119th St., had unlocked a restroom door for a girl who had asked to use it.

According to NMPD, after the girl went in and locked the door, Gillo used the key to unlock it again and go in, asking the girl if he could “wash his hands.”

Police said the girl ― also under 16 ― told him “no,” but he stayed inside “and asked her if she keep(s) secrets.”

“The victim stated that (Gillo) told her to ‘keep this secret’ and started to unbuckle his belt and unzipped his pants,” the report states. “The victim stated that (he) told her to touch his penis.”

Authorities said surveillance video showed the girl bolting out of the bathroom after Gillo made the lewd request.

Police said they took him into custody two days later and he claimed he was outside sending text messages while the girl was inside the bathroom.

They said Gillo let officers search his phone to back up his alibi.

“A check of (Gillo’s) phone revealed that he was not sending any text messages or making any phone calls during the time the victim was using the bathroom,” the NMPD report states. “While going through (his) phone, it was observed that he had a saved pornographic video of a child engaging in sex.”

He was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 and a charge related to the transmission of child sexual abuse material. While the case remained active as of Wednesday morning, court records show prosecutors did not pursue the latter charge.

As of Wednesday morning, Gillo remained jailed without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center.

Wesky Gillo, de 21 años, recibió el martes un cargo de violación de un menor, mientras ya estaba tras las rejas, luego de ser arrestado el 7 de agosto mientras estaba en libertad bajo fianza por conducir con una licencia suspendida.

Según el Departamento de Policía de North Miami, la agresión ocurrió el 3 de septiembre de 2025 en el apartamento de la menor. Eso ocurrió un día después de que, según dijeron, Gillo se acercara a ella después de la escuela.

Las autoridades dijeron que Gillo intercambió mensajes de texto con la víctima y le dijo que tenía 17 años. Ambos acordaron encontrarse en el apartamento de la menor mientras su madre estaba en el trabajo.

La policía dijo que Gillo obligó a la menor a practicarle sexo oral y luego le pidió que tuviera relaciones sexuales. Dijeron que “la víctima le dijo que no repetidamente, pero finalmente accedió por miedo”.

Las autoridades dijeron que Gillo se fue después de que “la víctima comenzó a llorar” durante la agresión de cinco minutos.

Según otro informe de arresto, el incidente en el KFC ocurrió casi un año antes de la violación.

La Policía de North Miami dijo que el 7 de octubre de 2024, Gillo, que entonces tenía 20 años y trabajaba en el KFC ubicado en 701 NW 119th St., había abierto con llave la puerta de un baño para una menor que había pedido usarlo.

Según la NMPD, después de que la menor entró y cerró la puerta con seguro, Gillo usó la llave para abrirla nuevamente y entrar, preguntándole a la menor si podía “lavarse las manos”.

La policía dijo que la menor, también menor de 16 años, le dijo que “no”, pero él permaneció dentro “y le preguntó si ella guardaba secretos”.

“¿La víctima declaró que (Gillo) le dijo que ‘guardara este secreto’ y comenzó a desabrocharse el cinturón y a bajar la cremallera de sus pantalones”, señala el informe. “La víctima declaró que (él) le dijo que tocara su pene”.

Las autoridades dijeron que las imágenes de vigilancia mostraron a la menor salir corriendo del baño después de que Gillo le hiciera la solicitud lasciva.

La policía dijo que lo detuvieron dos días después y que él afirmó que estaba afuera enviando mensajes de texto mientras la menor estaba dentro del baño.

Dijeron que Gillo permitió que los agentes revisaran su teléfono para respaldar su coartada.

“Una revisión del teléfono de (Gillo) reveló que no estaba enviando mensajes de texto ni haciendo llamadas telefónicas durante el tiempo en que la víctima estaba usando el baño”, señala el informe de la NMPD. “Mientras revisaban su teléfono, observaron que tenía guardado un video pornográfico de un menor participando en actos sexuales”.

Fue arrestado por cargos de conducta lasciva y lasciva con un menor de 16 años y un cargo relacionado con la transmisión de material de abuso sexual infantil. Aunque el caso seguía activo hasta la mañana del miércoles, los registros judiciales muestran que los fiscales no procedieron con el último cargo.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Gillo permanecía encarcelado sin derecho a fianza en el Centro de Detención Metrowest.

“La ley tiene que ser algo que nos ayude a mejorar”, dijo el conservador mandatario en un discurso a los estudiantes desde un colegio de Santiago. “Todos queremos llegar a la escuela alegres, contentos, a pasarlo bien. No a tener temor”.

La iniciativa integra un paquete de medidas para reforzar la seguridad en los colegios, que sufren una creciente violencia. El episodio más grave en la historia del país ocurrió en marzo, cuando un adolescente perpetró un ataque con cuchillo en una escuela en Calama, en el norte, y dejó a una inspectora muerta y otros cuatro heridos, entre ellos tres alumnos.

Fue el primer caso premeditado de violencia escolar jamás registrado y desencadenó una serie de incidentes y amenazas de tiroteos en establecimientos educativos de todo el país, lo que llevó al Congreso a aprobar con celeridad el proyecto de ley propuesto por el Ejecutivo, que prevé el fortalecimiento de la seguridad y el endurecimiento de las sanciones por hechos de violencia escolar.

La normativa fue aprobada en junio por el Congreso y se convirtió en ley el miércoles tras su publicación en el Diario Oficial. Sin embargo, el Tribunal Constitucional eliminó algunas de las disposiciones más controvertidas al considerar que violan los principios de la Carta Magna.

Entre ellas, consideró inconstitucional la posibilidad de que la policía revisara mochilas sin una orden legal previa, así como las vestimentas y el cuerpo de los estudiantes.

Con los cambios, los centros educativos podrán aplicar medidas más duras y sanciones a la comunidad estudiantil, siempre y cuando estén en su reglamento interno. Cada escuela deberá así incorporar en sus protocolos la revisión de mochilas y artículos de los funcionarios del establecimiento, establecer códigos que prohíban el uso de accesorios que impidan la identificación facial y castigar a estudiantes que amenacen a colegas o docentes.

En cuanto a los responsables legales de los estudiantes, la nueva ley también establece que si un adulto es condenado por delitos cometidos en contra de un profesional de la educación en el ejercicio de sus funciones, se le prohibirá "celebrar contratos con el Estado por un período de tres años”. Asimismo, los colegios podrán suspender el ingreso de padres, parientes o responsables que agredan física, verbal o digitalmente a funcionarios o estudiantes.

Los ataques armados en Chile son inusuales, aunque el país es conocido por las manifestaciones estudiantiles que a menudo terminan de forma violenta.

Según datos oficiales, en el primer semestre de 2026 se han registrado 6.308 denuncias vinculadas a la convivencia escolar, un 2,8% más que en igual período de 2025.

El año pasado, hubo un total de 17.076 denuncias que incluyen casos de maltrato y amenazas tanto contra estudiantes como profesores y discriminación, entre otras.

Asimismo, en 2025 se registraron 56.153 casos policiales dentro de recintos educacionales, entre ellos 16.535 por delitos contra la vida o integridad de personas y otros 893 asociados al porte de armas, de fuego o blancas, según el Ministerio de Seguridad Pública.

The extension came with a raise, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were revealed publicly.

Miami, as a private university, is not required to release contract information and did not comment on the extension. Lucas had four years left on his original five-year deal.

Lucas engineered an impressive turnaround in his first season with the Hurricanes, leading them to a 26-9 overall record and going 13-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference without any returning players. Miami — which went 7-24 overall and 3-17 in ACC play in 2024-25, before Lucas arrived — wound up making the NCAA Tournament, beating Missouri before falling to Purdue in the second round.

The reworked agreement with Lucas came around the same time as Miami getting a new deal done with football coach Mario Cristobal on the heels of last season’s 13-3 record and run to the College Football Playoff national championship game, the person said. Word of Cristobal’s extension was first reported by On3 last week and then confirmed by Cristobal.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Cristobal said when discussing his extension, the terms of which also were not confirmed by the school. “And there’s a lot more good and great and elite things to come.”

Cristobal also has raved about the work Lucas has done and even attended some of the basketball team’s early morning workouts in recent weeks.

Lucas, who had not been a head coach before Miami hired him in March 2025, was mentioned as a potential target for many schools that were seeking coaches after last season.

“We have good people at the university, and then we had great people in the building this year. … Half the battle is making sure you get the right people in there,” Lucas said when last season ended. “And then once you get the right people, you’ve just got to figure it out.”

Miami was one of nine schools to be among the final AP Top 25 in both football and men’s basketball during the 2025-26 season.

___

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

Defendant Tyler Robinson's attorneys say the bullet traveled above the crowd and prosecutors have not proven that he knew others who attended Kirk's event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 were in danger — a potentially aggravating factor under state law that would make it a capital crime.

“The only evidence presented supports that the bullet traveled above, not through, the crowd,” defense attorneys wrote in documents filed late Tuesday as the defense tries to block the case from proceeding to trial.

The defense lawyers also disputed claims that Robinson targeted Kirk over his political views. Prosecutors allege Robinson told his roommate that he killed the activist because he “had enough of his hatred." But the defense said that was not enough to prove what motivated Robinson, after searches of his apartment, computers and telephone failed to produce anything beyond that one statement.

Prosecutors last month presented what they call “overwhelming” evidence against Robinson, including DNA tests that tie him to the suspected murder weapon and apparent confessions by the defendant.

His defense attorneys during that hearing questioned the reliability of the prosecution's evidence, but they didn't offer any alternative theories for Kirk's assassination. The defense made no mention of DNA in Tuesday's filing.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea in the case. He turned himself in a day after Kirk was killed.

His defense attorneys previously tried to get the death penalty taken off the table after prosecutors were found to be in contempt of court for talking about the case to the media. State District Judge Tony Graf rejected that request.

Prosecutors have until Aug. 18 to respond to the defense arguments. The Associated Press left telephone and email messages with the Utah County Attorney’s Office seeking comment.

In documents filed last month, prosecutors said the fact that Robinson loaded his rifle with four bullets showed that he knew he could miss Kirk, “thereby putting others in danger.”

But defense attorneys said “it is just as likely that the shooter did not believe he would miss.”

Robinson faces possible sentence enhancements if prosecutors can prove he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

Twiggs said in an April interview with prosecutors and investigators that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including President Donald Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ+ rights, Twiggs said.

The AP emailed Twiggs’ attorney seeking comment.

Closing arguments in the preliminary hearing are scheduled for Sept. 1. Graf will then decide if the case can go to trial and on what charges.

Preliminary hearings typically don’t last so long. Legal experts said the slow pace reflects a cautious approach by Graf and the large volume of evidence. Lawyers for Kirk’s family have asked Graf to make his decision on Sept. 1 so they case can proceed.

The 41-year-old man fatally shot himself after stabbing his wife and child at the in-home daycare she operates in Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis, police said.

All six other children who were at the daycare were not physically harmed, authorities said. Another parent called police after witnessing the attack while dropping off a child Wednesday morning, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said.

“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference.

“This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” Johnson later added.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

___

More than three hours after the killings, Burnsville Chief Matt Smith said officers were called to a home in his community, 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Hopkins, where they found the dead woman. He said investigators believe the two tragedies are linked, and that the man had been living at the home in Burnsville.

No names were released. Johnson said there was no history of police calls to the Hopkins address.

Amanda Marx, a nurse who lives across the street, didn’t realize anything was wrong until she noticed police officers trying to break down the home’s front door.

She said officers moved behind the home before reappearing and calling for crime scene tape. Later, several young children emerged — one being carried by an officer.

The brown, two-story house has a mural on the garage door of a tree-lined lake and a moose. Photos on the daycare’s Facebook page show kids playing with toys inside and in the backyard, with colorful decorations and artwork on the walls.

Marx said she and her 7-year-old son always referred to it as the “garage house” due to the colorful mural. The longtime resident said she’d never met the home’s owners and was unaware they were running Brown Bear Childcare out of the home. She didn’t recall any prior disturbances.

“I’m just trying to figure out how to explain to my 7-year-old why there’s crime scene tape on our deck,” she said.

Records show the daycare has been licensed by the state since 2019 and has a capacity of 10 children. It was found to be in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Johnson said killings are a “rarity” in Hopkins and that his officers were shaken by the scene they found inside the home.

“I could see on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life,” Johnson said.

___

Rico reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed.

“Yo dije, ‘wow’”, dijo Jones. “Esto ya es el colmo”.

El mensaje ataca a Jones, un candidato abiertamente gay al Congreso, al afirmar falsamente que tiene VIH.

“Primero, el mensaje es falso”, dijo Jones. “No soy VIH positivo, pero quiero tener mucho cuidado con la forma en que respondo a eso, porque me niego a defenderme de una manera que estigmatice a otra persona”.

El mensaje afirma que a Jones se le negó la oportunidad de donar sangre a un sobreviviente de COVID porque tenía VIH y enlaza a una noticia real de 2020, pero esa historia no menciona el VIH.

En realidad, a Jones se le negó la oportunidad de donar bajo una política federal de donación de sangre vigente en ese momento, que restringía las donaciones de hombres homosexuales y bisexuales.

Esa política cambió desde entonces.

“El VIH no es algo de lo que haya que avergonzarse y ser gay no significa que alguien tenga VIH”, dijo Jones. “Alguien tomó un viejo estereotipo peligroso sobre las personas gay y el VIH y lo utilizó con fines políticos”.

El mensaje también afirma que fue “pagado por Equality Florida”, un grupo de defensa de los derechos LGBTQ que ha respaldado a Jones, pero el grupo dice que no envió ni pagó el mensaje de texto y que ahora intenta determinar quién lo hizo.

Dos de los principales oponentes de Jones también condenaron el mensaje.

El comisionado de Miami-Dade Oliver Gilbert lo calificó de “mentira” y dijo que el mensaje era “retórica llena de odio, homofóbica y vil”.

Kendrick Meek Jr. también se pronunció en contra del mensaje de texto, calificándolo de “difamación fraudulenta y homofóbica” y diciendo que el sur de Florida “merece algo mejor”.

Con las primarias del 18 de agosto a solo una semana, Jones dice que no sabe quién es responsable del mensaje de texto falso, pero quiere que rindan cuentas.

“La gente merece saber realmente quién pagó por él y quién lo envió”, dijo. “Es peligroso, no tiene justificación y no debemos permitir que las personas se salgan con la suya con ese tipo de comportamiento”.

Local 10 News habló con una votante, quien se identificó como Cathy, y dijo estar disgustada por los ataques personales.

“Es algo bajo y despreciable que alguien decida hacer eso”, dijo.

Local 10 News también llamó al número del que provenía el mensaje de texto falso: la línea estaba desconectada.

“Maybe I never loved you / But anyway, I thought I did / I married you, we had a kid,” she sings in a ballad you could imagine Simon addressing to her ex-husband, James Taylor. “And maybe you never loved me / Although God knows you said you did.”

Simon announced last month that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease while recording “Comes in Waves,” and that she also had surgery to remove a cancerous skin growth. But this album feels less like an ending than a continuation of themes and events that have inspired and defined her from early in her career — yearning, discontent, desire, uncertainty, her marriage to Taylor and the loss of her father, the publisher Richard Simon, who died when Carly was in her teens.

“Howl” is the album's lead track, first single and table setter — a midtempo rocker addressed to a heartbroken friend (or to herself?) whom Simon urges to “Get it out of your system / Bang your fists and beat your brow.”

The other songs unfold as if to dramatize the album's title, as Simon's mood shifts from defiance to regret to melancholy to resolve and a willingness to try again, a cycle cushioned (to a fault) by the literal-minded production and arrangements of David Spencer, Frank Filipetti and son Ben Taylor among others.

“Comes in Waves” includes a remaster of Simon's decades-old political song “Share the End,” and elsewhere echoes moments from her previous records. “Maybe I Never Loved You,” inspired by the late playwright Tim Mayer, feels like Simon's version of “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes),” the Hoagy Carmichael standard she covered on her 1981 “Torch” album. “The Father-Daughter Dance” suggests the pain of a ballad about her father from the early 1970s, “Embrace Me, You Child.”

Simon also teases courtship (“Peaches”); celebrates parenthood (“Mother of Pearl,” a tribute to daughter and “child of divorce” Sally Taylor); and savors life's “wild ride” (“Love the Way I Do”).

The catchiest song is by a departed friend, the late Judy Belushi, widow of comedian John Belushi: “Four in the Morning” has a close-up, tiptoeing pace fitting for lyrics about an unhappy wife who slips away from her snoring husband.

Simon, who turned 83 this year, doesn't hit all the notes of her best known records, but she has lost none of her gifts for taking hold of a melody, and putting her whole self into the words. Her musical journey has always been personal, and longtime Simon fans are the most likely to enjoy catching up with her. Others may feel like they had to be there.

___

“Comes in Waves,” by Carly Simon

Three stars out of five

On repeat: “Love the Way I Do,” “Four in the Morning”

Skip it: “Share the End”

For fans of: Carly Simon, most of all, and of pop torch singers in general.

The series released the locations and dates for the first eight races of the upcoming season. This will be the 17th time IndyCar has started a season at St. Petersburg.

“The start to this year’s 2026 season was action-packed, and it’s gratifying to know the stage is set for a return to that frantic pace in 2027,” IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said. “St. Pete has become an ideal host to begin our season."

IndyCar will open 2027 racing three straight weekends with the series going to Phoenix Raceway on March 13 and the streets of Arlington in Texas on March 21. This will be the second straight year and only the fifth time in the IndyCar series' 118 years that a season starts with races on three consecutive weekends.

The series takes a break before two races in April at Barber Motorsports Park on April 4 and Long Beach on April 18. Then it's off to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the road course race May 15 and the 111th Indianapolis 500. The final race announced will be June 6 on the streets of Detroit.

Mark Miles, president and chief executive officer of Penske Entertainment, said it’s been another year of growth with 2026 being "proof of concept that our sport is fueled by an expanding presence across marquee events and destinations, and we look forward to carrying that momentum into 2027.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing

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“I was like, ‘wow,’” Jones said. “Now that’s low.”

The message targets Jones, an openly gay candidate for Congress, by falsely claiming he has HIV.

“First, the message is false,” said Jones. “I am not HIV positive, but I want to be very careful about how I respond to that, because I refuse to defend myself in a way that stigmatizes somebody else.”

The text claims Jones was denied the chance to donate blood to a COVID survivor because he had HIV and links to a real news story from 2020, but that story makes no mention of HIV.

Jones was actually turned away under a federal blood-donation policy in place at the time, restricting donations from gay and bisexual men.

That policy has since changed.

“HIV is not something to be ashamed of and being gay does not mean someone has HIV,” said Jones. “What somebody did was take an old dangerous stereotype about gay people and HIV and weaponize it for political purposes.”

The message also claims it was “paid for by Equality Florida” which is an LGBTQ advocacy group that has endorsed Jones, but the group says it did not send or pay for the text and is now trying to determine who did.

Two of Jones’ major opponents are also condemning the message.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert called it a “lie” and said the message was “hateful, homophobic and vile rhetoric.”

Kendrick Meek Jr. also spoke out against the text, calling it a “fraudulent, homophobic smear” and saying South Florida “deserves better.”

With the Aug. 18 primary now just one week away, Jones says he doesn’t know who is responsible for the false text, but wants them held accountable.

“People deserve to know actually who paid for it and who sent it,” he said. “It’s dangerous, it’s uncalled for and we should not allow people to get away with that type of behavior.”

Local 10 News spoke to a voter, who gave her name as Cathy, who said she was disgusted by the mudslinging.

“It’s low down and despicable why anyone would choose to do that,” she said.

Local 10 News also called the number the bogus text came from: It came back disconnected.

The earthquake’s epicenter was in San José del Palmar, a municipality in a rainforest in Chocó, an impoverished region that is home to the highest population of Black Colombians.

Nubia Córdoba, the governor of Chocó, was in Quibdó to meet with Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella on Monday. Her office also reported that there were at least 14 people dead, 139 injured, 468 homes destroyed, about 3,200 homes damaged, and 38 schools affected.

Córdoba’s administration designated a fund for public donations to help the victims and asked for donations of bottled water, nonperishable food, hygiene kits, pet food, and construction materials.

Related social media post

Desde hace 12 hrs se han presentado 4 nuevos eventos sísmicos de baja magnitud en San José del Palmar
Esta actividad nos da cuenta de la necesidad de que el riesgo aún no pasado. Nos mantenemos en máxima alerta de respuesta. La prioridad hoy además de las actividades de búsqueda… https://t.co/Q5PlEmSuoM

— Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi (@NubiaCarolinaCC) August 11, 2026

#EmergenciaSismoChocó
REPORTE 1 del 11/08/26 pic.twitter.com/YvWQgJ9sUn

— Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi (@NubiaCarolinaCC) August 11, 2026

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Jencarlos Gamez was initially arrested on July 21, two days after Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said he opened fire during a fracas at The Berry Farms, located at 13720 SW 216th St., but he was set to appear in court on new adult charges on Wednesday morning.

Before the Berry Farms incident, Gamez, who lives in the unincorporated South Miami Heights area, is accused of joining others in group armed robberies on Dec. 13, 2025 at a McDonald’s at 12185 SW 26th St. and on July 8 at Eureka Park, located at 18320 SW 119th Ave.

According to arrest reports, in both cases, a co-defendant asked an unsuspecting victim to hang out and then lured them into the bathroom, where the group robbed them of their belongings.

Deputies said the Berry Farms shots incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. on July 19.

They said one group attacked another and Gamez eventually opened fire during the melee.

Video clips from the incident, according to an arrest report, showed Gamez “running towards the group of victims while holding a firearm pointed at them,” then “being struck by an individual and falling onto the ground” and then “getting up from the ground, picking (up) an object from the (ground), which is immediately followed by the sound of a gunshot.”

Besides the attempted murder charges, court records show Gamez is facing felony counts of armed robbery and aggravated battery, as well as misdemeanor charges of discharging a firearm in public and minor in possession of a firearm.

As of Wednesday morning, he was being held at the Metrowest Detention Center, where records show he was booked on Tuesday evening.

The chance for McCarthy to lead his hometown team brought the first-year Pittsburgh Steelers coach to tears when he was hired in January. The image last April of Heidenreich walking onto the draft stage in full Naval dress uniform outside Acrisure Stadium — just a few miles from the Mount Lebanon neighborhood where he grew up — felt like something out of a movie.

Their respective homecomings have provided plenty of “fairy tale” narratives during an eventful offseason for the typically low-key Steelers. And while there will be a little bit of “hey, is this really happening?” on Thursday night when they walk onto the field for the first time as the Steelers host Green Bay in the preseason opener, they're both aware of the reality check that awaits under the lights.

“Naturally, there’s some people that might assume that it was like you said, like a hometown pick or whatever, whatever someone wants to say,” Heidenreich said. “But I’m here to play football, and that’s it.”

Good thing, because evolving from a seventh-round flyer following a record-setting career at Navy — where he set program marks for career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — into an NFL roster spot will take some doing. Nobody knows that more than the 6-foot, 206-pound Heidenreich, who politely dismissed comparisons between himself and San Francisco 49ers running back and 2023 NFL Offense Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

Both are on the smaller side, sure. And yes, both are shifty. But one came to the league as a Heisman Trophy finalist and a first-round pick. And it wasn't Heidenreich.

“He’s a fantastic player and one of the best to ever do it,” he said. “And he’s just someone that I look up to and really try to do my best to model him in certain ways. But yeah, I do see the (comparisons) and I know people get pretty fired up one way or the other about them.”

Heidenreich wants no part of that discussion. He's too focused on trying to carve out a niche in Pittsburgh, where his best chance to avoid getting cut for the first time in his life will be as a contributor on special teams.

While the chance for reps at running back might be difficult to come by — though Heidenreich has basically attached himself to backfield coach Ramon Chinyoung since camp started — his elusiveness could make him an intriguing option as a kick returner.

Whether Heidenreich gets any opportunities against the Packers in front of dozens of friends and family members who will make the short drive to Acrisure Stadium is uncertain. He tweaked his hamstring recently, which limited him for a stretch, though his No. 29 was noticeable during a walkthrough on Tuesday.

Either way, it figures to be a “pinch-me” type of moment when he jogs onto the field and looks up, a point of view that will be markedly different from the one he enjoyed as a fan.

“It’s an honor to just get out there and play in that stadium," he said. “I think that’s the best way for me to put it. It’s something that I have dreamed of for a long time."

How long the dream lasts now that he's exchanged his fandom for a uniform with his name across the back is up to him.

“Preseason is really important,” he said. “So I've got to put my best foot forward and be locked in when I get there.”

The same goes for McCarthy, though perhaps for different reasons. He's walked onto the turf a handful of times during his career, but has never stood on the home sideline. He figures the significance will start to hit as he makes the drive in.

The fact that he gets to begin what is likely the final chapter of his head coaching career against the team where it all began makes it just a little sweeter.

“Obviously, having a personal and professional connection to Green Bay, that’s part of my life,” he said.

Of course, all the nostalgia will wear off once the ball is kicked. Then the more pressing needs of the moment — like figuring out how much progress his group has made during his first camp and seeing what he has to work with in young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar — will take over.

And in a way, it will be a relief. While he has embraced all the trappings of being the hometown boy made good, the Steelers didn't hire him to curry favor with the fanbase but to win games. The process starts in earnest on Thursday.

“I just want to see these young guys play," he said. "I want to see how they play connected to each other. The pre-snap of the operation, having an understanding of what’s in front of them ... This is what these games are for."

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

Jencarlos Gamez fue detenido inicialmente el 21 de julio, dos días después de que agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade afirmaran que había abierto fuego durante un altercado en The Berry Farms, situado en el 13720 de la calle SW 216th St., pero estaba previsto que compareciera ante el tribunal el miércoles por la mañana para responder a nuevos cargos como adulto.

Antes del incidente de The Berry Farms, Gamez, que vive en la zona no incorporada de South Miami Heights, está acusado de participar junto con otras personas en robos a mano armada en grupo el 13 de diciembre de 2025 en un McDonald’s situado en el 12185 de la SW 26th St. y el 8 de julio en Eureka Park, situado en el 18320 de la SW 119th Ave.

Según los informes de detención, en ambos casos, un coacusado invitó a una víctima desprevenida a pasar un rato con él y luego la atrajo al baño, donde el grupo le robó sus pertenencias.

Los agentes indicaron que el tiroteo de Berry Farms tuvo lugar alrededor de las 23:30 horas del 19 de julio.

Afirmaron que un grupo atacó a otro y que Gamez acabó abriendo fuego durante la refriega.

Las grabaciones de vídeo del incidente, según el atestado de detención, mostraban a Gamez «corriendo hacia el grupo de víctimas mientras apuntaba con un arma de fuego hacia ellas», tras lo cual «recibió un golpe de una persona y cayó al suelo» y, a continuación, «se levantó del suelo, recogió un objeto del suelo, lo que fue seguido inmediatamente por el sonido de un disparo».

Además de los cargos por intento de asesinato, los expedientes judiciales indican que Gamez se enfrenta a delitos graves de robo a mano armada y agresión con agravantes, así como a delitos menores por disparar un arma de fuego en público y por posesión de un arma de fuego por parte de un menor.

Hasta el miércoles por la mañana, permanecía detenido en el Centro de Detención de Metrowest, donde, según los registros, fue ingresado el martes por la noche.

The Hillstone Restaurant Group announced on Tuesday that it had closed the location at Bal Harbour Shops.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for the privately-held company founded in 1977 said the location had been open for a decade.

Aba, a Mediterranean restaurant, and Le Zoo, a French restaurant, closed their locations at Bal Harbour Shops.

The owner of Carpaccio released a statement about his restaurant, which you can read here:

“Carpaccio has proudly served the Bal Harbour community for more than 30 years and remains open and fully operational at Bal Harbour Shops. We look forward to continuing to welcome our loyal guests and the community for many years to come.”

Related story: Workforce housing could rise at unexpected place: Bal Harbour Shops

More of the same is expected in the next few days with higher-than-average levels of humidity. A few showers and thunderstorms each afternoon are expected, but no organized storm systems will move in anytime soon.

The Knicks will travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on Oct. 30 on the opening night of NBA Cup games, the league announced Wednesday.

The teams already are scheduled to meet in the Oct. 20 season opener at Madison Square Garden, when the Knicks will get their NBA championship rings before James plays his first game since signing with the 76ers last month.

The NBA revealed the schedule for opening night and Christmas on Tuesday, and along with the NBA Cup schedule on Wednesday also announced the national TV schedules for games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day. It will release the entire 2026-27 schedule on Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT.

This is the fourth season of the NBA Cup, the league's in-season tournament. Games in the group stage will be played Oct. 30, Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 24, Nov. 25 and Nov. 27, when the Knicks will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat.

The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the title game last year, then became the first NBA Cup champions to refuse to hang a banner to acknowledge the achievement. They will hang the banner they really wanted — their first since 1973 — on opening night after beating the Spurs again for the NBA championship in June.

The Knicks-76ers matchup in East Group B will open a Prime Video doubleheader, followed by the Lakers at Golden State in West Group C.

Quarterfinal play will be Dec. 4 and 5, with the semifinals on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9, all at team sites. The championship game will be Dec. 11 at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the first time it has been staged outside Las Vegas.

Holiday Hoops

The two holiday schedules revealed Wednesday, both to be televised as NBC Sports quadruple-headers, were highlighted by LaMelo Ball's return to Charlotte on Feb. 15. The Hornets traded their point guard to Minnesota in the offseason.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 18) games: Detroit at Cleveland, Philadelphia at Atlanta, Minnesota at New York, and Houston at Memphis.

The Presidents Day (Feb. 15) games: Minnesota at Charlotte, Philadelphia at Dallas, San Antonio at Miami, and Indiana at Golden State.

Going global

San Antonio and New Orleans will play two games in Europe in January. Victor Wembanyama returns to France for the Paris game on Jan. 14, and the teams will meet again Jan. 17 in Manchester, England.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

“I don't know what I'm going to do without you,” the post said in Spanish, shared on Messi's Instagram. “I don't know how to keep going. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I'll keep doing it for much longer.”

Jorge Messi — who played a fundamental role in the soccer star's career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs — died Saturday. He was 68.

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this summer's World Cup. In the team’s first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for “a reason unrelated to sports.”

“You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times and just before it started was when you took a turn for the worse," the post said. “It was the first time you weren't going to be at the tournament. But mom kept telling me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I kept telling you that we were going to make it to the final so you could travel.”

The post added that Messi “wanted to win it” for his father.

“I couldn't,” the post continued. “My legs had nothing left. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel right.”

Messages of support for the Messi family have poured in over recent days. Messi had returned to his native Argentina and missed his MLS club Inter Miami's recent Leagues Cup match against Monterrey.

Inter Miami concludes the group phase of the tournament Wednesday night against León, though coach Guillermo Hoyos said Tuesday there is no timetable for Messi's return.

___

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

In marquee Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota, progressive candidates defeated two members of Congress with significant backing from party leaders. Wisconsin voters narrowly rejected a democratic socialist but still chose a 40-year-old county executive who is seeking to become the state’s first Black governor. And in Connecticut, voters ousted one of the longest-serving Democrats in Congress for a challenger who campaigned on generational change.

The results so far this month deliver no clear ideological mandate. Instead, they add to mounting evidence from this year’s primaries of a Democratic appetite for turnover that is cutting across the party’s traditional divisions.

“The through line between these races isn't ideology. It's impatience with this political system that feels disconnected from the urgency voters feel,” said Lis Smith, a national Democratic strategist. "The demand for change is much broader than the demand for socialism.”

The immediate challenge for Democrats is whether they can harness the frustration fueling revolts against their own party and turn it against Republicans in November. Beyond that looms the 2028 presidential race, when a new generation of leaders will compete to shape a changing Democratic Party.

“If leaders in our party don’t recognize that we need to make changes, then the changes are going to come from the ground up,” Luke Bronin, a former mayor who defeated 14-term Connecticut Rep. John Larson in Tuesday’s primary, said in his victory speech. “That’s a message our party needs to hear.”

Progressives are ascendant, but Wisconsin shows their limits

Progressive leaders touted Tuesday’s results as further proof that their message is working after victories in Minnesota and Michigan.

“What we are seeing is that people are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment policies,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told The Associated Press on Wednesday, pointing to a string of progressive victories around the country.

In Wisconsin, Democratic socialist Francesca Hong had hoped to also ride the wave of recent progressive victories to the Democratic nomination for governor. Instead, she narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a more moderate Democrat who had the backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.

Hong’s defeat also came after a number of her past comments resurfaced, including support for defunding the police and a call to cancel Thanksgiving, which she said was a joke. Unlike El-Sayed, Hong didn't receive the backing of some of the nation’s most prominent progressive leaders, including Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Sanders said Wednesday that he didn’t endorse Hong because his team lacks the resources to “get involved in every single race. Period. And that’s about it.” He nevertheless praised her “very strong grassroots campaign” for getting “a whole lot of people excited.”

The result illustrates a tension for the party’s ascendant left flank. Candidates running on populist economic messages have found growing success with Democratic voters. But some positions associated with the progressive movement’s recent past remain vulnerabilities — particularly among voters worried about electability in November.

“A lot of Democrats are traditionalists on things like culture issues. This is not about culture, it's about economics. It's about corruption,” said David Axelrod, who was an adviser to President Barack Obama. “The closer that candidates hew to those issues, the larger the base they're going to be able to accumulate.”

That tension was evident Tuesday for Sarah Atkins Hoggatt, 61, who said she agreed with Hong on some issues but worried that Hong’s deeply progressive politics and the democratic socialist label would make it harder for her to defeat Republican Tom Tiffany. She voted for Crowley.

“I didn’t vote my heart,” Atkins Hoggatt said.

Progressives scored a much clearer victory in Minnesota, where Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan resoundingly defeated centrist Rep. Angie Craig. Craig had the backing of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other prominent Democrats, while Flanagan was supported by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Flanagan, similar to El-Sayed in Michigan, highlighted her opponent's support from wealthy donors while also attacking her vote for a Trump-backed immigration bill that became a liability after immigration agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

As in Michigan, the winning progressive candidate was significantly outspent.

“Super PACs spent over $80 million trying to defeat El-Sayed and Peggy Flanagan," Sanders said. "They lost both elections. I think what people are saying is, we’re sick and tired of billionaires and their super PACs buying elections.”

Democrats are hungry for change

Flanagan is 46 years old. Crowley is 40. And El-Sayed is 41. But nowhere was the demand for generational change more explicit Tuesday than in Connecticut.

Bronin, 47, defeated the 78-year-old Larson — who was first elected to Congress in 1998. A central theme of Bronin’s campaign was the need for a new generation of leadership in Washington.

Larson became the seventh Democratic House incumbent to lose a primary this year, many of them to younger challengers. The defeated incumbents and the Democrats replacing them span ideological lines, making the wave of losses difficult to explain simply as a shift to the left.

The push for generational turnover has taken on greater urgency since 2024, when concerns about President Joe Biden’s age ended his reelection campaign and forced Democrats into a reckoning over aging leadership.

That sentiment was evident among voters in Larson’s district. Dan Schnaidt, a 73-year-old Democrat, said he appreciated Larson’s service but believed it was time to move on.

“It’s time for new blood, for new ideas,” Schnaidt said.

The generational divide extends to the electorate

While Hong fell just short in Wisconsin, the strength of her insurgent campaign highlighted another force reshaping Democratic politics: younger voters.

Cody Chandler, a 35-year-old software engineer, voted for Hong and called her “probably the most exciting candidate I’ve seen.” Unlike in elections past, Chandler said, he voted for the candidate he most wanted to win rather than the one he considered most electable.

That support showed up geographically. Hong won Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus, by nearly 7 percentage points, though it wasn't a big enough of a margin to help her win the nomination.

A similar pattern helped propel El-Sayed to victory a week earlier in Michigan.

El-Sayed won Washtenaw County, home to the University of Michigan, by nearly 25 percentage points and Ingham County, home to Michigan State University, by 23 points. He also won Grand Rapids, with its large population of younger, college-educated voters, by nearly 26 points.

Jordan Snyder, a 20-year-old Michigan voter who supported El-Sayed, said she backed him because of his progressive positions and because she viewed him as someone she could trust, rather than “someone who I feel could be bought and sold.”

“People are feeling like a lot of the people that they’ve trusted that have been in government haven’t really been living up to expectations,” Snyder said.

——-

Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Tim Sullivan in Hudson, Wisconsin and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

No había vigilancias ni avisos costeros en vigor, indicó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes en Miami y la tormenta está prevista a disiparse el jueves.

Cristóbal se encontraba a unos 1.416 kilómetros (880 millas) al oeste de las Azores con vientos máximos sostenidos de 72 kph (45 mph). Se desplazaba hacia el este.

Mientras tanto, en el océano Pacífico, el Centro Nacional de Huracanes emitió avisos sobre el Ciclón Tropical Potencial Uno-C, que se encuentra a unos 1.609 kilómetros (1.000 millas) al este-sureste de las islas hawaianas y tenía vientos de 56 kph (35 mph) .

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes apuntó que el sistema se desplazaba hacia el oeste y está previsto a fortalecerse hasta convertirse en una tormenta tropical antes de acercarse a las islas hawaianas hacia finales del viernes. Probablemente se necesitará una vigilancia de huracán o una vigilancia de tormenta tropical para las islas a primera hora del jueves, informaron los meteorólogos.

El sistema podría traer totales de lluvia de 13 a 25 centímetros (5 a 10 pulgadas) en la cadena de islas, con hasta 51 centímetros (20 pulgadas) posibles, informaron los meteorólogos. Eso podría producir inundaciones y deslaves de lodo, indicó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes.

__________________________________

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

Crowley overcame Francesca Hong in dramatic fashion in Tuesday's primary, stunning pundits and pollsters who had long placed Hong as the front-runner. That means Crowley's challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, must pivot to face a Democrat known for working across the aisle with Republicans as the county executive in Milwaukee, the state’s largest source of Democratic voters.

Crowley immediately leans into Tiffany's ties to Trump

After a unity event with Hong and others on Wednesday, Crowley pledged to build a broad coalition — including Hong's progressive backers — to take on Tiffany by zeroing in on the Republican's support for the Make America Great Again movement.

“This isn’t establishment versus progressive. This isn’t insider versus outsider,” Crowley said. “This is Democrats defeating a MAGA extremist in Congressman Tom Tiffany and that’s what we should be focusing on moving forward.”

It will be easier for Tiffany to pivot away from his ties with Trump and unpopular federal policies because he’s running for governor and not Congress, said former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a Trump supporter.

“He’s got to be on point, on message every time that comes up, and say, ‘That’s not what’s on the ballot,’” Walker told The Associated Press. “What’s on the ballot is who’s going to be governor the next four years.”

But former Republican state Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, who opposes Trump, said Crowley makes the path “way harder for Tiffany.”

“It's going to force the campaign back to the issues that people care about like affordability, the war in Iran and the cost of healthcare,” Schultz said.

Tiffany represents a broad swath of Wisconsin’s rural, conservative north woods. Trump won the state in 2024 and 2016, but lost in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point. Crowley’s win on Tuesday was even more narrow — about half a point, further cementing Wisconsin’s reputation for close elections.

Democrats look for a trifecta in Wisconsin

Democrats savored the shift in focus from their chaotic primary to the general election against Tiffany, an opponent they’ve long seen as vulnerable. They hope to capitalize on Trump’s low approval ratings to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.

Just as Crowley highlighted his Republican opponent's ties to Trump, Tiffany began the general election campaign with a message connecting Crowley to Hong.

“I’ve said all along that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,” Tiffany said in a statement Wednesday. “His record in Milwaukee County shows exactly what Wisconsin would get: mismanage the government, run up the bill, and raise your taxes to pay for it.”

And it may be tough for Crowley to connect with the young people who were among the nearly 40% of primary voters who supported Hong, Republican strategist Rusty Schultz predicted.

“Making sure they come out in November will be no small feat,” he said.

Crowley's surprise win came after he had dropped out of the race

Crowley, 40, often notes on the campaign trail that he grew up in poverty in the poorest ZIP code in Wisconsin on Milwaukee’s north side, his parents struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues, and his family was evicted multiple times.

Elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at the age of 30, Crowley served just over three years before being elected as Milwaukee County executive. In 2023, Crowley worked closely with the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a bipartisan deal that sent more state aid to Milwaukee and local communities.

Crowley launched his bid for governor 11 months ago. But he dropped out of the race on July 8, saying he didn’t see a path to victory. He rejoined it on July 18, less than a month before Tuesday’s primary. With the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow moderate who crisscrossed the state with him in the final week, Crowley made a case that he was the better matchup against Tiffany.

“Obviously Hong was the never-ending gift in terms of one gaffe after another, wasn’t really ready for primetime,” Walker said. “But Crowley didn’t get any real scrutiny either.”

Crowley shared a meal with Hong, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and others at a unity event outside Madison before embarking on a statewide tour. Evers, who is not seeking a third term as governor, had another commitment and did not attend.

Crowley became the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor. Now he's vying to become the first Black governor of the state and just the fourth Black governor elected in the country's history.

“This historic moment is not lost on me. But I'm not even thinking about that because we've still got work to do,” Crowley said. “The job is not done. The job is not finished. My job is not to become the first, and if I do become the first, my job is to make sure I'm not the last.”

“At its current pace, it's on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. That outbreak horrified the world and jolted efforts to develop a vaccine.

The outbreak in eastern Congo, considered the fastest-growing one yet, has killed over 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 cases. The outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities now say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February.

It is unlike recent Ebola outbreaks because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments, though efforts to address that are underway.

WHO says this outbreak ‘had a big head start’

Experts say this outbreak is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it in a remote part of eastern Congo facing ongoing conflict, near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.

Most new cases and deaths are being reported in communities outside the reach of health workers in a region of poor infrastructure and ill-equipped health centers. Some workers have gone on strike over lack of pay. Misinformation about the virus circulates in communities where some are wary of outsiders, keeping some people from clinics.

“The outbreak had a big head start, still way ahead of us, and we’re playing catch-up,” Tedros said.

Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO's director for health emergency alert and response operations, said the agency expects the peak of the outbreak to be reached in six months.

“But ... that’s the moderate scenario,” Mahamud said. “There is a one-case scenario where this outbreak may last nine months to 12 months.”

This Ebola outbreak has killed more people at a faster rate than any other, including the 2014-2016 outbreak that had at least 28,000 cases. That one took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

Two vaccines for this type are being tested

Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted from bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and from contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Clinical trials of two possible treatments for this type of Ebola began last month in Ituri, the most affected of the five provinces in Congo where cases have been reported.

Two vaccines developed specifically for the Bundibugyo virus are now being tested in people for the first time, Tedros said Wednesday.

WHO also plans to test whether an existing Ebola vaccine could protect people against the virus after studies in animals showed promising results.

The origins of the outbreak are becoming increasingly clear.

A study published in Nature Medicine on Monday added evidence that the outbreak began when the virus jumped from an infected animal to a person, rather than stemming from earlier outbreaks. Researchers found the virus is genetically different from versions seen in Bundibugyo Ebola outbreaks in 2007 and 2012.

___

Dazio reported from Berlin and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

Cristobal formed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, and the storm was forecast to dissipate on Thursday.

Cristobal was located about 765 miles (1,235 kilometers) west of the Azores with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph). It was moving east.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone One-C, which was located about 935 miles (1,504 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii and packed winds of 35 mph (56 kph).

The center said the system was moving west and was expected to strengthen into a tropical storm Thursday before nearing the Hawaiian Islands. A hurricane watch or tropical storm watch will likely be needed for the islands by early Thursday, forecasters said.

The system could bring rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) in the island chain, with up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) possible, forecasters said. That could produce flooding and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said.

It is possible it could make landfall on the southern part of the Big Island as a tropical storm on Saturday, said Laura Farris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“We want people to be aware and preparing for some kind of tropical cyclone moving close to the islands,” she said.

This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details of the latest stunning development with one of North America's marquee sports teams.

ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA's most valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion — a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team since 1979.

“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world,” Iger and Kushner said in a statement. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”

Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don't have to wait until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the earliest.

Lakers icon Magic Johnson, a partner in Walter's ownership of baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, praised the deal on social media.

“Laker fans, you couldn’t have two better owners,” Johnson wrote. “I’ve known Bob personally for over 40 years — he has always loved the Lakers and basketball and he will bring championships back to LA.”

The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for September in New York.

The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation of just over $6 billion.

Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.

The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell after just 10 months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball.

Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.

The Lakers are 17-time NBA champions who won their most recent title in 2020. They've made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, and their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season. The Slovenian superstar has become passionate about Los Angeles and the Lakers less than two years after his arrival.

“Being a Laker means everything to me, and I’m excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA,” Doncic wrote on social media after hearing of the sale. “I’ve gotten used to big changes over these last few years, but I know that no matter what, there is no limit to the potential of this iconic franchise. I look forward to meeting Josh and Bob so we can get to work building something special in LA together.”

The 41-year-old Kushner has been a minority owner of two NBA teams, but he jumped into the international sports spotlight this summer when his capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the “anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on July 31.

Kushner’s older brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005 and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former sports journalist Willow Bay, became the controlling owners of NWSL team Angel City FC in 2024 with a deal that valued the club at $250 million.

Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in 2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.

The Lakers' 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in Minneapolis are the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18. It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s merchandise-sales rankings.

This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight seasons to become a free agent. James ultimately decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Walter and his team had already begun to make extensive changes to the Lakers, who were often perceived as an antiquated franchise in many aspects during their decades of Buss family ownership.

The Lakers had beefed up their basketball operations department with new hires in the front office around longtime general manager Rob Pelinka. They also boosted the business side with extensive searches for new revenue, including sales of new jersey patches and additional prominent sponsorship deals.

When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team’s governor. With new ownership, it’s unclear whether Buss will have a continuing role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.

Along with the Dodgers, Walter and his various partners also have ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

___

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

En un comunicado, un portavoz de la empresa privada fundada en 1977 dijo que la ubicación había estado abierta durante una década.

Aba, un restaurante mediterráneo; Le Zoo, un restaurante francés; también cerraron sus ubicaciones en Bal Harbour Shops.

Historia relacionada: La vivienda para trabajadores podría construirse en un lugar inesperado: Bal Harbour Shops

Cadillac said the move was part of a “planned leadership transition as the organization evolves from its initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance," though it hadn't previously signaled it intended to move on from Lowdon, who played a key role setting up the General Motors-backed team.

It comes a week before the F1 season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix after the mid-season break.

Cadillac has yet to score a point in F1, with a best finish of 13th, and had been expected to struggle as a new team. The cars' brakes have repeatedly overheated in recent races, forcing retirements.

“We’re grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team from the ground up,” chief executive Dan Towriss said. “His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well.”

___

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

También el martes, la oficina del forense del país informó de que había recibido 160 cadáveres de víctimas del terremoto procedentes de las zonas de Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda y Valle del Cauca.

Poco después de las 10:40 de la mañana del martes se produjo un terremoto de magnitud 3.8. El epicentro se situó en San José del Palmar, un municipio del Chocó, según el Servicio Geológico de Colombia.

Las autoridades declararon alerta roja en las ciudades de Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales y Armenia, donde se registraron la mayor parte de los daños.

De La Espriella, que tomó posesión del cargo el viernes tras una ceremonia celebrada en Cali, se encontraba de visita en Pereira el martes, tras haber visitado Quibdó el lunes.

De La Espriella informó de que se habían derrumbado 66 edificios. También se registraron daños en 807 centros educativos, 377 centros comunitarios, 85 centros de salud, 74 carreteras, 16 acueductos y 14 puentes.

Las autoridades han dado a conocer los nombres de 22 de los 160 cadáveres identificados: González Fernando Alonso, Arango Sandoval Catalina, Henao Marín Oscar De Jesús, Rodas Cuadros Lina María, Mejía Moreno Julián Andrés, Chica Montoya Sandra Patricia, Giraldo López Gilberto De Jesús, Cni-Jiménez Toquica Pilar, Moncada Aguirre Sergiña, González Gutiérrez María Araenzola, Franco Paola Andrea, González Guerrero Dargui, Acosta González Angela María, Toro Sánchez Juan Manuel, Largo Trejos Wilson, Ossa Hernández Luis Fernando, Díaz Díaz Pedro Nel, Daza Valencia Aracely, Ramirez Quiroz Roger David, Carvajal Posada Mabel Cristina, Correa Grueso Martha Patricia, and Rosero Pretel Carlos Alberto.

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• La nueva primera dama de Colombia incluye a GEM, de Miami-Dade, en su campaña para ayudar a las víctimas del terremoto

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What prompted the tears, however, has become a source of scrutiny and concern.

The Domingo family recorded the tense moments when the U.S. Border Patrol pulled them over Sunday afternoon.

Their 18-year-old daughter, who they said is a U.S. citizen, was behind the wheel and was told by the officer she didn’t do anything wrong, but the family says the officer scanned their license plate which showed the car was registered to a non-citizen.

Maria and Abraham Domingo stepped out of the car, complying with the officer’s orders.

The footage captured the couple hugging their family members during an emotional goodbye when they were separated from their five children and detained.

According to law enforcement sources, Leiva Perez and Domingo were arrested by Border Patrol agents Sunday, Aug. 9.

Records show Leiva Perez had a final order of removal. Records also show Domingo did not have any legal immigration status, with nothing pending, including an asylum application or visa, according to a source familiar with the records.

The same source said records show Domingo was arrested in January 2018 on a child neglect charge and again in December 2024 on a domestic battery charge. The source said both arrests were felony cases. It was not immediately clear what the dispositions were in either case.

The Guatemalan Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach posted the video. Mariana Blanco is the director of operations for the nonprofit.

The organization has based in South Florida for more than thirty years and passionate about advocating for families like the Domingos.

“They were just making one last stop to buy some new shoes for the beginning of the school year, when they were racially profiled and detained,” she said. “I know that they’ve been on the legal process for years. They migrated here because of the Guatemalan genocide in the 80s and they’ve been here for over 20 years. They’ve established a family here.”

Blanco says emotional scenes like this one have become familiar, especially as the immigration crackdown ramps up.

“There’s no real way to win,” said Blanco. “I think it’s always the children that end up losing.”

A GoFundMe page was created to help the family financially.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded on Friday to the 200 block of S. Dixie Highway in Pompano Beach in reference to a fight between two men.

Investigators said the fight was between the suspect, identified as Isra‘el Wal’quer, and another man, allegedly over sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl.

According to an arrest form, the victim said the fight was due to Wal’quer trying to protect the girl from the other man, but during the course of their investigation, deputies discovered that Wal’quer and the teenage girl had been involved in a sexual relationship for several months.

The victim told deputies that she and Wal’quer had sex “on at least five separate occasions inside Wal’quer’s vehicle,” according to the arrest form.

Authorities said the victim disclosed that she told Wal’quer she was 18 years old and that he had claimed to be 20 years old.

Wal’quer is facing five charges of sex offense with a victim between the ages of 12 and 15. As of Tuesday evening, he was being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on a bond of $250,000.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, los agentes respondieron el viernes a la cuadra 200 de S. Dixie Highway, en Pompano Beach, en referencia a una pelea entre dos hombres.

Los investigadores dijeron que la pelea fue entre el sospechoso, identificado como Isra‘el Wal’quer, y otro hombre, presuntamente por el abuso sexual de una adolescente de 15 años.

Según un informe de arresto, la víctima dijo que la pelea ocurrió porque Wal’quer intentaba proteger a la menor del otro hombre y durante el curso de su investigación, los agentes descubrieron que Wal’quer y la adolescente habían mantenido una relación sexual durante varios meses.

La víctima dijo a los agentes que ella y Wal’quer tuvieron relaciones sexuales “en al menos cinco ocasiones distintas dentro del vehículo de Wal’quer”, según el informe de arresto.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima reveló que le dijo a Wal’quer que tenía 18 años y que él afirmó tener 20 años.

Wal’quer enfrenta cinco cargos de delito sexual con una víctima de entre 12 y 15 años. Hasta la noche del martes, permanecía detenido en el Paul Rein Detention Facility con una fianza de $250,000 USD.

En City Park, en Sunrise, es el evento principal.

El ritmo marca el paso, las pesas agregan resistencia y Paige Romans, aporta la energía para convertir el entrenamiento comunitario mensual en una celebración del ritmo.

“Es el alma de la música calipso. Cualquier cosa con una vibración alta y positiva es música soca”, dijo Paige Romans, propietaria de Soca Fitness.

Romans es instructora de acondicionamiento físico certificada, entrenadora personal y propietaria de Soca Fitness en North Lauderdale. Sus entrenamientos lograron reunir a un grupo de seguidores que llamó la atención de la ciudad de Sunrise, que reclutó a Romans para llevar esa misma energía, de forma gratuita, a la comunidad el último viernes de cada mes.

“No puedes huir ni alejarte de las vibraciones positivas. Realmente no puedes. Incluso si lo intentas, en algún momento vas a sonreír y sentirte bien con ese momento”, dijo.

Romans puede dirigir el entrenamiento, pero la energía rápidamente se convierte en un esfuerzo grupal.

Los líderes de la ciudad dicen que los grupos han crecido cada mes, con más personas llevando a sus amigos.

“La manera en que este programa conecta con la gente, salen, liberan esas endorfinas al moverse y se ponen felices, y conocen a la persona que está a su lado. Sonríen. Se divierten. Lo van a ver”, dijo Khya Cummings, supervisora de recreación de la ciudad de Sunrise.

Romans quiere que Soca Fitness celebre la cultura detrás de la música, cree comunidad a través del movimiento e inspire a más personas a simplemente presentarse.

“Eso es lo que espero. Que esta comunidad crezca. Que más personas entiendan que el movimiento es literalmente un regalo y que deberían incorporarlo a su día a día”, dijo Romans. “Todo el tiempo, simplemente preséntense. Nunca van a saber cómo se sienten dentro de una determinada clase hasta que realmente la hagan. Así que, simplemente preséntense”.

Para quienes quieran más soca, Romans los anima a visitar su estudio. También ofrece clases y entrenamiento físico de manera virtual para mantener a todos al mismo ritmo, para que nunca pierdan el ritmo.

Haga clic aquí para obtener más información sobre Soca Fitness.

The Mozarteum Foundation on July 15 unveiled 320 statuettes, barely 50 centimeters (less than 20 inches) high, showing Mozart with his dog. They were designed by German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl.

Within two weeks, more than 80 of the polymer figures had disappeared. By Wednesday, a total of 210 were missing.

“The worst thing for an artist is when his work dissolves,” Hörl told the German news agency dpa. He said he did not believe visitors stole the works but rather that it was an “organized theft.”

Hörl intended to sell the statues for about 100 euros ($114) once the exhibition was over, meaning whoever ran away with 210 mini-Mozarts has not become an overnight millionaire.

The mini-Mozarts populated not only the garden of the composer's former house, but also his living quarters as well as several pavilions.

While the organizers put aside some spare statuettes in case of theft, there were too few to compensate for the actual losses. And in a further stroke of bad luck, the manufacturer of the statues was away on holidays, so there was no quick fix.

The exhibition of statuettes, now more widely spaced, is scheduled to remain on display until Aug. 30.

For Hörl, who is known from his sculptures made from polymer, the theft of his artworks is nothing new. At an installation in Bayreuth, Germany, a complete array of statues of Richard Wagner was stolen within 10 days.

“That’s just the nature of public space. That means when you work as an artist in a public space, you mustn’t complain about what is happening there,” Hörl said. “It ranges from destruction to theft. That’s just how it is.”

Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756, in Salzburg, where the Mozarteum Foundation offers concerts, maintains Mozart museums and supports research on him.

“I didn’t want to do a monument of Mozart. There are already enough of these. But I wanted to show his human side, that he was a normal human being despite his genius,” Hörl told The Associated Press.

To give the statues a human touch, Hörl depicted the composer with his favorite dog, Pimperl. Mozart and his family were known to take long walks with their dogs in the Mirabell Garden, next to where they lived.

Melissa Redway es una ex maestra de Westminster Academy, la escuela privada de la iglesia ubicada en 5601 North Federal Highway, según la policía.

“Después de sufrir una presunta lesión cerebral y no poder cumplir con sus funciones docentes, fue despedida”, escribió un agente de policía, según el informe de arresto.

Redway, de Coconut Creek, también es una ex miembro del coro de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Coral Ridge, ubicada en 5555 North Federal Highway, según la policía.

“Durante su ausencia y con el cambio de personal, perdió su puesto. Redway no tomó bien la noticia e intentó reincorporarse al coro de la iglesia”, escribió un agente de policía, según el informe.

Un líder de la iglesia informó que Redway utilizó Gmail para enviar un correo electrónico amenazante alrededor de las 11 a.m. del 8 de febrero que generó preocupación por la seguridad de un concierto programado para el 20 de febrero en la iglesia, según el informe.

Los registros judiciales muestran que el director ejecutivo de la iglesia había acusado a Redway de violencia relacionada con acoso después del servicio del 19 de febrero, y el caso fue cerrado. Un juez emitió una orden de arresto el 20 de abril por la presunta amenaza.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward arrestaron a Redway el lunes y el martes permanecía detenida en el North Broward Bureau, según los registros de reclusos.

Redway enfrentaba cargos de amenazar con lanzar, proyectar, colocar o detonar un artefacto destructivo, un delito grave de segundo grado, y de escribir y enviar una amenaza de matar o herir a alguien, también un delito grave de segundo grado. Su fianza era de $7,500 USD.

“Who is on first, what is on second, I Don’t Know is on third.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Quién va primero, quién va segundo, No Sé va tercero”.

La famosa rutina cómica de Abbott y Costello puede compararse con las estrategias de política exterior de la administración Trump en estos días. Las negociaciones diplomáticas son complejas y complicadas, especialmente cuando se trata de países, gobiernos e individuos con los que Estados Unidos no ha tenido buenas relaciones.

Fuentes confiables me dicen que existen enormes diferencias entre los equipos de la Casa Blanca y el Departamento de Estado sobre cómo manejar las negociaciones relacionadas con Ucrania, Rusia, Israel-Gaza, Irán, Venezuela y Cuba. No ayuda que quienes negocian en nombre de Estados Unidos tengan poca o ninguna experiencia diplomática.

Por ahora, mantengámonos dentro del área de experiencia: Cuba. Mientras el presidente Trump piensa que Cuba puede resolverse en dos meses, el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio sabe muy bien, al igual que su equipo de alto nivel, que negociar con Cuba no es fácil.

El gobierno cubano está dispuesto a continuar introduciendo cambios cosméticos en su moribunda economía sin renunciar al control político. Estados Unidos puede continuar sancionando a todos en la isla, y al gobierno cubano no podría importarle menos. Mientras tanto, el pueblo de Cuba continúa sufriendo enormes dificultades. Sin embargo, es poco probable que el pueblo se vuelva contra el gobierno. La consecuencia de hacerlo puede significar pasar años en prisión.

Mientras tanto, en Miami, continúa el juego de adivinanzas sobre quién reemplazará a Raúl Castro cuando muera, junto con los preparativos para posibles planes de transición para Cuba. Una transición hacia un sistema democrático de gobierno en Cuba tomará tiempo. Una sociedad civil no puede construirse de la noche a la mañana. También es importante recordar que Cuba no tenía un gobierno democrático antes de 1959.

Para Rubio, las expectativas de la comunidad cubanoamericana son altas. Sin embargo, la mayoría de la comunidad entiende que no será fácil lograr que el gobierno cubano realice cambios políticos, salvo mediante una invasión militar estadounidense. Sin embargo, Rubio necesita una victoria, especialmente si está considerando otra candidatura presidencial. Los fracasos de las políticas exteriores de la administración Trump en todo el mundo podrían afectar la futura campaña presidencial de Rubio.

Entonces, ¿cuál será el próximo paso de Rubio sobre Cuba? El reloj está corriendo.

10 de agosto: ¿Atrapará el gato al ratón esta vez?

Mientras el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, continúa presionando al gobierno cubano para que cambie, el presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel apareció en la televisión cubana este pasado fin de semana y anunció al pueblo cubano que el gobierno estaba realizando importantes “cambios transformadores” en la economía.

Díaz-Canel también dijo al pueblo cubano que se necesitarían tiempo y paciencia, dos cosas que el pueblo cubano ya no tiene. Díaz-Canel continuó diciendo que los beneficios de estos cambios comenzarán a verse para 2029.

Fuentes en Washington, D.C., me han dicho que la administración del presidente Trump está buscando determinar si hay alguien en el gobierno cubano, como Delcy Rodríguez en Venezuela, que entregue a Raúl Castro o incluso asuma el control del actual gobierno y esté dispuesto a negociar con Estados Unidos.

El Miami Herald reportó este fin de semana que el general Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, actual ministro del Interior de Cuba, podría ser aceptable para Estados Unidos. El general Casas es considerado de línea dura y, por lo tanto, es poco probable que rompa con el liderazgo cubano.

Como he dicho antes, el caso de Venezuela es bastante diferente al de Cuba. Mientras Raúl Castro esté vivo, creo que el gobierno cubano continuará en el poder y hará promesas al pueblo cubano que no puede cumplir.

8 de agosto: Líder opositor cubano dice que la transformación de Cuba debe incluir a quienes están en la isla

Según el líder opositor cubano José Daniel Ferrer, cualquier plan para transformar Cuba debe incluir a los cubanos que están en la isla.

Pero, ¿tienen los cubanos en la isla la capacidad y las herramientas para participar en un proceso de este tipo? Después de vivir durante casi 68 años bajo un sistema totalitario que ha moldeado los valores y las actitudes personales de la población, podría tomar tiempo no solo cambiarlo sino, más importante aún, mantener esos cambios.

Las democracias no se construyen en un día. Se necesitará tiempo y paciencia. Recordemos también que antes de la Revolución Cubana, Cuba tuvo una dictadura bajo Batista.

6 de agosto: Estados Unidos anuncia un nuevo paquete de sanciones económicas contra Cuba; también sanciona a dos de los principales generales cubanos

El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos anunció el jueves un nuevo paquete de sanciones económicas contra Cuba. Al mismo tiempo, también fueron sancionados dos de los principales generales de Cuba: Álvaro López Miera, ministro de Defensa, y el general Roberto Sotolongo, jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas.

5 de agosto: Según informe, la CIA crea grupo de trabajo sobre Cuba

The New York Times informó sobre la creación de un grupo de trabajo de la CIA sobre Cuba con el propósito de ejercer mayor presión sobre el gobierno cubano para que implemente cambios políticos y económicos en su sistema.

Esta noticia probablemente será recibida por Cuba como una amenaza adicional por parte de Estados Unidos.

5 de agosto: Presidente cubano confirma conversaciones en curso entre La Habana y Estados Unidos

El presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmó hoy que existen conversaciones en curso entre La Habana y Washington con el propósito de evitar una confrontación militar y tratar de encontrar soluciones a los problemas entre ambas naciones.

El gobierno cubano entiende que se está quedando sin opciones y que, muy probablemente, necesitará llegar a un acuerdo con Estados Unidos. ¿Incluirá un cambio de régimen?

Actualización del 3 de agosto: Rubio habla sobre las actividades de espionaje de Cuba en Estados Unidos

El pasado fin de semana, en una entrevista con Fox News, el secretario de Estado y asesor de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, habló sobre las actividades de espionaje que Cuba continúa realizando en Estados Unidos.

Rubio afirmó que espías cubanos continúan infiltrándose en el gobierno de Estados Unidos, instituciones financieras, organizaciones e instituciones académicas. También sostuvo que Cuba sigue representando una amenaza para la seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos.

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

Michael Capponi, fundador y presidente de GEM, dijo que las donaciones en efectivo eran más eficientes y permitían a su equipo comprar alimentos en Colombia.

Los voluntarios de GEM recibieron nuevos equipos para acampar, artículos de higiene no vencidos y kits de primeros auxilios de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. en 1850 NW 84 Ave., en Doral.

Para obtener más información sobre cómo donar a los esfuerzos de GEM en Colombia, visite esta página. Para obtener más información sobre cómo ser voluntario de GEM, visite esta página.

Historias relacionadas

• Colombia busca a más de 3.000 desaparecidos tras un potente terremoto que se ha cobrado más de 100 vidas
• La nueva primera dama de Colombia incluye a la GEM de Miami-Dade en su campaña para ayudar a las víctimas del terremoto

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The meteors were spotted in Miami during Local 10’s morning coverage and caught the attention of reporter Saira Anwer during her traffic report. Newscast director Darby Patton first noticed the activity and alerted the newsroom, allowing the station’s cameras and editors to capture the streaks live.

The display came as the region was already dealing with another hot and humid August morning. Temperatures across South Florida were in the low to mid-80s before sunrise, with heat indices already reaching the 90s.

Highs were expected to climb into the low 90s Wednesday, with feels-like temperatures reaching the triple digits. A heat advisory was in effect for Miami-Dade and Broward counties from noon until 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Local 10 meteorologist Julie Durda said calmer winds were expected to keep the day’s storm activity focused mainly over inland areas of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, particularly west of the Florida’s Turnpike. Areas closer to the coast, including locations near and east of Interstate 95, were expected to remain mostly dry.

The meteor activity was visible before dawn, when skies are dark enough for brighter meteors to stand out. About 30 to 40 meteors per hour can be seen during the peak of a strong meteor shower under favorable viewing conditions, though actual visibility depends on weather, light pollution and location.

For South Florida residents heading out for the day, however, the more immediate concern remained the heat.

Durda urged residents to take precautions as temperatures and humidity rise, particularly during the afternoon when the combination can produce dangerous heat conditions.

Click here to receive the latest updates from Local 10’s Weather Authority team.

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Leading the effort is Broward County District 4 Commissioner Lamar fisher.

“The sheriff’s done nothing wrong,” said Fisher. “I want to make that clear, nothing wrong at all. It’s just that, how do we look at public safety in its total?”

In 2003, Broward County Fire Rescue merged with the sheriff’s office and they’ve been together ever since.

The latest five-year contract between the two is coming up soon.

“Times have changed, cost has changed, and also control has changed,” said Fisher.

Local control is what Fisher says it’s all about, but also there is the financial impact.

The county would get all the say when it’s time to negotiate contracts with cities, including how much it’s going to cost to rely on their firefighters and paramedics.

“Right now, unfortunately, we can’t dictate to the sheriff how to spend his money,” said Fisher. “We can give him money and make suggestions, but this brings it back to where we have full accounting of how the department is run.”

After 35 years, Deerfield Beach voted to split from BSO and start its own police and fire departments, while just weeks ago, Pompano Beach ultimately decided to renew with BSO after months of debating.

Pembroke Park ended its police contract with BSO in 2022.

Next Thursday, the county commission will talk about the process for how this would work.

The meeting to watch will take place in late September, as that’s when Fisher plans to call for a vote to end the contract with BSO.

Local 10 News reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment, but they did not respond as of the time of this story’s publication.

Los meteoros fueron vistos en Miami durante la cobertura matutina de Local 10 y llamaron la atención de la reportera Saira Anwer durante su reporte de tráfico. El director del noticiero, Darby Patton, fue el primero en notar la actividad y alertó a la sala de redacción, lo que permitió que las cámaras y editores de la estación captaran las estelas en vivo.

El espectáculo ocurrió mientras la región ya enfrentaba otra mañana de agosto calurosa y húmeda. Las temperaturas en el sur de Florida estaban entre los 80 y 80 y tantos grados antes del amanecer, mientras que los índices de calor ya alcanzaban los 90.

Se esperaba que las temperaturas máximas subieran a los bajos 90 el miércoles, con temperaturas que se sentirían por encima de los 100 grados. Había un aviso de calor vigente para los condados Miami-Dade y Broward desde el mediodía hasta las 7 p.m., según el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología.

La meteoróloga de Local 10 Julie Durda dijo que se esperaba que los vientos más calmados mantuvieran la actividad de tormentas del día concentrada principalmente sobre las zonas del interior de los condados Broward y Miami-Dade, particularmente al oeste de Florida’s Turnpike. Se esperaba que las áreas más cercanas a la costa, incluidas las ubicaciones cercanas y al este de la Interestatal 95, permanecieran mayormente secas.

La actividad de meteoros fue visible antes del amanecer, cuando el cielo está lo suficientemente oscuro para que los meteoros más brillantes se destaquen. Durante el punto máximo de una fuerte lluvia de meteoros, se pueden observar entre 30 y 40 meteoros por hora bajo condiciones favorables, aunque la visibilidad real depende del clima, la contaminación lumínica y la ubicación.

Sin embargo, para los residentes del sur de Florida que salían para comenzar el día, la preocupación más inmediata seguía siendo el calor.

Durda instó a los residentes a tomar precauciones a medida que aumenten las temperaturas y la humedad, particularmente durante la tarde, cuando la combinación puede producir condiciones peligrosas de calor.

Haga clic aquí para recibir las últimas actualizaciones del equipo de Weather Authority de Local 10.

El comisionado del Distrito 4 del condado Broward, Lamar Fisher, encabeza el esfuerzo.

“El sheriff no ha hecho nada malo”, dijo Fisher. “Quiero dejar eso claro, nada malo en absoluto. Es solo que, ¿cómo analizamos la seguridad pública en su totalidad?”

En 2003, Broward County Fire Rescue se fusionó con la oficina del sheriff y han permanecido juntos desde entonces.

El más reciente contrato de cinco años entre ambos está por vencer.

“Los tiempos han cambiado, los costos han cambiado y también el control ha cambiado”, dijo Fisher.

Fisher dice que se trata del control local, pero también está el impacto financiero.

El condado tendría toda la autoridad cuando llegue el momento de negociar contratos con las ciudades, incluido cuánto costará depender de sus bomberos y paramédicos.

“En este momento, desafortunadamente, no podemos decirle al sheriff cómo gastar su dinero”, dijo Fisher. “Podemos darle dinero y hacer sugerencias, pero esto lo devuelve a donde tenemos una contabilidad completa de cómo se administra el departamento”.

Después de 35 años, Deerfield Beach votó para separarse de BSO y comenzar sus propios departamentos de policía y bomberos, mientras que hace apenas unas semanas, Pompano Beach finalmente decidió renovar con BSO después de meses de debate.

Pembroke Park terminó su contrato policial con BSO en 2022.

El próximo jueves, la comisión del condado hablará sobre el proceso y cómo funcionaría esto.

La reunión que habrá que observar se llevará a cabo a finales de septiembre, ya que es cuando Fisher planea solicitar una votación para poner fin al contrato con BSO.

Local 10 News se comunicó con la oficina del sheriff para solicitar comentarios, pero no habían respondido al momento de la publicación de esta nota.

El próximo nombre en la lista es Cristóbal.

El sistema, del que hablamos por primera vez en este boletín hace casi dos semanas, ahora tiene una alta probabilidad de desarrollo, probablemente de jueves al fin de semana, mientras avanza hacia el oeste-noroeste en dirección general a las islas más orientales del Caribe.

Los modelos están divididos sobre si el sistema se mantiene débil y avanza hacia el Caribe o sobre partes de las Antillas Menores, Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes entre el domingo y el lunes, o si logra pasar entre las islas, desviándose hacia el norte de estas y entrando al Atlántico central abierto mientras se fortalece a principios de la próxima semana.

La mayoría de los modelos favorece por ahora la trayectoria más débil y hacia el sur, cerca de las islas más orientales del Caribe o a través de ellas entre finales de este fin de semana y principios de la próxima semana, y dada la intensa cizalladura del viento sobre el Caribe, es poco probable que el sistema sobreviva mucho durante la próxima semana si llegara a desarrollarse.

Aun así, los intereses en el Caribe oriental, principalmente desde Martinica y Dominica hacia el norte hasta las Islas Vírgenes y Puerto Rico, deben mantenerse atentos al pronóstico esta semana, principalmente por las fuertes lluvias locales que podría traer el sistema.

Aunque todavía no contamos con pronósticos específicos de intensidad para el sistema, ninguno de nuestros modelos globales sugiere un riesgo de fortalecimiento significativo esta semana y, si acaso, este sistema tendrá dificultades para convertirse en un sistema tropical y mantenerse como tal.

Curiosamente, Google DeepMind, el sistema de modelado basado en inteligencia artificial líder en su categoría que detectó por primera vez este sistema hace unas semanas, ha reducido notablemente las probabilidades de desarrollo, con la ejecución más reciente sugiriendo solo entre un 20% y un 30% de probabilidades de que el sistema supere el umbral de formación al este de las islas esta semana.

No hace falta decir que esto no representa una preocupación para el territorio continental de Estados Unidos y hay numerosos obstáculos que deberían debilitarlo si siquiera logra atravesar las islas intacto.

Hay que mantener la mirada puesta en las islas de Hawái durante el fin de semana

Se espera que una perturbación ubicada a unas 1,000 millas al sureste de las islas de Hawái, sobre el Pacífico central, designada como Invest 93C por el Centro Nacional de Huracanes, se convierta en una tormenta con nombre en los próximos días y se dirija hacia la cadena de islas durante el fin de semana.

El primer nombre de la temporada de huracanes del Pacífico central es Lala.

Los modelos sugieren que Lala podría ser una tormenta tropical fuerte o incluso un huracán en el límite mientras se aproxima a Hawái entre el sábado por la noche y el domingo, hora local, con la posibilidad de que afecte a varias islas.

No se necesita una tormenta con vientos tan fuertes para causar problemas en todo el estado como en el territorio continental, por lo que residentes y visitantes querrán monitorear de cerca los pronósticos durante los próximos días.

With the improvements, the search giant hopes to give users a reason to buy new models and expand the number of people using its AI tools.

“Google continues to tout new software features, primarily around AI, as the reason to upgrade," said Forrester senior analyst Andrew Cornwall. He noted the company has added a way to extract photos from videos, a teleprompter, video stabilization, and an improved speech-to-text feature.

While the Pixel phones are not as popular as Apple's iPhone, Google has been steadily increasing the amount of AI on its Pixel phones since 2023.

Apple, meanwhile, has been lagging behind. It announced new AI advances in June, focusing on how the technology can help with people's day-to-day lives, with a focus on privacy and security — using Google's Gemini AI model to do so.

Google said in a presentation to reporters last week that the new phones will double the previous storage size, starting at 256 gigabytes, and feature 30 hours of battery life and faster wireless charging. The company has eliminated the 128 gigabyte Pixel 11, which had been its lowest-priced option at $800.

Beginning Wednesday, U.S. customers can order the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, starting at $900, $1,100 and $1,300, respectively. The Pixel Pro Fold, meanwhile, starts at $1,900. That's a $100 increase for each phone from last year's prices.

New features include live translation for videos, podcasts and voice messages. In the Pro models, a tool called HiLight lets you assign a color to your favorite contacts and have the phone light up in that color when they call and your phone is placed face down. It complements Pixel's “Flip to Shhh” feature that puts the phone in “do not disturb” mode when it is placed face down.

Google is also offering a free six-month subscription to its AI Pro plan to anyone who buys the more expensive Pixel 11 Pro or Pixel 11 Pro XL models. The company is hoping to hook more people on the AI Gemini tool kit, which it assembled to compete against OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Camera upgrades include a new mode called Magic Capture, which automatically takes a series of photos and video with a single tap of the shutter button. Google said the cameras also feature improved light sensitivity and, for Pro models, Instant Night Sight captures shots in dark environments faster, so you don't have to hold your phone still while waiting for exposure.

Google also introduced a tracking device for the first time. Called Pixel Tag, it will cost $30 for one or $100 for a four-pack and is compatible with phones running Android 9 or higher.

Un niño de 4 años murió cuando un árbol cayó sobre una vivienda en Geneva, Indiana, durante las tormentas del martes, informó la policía del condado Jennings. En Ohio, el gobernador Mike DeWine señaló que un residente de Roseville murió durante una emergencia de salud cuando los socorristas, ante carreteras inundadas, no pudieron llegar. Las autoridades de Portage, Indiana, investigaban si el mal tiempo influyó en una explosión reportada en una casa que mató a una persona.

Un rayo impactó el martes en un complejo penitenciario al suroeste de Cleveland e hirió a 16 personas encarceladas que fueron hospitalizadas, según el Departamento de Correccionales de Ohio. DeWine dijo que cuatro seguían hospitalizadas hasta el miércoles, incluida una con lesiones graves.

Las autoridades en Ohio y el oeste de Pensilvania reportaron numerosos rescates acuáticos. DeWine envió a 40 miembros de la Guardia Nacional del Ejército de Ohio para ayudar en dos condados al este de Columbus.

En el condado Athens, Ohio, casi 300 personas llamaron al 911 para pedir ayuda el martes, incluidas 42 relacionadas con vehículos atrapados en inundaciones, y hubo más llamadas el miércoles cuando las aguas altas fluían hacia el río Ohio, dijo la directora de manejo de emergencias, Teresa Fouts-Imler.

Las aguas de inundación irrumpieron en la casa de Kaitlyn Rodgers en Crooksville, Ohio, la madrugada del martes, alcanzando la altura de las rodillas y dejando varados a ella, su esposo y sus cuatro hijos. Con corrientes demasiado fuertes para salir por su cuenta, fueron rescatados por bomberos en una lancha en la oscuridad antes del amanecer.

“El agua simplemente empezó a entrar a raudales en la casa”, dijo. “Debido a que mi casa es muy vieja, cuando el agua estaba subiendo me preocupaban mucho los enchufes eléctricos que estaban en el piso, porque literalmente salía agua de ellos, así que tenía miedo de que mis hijos fueran a recibir una descarga eléctrica”.

“Fue aterrador”, añadió.

Tormentas azotan amplia franja de región centro-norte de EEUU

Las tormentas causaron daños desde el área de Chicago hasta el oeste de Pensilvania, y el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional indicó que el riesgo de tormentas eléctricas severas y lluvias intensas continuará durante los próximos días en la región centro-norte, el valle de Ohio y los Apalaches centrales.

Cerca de 700.000 clientes seguían sin electricidad a mediodía del miércoles en Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky y Virginia Occidental, unos pocos miles menos que por la mañana, según poweroutage.us.

En Columbus, Ohio, el alcalde Andrew Ginther declaró una emergencia el miércoles para dar a la capital del estado tiempo para hacer frente a los continuos cortes de electricidad y la limpieza tras daños significativos por la tormenta, dijo en una conferencia de prensa. En muchas zonas había árboles y cables caídos.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional confirmó tres tornados en condados al sur de Chicago.

Las sirenas de alerta por tornado sonaron el martes cuando el cielo se oscurecía en el área de Chicago. Todos los vuelos se detuvieron temporalmente en los dos principales aeropuertos de Chicago, y las autoridades advirtieron sobre demoras al tiempo que se despejaba el cúmulo de vuelos pendientes.

Lluvias intensas y fuertes vientos dañan viviendas e inundan vecindarios

Fotos publicadas en redes sociales desde el área de Chicago y al otro lado de la frontera estatal en Indiana mostraban carreteras inundadas, árboles enredados en líneas eléctricas y viviendas con grandes agujeros en sus techos.

“No hay electricidad. Fue muy aterrador. Estábamos abajo en el sótano”, contó Javid Jenkins, de Homewood, un suburbio de Chicago. “Estamos hechos para la nieve. Estamos hechos para el frío. No estamos hechos para esto”.

Jenkins, de 54 años, comentó que estaba conduciendo para buscar gasolina y encender un generador para conservar la comida en su refrigerador.

Los meteorólogos indicaron que en Gary, Indiana, se registró una ráfaga de viento de 159 km/h (99 mph). En otros lugares hubo numerosos reportes de ráfagas de 128 km/h (80 mph) o más en estaciones meteorológicas personales.

La información preliminar indicó que el intenso sistema que avanzó desde Iowa hacia Indiana durante varias horas calificó como un derecho, publicó el martes por la noche el Centro de Predicción de Tormentas del servicio meteorológico. Los derechos son eventos prolongados de vientos en línea recta que desatan lluvias intensas y recorren grandes distancias. Los daños que provocan a veces son comparables a las fuerzas destructivas de tornados o huracanes.

“Devastación total. No hay tejado”, expresó Kerry Hourigan, de pie ante la casa donde vivió durante 25 años en Tinley Park, otro suburbio de Chicago. “Es una tontería, pero lo que pensaba es que acabo de comprar una parrilla nueva, y no tengo idea de dónde está. Desapareció”.

El meteorólogo Scott Baker explicó que la región centro-norte del país estaba en el borde exterior de un “anillo de fuego”, que traía oleadas de humedad excesiva, inestabilidad y tormentas.

Dayton, Ohio, estableció un récord diario de precipitaciones con 5,25 centímetros (2,07 pulgadas), destrozando una marca de 1915, informó el servicio meteorológico. Los meteorólogos señalaron que varias rondas de lluvia provocarían riesgos de inundación en el valle de Ohio hasta primeras horas del viernes.

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Collins reportó desde Hartford, Connecticut. El periodista de The Associated Press Sudhin Thanawala contribuyó a este despacho desde Atlanta.

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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.