Now Francesca Hong, a single mother who has worked as a dishwasher and line cook, is trying to do the same with her campaign for governor in Wisconsin, a swing state known for razor-thin election margins where winning over moderate, independent voters is crucial.

Hong's candidacy has turned the Democratic primary on Aug. 11 into the latest test of just how far left voters are willing to go in the November midterms.

“We do this in Wisconsin, we’re going to change politics across the country,” the 37-year-old Hong said as she headed into the final month of campaigning. "People who are frustrated and have a lot more to lose — and I’m one of those people — are ready to coalesce around someone they can believe in.”

John Ravdabaugh, an undecided independent voter, came away impressed after hearing Hong speak at the retirement home where he lives. Even though the democratic socialist label concerns him, Ravdabaugh said he would consider voting for Hong.

“Every system reaches a point where change is necessary,” he said.

Whoever wins the primary will advance to almost certainly face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, one of the most conservative members of the House, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Tiffany has only token opposition in the primary.

The governor's race is integral to Democrats’ hopes of earning full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010, and it will send a signal about where the country's politics are headed by shaping a key political battleground that helps decide presidential campaigns.

Trump-backed Republican d

erides Democratic rivals as ‘crazy’

Tiffany has focused much of his criticism on Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, another Democratic candidate for governor.

“This November, the choice is common sense or crazy,” Tiffany posted on social media in June. Tiffany included screenshots of a Barnes post where he voiced support for cutting prison populations by half and Hong's posts where she advocates for defunding and abolishing the police.

As a candidate, Hong has not backed away from her calls to defund and abolish the police. Hong also supports increasing taxes on the wealthy and creating a state-owned bank to help pay for free health care and free child care, a $20 minimum wage, and a moratorium on data center construction.

Hong dismisses concerns that she’s too liberal to win over key independent voters in a state Trump carried twice and narrowly lost a third time.

“I worry that’s a miscalculation of where voters are at in our state, that we’re underestimating what people want,” Hong said in an interview.

There's a history of socialism in Milwaukee

Last month, democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, setting herself up to clinch the office in November.

Then three congressional candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another democratic socialist, defeated establishment-backed politicians.

And just last week, democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the Colorado primary, a stunning victory for the 29-year-old, first-time candidate against an incumbent who took office before she was born.

But those victories have been in either congressional or mayoral races in large urban centers, a far different landscape than Wisconsin.

In 1910, during socialism’s heyday in the United States, Milwaukee sent the first socialist to Congress and was the first major American city to elect a socialist mayor. Milwaukee elected two more socialist mayors before 1960.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, perhaps the best known democratic socialist, won all but one county in Wisconsin in the 2016 Democratic primary. In 2023, two state lawmakers from Milwaukee revived the socialist caucus in the Legislature, which had been dormant since 1935.

Hong, the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020, is one of four members of that caucus.

Barnes, 39, served four years in the state Assembly before his four years as lieutenant governor under Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. In 2022, Barnes came within 27,000 votes of ousting Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

“I’ve been around longer than anybody fighting these fights,” said Barnes, who grew up in Milwaukee and is vying to become Wisconsin's first Black governor.

He played down the idea that democratic socialists are surging.

“People aren’t looking for labels, necessarily,” he said. “People are looking for bold solutions.”

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who is not working for any of the Democrats running this year, said Barnes has an advantage as the most well-known candidate in the race.

“I have believed from the day since Mandela Barnes got into the race, he's the favorite,” Zepecki said. “It is his race to lose.”

Hong rival leans into electability argument

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a former nurse and health care executive who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said she'll have broader appeal in November. She cites her experience in the private sector and her flipping of a state Assembly seat in a conservative Milwaukee suburb, and she emphasizes her ideas for lowering costs for working people.

“I’m not worried about other candidates in this race,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “What I’m worried about is making my argument to Wisconsinites about why I’m the best person to lead the state, how I am going to fight for them."

She launched a $1 million television ad campaign this week that features her in nursing scrubs talking about taking on Tiffany and lowering health care costs.

Other Democratic candidates are state Sen. Kelda Roys, who has the endorsement of the statewide teachers union, and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Evers.

Missy Hughes, the state’s former economic development director, dropped out of the race in June and endorsed Rodriguez. David Crowley, the top elected official in Milwaukee County, dropped out this week but did not make an endorsement.

Mainstream Democrats worry about winning in November

More moderate Democrats worry that nominating Hong could hurt them in the general election, especially in Wisconsin where independent voters are key in statewide races that are often decided by tiny margins.

Neera Tanden, who leads the Center for American Progress, said "it’s especially important in the age of Trump” to select viable candidates.

“In Wisconsin, whoever wins the general election will be the person overseeing elections in 2028 and whether people are seated in 2029.”

Evers won his two races for governor by just over 1 percentage point in 2018 and just over 3 points in 2022. Trump won Wisconsin by less than a point in 2024, and lost by less than a point in 2020.

Dave Smith, 72, a retired doctor from Madison who heard Hong speak Tuesday, said the democratic socialist label will be tough for voters of his generation to accept.

“The platform, much of that resonates well,” said Smith, who is undecided whom he will vote for in the Democratic primary. “My vote will likely go to who is the most electable in the fall.”

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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

The Congolese government's latest report, published late Wednesday, said two new cases were suspected in Kisangani in the Tshopo province, where cases had not been previously recorded. The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759.

According to the report, one of the two suspected cases was linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported, while the other case “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks.” Authorities were investigating.

The Congolese authorities declared a fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been transmitted for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization. The latest outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus.

Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, and an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Tyler died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month and expected to make a good recovery.

“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for," her family said.

Tyler earned three Grammy nods, represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, all largely thanks to “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which has had more that 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and when Stereogum reevaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an “extinction-level event rendered in musical form.”

“It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls,” the site said.

The song has never really gone away, covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995, and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s “Bandits,” it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003’s “Old School” and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of “The X Factor.”

Early life

Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner’s daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

She adored the Beatles and her first album was “A Hard Day’s Night.” The first song she bought was “Hippy Hippy Shake” by the Swinging Blue Jeans at 13 and watched “Top of the Pops” religiously, according to her memoir, “Straight From the Heart.”

She would record “Top of the Pops” on a reel-to-reel two-track recorder and write down the lyrics of songs she loved. Her favorites were songs by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

“I used to sing them into my hairbrush for hours and hours, and that’s how it all started for me. I fell in love with singing just from doing that. Looking back, even then my voice had a husky tone to it, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought everyone’s voices were different from each other’s,” she wrote.

In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.

Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album “The World Starts Tonight” in 1977 contained her first chart hit, “Lost in France,” and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brits Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with “It’s a Heartache,” but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform “Bat Out of Hell” on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.

‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

Steinman introduced her to his song “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” He borrowed one of the song’s lyrics — “Turn around, bright eyes” — from his 1969 musical “The Dream Engine,” written as a student at Massachusetts’ Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of “Nosferatu.”

“Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to,” Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. “He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.”

Featuring E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, “Total Eclipse” is a rumination on lost love: “Once upon a time there was light in my life/But now there’s only love in the dark,” she sings.

The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn’t set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.

“Faster Than the Speed of Night” earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” — and Tyler got another nod for “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance — What a Feeling.”

After the ‘Eclipse’

Tyler never reached such dizzying heights again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as “Holding Out For a Hero” — from 1984’s “Footloose” — and “Here She Comes” from “Metropolis” also in 1984.

Her 2019 disc “Between the Earth and the Stars” featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.

In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, “Rocks and Honey,” which included the Vince Gill duet “What You Need From Me” and a little ballad called “Believe in Me,” written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. “Believe in Me” was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.

“It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there,” she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2023. “I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!”

In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas’ band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a “Total Eclipse Cruise.” When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Tyler was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, not 2023.

Levin has learned from recent experience that being identified as a Jew, especially one who lived in Israel, can trigger uncomfortable questions from fellow Democrats. Or worse. So, she introduces herself by her middle name, Shelly, which she said feels safer.

“I don’t really feel comfortable in leftist circles anymore,” said Levin, a former librarian. “I just want to be a Jewish American who has a connection to Israel. But I feel like I can’t do that. And it’s very frustrating. And sometimes a little scary.”

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began with Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, intensifying criticism of Israel within the Democratic Party has left Levin feeling “politically homeless.”

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Jewish adults don't feel well represented by political leaders at a troubling moment for many in their community. Most Jewish Americans, 63%, say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the U.S. At the same time, few believe that either party is doing a good job supporting Jewish people in the United States.

The new survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — offers a rare detailed accounting of a key demographic that sits at the very center of some of the nation’s most divisive political debates.

It indicates that many Jewish adults feel isolated at a moment when antisemitism is a growing concern across the political spectrum and support for Israel has become a flash point in both parties. The survey found that many Jewish adults, 36%, say supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important to their Jewish identity, while another 26% say it's “somewhat” important.

Just 15% of Jewish adults say that the Democratic Party supports Jewish people in the U.S. “extremely” or “very” well, while another 33% say the party supports them somewhat well. About 41% say the Democratic Party supports the Jewish community “not very well” or “not well at all.”

Jewish adults even feel worse about President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, although not by much — a noteworthy finding considering that Jewish Americans overwhelmingly identify as Democrats. About half of Jewish adults say Trump and Republicans don't support Jewish people in the U.S. well.

The poll also suggests a sense of isolation. Despite the Jewish community's widespread concerns about antisemitism, Americans overall are far less concerned, with only 38% of U.S. adults saying prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem.

Some Jewish adults feel ‘lost politically'

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began, it's not just Jewish Democrats who are re-examining their political loyalties.

Max Sacher, a 27-year-old Jewish Republican from Austin, Texas, said he was generally pleased with Trump’s support for the Jewish community until he saw the president’s latest diplomatic attempt to end months of conflict with Iran. Trump launched the war in partnership with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It’s one of the most embarrassing documents I’ve read. It basically cedes everything to Iran,” said Sacher, who is a graduate student in finance. “I feel very lost politically. I used to have a home. Now I feel like I’m on an island in modern-day politics.”

Jewish voters made up 3% of the 2024 electorate, according to AP VoteCast. They overwhelmingly voted Democratic, with 66% casting ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris and 33% for Trump.

On some key questions, Jewish adults see things differently than Americans overall.

U.S. adults in general are more likely than Jewish adults to see Trump as “extremely” or “very” supportive of Jewish people in the United States. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump is highly supportive of Jewish people, compared to about 2 in 10 Jewish adults.

Most Jewish adults, 77%, say there is more prejudice against Jewish people compared with three years ago, before the Hamas attack.

Ellen Kuberski, a 72-year-old Jewish Democrat from Chicago, scoffed when asked about Trump. She described a “general disgust and hatred” for the Republican president. But she’s also upset with the Democratic Party, which she says has been much more supportive of the Palestinians than Israel or American Jews in recent years. She was especially upset when progressive activists were protesting against Israel even when the Israeli hostages were still captive in Gaza.

“I tend to be more in line with the far left in just about everything else. But now the far left is attacking the Jewish community," she said. “There’s enough antisemitism in the world that we don’t need politicians on what’s supposed to be on our side coming out with that crap.”

Jewish Americans are split on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Trump

The Jewish community is divided over some of the people at the forefront of the Israel debate. However, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is a vocal critic of Israel, is more popular among Jewish adults than Netanyahu or Trump, who promised to be "the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.”

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults, 44%, view Mamdani “somewhat” or “very” favorably, while a similar share, 39%, view him “somewhat” or “very” unfavorably. About 2 in 10 Jewish adults don’t know enough to say.

Kylle Epstein, a 24-year-old Jewish Democrat from Clearwater, Florida, cheered Mamdani and like-minded Democrats who have won recent congressional primary elections in New York.

“I think Mamdani is absolutely phenomenal. He makes Democrats think,” Epstein said, calling for "new blood in the party."

On Netanyahu, only about one-third of Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Israeli prime minister, while about 6 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view, including 42% who have a “very” unfavorable opinion. About 1 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Jewish adults have a slightly more negative view of Trump than Netanyahu, with a similar share, 29%, saying they view Trump favorably.

Meanwhile, the poll found that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of the nation's most prominent Jewish Democratic officials, is still unknown by many Jewish adults.

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Democratic governor, while about 2 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable opinion. About 4 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Many think the US is too supportive of Israel

In interviews, many Jewish adults indicated that their Jewish heritage does not mean they want the U.S. government to provide unconditional support of Israel.

In fact, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, similar to U.S. adults overall, although about 3 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of Israel, compared to only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults.

At the same time, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of the Palestinians, similar to U.S. adults.

The issue is salient for Jewish adults in a way that it's not for many Americans. About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say Israel is an “extremely” or “very” important issue to them personally, compared to only 35% of U.S. adults.

“Jews and Israel are connected, but they’re not synonyms,” said Levin, the former librarian from Los Angeles.

She said that the lack of understanding on both sides has fueled a rise of antisemitism, even in a city packed with Democrats.

She was walking along Los Angeles' famed Olvera Street with her husband last month when they came across a spray-painted sign on the sidewalk that read, “Death to Zionists," alongside an upside down triangle that has been associated with Hamas.

Levin said it's getting harder and harder to support Democrats, although she doesn't think she could vote Republican.

“I mostly shake my head a lot and try to breathe,” she said.

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Sanders reported from Washington.

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

The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The poll included interviews with 1,022 Jewish adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for Jewish adults is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.

Ukraine's strikes on oil refineries and other infrastructure across Russia has triggered a widespread fuel crisis with gasoline shortages and fuel rationing reported in multiple regions and drivers waiting for hours to fill their tanks.

The acting governor of Russia’s western Tver region, Vitaly Korolyov, said a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire at an oil depot in the city of Tver.

In the southern region of Stavropol, Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs has been set ablaze by Ukrainian drones in Vyazniki. He said the authorities ordered the evacuation of residents of several apartment buildings near the facility as the fire expanded.

In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said that one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated. The attack was the latest in a series of strikes on oil tankers in the area in recent days, part of Ukraine efforts to cut fuel supplies to Russia-occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in addition to strikes on oil facilities in Stavropol and Tver, Ukrainian defense forces also hit a reserve fuel storage facility about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the front line, and an oil-pumping station in Ufa nearly 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine’s border. He said they also struck an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the front line, but it was not clear if that was the same strike described by Slusar.

Zelenskyy described the strikes as part of Kyiv’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” carried out in response to Russian attacks and Moscow’s refusal to end the war. "We have long proposed that Russia end this war, and every day of delay should bring the feeling of war to where it all began — to Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday until early Thursday.

Ukraine's Air Force said that Russia fired 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine last night. While 72 drones were jammed or intercepted, 19 drones and both missiles inflicted damages at 13 locations, it said.

During Wednesday's meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia in their more than four-year war, a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.

The tone of their meeting was a markedly different from an earlier, acrimonious encounter at the White House in February 2025 when Trump berated Zelenskyy. On Wednesday, he praised the Ukrainian leader’s willingness to reach a deal to ending the war, saying he has “done an amazing job” and “been very effective.”

Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be collecting signatures from Labour lawmakers, and needs at least 80 to run – a target he’s likely to well exceed.

Other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defense Minister Al Carns, who had been pondering a run, confirmed late Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham.

“I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate,” Carns said in a statement. “But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job. Andy Burnham’s earned this and he’s got my full backing.”

Nominations remain open until July 16. Burnham is highly likely to be announced as the new Labour leader the following day, and to become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on July 20.

Starmer announced last month that he would resign as soon as his center-left party chose a successor. He was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but quit after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.

Burnham spent almost a decade running Manchester in northwest England before returning to Parliament by winning a special election last month. He’s promising sweeping change, vowing to reverse almost two decades of low growth since the 2008 financial crisis through an approach dubbed “Manchesterism” — harnessing private and public money to invest in areas like transport, housing and infrastructure.

But he will face many of the same political and economic challenges as Starmer, including a sluggish economy, tattered public services and a cost-of-living squeeze.

He also promised continuity in foreign policy, writing in The Times of London that the government’s “commitment to NATO and the U.K.’s nuclear deterrent will remain absolute.” He said Britain will remain a firm ally of the United States and a strong supporter of Ukraine.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the joint announcement after a meeting in Melbourne.

The leaders didn't immediately supply details of how much uranium would be sold, or when. Exports of Australian uranium to India stalled after an agreement to do so in 2014, because of concern that the material could be used to make weapons.

Australia has the world's largest known uranium resources, but the country doesn't use any nuclear power or weapons and all uranium is exported. India, which has a population of 1.4 billion people and a growing middle class, wants to install 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047 — enough to power nearly 60 million Indian homes a year. But obtaining uranium hasn’t been simple.

India has doubled the amount of nuclear power installed in the country in the last decade, but that still makes up just 3% of its electricity.

India isn't a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which recognizes only the United States, China, Britain, France and Russia as nuclear weapons powers. Australia, which is a signatory country, refuses to sell uranium to non-signatories.

India says the treaty is discriminatory because it recognizes as legitimate nuclear weapon states only those that tested nuclear devices before January 1967, which would would disqualify it permanently. The country was hit with international technology sanctions and uranium trade bans after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries, which includes the U.S., in 2008 granted a waiver allowing India to buy uranium from its members and Delhi has since pursued bilateral pacts to permit sales of the material. It inked such a deal with Canada in March.

Australia's leaders historically ruled out doing the same until Delhi signed the treaty. Canberra's position has eased, however, and it agreed to allow exports in 2014, subject to International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards and “separation of the Indian civilian and military nuclear programs,” according to a government website.

Thursday's administrative agreement was expected to remove obstacles to enacting the earlier deal.

Modi is visiting Australia for an annual leaders' summit between the two countries. In their joint statement, Modi and Albanese also pledged greater defense and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, “reflecting a step‑change in the depth and ambition” of the relationship, the text of the statement read.

The pledge for closer cooperation on regional security came days after Australia criticized China for test firing a long-range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the South Pacific Ocean, an area protected by an anti-nuclear treaty.

The two leaders did not cite China when they announced the bolstered strategic ties, and didn't take questions from reporters after their statements Thursday. Thousands of people turned out in the city of Melbourne in hopes of seeing India's Prime Minister during his visit.

India is Australia’s fifth largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods and services valued at 54.4 billion Australian dollars ($37.7 billion) in the 2024-2025 financial year, according to Australian government figures.

Earlier this week, Modi visited Indonesia and on Friday he'll travel to New Zealand for his first visit to the country. India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in April.

The court upheld an April ruling by the Seoul High Court that found Yoon guilty of infringing on Cabinet members’ right to deliberate before he declared martial law, falsifying the official proclamation to cover up the lapse before later destroying the document, and deploying presidential security forces to illegally resist law enforcement efforts to arrest him weeks after his impeachment.

Martial law lasted only hours before lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and police at Seoul’s National Assembly and voted to repeal it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift the measure.

Yoon remains in detention and did not attend the ruling, which is final. He is still standing trial in other cases, and he has appealed the life sentence he received for the most serious conviction against him, on the charge of rebellion.

In a statement, Yoon’s legal team expressed “deep regret” over the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying the justices concluded a significant case without sufficient review.

The ruling aligned with the views of the Constitutional Court, which, in removing Yoon from office in April 2025, found that his martial law decree lacked legal grounds and failed to follow required procedures.

While Yoon called 11 Cabinet members to his office shortly before declaring martial law on late-night television on Dec. 3, 2024, several participants, including then- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, have testified that Yoon unilaterally informed them of his decision rather than inviting deliberation. The Seoul High Court said Yoon also violated the rights of nine other Cabinet members by failing to call them to the meeting or notifying them too late.

Though brief, Yoon’s martial law declaration plunged South Korea into a political crisis, paralyzing politics and high-level diplomacy while rattling financial markets. The turmoil eased only after his liberal rival, Lee Jae Myung, won an early presidential election in June 2025.

In addition to appealing his life sentence for rebellion, Yoon is appealing a 30-year prison term in a case accusing him of ordering drone flights in 2024 to deliberately heighten tensions with North Korea and create justifiable conditions for martial law at home. Yoon’s lawyers said the drone flights were a response to North Korea flying thousands of trash-carrying balloons into the South.

The conceptual artist, who died at the age of 83, first created the Pindakaasvloer, or peanut butter floor, in 1969. The work will reopen to the public Friday at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam for a two-month show.

Schippers also voiced Ernie and Kermit the Frog in the Dutch version of “Sesame Street,” and created absurdist and silly works that challenged conventional ideas about the meaning of art.

“Isn’t it fantastic that we are all standing here looking at peanut butter?” Schippers told journalists gathered at the Central Museum in Utrecht in 1997 where Pindakaasvloer was on display for the second time.

Schippers created the work as part of a Floor Covering Series, which also included floors covered with glass shards and salt.

“The thing I remember is the smell,” Mieke Weismann told The Associated Press. The food photographer and writer saw the 1997 exhibition as a teenager. She said the pungent scent of peanut butter wafted throughout the museum.

It took two employees of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen several days to spread 40 buckets of peanut butter across a 25-square-meter (270-square-foot) hexagon last week.

The men used drywall trowels to smear the peanut butter to a thickness of 2 centimeters (0.8 inch).

Schippers did not specify the size, shape, thickness, or type of peanut butter the work needs. Dutch peanut butter brand Calvé donated tubs of smooth peanut butter for the work.

Multiple visitors stepped into the sticky artwork when it was on display in 2011. In 1997, the work was “vandalized” when a group of people placed 12 slices of bread and several bags of hagelslag — chocolate sprinkles commonly eaten on bread at breakfast in the Netherlands — on the floor.

“It doesn’t look bad,” Schippers told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant at the time. “The sprinkles have been applied with a sense of proportion and a skillful hand.”

La mayoría de las muertes estuvieron relacionadas con el colapso parcial de una represa en Hengzhou, que provocó torrentes de agua que se abatieron sobre la ciudad y se cobraron 26 vidas, dijo Ding Wei, vicealcalde de la ciudad de Nanning, que tiene jurisdicción sobre la zona. Nueve personas seguían desaparecidas en la región más amplia de Guangxi.

La tormenta tropical Maysak llevó lluvias récord a la región de Guangxi a partir del sábado, reventó embalses y dejó a personas varadas durante días en viviendas y otros edificios. La cifra de fallecidos anunciada previamente el martes era de seis.

Una segunda tormenta, el tifón Bavi, estaba en el mar en una trayectoria hacia el noroeste que lo llevaría sobre algunas islas remotas de Japón y luego justo al norte de Taiwán antes de tocar tierra en la provincia china de Fujian o Zhejiang el sábado. El jueves se podían ver barcos pesqueros apiñados en los puertos del norte de Taiwán ante la previsión de fuertes lluvias en la isla de 23 millones de habitantes.

Bavi, que llevó vientos violentos a Saipán y otros territorios de Estados Unidos a principios de esta semana, fue degradado el jueves de la categoría de supertifón, pero aún tenía vientos máximos sostenidos de 184 kilómetros (114 millas) por hora, según la Administración Meteorológica Central de Taiwán. Se suspendieron las clases en varias ciudades y pueblos de Filipinas y se prohibió a los barcos salir de los puertos del norte mientras el tifón pasaba al este de la isla norteña de Luzón.

En el sur de China, los equipos de rescate militares terminaron de sacar a más de 10.000 estudiantes y maestros atrapados de un conjunto de escuelas en la ciudad de Guigang, a unos 60 kilómetros (40 millas) al noreste de Hengzhou. Un video de la televisora estatal CCTV mostró a los estudiantes, con chalecos salvavidas de color naranja brillante, trepando a las embarcaciones que los alejaban de la escena surrealista de edificios escolares que emergían de un lago de agua lodosa.

Los animales también quedaron varados o fueron arrastrados por la subida de las aguas.

Un zoológico en Guigang dijo que había más de 100 animales desaparecidos, incluidos dos cebras, cuatro puercoespines y decenas de aves tropicales. En Hengzhou, encuentros con serpientes que presuntamente escaparon de una granja llevaron a las autoridades a abastecerse de fármacos contra veneno y aconsejar a los residentes qué hacer en caso de mordisco.

Un operador de un refugio de animales en el condado de Binyang, unos 75 kilómetros (50 millas) al noroeste de Hengzhou, trabajó en los últimos días para rescatar a unos 200 gatos y decenas de perros, llevando a los perros de dos en dos a través de aguas profundas. Los gatos treparon a las vigas mientras subían las aguas.

Se han utilizado drones y unas 5.700 embarcaciones en una operación masiva de ayuda y rescate para entregar agua potable y otros suministros y sacar a los residentes atrapados. Unas 130.000 personas han sido evacuadas.

Ding dijo que las crecidas están retrocediendo, pero se esperan más lluvias en algunas zonas en los próximos dos días. Se han desplegado equipos para retirar el lodo y los escombros y desinfectar varias localidades en Hengzhou.

Las reparaciones de carreteras continúan y se ha restablecido la electricidad en más de 60.000 hogares, dijo Ding en una rueda de prensa.

Las fuertes lluvias, más intensas de lo esperado, azotaron el sur de Guangxi durante días, con precipitaciones acumuladas de 10 a 40 centímetros (4 a 16 pulgadas) en algunas zonas y más de 90 cm (35 pulgadas) en las zonas más afectadas, informó el centro meteorológico nacional.

El mal tiempo también azotó el centro de China esta semana, dejando 11 muertos y a muchos otros sin hogar en la provincia de Hubei tras tormentas eléctricas y tornados la noche del lunes.

En otras partes de Asia, deslizamientos de tierra causados por las lluvias monzónicas han matado al menos a 13 refugiados rohinyas en campamentos de Bangladesh esta semana. Las autoridades estaban trasladando a los refugiados a zonas más seguras el jueves.

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Los productores de video de Associated Press Wayne Zhang y Olivia Zhang en Beijing, el videoperiodista Taijing Wu en Taipéi, Taiwán, y el redactor Jim Gomez en Manila, Filipinas, contribuyeron a este despacho.

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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.

Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area. Nine people remained missing in the broader Guangxi region.

Tropical Storm Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi starting Saturday, breaching reservoirs and stranding people for days in homes and other buildings. The previously announced death toll on Tuesday was six people.

A second storm, Typhoon Bavi, was at sea on a northwest track that would take it over some remote Japanese islands and then just north of Taiwan before making landfall in China's Fujian or Zhejiang province on Saturday. Fishing boats could be seen tightly packed at ports in northern Taiwan on Thursday in anticipation of heavy rain hitting the island of 23 million people.

Bavi, which brought violent winds to Saipan and other U.S. territories earlier this week, was downgraded Thursday from super-typhoon strength but still had maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometers (114 miles) per hour, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration. Classes were suspended in several cities and towns in the Philippines and ships prohibited from leaving northern ports as the typhoon passed east of the northern island of Luzon.

In southern China, military rescue teams finished bringing out more than 10,000 trapped students and teachers from a cluster of schools in Guigang city, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Hengzhou. Video on state broadcaster CCTV showed the students, wearing bright orange life vests, clambering onto boats that took them away from the surreal scene of school buildings rising out of a lake of muddy water.

Animals were also stranded or swept out by the floodwaters.

A zoo in Guigang said more than 100 animals were missing, including two zebras, four porcupines and dozens of tropical birds. In Hengzhou, encounters with snakes that reportedly escaped from a farm prompted authorities to stock up on antivenom and advise residents what to do if they were bitten.

An animal shelter operator in Binyang country, about 75 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Hengzhou, struggled in recent days to rescue about 200 cats and dozens of dogs, bringing the dogs two at a time through deep water. The cats climbed up to the rafters as the water level rose.

Drones and some 5,700 boats have been used in a massive relief and rescue operation to deliver drinking water and other supplies and bring out trapped residents. About 130,000 people have been evacuated.

Ding said the floodwaters are receding but more rain is expected in some areas in the next two days. Crews have been deployed to clear mud and debris and disinfect several towns in Hengzhou.

Road repairs are ongoing and electricity has been restored to more than 60,000 homes, Ding said at a news briefing.

Heavier-than-expected rain battered southern Guangxi for days, with cumulative rainfall of 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) in some areas and more than 90 centimeters (35 inches) in hard-hit areas, the national meteorological center said.

Severe weather also hit central China this week, leaving 11 dead and many others homeless in Hubei province after thunderstorms and tornadoes on Monday night.

Elsewhere in Asia, landslides caused by monsoon rains have killed at least 13 Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh this week. Authorities were moving refugees to safer areas on Thursday.

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Associated Press video producers Wayne Zhang and Olivia Zhang in Beijing, videojournalist Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, and writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

U.S. futures were little changed.

The United States launched more airstrikes on Iran, and Iran responded by firing at Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said their temporary ceasefire was “over.” The prospects for a lasting peace remained uncertain, with high-level talks seeking to salvage an interim agreement on ending the war still underway, according to a regional intelligence official involved in the mediation efforts who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations.

In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.6% to 10,422.75. France's CAC 40 was up 0.3% to 8,280.05, while Germany's DAX traded 0.3% higher at 24,963.05.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 reversed some of its losses from earlier in the week, gaining 1.4% to 67,743.85. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 5.5%, and artificial intelligence-focused investment holding firm SoftBank Group slipped 0.1%.

South Korea’s Kospi index zigzagged and ended 0.6% higher at 7,291.91 despite falling earlier in the day. Samsung Electronics was up 0.2% on Thursday, while memory chipmaker SK Hynix gained 5.3%.

The Shanghai Composite index traded 1.7% higher at 4,036.59, even as China’s producer price index rose 4.1% in June compared to a year earlier. That was higher than May’s 3.9%, as some economists attribute higher inflation to impacts from the Iran war.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.7% to 24,030.18. Shares of Apple supplier Luxshare fell 1.6% in its trading debut in Hong Kong. Chinese AI company Zhipu, or Z.ai, surged 11.3% after it said it's raising about $4 billion through a share sale.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3% to 8,762.50.

Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.8%, and India’s Sensex climbed 0.6%.

Oil prices fell back early Thursday, with Brent crude, the international standard, falling 0.4% to $77.69 per barrel. It briefly topped $80 on Wednesday. Before the Iran war began, Brent oil was trading at around $72 a barrel. Earlier optimism over an interim peace deal recently brought it back to prewar levels.

Benchmark U.S. crude also declined 0.4%, to $73.21 a barrel.

On Wednesday, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 ended 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.1%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite edged up 0.2%.

U.S. chipmaker Broadcom surged 4.8% after Apple committed to a multiyear partnership with the company.

In other dealings, the U.S. dollar fell to 162.43 Japanese yen from 162.59 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1427, up from $1.1417.

The National Capital Planning Commission is meeting Thursday, and the Republican president's proposed 250-foot (76-meter) arch is one of the items on the agenda.

In a report, the agency's staff recommends that the commission approve the preliminary site and building plans for the arch. But the staff also recommends that the design be tweaked to comply with a federal law that limits building heights in downtown Washington to preserve the city's famous skyline. The planning commission applies the law during its approval process.

“Staff suggests the Commission request the applicant revise the project design to comply with the Height of Buildings Act and return to NCPC for final approval,” the 185-page report says.

Applying the law "would require design revisions to redistribute the height between the main structure, habitable roof structure and statuary,” the report said. But even with the recommended revisions, the arch, a public observation deck and three gilded topper statues would still reach Trump's desired 250-foot height, the report said.

The staff is also recommending that commissioners seek additional information about vehicular traffic around the arch, the proposed granite exterior and other aspects of the project before the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, returns for final approval. Trump wants to build the arch on a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge from the District of Columbia.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design for the arch in May. The National Capital Planning Commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.

Opponents of the project argue that the arch is too big for the skyline and would disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery that were meant to symbolize the reunification of the North and the South after the Civil War.

But the opposition has done little to influence the members of either commission, both of which include some of Trump's closest allies. Trump appointed Will Scharf, a top White House aide, to lead the planning commission.

A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the arch construction over concerns about disruptions to the sightline.

The arch would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.

Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with unused funds from the hundreds of millions of dollars he said he has raised from corporations, donors and other wealthy people to pay to build a new $400 million ballroom at the White House.

But, as it turns out, some public money will be used for the ballroom project, as well as the arch. The White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.

Defense attorneys fought against the public release of the statements from Tyler Robinson's roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs. They said prosecutors would characterize the statements as a confession, undermining Robinson's right to a fair trial if the statements are broadcast by the media.

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize the youth vote for Trump in the 2024 election.

Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Robinson also allegedly sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

Twiggs spoke to authorities on Sept. 12 — two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University — and again on April 20. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case.

State District Judge Tony Graf will decide at the conclusion of this week’s preliminary hearing if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial.

Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence but have sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.

Attorneys for Kirk’s family and the media had urged the judge to make Twiggs' statements and other evidence public.

“To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system,” Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman told Graf.

Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Investigators found the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot.

Robinson’s lawyers earlier this week questioned the reliability of DNA testing used to link the defendant to the towel and gun.

A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to the evidence. Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions.

“She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,” Burt argued.

But forensics expert Lawrence Quarino said law enforcement agencies use “extremely reliable” tests to determine the probability that a person matches with DNA found at a crime scene.

DNA testing “is the gold standard in forensic science,” said Quarino, a professor and director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Stevens flipped a Republican-held House seat in suburban Detroit in 2018 and hasn’t lost since, including surviving a bruising primary against a fellow Democratic incumbent after redistricting in 2022. She says it's what sets her apart from her opponent in the Aug. 4 primary, progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

“It is not a hypothetical that I beat Republicans,” Stevens told The Associated Press after a campaign stop in West Michigan this week. “I win tough races. I have had Republicans throw everything at me and still managed to win.”

Holding Michigan’s Senate seat is essential to any Democratic path back to the Senate majority this fall. That imperative only grew this week after Democrats' nominee in Maine, Graham Platner, said he planned to drop out after he was accused of sexual assault, threatening another seat the party had hoped to keep competitive. While no Republican has won a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan since 1994, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers came within 20,000 votes of doing so in 2024.

That calculation has led Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and influential Michigan Democrats, including former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, to rally behind Stevens, arguing she gives Democrats their strongest chance in November against Rogers, who is running again.

But if electability is the party establishment’s top priority, it’s an open question whether Democratic primary voters agree.

“Democratic leadership should think more in terms of what we want to accomplish, and less about, ‘We’ve got to make it appeal to everybody,’” said Dave Burdick, 71, of Douglas, Michigan. He's backing El-Sayed, who has surged by arguing that Democrats don’t have to run to the middle to win.

El-Sayed has built his campaign around bold policy proposals, rejecting corporate PAC money and casting himself as an alternative to the status quo of the Democratic Party.

“People don’t want a moderate. They want somebody who’s going to come in and effect change,” Burdick added.

Stevens makes the case for retail politics

On a summer afternoon in South Haven, a community along Lake Michigan, Stevens walks into a pet supply store with the ease of a seasoned campaigner. Within minutes, she's chatting with the owner about the area, greeting reporters by first name and striking up conversations with customers. She slips easily between small talk and campaign mode, asking about customers’ lives before mentioning legislation she’s championed and asking for their vote.

“I thought she was great fun,” said owner Roxanne Leder. “She was energetic and had a positive outlook.”

It’s the kind of campaigning Stevens’ allies say has defined her political career. They acknowledge she lacks the viral progressive moments that have fueled El-Sayed’s rise, but say she’s at her best in small rooms, union halls and local businesses — which they say is where elections are won.

Stevens has leaned into that contrast herself.

“Unlike my opponent, I’m not running at the first mic or camera I see,” Stevens said during a debate Tuesday. “We do not need a celebrity senator. We need a workhorse.”

It’s also a style familiar to Michigan Democrats. From former Gov. Jennifer Granholm to current-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, successful statewide candidates have often paired an upbeat, personable campaign style with a pragmatic message centered on economic issues.

But unlike Granholm or Whitmer, Stevens has yet to generate the kind of broad grassroots enthusiasm that defined their statewide campaigns. El-Sayed, meanwhile, has packed rallies with progressive supporters and high-profile endorsers.

Stevens has leaned more heavily on tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, which could become one of Stevens’ biggest liabilities in the primary. Outside groups have spent more than $30 million to boost her candidacy, dwarfing the spending behind El-Sayed. The largest spender, United Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, has spent more than $13 million on Stevens’ behalf and reserved another $7 million before the primary.

For Burdick, the 71-year-old El-Sayed supporter, that spending is disqualifying. He said he would not vote for Stevens in the general election because of her support from AIPAC.

Leder, by contrast, said she expects to vote for Stevens in August because she’s far more familiar with the congresswoman than with El-Sayed. She said she still plans to do more research before making a final decision.

“I'm just a Democrat,” said Leder. “Please, please no Mike Rogers.”

Michigan has a populist streak

El-Sayed is running on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform, abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and ending all U.S. weapons sales to Israel. He’s also a Muslim who has never held elected office.

To many Democratic leaders in Washington, that makes him a risky nominee in a battleground state often viewed as moderate and centered on manufacturing.

But Michigan has repeatedly rewarded candidates who cast themselves as outsiders challenging the political establishment. In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the state’s Democratic presidential primary by running against party leaders. Donald Trump later built his own anti-establishment coalition, carrying Michigan in 2016 and again in 2024.

Burdick, a self-described “old white guy living in rural Michigan” who is a democratic socialist, said Trump and Sanders resonated with voters because they were upset.

“Well, you know what? They’re still mad,” he said. “They portray people like Abdul as unrealistic, but I think it’s unrealistic to think that we can continue the way that we’re heading.”

A two-person race changes the calculus

On Sunday, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign. It prompted establishment Democrats to jump off the sidelines and back Stevens, including Democratic group EMILY’s List and Attorney General Dana Nessel.

“Haley is wicked smart, has won multiple highly competitive races, and she connects with people on a level so sincere and genuine that everyone who meets her feels truly seen and heard,” Nessel said in a statement.

El-Sayed has also built support among labor groups that have played an influential role in Democratic politics, including an endorsement from the United Auto Workers.

Fems for Dems, an influential Democratic grassroots group in the state, is not endorsing in the primary. But its founder, Lori Goldman, told AP in an interview that she planned to vote for El-Sayed.

“I personally am not going to have business as usual when I go to the ballot box. I want to vote for people, candidates that are going to go there and fight on our behalf,” she said.

Goldman, who founded the group 10 years ago in the politically important Oakland County, acknowledges the changing dynamics of Democratic primaries.

“Who would the natural choice be 10 years ago? Haley Stevens, right? Because we just followed the party line,” she said.

“People are breaking away from the party line. People want change.”

El conjunto de comunidades rurales conocido como Guajes de Ayala, ahora bajo asedio, llevaba semanas advirtiendo a las fuerzas policiales en el estado de Guerrero sobre las crecientes amenazas del cártel que avanzaba, La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Pero sus llamados de auxilio no fueron atendidos, en un momento en que las celebraciones del Mundial de fútbol envolvían a los centros urbanos más grandes del país: Ciudad de México, Guadalajara y Monterrey.

Ahora, lo único que podía hacer Marilú Solorio, de 24 años, era esconderse en una clínica médica abandonada cercana, junto con otras 70 mujeres, niños y ancianos, con la esperanza de que se acabaran el sonido constante de explosiones de drones y los disparos entre el cártel y el grupo de autodefensa de la comunidad.

Y que, cuando eso ocurriera, todos siguieran con vida.

“Mientras unos festejan goles, a otros nos están aventando bombas... drones cargados de bombas para masacrarnos”, declaró por teléfono desde su refugio sobre el torneo de fútbol. “El gobierno, en vez de andar cuidando a gentes allá en lugares donde juegan en el Mundial, deberían de estar apoyándonos a nosotros. Nosotros no les hacemos ningún mal a nadie”.

Las fuerzas mexicanas se han concentrado en las sedes del Mundial

Las autoridades mexicanas negaron rápidamente que hubieran ocurrido los ataques en Guerrero, un estado azotado por la violencia, pese a videos transmitidos en vivo por habitantes que mostraban disparos y humo elevándose desde miradores en la montaña, instalados por los residentes para vigilar indicios de presencia del cártel.

La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, lleva meses lidiando con cómo abordar la violencia criminal en el país, que desde hace décadas se ha vuelto endémica.

Aunque los homicidios han disminuido de forma notoria en el gobierno de Sheinbaum, la presión para reducirlos aún más ha aumentado durante el último año, en un momento en que México procuraba proyectar seguridad y estabilidad de cara al Mundial luego de que en febrero hubo un estallido de violencia en Guadalajara, una de las ciudades sede. A eso se suman las amenazas adicionales del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump de emprender acciones militares unilaterales contra los cárteles, y otras fracturas políticas internas.

A consecuencia de todo ello, México redobló la seguridad en las sedes del Mundial, desplegando a 100.000 elementos de seguridad, principalmente en Ciudad de México, Monterrey y Guadalajara. La etapa de la competencia en el país, que concluyó el domingo, terminó sin incidentes de seguridad importantes.

Mientras los aficionados al futbol abarrotaban las calles de diversas ciudades para celebrar el deporte, y memes de patos con camisetas de México inundaban las redes sociales, la violencia en muchas partes del país simplemente continuó.

David Saucedo, analista de seguridad mexicano, dice que ataques como los de Guajes de Ayala y otras zonas acosadas por la violencia de los cárteles son consecuencia de la estrategia de seguridad del gobierno para la Copa del Mundo.

“Hubo una seguridad muy fuerte en Ciudad de México, Guadalajara y Monterrey. De hecho, muchos efectivos del Ejército y de la Guardia Nacional se trasladaron de varios estados para reforzar las sedes mundialistas", explicó Saucedo. “Pero al hacerlo dejó descubiertas varias regiones" que no eran sedes del Mundial.

En enfrentamientos el fin de semana entre grupos criminales en el norte del estado de Sinaloa, murieron un oficial de la Armada y 10 presuntos integrantes de un grupo delictivo. La semana anterior, en el sur del estado de Veracruz, el gobierno local informó que halló el cuerpo de la periodista secuestrada Roxana Guzmán, de quien asegura fue asesinada por grupos criminales.

En el sureño estado de Chiapas, el miércoles se encontraron ocho cuerpos apilados junto con mensajes del cártel. En años recientes, el estado ha padecido violentas disputas de poder entre cárteles.

Las advertencias de un ataque inminente no fueron atendidas

La comunidad de Guajes de Ayala les había advertido a las fuerzas policiales que el cártel se estaba acercando a su pueblo, y también compartió en redes sociales videos de drones del cártel sobrevolando y la ubicación de sicarios que se aproximaban poco a poco a sus hogares.

Dijeron que temían un ataque inminente. Solorio señaló que nadie les ayudó.

Eso llegó a un punto crítico el miércoles por la mañana. Mientras Solorio y su grupo se refugiaban del tiroteo en la clínica abandonada, otras personas en distintos puntos se resguardaban en iglesias.

Las autoridades locales y federales no respondieron de momento a una solicitud de comentarios, pero después de que la AP preguntó por los ataques, el Gabinete de Seguridad de México publicó en la red social X que “los hechos narrados en notas periodísticas fueron descartados”.

En la publicación se añadió que, no obstante, personal de la Defensa y fuerzas de seguridad estatales se dirigían “a la zona para verificar la situación, reforzar la presencia institucional y brindar seguridad a la población”.

Las autoridades ya habían negado acusaciones de que han abandonado a las comunidades de Guerrero, pero cuando la AP visitó recientemente la región, no había presencia estatal en ningún punto cercano a las comunidades.

Desde hace años, La Nueva Familia Michoacana —a la que el gobierno de Trump declaró organización terrorista extranjera el año pasado, junto con otros cárteles mexicanos y pandillas de Centro y Sudamérica— ha estado ganando terreno en Guerrero.

En respuesta a los ataques, y a lo que la comunidad dijo que era una ausencia de las autoridades de seguridad, cientos de personas han huido de sus hogares. En años recientes, hombres de la comunidad han formado un grupo de autodefensa para contraatacar.

Dicho grupo fue armado por cárteles rivales, que se disputan el territorio con La Nueva Familia Michoacana, y portaban armas de grado militar introducidas de contrabando desde Estados Unidos, granadas y drones, que usaban para vigilar al cártel que se acercaba.

Para un lugar como Guerrero, marcado por décadas de facciones criminales en guerra, los habitantes han dicho desde hace tiempo que no era cuestión de si enfrentarían otro ataque, sino de cuándo.

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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.

Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't stop. That raised concerns that the region could tip back into a war that would engulf several countries and could halt energy shipments through the strait that are crucial for the global economy.

In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people and wounded another 78, Iran’s Health Ministry said Thursday — most of those reportedly members of the armed forces.

In Kuwait, the military said falling debris wounded one person as it shot down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones. Bahrain said it shot down incoming fire, without elaborating. There was no immediate word of damage in Qatar.

US strikes hit more targets

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

The U.S. said the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Attacks on ships — and the threat of them — virtually halted traffic in the waterway during the conflict, causing the price of oil to skyrocket and raising prices on many basic goods, including food, far beyond the region.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and southern port cities.

In Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed Thursday, state media reported. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike killed a firefighter at an airport. Those fatalities followed the deaths of at least nine members of Iran’s armed forces in Wednesday’s strikes, according to state media. It wasn’t clear when the other death happened and who was killed.

For the first time since April, U.S. strikes also appeared to target Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges were attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.

Trump warns that ‘it will get much worse’ if attacks on shipping happen again

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action.

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said.

Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric and desalination plants, and to seize Kharg Island, through which some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass.

The exchange of fire began after Iran attacked three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

The new attacks, despite the ceasefire, could reflect a divide among Iran’s leadership. Hard-liners want to ensure lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you’ll get hit.”

Strikes raise fears that war could resume

Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying Wednesday that the interim agreement to pause the fighting was “over.” He added that he would allow negotiations to continue, though he cast doubt on the outcome.

“They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump’s remarks “are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran.

Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

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According to an arrest warrant, Jose Maya, 40, is accused of planting a video recording device under a bathroom door, which recorded the 23-year-old victim.

Detectives said the victim discovered the device on June 28 and reported the incident to law enforcement on Monday.

Authorities said the victim claimed she first became suspicious of Maya last year when she caught him lying on the floor immediately outside the bathroom door as she was showering.

The woman said that as she exited the shower, she noticed a small black object underneath the bathroom door, but she initially thought it was an insect because she wasn’t wearing her glasses or contact lenses.

According to the warrant, the victim said Maya quickly stood up as she opened the bathroom door, and claimed that he had been fixing a motion-activated night light near the bathroom.

The warrant states that the victim was suspicious, but initially dismissed the incident.

According to the warrant, the victim continued noticing a small black object appearing underneath the bathroom door as she showered and told her mother about her suspicions.

Detectives said the victim’s mother suggested placing a cellphone in the laundry room to confirm her suspicions.

According to the warrant, the victim did so and her cellphone captured Maya placing a recording device under the bathroom door while the victim was showering.

Detectives said the victim’s mother confronted Maya on June 28 and he provided some kind of admission, although his full comments to her were redacted from the publicly released warrant.

Detectives said the victim’s mother told her one of the videos showed her buttocks, while the other recordings were blurry.

Records show Maya was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday.

“The North Miami Beach Police Department is aware of the arrest involving one of our captains. We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and upholding the highest professional standards for our community,” the NMBPD said in a statement Wednesday.

North Miami Beach Police Chief Juan Pinillos said Maya has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the case along with an internal investigation.

Maya posted a $7,500 bond on Wednesday and walked out of jail later in that night.

In bond court earlier in the day, Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer ordered that he stay away from the victim and said he is not permitted to have any weapons or ammunition.

“Jose Maya has been arrested and charged, but an arrest is merely an allegation, not a definitive judgment of guilt,” Maya’s attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, said in a statement to Local 10 News. “Like every individual accused of a crime, our client is presumed innocent unless the State presents evidence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

“We are committed to thoroughly reviewing all the evidence, challenging the allegations through the judicial process, and vigorously defending our client in court.”

Magician Dennis Watkins is bringing his world-renowned “Magic Parlour” to Miami for an intimate engagement at the Arsht Center.

You can learn more in the video above.

La “Chola Paceña” es un personaje icónico de La Paz, por lo que cada año se elige a una representante que lleva con elegancia su tradicional vestimenta: faldas largas, coloridas y plisadas — conocidas como polleras —, mantas bordadas y sombreros bombín. Además, las participantes demuestran con cantos y discursos el uso del idioma aymara con fluidez.

Este año también se busca impulsar el turismo y la actividad económica con su marca ciudad “La Paz, capital del cielo”, que invita a los turistas a visitar la capital de gobierno de Bolivia, situada a 3.600 metros sobre el nivel del mar.

La Paz y la vecina El Alto fueron las más afectadas por las protestas y cortes de rutas que dejaron por 53 días a sus mercados desabastecidos y generaron escasez de oxígeno y combustible, para demandar la salida del presidente Rodrigo Paz.

El miércoles, el teatro Jaime Laredo ubicado en el centro de la ciudad encendió sus luces y recibió a las 17 jóvenes que representaban a mercados y barrios populares, quienes desfilaron en el escenario ante decenas de espectadores.

“Es un orgullo vestir la ropa tradicional de nuestras madres y debemos impulsar que no se pierda”, dijo a The Associated Press Pamela Valdez, de 26 años, quien representó al turístico Mercado de las Brujas. En este lugar se venden fetos de llama, amuletos y talismanes que sirven para realizar ofrendas a la Pachamama (Madre Tierra), junto a plantas y ungüentos medicinales a los que la gente aún recurre para sanar los males del cuerpo y conjurar maleficios, tal como hacían los curanderos varios siglos atrás.

“Nuestra tarea es mostrar que La Paz es más que protestas; es una ciudad rica en turismo y debemos impulsarlo porque los extranjeros no han podido llegar a visitar nuestra ciudad”, señaló Valdez.

Por su parte, el alcalde de La Paz, César Dockweiler, destacó que la mujer de pollera o “chola” es una impulsora de la economía de la ciudad y ejemplifica la fuerza para enfrentar cualquier adversidad.

“Este es un primer paso”, dijo a la AP el alcalde, quien llamó a los turistas a visitar La Paz y sus atractivos.

Brittany Nicole had just celebrated her second birthday in May.

Cristina Lopez says her entire world shifted on Sunday. She was at work, and her daughter was with a babysitter, when police showed up to tell her Brittany was dead.

The circumstances are still under investigation, but Lopez says the babysitter asked an older relative to watch the child.

That man, who Lopez says had dementia, left Brittany in the back of a hot car for three and a half hours. Doctors were not able to save her.

The incident happened Sunday in the 900 block of NW 7th Avenue in Hallandale Beach.

“I just want justice,” Lopez said, frustrated that no one has been held accountable for her daughter’s death.

She says she did everything right by leaving her daughter with someone she’d never had a problem with before.

Brittany was Lopez’s only child. The family has since set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs.

Neighbors, speaking off camera, said they heard five gunshots.

Sky 10 was flying above the shooting scene near Southwest 196th Avenue.

Cameras captured deputies focusing their attention near a house, walking in the driveway, while other deputies talked to one another at the intersection.

Deputies say they found the victim, who had been shot, in the county swale in the front yard.

Although the person had been shot, he or she was able to tell deputies that someone in a vehicle drove by, and shots were fired from that vehicle, hitting them.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue took the victim to the hospital.

It has yet to be determined if the shooter has been caught. It’s also unknown what kind of vehicle they were in.

The extent of the victim’s injuries and their identity are also not known.

Felix is on standby for a curative bone marrow transplant, one that can only happen if doctors have 50 units of her rare blood type on hand.

Since then, there have been many who have answered the call for donations, a list that now includes Local 10’s Eric Yutzy, who ran straight from the anchor chair to a recliner at the OneBlood Donation Center located at 3615 Hollywood Blvd.

“When I read the words on Monday morning, in real time I said, ‘I can do this! That’s me!’” he said.

Doctors said they now have 30 confirmed units of compatible blood, with only 20 more needed for Felix’s procedure.

For those who may be apprehensive or who don’t love needles, Yutzy described the experience.

“It is a slight discomfort for major gain,” he said. “Yeah, it pinches a second, but someone like Gigi is going thru sickle cell and that’s agonizing all the time. If this is all it takes to help her somehow, it’s totally worth it.”

There is a serious need for blood in general, but Susan Forbes of One Blood said having a diverse blood supply is especially important to treat patients with specific needs.

“Only 4% of African Americans are donating blood,” said Forbes. “Yet, they’re the most likely match for sickle cell patients. It primarily impacts African Americans and those of African descent. The best blood match for sickle cell patients is gonna be from someone of the same ethnicity.”

Added Yutzy: “I understand there’s hesitation and a history of skepticism. But in the same breath, the benefit for people who need the blood to chase their own dreams, we gotta get that number higher than 4%.”

Felix says she’s filled with gratitude for donors like Yutzy.

“I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who saw my story and chose to donate,” she said. “This is such a surreal experience, and it just makes me happy and thankful that people care enough to go and do this for me. It means a lot.”

Anyone who wishes to make a donation can visit any OneBlood location.

La petición se formalizó tras las duras críticas que realizó esta semana la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum sobre el manejo que le dio Estados Unidos al caso, y en particular su exembajador Ken Salazar, dejando entrever que el diplomático les habría mentido a las autoridades mexicanas sobre cómo se realizó la operación.

Ante las afirmaciones de la mandataria, Salazar ratificó el miércoles la declaración que ofreció en 2024 sobre la operación. En un mensaje de su cuenta en la red social X, declaró que el exsecretario de Justicia Merrick Garland y él le informaron al gobierno mexicano que “no era nuestro avión, no era nuestro piloto y no era nuestra operación".

"La verdad es la verdad", añadió.

En conferencia de prensa, la fiscal general Ernestina Godoy anunció que la dependencia a su cargo realizó una solicitud de “asistencia jurídica internacional” a las autoridades estadounidenses para que se aclare si el FBI intervino en la captura del narcotraficante.

Godoy señaló que, de confirmarse la participación del FBI para capturar a Zambada en México y trasladarlo y encarcelarlo en otro país, se estaría ante "una serie de violaciones al derecho mexicano e internacional, un pacto al margen de la ley, así como una mentira de un diplomático estadounidense”.

El cofundador del Cártel de Sinaloa fue arrestado en Texas el 25 de julio de 2024 junto a Joaquín Guzmán López, uno de los hijos del capo Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, quien se encuentra encarcelado en Estados Unidos. En diciembre pasado, Guzmán López admitió ante una corte federal que organizó el secuestro de Zambada en México con la esperanza de obtener beneficios de las autoridades estadounidenses.

Zambada, de 76 años y con serios problemas de salud, se declaró culpable en una corte de Nueva York y está a la espera de sentencia. Esta semana, en una carta enviada al juez a la que tuvo acceso The Associated Press, su abogado Frank Pérez anunció que el capo detenido aceptará la cadena perpetua consecuente con sus delitos para no exponer a testigos en un juicio, y pidió ser encarcelado en instalaciones que tengan atención médica especializada.

La polémica por la detención de Zambada se reavivó la semana pasada, luego de que se dio a conocer que el FBI llevó a un museo en Nuevo México la aeronave que se empleó para trasladar al capo y a Guzmán López desde el estado mexicano de Sinaloa a Texas.

El caso ha generado nuevas fricciones entre Washington y México ante una posible violación de la soberanía por acciones de funcionarios estadounidenses en territorio mexicano. En abril pasado las relaciones se tensaron, luego de que se supo de la participación de dos agentes de la CIA en el desmantelamiento de un laboratorio de droga en el estado fronterizo de Chihuahua. Los funcionarios estadounidenses murieron en un accidente de tránsito junto con dos agentes de la Fiscalía de Chihuahua.

Las dudas y críticas se reavivan

Al sumarse a los cuestionamientos sobre el manejo que dio Washington al caso, Godoy indicó que las autoridades estadounidenses han dado “datos falsos o imprecisos”, y añadió que incluso a los funcionarios mexicanos que viajaron a Estados Unidos para inspeccionar la aeronave se les limitó el acceso a las evidencias y se les impidió tomar fotografías.

Al respecto, el fiscal de Control Competencial de la Fiscalía General, Raúl Jiménez Vázquez, detalló que, de las 11 solicitudes de datos que hizo México, sólo ha recibido seis respuestas, y cinco están pendientes.

En medio de la controversia que ha rodeado el caso, David Boone de la Garza, quien dirige la fiscalía especializada de Control Regional del Ministerio Público, admitió que el piloto que tripuló la aeronave en la que fueron trasladados Zambada y Guzmán López fue deportado a México, y posteriormente fue entregado a las autoridades estadounidenses tras ser detenido por portación de armas.

Los señalamientos contra Salazar

Sobre la actuación de Salazar en el caso, Jiménez Vázquez afirmó que hizo una declaración “falsa de toda falsedad” al negar la participación de las autoridades estadounidenses en la captura de Zambada, y sostuvo que el exembajador vulneró el principio de la “buena fe” e incurrió en “un incumplimiento grave, delicado, del marco regulatorio al cual debió ceñirse en el desempeño de su papel como diplomático”.

Pese a los señalamientos, Godoy descartó que el Ministerio Público vaya a investigar a Salazar, aunque reconoció su posible responsabilidad, pero no abundó sobre el tema.

Por la operación que llevó a la detención de Zambada, la Fiscalía General de la República abrió siete carpetas de investigación y ha realizado 153 entrevistas, detalló Godoy, al asegurar que las averiguaciones continuarán y que el Ministerio Público insistirá para que el capo detenido en Estados Unidos sea procesado por las 32 investigaciones que tiene pendientes en México.

Trout, reinstated just in time for the All-Star Game next week in his beloved Philadelphia, missed 17 games with a strained right hamstring suffered while running the bases in a game on June 17. He marked his return with a home run in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers. This was the 15th anniversary of his major league debut for the Angels at age 19.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki had Trout batting second as the designated hitter.

“We’re going to obviously see how he feels. Maybe in the beginning, I take it out of his hands. Not really sure how I’m going to handle it yet, but he is ready to go," Suzuki said before the game about his willingness to send Trout back in the field.

Trout, who grew up 40 miles from Philadelphia in Millville, New Jersey, was elected by fan voting as a starter for the American League team at the All-Star Game next week at Citizens Bank Park.

The 12-time All-Star has not been able to participate in the showcase event since 2019, having been sidelined by injury after his selections from 2021-23. Trout, the three-time AL MVP and two-time All-Star Game MVP, has enjoyed a bounce-back season with 18 homers in 75 games.

The Angels designated infielder Donovan Walton for assignment to make room on the roster.

___

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

Platner’s exit could exacerbate divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions, as Democrats debate who should replace him on the ballot and struggle to unify ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats were desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.

In an 11-minute video posted to social media, Platner said the process to replace him needs to be "open, transparent and democratic” and to reflect the will and values of people who supported him. He also lashed out at Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C.

“People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.,” Platner said. “Decisions should not be made by people in places of political power.”

At times scratching his beard and looking off camera as he spoke, Platner seemed to become emotional as he announced his plans, seated on what appeared to be a wooden deck as the noise of nearby traffic whizzed by. He also stressed that his decision was not an admission of guilt.

Although Platner had never before held elected office, progressive leaders promoted him over Gov. Janet Mills, who was favored by the Democratic establishment. Mills dropped out of the race in late April as Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, consolidated support from primary voters who were eager for a more combative candidate and were willing to overlook his checkered past, which included a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol and online postings dismissive of sexual assault.

Shortly before Platner clinched the Democratic nomination in the June 9 primary, there were reports that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women while married and that he had become physical with a previous girlfriend during an argument.

But Platner’s support didn’t crater until Monday, when Politico reported that a woman said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop.

Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner but cut off contact with him after that night in 2021 and told him the encounter wasn’t consensual. In a CNN interview, she said she had been raped “by definition.”

After the story was published, Platner in a video released on social media denied the allegation as “categorically false” but said he would be “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign. High-level backers pulled their support, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said the next day that he spoke with Platner and that “in light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

State law includes a provision for Democrats to replace Platner before the general election. The state Democratic Party held an emergency meeting Wednesday, where more than 100 state committee members signed off on holding a nominating convention, in the event of Platner’s withdrawal.

Platner announced he would do just that less than an hour later.

According to the statute, party officials may select a new nominee if a candidate who won the primary withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.

Democrats must net four Senate seats to gain control of the 100-member chamber, and party leaders viewed Maine as a critical piece of the puzzle, along with Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina.

Nazi tattoo, Reddit posts and more had already been challenges for Platner

Platner has faced difficult questions almost from the moment he started his campaign last year. News outlets uncovered years-old comments on Reddit that appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military, criticize rural Americans and use anti-gay slurs.

There was another controversy over the skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, on his chest. He said he was unaware of the history and chose the tattoo while drunk and on leave with fellow Marines in Croatia. He covered the tattoo after becoming a candidate, and he said in an Oct. 21 interview with the Pod Save America political podcast that he was “not a secret Nazi.”

“Skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing,” Platner added.

However, a former girlfriend told The New York Times that Platner joked about the tattoo being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”

The revelations about the tattoo and the online comments stirred concern among Democrats that Platner had been poorly vetted as a political candidate and demonstrated questionable judgment. Some party leaders despaired over Platner’s chances to win even before allegations about previous relationships began to surface.

Platner drew progressive buzz and support

Before Politico’s story was published, Platner canceled some town halls planned around the state. Such events were a calling card for his campaign, which prided itself on a willingness to go anywhere to rally voters. Volunteers hosted happy hours and trivia nights that helped generate enthusiasm for a generational shift from Collins, 73, to Platner, 41.

At a time when Democrats have grown dissatisfied with the party establishment, Platner seemed like an appealing alternative. His deep voice could command a room, and voters were drawn to his gruff populism and focus on economic inequality.

They were also willing to look past controversies as Platner portrayed himself as a regular person who had made mistakes and was striving to better himself and his community. Sometimes he talked about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he focused on the power of redemption.

Before the sexual assault allegation became public, some voters said they also wouldn’t want to be judged on their worst moments, such as drunken behavior or crude comments.

Platner was backed by progressives including Rep. Ro Khanna of California, but that support quickly eroded after Racicot’s allegations.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said Monday. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

Sonja Birthisel, a Democrat and data analyst in Orono, Maine, voted for Platner in the primary. But she said he did the right thing by dropping out.

“My hope for the future of our democracy is that we can hold all of our elected officials to higher standards,” she said.

But the 38-year-old said she rejects the idea that the race is a proxy battle between moderate and progressive forces nationwide.

“Maine is a big small town,” she said. “I’d really love to see out-of-state influence and out-of-state money keep out of our beeswax as much as possible.”

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Ali Swenson contributed reporting from New York City.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Thirteen of the 25 nominations for HBO Max's drama about a Pittsburgh ER went to its actors in one of the great achievements for a cast in Emmy history.

In its rookie season last year, “The Pitt” got just three acting nominations but it won all three: best actor in a drama for star Noah Wyle, best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa and best guest actor for Shawn Hatosy. The trio was nominated again, but this time had a ton of company.

“It feels really exciting to have more of my colleagues up on the board,” LaNasa told The Associated Press on Wednesday during a break in the shooting of Season 3. “You’re happy when you get acknowledged, but you kind of know that you’re only there because of everybody else. So the more people that are getting acknowledged, the better it feels.”

She said that like her character, Nurse Dana, she has a “motherly feeling” toward her colleagues, who are nearly all first-time nominees.

“I’m very wanting them to have this experience as well," she said.

LaNasa was joined in the supporting actress category by doctor-portrayers Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi, who played a new attending physician reckoning with a seizure disorder that is returning in the stress of the ER.

Hatosy, whose night-shift leader Dr. Jack Abbott won a big fan base and was the object of many crushes in Season 2, was bumped up from the guest actor category to supporting actor, where he's joined by Gerran Howell and Patrick Ball.

The 13 nominees will be competing against one another so much that there are only five acting Emmys they can win. That's one for every drama category except best actress, where it didn't submit anyone. The show makes only Wyle a lead.

In the guest acting categories, Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober both pulled off the coup of getting nominations from self-submissions of their portrayal of patients with heartbreaking arcs. Ernest Harden Jr. got a guest nod for playing the ER's constant presence and struggling alcoholic Louie Cloverfield.

And Tal Anderson, an autistic actor who has been an advocate for neurodivergent performers and portrayals, got her first Emmy nomination for playing Becca King, the younger sister of Dearden’s Dr. Mel King who is striving to be treated as an adult.

“Besides the fact that I get to have a small role in this giant, amazing show with so many talented people in the cast and on the crew, it means so much to me to be able to help this character, Becca, be seen and to have a voice,” Anderson told the AP. “As a disabled person myself, it’s such an honor to be able to, through this role, call attention to issues that are so important to the disabled community. It’s everything to have the opportunity to do that.”

LaNasa's Nurse Dana was already among TV's most beloved characters, but went even deeper on the drama in Season 2, in which she gives a rape kit and emotional counseling to a sexual assault victim.

Nurse Dana went meme-able with her loud pronouncements about the ER's “Baby Jane Doe.” The child also provided a pivotal and heart-wrenching scene for Wyle's Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch that may well win him a second best actor trophy at the September ceremony.

With the numbers “The Pitt” pulled in, it was almost surprising to find the many babies that played Baby Jane Doe didn't get nominated.

___ AP video journalist Brooke Lefferts in New York contributed.

The child and his father, Peter Dituri, are back home in Pennsylvania after a family trip to Florida.

“For the last couple of years, we’ve been going down there,” Dituri said.

For Brodie, every trip meant one thing: fishing.

“He always has to bring his fishing pole with him. So any chance he sees water, he’s like, ‘Let’s go fishing,’” Dituri said.

The father and son were fishing at Nelson’s Fish Camp in Marion County when Brodie caught a fish.

As he went to release it, an alligator grabbed his arm.

Dituri said he immediately jumped on the alligator, trying to pry its jaws open to free his son.

“There was no thought process. It was just instinct,” he said.

He said officers later told him that if he had not jumped on the alligator and caused it to roll, it would have pulled Brodie into the water before rolling.

As he yelled for someone to call 911, bystanders rushed over to help.

“From having nobody around to having people there, I can’t thank them enough,” Dituri said through tears.

Now, the family is focused on Brodie’s recovery.

Dituri said they are headed to another doctor’s appointment, one of many still ahead.

Doctors have discussed both transplant and prosthetic options as Brodie begins adjusting to life after the attack.

“He’s leaning in toward looking at the prosthetics,” Dituri said.

Dituri said Brodie’s right hand was also his dominant hand, especially when playing baseball and football.

The road ahead will be long, both physically and mentally. Brodie said he is now “definitely afraid of Florida.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said they have captured and killed the alligator believed to be responsible for the attack.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Roa, 40, shortly before 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Police officers accused Roa of crimes on March 5 at 1400 Washington Ave., after he walked out of Lost Weekend, a pub at 218 Española Way, and found a parking citation on his motorcycle, according to police.

Roa followed a parking officer for about 20 minutes — “verbally threatening to harm” him — before surveillance video showed him approach the officer’s assigned 2025 Ford Ranger pickup truck to “slash both driver’s side tires with a sharp metal object,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Roa “has a criminal history of 14 arrests in Miami-Dade County, to include carrying a concealed firearm, battery, obstruction, and resisting,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Court records show Roa hasn’t been convicted of a crime in Miami-Dade. On Wednesday afternoon, he faced two new charges: Aggravated assault of an official employee, a third-degree felony, and criminal mischief with prejudice, also a third-degree felony, according to court records. His bond was $3,500.

The pastry for France, which plays against Morocco on Thursday, has a strawberry lemon puree filling.

The pastry for Argentina, which plays against Switzerland on Saturday, has a guava puree filling.

The menu also includes options for teams that have been eliminated.

The U.S. pastry has a chocolate buttercream filling. Brazil‘s pastry has an açaí puree filling. Mexico has mango puree, and Uruguay has dulce de leche.

For more information, visit this page.

Related stories

• Norway practices in Fort Lauderdale ahead of Miami Stadium match against England
• Argentine fans celebrate in Miami Beach after advancing to quarterfinals

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

July 9

Morocco vs. France at 4 p.m.

July 10

Belgium vs. Spain at 3 p.m.

July 11

• Norway vs. England is at 5 p.m.
• Switzerland vs. Argentina is at 9 p.m.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.

Related link: View the knockout bracket

Semifinals

July 14: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

Finals

July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m. at the Miami Stadium, better known as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.

Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.

July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.

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Erling Haaland’s “Viking Row” and seven goals powered the team to compete in the country’s first-ever quarter-final. It’s at 5 p.m. against England at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, the 25-year-old striker secured the win against Brazil with a second-half brace. Martin Ødegaard, Norway’s captain, is counting on him to deliver against The Three Lions.

“It’s going to be a big test for us,” Ødegaard said on Wednesday.

While in Fort Lauderdale, the Norwegian team was practicing at the Inter Miami CF Chase Stadium and resting at the Four Seasons.

“We are not used to this weather,” Ødegaard said.

During a news conference, Ødegaard described England’s players, some of whom are his Premier League teammates, as “outstanding” and “world class.”

Ståle Solbakken, Norway’s head coach, said Jorgen Strand Larsen, a striker, was recovering from a cough and a fever.

“At this moment, we are all ready to go,” Solbakken said on Wednesday.

For Haaland, the match will also be a Golden Boot showdown against Harry Kane, the captain of England and Bayern Munich.

England’s players were practicing on Wednesday in Kansas City. England is the 1966 FIFA World Cup winner and placed fourth in 1990 and 2018.

Six other teams also advanced to the quarterfinals, which begin on Thursday.

• Morocco and France advanced to play at 4 p.m. on July 9th.
• Belgium and Spain advanced to play at 3 p.m. on July 10.
• Switzerland and Argentina advanced to play at 9 p.m. on July 11.

Related story: Argentine fans celebrate in Miami Beach after advancing to quarterfinals

Eliminations

Eight teams were eliminated: Colombia, Egypt, the U.S., Portugal, Canada, Paraguay, Mexico, and Brazil.

Related story: Ruben Vargas sends Switzerland to the World Cup quarterfinals in shootout win over Colombia

The tournament, held every four years, started with 48 teams on June 11.

After matches within 12 groups of four, 16 teams were eliminated. The Round of 32 matches eliminated the 16 others from June 28 to Friday.

Related link: View the knockout bracket

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

July 9

Morocco vs. France at 4 p.m.

July 10

Belgium vs. Spain at 3 p.m.

July 11

• Norway vs. England is at 5 p.m.
• Switzerland vs. Argentina is at 9 p.m.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.

Semifinals

July 14: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

Finals

July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m. at the Miami Stadium, better known as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.

Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.

July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.

The drone was displayed at the Biltmore Hotel by the bipartisan policy group United Against Nuclear Iran, chaired by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

The organization said the exhibit was intended to highlight concerns over reports that Iranian drones and weapons systems have been based in Cuba.

Mark Wallace, the nonprofit’s CEO and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform, said modern weapons systems have changed the security landscape.

“Weapons systems have changed, and there is a weapons system 90 miles off the coast of Florida now with a hostile regime that is aligned with the most hostile regime that can target the United States of America,” Wallace said. “There has to be a policy to defeat the ability to build these, to shoot them down, and make sure there are not hostile forces in governments in our region that would align themselves with Iran.”

Wallace also said the U.S. “must ensure that Iran do not have the reach to come into the Straits of Florida like they are impacting the Strait of Hormuz.”

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Iran manufactures the drones “by the thousands.”

“This is what we are talking about when we are talking about Iranian drones,” Gimenez said. “This has a range of about 2,500 kilometers, which from Cuba can reach all the way to New York.”

He also warned that the drones’ capabilities are advancing rapidly “especially with the advent of artificial intelligence.”

When describing the aircraft as an offensive weapon, Gimenez said, “It is meant to strike targets. So, this is an offensive weapon, and if Cuba has in fact have 300 of these, it is a threat to the United States, period.”

Bush said the proliferation of Iranian drone technology represents a growing global concern.

“This is a new threat to the world,” he said. “We are seeing it play out in the Middle East. We also see this technology being developed by Iran in Russia to be able to send thousands of drones into Ukraine.”

Bush added that reports of roughly 300 Iranian drones in Cuba, “is a risk we should be concerned about.”

“We do have the capability of protecting the homeland, but Cuba still continues to be a risk to our country, and Iran is their ally,” he said.

Wallace said Iran’s relationship with Cuba has been longstanding and strategic.

“The relationship between Iran and Cuba is real,” Wallace said, adding that “Miami, Florida, is well within range of Iranian drones in cooperation with the Cuban regime.”

He said Iran’s involvement in Cuba and Venezuela is tied to their proximity to the United States.

“I think what you are seeing is Iran’s engagement in Cuba, historically, Venezuela as well, is completely related to the proximity to the United States of America, Florida, and particularly the CentCom (Central Command) bases in the region,” Wallace said.

Local 10 Cuban analyst Dr. Andy Gomez said Cuba’s status as a failed state presents broader national security concerns.

“I think Secretary (Marco) Rubio put it best, with or without drones, a failed state 90 miles to the south of the United States is a national security threat to our country,” he said.

Still, Gomez said he believes a drone attack launched from Cuba is possible but unlikely.

“That is the new warfare that the world is facing, and we need to be aware of it to a great extent,” Gomez added. “But I’m not that worried, at this moment, about Cuba firing a drone at the United States because what would come after, to them, would be chaos.”

He noted that Cuba has maintained its drones are intended only for defensive purposes.

“That means, to me, that Cuba expects that the United States to attack them, and we are not going to attack them,” Gomez said. “We are not going to invade them any time soon.”

Gimenez also reiterated his support for continuing economic and political pressure on Cuba rather than military intervention.

“My position has been that we need to continue the pressure on the Cuban regime,” Gimenez said. “Every day they get weaker and weaker and weaker.”

He added that he hopes the Cuban government eventually chooses “to transition Cuba.”

“My position has been and will be that I am not in favor of a military option right now, but we should continue maximum pressure on the regime,” he said.

Gomez agreed.

“I think Carlos is correct,” Gomez said. “I don’t see the need, if you will, for a military intervention in Cuba.”

He said Cuba’s military has weakened over time because much of its equipment is outdated and its armed forces have been depleted.

“I do believe, and I am going to say this for the first time, and I am speculating, all signs that I am beginning to see from inside Cuba, there could be an implosion from within,” Gomez added.

Gomez added he will also be watching developments this Saturday, the fifth anniversary of historic anti-government protests in Cuba.

Thursday brings more of the same: hot, humid and hazy conditions with Saharan dust still in the area. The rain chance will remain low as east-southeast winds, sustained 5 to 15 mph, rule the day. Temperatures will make a run for the low 90s-- factor in humidity and it could feel like 105°F, give or take a few degrees.

For much of the year, Republican operatives have been quietly considering the real possibility that their party might lose the Senate. No longer.

While much can change before November, Republicans have already begun to rethink their national strategy to take advantage of a political map that suddenly looks much more favorable in the wake of Maine Democrat Graham Platner's announcement that he intends to withdraw from the race. His decision Wednesday follows Platner's latest controversy — an accusation of sexual assault that even his most loyal allies have described as credible.

Platner, who denies the allegation, was under intense pressure to quit the race. And the lineup of potential replacements has hardly inspired fear among the Republicans backing incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking her sixth term this fall. The Maine Democratic Party said it's planning a convention to choose Platner's replacement.

The incredible Democratic dysfunction transforms the Maine Senate race from perhaps Democrats' best pickup opportunity in the nation to one where dejected and divided Democrats don't know who their nominee will be four months before Election Day.

“Obviously, expectations are that this certainly will be helpful overall,” said Joanna Rodriguez of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Without Maine, Rodriguez added, “Democrats have no path to a majority."

The math suggests she may be right.

Democrats need to flip four seats to claim the Senate majority for President Donald Trump's final two years in office.

Maine stands alone as the only 2026 Senate battleground where a Republican is facing reelection in a state Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024. North Carolina, where Democrats have rallied behind popular former Gov. Roy Cooper, likely represents the party's next best pickup opportunity, while Democrats are fighting to compete in the deeper-red states of Iowa, Alaska, Ohio and Texas. At the same time, Democrats are defending seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.

To claim the Senate majority without Maine, Democrats must win all the seats they current hold and four of five in states where Trump won by an average of more than 10 points.

“I’m convinced Republicans are holding the Senate,” says New York-based Republican donor Eric Levine, who has hosted fundraising events for Collins and other vulnerable GOP senators. The situation in Maine, he continued, “makes it easier.”

What changes for Republicans

It's hard to overstate how focused Republicans have been on protecting Collins, the last Republican senator serving in New England.

So far this election cycle, Republicans have spent $108 million on her race — more than almost every other Senate race in the nation, but just behind Texas's record-breaking Republican primary, according to data complied by AdImpact.

And the GOP was planning to spend much more in Maine, according to Republican strategist Chris Hartline.

“Republicans were in a situation where we were going to have to go all in on Maine,” he said.

The Platner explosion does not mean that Maine suddenly becomes an easy Republican hold, Hartline noted, but it does give the national party some “breathing room” to shift resources elsewhere.

On Wednesday, for example, the Republican super PAC One Nation announced plans to spend a combined $45 million in three Senate races: Ohio, Iowa and New Hampshire. The Maine contest was excluded from the super PAC's Wednesday list, even though One Nation has already spent $23.5 million in the state, according to AdImpact.

Republicans are not planning to divert all of their money out of Maine in the short term, however.

Operating under the assumption that Platner would quit the race, Republicans were planning a negative ad blitz to undermine Collins' next opponent immediately.

“The candidate we’re running against is largely undefined,” Rodriguez said. “So there will have to be spending and a campaign on behalf of Collins to be sure that that person is defined early.”

Collins, meanwhile, who was already planning for a difficult reelection, was sitting on nearly $10 million in her campaign account near the end of May.

“Fundraising continues on at a strong clip and we are heartened to see support from Mainers and Americans across the nation continue to grow,” said Collins' campaign spokesperson Blake Kernen. “Our cash position remains very strong.”

What's next for Democrats?

The Maine Democratic Party held an emergency meeting Wednesday, where state committee members approved a plan to hold a nominating convention in the event of a vacancy.

Virtually all of his high-profile supporters this week called for Platner to step down, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had stood by the oyster farmer even after revelations of a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, extramarital sexting and controversial social media posts that would have wrecked a typical campaign.

Everything changed this week when a former girlfriend told reporters that Platner drunkenly entered her house and sexually assaulted her in 2021, an allegation the candidate denied.

According to Maine law, Platner needs to file paperwork to formally withdraw by 5 p.m. July 13 before any other contender can replace him.

State law then says the Maine Democratic Party has the authority to choose a replacement, which must be done by July 27 — just 99 days before Election Day.

“Democrats have taken their No. 1 pickup opportunity and completely fumbled it,” said Rodriguez, of the NRSC. “This is the strongest Susan Collins has ever been.”

El Tribunal Oral Federal de Santa Cruz, en el sur, condenó al excomandante de la Fuerza de Submarinos de Argentina Claudio Villamide por incumplimiento de los deberes de funcionario público y estrago culposo agravado por el caso del submarino ARA San Juan. Los jueces de esa corte darán a conocer los fundamentos de la sentencia el 21 de agosto.

“Soy inocente. Al día de hoy no entiendo claramente por qué me han acusado por el naufragio del submarino", declaró Villamide antes de conocerse el veredicto. "No me han podido indicar qué es lo que hice mal y cuál fue el incumplimiento de mis deberes que ocasionó la pérdida del control del buque, su ida a pique y su naufragio”.

En el marco de la sentencia, que no implica ir a la cárcel, los jueces también le impusieron a Villamide reglas de conducta por tres años, entre ellas fijar domicilio y un número de teléfono y notificar al tribunal cualquier cambio, no cometer nuevos delitos y someterse al control de la Dirección de Control y Asistencia de Ejecución Penal.

En tanto, el tribunal absolvió por unanimidad a Luis Enrique López Mazzeo, exjefe de Adiestramiento y Alistamiento Naval; a Héctor Alonso, exjefe del Estado Mayor del Comando de la Fuerza de Submarinos, y a Hugo Correa, exjefe de Operaciones.

Luis Tagliapietra, padre de uno de los tripulantes fallecido y representante de varios querellantes, dijo a The Associated Press que apelarán la sentencia. Señaló que las penas impuestas están lejos de las que habían solicitado, aunque afirmó que el fallo no los sorprendió. Tagliapietra había solicitado penas de entre siete y ocho años para los cuatro marinos.

El ARA San Juan desapareció el 15 de noviembre de 2017 en aguas del Atlántico Sur mientras regresaba desde Ushuaia, en el extremo sur del país, hacia su base en Mar del Plata, a 400 kilómetros de Buenos Aires.

Ese día la tripulación informó de una avería provocada por el ingreso de agua a las baterías, aunque aseguró que el incidente ya se había solucionado. Horas después, se registró una explosión en la zona donde se perdió el contacto con la nave.

La investigación judicial concluyó que el submarino, de fabricación alemana, presentaba deficiencias operativas antes de zarpar el 25 de octubre de 2017, las cuales habían sido informadas a Villamide a lo largo de ese año.

Según la causa, el agua ingresó por el sistema de ventilación, alcanzó las baterías y provocó un cortocircuito. El submarino comenzó entonces un descenso descontrolado y, finalmente, implosionó al superar los 600 metros de profundidad.

La empresa estadounidense Ocean Infinity encontró los restos del submarino un año después de su desaparición a 600 kilómetros al este del puerto de Comodoro Rivadavia, en la provincia argentina de Chubut.

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La periodista de The Associated Press Almudena Calatrava contribuyó a este reporte desde Buenos Aires.

The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.

The Illinois-based manufacturer has faced complaints for years for withholding the software needed for repairs and forcing customers to use authorized dealers instead of independent ones.

This marks the second right-to-repair settlement Deere has reached this year, following a separate $99 million class-action settlement with farmers in April. Though the class-action compensated consumers, the FTC's settlement instead requires Deere to make its repair services available to equipment owners and independent shops.

The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin brought the antitrust lawsuit in January 2025, arguing that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops that might otherwise service them from repairing farm equipment such as tractors. Deere also makes engines and equipment for forestry, landscaping and construction.

Under the order filed in Illinois, Deere will now be required to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, not only its own network of authorized dealers. It also prevents Deere dealers from retaliating against equipment owners or repair shops who choose to fix their own equipment instead of paying for Deere's services. The order is headed to Judge Iain D. Johnston for his approval.

“For too long, Arizona farmers and independent mechanics have been at the mercy of Deere’s monopoly over repair tools, forced to wait — and pay — for authorized dealers just to fix broken tractors and other equipment,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement Wednesday.

Deere must pay $1 million collectively to the five states for antitrust enforcement costs and will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years.

In the complaint, the FTC argued that Deere provides a service software tool to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version to equipment owners or independent shops. Deere had said the lawsuit was baseless, denied that its distribution of service tools was anticompetitive and argued that it could not monopolize services since it does not directly provide them.

Deere maintained its commitment to independent repair in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agreement with the FTC reinforces its innovation of more flexible repair options.

“This is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,” said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support.

Right-to-repair has become an increasingly common issue over the years, especially for tech products, with consumers complaining that even simple repairs can only be done by company-authorized dealers.

In the video, officers with the Sunrise Police Department are seen with their guns drawn, screaming at the driver to stop the car.

Detectives say the vehicle was stolen and they attempted to stop the driver as he sped into an apartment complex off Northwest 60th Terrace in Sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Authorities said the car was stolen from the 2900 block of Northwest 60th Avenue.

Police say the car rolled into a body of water after the suspect abandoned it and attempted to run away.

Eventually, officers said they took a minor into custody, but authorities have yet to release his identity or what charges he may be facing.

The facility will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, and powered by a natural gas-fired plant being developed by a consortium that includes Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Ltd.

Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish called the project “a big deal for Alberta,” saying the province had created a regulatory framework to attract data center investment.

Alberta has been courting hyperscale data centers as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure surges. But the rapid growth of AI has fueled concerns about the vast amounts of electricity and water such facilities require, as well as their strain on power grids and nearby communities.

Because Alberta’s electricity grid cannot support multiple large AI data centers, the province is prioritizing projects that build or secure their own power generation, as Meta plans to do.

Meta said the data center will use a closed-loop cooling system that won’t draw water from surrounding sources. The company also plans to invest US$42 million in local infrastructure, including roads and water systems.

Last week, Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management announced they would proceed with the Greenlight Electricity Center in Sturgeon County. Meta was identified Wednesday as the customer. The 932-megawatt power plant is expected to begin operating in the second half of 2030.

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According to Fort Lauderdale police, officers responded to the 1300 block of Northwest 13^th Court shortly before 4:30 a.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alert in the area.

While searching the Lauderdale Manors neighborhood, officers found the victim in his car, with a gunshot wound, authorities said.

Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s father identified him to Local 10 News as 32-year-old Mike Menard. He said his son leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter.

“Very devastating, we understand that. Like I tell you, but I try to be strong,” Philippe Menard said.

Mike Menard was parked outside his family’s home when he was shot.

Surveillance video shows him walking to the car just minutes before he was shot and killed.

Local 10 cameras captured at least three bullet holes in the driver’s side window of the vehicle.

A truck parked next to it was also hit by gunfire.

The sound of the shots startled neighbors.

“We were scared. We had turned off all our electronics because we didn’t know where it was coming from. Like it sounded really close,” neighbor Nevaeh Brown said.

Overnight, homicide detectives searched the street. K-9 units also swept the scene after daybreak.

The victim’s father told Local 10 News that someone set fire to his home’s plants last week, and just days later, someone fired shots at the house.

“We heard that at night, but we cannot come out to see. So when we call police, they come here, they take pictures,” Philippe Menard said.

Philippe Menard described his son as a bright young man who ran with the wrong crowd.

He’s now left wondering if last week’s incidents could be connected to his son’s killing.

“He went to a university -- the guy’s (more) knowledgeable than me,” Philippe Menard said. “I didn’t reach that level. I can’t tell him, ‘Hey, I talk to you and you listen.’”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Fort Lauderdale Police Department or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

La embajada peruana en Tokio difundió en sus redes sociales una carta de Takashi Kimura, gobernador de Kumamoto —una de las 47 prefecturas de Japón— , quien invitó a Fujimori a visitar la zona. Kimura indicó que la visita de la dirigente política a la "tierra de sus ancestros" sería “un gran honor”.

“El hecho de que usted, con raíces en la prefectura de Kumamoto, asuma el cargo de presidenta del Perú, es el reflejo del espíritu indomable y el esfuerzo de nuestros antepasados”, indicó Kimura en una misiva fechada el 6 de julio. “Es una evidencia clara de cómo estos valores se han transmitido de generación en generación y han generado confianza hacia la comunidad nikkei”, añadió.

Los abuelos paternos y maternos de la presidenta electa fueron originarios de las prefecturas de Kumamoto y Fukuoka, respectivamente. Son dos de las siete prefecturas que hay en la isla Kyushu, de donde partió gran cantidad de la diáspora japonesa a Sudamérica a fines del siglo XIX e inicios del XX.

El lunes la primera ministra de Japón Takaichi Sanae felicitó a Fujimori e indicó que para Japón “Perú es un socio estratégico que ha mantenido más de 150 años de relaciones diplomáticas”. La mandataria electa respondió al saludo de Sanae desde las redes sociales e indicó que en su gobierno se fortalecerá “una relación basada en la confianza, la cooperación y la prosperidad compartida”.

Perú fue el primer país sudamericano en recibir inmigración japonesa organizada en 1899 y con el paso del tiempo Brasil fue el destino de la mayoría de migrantes japoneses en América Latina. Los peruanos descendientes de japoneses —que se calculan en más de 200.000— han realizado aportes claves en todos los campos, incluidos la literatura, la pintura, las ciencias sociales, la sismología y la gastronomía.

El padre de la dirigente — el fallecido expresidente Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) — visitó poco antes de asumir el poder Kawachi, una localidad pesquera y cultivadora de mandarinas que está ubicada en la prefectura de Kumamoto.

Fujimori finalizó su gobierno tras renunciar en 2000 desde Japón luego de salir de Perú en medio de escándalos de corrupción tras la difusión de un video donde se observaba a su entonces jefe de espías entregando dinero a un congresista opositor para que apoyara a su gobierno.

En 2005, el expresidente abandonó Japón y viajó a Chile, donde estuvo en detención domiciliaria en medio de pedidos de extradición de Perú.

En 2007 Fujimori, que también tenía nacionalidad japonesa, postuló sin suerte al Senado japonés por el conservador Nuevo Partido Popular. Ese mismo año fue extraditado a Perú, donde fue condenado y estuvo preso más de 15 años.

Fujimori fue condenado por corrupción y por el asesinato de 25 peruanos a manos de un grupo militar clandestino que su gobierno protegió en medio de su lucha contra el grupo terrorista Sendero Luminoso que buscaba tomar el poder.

Salió de prisión en 2023 por un indulto presidencial y murió de cáncer en 2024.

Platner announced Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the high-stakes Senate race following an accusation from a former girlfriend that he once sexually assaulted her. The oyster farmer and Marine veteran, who denies the allegation, had secured the Democratic nomination in June to go up against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

In an editorial published in the Portland Press Herald, Dempsey wrote that Mainers are facing challenges including housing, healthcare and education, and whoever is elected as Maine's next senator should work to enact meaningful change.

“As I reflected on all of this, I kept coming back to one question: Do I truly want to serve in Congress?” Dempsey wrote. “After a lot of thought, I realized the answer is no. Not because public service isn’t honorable — it absolutely is. But because I believe I can contribute more effectively through the life I’ve already built.”

Dempsey did not endorse any other candidate from those currently teasing their interest in replacing Platner, nor did he name Platner. Instead, he wrote that the candidate should offer “a new approach to how we govern ourselves.”

“Most of all, I want integrity. That may sound idealistic today, but it shouldn’t,” he added.

Dempsey grew up in the Lewiston-Auburn area and is the founder of The Dempsey Center in Maine, which provides free care to people impacted by cancer.

The confusion and uncertainty in Trump’s mixed messaging and his approval of back-to-back military strikes leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries.

The whipsawing rhetoric could be a strategy to increase the pressure on Tehran to stop attacking ships transporting oil and natural gas in the Strait of Hormuz and bend to U.S. demands on its nuclear program — something Trump has tried before.

Whether it is a negotiation tactic or a signal of an escalation in fighting, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal and the actions risk further inflaming tensions — which could spell problems for Republicans in November’s midterm elections if gas prices stay high.

Trump warned Wednesday that a new round of U.S. attacks was coming, even as he attempted to shrug off suggestions of a return to full-scale war. Hours later, the military announced it was carrying out new attacks on Iran that were meant to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said earlier. “We’re not looking for a long time.”

Officials rush to save the ceasefire

A regional intelligence official involved in the mediation efforts said the conflict had reached a critical stage as mutual mistrust rises. But high-level communications are ongoing around-the-clock to salvage the ceasefire, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief, are leading the efforts, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — whose country hosted the NATO summit that wrapped Wednesday — and leaders from Saudi Arabia are also involved, the official said.

The U.S. is upset about ships being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and accuses Iran of slow-playing discussions on curtailing its nuclear program, the official said. Nuclear talks were a major next step to try to turn the interim deal announced last month into a lasting end to the war.

Tehran, meanwhile, says Washington is the one violating the agreement regarding the strait and failing to ensure that a ceasefire in Lebanon, including an Israeli withdrawal, is being implemented, the official said.

Michael Eisenstadt, a former U.S. military analyst who now directs the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that “we’re still in negotiating mode, no matter what the president says."

"This is part of negotiating, and declaring that the MOU is over is part of the negotiation as well,” Eisenstadt said, referring to the memorandum of understanding that the ceasefire was built on.

Trump, though, has been explicit in public comments, saying he's lost interest in preserving the ceasefire: “I think it's over.”

“We can play games, but I’m not sure I want to make a deal,” he said during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, adding that the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator, said the Trump administration had repeatedly violated the terms of the initial pact, forcing the country to respond appropriately.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Qalibaf posted on X.

Trump says ‘we’ll probably hit them hard again'

Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, said renewed conflict is in "no one’s interest” and urged both sides to uphold their commitments.

“There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region,” its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Trump, nonetheless, dismissed Tehran's leaders, calling them “scum" and “sick people." Just last month, Trump said Iran’s leadership was “very rational” and "nice to deal with,” while also calling the country's leaders “smart people.”

Speaking at an event in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance, who led U.S. efforts to reach the initial deal with Tehran, said Iran was “well behaved for about a week.” He added that lately the country had begun attacking the strait and said, “If they shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them.”

Could this be another negotiating tactic?

Before the U.S. and Iran reached their first, two-week ceasefire in April, Trump intensified his threats, pledging that American forces would bomb Iranian bridges, roads and power plants. He even posted online, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."

He repeated dire threats before the tentative, 60-day deal to end the war was reached last month.

Trump likes to seek ways to negotiate from a position of strength, and he could be looking for more leverage with new strikes. But being unequivocal about the end of the ceasefire also could free up Iran militarily — which could again roil oil prices and financial markets.

Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, argued that escalating threats may be a riskier maneuver this time around, given the domestic and international stakes for the U.S.

“It certainly looks like an effort to turn up the military heat without yet closing the diplomatic door. But coercive bargaining is a dangerous game: at some point, a pressure campaign can acquire a momentum of its own and become the war it was ostensibly meant to avoid,” Vaez said.

He added, however, that Iran still has every reason to return to the table because it desperately needs the economic relief that was promised under the interim deal.

Trump also has sent mixed signals about the fallout.

He long insisted that rising gas prices for Americans didn't factor into his calculations on Iran — only to say that part of the reason he agreed to the interim deal was to avoid an “economic catastrophe." He has since touted the falling price of oil after the deal was reached.

Upcoming elections could scramble Trump's political calculus

The president again resumed his past threats to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, possibly including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.

“We may take over Kharg Island," he said. "There’s not a thing they could do about it.”

Still, the midterm elections — when Republicans hope to retain control of the House and Senate — are now less than four months away. Oil prices rising again amid greater uncertainty about the war means Americans will likely continue to see higher prices at the pump.

The president tried to downplay such concerns, saying, “Any time we hit them, it goes up a little bit — $2.” In fact, U.S. oil futures jumped far higher and may keep climbing — even as Trump acknowledged, "As oil goes, so goes everything else.”

"If we hit Iran, oil goes up a little bit," he said, arguing that it was worth it to bar Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “It's all right.”

___

Amiri reported from New York and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was happy to let him try.

“Dylan came in after the sixth (inning) and said, ‘I’ve got 120.’ I said, ‘OK.’ And then after the seventh, he said, ‘I’ve got 130,’” Schneider said.

Cease carried his bid for a second career no-hitter into the ninth inning Wednesday against the Giants before Heliot Ramos broke it up with a line-drive single to center field.

Cease was lifted after Ramos’ hit and got a standing ovation from the San Francisco crowd. Tyler Rogers came on and got the last three outs on four pitches as the Blue Jays won 10-0.

The 30-year-old Cease threw a career-high 118 pitches, 81 for strikes, as he sought the first solo no-hitter in the majors since 2024. The All-Star right-hander struck out 11 to increase his American League-leading total to 148.

“I kept saying, ‘Whatever it takes,’” Cease said. “I guess in my mind I thought maybe 130 at that point was what it was looking like.”

Schneider said he left Cease in the game because of his career durability and because he can get extra rest during next week's All-Star break.

“I’m a fan of baseball,” Schneider said. “I think if a guy has a chance to throw a no-hitter, I think you let him do it and I think you make adjustments after that.

“If I can let a player have that opportunity, I’m going to do it every single time. Maybe not every single time, but as long as I’m allowed to.”

Cease threw a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres at Washington on July 25, 2024. He thought he was in better form Wednesday than he was that day against the Nationals.

“I was really commanding the ball well, mixing the ball well,” Cease said. “I’m just happy it wasn’t Luis (Arraez) that broke it up again.”

While pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Cease lost a no-hit bid on Sept. 3, 2022, with two outs in the ninth inning when Arraez singled for Minnesota. Arraez, now San Francisco’s second baseman and a winner of three batting titles, was the hitter after Ramos.

Eight days after Cease's no-hitter two years ago, Blake Snell threw one for the Giants at Cincinnati.

Since then, there have been two combined no-hitters — including one in March by Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa of the Houston Astros — but no one has done it on his own as managers more frequently pull pitchers in the middle of hitless outings because of concerns over pitch counts and injuries.

Cease had plenty of velocity in the ninth, throwing two 97 mph fastballs to Ramos before giving up the hit on a 96 mph sinker.

“I’m thinking he’s probably going to be looking for a slider at some point,” Cease said. “I figured if I go a couple of heaters and a sinker in, it would surprise him.

“I wish I got it a little more in, but a good batter got a hit. It’s baseball.”

The Blue Jays have gone nearly 36 years without a no-hitter. Dave Stieb threw one on Sept. 2, 1990.

Including playoffs, 35 big league pitchers have thrown multiple no-hitters. Mike Fiers of the Athletics became the last to do it on May 7, 2019.

Cease set down the first 14 San Francisco batters before he walked Willy Adames with two outs in the fifth. Cease also walked Drew Gilbert leading off the sixth and Rafael Devers with one out in the seventh.

Toronto’s defense made two solid plays to sustain the no-hit bid. With two outs in the seventh, Adames sent with a grounder up the middle, and second baseman Ernie Clement ranged to the left side of the bag and made a nice pickup and throw to first.

Leading off the eighth, Bryce Eldridge hit a drive to deep left-center. Center fielder Daulton Varsho raced to make an excellent catch before running into the wall.

Cease then struck out Gilbert and pinch-hitter Drew Cavanaugh.

“When Daulton made that play,” Cease said, “it was like, ‘Man, that’s what happens in no-hitters.’ At that point, I really did it have it on my mind and I thought, ‘All right, we’ve got a shot today.’”

Ramos said Cease “had it going on today. I think we should have done a better job attacking the zone, just being aggressive, but at the end of the day, he’s a really good pitcher.

“I think he’s Cy Young-caliber.”

___

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

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Police said the attack happened around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1000 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue.

Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the individual shown in the video above or picture below to come forward.

The mother on Wednesday told Local 10 News that she was walking her son, who has autism and is nonverbal, to a school bus stop when a man approached from behind and attacked him with what she described as a heavy, mallet-like object.

She said she stepped in to protect her son and was then struck in the head.

“Some guy just comes behind us, out the blue. My son is non-verbal, he’s disabled – that’s sad,” the woman, who identified herself only as Chrissy, said on Tuesday. “He just comes and tells him something and attacks him, and then I had to intercept and get in front (of him) and then he attacks me.”

Police said the woman suffered a cut to the back of her head, while the boy suffered an abrasion to his face. Both were taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment.

Chrissy later told Local 10 News her son also suffered internal damage to one of his eyes but is not blind.

The culprit fled before officers arrived, police said.

Detectives asked anyone with information about the culprit or the attack to contact Detective Leon Pabon of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit at 954-828-4675.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the culprit’s identification.

According to reports by multiple media outlets, the NCAA has sent an official letter of inquiry to the school regarding Sorsby, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA in April after he placed thousands of impermissible sports bets over the past four years.

Sorsby spent two seasons each at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech in January, and his ineligibility ruling touched off an unprecedented legal battle that Sorsby ultimately dropped. While Sorsby won’t play and plans to enter next year's NFL draft, coach Joey McGuire said this week that he still expects the quarterback to make occasional trips to Lubbock and will have access to the school’s athletic facilities.

Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield, who was Sorsby's coach during his two seasons with the Bearcats, declined to comment on reports about the letter of inquiry at Wednesday's Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas.

Yahoo Sports was first to disclose the existence of the letter and ESPN also reported that Cincinnati had received it, with both citing anonymous sources. Sending a letter of inquiry is a standard procedural step in which the NCAA notifies a school of plans to examine an issue, though it doesn't automatically equate to the existence of a rules violation.

A Cincinnati spokesperson declined to say if the school had received an inquiry from the NCAA.

“We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began," the spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. "As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering."

NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham Wright said Wednesday that the organization doesn't comment on pending or potential investigations.

The NCAA declared Sorsby ineligible for making bets worth at least $90,000 during his college career.

Sorsby made at least 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, but none of those bets came on games in he played. He acknowledged placing at least 165 impermissible bets on college and professional sports totaling at least $38,000 in 2024, including three wagers on Cincinnati men’s basketball made on a FanDuel account he shared with a friend. He provided more than $60,000 to the friend to deposit in the shared account between December 2023 and June 2025.

___

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There were plenty of surprises and some snubs from Wednesday’s nominations, including some hits and misses for “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” and a first nom for Connor Storrie – just not for the show most people know him for.

If “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White attends the Emmy Awards this year, it won’t be as a nominee. The acclaimed series got several nominations for its final season, just not an acting nod for its head chef.

Read on for more noteworthy nominees and those who got overlooked.

‘The Pitt’ becomes an Emmys juggernaut

Last year, Shawn Hatosy won best guest actor in a drama for “The Pitt.” This year, he’s gotten bumped up to supporting actor status and has an Emmy nomination to show for it. He is competing against co-stars Patrick Ball and Gerran Howell in the same category. Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi received their first nominations for best supporting actress in the HBO Max medical drama.

While the cast racked up numerous nominations, two actors ended up being their own best cheerleaders. Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober each guest starred as ER patients on Season 2 and self-submitted their work for nominations. Now, they’re Emmy nominees in the guest-acting categories.

Another commonality: Allen and Kober have each won Daytime Emmy Awards for “All My Children” and “General Hospital.”

The 25 nominations for “The Pitt” are nearly double what it received for its first season. Besides acting categories, it's nominated for best drama and behind-the-camera work like directing and casting.

Other fresh faces are nominated

In a sea of regular nominees like Jean Smart, Quinta Brunson and Martin Short, some new names managed to squeeze in.

Less than one month after “Widow's Bay” completed airing its first season, the comedy horror starring Matthew Rhys is planting a flag at the Emmy Awards. Kate O'Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Stephen Root and Dale Dickey are cast members among the first-time nominees.

The newlywed characters in “Beef” Season 2 split when it came to Emmy recognition. Charles Melton got his first nomination, while Cailee Spaeny was overlooked.

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” didn't have the buzz of previous monster stories about Jeffrey Dahmer or Lyle and Erik Menendez. Its star, Charlie Hunnam can count himself an Emmy nominee though. His work as the serial killer brought him his first nomination.

File this next one under, “We'll take what we can get.” While Connor Storrie of “Heated Rivalry” also received his first Emmy nomination, it's not for the show that made him a star. There's a technicality where shows financed outside the U.S. are ineligible for Emmys, and the same goes for their cast. Storrie is instead a contender for guest-hosting “Saturday Night Live.”

While it's no surprise that Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder and Paul W. Downs got recognized for the final season of “Hacks,” a nice addition to the list is co-star Meg Stalter, who is up for her first Emmy as best supporting actress.

Sorry, you've been snubbed

Let's start with the big one. After receiving two Emmy Awards for best actor in a comedy, Jeremy Allen White was not nominated for the final season of “The Bear.” The show got nominated, however, as did Ayo Edebiri for best comedy actress.

Sarah Pidgeon is nominated for her portrayal as Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” but that love only goes so far. Paul Anthony Kelly, who played Kennedy, was shut out.

“The Four Seasons” is about a group of friends but Colman Domingo is the standout this year. Domingo was nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy while Tina Fey, who created the series and also stars, got overlooked.

Apple TV's “Your Friends & Neighbors” stars Jon Hamm as a man who secretly steals from his wealthy neighbors. The show got a drama series Emmy nomination. Hamm did not.

Paramount+ may have Taylor Sheridan but it doesn't have any acting nominations to celebrate. The star power of “Landman” nor “The Madison” didn't wow Emmy voters. The streamer is competing in a mere two categories: stunt work on “Tulsa King” and choreography in “Noah's Arc: The Movie.”

From reality drama to Emmy nominations

The 2023 breakup that shocked the Bravoverse known as “Scandoval” has led to very good things for Ariana Madix. After splitting with her longtime boyfriend, she’s performed on Broadway, competed on “Dancing with the Stars” and is now nominated for an Emmy as outstanding reality TV host for “Love Island USA.”

A second Bravo breakup has been a big win for the network. The uncoupling of “Summer House” stars Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke had viewers tuning in to Season 10 to see their marriage crumble. But when Batula then began dating one of their co-stars and Hamptons housemates, West Wilson, who used their other castmate Ciara Miller, it reached a whole new level of pop culture fodder. Voters were paying attention because it’s received a surprise Emmy nomination for unstructured reality show.

Soon, the Mirrorball Trophy may not be the only award linked to “Dancing with the Stars.” Season 34 of the celebrity dance competition show received an Emmy nomination for best reality show after getting shut out for a decade.

Con experiencia en el trabajo humanitario y en la academia, Bula tendrá su primer cargo gubernamental con la cartera de Relaciones Exteriores luego de servir como funcionario de las Naciones Unidas, siendo director y representante residente en Senegal, así como oficial de proyectos en Brasil y Ecuador.

De la Espriella, de perfil conservador y quien en su campaña fue respaldado por Trump, señaló en un comunicado que el “reposicionamiento de Colombia como el principal aliado de Estados Unidos” estará entre sus tareas, para lo que primero tendrá que posicionar al país como “líder en el hemisferio sur”.

Colombia ha sido uno de los aliados más firmes de Estados Unidos en Latinoamérica desde hace varios años, pero esa relación estrecha se tensó desde enero de 2025 con la vuelta de Trump al poder y luego de que Petro criticara las deportaciones de migrantes, el despliegue militar en el Caribe para atacar embarcaciones presuntamente cargadas de drogas y las acciones bélicas de Israel en Gaza.

Trump respondió con amenazas de aranceles y sanciones del Departamento del Tesoro a Petro y su círculo señalándolos de tener vínculos con el narcotráfico —sin mostrar pruebas— y reprochó al gobierno colombiano no hacer lo suficiente para combatir el tráfico de cocaína siendo el principal productor.

Tras ser designado, Bula aseguró en entrevista con la revista Semana que está de acuerdo en “reconstruir relaciones" con Estados Unidos. También dijo que pretende conformar alianzas estratégicas para combatir el crimen organizado, lo que incluirá integrar el “Escudo de las Américas” que surgió de la cumbre realizada por Trump en marzo con países de América Latina para unir fuerzas en el combate a los cárteles de las drogas. Petro no fue invitado a ese encuentro.

Bula también está de acuerdo en reanudar la relación bilateral con Israel, luego de que Petro rompiera vínculos diplomáticos en 2024 como protesta por el “genocidio” en la Franja de Gaza.

Una transición local

En paralelo a la composición del nuevo gabinete, De la Espriella emprendió el miércoles un “Empalme Territorial”, como una forma de recabar la información que necesita para llevar a cabo la transición política y gobernar con los alcaldes y gobernadores. Lo hace tras haber suspendido la transición de gobierno a nivel nacional.

De la Esprilla reiteró desde Norte de Santander, fronterizo con Venezuela, que “se acabó el empalme” con el gobierno saliente, luego de que Petro desconociera su victoria en el balotaje —pese a que fue certificada por la autoridad electoral— y dijera que el ganador fue el progresista Iván Cepeda, su aliado político.

Pese a la falta del proceso formal de intercambio de información sobre el funcionamiento del gobierno, De la Espriella dijo que tiene “medios alternativos” para obtener datos y "claridad en las cifras” de cara a su llegada al gobierno el 7 de agosto.

“Ya no podrán seguir mintiendo, no podrán seguir maquillando la información...vamos a organizar la casa y depurar lo que hay”, dijo De la Espriella en Cúcuta, capital de Norte de Santander.

La víspera, De la Espriella advirtió que Petro y Cepeda quieren “quedarse en el poder” a través de un “golpe de Estado”, del que no dio pruebas, e instó a las fuerzas armadas a ”proteger la Constitución y la democracia y no obedecer ninguna orden que Petro esté dando en sentido contrario”.

Petro reiteró el miércoles que dejará el poder el 6 de agosto, pese a que no reconoce la legitimidad de De la Espriella, y negó haber dado órdenes contrarias a la Constitución.

La Policía informó que el ataque ocurrió alrededor de las 7:30 a.m. del martes en la cuadra 1000 de Northwest Fifth Avenue.

Los investigadores están solicitando que cualquier persona que reconozca al hombre que aparece en el video o en la imagen a continuación se presente.

La madre dijo el miércoles a Local 10 News que caminaba con su hijo, quien tiene autismo y no habla, hacia una parada de autobús escolar cuando un hombre se acercó por detrás y lo atacó con lo que describió como un objeto pesado similar a un mazo.

Dijo que intervino para proteger a su hijo y luego fue golpeada en la cabeza.

“Un hombre simplemente apareció detrás de nosotros, de la nada. Mi hijo no habla, tiene una discapacidad, eso es muy triste”, dijo la mujer, quien se identificó únicamente como Chrissy. “Simplemente se acercó, le dijo algo y lo atacó. Entonces tuve que interponerme y ponerme delante de él, y luego me atacó a mí.”

La Policía informó que la mujer sufrió una cortadura en la parte posterior de la cabeza, mientras que el niño sufrió una abrasión en el rostro. Ambos fueron trasladados al Broward Health Medical Center para recibir tratamiento.

Chrissy dijo posteriormente a Local 10 News que su hijo también sufrió daños internos en uno de sus ojos, pero que no quedó ciego.

La Policía informó que el sospechoso huyó antes de que los agentes llegaran al lugar.

Los detectives solicitaron a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre el sospechoso o el ataque que se comunique con el detective Leon Pabon, de la Unidad de Crímenes Violentos del Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale, al 954-828-4675.

También se pueden enviar pistas de forma anónima a Broward County Crime Stoppers llamando al 954-493-8477. Se ofrece una recompensa de hasta $5,000 USD por información que conduzca al arresto del responsable.

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The facility is where, according to families, dozens of immigrants who were previously held at Alligator Alcatraz are now being detained.

Local 10 News has received multiple messages from families of immigrants detained there. One detainee also called the station from inside the facility.

The man said detainees have gone without air conditioning during the summer heat.

Judith Castellanos said her husband, Marlon Cervelo, is one of dozens of detainees transferred to the facility after Alligator Alcatraz recently shut down.

She said detainees have had to sleep in their underwear because of the heat.

Annett said her husband, Daikel Dumont, who was also previously held at the detention facility near the Everglades, is now at the downtown Miami facility as well.

She said the lack of air conditioning is not her only concern.

According to Annett, detainees are drinking water from the metal sinks in their cells.

Families also raised concerns about cockroaches inside the facility.

Local 10 News reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but a spokesperson was unable to answer questions.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons provided the following statement:

“FDC experienced a problem with one of its chillers that supplies air conditioning to the facility. The facilities department immediately identified the issue and began repairs. The AC malfunction has since been rectified...”

A 2020 infrastructure report also shows the facility has experienced air conditioning issues for years.

Local 10 News cameras found a portable chiller unit outside the facility that was running. A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson later confirmed it has been there for three years to help cool the facility.

One family member described the detention center as “another Alcatraz.”

When asked how the conditions compared to what her husband had described at Alligator Alcatraz, Annett said he told her the downtown Miami facility is worse.

Families said they want detainees to be treated humanely.

“They’re human and they’re not being treated as human,” Annett said.

Asked about her biggest fear, she said she is afraid something will happen to her husband while he is inside the facility and that no one will be held accountable.

The Federal Detention Center houses more than just ICE detainees.

Data obtained by Local 10 News from the Bureau of Prisons showed that just over 1,300 inmates are currently being held at the facility.

Regarding concerns about access to water, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said the facility experienced a water pressure issue last week. While it was being resolved, inmates were provided bottled water.

As for the reports of cockroaches, the spokesperson said the agency would not comment on anecdotal accusations but added that the facility has a pest control service.

Según las familias, el centro es donde ahora permanecen detenidos decenas de inmigrantes que anteriormente estaban recluidos en Alligator Alcatraz.

Local 10 News ha recibido múltiples mensajes de familiares de inmigrantes detenidos en el lugar. Uno de los detenidos también llamó a la estación desde el interior del centro.

El hombre dijo que los detenidos han permanecido sin aire acondicionado durante el calor del verano.

Judith Castellanos dijo que su esposo, Marlon Cervelo, es uno de las decenas de detenidos trasladados al centro después de que Alligator Alcatraz cerrara recientemente.

Dijo que los detenidos han tenido que dormir en ropa interior debido al calor.

Annett dijo que su esposo, Daikel Dumont, quien también estuvo detenido anteriormente en el centro de detención cerca de los Everglades, ahora también se encuentra en el centro del centro de Miami.

Dijo que la falta de aire acondicionado no es su única preocupación.

Según Annett, los detenidos están bebiendo agua de los lavamanos metálicos de sus celdas.

Las familias también expresaron preocupación por la presencia de cucarachas dentro del centro.

Local 10 News se comunicó con el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE), pero un portavoz no pudo responder las preguntas.

La Oficina Federal de Prisiones emitió la siguiente declaración:

“El Centro Federal de Detención experimentó un problema con uno de los enfriadores que suministra aire acondicionado a las instalaciones. El departamento de mantenimiento identificó de inmediato el problema y comenzó las reparaciones. La falla del aire acondicionado ya fue corregida…”

Un informe de infraestructura de 2020 también muestra que el centro ha experimentado problemas con el aire acondicionado durante años.

Las cámaras de Local 10 News encontraron una unidad portátil de enfriamiento funcionando en el exterior del centro. Posteriormente, un portavoz de la Oficina Federal de Prisiones confirmó que ha estado allí durante tres años para ayudar a enfriar las instalaciones.

Un familiar describió el centro de detención como “otro Alcatraz”.

Cuando se le preguntó cómo se comparaban las condiciones con las que su esposo le describió en Alligator Alcatraz, Annett dijo que él le aseguró que el centro del centro de Miami es peor.

Las familias dijeron que quieren que los detenidos sean tratados de manera humana.

“Son seres humanos y no están siendo tratados como seres humanos”, dijo Annett.

Al ser consultada sobre su mayor temor, dijo que teme que le ocurra algo a su esposo mientras permanece detenido en el centro y que nadie sea considerado responsable.

El Centro Federal de Detención alberga a más personas que solo detenidos del ICE.

Datos obtenidos por Local 10 News de la Oficina Federal de Prisiones muestran que actualmente hay poco más de 1,300 reclusos detenidos en el centro.

Respecto a las preocupaciones sobre el acceso al agua, un portavoz de la Oficina Federal de Prisiones dijo que el centro experimentó un problema de presión de agua la semana pasada. Mientras se resolvía la situación, a los reclusos se les proporcionó agua embotellada.

En cuanto a los reportes sobre cucarachas, el portavoz dijo que la agencia no comentaría acusaciones anecdóticas, pero agregó que el centro cuenta con un servicio de control de plagas.

Hardaway, quien creció en Miami y asistió a Miami Palmetto High School y Palmer Trinity School antes de destacar en la Universidad de Michigan, dijo que firmar con el Heat hizo realidad un sueño de muchos años.

“Estoy feliz de estar aquí, feliz de estar en casa”, dijo Hardaway. “Este es definitivamente un momento surrealista, no solo para mí, sino también para mi familia. He soñado con esto durante mucho tiempo.”

Hardaway dijo que unirse a Miami fue una decisión fácil una vez que se presentó la oportunidad.

“Una vez que llegó la llamada, creo que fue una decisión obvia”, dijo. “Era la opción correcta, no solo para esta franquicia, sino también para mí personalmente, especialmente cuando tienes a dos jugadores que realmente necesitan espacio para salir y hacer lo que mejor saben hacer. Siento que mi trabajo aquí es simplemente hacerles la vida más fácil, y eso significa encestar tiros.”

El presidente del Heat, Pat Riley, elogió la consistencia y la capacidad de Hardaway para lanzar al aro, al tiempo que recordó la llegada de su padre a Miami durante la década de 1990.

Hardaway calls this “surreal”.

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a very long time.” https://t.co/T4zRbeYwOB

— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026

“Recuerdo cuando él estaba aquí”, dijo Riley sobre Tim Hardaway. “Me trae muchos recuerdos. Ahora está aquí el hijo de un jugador cuyo número cuelga de las vigas del estadio.”

Riley bromeó diciendo que, si Hardaway Jr. logra que retiren su propio número, “tendremos que inventar un número 11 por un día o algo así”.

Hardaway Jr. dijo que usar el número 10 en Miami tiene un significado especial. El número de su padre fue retirado por el Heat y cuelga de las vigas del Kaseya Center.

“He usado ese número desde que empecé a jugar baloncesto por mi padre”, dijo Hardaway. “Siempre lo he admirado desde que comencé a jugar este deporte, y hasta el día de hoy sigue siendo así.”

Cuando le preguntaron cómo convenció a su padre de permitirle usar el número retirado, Hardaway sonrió antes de explicar la decisión.

On the way he convinced his dad to let him wear No. 10. Tim Hardaway Jr says it was a family decision. pic.twitter.com/NRIxwqxIlH

— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026

“Solo voy a decir esto”, afirmó. “Creo que la primera vez fue una decisión personal. Y creo que la segunda vez fue una decisión familiar. Voy a usarlo con honor.”

Hardaway también reflexionó sobre su regreso a la franquicia donde pasó gran parte de su infancia alrededor del equipo.

“Quiero decir, desde la antigua arena, el Miami Arena, unas cuadras más allá, hasta esta… tengo muchísimos recuerdos de este lugar”, dijo. “Todos los que trabajaban aquí siguen aquí, lo cual es increíble. Me recibieron con los brazos abiertos, como si fuera de la familia.”

El veterano de 13 temporadas en la NBA ha jugado con los New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons y Denver Nuggets. Tiene promedios de carrera de 13.9 puntos, con un 41.9% de efectividad en tiros de campo y un 36.5% en tiros de tres puntos.

La temporada pasada con Denver, Hardaway promedió 13.5 puntos, 2.6 rebotes y 1.4 asistencias, con un 44.7% de efectividad en tiros de campo y un 40.7% en tiros de tres puntos. Dijo que espera complementar a las estrellas Giannis Antetokounmpo y Bam Adebayo creando espacios y encestando tiros abiertos.

“Mi trabajo es hacerles el trabajo más fácil”, dijo Hardaway. “Va a tomar tiempo. Habrá mucho análisis de video y muchas cosas que revisar para ver en qué podemos ser excelentes, pero también será muy divertido.”

Y no lo olvide, la próxima temporada podrá ver los partidos del Miami Heat por Local 10, ya que WPLG Local 10 y el Heat anunciaron un nuevo acuerdo ampliado de derechos de transmisión, que convierte a Local 10 en la casa del baloncesto del Heat en todo el sur de Florida. HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para obtener más información sobre cómo ver los partidos.

Los aficionados del Heat también pueden llamar al 786-777-4375 para obtener más información sobre cómo comprar boletos para la temporada 2026-2027.

Según una orden de arresto, Jose Maya, de 40 años, está acusado de colocar un dispositivo de grabación de video debajo de la puerta de un baño, el cual grabó a la víctima, de 23 años.

Los detectives dijeron que la víctima descubrió el dispositivo el 28 de junio y reportó el incidente a las autoridades el lunes.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima afirmó que comenzó a sospechar de Maya el año pasado cuando lo sorprendió acostado en el piso, justo afuera de la puerta del baño, mientras ella se duchaba.

La mujer dijo que, al salir de la ducha, notó un pequeño objeto negro debajo de la puerta del baño, pero al principio pensó que era un insecto porque no llevaba puestos sus anteojos ni lentes de contacto.

Según la orden, la víctima dijo que Maya se puso de pie rápidamente cuando ella abrió la puerta del baño y afirmó que estaba arreglando una luz nocturna con sensor de movimiento cerca del baño.

La orden señala que la víctima sospechó de la situación, pero inicialmente descartó el incidente.

Según la orden, la víctima continuó notando un pequeño objeto negro que aparecía debajo de la puerta del baño mientras se duchaba y le contó a su madre sobre sus sospechas.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima sugirió colocar un teléfono celular en el cuarto de lavado para confirmar sus sospechas.

Según la orden, la víctima lo hizo y su teléfono celular captó a Maya colocando un dispositivo de grabación debajo de la puerta del baño mientras la víctima se duchaba.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima confrontó a Maya el 28 de junio y él hizo algún tipo de admisión, aunque sus declaraciones completas fueron censuradas en la versión pública de la orden de arresto.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima le informó que uno de los videos mostraba sus glúteos, mientras que las otras grabaciones estaban borrosas.

Los registros muestran que Maya fue ingresado en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight alrededor de las 7:50 p.m. del martes.

“El Departamento de Policía de North Miami Beach está al tanto del arresto de uno de nuestros capitanes. Seguimos comprometidos con la transparencia, la rendición de cuentas y el cumplimiento de los más altos estándares profesionales para nuestra comunidad”, indicó el NMBPD en un comunicado emitido el miércoles.

El jefe de la Policía de North Miami Beach, Juan Pinillos, dijo que Maya fue relevado de sus funciones mientras se resuelve el caso, además de una investigación interna.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Maya permanecía detenido en el TGK sin derecho a fianza.

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Hardaway, who grew up in Miami and attended Miami Palmetto High School and Palmer Trinity School before starring at University of Michigan, said signing with the Heat fulfilled a longtime dream.

“I’m happy to be here, happy to be home,” Hardaway said. “This is definitely a surreal moment, not only for myself but for my family. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”

Hardaway said joining Miami was an easy decision once the opportunity presented itself.

“Once the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,” he said. “The right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally, especially when you have two of the guys out there that definitely need spacing for them to go out there and operate and do what they do best. My job here, I feel like it’s just to make their life easy, and that’s to knock down shots.”

Heat President Pat Riley praised Hardaway’s consistency and shooting ability while recalling his father’s arrival in Miami during the 1990s.

Hardaway calls this “surreal”.

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a very long time.” https://t.co/T4zRbeYwOB

— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026

“I remember when he was here,” Riley said of Tim Hardaway Sr. “It just takes me back. Now the son of a guy that we have hanging from the rafters.”

Riley joked that if Hardaway earns his own jersey retirement, “we have to come up with a one-day No. 11 or something.”

Hardaway said wearing No. 10 in Miami carries special meaning. His father’s jersey has been retired by the Heat and hangs in the rafters at Kaseya Center.

“I’ve been wearing that number ever since I started playing the game of basketball because of my father,” Hardaway said. “I always looked up to him ever since I started playing the game, still do to this day.”

When asked how he convinced his father to let him wear the retired number, Hardaway smiled before explaining the decision.

On the way he convinced his dad to let him wear No. 10. Tim Hardaway Jr says it was a family decision. pic.twitter.com/NRIxwqxIlH

— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026

“I’m just gonna leave it at this,” he said. “I think the first go around it was a personal decision. And I think the second go around was a family decision. I’m going to wear it with honor.

Hardaway also reflected on returning to the franchise where he spent much of his childhood around the team.

“I mean, from the old arena, Miami Arena down the street to this one ... it’s so many memories that I remember about this place,” he said. “Everyone that’s been working here is still here, which is awesome. They treated me with open arms like I’m family.”

The 13-year NBA veteran has played for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. He owns career averages of 13.9 points while shooting 41.9% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range.

Last season with Denver, Hardaway averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He said he expects to complement stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo and by creating space and knocking down open shots.

“My job is to make their job easy,” Hardaway said. “It’s gonna take time. It’s gonna be a lot of film work, a lot of things to see where we can be great at, but a lot of fun.”

And don’t forget, you can watch Miami Heat games on Local 10 next season as WPLG Local 10 and the Heat announced a newly expanded media rights agreement, making Local 10 the home of HEAT basketball across South Florida! CLICK HERE for more information on how to watch!

Heat fans can also call 786-777-4375 for more information on how to purchase tickets for the 2026-2027 season.

Trump offered little clarity on the swap, instead saying he would fly on the legacy aircraft “for old time’s sake,” and indicating that both aircraft would make a previously unscheduled stop on the way back to the United States at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, a base used by U.S. troops.

The travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the U.S. spent $400 million to retrofit. Images of the Qatari-gifted jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.

Trump boarded the new jet at Mildenhall, and it promptly took off for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington after he greeted service members stationed there.

“We just landed and met up with our new Air Force One, which was sent earlier to RAF Mildenhall, so we could show the wonderful Servicemembers, as per the entire Base’s request,” the Republican president said on social media. “They were very excited.”

He said stopping at Mildenhall “was on our way back to the States from Turkey, with virtually no deviation of flightpath.”

During the flight, Trump denied to the reporters accompanying him that security concerns involving Iran were a factor in flying two planes home. Asked if he was aware of any credible threats against Air Force One by Iran, Trump brushed off the question.

“I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list,” he said, repeating comments from earlier Wednesday that he is one of Iran’s top assassination targets.

When the reporters asked Trump if he knew why they were asked to keep their window blinds closed during the flight from Turkey to the U.K. aboard the older Air Force One, Trump replied that it probably was due to the “sleazebags over here” — an apparent reference to Iran. He said he was not asked to close the window blinds in his compartment. Iran and Turkey share a border.

New Air Force One doesn't have same security measures

The swap was also announced less than a day after the U.S. military conducted a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region, and before a new series of strikes on Wednesday.

Trump first announced in a social media post that the gleaming new plane he had proudly shown off a day earlier would instead visit the U.K. base on the way home so military members could “tour the Aircraft.” Trump said he instead would be flying home in an older plane previously used as Air Force One.

When asked later during a news conference if security concerns had played a role in the switch, Trump didn’t directly answer but said that when it came to Iran, he was “No. 1 on the list for killing.”

When another reporter followed up, Trump said he’d be “going home by normal methods” while the new plane would be shown off to troops.

When asked if the missing countermeasures systems played a role in the jet being swapped out, the U.S. Air Force directed questions to the White House.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff," spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. "As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats.”

Plane's transponder was turned off for some of the flight

Trump departed Turkey aboard one of the older Boeing VC-25As that have carried presidents for 3 1/2 decades. Consumer flight trackers were unable to monitor its transponder early in the flight after takeoff, suggesting it had been temporarily disabled by the crew -- a security measure used when ferrying the president to and from high-risk environments like war zones, not a major NATO ally hosting a long-scheduled summit.

Other world leaders’ flights departed with trackable transponders, including those from Germany and the U.K.

The luxurious Boeing 747-800 gifted by Qatar, that was modified to carry Trump, departed earlier Wednesday from Turkey and landed at RAF Mildenhall on Wednesday afternoon, flight trackers showed.

Iran has several missiles and drones in its inventory with enough range to make the roughly 800-mile (1,300-kilometer) flight from its own borders to Turkey, including some of its Shahed drones and Shahab ballistic missiles.

However, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran does not possess weaponry that would be capable of effectively striking England at a range of roughly 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers).

The U.S. Air Force, which oversees the running of the fleet of aircraft used by every president, had previously said that they had to prioritize making only some of the necessary upgrades and changes in order to deliver the Qatari jet — also known as the “bridge” aircraft — into service.

The Air Force argued that the rapid conversion of the jet was done “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but did concede that “several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final (Air Force One aircraft) were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft.”

Jeremiah Gertler, a senior analyst for Teal Group, an aviation and defense consulting firm, previously told The Associated Press that the absence of countermeasure systems, as well as a seemingly smaller number of communications antennas, suggested that the Qatari jet was better suited to only work as a domestic aircraft.

Trump's first flight on the new Qatari jet was to North Dakota last week.

The original Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War and they were hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and included a range of security features, such as anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard operating room.

The jets are also equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, though it has never been utilized with a president on board.

The pair of Boeing jets that are currently being modified to act as the permanent upgrades to the Air Force One jets have been delayed, and are expected to be delivered in 2028.

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

The parasite reappeared in cattle in the U.S. in June, more than 50 years after it had been largely eradicated from the country. The pest is actually the larvae of the New World screwworm fly. It eats live flesh and fluids rather than dead material, as the larvae of most fly species do.

Here is what to know about the parasite, the threat it poses to pets and how to protect them:

Screwworm fly larvae can infest any mammal

The fly's migration north from Panama starting in 2024, and through Mexico in 2025, has agriculture officials warning that it poses a threat to the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry, but the larvae can hatch and breed in any mammal, including wildlife, dogs, cats and occasionally humans.

The problem develops when a female fly lays its eggs in open wounds and mucus. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed for about a week before maturing, dropping to the ground and continuing to develop into an adult fly.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says newborn animals and animals with open wounds or who have undergone surgery or other medical procedures recently are especially vulnerable. Even a tick bite can host an infestation, Aaron Grady, executive director of the Houston Humane Society shelter, said during a webinar on the screwworm.

Infestation signs include restlessness and bad smell

Animal health experts say pet owners in areas where the screwworm is present — southern and southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico so far — should watch their animals closely and examine them for wounds, cuts and bites regularly.

Pet owners should look for any maggots or movement in a wound. Other signs include a foul smell and restlessness or anxiety in an animal, or an animal “hyper-fixating on looking or chewing in a certain area of the body," said Melissa Stansell, a veterinarian at the shelter Austin Pets Alive!

Any one of those is reason enough to go to a veterinarian. The affected animal is likely in a great deal of pain, and that can cause death from shock. The larvae also can cause death if they move into vital organs or by causing infections that turn deadly.

Flea, tick medications can stop an infestation

Humane society officials and veterinarians said shelters across Texas are trying to prevent infestations in animals by giving them prescription flea and tick medications. They recommend that pet owners do the same.

“It will kill the larvae as they ingest the blood and tissue,” Stansell said. “The chemical compositions of those products are what kill the actual larval stages of these flies.”

Veterinarians also can treat infestations and animals can recover if pet owners contact them quickly. Stansell said the treatment could include antibiotics.

“It is only fatal if left untreated,” she said.

An effort to eradicate the fly again is underway

The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species and decades ago would disappear each year when colder weather arrived with the fall or winter.

But state and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials aren't waiting for the weather to turn. They've returned to an eradication method that worked decades ago, breeding sterile male flies and releasing them into the wild. The female New World screwworm fly mates once in her monthslong life, and if her partner is sterile, her eggs won't hatch — causing the population in an area to drop and then disappear.

For years, the only factory breeding sterile flies in the Western Hemisphere was in Panama, but the USDA invested $21 million to convert a site in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to recently start breeding screwworm flies. The agency also plans to spend $750 million on a new fly factory in Texas, set to open next year.

La estudiante dijo que estaba usando un inodoro en el edificio 2 cuando vio “un teléfono celular negro grabándola desde debajo de la puerta del cubículo”, escribió un agente de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, según un informe.

La estudiante dijo que salió del cubículo y confrontó al hombre, a quien los agentes identificaron posteriormente como Rishard Parsons, quien tiene condenas desde 2014, según el informe de arresto del agente.

Parsons salió por última vez de prisión el 12 de abril y debía permanecer en libertad condicional por una agresión agravada cometida en 2019 hasta el 11 de abril de 2028, según el Departamento de Correcciones de Florida.

La estudiante dijo que le ordenó a Parsons que “borrara el video”, pero él la empujó y huyó, por lo que ella “lo persiguió por el pasillo abierto” y “pidió ayuda a gritos”, según el informe de arresto del agente.

Un buen samaritano, que escuchó los gritos de ayuda de la estudiante, se unió a la persecución y ambos retuvieron a Parsons antes de que llegaran los agentes de seguridad pública del MDC y los agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, según el informe.

“La víctima sufrió una posible fractura en la rodilla izquierda”, escribió un agente sobre la estudiante, según el informe de arresto.

Los agentes de seguridad pública del MDC ya estaban buscando a Parsons después de que otra mujer que trabaja para el MDC reportó que estaba en un cubículo de un baño del edificio 100 cuando vio que él “la estaba grabando desde el cubículo contiguo”, según el informe de arresto.

La empleada del MDC salió del baño y denunció a Parsons al personal de seguridad pública del MDC, que encontró un video de vigilancia en el que se observa a Parsons saliendo del baño de mujeres, según el informe del agente.

Los agentes detuvieron a Parsons, lo llevaron a la unidad de víctimas especiales de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade para ser interrogado y él “admitió haber estado en el campus y haber cometido actos de voyeurismo contra ambas víctimas”, según el informe de arresto del agente.

Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Parsons a la 1:05 a.m. del miércoles en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según los registros de reclusos.

Parsons enfrentó tres cargos: dos por voyeurismo y uno por agresión grave. Su fianza fue fijada en $21,500 USD.

El editor de la mesa de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, contribuyó a este informe.

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The student said she was using a toilet at Building 2 when she saw “a black cellular telephone recording her from underneath the stall,” a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy wrote, according to a report.

The student said she exited the stall and confronted the man, who deputies later identified as Rishard Parsons, who has convictions going back to 2014, according to the deputy’s arrest report.

Parsons was last released from prison on April 12, and he was supposed to be on probation over a 2019 aggravated battery until April 11, 2028, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The student said she ordered Parsons to “delete the video,” but he pushed her and fled, so she “pursued him through the breezeway” and “shouted for assistance,” according to the deputy’s arrest report.

A good Samaritan, who heard the student’s cries for help, joined the pursuit, and they detained Parsons before MDC public safety officers and MDSO deputies arrived, according to the report.

“The victim suffers from a possible fracture to her left knee,” a deputy wrote about the student, according to the arrest report.

MDC public safety officers were already searching for Parsons after another woman who works for MDC had reported she was in a stall at a restroom in the 100 building when she saw he “was recording her from the adjacent stall,” according to the arrest report.

The MDC employee walked out of the restroom and reported Parsons to MDC public safety personnel, who found surveillance video of him leaving the women’s restroom, according to the deputy’s report.

Deputies detained Parsons, took him to the MDSO special victims’ bureau for questioning, and he “admitted to being on campus and committing acts of voyeurism against both victims,” according to the deputy’s arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Parsons at 1:05 a.m. on Wednesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Parsons faced three charges: Two counts of voyeurism and felony battery. His bond was $21,500.

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

“Hardaway 10” sways, commemorating his father's time with the Heat and the jersey they retired in Tim Hardaway Sr.'s honor.

“Coming here when I was an opponent, I felt like it gave me a superpower,” Hardaway Jr. said.

It's his jersey now.

The Heat formally introduced part of the family on Wednesday, with the 34-year-old Hardaway getting his welcome-back-to-Miami news conference — and getting handed a No. 10 Heat jersey, only this one with “Jr.” after the family surname on the back.

“This is really bizarre,” said Heat President Pat Riley, who coached the elder Hardaway in Miami.

The younger Hardaway used to run around the Heat practice floor as a kid while his dad played games, or hang out in the family room partaking in video games. As Hardaway Jr. got older, Riley would ask someone on the staff to put him through workouts on the practice court.

That staffer was Erik Spoelstra, now the Heat head coach.

“I think things are going to be a little bit more serious now than before,” Hardaway said. “But I mean, I’m very comfortable and confident to be able to go up there and talk to coach anytime I need some guidance or assistance on anything. I feel like he’s a great person in order to do that.”

Miami entered the offseason with a slew of wishes and needs. It wanted a superstar; it landed one by getting Giannis Antetokounmpo (and, like the rest of the league, is waiting to hear where former Heat star LeBron James wants to play this coming season). It also wanted to find shooting and durability; Hardaway is coming off a season where he had career-bests in 3-pointers made (224) and 3-point percentage (nearly 41%), and he's played in 236 of a possible 246 regular-season games over the last three seasons.

His role in Miami, whether as a starter or off the bench, will be simple: Make life easier for Antetokounmpo and Heat center Bam Adebayo.

“Once the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,” Hardaway said. “It's the right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally — especially when you have two guys out there that definitely need spacing for them to go out there and operate and do what they do best. My job here, it’s just to make their life easy and that’s to knock down shots.”

And he gets to come home to do all that. Born and raised in Miami, the Heat will be his sixth NBA team — in the city he still calls home.

“I've been praying for this day,” Hardaway said. “I've always wanted this day to come, ever since I was a kid.”

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

Afrobeats star Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus — a choir of elementary school students based in Staten Island, New York — will also perform, the last joined by Coldplay.

The 11-minute halftime performance, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, will take place during the final outside New York on July 19. The show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising $100 million to help children access education and soccer.

“The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can,” Bieber said in a statement. “I’m grateful to be part of this Halftime Show, and even more grateful knowing it’s already helping expand access to education for children around the world.”

Of all the performances, the addition of Burna Boy is particularly noteworthy: He’s one-half of this year’s official song for the World Cup, “Dai Dai,” led by Shakira. The song is a mesh of their musical landscapes: Afrobeats and Latin rhythms, an undeniably global, multilingual pop track. In one verse, they name a number of the world’s most famous soccer players and countries competing in this year’s World Cup: “Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia,” Shakira cheers. “Mexico, Japan, Korea, Netherlands.”

“The FIFA World Cup is one of the few moments that truly brings the entire world together,” Burna Boy said in a statement. “To represent Africa on the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show is a privilege and a responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”

And while the Super Bowl is famed for its halftime show, such performances are not commonplace in soccer, with events like the Champions League final featuring a pre-match concert.

This year’s World Cup halftime performance will also feature some characters from “Sesame Street,” as well as Muppets like Kermit and Miss Piggy.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Team physician Michael Terry said Bedard is expected "to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.” The NHL hasn't announced its regular-season schedule, but the Blackhawks played their first game last season on Oct. 7.

Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players last week in western Canada. It's a major blow for a Blackhawks team trying to emerge from a painful rebuilding process.

Bedard set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games in his third NHL season. He missed 12 games after he hurt his right shoulder on a draw during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 12.

“He’s so important to our team,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in April. “He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”

Bedard is a restricted free agent, and it remains to be seen if the injury has any effect on the negotiations for his next contract. He missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season with a broken jaw.

Chicago went 29-39-14 last season, an 11-point improvement and still nowhere near playoff contention. It has finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the past three years.

Defenseman Bowen Byram was acquired in a trade with Buffalo on June 23, and the Blackhawks signed forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole on the first day of NHL free agency.

Bedard reached out to Byram, Smith and Cole after they were brought in by the team.

“Obviously a superb young talent,” Cole said Wednesday when asked about sharing the ice with Bedard. “Unfortunately, yeah, it sounds like it’s going to be a little later than originally anticipated, but you know he seems like a great guy.”

The Blackhawks haven’t made a postseason appearance since the NHL used an expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bedard has been the centerpiece of the team since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He made his anticipated NHL debut that October and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. He had 23 goals and 44 assists while appearing in all 82 games in his second season.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

It was their first visit to Kennedy Space Center since they blasted off in April. The last time the four saw the pad, the massive Space Launch System rocket had stood upon it.

“It's a lonely place without that rocket on it,” commander Reid Wiseman said. He and his crew spent the day thanking all those who helped send them on the flight.

The three NASA astronauts and one Canadian set a new record for distance travel during the lunar fly-around — 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). It was humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

Public enthusiasm over the mission is still high, Wiseman noted. While boarding a plane in France about a week ago, he said, a woman handed him her boarding pass with this message written on it: “Thank you for reminding us about joy and hope in the universe again.”

They're excited about handing off to the next Artemis crew: three NASA astronauts and one Italian announced last month. Set for next year, the Artemis III mission will remain in orbit around Earth and practice docking with lunar landers in development by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Artemis IV will follow as early as 2028 with a moon landing by two astronauts not yet identified.

The entire Artemis III crew is male, something that doesn't faze Artemis II's Christina Koch, who became the first woman to fly to the moon. What would be worse, she said, was someone overruling NASA's crew selection for Artemis III just “to make it look a certain way.”

“I am so glad and so proud that that's not the situation we have,” she told reporters.

Wiseman and Koch flew to the moon alongside pilot Victor Glover and Canada's Jeremy Hansen. Hansen announced earlier this week that he will leave the Canadian Space Agency in September, but remain a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force and continue supporting the Artemis program.

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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.

The trial for Brian J. Cole Jr. is set to begin Feb. 16 and last about two weeks. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali set the trial date during a brief hearing Wednesday.

Zachary Lawson, one of Cole’s lawyers, told Ali that defense attorneys and prosecutors have not discussed the possibility of a plea deal to resolve the case.

On Monday, the judge ruled that Trump's mass pardons for Capitol rioters did not apply to Cole. Ali refused to dismiss Cole's case before trial, rejecting defense lawyers' arguments that their client qualifies for a pardon because his alleged actions are “inextricably and demonstrably tethered” to the events near the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Ali, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, concluded that Trump’s blanket pardons for Jan. 6 rioters explicitly applied only to people who were convicted of crimes related to the attack.

Cole was arrested nearly a year after Trump, a Republican, pardoned, commuted the prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of cases for all 1,500-plus people charged in the Jan. 6 attack. Prosecutors have said that Cole gave a confession when FBI agents questioned him after his arrest.

Cole is accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters near the Capitol on the night before the riot. The devices did not detonate before law enforcement officers discovered them on Jan. 6.

A grand jury indicted Cole on four counts: interstate transportation of explosives, malicious intent to use explosives, an act of terrorism while armed and attempting to use weapons of mass destruction.

No deaths have been reported and the source of the cyclospora infections hasn't been identified. Meanwhile, investigations into similar illnesses have been going on in 28 other states, including in Ohio, where people just across the Michigan border are also becoming sick.

Michigan officials first announced the outbreak last week, when they were aware of more than 170 cases — all in the southeastern corner of the state — since June 22. Michigan usually identifies only about 50 cases each year.

On Wednesday, the state reported the number had grown to 992, including about 40 hospitalizations. Just across the state line, Lucas County, Ohio, reported 306 cases as of Wednesday. Northwest Ohio has seen more than 500 cases.

Cyclospora surges can be tricky to investigate, and food poisoning sources can be hard to establish. But “there is clearly a linked outbreak happening right now,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Here's what to know about the current situation:

What is cyclospora?

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is not usually life threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.

It’s less common than a number of other kinds of foodborne illnesses, including salmonella and E. coli. For years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported each year. But the number started rising about a decade ago, with a particularly notable spike in 2018 and 2019. Experts attribute the increases to climate change and better detection.

How does this outbreak compare to previous ones in the US?

Comprehensive data on cyclospora outbreaks is lacking. But available information shows only a small number of documented outbreaks in the last 20 years have surpassed 1,000 cases. That short list includes a 1997 outbreak tied to Guatemalan raspberries that sickened more than 1,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and a 2019 outbreak linked to Mexican basil that sickened more than 2,400.

There are several reasons it's challenging to know the exact toll, said Melanie Firestone, a University of Minnesota foodborne illness researcher. Some tests used to check for types of food poisoning are not geared to detect cyclospora, “so there is a lot of underreporting when it comes to this,” she said.

Other challenges: Technicians aren't able to grow the parasite in labs, making it hard to draw evidence from contaminated produce. And it can be hard to figure out what food sick people had in common, because sometimes it’s a single ingredient that might be common in multiple recipes — like basil or cilantro.

Also, it's possible that food distributors may channel contaminated foods to both grocery stores and restaurants, making it hard to discern where tainted food came from. Investigations can take months and sometimes never find a clear source.

What's the current situation?

Cases seem to be surging in and around southeastern Michigan. But it's not considered a national health emergency.

There's no evidence that the parasite has evolved to become more infectious, said Dianna Blau, the CDC's acting parasitic diseases branch chief.

Thousands of cyclospora illnesses are reported in the U.S. each year and it's not yet clear how unusual this year will be, she added. That said, the case total so far is four times higher than at the same point last year, according to current CDC national data, which lags dramatically from what's being reported by the states.

Michigan appears to be suffering the worst of it, but the state's aggressiveness in investigating and reporting cases may be “part of the reason why this looks like a Michigan problem,” Bagdasarian said.

How can you protect yourself from cyclospora?

People who have diarrhea that hasn’t gone away on its own within a few days should see a health provider and discuss the possibility of cyclospora, officials say.

The best way to prevent infection with a parasite is to avoid food or water that may have been contaminated.

Fresh produce should be thoroughly washed before being eaten. But be aware that cyclospora can really stick to some foods, so washing may not eliminate the risk of infection.

As Michigan officials investigate the potential source, they recommend consumers purchase whole heads of lettuce rather than prewashed, bagged lettuce or salad mixes, and to remove the outer two to three leaves before washing the remaining leaves under running water.

They also say to cook vegetables when possible.

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

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It happened during the early morning hours on Wednesday along the 5200 block of Wiley Street in Hollywood.

Authorities have since identified the suspect as Kevin Lamar Bryant, 38.

According to Hollywood police, officers responded to the home around 1:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a disturbance involving a man.

When they arrived, officers said Bryant barricaded himself inside, and then around 4 a.m. intentionally set a fire inside the home.

Crews with Hollywood Fire Rescue quickly responded and were able to extinguish the fire, which they said caused significant damage to the home which had previously been condemned.

Juan Benitez, who lives next door, said it was police officers banging on his door that woke him up and helped him to safety.

“They said, ‘Get out of the house, the house is on fire,’” Benitez said. “It’s like something out of a movie, it’s unrealistic. First time something like that has ever happened to me.”

Police said they were then able to remove Bryant from the engulfed home before taking him custody without further incident.

“He was just yelling nonsense,” said Benitez. “I couldn’t understand.”

According to HFR, Bryant suffers from severe mental illness and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

It's been the same for much of Kostyuk’s run to the semifinals.

On Monday, after Russian missiles struck residential buildings close to where Kostyuk's parents live, she had to block that out to play her fourth-round match at the Grand Slam tournament. Last week, Russia hammered the Ukrainian capital with an 11-hour drone and missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians.

For Kostyuk, every day is about finding a way to focus on tennis while not shutting her eyes to what is going on at home.

“It’s not easy to disconnect entirely,” Kostyuk said after beating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last four at Wimbledon for the first time.

“It was really tough for me last week when the first big attack happened," the 24-year-old Kostyuk continued. "Then on Monday they ruined like four streets of residential buildings. It was like five kilometers away from where my parents live. Again, another difficult night and a lot of dead people, innocent people, kids. It’s not easy. I try to be aware of everything that’s going on. Of course, I try for these things not to influence me too much.”

The 12th-seeded Kostyuk is in her second straight Grand Slam semifinal after losing to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the last four at the French Open. The two did not shake hands before that match, which has become the standard procedure for meetings between Russian and Ukrainian players since the war broke out in 2022.

Like in most sports, Russian players have competed as neutrals on the men's and women's tennis tours since then. But the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday provisionally lifted its ban on Russia and recommended that individual sports drop the neutral status for athletes.

The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed that decision as an “important step” toward reinstating the rights of Russian athletes.

Kostyuk had a different take.

“My thoughts are that it’s terrible,” Kostyuk said. “I think it’s very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine. I 100 percent don’t agree with this decision. ... I just want to go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in the Olympics.”

There are no Russian singles players left in the Wimbledon tournament. Kostyuk will face Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic on Thursday. In the other semifinal, American Coco Gauff takes on another Czech player, Karolina Muchova.

Kostyuk is the second woman from Ukraine to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon after Elina Svitolina did it in 2019 and 2023.

Svitolina lost on both occasions. So what would it mean for Ukraine if Kostyuk becomes the country's first finalist?

“I’m hoping,” she said, “it would mean a lot.”

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

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Watson, 42, pleaded guilty last Thursday to aggravated battery in connection with the violent confrontation on Dec. 29, 2024, at Elevation Fitness on North Miami Avenue.

According to arrest documents, Watson told responding officers he was working out when the victim approached him and said he wanted to fight.

Surveillance video from inside the gym captured Watson beating the victim with his weightlifting belt. The video also appears to show a couple other men joining in on the attack.

“Next time I’m going to kill that mother****er, straight up,” Watson is hearing telling responding police officers in bodycam footage, also released Wednesday. “Because I’m sick of this shit, like me defending myself. Even having to f***ing sit here right now. You know how pissed off I am that I get attacked in the f***ing gym and this is f***ing happening?”

WARNING: The following video contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.

“I’ve got respect for you guys, but f*** that,” Watson continued. “You guys saw a mother****er attack me and I’m sitting here like I’m in f***ing trouble. I’m leaving.”

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors offered Watson a sentence of 21 months in prison, including time already served, followed by seven years of probation and mental health treatment.

During last Thursday’s hearing, Watson’s attorney argued the circumstances leading up to the fight were unusual.

“There’s been a lot that’s been argued in this case about stand your ground,” defense attorney Eric Clayman said. “What’s unique is you have an alleged victim that sought somebody out because of his presence online. This guy bought a plane ticket, came through New Jersey, showed up at the gym for the sole purpose of confronting Mr. Watson. That turned into something else.”

Records show that Watson is a convicted felon and is also facing multiple unrelated criminal charges in Broward County, including charges of felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and allegations related to domestic violence involving his girlfriend.

Watson is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for sentencing in the Miami-Dade case.

Watson, de 42 años, se declaró culpable el jueves pasado de agresión agravada en relación con el violento enfrentamiento ocurrido el 29 de diciembre de 2024 en Elevation Fitness, en North Miami Avenue.

Según los documentos de arresto, Watson les dijo a los agentes que respondieron al incidente que estaba haciendo ejercicio cuando la víctima se le acercó y le dijo que quería pelear.

El video de vigilancia del interior del gimnasio captó a Watson golpeando a la víctima con su cinturón de levantamiento de pesas. El video también parece mostrar a otros dos hombres uniéndose al ataque.

“La próxima vez voy a matar a ese hijo de puta, así de simple”, se escucha decir a Watson a los agentes que respondieron al incidente en las imágenes de la cámara corporal, también divulgadas el miércoles. “Porque estoy harto de esta mierda, de tener que defenderme. Incluso de tener que estar aquí sentado ahora mismo. ¿Sabes lo molesto que estoy porque me atacan en el maldito gimnasio y está pasando toda esta mierda?”

ADVERTENCIA: El siguiente video contiene lenguaje explícito. Se recomienda discreción al público.

“I’ve got respect for you guys, but f*** that,” Watson continued. “You guys saw a mother****er attack me and I’m sitting here like I’m in f***ing trouble. I’m leaving.”

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors offered Watson a sentence of 21 months in prison, including time already served, followed by seven years of probation and mental health treatment.

During last Thursday’s hearing, Watson’s attorney argued the circumstances leading up to the fight were unusual.

“There’s been a lot that’s been argued in this case about stand your ground,” defense attorney Eric Clayman said. “What’s unique is you have an alleged victim that sought somebody out because of his presence online. This guy bought a plane ticket, came through New Jersey, showed up at the gym for the sole purpose of confronting Mr. Watson. That turned into something else.”

Records show that Watson is a convicted felon and is also facing multiple unrelated criminal charges in Broward County, including charges of felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and allegations related to domestic violence involving his girlfriend.

Watson is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for sentencing in the Miami-Dade case.

Las familias en La Guaira, el estado más afectado, van a la playa para darse un baño y hacer sus necesidades, y ahora hay excremento en partes de las antes concurridas playas caribeñas. Otros están usando la poca agua que no se derramó de los tinacos de las casas para lavar los platos y asearse. Muchas viven en refugios temporales o a la intemperie después de que 190 edificios se derrumbaron y otros 856 resultaron dañados, según las autoridades venezolanas, en los terremotos consecutivos del 24 de junio que dejaron 3.811 muertos.

“Siempre tenemos agua en el tanque —agua reservada—, pero con el terremoto, la mayoría de los tanques de las casas se rompieron”, comentó Juliani Herrera, de 20 años, sobre los grandes tanques azules de plástico que muchas familias venezolanas usan para almacenar agua los días en que la empresa estatal presta servicio en las zonas. “Ahora tenemos que esperar a ver si viene una cisterna y llenar tobos (baldes)”.

Algunas de las comunidades afectadas sólo tenían servicio de agua potable una o dos veces al mes incluso antes de los terremotos. En Maiquetía, conocida por albergar el principal aeropuerto del país, la gente hizo fila el miércoles para recibir una caja con la bandera de Estados Unidos que contenía alimentos, agua y un kit de higiene que incluía un jabón, un cepillo de dientes y toallitas para limpieza corporal.

Herrera recibió una de las cajas que se repartieron en un campamento junto a la playa. La cargó durante varias cuadras, con el mentón, la parte superior del brazo y las manos cubiertos de rasguños que se hizo cuando se cayó de una motocicleta mientras el suelo se sacudía violentamente al producirse los sismos.

El gobierno de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez ha estimado que los terremotos dejaron a unas 18.000 personas sin hogar. Los desplazados ahora viven en escuelas, aceras, parques, plazas y otros espacios públicos.

Beatriz Ochoa, jefa regional de incidencia para América Latina del Consejo Noruego para Refugiados, señaló en un comunicado que se necesitan mejores condiciones para prevenir la propagación de enfermedades, ya que las personas viven en entornos densamente poblados, con altas temperaturas y lluvias estacionales, y con privacidad limitada.

“He visto a familias haciendo todo lo que pueden para mantener la dignidad en condiciones extremadamente difíciles”, dijo. “En un refugio temporal, vi a familias organizándose para mantener limpios los espacios comunes, incluso mediante retretes improvisados y arreglos básicos para la gestión de desechos. Su determinación es notable, pero las familias no deberían tener que llevar solas esta carga”.

Rodríguez anunció el miércoles que su gobierno ya estaba trabajando con expertos para identificar áreas apropiadas para “construir nuevas viviendas y ciudades antisísmicas”. Agregó que también se había convocado a empresas locales e internacionales “para la construcción agresiva y rápida de viviendas”.

Rodríguez también dijo que había “decidido enviar una carta, entre otros, al rey de Inglaterra” para solicitar la liberación de las reservas de oro venezolanas congeladas en el Banco de Inglaterra debido a sanciones económicas.

La Oficina de las Naciones Unidas para la Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres ha estimado los daños físicos directos a la vivienda y la infraestructura en alrededor de 37.000 millones de dólares.

El jefe de ayuda humanitaria de la ONU, Tom Fletcher, se reunió con Rodríguez y con sobrevivientes del terremoto el miércoles, cuando la Oficina de Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios de la organización emitió un llamado por aproximadamente 300 millones de dólares para ayudar a 1,3 millones de venezolanos con necesidad urgente de asistencia.

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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.

Department of Homeland Security officials said in a statement that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, ignored commands while trying to evade arrest during an enforcement operation. They say he attempted to ram his car into an agent, who opened fire in self-defense.

Araujo's family said he was on his way to work at a construction job. He died on the way to the hospital.

The fatal shooting drew immediate criticism from immigrants rights groups and some Democrats who called for an independent investigation and for all footage, communication and evidence to be preserved.

Video footage in several previous shootings has contradicted the accounts of federal officers. No immigration officers have been charged in those fatal encounters.

Man shot during vacation trip traffic stop

A fatal late-night traffic stop in Texas in March 2025 marked the earliest deadly shooting by federal officers during the nationwide immigration crackdown. It took almost a year for records in the fatal shooting of the 23-year-old U.S. citizen to be disclosed.

A Homeland Security Investigations team was conducting an immigration enforcement operation with local police when agents stopped Ruben Ray Martinez on his way from San Antonio to South Padre Island. Family members said he had just turned 23 and was with his best friend on his way to celebrate.

DHS officials said Martinez was told to exit the vehicle, refused and instead “intentionally ran over” an agent. Another agent fired shots through the open driver's window, striking Martinez, who died at a hospital. The HSI agent was treated for an undisclosed knee injury.

Martinez's mother said she was contacted by investigators with the Texas Rangers who told her there was video that contradicted the account given by federal agents. Federal and state authorities have declined to comment on potential discrepancies.

Nurse shot during Minneapolis protest

A Border Patrol officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, during a Jan. 24 protest against the Metro Surge immigration operation in Minneapolis.

Federal authorities immediately described Pretti, a U.S. citizen, as an armed agitator who was a threat to officers. But bystander video showed Pretti was on the ground and had been holding a cellphone during the interaction with officers.

The video showed an officer appearing to pull a gun from Pretti's waistband and step away before the first shot was fired by another officer, followed by more shots. Pretti had a permit to possess a firearm.

State and local officials pushed back against the federal officials' initial characterizations of Pretti, with Gov. Tim Walz calling the comments “despicable.”

Driver shot behind the wheel of an SUV

Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, was repeatedly shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Videos show she was turning the wheels of her car away from officer, Jonathan Ross, when he opened fire. Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended Ross, claiming his life was at risk from the moving vehicle.

Good’s death caused a firestorm across the country. The U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t share information on the shooting with state authorities.

State and local officials subsequently sued to try to stop the immigration sweeps. Protesters with whistles trailed officers who, in response, deployed tear gas and other chemical irritants.

Cook from Mexico shot during a traffic stop

ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop Sept. 12 in suburban Chicago. Relatives said the 38-year-old line cook from Mexico had dropped off a child at daycare that morning.

At the time, DHS officials said agents were pursuing a man with a history of reckless driving who was in the country illegally. They alleged Villegas González evaded arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle.

Homeland Security said the officer opened fire fearing for his life and was hospitalized with “serious injuries.” However, local police videos showed the agent walking around and dismissing his injuries as “nothing major.”

DHS has said the death remains under investigation.

Farmworker fell from greenhouse roof during ICE raid

Authorities were arresting dozens of farmworkers July 10 at Glass House Farms in southern California when Jaime Alanis fell from the roof of a greenhouse and broke his neck. The 57-year-old laborer from Mexico died at a hospital two days later.

Relatives said Alanis had spent a decade working at the farm in Camarillo, about an hour east of Los Angeles. During the raid, Alanis called family to say he was hiding. Officials said he fell about 30 feet (9 meters) from the greenhouse roof.

Homeland Security said Alanis was never in custody and was not being chased by immigration authorities.

Man struck on California freeway after running from officers

A man fleeing from immigration officers outside a Home Depot store in southern California died after being hit by an SUV as he tried to cross a freeway on Aug. 14.

Police in Monrovia, northeast of Los Angeles, said ICE agents were conducting enforcement operations when the man was hit while running across the eastbound lanes of Interstate 210.

The man, identified by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network as Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, 52, of Guatemala, died at a hospital.

Homeland Security said Montoya Valdez wasn’t being pursued by immigration authorities when he ran.

Gardener from Honduras killed on Virginia interstate

A pickup truck fatally struck Josué Castro Rivera on a highway in Norfolk, Virginia, as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop on Oct. 23.

Castro Rivera, 24, of Honduras, was heading to a gardening job with three passengers when ICE officers pulled over the vehicle, according to his brother, Henry Castro.

State and federal authorities said Castro Rivera ran away on foot and was hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 264.

Homeland Security said Castro Rivera’s vehicle was stopped as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation and that Castro Rivera had “resisted heavily and fled.”

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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Lauer reported from Philadelphia. AP reporters Ed White in Detroit; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; and Michael Biesecker in Washington contributed.

Oil prices rose to their highest point in weeks after President Donald Trump declared the U.S. ceasefire with Iran over, responding to Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and on American military sites in other Gulf nations. Costlier crude oil could lead to costlier gas station fill-ups as drivers in many countries were getting a break from elevated prices brought on by the war.

“Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran," said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, in an email. “Oil markets reacted quickly to the renewed geopolitical risk."

U.S. gasoline prices increased slightly Wednesday to an average of $3.80 for a gallon of regular, up from $3.79 the day before, but still well below the month-ago average of $4.16, according to motor club federation AAA.

Crude oil makes up the bulk of the price of gasoline, so when oil prices rise, gasoline eventually follows. But it can take weeks for consumers to feel the full impacts. That's because refiners make gasoline with oil purchased in advance. The finished product then has to travel through a system of pipelines and trucks to reach gas station pumps.

Gas station owners set prices at the pump, and to stay competitive, they sometimes absorb the impact of higher oil prices instead of immediately passing it along to customers.

To suppress high oil prices during the war, the U.S. and other countries released oil from their emergency stockpiles starting in March. But those stockpiles won’t last forever.

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve held 319.5 million barrels as of July 3. The last time the inventory was that low was in 1983, when the reserve was initially being filled up.

“Unfortunately, the drawdown of strategic stocks means that there is a lot less ammunition in Trump’s holster,” said Michael Lynch, a distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts.

A barrel of U.S. benchmark crude was selling for $75.80 on Wednesday, the highest price in more than two weeks. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed close to $79 per barrel, its highest level since June 19.

The market reaction "highlights how sensitive prices remain to any escalation around the strait, given its role as a critical transit route for global oil flows,” Leon said.

Shipping uncertainty increases after fresh strikes

A day after the U.S. accused Iran of striking three commercial vessels and revoked the country's ability to openly sell crude oil on the world market, some advised the shipping industry to reconsider whether it was safe to send crewed ships through the Strait of Hormuz — and the wider Middle East.

International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned attacks on ships in the strait.

“As long as the safety and security of crews cannot be assured, I urge flag states, shipowners, operators and all relevant authorities to avoid exposing seafarers to unnecessary danger by transiting the strait,” Dominguez said Wednesday. “The situation in the region remains volatile.”

Some traffic traversed the strait on Tuesday, according to data and analytics company Kpler, which verified 41 crossings compared to 36 on Monday. It was unclear if the crossings happened before or after the strikes. Some vessels also are going “dark” to pass through the strait and not broadcasting their locations, further complicating a complete count.

With the central route through the strait uncrossable due to mines, ships have been using two other routes, the smaller northern route, which goes through Iranian waters, and the southern route, which goes through Omani waters. The three ships struck Tuesday appeared to be using the Omani route.

An economist at advisory firm Oxford Economics said the ceasefire probably would continue to be on-and-off and Washington and Tehran could still deescalate the latest tensions instead of returning to war.

“The question is whether the latest developments merely represent a bump in the road or if we’re emerging from the ‘eye of the storm,‘” Ben May, the firm's director of global macroeconomic research, wrote in a research note. “While Trump said negotiations with Iran were a ‘waste of time’, he maintained an off-ramp by noting that U.S. negotiators would continue talks with Iran, suggesting the truce hasn’t been irrevocably broken.”

The new doubts about the Strait of Hormuz came after two of the biggest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, announced Monday that their Gemini Corporation joint partnership would gradually resume service in the Suez Canal, which was paused due to attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis.

Recent stability in the Middle East created the conditions for the companies' decision, but "the recent deterioration could put this resumption in jeopardy once again,” said Judah Levine, head of research at freight booking platform Freightos. “The said.

Hapag-Lloyd said in a Wednesday statement that it made the joint decision after “thorough assessments of the security situation in the Red Sea area” and “if the situation changes or deteriorates, contingency plans are in place.”

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Watson, 42, appeared in Miami-Dade court as part of a plea agreement stemming from the incident at Elevation Fitness.

According to arrest documents, Watson told responding officers he was working out when the victim approached him and said he wanted to fight. Investigators say surveillance video captured Watson beating the victim with his weightlifting belt during the altercation.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors offered Watson a sentence of 21 months in prison, including time already served, followed by seven years of probation and mental health treatment.

During Thursday’s hearing, Watson’s attorney argued the circumstances leading up to the fight were unusual.

“There’s been a lot that’s been argued in this case about stand your ground,” defense attorney Eric Clayman said. “What’s unique is you have an alleged victim that sought somebody out because of his presence online. This guy bought a plane ticket, came through New Jersey, showed up at the gym for the sole purpose of confronting Mr. Watson. That turned into something else.”

Watson is a convicted felon and is also facing multiple unrelated criminal charges in Broward County, including charges of felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and allegations related to domestic violence involving his girlfriend.

Watson is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for sentencing in the Miami-Dade case.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner, two-time World Series champion and 2011 AL MVP will retire after this season with the Detroit Tigers.

Verlander made the announcement on Wednesday, shortly after he was added as a Legend Pick to the American League All-Star roster.

“While I'm fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I've decided this will be my last,” Verlander shared on social media. “It's fitting that I get to finish where it all started — with the Detroit Tigers, the organization that drafted me and gave me my first opportunity.”

Oldest player in the majors

The 43-year-old Verlander is the oldest player in Major League Baseball. He signed a $13 million, one-year contract to rejoin the Tigers in February.

Verlander allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings during a 9-6 road loss at Arizona on March 30.

That was his only start this year.

“It’s time for the next chapter,” Verlander said. “But first, I’m excited to finish this season the only way I know how — with everything I’ve got.”

Verlander has dealt with injuries this season

Verlander went on the injured list with hip inflammation early in the season and when the right-hander was nearing a return last month, he pulled a hamstring during a bullpen session.

“It just felt like I was plugging holes in a boat,” Verlander said at Wednesday's news conference. “When you kind of put everything together and consider everything, I’ve been kind of trending toward this decision for quite a while."

He was scheduled to pitch in June and make what would have been his first start with the Tigers at Comerica Park since August 30, 2017 — the day before he was traded to the Astros.

He still intends to make that start, and is scheduled to throw a bullpen before Thursday's game against the Athletics.

“I do want to focus on playing the rest of the season,” he said. “I think there will be a time to really sit here and reminisce and focus more on the actual retirement. Right now, my focus is still to get out there and be the best version of myself I can be for this team. We are playing great baseball right now, and things are going well, and we’re trending in the right direction.

“I’m champing at the bit to be part of it.”

Cy Young winner and World Series champion

Verlander went 183-115 from 2005 to 2017 with the Tigers. He won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and both the AL MVP and Cy Young Award in 2011. He helped Detroit reach the World Series in 2006 and 2012 along with four straight division titles from 2011 to 2014.

Verlander was the 2017 ALCS MVP in Houston and helped the Astros win the World Series that year and was a key player for them when they won another title in 2022. He won his second and third Cy Young Award in 2019 and 2022.

“I've been fortunate to play with and against incredible players, for outstanding organizations, and compete in front of fans who deeply appreciate the game,” Verlander said.

All-Star Game tribute

While he will not play in the All-Star Game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Verlander will be at the game in Philadelphia on Tuesday and will be honored during the festivities.

“The opportunity to attend once again is something I'll cherish and it will be an incredibly special moment for me and my family," said Verlander, who is married to model Kate Upton and has two children.

Verlander has a career record of 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA in 556 starts across 21 Major League seasons with the Tigers, Astros, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. He has 3,554 strikeouts while tossing 26 complete games, including nine shutouts.

He joins Bryce Harper of the host Philadelphia Phillies as a Legend Pick for the 2026 Midsummer Classic. Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Clayton Kershaw in 2025 have been recognized as baseball legends at previous All-Star games.

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

It came despite a fresh storm of old Trump criticism toward U.S. allies that seemed to put his commitment in doubt. In the end, Trump told reporters, “There was a lot of love in that room. A lot of unity."

"We’ve had a tremendous time and I think a great success," Trump said later at a news conference.

In a declaration, the leaders said their pledge to Article 5 of NATO’s treaty is “ironclad.” They said that “an attack on one is an attack on all.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said U.S. allies “warmly welcomed President Trump’s leadership.” It jarred after Trump had insisted his America should take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous part of ally Denmark.

“The message from this summit is simple. NATO delivers,” Rutte said.

Here are some takeaways from the summit.

Iran strikes and a possible NATO role

Most of the time, U.S. military strikes are ordered up while the president is close to home.

So Trump’s decision to authorize retaliatory strikes on Iran shortly after leaving a NATO leaders’ dinner was unusual, and underscored a beef he has with the alliance.

Trump has complained bitterly that allies didn’t help him keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

Intriguingly, Rutte refused to rule out a future role for the alliance in the war.

“Obviously Iran is outside NATO territory,” Rutte said. He added: “If helpful, NATO is always willing to play a role. But first now, let’s see what happens over the coming days and weeks.” It’s something likely to please Trump.

NATO prides itself as a defensive alliance focused on protecting the transatlantic area. Its last venture outside, into Afghanistan, ended in chaos and allies are reluctant to get drawn into any other war.

Let them have Patriots, and perhaps F-35s

Trump said the U.S. will give a license for its Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas for Ukraine to counter Russian missile attacks — a huge coup for Ukraine, which sorely needs the technology for a war now in its fifth year.

“We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.”

Patriots are expensive, in high demand and take a long time to produce. Zelenskyy has for years been asking for more, and recently for a license so that Ukraine can manufacture its own, and faster.

In an uplifting moment for the summit host, Trump announced that the U.S. was prepared to lift sanctions on Turkey, opening the way for the possible sale of F-35 jets to the country, despite objections from Israel.

"I haven’t totally made up my mind,” he said.

Ankara purchased Russian missile defense systems in 2019 and was kicked out of the F-35 program.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has developed a close relationship with Trump, gave a thumbs-up after an interpreter relayed the news.

Good news for Ukraine; a softer Trump tone and a big loan

Beyond the Patriot announcement, Trump dropped his usual critical tone with Zelenskyy and praised his willingness to reach a deal on ending the fighting in Ukraine.

Trump said the Ukrainian president has “done an amazing job” and “been very effective” in the war.

“We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe,” Trump said.

NATO leaders, meanwhile, agreed on a 70 billion euro ($80 billion) package of military support for Ukraine both this year and in 2027.

The figure involves 30 billion euros each year from a European Union loan program for Ukraine plus 40 billion euros from NATO allies. The Trump administration has all but stopped U.S. spending on Ukraine, and the United States will not take part.

NATO diplomats say that most of the 40 billion euros for 2026 has already been raised.

More cash and defense deals, and a stronger Europe

The meeting was marked by Rutte’s high-energy sales pitch to Trump. The former Dutch prime minister estimated that European allies and Canada would spend almost $300 billion more on defense this year and last.

At a “big reveal” defense industry event, backed by thumping techno music and slick videos, Rutte hailed the “tens of billions” of dollars that were being spent on weapons and military equipment contracts.

“I would argue that without you in this chair, this would not have happened,” Rutte told Trump in a tete-a-tete just before the meeting began. “Grab the win. It’s there.” Trump appears to have done so.

In their summit declaration, the leaders marked the start of a major transformation at the world’s biggest military alliance, saying that they are “building the future: a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.”

Mystery surrounds NATO’s next summit

Albania was left wondering when, and perhaps even whether, it will host NATO’s next summit.

The Balkans country had been due to host one in 2027, but instead of referencing that rendezvous as they usually do, the leaders only said: “We look forward to our next meeting.”

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, a former professional basketball player, is generally well liked by his fellow leaders, but some NATO allies have cooled on the idea of holding a summit in Albania given his country’s low rate of defense spending.

Others want to avoid another potentially divisive meeting with Trump. Rutte said that Albania would be the venue, "but of course we still have to decide on an exact time.”

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Ankara, Turkey, and Michelle L. Price and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

Families in the hardest-hit state, La Guaira, have taken to the beach to shower and relieve themselves, with excrement now dotting parts of the once-crowded Caribbean beaches. Others are using the little water that did not spill from their home storage tanks to do dishes and clean themselves. Many are living in temporary shelters or outdoors after 190 buildings collapsed and 856 others were damaged, according to Venezuelan officials, in the back-to-back earthquakes on June 24 that killed 3,811 people.

“We always have water in the tank — water reserved — but with the earthquake, most of the tanks in the houses broke,” Juliani Herrera, 20, said of the large blue plastic tanks that many Venezuelan families use to store water on days when the state-owned utility services the areas. “Now, we have to wait to see if a tanker comes and fills buckets.”

Some of the affected communities only had potable water service once every month or two even before the earthquakes. In Maiquetía, known for being home to the country’s main airport, people lined up Wednesday to receive a box bearing the United States flag containing food, water and a hygiene kit that included a soap, toothbrush and body cleansing towelettes.

Herrera received one of the boxes that were handed out at a tent camp adjacent to the beach. She carried it for several blocks, her chin, upper arm and hands covered with iodine-stained scratches that she got when she fell from a motorcycle as the ground shook violently when the quakes hit.

The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has estimated that the earthquakes left about 18,000 people without a home. The displaced are now living in schools, sidewalks, parks, plazas and other public spaces.

Beatriz Ochoa, regional head of advocacy for Latin America at the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement that improved conditions are necessary to prevent spread of diseases as people are living in densely populated settings under high temperatures and seasonal rains and with limited privacy.

“I have seen families doing everything they can to maintain dignity in extremely difficult conditions,” she said. “In one temporary shelter, I saw families organizing themselves to keep common spaces clean, including through makeshift toilets and basic waste management arrangements. Their determination is remarkable, but families should not have to shoulder this burden alone.”

Rodríguez on Wednesday announced that her government was already working with experts to identify appropriate areas to “build new earthquake-resistant homes and cities.” She added that local and international companies had also been called up “for the rapid and aggressive construction of housing.”

Rodríguez also said she had “decided to send a letter, among others, to the King of England” to request the release of Venezuelan gold reserves frozen at the Bank of England due to economic sanctions.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has estimated direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure around $37 billion.

The U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher met with Rodríguez and earthquake survivors on Wednesday, when the organization's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million Venezuelans in urgent need of aid.

As people like Herrera lined up steps away from the sea and waited for a box of aid under a bright sky, a shared emotional landscape dominated by exhaustion and disbelief hung over the camp. Among the tents, a hand-painted cardboard sign read “Ciudad Bendita,” or Blessed City.

“The worry is always when people are silent because you can really then see the trauma that they’re going through,” he said. “At many of the sites we visited today we saw people not speaking, in complete hopeless despair, but elsewhere you did also see kids playing football, getting a good meal, and so you can see the humanitarian response also having its impact.”

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

La espectacular jugada de Erling Haaland, con sus siete goles, impulsó al equipo a disputar los primeros cuartos de final en la historia del país. El sábado harán historia en Miami Gardens.

Con una estatura de 1,96 metros, el delantero de 25 años aseguró la victoria contra Brasil con un doblete en la segunda mitad. Martin Ødegaard, capitán de Noruega , cuenta con él para el partido contra Inglaterra.

“Va a ser una gran prueba para nosotros”, dijo Ødegaard el miércoles sobre el partido de las 5 de la tarde del sábado en el Hard Rock Stadium.

El equipo noruego entrenó el miércoles en el Inter Miami CF Chase Stadium en Fort Lauderdale.

Durante una rueda de prensa, Ødegaard describió a los jugadores de Inglaterra, algunos de los cuales son sus compañeros de equipo en la Premier League, como “sobresalientes” y de “clase mundial”.

Para Haaland, el partido también será un duelo por la Bota de Oro contra Harry Kane, el capitán de Inglaterra. y el Bayern de Múnich.

Inglaterra estuvo entrenando el miércoles en Kansas City .

Otros seis equipos también avanzaron a los cuartos de final, que comienzan el jueves.

• Marruecos y Francia avanzaron para jugar a las 4 de la tarde del 9 de julio.
• Bélgica y España avanzaron para jugar a las 3 de la tarde del 10 de julio.
• Suiza y Argentina avanzaron para jugar a las 9 pm del 11 de julio.

Noticia relacionada: Aficionados argentinos celebran en Miami Beach tras avanzar a cuartos de final

Eliminaciones

Ocho equipos fueron eliminados: Colombia , Egipto , Estados Unidos , Portugal , Canadá , Paraguay , México y Brasil .

Noticia relacionada : Rubén Vargas clasifica a Suiza para los cuartos de final del Mundial tras vencer a Colombia en la tanda de penaltis.

El torneo, que se celebra cada cuatro años, comenzó el 11 de junio con 48 equipos participantes.

Tras los partidos disputados en 12 grupos de cuatro, 16 equipos fueron eliminados. Los dieciseisavos de final, que se jugaron entre el 28 de junio y el viernes, eliminaron a los 16 restantes .

Enlace relacionado : Ver el cuadro de eliminatorias

CALENDARIO DEL TORNEO

Cuartos de final

9 de julio

Marruecos contra Francia a las 16:00

10 de julio

Bélgica contra España a las 15:00

11 de julio

• El partido entre Noruega e Inglaterra es a las 17:00.
• Suiza contra Argentina a las 9 pm

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver el partido a las 17:00 horas del 11 de julio para quienes tengan entrada . El aparcamiento es gratuito.

Semifinales

14 de julio : Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 14 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

15 de julio : Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 15 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

Finales

18 de julio : El partido por el tercer puesto se disputará a las 17:00 horas en el Miami Stadium, más conocido como Hard Rock Stadium en Miami Gardens.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 18 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final de bronce de las 5 pm.

Viaje al amanecer al estadio : El Amerant Bank Arena ofrece estacionamiento gratuito para los poseedores de entradas para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA que utilicen el servicio de autobús exprés gratuito del condado de Broward para llegar al Miami Stadium, también conocido como Hard Rock, en Miami Gardens.

19 de julio : El partido final es a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a la 1 pm del 19 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final que comienza a las 3 pm.

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver la final el 19 de julio para los poseedores de entradas . El estacionamiento es gratuito.

In the first set of minutes released under new chair Kevin Warsh, “many” of the Fed's 19 officials said its key rate would be unchanged from or slightly below its current level of 3.6% by the end of this year. But “many” also said that it would likely be higher by year-end.

Forecasts released after the meeting ended June 17 showed that half of the 18 policymakers who submitted projections supported lifting rates by the end of this year, while the other half supported keeping them unchanged or reducing them. Warsh did not submit a forecast, reflecting his view that doing so can lock policymakers into a specific approach that is harder to change if the economy shifts direction.

Half support a hike by end of year, half don't

The minutes underscored the deep divisions among Fed officials, particularly over the future path of inflation. The policymakers generally expected inflation would decline as gas prices cooled and the effect of tariffs faded. Yet many officials also worried that massive investment in the artificial intelligence buildout would keep inflation elevated by lifting prices for semiconductors and other technology goods.

The minutes, released three weeks after the June 16-17 meeting, also said that a few officials believed there was “a case for raising” the Fed’s rate at that meeting, but they agreed to keep it unchanged, a decision that was approved by a unanimous vote. The minutes don't disclose the identities of which officials supported which outcomes.

Warsh was appointed by President Donald Trump earlier this year to replace Jerome Powell, whose term ended in May. Trump had repeatedly criticized Powell for not reducing borrowing costs quickly enough, but for now there's little sign Warsh is moving to cut rates. Powell, meanwhile, is still on the Fed's policymaking committee, serving a term as a Fed governor that lasts until January 2028.

During a news conference June 17, Warsh emphasized that the Fed will return inflation to its 2% target, which it has missed for more than five years. His comments were interpreted by economists and Wall Street investors as evidence that the Fed may hike rates later this year.

AI likely to be an inflation driver, minutes say

A key concern for many Fed officials is the potential for the AI buildout to contribute to higher inflation by pushing up prices for semiconductors, computer equipment, and electricity. Data centers require significant power to operate.

“Many participants noted that ongoing strong demand for AI infrastructure would likely sustain upward pressure on prices for technology products and electricity,” the minutes said.

Last month, Apple said it would increase the price of laptops and iPads because of more expensive memory chips.

Consumers are worried inflation will stay high

Inflation has worsened since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, reaching a three-year high of 4.2% in May. As the conflict has eased, gas prices have fallen back and inflation is likely to cool when June’s figures are reported next week.

But another concern for the Fed is whether Americans are increasingly expecting prices to stay high. If consumers and businesses assume inflation will remain elevated, such an outcome can become self-fulfilling. Businesses then are more likely to raise prices in anticipation of higher costs and more workers are likely seek higher pay to offset rising costs.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday that its measure of consumer expectations for inflation one year from now rose to 3.7%, the highest in nearly three years. Expectations for inflation in three years rose to 3.3%, a four-year high.

Most Fed officials, including Warsh, say they closely monitor expectations, though many put more weight on financial market measures. Those measures have been lower and more stable than those based on consumer surveys.

Los Dolphins realizarán ocho prácticas abiertas al público, además de una práctica adicional exclusivamente para los miembros con boletos de temporada. La entrada y el estacionamiento serán gratuitos para todas las prácticas del campamento de entrenamiento.

La primera práctica pública está programada para el domingo 2 de agosto como parte del “Back Together Weekend” de la NFL, presentado por Baptist Health.

Los aficionados también tendrán la oportunidad de ver al equipo participar en una práctica conjunta con los New York Giants el jueves 20 de agosto.

El equipo realizará una práctica en el Hard Rock Stadium el sábado 8 de agosto, que también estará abierta al público. Todas las prácticas comenzarán a las 9:30 a.m., a menos que se indique lo contrario.

Se recomienda a los aficionados confirmar su asistencia a través de la página oficial del campamento de entrenamiento de los Dolphins para recibir actualizaciones de asistencia, cambios en el calendario e información sobre obsequios.

El campamento de este año incluirá obsequios para los primeros 1,000 aficionados cada día, camiones de comida locales, actividades para los aficionados y una venta de garaje a beneficio de la Miami Dolphins Foundation.

Los organizadores del evento informaron que los aficionados que asistan a las prácticas en el Baptist Health Training Complex tendrán acceso a asientos bajo sombra con ventiladores y asientos tipo estadio por orden de llegada.

Algunos jugadores firmarán autógrafos después de las prácticas cada día, si el clima lo permite.

El campamento de entrenamiento de 2026 marcará el sexto año en que los Dolphins realizan prácticas en el Baptist Health Training Complex, que abrió en Miami Gardens en 2021.

Las fechas y horarios de las prácticas están sujetos a cambios. Los aficionados pueden encontrar las actualizaciones más recientes a través de la página oficial del campamento de entrenamiento de los Dolphins y de la cuenta oficial del equipo en X.

Los aficionados también tendrán su primer vistazo al plantel de los Dolphins conformado por el gerente general de primer año Jon-Eric Sullivan y el entrenador en jefe de primer año Jeff Hafley, quienes llegaron a Miami después de pasar tiempo con los Green Bay Packers.

Se espera que el mariscal de campo Malik Willis comience el campamento de entrenamiento como titular del equipo después de haber sido suplente de Jordan Love en Green Bay y de firmar en marzo un contrato de tres años y $67.5 millones USD con los Dolphins. El acuerdo incluye $45 millones USD totalmente garantizados al momento de la firma y un bono por firma de $22.25 millones USD.

Calendario público del campamento de entrenamiento 2026 de los Miami Dolphins

Fecha	Hora	Notas	Patrocinador
Domingo, 2 de agosto	9:30 a. m.	Fin de semana de reencuentro	Salud Bautista
Lunes, 3 de agosto	9:30 a. m.	Práctica pública	Pepsi
Martes, 4 de agosto	9:30 a. m.	Práctica pública	Gatorade Bajo en Azúcar
Jueves, agosto. 6	9:30 a.m.	Entrenamiento público	Snickers
Viernes, 7 de agosto	9:30 a.m.	Entrenamiento público	Ticketmaster
Sábado, 8 de agosto	10:15 a.m.	Entrenamiento en el Hard Rock Stadium	Bud Light
Lunes, 10 de agosto	9:30 a.m.	Entrenamiento público	City Home
Martes, 18 de agosto	9:30 a.m.	Día de los abonados	Publix
Jueves, 20 de agosto	9:30 a.m.	Práctica conjunta contra los New York Giants	Psycho Bunny

Leer en español

The Dolphins will host eight practices open to the public, along with one additional practice exclusively for season ticket members. Admission and parking will be free for all training camp practices.

The first public practice is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 2, as part of the NFL’s “Back Together Weekend,” presented by Baptist Health.

Fans will also have the chance to watch the team participate in a joint practice with the New York Giants on Thursday, Aug. 20.

The team will hold one practice at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 8, which will also be open to the public. All practices will begin at 9:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

Fans are encouraged to RSVP through the Dolphins’ official training camp page to receive attendance updates, schedule changes and information about giveaways.

This year’s camp will include giveaways for the first 1,000 fans each day, local food trucks, fan activities and a garage sale benefiting the Miami Dolphins Foundation.

Event organizers said fans attending practices at the Baptist Health Training Complex will have access to shaded seating with fans and stadium-style seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Select players will sign autographs after practices each day, weather permitting.

The 2026 training camp will mark the sixth year the Dolphins have held practices at the Baptist Health Training Complex, which opened in Miami Gardens in 2021.

Practice times and dates are subject to change. Fans can find the latest updates through the Dolphins’ official training camp page and the team’s official X account.

Fans will also get their first look at the Dolphins’ roster built by first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and first-year head coach Jeff Hafley, who both joined Miami after spending time with the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterback Malik Willis is expected to begin training camp as the team’s starter after spending time as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay and signing a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Dolphins in March. The deal includes $45 million fully guaranteed at signing and a $22.25 million signing bonus.

Miami Dolphins 2026 public training camp schedule

Letters to states and grant application details are the latest in a line of actions by Trump’s administration to shape details of running elections that have long been the job of states.

Courts have largely rejected the administration’s previous efforts, which reflect untrue claims about widespread voting fraud and come less than four months ahead of crucial midterm elections where Democrats seek to take control of one or both chambers of Congress and check Trump’s power.

“The overall point is that Trump is trying to use whatever levers of power and persuasive power that he might have to try to interfere with how states and localities are going to conduct the 2026 election,” said Rick Hasen, a UCLA law professor and the director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project. “Some of this is aimed at changing how the rules are conducted. Some of it appears to be aimed at undermining voter confidence in the integrity of the election process.”

Justice Department warns election officials of prosecution

In letters sent Tuesday, to election officials for all 50 states and the District of Columbia — often secretaries of state — the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division said they and other election administrators could face criminal charges if they knowingly allow nonvoters to vote or remain on voting rolls.

It also called on the states to tell the federal government within five days how they intend to comply with the law.

Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in election law, said it’s not clear the 50-state letter means anything except to restate some parts of the law, with a request to follow up, “which I’m sure many states will ignore.”

The letter also warns that anyone who knowingly and willfully gives false information in registering to vote or voting would face criminal prosecution.

Robert Weiner, director of the voting rights project for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the rate of voting by noncitizens is “infinitesimally small,” and he suggested the government's actions are motivated by factors other than securing elections.

"I predict that the president is trying to create chaos and then use that chaos to take drastic measures in states that oppose his policies or to refuse to recognize the results of the elections in those states,” Weiner said.

Antiterrorism grants include election requirements

A Federal Emergency Management Agency antiterrorism grant announcement in June includes a list of election-related requirements, saying that 20% of grants for states and urban areas would be withheld until they comply.

The program includes more than $1 billion for states and local and tribal governments for a variety of programs aimed at preventing terror at crowded places, online, with border security — and around elections. FEMA expects to award 56 grants.

“Recipients can ensure that their efforts contribute to a secure, transparent, and resilient electoral process, thereby reinforcing public trust and the integrity of democratic institutions,” the grant announcement says, noting that securing election infrastructure is a national security priority.

The list of items for states includes verifying the citizenship of all registered voters and election workers.

Places that use electronic voting systems that use bar codes or QR codes to count votes would have to submit plans to switch to hand-marked paper ballots. Every jurisdiction would have to show it audits results.

UCLA's Hasen said it could be difficult even for states that want to comply. It's too close to the midterm election to make some of the changes, he said, and some would require state legislatures to pass new laws.

The White House on Wednesday referred questions to FEMA, which did not immediately respond to an interview request.

Response from states appears to be partisan

Some states are pushing back, while others are defending the latest actions.

They seem to be breaking along party lines.

Oregon’s secretary of state, Democrat Tobias Read, accused the Justice Department of “knocking on our door again with more threats and no evidence to back up their fever dreams about non-existent voter fraud.”

Oregon elections are secure, accurate, and fair, he said, adding that he isn’t “intimidated by political threats or manufactured controversy.”

The Michigan secretary of state’s office, headed by Democrat Jocelyn Benson, said it has discussed its work repeatedly with the Justice Department and in public statements, congressional hearings and court testimony — information that it said “is either in the DOJ’s possession or easy reach.”

“We will be happy to provide it again to help address any confusion,” the office said in a statement.

In a statement, Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose defended the Justice Department’s missive to states, saying it’s reminding them of their legal obligation regarding election integrity. A lot of states aren’t taking it seriously, he said without giving examples or citing evidence. He said Ohio has worked with the federal government to ensure that its voter rolls are accurate and that only U.S. citizens vote.

Georgia's secretary of state's office says the state has already taken many of the actions required in the FEMA grant, including a citizenship audit of voter rolls.

Several of Trump's election actions have faced resistance

Trump has repeatedly and wrongly asserted that fraud cost him reelection in 2020, and his administration has put forth a series of policies and actions aimed at how elections are run.

In recent days, courts have rejected the Justice Department's effort to collect the names and contact information for every election worker in Georgia in the 2020 election and others trying to force New Hampshire and Pennsylvania to turn over detailed information about registered voters. With those rulings, the federal government has lost similar cases more than 10 times around its requests for details from 30 states and the District of Columbia.

Last week, a group of Democratic governors asked the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw its proposed rule seeking to implement an order from Trump to create a list of eligible voters — and potentially limit who can receive a ballot in the mail. A court previously put the order on hold, saying it was unconstitutional.

Also last week, the Supreme Court rebuked Trump and ruled that states can count mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day.

___

Associated Press reporters Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Bill Barrow, Kate Brumback and Josh Kelety contributed to this article.

Trump deposited the money in an account shortly after a jury ruled against him in 2023. The U.S. Supreme Court recently let the civil verdict stand, clearing the way for Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to release the money. The initial $5 million award has grown with interest.

The jury found Trump attacked Carroll in 1996 in the dressing room of a luxury Manhattan department store, and defamed her after she described it publicly in a 2019 memoir, during his first term as president. Trump called her allegations false and said “ she’s not my type ” in an interview.

Trump’s lawyers said Wednesday they would continue to appeal and accused his political opponents of using the legal system against him. They argued in appellate papers that Kaplan’s decision shouldn't be allowed to take effect because Trump has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.

Late Wednesday, Judge Eunice C. Lee of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their request to stop the money from being transferred to Carroll.

“It is time for this case to come to an end,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote in a filing with the appellate court.

“Carroll has waited more than three years for a jury’s verdict to be paid,” they wrote. “She should not have to wait any longer.”

The jury had reached its verdict — in a trial that Trump did not attend — after Carroll testified that their flirtatious and friendly chance encounter at the department store turned violent.

Trump insisted he never knew Carroll, now 82, a former advice columnist. He accused her of trying to sell books at his expense and of having political motives.

Carroll sued Trump after New York changed its laws to give sexual abuse survivors a fresh chance to sue over attacks that happened in the distant past.

Trump “has been stalling this case for years,” Kaplan wrote in a memorandum detailing his decision. “It is time for him to ‘do equity’ and pay the judgment.”

Trump is also appealing $83 million in defamation compensation granted to Carroll by a separate Manhattan jury after a 2024 trial where Trump briefly testified.

At that trial, Kaplan required the jury to accept the findings of the previous jury and only determine how much money, if any, Trump owed Carroll for comments he made about her while he was president.

Trump's lawyers complained that the judge, in setting rules for the damages trial, had barred Trump and his defense team from telling the jury that the encounter with Carroll never happened.

When the 2nd Circuit declined to let all of its judges rehear an appeal of the $83 million award, Circuit Judge Denny Chin wrote that Trump had said multiple times over many years that Carroll lied for political and financial gain and had suggested she was too unattractive for Trump to have sexually assaulted her.

“As a result of Trump’s statements, Carroll was harassed and humiliated, subjected to death threats, and feared for her physical safety for years,” Chin said.

“And Trump showed no remorse, continuing his attacks against Carroll during and after two federal trials, and even proclaiming two days into the Carroll I trial that he would continue to defame her ‘a thousand times.’”

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was working toward securing legal status in the U.S. and knew what to do if stopped by ICE, his son said.

Federal officials said they were stopping the vehicle in an immigration enforcement operation. Ronaldo Salgado said his father may have been scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were coming to steal the tools he had used for 35 years to build homes so he could send his three American sons to college.

“He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream,” Salgado said during a news conference.

The shooting happened Tuesday in Magnolia Park, a neighborhood that has been a hub for Houston's Mexican American community for a century. On Wednesday night, hundreds of people marched through the neighborhood chanting “ICE out of Houston!”

Federal officials say their vehicle was rammed but don’t provide evidence

Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. ICE officers were targeting him because he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the department, which oversees ICE. The man’s car struck an ICE vehicle, the department added.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Salgado Araujo had no criminal convictions.

Houston firefighters said he was shot in the abdomen. He died at a hospital.

Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on the ground, according to his son, who said one of them was his uncle.

Daniel Tirado was one of the other men in the van and called his wife briefly to say they were being followed, Tirado's stepdaughter Juana Degollado told The Associated Press.

“What he remembers is that an ICE agent shot Lorenzo and the van door was closed,” Degollado said.

Tirado wasn't able to contact his family until Wednesday morning, and the call lasted only five minutes, his stepdaughter said. They haven't been able to get additional information from ICE or the FBI.

Jose Rojas was also detained, according to his stepdaughter Griselda Silva. The 51-year-old Mexican national had lived in the U.S. for decades without legal status or a criminal record, she said.

ICE has not released the names of the people detained.

Federal officials have not released video or images of the shooting or the vehicles. Salgado on Tuesday joined civil rights groups and Democratic officials in urging federal authorities to release all the footage and other information it has on the shooting.

In several other shootings involving federal officers, initial descriptions by immigration officials have sometimes been contradicted later by video evidence.

Civil rights groups say ICE can't be trusted with the investigation

The federal crackdown has created a country where officers think they can “shoot and explain later,” League of United Latin American Citizens President Roman Palomares said.

The league offered a $5,000 reward for information and videos from witnesses. Ronaldo Salgado and several civil rights organizations called for an independent investigation. Some begged anyone with videos to not turn them over to ICE.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Salgado Araujo’s family and the community deserve the truth, but federal authorities are exclusively handling the investigation.

ICE and DHS representatives have not responded to repeated requests for additional comment Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over the department in March aiming to keep it away from the controversies that marked the tenure of his predecessor, Kristi Noem.

The shooting was at least the eighth death resulting from an encounter with federal immigration officers since the start of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Son says his father worked hard for decades

Ronaldo Salgado said his mother was told something bad had happened to his dad around 7 a.m. Tuesday. After frantically looking for him at his job site and finding his empty van, he saw a video.

“I recognized him, not from his appearance but from his voice crying for help as he lay on the street,” Salgado said.

Salgado Araujo met his wife as a teenager in Mexico. She made his lunch before he left for the day. He would listen to music and pet his dog on his porch, Salgado said.

Salgado said his dad had started the process of obtaining his work permit.

“We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment," Salgado said. "He was close to obtaining his legal status.”

Salgado Araujo had biometric scan and fingerprints done earlier this year and had carefully studied what to do if ICE pulled him over.

“Had my father seen an emblem of ICE or an emblem that says anything about a law enforcement agency, my father would have complied,” his son said.

Crowd marches in Houston, and Mexico's president criticizes the killing

On Wednesday night, a large crowd marched through the city's streets, with some waving Mexican flags or holding a banner that said “Abolish ICE,” while others held signs with Salgado Araujo's face on it.

The crowd started feet from where Salgado Araujo was shot and held a ceremony in his memory and prayer. They also filmed a video for his family of the crowd chanting, “You're not alone!” Garcia announced that she and other lawmakers sent a letter Wednesday to DHS demanding answers.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the country is “preparing legal measures” over the killing of Salgado Araujo because “we cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters in the United States."

In April, Sheinbaum expressed concern about the deaths of Mexican nationals in U.S. immigration detention, saying her government would support lawsuits filed by detainees over poor conditions or by the families of those who died. She raised the detainees' deaths to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and said she was considering an appeal to the United Nations.

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Brook reported from New Orleans and Collins from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle; Gisela Salomon in Miami; Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C.; and Ryan J. Foley in Omaha contributed.

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This story has been corrected to show Sheinbaum’s comments about possibly approaching the U.N. were made in April.

El nuevo reglamento busca despejar los temores de los inversionistas internacionales sobre el compromiso de las autoridades venezolanas de proteger la inversión y abolir las nacionalizaciones en el sector petrolero y gasífero del país.

Además apunta a agilizar las operaciones y actualizar el marco normativo de las inversiones, acotó Rodríguez en un acto en el Palacio de Gobierno que fue televisado, sin dar otros detalles. La ley de hidrocarburos, aprobada el 29 de enero, abrió el sector a la inversión extranjera.

Desde que asumió el poder en enero Rodríguez ha hecho esfuerzos por mostrar que la industria petrolera venezolana se ha abierto al capital privado, al arbitraje internacional y al escrutinio.

El reglamento, el primero en 83 años, entrará en vigor tras su publicación en la Gaceta Oficial y fue promulgado seis meses después de que fuerzas estadounidenses capturaran a su predecesor Nicolás Maduro. El gobierno del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, en tanto, se ha propuesto un plan de “tres fases” que incluye la estabilización, la recuperación y la transición democrática del país.

En sintonía con la aprobación de la ley, el Departamento del Tesoro comenzó oficialmente a flexibilizar las sanciones al petróleo venezolano, que en su momento paralizaron la industria, y amplió la capacidad de las compañías energéticas estadounidenses para operar en el país sudamericano.

La presidenta en funciones ha dicho repetidamente que la ley es “respetuosa” de la soberanía del país, dejando en claro que los yacimientos petroleros seguirán siendo propiedad del Estado venezolano y destacando que es “una ley clara, con seguridad jurídica, con normas, adaptada a las prácticas internacionales de este sector”.

A pesar de poseer una de las mayores reservas de petróleo del mundo —-estimada en unos 303.000 millones de barriles, según la Oficina de Información Energética de Estados Unidos— Venezuela enfrenta una crisis de larga data agravada por el sostenido deterioro de su economía y el colapso de su industria petrolera, la principal fuente de sus ingresos en divisas.

Los críticos del gobierno atribuyen el colapso del sector a una mala gestión y a la corrupción en la petrolera estatal Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) bajo la administración de los gobiernos socialistas del presidente Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), predecesor y mentor político de Maduro (2013-2026).

La reforma modifica y revoca una serie de impuestos a la extracción, estableciendo un límite de regalías del 30% y permitiendo al Poder Ejecutivo fijar porcentajes para cada proyecto en la fase de ejecución en función de las necesidades de inversión de capital, la competitividad y otros factores. El inversor asumirá el costo operativo y los riesgos de la financiación.

El gobierno de Rodríguez espera que los cambios sirvan de garantía para las principales petroleras estadounidenses que hasta ahora han dudado en regresar al país. Algunas de estas compañías perdieron inversiones cuando el partido gobernante promulgó la anterior ley hace dos décadas para favorecer a PDVSA.

Bolsonaro se encuentra actualmente bajo arresto domiciliario en Brasilia, la capital brasileña, donde cumple una condena de 27 años por intentar un golpe de Estado tras su derrota electoral de 2022 ante el presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“Acabo de salir de la residencia de (Bolsonaro) después de presenciar otro registro e incautación por parte de la policía federal”, afirmó el abogado João Henrique Nascimento de Freitas. “No se encontró nada”.

Un funcionario de la policía federal que pidió el anonimato porque no estaba autorizado a hablar públicamente del asunto confirmó que no se incautó nada.

El Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil ordenó el registro después de que saliera a la luz una discrepancia entre el número de armas de fuego registradas legalmente a nombre de Bolsonaro y las entregadas a las autoridades competentes, según una decisión judicial firmada por el juez Alexandre de Moraes el martes.

El mes pasado, la policía incautó un arma de fuego propiedad de Bolsonaro que estaba en posesión de un oficial militar en un retén. El viernes, De Moraes concedió a Bolsonaro autorización para permanecer bajo arresto domiciliario pese al incidente.

Un panel de jueces del Supremo Tribunal Federal condenó al exmandatario en septiembre, y éste comenzó a cumplir su condena en noviembre. En marzo, se le concedió arresto domiciliario por problemas de salud.

El juicio de Bolsonaro recibió amplia atención internacional después de que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, impusiera un arancel del 50% a los productos brasileños alegando, entre otras razones, una “caza de brujas” dirigida contra su aliado.

Eduardo, uno de los hijos de Bolsonaro, fue condenado este año por hacer cabildeo ilegal ante el gobierno de Estados Unidos para amenazar a funcionarios brasileños con el fin de detener el juicio de su padre.

Muchos de los aranceles se levantaron posteriormente, aunque el gobierno de Trump amenazó recientemente con más aranceles por presuntas prácticas comerciales desleales, aun cuando Estados Unidos mantiene un fuerte superávit comercial con Brasil.

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

The 34-year-old Contreras has 20 homers in 306 at-bats, which stands just a few shy of the career best of 24 he had for the Chicago Cubs in 2019. He is looking to become the first Red Sox player to win a Home Run Derby since David Ortiz in 2010.

Contreras and the 23-year-old Caglianone join Ben Rice from the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero in the competition. The other four participants have not yet been announced.

Five Kansas City players have previously participated in the event: Bo Jackson (1989), Danny Tartabull (1991), Mike Moustakas (2017), Salvador Perez (2021) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2024). None have come away with the title.

Witt was the runner-up in 2024 when he hit 50 home runs in total. He hit 13 HRs in the final round, one shy of Teoscar Hernandez’s 14.

In his first full season with the Royals, Caglianone is hitting .258/.322/.455 (77-for-299) with a team-high 14 home runs and 33 RBIs in 85 games. His 14 home runs have averaged 418 feet in length, which is tied for the best average in the majors this season.

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

It's another setback for the board of trustees, of which Trump is chairman, in a saga that began earlier this year when the Kennedy Center became: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

The conspicuous addition, and ensuing legal battle, became symbolic of Trump’s broader push to imprint his legacy — and, in this case, his actual name — on the nation's capital in his final term.

The panel of judges wrote Wednesday that the board of trustee's request "failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump's name remains off the building through the appeal process.

The board had argued that the removal “threatens to impede" fundraising efforts, but the judges found that claim came without the support of “specific facts or evidence.”

The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

“His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people,” said U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio who filed the lawsuit. "Now it is time for the Trump administration to accept this, comply with the law, and take the tarps down.”

She was referring to tarps hung on scaffolding that had obscured the removal of Trump's name, and which still veil that part of the building's marble facade.

When Trump first took office in 2025, he replaced the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, who then named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building. A federal judge then ruled that the name change was illegal, prompting the ensuing legal battle.

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Jail records show Nathalie Jean, 43, faces one count each of burglary of an unoccupied structure and petty theft.

Jean is the mother of Yakheim Lollar, 17, whose December 2024 killing drew emotional testimony from family members during the sentencing of his ex-girlfriend, Jahara Malik, earlier this year.

According to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department, Jean’s Kia Telluride had been impounded at King’s Wrecker Service, located at 2151 NW Seventh Ave., after being towed.

Investigators say surveillance video captured Jean arriving at the tow yard in a silver Lexus just after 12:15 p.m. last Wednesday.

Miami police said the video showed Jean exiting the Lexus, entering her SUV, and driving out of the secured lot without authorization or paying approximately $486.45 in towing and storage fees.

The tow yard owner told police that he “never allowed the defendant to enter his towing yard to retrieve her vehicle,” the report states.

After discovering the SUV missing, the owner reviewed surveillance footage and reported it stolen.

Police said the vehicle was located Tuesday inside the parking garage of an apartment complex in the 6100 block of Northwest Seventh Avenue. The owner had the SUV towed back to his business and contacted police, according to the report.

Authorities said Jean later arrived at the tow yard intending to pay the outstanding fees, but employees had already called 911.

They said detectives detained Jean and conducted a recorded interview after advising her of her Miranda rights.

According to the report, Jean admitted to removing the vehicle from the tow yard on July 1 without paying.

Jean’s arrest comes two months after she publicly spoke in a Miami-Dade courtroom during Malik’s sentencing. A judge ultimately sentenced Malik, 18, to 17 years in prison followed by five years of probation.

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

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Nathalie Jean, de 43 años, enfrenta un cargo de allanamiento de una estructura desocupada y otro de hurto menor.

Jean es la madre de Yakheim Lollar, de 17 años, cuya muerte en diciembre de 2024 provocó emotivos testimonios de familiares durante la sentencia de su ex novia, Jahara Malik, a principios de este año.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Miami, la Kia Telluride de Jean había sido confiscada y llevada al depósito de King’s Wrecker Service, ubicado en 2151 NW Seventh Ave., después de ser remolcada.

Los investigadores dijeron que un video de vigilancia captó a Jean llegando al depósito de grúas en un Lexus plateado poco después de las 12:15 p.m. del miércoles pasado.

La Policía de Miami dijo que el video muestra a Jean bajándose del Lexus, entrando a su SUV y saliendo del lote asegurado sin autorización y sin pagar aproximadamente $486.45 USD por cargos de remolque y almacenamiento.

El propietario del depósito de grúas dijo a la Policía que “nunca permitió que la acusada ingresara al depósito para recuperar su vehículo”, señala el informe.

Tras descubrir que la SUV había desaparecido, el propietario revisó las grabaciones de vigilancia y la reportó como robada.

La Policía dijo que el vehículo fue localizado el martes en el estacionamiento de un complejo de apartamentos ubicado en la cuadra 6100 de Northwest Seventh Avenue. Según el informe, el propietario hizo que la SUV fuera remolcada de regreso a su negocio y luego contactó a la Policía.

Las autoridades dijeron que Jean llegó posteriormente al depósito de grúas con la intención de pagar los cargos pendientes, pero los empleados ya habían llamado al 911.

Indicaron que los detectives detuvieron a Jean y realizaron una entrevista grabada después de informarle sobre sus derechos Miranda.

Según el informe, Jean admitió haber sacado el vehículo del depósito de grúas el 1 de julio sin pagar.

El arresto de Jean ocurrió dos meses después de que hablara públicamente en un tribunal de Miami-Dade durante la sentencia de Malik. Finalmente, un juez condenó a Malik, de 18 años, a 17 años de prisión, seguidos de cinco años de libertad condicional.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, Jean permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de ser fijada”.

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In two days, MDSO deputies with the organized crime bureau arrested 12 women who are Chinese nationals, including five who listed Flushing, New York, as their permanent address, records show.

A deputy with the bureau’s vice and intelligence squad posed as a customer at the 10 businesses where there were arrests on Monday and Tuesday, according to the deputies’ arrest reports.

On Tuesday, deputies arrested seven women during undercover operations, from about 12:30 p.m. to about 10:20 p.m., at six massage parlors, records show.

Deputies identified the women as Quirong Xu, Hongli Ren, Zixuan Wang, Yan Xi, Mei Lin, Xiufen Lin, and Yaoying Lin.

Deputies reported arresting Xu, 67, and Ren, 62, at 9865 SW 184 St., in Palmetto Bay, and listed Xu’s permanent address as Flushing, records show.

Xu “advised of prices for sexual acts” and told the undercover deputy it would be “$70 for a hand job,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

Deputies reported arresting Yaoying Lin, 58, at 7337 SW 107 Ave., in Kendall. Lin told the undercover deputy it would be “$60 for a hand job,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

Deputies reported arresting Xiufen Lin, 51, at 10694 SW 24 St., in Westchester, and listed her permanent address as Flushing.

Xiufen Lin told the undercover deputy that “it would be $150 for sex,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

Deputies reported arresting Mei Lin, 49, at 8410 West Flagler St., in Fontainebleau, and listed her permanent address as Flushing.

Mei Lin told the undercover deputy that “it would be $100 for a naked hand job,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

Deputies reported arresting Xi, 48, at 17033 South Dixie Highway in Palmetto Bay. Xi told the undercover deputy it would be “$100 for a hand job,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

Deputies reported arresting Wang, 46, at 7428 SW 117 Ave., in Kendall, and listed her permanent address as Flushing, records show. Wang told the undercover deputy it would be “$60 for a hand job,” a deputy wrote, according to the arrest report.

On Monday, deputies reported arresting Yuping Li, Junrong He, Xun Ou, Qingxiang Zhu, and Youdi Zhuge.

Deputies reported arresting Li, 60, at 10471 SW 40 St. in the Westwood Lakes neighborhood, and listed her permanent address as Flushing.

Deputies reported arresting Zhuge, 58, and He, 52, at 11760 SW 88 St. in Kendall.

Deputies reported arresting Zhu, 57, at 16938 South Dixie Highway in West Perrine.

Deputies reported arresting Ou, 36, at 7375 SW 24 St., in the Coral Terrace neighborhood.

THE CHARGES

County court records show Miami-Dade prosecutors filed 12 cases.

Quirong Xu faced a third-degree felony charge of operating a healthcare practice or profession without an active, valid license.

Hongli Ren and Yaoying Lin faced two misdemeanor charges: Engaging in prostitution and committing an unnatural and lascivious act.

Xun Ou faced three charges: Operating a healthcare practice or profession without an active, valid license, engaging in prostitution, and committing an unnatural and lascivious act.

Zixuan Wang, Yan Xi, Mei Lin, Xiufen Lin, Yuping Li, Junrong He, Qingxiang Zhu, and Youdi Zhuge each faced four charges: Operating a healthcare practice or profession without an active, valid license; practicing massage therapy without a license; engaging in prostitution; and committing an unnatural and lascivious act.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.

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According to detectives with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security Bureau who were tasked with addressing intersection takeovers, an organized takeover event took place on Sunday between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. at various locations throughout the country.

Deputies said they identified Damiean Alvarez as a passenger inside a blue Infiniti G35 that was doing donuts at the intersection of Northwest 77th Court and 169th Street around 1:20 a.m. while approximately 50 to 60 vehicles were present and blocking the intersection.

Deputies said about two hours later, they again saw Alvarez inside the same blue Infiniti G35 which was doing donuts at the intersection of Northwest 25th Street and 76th Avenue, underneath the Palmetto Expressway, with around 50 to 60 vehicles present and blocking the intersection.

They said during both incidents, Alvarez was wearing a ski mask in an attempt to conceal his identity.

According to deputies, at both scenes, after the vehicles had blocked off all lanes of traffic, “spectators would exit their vehicles and approach the intersection to record and view the “spinner” vehicles do reckless driving patterns.”

Deputies said it was two days later, on Tuesday night around 9:05 p.m., when they took Alvarez into custody at his home along the 2700 block of Northwest 48th Street, where an arrest report indicated that the blue Infiniti was parked in the driveway.

An alleged confession from Alvarez was redacted from his publicly released arrest report.

As of Wednesday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on felony charges of drag racing while masked, for which he was given a total bond of $3,500.

Records indicate he was also wanted on a warrant for a separate domestic violence case, for which his bond is listed as “to be set.”

El incidente ocurrió durante la madrugada de este miércoles en la cuadra 5200 de Wiley Street, en Hollywood.

Según la Policía de Hollywood, los agentes acudieron a la vivienda alrededor de la 1:30 a.m. tras recibir reportes de un altercado que involucraba a un hombre.

Cuando llegaron, los agentes dijeron que el hombre se atrincheró dentro de la vivienda y, alrededor de las 4 a.m., prendió fuego intencionalmente al interior del inmueble.

Equipos de Hollywood Fire Rescue respondieron rápidamente y lograron extinguir el incendio, que, según informaron, causó daños significativos a la vivienda.

La Policía indicó que luego logró sacar al hombre de la vivienda envuelta en llamas antes de ponerlo bajo custodia sin más incidentes.

Las autoridades no informaron si hubo personas heridas y el sospechoso aún no ha sido identificado por la Policía.

Según la Policía de Fort Lauderdale, los agentes acudieron a la cuadra 1300 de Northwest 13th Court poco antes de las 4:30 a.m., tras recibir una alerta de ShotSpotter en el área.

Mientras registraban la zona, los agentes encontraron a la víctima dentro de su vehículo con una herida de bala, informaron las autoridades.

La Policía indicó que fue declarado muerto en el lugar.

Detectives de homicidios e investigadores de la escena del crimen permanecen en el lugar mientras trabajan para determinar qué provocó la balacera.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale o con Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

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Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said Fernando Guevara-Olvera, of Homestead, worked at Luna Wireless, a T-Mobile authorized retailer, located at 20519 Old Cutler Road., in Cutler Bay.

According to investigators, Guevara-Olvera was hired in November of 2025 as a sales representative and “developed an excellent reputation among customers” to the point where customers “often refused assistance from other employees because they believed he was the most knowledgeable sales representative at the location.”

Deputies said Guevara-Olvera “exploited that trust by implementing and continuing a fraudulent scheme over several months.”

According to MDSO, when customers would upgrade their cellphones and surrender their old ones, Guevara-Olvera would keep the phones instead of properly processing them as trade-in devices, after which he “entered information into T-Mobile’s sales system making it appear that the trade-in had been completed.”

Investigators then learned that the fraud didn’t stop there, as Guevara-Olvera would activate “unauthorized cellular lines on customer accounts, changing customers wireless plans without authorization, and adding additional equipment including Apple iPhones, Apple watches and Apple EarPods,” according to his arrest form.

Deputies said Guevara-Olvera would tell customers that any billing issues were due to T-Mobile system errors, and that he would even use his personal bank account to apply payments to customers which “caused customers bank account balances to temporarily decrease, leading customers to believe their billing concerns had been resolved,” but after two or three days passed, they said the payments were returned or reversed.

According to authorities, the fraudulent activity occurred between November and February. They said Guevara-Olvera resigned from his job on Feb. 28, before any of the fraudulent activity had been discovered.

Deputies said in the days and weeks that followed, customers began returning to the Old Cutler store in increasing numbers to report the missing credits and billing issues, to the point where management told investigators that “nearly every transaction processed by Guevara required manual review and corrective action.”

It was determined by Luna Wireless that the business sustained customer courtesy-credit losses totaling $15,020.72 and inventory losses totaling $11,769.00 for a total combined documented financial loss attributed to Guevara-Olvera’s actions as $26,789.72, authorities said.

Members of MDSO’s Organized Crime Bureau said they located Guevara-Olvera on Tuesday and took him into custody without incident.

According to his arrest form, Guevara-Olvera spoke to detectives and admitted to some of the crimes, but said he believed his former manager was blaming him for things that he was not responsible for despite deputies advising him that the business had provided specific details “itemized by customer, transaction date and affected account.”

A further admission by Guevara-Olvera was redacted from his arrest form.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of grand theft and organized fraud with bond listed as “to be set.”

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO) dijeron que Fernando Guevara-Olvera, de Homestead, trabajaba en Luna Wireless, un distribuidor autorizado de T-Mobile, ubicado en 20519 Old Cutler Road, en Cutler Bay.

Según los investigadores, Guevara-Olvera fue contratado en noviembre de 2025 como representante de ventas y “desarrolló una excelente reputación entre los clientes”, al punto de que estos “a menudo rechazaban la ayuda de otros empleados porque creían que era el representante de ventas con más conocimientos en esa tienda”.

Los agentes dijeron que Guevara-Olvera “aprovechó esa confianza al implementar y mantener un esquema fraudulento durante varios meses”.

Según la MDSO, cuando los clientes cambiaban sus celulares por modelos nuevos y entregaban los antiguos, Guevara-Olvera se quedaba con los teléfonos en lugar de procesarlos correctamente como equipos entregados a cambio. Después, “ingresaba información en el sistema de ventas de T-Mobile para hacer parecer que el intercambio se había completado”.

Los investigadores descubrieron que el fraude no terminó ahí, ya que Guevara-Olvera activaba “líneas celulares no autorizadas en las cuentas de los clientes, cambiaba los planes inalámbricos de los clientes sin autorización y agregaba equipos adicionales, incluidos iPhones de Apple, relojes Apple Watch y Apple EarPods”, según su informe de arresto.

Los agentes dijeron que Guevara-Olvera les decía a los clientes que cualquier problema de facturación se debía a errores del sistema de T-Mobile y que incluso utilizaba su cuenta bancaria personal para realizar pagos a las cuentas de los clientes, lo que “provocaba que los saldos de las cuentas bancarias de los clientes disminuyeran temporalmente, haciéndoles creer que sus problemas de facturación habían sido resueltos”. Sin embargo, después de dos o tres días, esos pagos eran devueltos o revertidos.

Según las autoridades, la actividad fraudulenta ocurrió entre noviembre y febrero. Indicaron que Guevara-Olvera renunció a su empleo el 28 de febrero, antes de que se descubriera cualquier actividad fraudulenta.

Los agentes dijeron que, en los días y semanas siguientes, los clientes comenzaron a regresar en número cada vez mayor a la tienda de Old Cutler para reportar créditos faltantes y problemas de facturación, al punto de que la gerencia informó a los investigadores que “casi todas las transacciones procesadas por Guevara requerían revisión manual y medidas correctivas”.

Las autoridades dijeron que Luna Wireless determinó que el negocio sufrió pérdidas por créditos otorgados a clientes por cortesía por un total de $15,020.72 USD y pérdidas de inventario por $11,769.00 USD, para una pérdida financiera documentada combinada atribuida a las acciones de Guevara-Olvera de $26,789.72 USD.

Miembros de la oficina contra el crimen organizado de la MDSO dijeron que localizaron a Guevara-Olvera el martes y lo arrestaron sin incidentes.

Según su informe de arresto, Guevara-Olvera habló con los detectives y admitió algunos de los delitos, pero dijo que creía que su ex gerente lo estaba responsabilizando por hechos de los que no era responsable, a pesar de que los agentes le informaron que la empresa había proporcionado detalles específicos “desglosados por cliente, fecha de la transacción y cuenta afectada”.

Otra admisión hecha por Guevara-Olvera fue censurada en su informe de arresto.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight enfrentando cargos de robo mayor y fraude organizado. Su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de ser fijada”.

En dos días, agentes de la oficina contra el crimen organizado de la MDSO arrestaron a 12 mujeres de nacionalidad china, incluidas cinco que indicaron a Flushing, Nueva York, como su dirección permanente, muestran los registros.

Un agente de la unidad de vicios e inteligencia de la oficina se hizo pasar por cliente en los 10 negocios donde se realizaron arrestos el lunes y el martes, según los informes de arresto.

El martes, los agentes arrestaron a siete mujeres durante operaciones encubiertas, entre aproximadamente las 12:30 p.m. y las 10:20 p.m., en seis salones de masajes, muestran los registros.

Los agentes identificaron a las mujeres como Quirong Xu, Hongli Ren, Zixuan Wang, Yan Xi, Mei Lin, Xiufen Lin y Yaoying Lin.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Xu, de 67 años, y Ren, de 62, en 9865 SW 184 St., en Palmetto Bay, y señalaron que la dirección permanente de Xu es Flushing, muestran los registros.

Xu “indicó los precios por actos sexuales” y le dijo al agente encubierto que serían “$70 USD por una masturbación”, escribió un agente, según el informe de arresto.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Yaoying Lin, de 58 años, en 7337 SW 107 Ave., en Kendall. Lin le dijo al agente encubierto que serían “$60 USD por una masturbación”, escribió un agente, según el informe de arresto.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Xiufen Lin, de 51 años, en 10694 SW 24 St., en Westchester, y señalaron que su dirección permanente es Flushing.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Mei Lin, de 49 años, en 8410 West Flagler St., en Fontainebleau, y señalaron que su dirección permanente es Flushing.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Xi, de 48 años, en 17033 South Dixie Highway, en Palmetto Bay.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Wang, de 46 años, en 7428 SW 117 Ave., en Kendall, y señalaron que su dirección permanente es Flushing, muestran los registros.

El lunes, los agentes informaron el arresto de Yuping Li, Junrong He, Xun Ou, Qingxiang Zhu y Youdi Zhuge.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Li, de 60 años, en 10471 SW 40 St., en el vecindario Westwood Lakes, y señalaron que su dirección permanente es Flushing.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Zhuge, de 58 años, y He, de 52, en 11760 SW 88 St., en Kendall.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Zhu, de 57 años, en 16938 South Dixie Highway, en West Perrine.

Los agentes informaron el arresto de Ou, de 36 años, en 7375 SW 24 St., en el vecindario Coral Terrace.

LOS CARGOS

Los registros del tribunal del condado muestran que los fiscales de Miami-Dade presentaron 12 casos.

Quirong Xu enfrenta un cargo grave de tercer grado por ejercer una práctica o profesión de atención médica sin una licencia activa y válida.

Hongli Ren y Yaoying Lin enfrentan dos cargos menores: ejercer la prostitución y cometer un acto antinatural y lascivo.

Xun Ou enfrenta tres cargos: ejercer una práctica o profesión de atención médica sin una licencia activa y válida, ejercer la prostitución y cometer un acto antinatural y lascivo.

Zixuan Wang, Yan Xi, Mei Lin, Xiufen Lin, Yuping Li, Junrong He, Qingxiang Zhu y Youdi Zhuge enfrentan cada una cuatro cargos: ejercer una práctica o profesión de atención médica sin una licencia activa y válida, ejercer terapia de masajes sin licencia, ejercer la prostitución y cometer un acto antinatural y lascivo.

La editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Mercedes Cevallos, contribuyó a este reportaje.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen ’s decision to run for the presidency for a fourth time means that someone found guilty not once but twice of embezzling public funds will campaign to lead the European Union ’s largest nation.

On Tuesday, a Paris appeals court cleared a path for the 57-year-old Le Pen to run by shortening a ban on seeking public office that had spelled possible doom for her ambitions. Opponents now know who they’ll be up against in the election less than 10 months away.

She's using the latest twist in her legal saga to fortify her story of a combative politician who is taking on the system in the interests, she says, of France.

“Her argument is essentially this: ‘Despite all the obstacles and all the ordeals I’ve been through, I’m still standing, I’m still running. I entered politics to carry this national project for France through to the end,'” said Luc Rouban, a senior researcher at Paris’ Sciences Po school of political sciences who studies Le Pen's National Rally party.

Legal uncertainty hangs over the election

While the Paris appeals court reduced both the ban and the prison sentence that judges handed down last year, it still ordered that she must serve a year of home detention, with her whereabouts monitored electronically.

The punishment conjured up the prospect of a candidate hoping to lead France stumping for votes with an electronic tag on her ankle.

Whether that will happen is unknown. By declaring Tuesday that she’ll challenge the ruling to France's highest court, Le Pen bought time. The court said Wednesday that the process will suspend the sentence that she be electronically monitored, at least until it has ruled.

When the Court of Cassation will rule is unclear. It said Wednesday the process should conclude before the election's first round in April, with the knockout round in May.

“I will therefore campaign without an electronic bracelet,” Le Pen declared.

Should she win — far from certain, despite polls suggesting she's one of France's most popular politicians — she would benefit from the legal immunity that comes with the presidency. That rules out any possibility of an electronic monitor while in office.

But electronic monitoring, if still required then, could come back into the picture after the presidency, said Julien Jeanneney, a professor of public law at the University of Strasbourg.

“In practice, however, one could imagine that a judge might decide not to require a former president of the Republic to resume wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet — particularly if the sentence had already been substantially served before" the election, he said.

Le Pen’s conviction leaves her open to criticism

Critics and potential election rivals argue that her embezzlement conviction would make her ethically unfit for the presidency.

“It’s not normal,” said Bernadette Flament, a 73-year-old resident of a village close to a campaign stop on Wednesday. “A president who governs, who will govern France, who has been convicted, is unacceptable.”

After multiple scandals involving lawmakers and ministers, polls consistently show French voters want higher ethical standards in public life and are highly critical of what they perceive as politicians’ dishonesty.

Last year, Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former French president in modern history to go to prison after he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy. He was made to wear an electronic monitor for three months.

“There is a strong public expectation on this issue,” Rouban said. “Marine Le Pen may try to play down her conviction, but the fact remains that she has been convicted.”

Le Pen's double-ticket candidacy isn't what it seems

Le Pen announced that she'll campaign as a “duo" with protege Jordan Bardella — which to American ears may sound like the Trump-Vance or Biden-Harris tickets in the last U.S. presidential election.

Le Pen, a veteran of three presidential campaigns and daughter of five-time presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, brings experience. The 30-year-old Bardella, president of their populist, anti-immigration National Rally party, is popular with Gen Z, with larger followings on Instagram and TikTok.

In France, it’s a break with tradition for candidates to double-team a presidential election. Le Pen says Bardella would be her prime minister if she wins. They campaigned together Wednesday.

But unlike in the United States, French voters only choose one leader in the presidential election. The choice of prime minister is the president’s alone and no law would oblige Le Pen to pick Bardella.

The pairing could appeal both to National Rally supporters and to “new swaths of voters attracted by Bardella’s youth, communication style and apparent pragmatism, more anchored on the right and more amenable to business interests," said Célia Belin, who specializes in French politics at the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.

"By running as a ‘ticket,’ they hope to keep this large electoral base," she said.

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AP journalist Alex Turnbull in La Flèche, France, contributed.

The forecast team, led by Dr. Phil Klotzbach, now predicts 2026 could rival some of the least active seasons this century, and its bottom-line forecast for Accumulated Cyclone Energy or ACE – the seasonal scorecard that considers the overall strength and duration of storms – would be the third lowest in 30 years if it materializes, behind only the well-below-average 2013 and 1997 hurricane seasons.

The team calls for 4 hurricanes, but only one major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane this season. Over the past three decades, only the 1997 and 2013 seasons ended with fewer than two major hurricanes. 2013 is the only hurricane season since 1994 to record no Category 3 or stronger hurricanes.

No Atlantic hurricane season in the reliable records (since 1950) has gone hurricane-less and generally two hurricanes is the floor, even for the least active seasons. The most active seasons like 2005 and 2020 have recorded as many as 15 hurricanes in a single season (15 and 14 hurricanes respectively in 2005 and 2020).

The lower overall numbers suggest lower chances of a U.S. hurricane hit this season, but the below-average forecast certainly doesn’t let the U.S. off the hook. Even in very inactive hurricane seasons, big hurricanes can strike (see Hurricane Andrew in 1992 for a South-Florida-specific example). That said, overall odds of at least one major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane making landfall in the continental U.S. are cut by more than half this year – from 43% in a typical season to 17% in 2026.

Playing by El Niño’s rules

If you’ve read any of our newsletters in recent weeks, the lower predictions shouldn’t come as a surprise. The driving factor behind the downward predictions is increasing confidence that we’ll have a strong to very strong El Niño in place for the peak months of the season, which will keep storm-busting wind shear high, especially in the western part of the tropical Atlantic where hurricanes often hit their stride.

Long-range seasonal forecast models can struggle with El Niño predictions during the spring months but that wasn’t the case in 2026. If anything, forecast models seem to have underdone forecasts out of the gate, and El Niño conditions are already transitioning from moderate to strong levels, with additional strengthening expected into the fall and winter, when El Niño traditionally peaks.

Nada for the near future

Mum’s the word across the tropical Atlantic for the foreseeable future. We’re seeing one of the biggest dust outbreaks of the season so far, and as we discussed in Tuesday’s newsletter, wind shear will stay prohibitively high for the next few weeks.

The only dark horse development contender isn’t until the end of next week with a frontal low off the Carolinas. Models keep those odds very low (less than 10%), and it’s not anything we need to be concerned with for now.

The letter released Wednesday from Beshear, a Democrat who is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2028, to the former Senate Republican leader says, “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office.”

McConnell, whose physical condition has visibly declined in recent years, was hospitalized June 14. He has not released a public statement, photos or videos since. Aides have disclosed nothing specific about his condition, other than to say last week that McConnell “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

That lack of detail has fueled rampant speculation about his prognosis and whether he will return to the Senate when it reconvenes next week. The firestorm was enough that Republican Senate leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, on Tuesday made public statements saying they had talked to McConnell and he was alert and discussing current events.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday evening, as he returned home following the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump was asked about McConnell but said the pair had not spoken.

“I have no idea how he’s doing," Trump said.

McConnell is retiring at the end of his term in January, and the campaign to elect his successor already is underway. Kentucky’s Senate succession law, which Republican legislators have twice changed during Beshear’s tenure, does not give the governor a role in picking a temporary successor should McConnell’s seat become vacant before his term ends.

Under the latest change in 2024, Beshear would call a special election if the seat became vacant. The winner of that election could take office after the result is certified. The general election winner would be sworn in as part of the new Congress in January. But there are unresolved questions about the timing of a special election under the untested law and the possibility the seat could remain vacant until January.

Beshear ended the letter by wishing McConnell “a safe and speedy recovery.”

A look at what an absence from the Senate or a vacancy could mean.

What happens if McConnell isn't able to return?

There is not much, if anything, that Beshear, Kentucky lawmakers or the Senate could do if McConnell remains in office but is unable to perform his duties between now and when the current Congress expires in January.

Senate rules do not allow proxy voting. But there have been extended Senate absences before, and the chamber has continued its business with however many senators are in attendance. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 advantage. Without McConnell, that means a maximum of 52 Republican votes are available.

McConnell had been among the senators blocking war powers resolutions that seek to limit President Donald Trump's military options in Iran. Without him, the administration has less of a buffer. On the other hand, McConnell already had been among the Republicans refusing to support Trump's sweeping elections law overhaul.

Why wouldn't Beshear have a say in filling any vacancy?

The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution calls for Senate vacancies to be filled by popular elections. But it allows state legislatures to empower governors to appoint an interim senator to serve through those campaigns. Most states have taken this option, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Kentucky law allowed interim appointments until 2021, when McConnell and other state GOP leaders persuaded the Republican-run Legislature to make a change. They did not want Beshear to shift the partisan balance in Washington if he got the opportunity. They called for a committee of the previous senator's state party to select three people from whom the governor could choose an interim senator. In this case, that would mean Beshear picking which Republican would fill a vacancy. Several states have this system.

Kentucky lawmakers changed the law again in 2024 to require a special election. The only role for the governor is to call that election.

Beshear vetoed the 2021 and 2024 changes but Republican lawmakers overrode him.

How would a special election work?

The 2024 law says Beshear “shall” issue a proclamation for a special vote but it does not say when he should make that proclamation or what the election date must be. Separate laws require certain minimum windows between a proclamation and the election date, but not necessarily a maximum window.

Some officials have argued that any vacancy after Aug. 3 would mean a special election concurrent with the general. They have even speculated that at some point, it would be impractical to have a special election at all given the regular election already taking place.

The Kentucky secretary of state’s office declined to speculate on a hypothetical time frame.

If a special election was needed, the simplest option would be to hold it at the same time as the regular general election.

For the full Senate term that begins in 2027, Republicans nominated U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Democrats nominated former state lawmaker Charles Booker. Concurrent elections would be separate, requiring new nominations by the parties, though they could choose Barr and Booker. Regardless, in this scenario voters would be electing the immediate replacement and the full-term lawmaker on the same Election Day.

Multiple vacant House seats have been filled that way with little national attention.

Could there be a legal fight?

Yes. The 2024 law has never been tested. If a vacancy occurred, there could be different interests between parties and even among Republicans about special election timing and whether to hold one at all. That could create any number of legal questions and disputes that have to be settled by the courts.

Beshear's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how he interprets the law.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that it depends on what the governor might do to determine whether there might be a special election if there was a Senate vacancy after Aug. 3 and whether the seat might remain vacant until January.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), Tupac, cuyo nombre real es Edwin Vega Serrano, fue arrestado el martes en relación con un incendio provocado ocurrido el 27 de junio que dañó propiedad de la Junta de Comisionados del Condado Miami-Dade.

Los agentes dijeron que Serrano, de 50 años y sin hogar, fue captado por cámaras de vigilancia prendiendo fuego a un montón de desechos arrojados ilegalmente, ubicado directamente al noreste de 3333 NW 38th St.

Luego tomó un objeto no identificado y dañó una cámara instalada en un poste del Departamento de Desechos Sólidos de Miami-Dade, dijeron las autoridades.

Según el informe, el video muestra posteriormente a Serrano prendiendo fuego a una bolsa que estaba en medio de Northwest 33rd Avenue.

Los agentes dijeron que el incendio causó aproximadamente $4,200 USD en daños a propiedad perteneciente a la Junta de Comisionados, incluidos unos 45 pies de cerca y cinco tuberías de drenaje de 18 pulgadas.

Las autoridades dijeron que Serrano fue detenido el martes después de que dos empleados del Departamento de Transporte y Obras Públicas lo vieran cerca de Northwest 33rd Avenue y 37th Street y alertaran a un agente.

Serrano fue arrestado por cargos de incendio provocado en segundo grado y daños a la propiedad.

Los agentes dijeron que invocó su derecho a un abogado y no respondió preguntas sobre el incendio.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Serrano permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Los registros de la cárcel en línea indicaban que el monto total de su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de ser fijada”.

Leer en español

According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Tupac, whose real name is Edwin Vega Serrano, was arrested Tuesday in connection with an arson that occurred June 27, damaging property belonging to the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners.

Deputies said Serrano, 50, who is homeless, was captured on surveillance video igniting a pile of illegally dumped waste directly northeast of 3333 NW 38^th St.

He then grabbed an unknown object and broke a Miami-Dade Solid Waste Department pole camera, authorities said.

According to the report, the video then shows Serrano igniting a bag on fire, which was in the middle of Northwest 33^rd Avenue.

Deputies said about $4,200 worth of damage was caused by the fire to property belonging to the Board of Commissioners, including about 45 feet of a fence and five 18-inch drainage pipes.

Authorities said Serrano was detained Tuesday after two Department of Transportation and Public Works employees spotted him near Northwest 33^rd Avenue and 37^th Street and flagged down a deputy.

Serrano was arrested on charges of second-degree arson and criminal mischief.

Deputies said he invoked his right to counsel and did not answer questions about the fire.

As of Wednesday morning, Serrano was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed his total bond as “to be set.”

This edition started with 48 teams; it’s now down to eight, with six of those from Europe. And unless Morocco pulls off a series of surprising outcomes over the final two weeks, the champion will come from Europe or South America.

Again. As always.

A tournament that has been around for nearly a century — the first World Cup was in 1930 — has been contested on 22 previous occasions. The champions: 12 from Europe, 10 from South America, zero from the rest of the globe combined.

This year’s quarterfinal lineup: six from Europe, one from South America, one from Africa. Not exactly a history-bucking set of outcomes there.

That said, it seems like even some of Europe’s best players are surprised at how well this World Cup has gone.

“I thought it was not possible to do some things,” Norway star Erling Haaland said after his two goals helped his team beat Brazil for a spot in the quarterfinals — the first time his nation has gone this deep in a World Cup. “I guess I’m wrong.”

He was wrong in a good way. The tournament hosts were wrong in a not-so-good way.

North America had three cracks at breaking through this year in a bigger-than-ever, 48-team World Cup with the U.S., Mexico and Canada all co-hosts.

None of those teams even made the quarterfinals.

“We need to get over that next hurdle,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said in a televised interview after the Americans were ousted by Belgium in the round of 16, a lopsided 4-1 defeat that shows how far North America still has to go. “Trying to compete and beat the world’s best, that’s our next step … There’s still another step that we have to take.”

The three hosts all got through the group stage and the round of 32 with ease. The U.S., Mexico and Canada had a combined 9-2-1 record in those matches, outscoring opponents by a total of 20 goals. Things looked promising, to say the least.

Then came the round of 16. Thud.

England ousted Mexico 3-2, the U.S. got rolled by Belgium in a match that looked one-sided from the outset and Canada was outclassed in a 3-0 loss to Morocco. Combined numbers from that trio of matches: 0-3-0 record, outscored by seven goals.

“Levels,” French soccer legend Thierry Henry said in his role as an analyst on Fox after the U.S. defeat. “The World Cup is different in the group stage. Round of 32 never existed before. Everyone made history in the round of 32. It never existed before … Unfortunately, one host, two hosts, three hosts, out. That’s exactly what you don’t want at a World Cup. That is annoying for me.”

If it annoys Henry, imagine how it feels for the Canadians, Mexicans and Americans.

There hasn’t been a CONCACAF — the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football — team in the World Cup quarterfinals since Costa Rica in 2014.

Before that, it was the U.S. in 2002 in its best showing at the World Cup since finishing third in 1930. Canada has never been past the round of 16. Mexico has played in each of the last nine World Cups; it reached the round of 16 in eight of those, never going further in that span.

“Everyone gave everything,” Mexico midfielder Erik Lira said. “But, in the end, it wasn’t enough.”

That seems to be an every-four-years refrain for every place other than Europe and South America.

There was some diversity in the makeup of the 2002 World Cup quarterfinal field with five confederations — Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and North America — all represented that year.

It was a rare blip. Of the 48 available quarterfinal spots over the six World Cups since, Europe has claimed 30, South America 14, Africa three and North America one.

Morocco is carrying Africa's hopes now and that continent came out of the group stage looking poised for a breakthrough. It sent 10 teams to the tournament; nine made it into the round of 32.

And then, most of the teams saw their hopes end by surrendering late goals.

Ivory Coast, South Africa and Congo all surrendered decisive goals in the 86th minute or later of what became their exits from the knockout phase. Cape Verde's magical ride ended after giving up an own goal to Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina in the 111th minute. And for Senegal and Egypt, the endings were particularly harsh — both led 2-0 late in the second half, then fell by 3-2 scores to Belgium and Argentina, respectively.

Egypt felt the match was stolen by officiating decisions.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition," Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said. “Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the competition.”

The counterpoint to that was how, once again, a powerhouse like Argentina found a way. For the fifth time in the last six World Cups, Messi's team is in the quarterfinals.

Some things just don't seem to change.

“It wasn’t easy to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a World Cup knockout match — especially given how games are going these days, where no one gives you anything for free,” Messi said. “But thank God, we did it once again.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here