The federal lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., takes aim at a change made earlier this year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which bars lenders from discriminating against credit applicants. Among the changes being challenged is that lenders will no longer have to consider “disparate impact” — policies that appear neutral but tend to cause disproportionate harm to certain groups.

Plaintiffs also argue the rule would make it easier for lenders to market loans to predominantly white neighborhoods, forcing minority communities to rely on risky, high-cost lenders that offer predatory loans with exorbitant interest rates.

“This is the deliberate dismantling of 50 years of legal jurisprudence, regulatory guidance, and bipartisan consensus that lending discrimination has no place in America,” Lisa Rice, the CEO and president of the National Fair Housing Alliance, one of the plaintiffs that filed the lawsuit, said in a statement.

“This reversal by the CFPB is a continuation of this Administration’s efforts to gut fair housing and lending protections,” she said. “Eviscerating these guardrails will ultimately result in less credit access for many people, make our markets less sound, and cause our economy to be less productive.”

Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, the CEO of another plaintiff, Rise Economy, a California nonprofit that advocates for economic justice, accused the CFPB of ignoring “public comments, common sense, and decades of precedent in its misguided attempt to turn anti-discrimination law on its head.”

“The CFPB was created to protect consumers and small businesses from financial abuse and discrimination, and this final Reg B rule would do real harm, setting us back in our collective efforts to ensure that all families and small businesses have a fair chance to achieve the American Dream,” Gonzalez-Brito said.

The CFPB did not respond to a request for comment.

Plaintiffs argue that the rule change is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to dismantle regulations related to fair housing and lending protections.

The administration, the group said, has proposed eliminating the budget for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which funds nonprofits to ensure access to housing for seniors, disabled veterans, families with children and other groups. It also has cut staffing in half at the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Several high-profile settlements in recent years indicate housing discrimination remains a significant problem.

In 2023, the Justice Department accused Los Angeles-based City National Bank of discrimination by refusing to underwrite mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities, requiring the bank to pay more than $31 million in the largest redlining settlement in department history. In 2016. the Justice Department and the CFPB fined Mississippi-based BancorpSouth $10.6 million, alleging the bank deliberately discriminated against minorities in its lending practices.

Plaintiffs are asking court to vacate the rule, which they contend is arbitrary and capricious, in excess of statutory authority, and issued outside the procedures required by Congress.

“The Final Rule does not reflect reasoned decision-making or an expert, good-faith effort to implement our nation’s foundational credit antidiscrimination statute,” plaintiffs wrote. “Quite the opposite: The Final Rule is a drastic turn, without justification, from the CFPB’s (and its Federal Reserve Board predecessor’s) longstanding interpretation and enforcement of key ECOA provisions.”

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The disturbance crosses from west to east, so Broward and Miami-Dade counties should expect an increased risk of rainfall.

Totals could exceed 2 to 4 inches, which could lead to some street flooding, especially in those areas with poor drainage.

The rain coverage backs off a bit later Friday, and over the weekend, but with more sun and daytime heat, there’ll be some scattered afternoon and evening storms around, some of which could become severe.

The rainiest month of the year is typically June, with over 10 inches on average for the month, so this forecast certainly looks to be right on schedule.

En una breve orden emitida el martes, el máximo tribunal aceptó la recomendación de un perito judicial para seguir adelante con los acuerdos, propuestos inicialmente el año pasado por Nuevo México, Texas y Colorado.

El acuerdo contempla reducir el bombeo de aguas subterráneas a lo largo del río, cada vez más menguante, y retirarle derechos de agua a tierras agrícolas de irrigación en el sur de Nuevo México. Los estados presentaron la propuesta como una promesa de restablecer el orden en un complejo sistema de almacenamiento y reparto de agua entre dos vastos distritos de riego en el sur de Nuevo México y el oeste de Texas.

“Estamos muy entusiasmados de redirigir recursos de un litigio costoso y prolongado hacia soluciones sobre el terreno”, manifestó el miércoles Hanna Riseley-White, directora de la Comisión Interestatal de Vías Fluviales.

Esas soluciones incluirán desde programas de barbecho a largo plazo y una infraestructura de riego más eficiente hasta el desarrollo de nuevas fuentes de agua, tales como aprovechar suministros salobres o importar agua, además de mejorar la gestión de aguas pluviales para que se pueda captar y almacenar más escorrentía.

Investigadores han advertido que el uso insostenible del río Grande —el nombre que se le da en Estados Unidos, el cual nace en Colorado y se extiende hacia el sur hasta México— amenaza la seguridad hídrica de millones de personas que dependen de la cuenca binacional del río.

Los agricultores del sur de Nuevo México han recurrido cada vez más a las aguas subterráneas para regar huertos de nuez pecana y cultivos de chile, a medida que condiciones más cálidas y secas han reducido los caudales del río y el almacenamiento en las últimas décadas. Ese bombeo fue lo que llevó a Texas a presentar una demanda en 2013, en la cual sostenía que la práctica estaba afectando las entregas de agua.

Aunque el río Colorado acapara todos los titulares, expertos señalan que la situación a lo largo del río Bravo es igual de grave. Se prevé que tramos del río, tan al norte como Albuquerque, vuelvan a secarse este año, la tercera vez en cinco años.

El paquete de acuerdos establece un sistema detallado de contabilidad para compartir agua con Texas. Nuevo México podría apoyarse en créditos y débitos de un año a otro para sortear periodos de sequía y de abundancia, aunque podría ser responsable de obligaciones adicionales de reparto de agua si las entregas se aplazan durante demasiado tiempo.

Según el acuerdo, Nuevo México debe reducir las disminuciones anuales de extracción de aguas subterráneas en 18.200 acres-pie, o aproximadamente 5,9 mil millones de galones (22,3 mil millones de litros) en los próximos 10 años. El compromiso incluye completar la mitad de esa reducción en los próximos cinco años.

Riseley-White indicó que eso representa aproximadamente entre el 5% y el 7% del uso actual de aguas subterráneas en el bajo río Bravo. El acuerdo no dicta de qué sector deben provenir los ahorros de agua, por lo que, añadió, la industria y los municipios también podrían asociarse con el estado para cumplir los mandatos.

Aun así, las autoridades prevén lograr la mayor parte de las reducciones necesarias mediante la compra de derechos de agua al sector agrícola, lo que significa que se le retiraría a más tierras de cultivo la facultad de obtener agua del río.

Riseley-White señaló que esta semana se realizan sesiones de escucha, y se prevé que las primeras adquisiciones comiencen más adelante este año. Nuevo México ha asegurado más de 40 millones de dólares en financiamiento federal para respaldar la iniciativa, agregó.

——-

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

Thursday will feature a mix of sun and clouds with southeast to south winds, sustained 5 to 10 mph. Thunderstorms are expected to develop during the afternoon. Localized flooding will be the primary concern. Temperatures will make a run for the upper 80s.

Stanton has been sidelined since April 24, after he experienced some stiffness while running the bases in a game against Houston.

“I think he wants it fully clear, and I think we got enough news today that allows us to take that step to hopefully the running goes in line with how he's feeling, and we can start to ramp up,” Boone said before the Yankees' series finale against the Royals.

Stanton's was off to a good start through the first 24 games of the season, hitting .256 with three homers and 14 RBIs. The availability of the five-time All-Star's right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup is especially valuable on nights in which Boone has a lineup that is loaded with left-handers, such as Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells.

“Having him in the middle, his presnce is massive,” Boone said. “So you know, hopefully not too much longer.”

Jasson Dominguez was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Stanton got hurt, only for the young outfielder to join him on the injured list when he strained the AC joint in his left shoulder May 7 while colliding with the outfield wall at Yankee Stadium.

He received an injection in his shoulder on May 11 and has been hitting off a tee for about a week.

The plan for Dominquez is to begin ramping up baseball activities this week, while the Yankees are completing their series in Kansas City and heading to Sacramento for three games against the Athletics to conclude their six-game, seven-day road trip.

“Hopefully when we get back next week,” Boone said, “there may be some live (batting practice) situations for him.”

___

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

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News in an interview scheduled to air Sunday.

Joe Biden's shaky, mumbling and sometimes confused delivery against Donald Trump in June 2024 gave fuel to questions voters already had about his fitness for a second term. His attempts to explain away his performance and offer reassurance that he could handle four more years of the demanding job did little to assuage voters. Under mounting pressure from within his party, he stepped aside, and Democrats nominated Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I don’t know what happened,” Jill Biden said in the interview. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

The former first lady is promoting a book due out next week, “View from the East Wing: A Memoir.”

Timothy Hudson was initially arrested and charged as a juvenile, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres ruled in February that the 16-year-old could live with an uncle and be electronically monitored. But after the case was transferred to adult court, prosecutors wanted Hudson in custody.

Minors are rarely prosecuted in federal court, and this case landed there because Kepner apparently died in international waters, outside any state’s jurisdiction.

The judge ended Wednesday morning’s hearing without making a final decision, saying he wanted to speak with the U.S. Marshals Service about the logistics of detaining Hudson in central Florida, closer to his family, rather than South Florida, where the trial is taking place.

It’s unknown when Torres will announce his decision. In the meantime, Hudson walked out of the courthouse after the hearing, rather than being immediately taken into custody.

Hudson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. His federal public defenders have declined to comment on the charges.

Hudson’s stepsister, Anna Kepner, had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family, including Hudson. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with Hudson and another teen, a criminal complaint said.

The cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Lopez argued Wednesday that the crimes Hudson is accused of are so serious that the court shouldn’t risk another violent attack. An autopsy determined that Kepner had been pinned down and forcibly raped, the prosecutors said. She also noted that it likely took 3-5 minutes for Hudson to strangle Kepner until she was dead.

“I believe there is clear and convincing evidence that this defendant is a danger to the community,” Lopez said.

The prosecutor also argued that Hudson was a much greater flight risk because he now faces a possible life sentence if convicted of the adult charges. As a juvenile, he would have been released at age 21, regardless of what counts he was found delinquent on.

Evan Kuhl, with the Federal Public Defender’s office, told the judge that Hudson has abided by the conditions of his release for months without issue.

The judge acknowledged that an adult facing these charges would almost certainly be detained until trial, but he still needed to consider the reality of Hudson’s age, despite the adult charges. While the judge said he agreed with the defense that Hudson was a low flight risk, he still hadn’t decided whether the teen posed a threat to the community if certain pre-trial restrictions remained in place.

Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, previously released a statement, saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

“The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Kepner said.

Anna Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”

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Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies reported noticing a black four-door Cadillac sports utility vehicle that had been reported stolen in Miami Gardens.

The deputies, who specialize in robbery intervention, started to follow the driver at Northwest 22nd Avenue and 151 Street, according to the M-DSO.

Three unmarked law enforcement cars followed the driver, who slowed down and stopped, but did not get out of the stolen Cadillac.

One of the unmarked cars performed a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, and stopped the Cadillac along Northwest 152 Street.

The driver got out of the Cadillac and ran eastbound along Northwest 152 Street, across Rail Road Drive, and into a house’s yard near Opa-locka.

As he approached the train tracks, deputies in dark uniforms surrounded him, put him in handcuffs, and escorted him to a marked M-DSO patrol car.

The driver was next to a marked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office patrol car before Florida Highway Patrol troopers searched him again and put him in a marked FHP car.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

Location

Breaking news: Reporting live

Breaking news: Follow-up report

Afternoon report

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According to Miami Beach police, the incident occurred at about 1:10 a.m.

Cellphone video captured the crime scene at South Pointe Park after the incident.

Miami Beach police and crime scene detectives were seen focusing on a bench along the main walkway after the shooting.

Hours later, after investigators cleared the area, Local 10’s cameras captured blood stains left behind on the bench -- a visible reminder of the violence that unfolded here.

“I am pretty stunned because it is a very nice park and nice people walking around here with their kids and dogs -- a really friendly neighborhood,” park visitor Ann Wessung said.

Police said the off-duty cop was the victim of some sort of incident involving another person.

South Florida Police Benevolent Association President Steadman Stahl said the deputy was protecting not only himself, but also relatives who were with him at the time.

“It just goes to show you we are never really off duty,” Stahl said.

Stahl said the deputy was walking back to his home with family members and his dog when he was attacked.

“The officer was walking back with some family members back to his house when he was attacked by a subject really unprovoked and he had to resort back to his police actions and training,” Stahl said.

That’s when the deputy fired his gun, hitting the other person, authorities said.

“Well, I mean, self-defense is self-defense. I guess he knows how to handle a weapon,” park visitor Ole Wessung said.

Police confirmed that the suspect was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.

The deputy was not injured.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed it is investigating the “deputy’s use of force” at the request of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

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Cyr, of Pompano Beach, was a passenger in the Land Rover Discovery that crashed shortly before 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday at Northeast Third Avenue and 44 Street, according to BSO.

Jean Claude Saint Cyr was driving the Land Rover Discovery northbound on Third Avenue when he rear- ended a red 2023 Nissan Rogue that had stopped at 44th Street, according to BSO.

The Land Rover ricocheted off the Rogue into the southbound lanes, struck a white 2015 Nissan NV2000, and continued tumbling and rolling until it came to a final rest near the sidewalk, according to BSO.

The entire front axle was ripped off. The engine from the Land Rover was ejected. The Nissan Rogue rolled before coming to a final rest against the front porch of a home.

The driver of the Nissan Rogue was ejected as it rolled and was near the front porch, partially under the vehicle.

Fire rescue personnel transported the three drivers injured to Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach.

Neighbors said bad drivers are usually speeding there and don’t obey the four-point stop.

The crash damaged a house’s wooden fence near a pool where four girls were playing. Their grandfather said the girls weren’t injured.

Surveillance video shows fire rescue personnel at work for hours after the crash.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation on Wednesday afternoon, and authorities had yet to identify the person who died.

Afternoon report

Related story: Woman killed, 3 others hurt in Deerfield Beach crash

El abogado defensor Howard Srebnick argumentó el miércoles que el caso debería ser desestimado o, alternativamente, transferido, mientras una jueza comenzó a considerar múltiples mociones en el caso de alto perfil.

La jueza Marissa Tinkler Mendez está considerando la solicitud de Pino para trasladar el caso fuera del condado, desestimar los cargos por completo y otras mociones adicionales.

Tinkler Mendez indicó que los procedimientos podrían tomar un par de días y que podría no emitir todas las decisiones desde el estrado, señalando que algunas resoluciones podrían reservarse para una fecha posterior.

La sala 41 estaba llena durante la audiencia del miércoles, que atrajo tanto a familiares de las víctimas como a simpatizantes de Pino.

El caso se deriva de un accidente marítimo ocurrido durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo en 2022, cuando Pino operaba una embarcación que transportaba a su esposa, su hija adolescente y varias amigas de ella. Los investigadores dijeron que la embarcación impactó una marca de canal en aguas cercanas a Boca Chita Key, lanzando a los pasajeros al agua.

Lucy Fernandez, de 17 años, murió y su amiga Kathy Puig sufrió lesiones graves y permanentes. Los investigadores también reportaron haber encontrado decenas de envases vacíos de alcohol a bordo y dijeron que Pino fue visto en video afirmando que había tomado dos cervezas ese día.

La defensa ha sostenido que no existe evidencia de que Pino estuviera intoxicado al momento del accidente.

Los abogados también argumentan que no iba a exceso de velocidad y que cumplía con las reglas de navegación, sosteniendo que el incidente fue resultado de un breve momento de distracción.

“No hay nada que indique otra cosa más que, en el mejor de los casos para el estado, George Pino tuvo un momento de distracción. Algo desvió su atención. Fue una falta de atención por un instante, pero no fue una decisión consciente, deliberada e intencional de poner a personas en riesgo”, dijo Srebnick. “Y eso es con lo que creo que la corte tiene que lidiar”.

Pino enfrenta cargos de homicidio marítimo y homicidio involuntario.

Tinkler Mendez también está considerando mociones para excluir declaraciones que Pino hizo después del accidente, con la defensa argumentando que sufrió una lesión en la cabeza y que su versión no debería ser utilizada en el juicio.

Los abogados también buscan trasladar el caso fuera del condado Miami-Dade, citando preocupaciones sobre la publicidad previa al juicio y posible parcialidad del jurado.

Mientras tanto, el estado busca interrogar a posibles jurados sobre su exposición al caso y está considerando permitir que los jurados visiten la embarcación como parte del proceso.

La selección del jurado podría comenzar tan pronto como la próxima semana.

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That’s according to Local 10 News’ sources and a growing number of detainees inside the facility who are calling WPLG and claiming they’re seeing operations shutting down.

“There’s less detainees, there’s less detainees now,” one detainee told Local 10 News over the phone. “And there are less officers too as well.”

U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost from Central Florida said the number of detainees is dropping drastically.

“They have 655 people there as of yesterday,” said Frost. “They spent nearly a billion of tax payer dollars. There needs to be accountability and consequences.”

While many of the immigrants are being processed for deportation or transferred to other facilities across the country, Local 10 is learning a growing number of them are being released or bonding out to their families.

Sammy Aliferis has served as immigration judge and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement attorney, but now he is serving as a lawyer, representing detainees inside “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Aliferus said detainees are being let out under a legal order called habeas corpus.

“It’s supposed to be to effectuate the removal, not to have them there indefinitely,” he said.

This is all coming after an immigration judge recently stated that, “If removal is not reasonably foreseeable, the court should hold continued detention unreasonable and no longer authorized by statute.”

Aliferis says detainees are also being granted bond following a recent decision in Florida’s 11th circuit court.

Local 10 News reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management, which runs the facility, to ask for comment on our reporting, or to confirm if they are shutting down.

They had not replied as of the time of this story’s publication.

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Defense attorney Howard Srebnick argued Wednesday that the case should be dismissed or, alternatively, transferred, as a judge began considering multiple motions in the high-profile case.

Judge Marissa Tinkler Mendez is considering Pino’s request to move the case out of the county, dismiss the charges altogether and other motions as well.

Tinkler Mendez said the proceedings could take a couple of days and she may not issue all rulings from the bench, noting she could reserve some decisions for a later date.

Courtroom 41 was packed for Wednesday’s hearing, which drew family members of the victims as well as supporters of Pino.

The case stems from a Labor Day weekend boating crash in 2022, when Pino was operating a vessel carrying his wife, teenage daughter and several of her friends. Investigators said the boat struck a channel marker in waters near Boca Chita Key, throwing passengers into the water.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Fernandez was killed, and her friend Kathy Puig suffered serious, permanent injuries. Investigators also reported finding dozens of empty alcohol containers on board, and said Pino was seen on video stating he had two beers that day.

The defense has maintained there is no evidence Pino was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Attorneys also argue he was not speeding and was otherwise following boating rules, contending the incident was the result of a brief lapse in attention.

“There is nothing to indicate anything other than, at best for the state, George Pino had a momentary lapse. He was distracted by something. It was inattention for a moment in time, but it wasn’t some conscious, willful, intentional decision to put people at risk,” Srebnick said. “And that’s what the court, I believe, has to wrestle with.”

Pino faces charges of vessel homicide and manslaughter.

Tinkler Mendez is also considering motions to exclude statements Pino made after the crash, with the defense arguing he suffered a head injury and that his account should not be used at trial.

Attorneys are also seeking to move the case out of Miami-Dade County, citing concerns over pretrial publicity and jury bias.

The state, meanwhile, is seeking to question potential jurors about their exposure to the case and is considering allowing jurors to visit the vessel as part of the proceedings.

Jury selection could begin as early as next week.

Una persona murió y dos resultaron heridas el martes en Northeast Third Avenue y 44 Street.

Los vecinos dijeron que los malos conductores suelen ir a exceso de velocidad en el área y no respetan la parada de cuatro vías.

Una Nissan Rogue roja quedó destruida. Una Land Rover blanca terminó volcada boca abajo. Una camioneta Nissan resultó dañada y su motor terminó al lado de la carretera.

El accidente dañó la cerca de madera de una casa cerca de una piscina donde cuatro niñas estaban jugando. Su abuelo dijo que las menores no resultaron heridas.

Un video de vigilancia muestra a personal de rescate trabajando durante horas después del accidente.

La causa del accidente seguía bajo investigación la tarde del miércoles y las autoridades aún no habían identificado a la persona que murió.

Historia relacionada: Mujer muere y otras tres personas resultan heridas en accidente en Deerfield Beach

Un vehículo policial sin identificar realizó una maniobra PIT, conocida como Técnica de Inmovilización de Precisión, y detuvo una Cadillac XT5 negra.

El conductor salió del Cadillac en el área de Northwest 18 Avenue y 152 Street y corrió a través de Rail Road Drive, cerca de Opa-locka.

Cuando el conductor se acercó a las vías del tren cerca de Ali Baba Avenue, agentes del orden lo rodearon, le colocaron esposas y lo escoltaron.

El conductor permaneció junto a una patrulla marcada de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade antes de que agentes de la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida asumieran su custodia.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo.

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Última hora: Reportando en vivo

Última hora: Reporte de seguimiento

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In South Florida, Hard Rock Stadium will be known as “Miami Stadium” during the tournament’s seven games.

New signage was visible around the stadium Wednesday, with names such as Hard Rock and other branding removed. For the next month-plus, those areas will feature World Cup logos and FIFA tournament branding instead.

The opening game at Miami Stadium is scheduled for June 15, with the seventh and final match set for July 18.

The removal of stadium naming rights and sponsor logos is meant to protect the brands and sponsors that pay tens of millions of dollars for deals with FIFA.

En el sur de Florida, el Hard Rock Stadium será conocido como “Miami Stadium” durante los siete partidos del torneo.

Nuevos letreros eran visibles alrededor del estadio el miércoles, con nombres como Hard Rock y otras marcas eliminadas. Durante el próximo mes y más, esas áreas mostrarán en su lugar logotipos del Mundial y la imagen del torneo de la FIFA.

El partido inaugural en Miami Stadium está programado para el 15 de junio, mientras que el séptimo y último encuentro está previsto para el 18 de julio.

La eliminación de los derechos de nombre del estadio y los logotipos de patrocinadores tiene como objetivo proteger las marcas y patrocinadores que pagan decenas de millones de dólares por acuerdos con la FIFA.

Lee County deputies said they saw a car swerving in and out of lanes Tuesday, prompting a traffic stop.

In the video, a deputy approaches the passenger-side window and asks for the names of the driver and passenger.

The deputy tells them a K-9 will search the car and asks both people to step out.

When the woman gets out of the car, the deputy notices her allegedly trying to hide drugs, which fall onto the floor.

Deputies said the baggie was filled with cocaine.

After searching the car, deputies also found a shoebox in the trunk filled with cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.

Deputies said all of the drugs belonged to Jacqueline Stacy.

In total, deputies said they found more than 44 grams of cocaine.

Stacy was taken to jail, where she faces multiple charges.

Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement, though the talks are still in flux.

The president is looking for a settlement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him with a credible argument that Iran’s nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that’s been politically unpopular for Republicans.

But as things stand, Trump also risks finding that closure to his war of choice comes with an unsatisfactory ending.

The emerging deal puts off many critical issues to be resolved later and has already exposed the Republican president to fierce criticism — even from some of his own supporters — that Iran’s hard-line leaders will emerge from the conflict battered but emboldened. It all comes to a head just as the midterm elections to determine control of Congress come into focus and as Republicans worry that rising costs and fuel prices are darkening the American electorate’s mood.

But Trump on Wednesday dismissed the idea that the upcoming elections would shape his Iran strategy.

“They thought they were gonna outwait me. You know, ‘We’ll outwait him. He’s got the midterms,’” Trump said. “I don’t care about the midterms.”

Trump acknowledged there’s still work to do, but he spoke with a measure of certainty that the two sides would get there.

“They want very much to make a deal,” Trump said. “So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be — either that or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

Talks were further complicated after U.S. forces carried out what the Pentagon called “defensive” strikes on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran on Monday. The U.S. said it acted with “restraint” in light of the weekslong ceasefire, while Iran decried the action as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability.”

Some Trump backers are skeptical

While Trump insists a deal is within reach, there appears to be daylight between the U.S. and Iran on several key issues. The president is also facing scrutiny from Republican allies, including Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas, who have said the terms seem too favorable to Tehran.

They’re balking at aspects of the deal that have emerged publicly that they say too closely resemble the nuclear agreement reached with Iran by Democratic President Barack Obama, which Trump scrapped during his first term.

Under the potential deal, Tehran would agree to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium — a key Trump demand — in return for sanctions relief. That’s according to two regional officials and one senior Trump administration official, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

One regional official, with direct knowledge of the negotiations, said how Iran would give up the uranium would be subject to further talks during a 60-day period. Some would likely be diluted, while the rest would be transferred to a third country, the official said.

Trump said that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with either Russia or China taking Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two countries have the closest relations with Tehran, and nuclear analysts have said they could be a potential acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium as part of a potential deal.

Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium.

How Trump’s plan affects Israel’s war in Lebanon

Another key issue unresolved is whether the ceasefire will also cover Israel’s operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Iran has insisted that Lebanon must be covered by any ceasefire agreement negotiated with the United States.

The administration appears to leave some wiggle room on the Lebanon question. The emerging memorandum of understanding calls for a ceasefire between the U.S. and its allies against Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah, but also underscores Israel’s right to act against imminent threats and in self-defense.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced that the Israeli military is “deepening its operation” in Lebanon. Overnight, Israel’s military clashed with the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group along a strategic river in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops pushed farther north.

Jonathan Conricus, a former spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said Israel expects that Iran would quickly move to direct any sanctions relief to restore its military capability and boost proxy groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza.

“We’re not done fighting, because the Iranian regime isn’t done,” said Conricus, who is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

‘Stunned silence’ as Trump ties Abraham Accords to Iran deal

Trump on Wednesday also reinforced his call that the deal should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.

“We’re, you know, requesting strongly that they join,” Trump said.

Trump’s optimism that the other Middle Eastern and majority-Muslim countries could soon sign on to the accords might be overly ambitious.

For example, Saudi Arabia, the most significant power in the Arab world and long seen as the biggest prize for the normalization effort, has insisted that establishing a guaranteed path to a Palestinian state remains a precondition. It’s something that Israel vehemently opposes.

Trump pushed for the Abraham Accords during a call with leaders of Mideast allies over the weekend.

Barbara Leaf, a retired U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and senior State Department official during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration, said officials from Gulf countries who were on the call told her that Trump’s pitch was greeted by “stunned silence.” A person familiar with the call disputed that characterization and said that some regional allies responded positively to the president’s call to join the accords. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private conversation.

Leaf, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that Middle Eastern allies of the United States recognize that Iran will likely use any money from sanctions relief to bolster its military capabilities. Still, they have been supportive of Trump’s efforts to end the conflict.

“They see no other way out,” Leaf said of American allies in the region. “And they see no other way out because of many of these early mistakes that the president and the administration made in conducting the war.”

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AP writers Matthew Lee, Michelle L. Price and Darlene Superville in Washington, Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., Samy Magdy in Cairo and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

A day before Major League Baseball is expected to make a salary cap proposal, the union outlined its initial economic proposals during a bargaining session at the union's office in Manhattan.

Baseball’s labor contract expires Dec. 1 and MLB is expected to institute a lockout, management’s equivalent of a strike under federal labor law.

“Attendance, viewership, interest — by any measure you want to use, our game is moving in a positive direction,” Baltimore pitcher Chris Bassitt, a member of the union's eight-man executive subcommittee, said in a statement. “We’ve put forward proposals designed to continue that trend. Support, incentivize, and reward clubs who are committed to competing, especially small-market clubs. Compensate players fairly for the work they are doing.”

MLB clearly is not in favor of what the union presented and maintains the union's plan would decrease revenue sharing.

“We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address and in fact exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. "The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue clubs, weaken the competitive balance tax and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.”

Marcus Semien and Sean Manaea of the Mets and Eugenio Suárez of Cincinnati attended the session while other players participated online.

“The players’ proposals provide increased revenue sharing initially guaranteeing every small-market club a minimum of $240 million in revenue every season,” interim union head Bruce Meyer, who replaced Tony Clark in February, said in a statement. “This enhanced revenue sharing includes added protections to ensure clubs prioritize winning over profiteering.”

— The luxury tax threshold, which starts at $244 million this season, would rise to $300 million in 2027 and then increase by $15 million annually. Penalties such as moving back a team’s pick in the amateur draft would be eliminated. Surcharge levels, currently as much as 110%, would drop to 10% above the preceding level.

— Free agent eligibility, which has been six seasons of major league service since the 1976 agreement would drop to five for players who have reached age 30 by Nov. 1. A team could retain the player by making a qualifying offer. If a player in that group refuses the qualifying offer, he would become arbitration eligible.

— The minimum salary would rise from $780,000 this year to $1.5 million next season and $2.2 million in 2031.

— Salary arbitration eligibility would expand and teams would have to offer at least $3 million to eligible players. The threshold increased from two years to three years in 1986 and the so-called super 2 class with those of two to three years began in 1991 at 17% and it increased to 22% in 2013. The union proposed it be expanded to 44%. In addition, salaries in cases decided by arbitration panels would be guaranteed and the union asked that some salaries used for comparisons be given 120% of their value.

— The pre-arbitration bonus pool, established at $50 million in the 2022-26 deal, would increase to $180 million next year and then rise by $15 million annually. Players coming up to the major leagues who sign multiyear deals during the first 21 days of the season would become ineligible.

— The qualifying offer for players with six years of service would be eliminated. It has diminished the markets of some free agents since it began after the 2012 season because of penalties on signing teams.

— The amateur draft lottery would be expanded from six teams to eight.

— Rules instituted in 2022 designed to decrease service time manipulation would be expanded, such as ensuring a full year of service to eligible prospects who finish among the top five in MVP voting.

— Lower-revenue teams who lose players as free agents would get increased benefits and low-revenue teams would get more draft selections.

— A competitive integrity tax would be imposed on teams who do not reach 50% of the lowest tax threshold and teams further below would face surcharges. Teams would be penalized for not spending revenue-sharing money they receive on payrolls.

— Each small-market team would be guaranteed at least $240 million in revenue annually and teams would keep more ballpark-related revenue.

— Low-revenue teams with winning records or reaching the playoffs would get more revenue sharing money and local media revenue would be shared among teams more extensively.

A five-year deal was reached on March 10, 2022, the 99th day of a lockout, preserving a 162-game regular-season schedule. That was the sport’s ninth work stoppage and first since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 caused cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904.

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

The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced Tuesday that they are investigating whether FIFA's ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.

They have sent subpoenas to soccer’s global governing body demanding information on a range of ticketing issues, including FIFA's use of “variable pricing” models that sent ticket prices soaring for most matches and redrawn stadium maps that fans say relocated their seats far from the pitch.

The attorneys general, working with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said they are focused primarily on ticketing practices for matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive."

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport accused FIFA of turning the act of buying a World Cup ticket “into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices.” It's an honor for New Jersey to host the World Cup, she said, "but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors."

FIFA declined to comment.

The World Cup kicks off June 11 with matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico. The first match at the roughly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium — temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the event — pits Brazil and Morocco on June 13.

Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.

Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that 1,000 tickets — about 150 tickets for each MetLife Stadium game, excluding the final — will be made available to city residents via a lottery system at a cost of $50 each.

FIFA previously made some $60 tickets available for every match, distributing them through the national federations of the teams playing in the games.

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The streamer, whose real name is Nurideen Shabazz, was taken into custody around 4 a.m. after officers responded to a call involving a woman who said she had been kicked off a yacht near the 200 block of North Shore Drive.

According to police, officers arrived shortly before 2 a.m. and met with the woman, who told officers she had been kicked off the yacht by Shabazz, 25, after other men attempted to speak with her.

Police said the woman told them Shabazz warned her against “entertaining anyone else but him.”

The report states that after the woman exited the yacht, Shabazz attempted to take her phone to prevent her from recording their interaction.

Officers said he grabbed her by the forearm but was unsuccessful in taking the device. Police noted that the encounter left a minor scratch on the victim’s left forearm.

The woman then called police.

According to the report, investigators later reviewed surveillance footage provided by the property owner, who told officers he had allowed Shabazz to borrow the yacht.

Police said the video showed Shabazz yelling for someone to grab the victim’s phone and make sure she wasn’t recording him. Officers wrote that the footage appeared to show Shabazz repeatedly attempting to take the phone, leading to a struggle as the victim tried to pull away.

According to the report, the footage showed the victim “cradling her body to the floor” to prevent Shabazz from taking her phone.

Police said she eventually got away from Shabazz at about 1:55 a.m. and then called 911.

Officers later learned the yacht was returning to the dock. When it arrived, police detained Shabazz for questioning.

According to the report, after being read his Miranda rights, Shabazz, of Temple Terrace, Florida, told officers he believed the victim had his phone. Police said his statement contradicted what officers observed in the video footage.

Shabazz was ultimately arrested on a charge of attempted strongarm robbery and was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held at TGK on a $2,500 bond.

An attorney representing Shabazz sent Local 10 News the following statement:

“Mr. Shabazz denies the allegations reported today and intends to vigorously defend himself through the legal process. At this stage, the facts remain incomplete, and many of the claims circulating online are based on preliminary allegations rather than verified evidence presented in court.  This case will be determined in a court of law, not by social media.”

Richard L. Cooper, Esq.

Eso es según fuentes de Local 10 News y un número creciente de detenidos dentro del centro que están llamando a WPLG y aseguran que están viendo cómo las operaciones comienzan a cerrarse.

Mientras muchos de los inmigrantes están siendo procesados para deportación o transferidos a otros centros en todo el país, Local 10 está conociendo que un número cada vez mayor de ellos está siendo liberado o saliendo bajo fianza para reunirse con sus familias.

Sammy Aliferis se desempeñó como juez de inmigración y abogado del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, pero ahora trabaja como abogado representando a detenidos dentro de “Alligator Alcatraz”.

Aliferis dijo que los detenidos están siendo liberados bajo una orden legal conocida como habeas corpus.

Todo esto ocurre después de que recientemente un juez de inmigración declarara que “si la deportación no es razonablemente previsible, la corte debe considerar irrazonable la detención continua y ya no autorizada por la ley”.

Aliferis dice que a los detenidos también se les está concediendo fianza tras una decisión reciente del Tribunal del 11.º Circuito de Florida.

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Speaking in Tampa, DeSantis said he will issue a proclamation for a special session beginning Monday. The goal, he said, is to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

The governor’s proposal would initially raise the homestead exemption to $250,000. DeSantis said that would eliminate property taxes for about 60% of Florida homeowners with homesteaded property.

The proposal would also require the Legislature to create a schedule to eventually eliminate homestead property taxes altogether. DeSantis said increasing the exemption to $500,000 would make about 92% of homesteaded Florida homeowners property tax-free.

“The primary purpose of that is to make your homestead property tax free,” DeSantis said.

The plan would need approval from 60% of the House and Senate to reach the ballot. If lawmakers approve it, 60% of voters would then need to support the measure in November for it to become part of the state constitution.

The proposal also includes several guardrails. DeSantis said remaining local property tax revenue from commercial and non-homestead residential property would be limited to core services such as schools, police and fire services. The plan would also cut the annual assessment growth cap for small businesses from 10% to 5%.

Another provision would allow the state to require new Florida residents to wait up to five years before qualifying for the full property tax benefit. DeSantis said that is intended to prevent the measure from creating a new incentive for people to move to Florida just to avoid property taxes.

The governor also said he would also seek a state trust fund to provide grants to local governments for core services, including in rural areas that may have a smaller tax base.

It’s unclear if enough members in the House and Senate will support the measure. The upper chamber has been leery of cutting too broadly, potentially harming revenue in rural parts of the state. The House approved its own homestead exemption earlier this year. While it preserved funding for schools, it eliminated the taxes immediately rather than through a gradual phase out.

Democrats have already raised concerns about the idea. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said Tuesday she had not seen consensus around a specific proposal, but warned that even modest property tax cuts could have serious effects on local governments.

“In conversations with the local governments that I serve, I’m hearing that any cut, even though it might seem small in the grand scheme of things, could be devastating,” Driskell said.

She also argued that the state should be focused on property insurance instead, saying that is what residents raise most often at town halls.

“What they want to talk about is property insurance rates and how high they are,” Driskell said.

Driskell said property taxes help pay for law enforcement, first responders, libraries and other local services. She warned that reducing those revenues could shift costs elsewhere or leave some counties dependent on state support.

DeSantis rejected the idea that the state should raise other taxes to offset the proposal, saying Florida already has a strong budget position and should use available state resources to help make property tax relief work.

The special session is expected to begin Monday. Lawmakers would have to move quickly to finalize ballot language in time for voters to consider the measure in November.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that New York Knicks owner James Dolan has invited him to the NBA Finals, when the Eastern Conference champion Knicks host either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs next month at Madison Square Garden.

New York, which is riding an 11-game postseason winning streak after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, is scheduled to host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10.

Trump, a New York native, said he initially planned to attend Game 5 of the conference finals at MSG before the Knicks finished off the Cavaliers in four games. The president called Dolan a “great guy” and marveled at New York's run.

“Boy, what a team,” Trump said. “They have some really great players.”

Trump called the club's return to the finals for the first time since 1999 “great to see.”

“The Knicks have really suffered for years," Trump said to laughter. “They're doing (well) right now.”

Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He's taken in the College Football Playoff championship and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.

The Knicks have a history of having high-profile celebrities sit courtside at MSG, including filmmaker Spike Lee, who has clashed with Trump in the past.

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

Tras el arribo de Paz se resolvieron las largas colas en las gasolineras después de que el gobernante aseguró las importaciones de combustible, mientras el país andino salía del aislamiento diplomático restableciendo lazos con Estados Unidos y otros países de la región.

Pero la desilución se apoderó de muchos bolivianos prontamente. Manifestantes campesinos e indígenas han bloqueado las principales ciudades, provocando escasez de alimentos, combustible y suministros médicos, mientras crecen los llamados al presidente para declare un estado de excepción a fin de contener la crisis.

Paz advirtió el miércoles que ante los llamados de diálogo sin respuesta podría acudir a lo que dicta la Constitución, incluido el régimen de excepción.

“Si no quieren dialogar… entonces viene la ley”, dijo refiriéndose a los manifestantes. “Si tenemos muertos a causa de los bloqueos, alguien tiene que responder”, agregó.

Esto es lo que hay que saber sobre las protestas que sacuden al país andino:

¿A qué se deben las protestas y cuáles son las exigencias al gobierno de Paz?

Antiguos simpatizantes del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) —el partido que dominó Bolivia durante mucho tiempo y que ayudó a Paz a llegar al poder frente a rivales más conservadores— han expresado cada vez más su preocupación por la falta de representación de su gobierno.

Poco después de asumir, Paz llegó a acuerdos con partidos más conservadores en el Congreso. Excluyó al vicepresidente populista, considerado por muchos como responsable de su éxito electoral.

Eliminó los subsidios a los combustibles, lo que provocó un aumento de precios de casi el 90%. Los transportistas se quejaron de que la gasolina estaba contaminada y dañaba sus autos.

Para mitigar el impacto, Paz ofreció transferencias de efectivo a familias vulnerables. Aumentó el salario mínimo un 20%. Derogó una controvertida ley de tierras, pero rechazó las demandas de nuevos aumentos salariales, enfureciendo al sindicato nacional.

Los bloqueos de carreteras ya han derrocado gobiernos en el pasado

Debido a una peculiaridad geográfica, las barreras levantadas en las laderas que conducen a La Paz, la capital administrativa de Bolivia, pueden aislar por completo a más de 1,6 millones de habitantes de la ciudad y sus alrededores (más del 13% de la población del país).

Los movimientos indígenas han empleado durante mucho tiempo la estrategia del asedio.

En 2003 y 2005, manifestantes que bloquearon La Paz en protesta por los intereses extranjeros sobre las reservas de gas natural del país derrocaron a dos gobiernos y allanaron el camino para el ascenso del expresidente Evo Morales, fundador del MAS.

Ahora, los bloqueos de carreteras asfixian a La Paz. Miles de camiones cargados con alimentos y otros artículos de primera necesidad, como suministros de oxígeno para hospitales, permanecen varados en las carreteras.

Aumenta la presión sobre Paz para que tome medidas enérgicas

Las fuerzas de seguridad han utilizado gases lacrimógenos para dispersar a los manifestantes y han arrestado a más de 120 personas, muchos de los cuales fueron liberados después.

Paz se ha resistido hasta ahora a los llamados a desplegar mayor fuerza para romper los bloqueos e insiste en el diálogo, con esfuerzos impulsados por las fuerzas políticas en el Congreso, la Iglesia Católica y otros, sin frutos concretos hasta ahora.

Paz ha ofrecido bonos a los maestros y llegó a acuerdos con algunos mineros que protestan. Redujo su propio salario a la mitad, destituyó a su impopular ministro de Trabajo y nombró a un abogado perteneciente a la mayoría indígena del país para el cargo, pero las protestas no cesan.

El papel de Evo Morales

Morales (2006-2019) ha propuesto convocar a nuevas elecciones, mientras el gobierno lo acusa de alentar las protestas.

Los analistas creen, empero, que el político que enfrenta cargos con la justicia ya no tiene poder de convocatoria y que busca utilizar el conflicto para levantar cabeza.

Morales está desde octubre de 2024 atrincherado en su feudo cocalero en el Chapare, al centro de Bolivia, donde ha evitado declarar sobre un caso de presunto abuso a una menor. Recientemente, no asistió al inicio del juicio y sumó una segunda declaratoria de rebeldía y una nueva orden de detención. Paz le exigió que “dé la cara” y que se presente ante la justicia.

Apoyo de EEUU y países vecinos

Los gobiernos aliados del gobierno de Donald Trump que recientemente llegaron al poder en América Latina —desde Argentina y Chile hasta Honduras y Costa Rica— han prometido su apoyo a Paz y han denunciado las protestas como desestabilizadoras.

El presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro —uno de los pocos líderes de izquierda que aún se mantienen en el poder en la región— respondió en defensa de las protestas, a las que calificó de “lucha por la dignidad latinoamericana”. Bolivia expulsó al embajador colombiano.

Estados Unidos ha calificando los disturbios como un intento de golpe de Estado.

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DEBRE reportó desde Buenos Aires.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that the hourlong spaceflight resulted in a mishap based on the performance of the mega rocket's first-stage booster.

Minutes after Starship blasted off from Texas on Friday, the booster separated as normal but engines conked out as it made its way back to Earth. Instead of a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, the booster came in hard. There were no reports of injury or property damage, according to the FAA, which will oversee the company's investigation.

The spacecraft continued around the world, releasing 20 mock satellites before ending the mission as planned with a fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket is SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s biggest and most powerful Starship yet, designed to carry crews to Mars. NASA is looking for it to land astronauts on the moon as soon as 2028 and help build a lunar base.

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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.

Lemon pleaded not guilty in February to federal civil rights charges, following a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor. He is one of 39 people charged in the January incident.

Lemon insists he was at the Cities Church in St. Paul to chronicle the Jan. 18 protest but was not a participant.

Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, filed a motion in February seeking transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that resulted in the indictments against them and seven others.

In the latest filing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Lemon's attorneys argue that “the past 15 months have seen an unprecedented and growing distrust in the Justice Department’s use of the grand jury process.” For that reason, the transcripts from Lemon's grand jury should be released, his attorneys said.

“In the past two weeks alone, several courts have chastised Justice Department prosecutors for irregularities in the grand jury process and gone so far as to dismiss indictments for grand jury misconduct,” Lemon's attorneys said in the Wednesday filing.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lemon cites the May 21 dismissal of all pending charges against four remaining activists who protested outside a federal building during last year’s immigration crackdown in Chicago. The dismissal came after a judge scrutinized allegations of grand jury misconduct by the prosecutor’s office.

Lemon also cites the May 15 dismissal of nine felony grand jury indictments by three federal judges in Wyoming. The judges cited misconduct by the interim U.S. attorney that could have prejudiced the jurors, including comments he made to the grand jurors.

Lemon cites a third case out of Rhode Island where a federal judge on May 13 blocked the Trump administration’s sweeping demands for confidential transgender patient information from the state's largest hospital that provides gender-affirming care to minors.

In that case, the judge rebuked actions by prosecutors, saying the Justice Department can no longer be trusted to enforce its power fairly and honestly.

Finally, Lemon’s attorneys referenced the denial of search warrants sought by the Justice Department related to Lemon’s YouTube channel and YouTube account and cellphone information related to four other defendants. The magistrate judge held that the government did not establish probable cause to believe that evidence of a crime would be found in what the Justice Department wanted to search.

The search warrants were rejected in February, but the court record was unsealed on Tuesday.

Several judges — including the chief federal judge for Minnesota — found no probable cause to support the complaints that prosecutors first tried to file against the two journalists, so they refused to sign arrest warrants for Lemon or Fort before the government turned to the grand jury.

Lemon's attorneys argue they should be allowed to see the grand jury records because of the “checkered history of this case” and “numerous examples of grand jury misconduct by DOJ around the country.”

Lemon is “entitled to see whether the government allowed the grand jury to serve its role or whether, as elsewhere, the government interfered with the proper function of the grand jury,” his attorneys argued.

Debido a que el cambio climático provocado por la quema de combustibles fósiles debería generar más aire inestable de alta energía, lo que favorece la formación de granizo, las tormentas globales que azotan techos, autos y el suelo con granizo de un tamaño mayor que el de una canica grande aumentarán entre un 38% y un 47% para finales de siglo, dependiendo de cuánto gas que atrapa el calor emita el mundo, se afirma en un estudio publicado el miércoles en la revista Nature. Y las tormentas que producen granizo más pequeño disminuirán entre un 4% y un 8%, según los investigadores.

Por lo general, el granizo no es mortal para las personas, pero es costoso. Ya le cuesta a Estados Unidos unos 10.000 millones de dólares al año y alrededor de 80.000 millones a escala mundial, señaló el coautor del estudio John Allen, profesor de meteorología en la Universidad Central de Michigan.

El granizo causa más daños que los tornados y, por lo general, ahora cuesta “más que un par de huracanes al año”, declaró Allen por la mañana desde Guymon, Oklahoma, antes de salir con científicos que se adentran en el corazón de las tormentas de granizo para entender qué es lo que hace que las piedras sean tan grandes. “Hemos visto piedras de granizo récord en los últimos años. Esto me parece extremadamente preocupante porque en realidad no estamos construyendo nuestro entorno para que sea resiliente al granizo. No incluimos esto en nuestras normas de diseño, por ejemplo, para viviendas construidas en Estados Unidos o, de hecho, a nivel internacional”.

Las simulaciones por computadora de Allen muestran que, con el cambio climático, aumentará la proporción de piedras más grandes. Esas son las que causan más daños, señalaron él y científicos externos.

Piedras más grandes implican problemas más grandes

Las piedras más grandes pesan más y caen más rápido a través del aire, por lo que impactan con mayor fuerza.

Aunque el granizo pequeño puede dañar los cultivos, el granizo grande de alrededor de 2 pulgadas (5 centímetros) “puede causar daños importantes a vehículos, techos, paneles solares y demás infraestructura”, explicó Andreas Prein, climatólogo de ETH Zurich, quien no participó en el estudio.

Un agujero en un techo causado por una sola piedra de granizo puede repararse, pero muchas piedras grandes golpeando ese techo por lo general implican un costoso reemplazo total, indicó Allen.

Lo que ocurre es que hay más vapor de agua en una atmósfera más cálida —casi un 7% por cada grado Celsius (4% más por cada grado Fahrenheit)— y “eso incrementa la energía disponible en la atmósfera y, por lo tanto, tendemos a terminar con corrientes ascendentes más fuertes”, explicó Allen. “Y eso genera más tormentas eléctricas con corrientes ascendentes capaces de producir granizo”.

Pero con un aire más cálido, hay menos frío a gran altura para las piedras de granizo más pequeñas, que tienden a derretirse más, mientras que las más grandes no, señaló Allen.

Estudios anteriores se han centrado en su mayoría en el granizo en Estados Unidos —que es donde se produce más ese fenómeno— y no realizaron el modelado tridimensional de la formación del granizo que sí hizo el nuevo estudio con autores principales de China, indicó Allen. Otros estudios han analizado un posible aumento en la frecuencia en lugar del tamaño.

El granizo es un problema global

Argentina, Europa, Canadá y las llanuras del norte de Estados Unidos probablemente verán el mayor aumento en el número de tormentas de granizo con piedras más grandes, mientras que partes de los trópicos deberían registrar una reducción debido a que las piedras más pequeñas se derriten, señaló Allen.

“El granizo no es solo un problema de Estados Unidos”, afirmó Allen. “Sí, vemos grandes pérdidas aquí, pero las pérdidas globales por granizo parecen ser algo que realmente se está disparando en los últimos años”.

Los autores del estudio analizaron granizo de más y de menos de 30 milímetros (1,2 pulgadas) de diámetro, que está en algún punto entre una canica y una pelota de golf, y es aproximadamente del tamaño de una moneda de 50 centavos de Estados Unidos. El equipo examinó tres escenarios basados en las emisiones de carbono derivadas de la quema de carbón, petróleo y gas. En un escenario ligeramente optimista, sin demasiada contaminación por carbono, el granizo más grande aumenta un 38%. En un escenario más pesimista, en el que las temperaturas suben casi 1 grado Celsius (2 grados Fahrenheit) más que en el otro escenario, el granizo más grande se dispara un 47%.

“Esta es una importante señal climática”, manifestó Walker Ashley, profesor de meteorología en Northern Illinois, quien no participó en el estudio. “Pero las pérdidas por desastres no están impulsadas únicamente por el peligro en sí”.

A medida que más personas, más viviendas, más parques solares y más infraestructura se trasladan a zonas propensas al granizo, aumentan el riesgo y los daños, señaló Ashley. “El cambio climático puede estar incrementando el potencial de granizo más grande y más dañino en algunas regiones, pero la señal de pérdidas futuras también dependerá en gran medida de dónde construya la gente, qué construya, cuán resilientes sean esas estructuras y cómo cambie el uso del suelo”, añadió.

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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 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, works with three coaches. He pays for word lists and study guides. He tries to learn every Greek and Latin root, every language pattern, every spelling bee-worthy word he can find. And he competes throughout the year in online bees that pit him against the country's other top spellers.

Shrey's approach has proven effective for spellers seeking to hold the trophy, and on Wednesday he became one of nine spellers who got through the semifinals and will compete in the finals Thursday night.

But at least one other finalist has gone old-school, shunning outside help and using the dictionary as his guide.

Their opposing strategies have revived a long-running if good-natured debate in spelling circles: Which is more important, mastery of languages or rote memorization?

“At the end of finals, most of the words aren’t going to have a really clean-cut language pattern or rule that you can pull from. So I think memorization is really important,” said Sam Evans, who coached each of the past two champions. “Sometimes it gets a bad reputation, but you have to do it.”

Every word is in the dictionary, if you can find it

It’s all but impossible to reach the finals without knowing the components that make up words absorbed into English: roots and languages of origin. But some champions have stood out for their incredible recall, the ability to instantly visualize any word they’ve run across or even recite dictionary definitions verbatim: Nihar Janga in 2016, Zaila Avant-garde in 2021 and Bruhat Soma in 2024.

Sarv Dharavane might be the next of that group.

Sarv finished third in 2025 as a relative unknown in the spelling community. There’s a reason for that. The 12-year-old sixth-grader from Dunwoody, Georgia, has no coach. He doesn’t participate in online bees. And his only study guide is the source for every word in the competition: Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged dictionary.

“The book is my coach,” Sarv said.

Given his past success, he saw no reason to change it up. And he's back in the finals.

“I didn't really change anything because my strategy got me far last year, but I did more of what I did before,” Sarv said.

“I used to read the dictionary and set aside difficult words to study later,” he explained. “I did it a lot, so I got a lot of words and it was really easy just to go through them. I've always been able to remember pretty well, and I can read through long lists without getting tired, so this strategy works pretty well for me.”

Simple, right?

Many spellers think there's a better way.

Master the roots, and you don't need to memorize as much

Dev Shah, the 2023 champion, advocates an artistic approach to spelling — the one also championed by his coach, Scott Remer. Master roots, master language patterns, and learn how to spot the exceptions, and you can spell a word that you’ve never seen or don’t remember.

Shah accepted that he could never memorize the dictionary — “No one can,” he said — and he believed if he got a word he didn't know, he could figure it out.

“The skill of guessing is everything,” he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed after his victory.

In an interview Wednesday, Shah said memorization was important, especially for quirky words with obscure origins. He said the best spellers, including Avant-garde, found a balance between memorization and mastery.

Having a conceptual understanding of how words are spelled can also help spellers perform under pressure when their memory fails them, said Shah, who admitted he finds it daunting to memorize a huge volume of words.

Former champion Sohum Sukhatankar, who coaches Shrey, said spellers need to fill their brains with the most useful information.

“When you’re at the highest level, you have to be prepared for hundreds of thousands of words,” he said. “You want to do as little memorization as possible to avoid the chance that you just forget it, so it’s all about efficiency.”

After a catastrophic school bee, one speller seeks every edge

Shrey knows he might have to guess when he's at the microphone, but he wants to eliminate variables. That makes sense, given that a year ago, he wasn't even the top speller at his school.

“I had a fever at my school bee last year, and I just blanked on the word ‘calipers’ ... and I missed it,” he said. “I was really devastated.”

It took a few months before Shrey was motivated to start studying again. Once he did, he added Sukhatankar to his coaching team. He's learned how to slow down when he's at the microphone because of a bad experience in 2023, when he rushed through a word, didn't enunciate it clearly and judges determined he got it wrong.

He's also a believer in study guides. Shrey said an interactive, AI-assisted platform called Onyma that offers personalized learning and competition with other spellers — launched this month by Sukhatankar and Evans — has helped with his preparation.

He also uses SpellPundit, an online resource created by two former spellers and their parents that made a splash at the 2019 bee when the majority of that year’s eight co-champions used it. The company claims every champion since as a customer.

Shrey won the annual SpellPundit bee, the South Asian Spelling Bee and several other online bees, which he doesn't necessarily see as an advantage.

“I feel like it (creates) more pressure to perform,” he said.

Evans believes spellers who want to win should use their study time efficiently, but there's no barrier to learning every possible word.

“There's a common joke among spellers that says everything's in the dictionary, so it's all ‘on-list,’” he said. “The dictionary is the most basic thing that spellers need to know.”

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Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.

But this wasn't a small-town mayor assuring a few dozen community members at a town hall that municipal improvement efforts would be completed in time for Little League season.

This was President Donald Trump — channeling his decades as a high-profile real estate developer — regaling his assembled Cabinet and a nationally televised audience on Wednesday with the ins and outs of beautification projects around Washington.

“I love construction. It's very exciting,” Trump said, maintaining that the face-lift he's helped oversee to the nation's capital means “D.C. is looking beautiful.”

His aside lasted 10 minutes and was far more comprehensive than anything said about the other major issues discussed during the meeting, including the war in Iran. There were also only passing references to gas prices nationwide that have spiked and fears about a weakening economy that could hurt Trump's Republican Party in its push to retain control of Congress after November's midterm elections.

He offered new details of his construction plans, suggesting for the first time that they'd extend to the fountain at the World War II Memorial.

The president also said that, under his watch, construction crews were working to improve 28 fountains, then bragged about a push to renovate the “reflecting lake” or “reflecting pond” — actually the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — which he said had been steam-cleaned, fumigated and coated with “American flag blue” paint.

“Over the years, I built hundreds of pools,” Trump said, recalling his days as a construction mogul in 1970s and '80s New York. “I always like to build Olympic-sized swimming pools.”

The president noted that, as part of the revamp, cleaning crews had removed “more than 10 dumpsters of garbage.”

“Every corner had massive amounts,” he said, before offering, “I guess that’s the way the tide goes” — even though no tide flows into the pool.

Trump said the idea was to complete the project by Independence Day and it was mostly on track, except that recent rains in Washington had presented delays.

But the most detail came when the president turned to power-washing.

Workers “sandblasted it, and then we pebble-blasted,” Trump said, explaining it as “a bigger version of sand.”

He said that, to guard against leaks, crews were using “a very sophisticated form of rubber.”

The president also said he'd been responsible for a rebuild of the park across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

“I made a contribution to redoing Lafayette Park. That’s the entrance to the White House. And it was an embarrassment that floors were broken,” Trump said, meaning the park's brick walkways.

Through it all, most Cabinet members listened intently with little emotion, except Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — already known for conspicuously laughing loudest at such meetings — who nodded frequently and enthusiastically along this time. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also offered comments about some of the renovation projects when prompted.

Before turning his attention to city improvements, the president opened the meeting by saying only a few select Cabinet members would be allowed to speak in hopes of moving things along more quickly.

“Everybody around here has got a lot to say. But we did that once, and it lasted for like four or five hours. It was a little much,” Trump said.

That was an exaggeration, though his past Cabinet meetings have indeed featured lengthy comments — often highly laudatory of Trump — from top officials. One such meeting last summer pushed the public portion past the three-hour mark.

In the end, Trump's construction update took up about one-eighth of an 80-minute meeting. It was up to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to help get things back on track and steered toward Iran. “I think, actually, your efforts on the reflecting pool are actually a great segue,” Hegseth offered.

“If you look at Washington and Lincoln, these are two men that faced monumental tasks and stood up in historic fashion and delivered for the American people,” the defense secretary said. “And, when you step back and look at 47 years of what Iran waged — war against us and our people — there’s only one man, over the course of both presidencies, who has stood up and said they will never get a nuclear weapon.”

Roselaine Jean-Pierre, 67, was among two dozen people who gathered at an intersection in Cite Soleil holding tree branches and demanding that police intervene in the area, even as gunshots were ringing nearby.

“I did not do anything to deserve this,” said Jean-Pierre, who fled her home on Sunday, and is now sleeping in the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Some of the protesters said they saw people getting killed over the weekend in Cite Soleil, where burned cars and dead cows could also be observed. Haitian authorities have not released any information on casualties.

“I know of seven people that have been killed and also people that have been shot,” said Michel-Ange Toussaint, who had returned briefly to her home in Cite Soleil to gather some clothes.

She said the attacks on civilians began Sunday around 6 p.m., prompting many people to flee the area in search of safety. “It is our good feet that saved us,” Toussaint said.

Gangs have overtaken Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 at his home. Police say they control about 70% of the capital — down from 90% — and have expanded their activities — including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape — into the countryside. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

In a statement released Monday, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders announced the evacuation of its hospital in Cite Soleil following the intense clashes Sunday.

The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, another hospital that operates in Cite Soleil, said on Tuesday that it had also suspended operations due to the outbreak of violence that began Sunday, and had to evacuate all of its hospitalized patients, including 11 newborns.

In April, the first foreign troops linked to a U.N. force arrived in Haiti to help quell ongoing violence.

The U.N. Security Council in late September approved a plan to authorize a 5,550-member force, which has not fully arrived in the island nation. An unknown number of troops from Chad have so far been deployed.

A report published earlier this year by the International Organization for Migration found that gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people in Haiti, with approximately 200,000 of them now living in crowded and underfunded sites in the nation’s capital.

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This story was first published on May. 12, 2026. It was updated on May. 27, 2026 to correct the spelling of Jovenel Moïse

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

El streamer, cuyo nombre real es Nurideen Shabazz, fue detenido alrededor de las 4 a.m. después de que agentes respondieran a una llamada relacionada con una mujer que dijo haber sido pateada fuera de un yate cerca de la cuadra 200 de North Shore Drive.

Según la policía, los agentes llegaron poco antes de las 2 a.m. y se reunieron con la mujer, quien les dijo que Shabazz, de 25 años, la había pateado fuera del yate después de que otros hombres intentaran hablar con ella.

La policía indicó que la mujer les dijo que Shabazz le advirtió que no “entretuviera a nadie más que a él”.

El informe señala que, después de que la mujer salió del yate, Shabazz intentó quitarle el teléfono para evitar que grabara la interacción.

Los agentes dijeron que él la agarró por el antebrazo, pero no logró quitarle el dispositivo. La policía indicó que el encuentro dejó un pequeño rasguño en el antebrazo izquierdo de la víctima.

Luego, la mujer llamó a la policía.

Según el informe, los investigadores revisaron posteriormente imágenes de vigilancia proporcionadas por el propietario de la propiedad, quien dijo a los agentes que había permitido que Shabazz usara el yate prestado.

La policía indicó que el video mostraba a Shabazz gritando para que alguien tomara el teléfono de la víctima y se asegurara de que no lo estuviera grabando. Los agentes escribieron que las imágenes parecían mostrar a Shabazz intentando repetidamente quitarle el teléfono, lo que provocó un forcejeo mientras la víctima trataba de alejarse.

Según el informe, las imágenes mostraban a la víctima “encogiendo su cuerpo en el piso” para evitar que Shabazz le quitara el teléfono.

La policía indicó que finalmente logró alejarse de Shabazz alrededor de la 1:55 a.m. y luego llamó al 911.

Posteriormente, los agentes supieron que el yate regresaba al muelle. Cuando llegó, la policía detuvo a Shabazz para interrogarlo.

Según el informe, después de que le leyeran sus derechos Miranda, Shabazz, residente de Temple Terrace, Florida, dijo a los agentes que creía que la víctima tenía su teléfono. La policía indicó que su declaración contradijo lo que los agentes observaron en las imágenes de video.

Shabazz finalmente fue arrestado por un cargo de intento de robo por la fuerza y fue trasladado al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, permanecía detenido en TGK con una fianza de $2,500 USD.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan Democrat, said detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark are being given small portions of food that “very often” contain maggots and that the only medication they receive is Tylenol.

One woman, he said, had a lump in her breast but was still waiting on a mammogram more than a month into her detention. Another detainee was suffering from colon cancer but wasn’t receiving any treatment.

“The bottom line is, if you are human, if you are American, you cannot support what is going on here,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, another Manhattan Democrat who toured the facility Wednesday. “They’re living in jail conditions, and none of these people are criminals.”

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, another Manhattan Democrat, described conditions as “inhumane" after spending about an hour inside the facility,

“We will shut this center down," he vowed. “We will shut it down.”

The lawmakers addressed protesters and family members of detainees demonstrating outside the facility’s security gate after their visits.

More than 50 people held signs saying “Stop Family Separation” and chanted “Free Them All” and other slogans. Some shouted directly at the armed and helmet-wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing outside, calling them “cowards” and “idiots.”

The protests began Friday and have been tense at times.

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was pepper-sprayed as he and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill led a delegation of Democratic officials who tried to visit detainees at Delaney Hall but were denied entry.

“Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,” Kim posted on social media after Monday’s clashes. “Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd.”

Gabriela Soto said Wednesday that her husband was among the detainees who participated in the hunger strike before he was transferred to another facility.

“At first it was just 300. Then it became a little bit more. Now, every single detainee inside there is participating. Every single one,” she said, wearing a black shirt that said “Abolish ICE.”

Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said his organization has heard “horror stories” of detainees, including pregnant women, not getting the proper medical treatment for their health conditions.

“Cruelty is the point,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has denied any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside the center and dismissed the criticisms as political posturing.

“The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Wednesday of detainees at Delaney Hall. “This isn’t Holiday Inn.”

In a follow-up statement, DHS said two protesters were arrested for assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers after ICE officers were sprayed “with an unknown chemical substance” Tuesday night.

“These rioters have OBSTRUCTED law enforcement operations — a felony and a crime,” the statement read. “Local police have refused to answer calls to help our law enforcement. We will not allow violent rioters to slow ICE down. Law and order will be restored.”

President Donald Trump defended the center's operations and criticized opponents.

“We run the finest facilities anywhere in the world of their type,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting with Mullin. “There’s nobody that runs a facility like we do.”

Located along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay and run by a private prison company, Delaney Hall has been a frequent flashpoint of protests and clashes between immigrant rights advocates and immigration enforcement officials.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, were among those arrested during protests when the 1,000-bed facility opened last May.

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Marcelo reported from New York. Associated Press photographer Seth Wenig in Newark contributed to this story.

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Rubio said the Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., or GAESA, a business conglomerate operated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, controls 70% of the island’s economy.

Rubio said none of GAESA’s profits help the Cuban people, and this is a problem for the U.S., because having a failed state 90 miles away from U.S. shores is a threat to national security.

“Cuba is in a lot of trouble because, unfortunately for them, it’s run by a bunch of incompetent communists,” Rubio said. “Being a communist is bad, being an incompetent communist is like the worst.”

Rubio said the U.S. is continuing talks with Cuban officials. He did not mention the recent U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro over the fatal 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes.

In Venezuela, Rubio said, the process of “stabilization, recovery, and transition” was ongoing. He estimated that over 10 million barrels of oil had been delivered to the U.S. since Jan. 3.

Rubio added that Venezuela was selling oil at market rates, and “the money” was deposited into an account based in the U.S. that was audited by KPMG, and was controlled by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

“The money is not being stolen,” Rubio said. “It’s going to the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”

Related stories

• Analysis: As war with Iran possibly nears end, is Cuba next?
• Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Carlos Gimenez talk about Cuba policy
• Trump’s Cuba strategy echoes his Venezuela playbook. But there are key differences

Rubio dijo que el Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., o GAESA, un conglomerado empresarial operado por las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Cuba, controla el 70% de la economía de la isla.

Rubio afirmó que ninguna de las ganancias de GAESA beneficia al pueblo cubano, y que esto representa un problema para Estados Unidos, porque tener un estado fallido a 90 millas de las costas estadounidenses es una amenaza para la seguridad nacional.

“Cuba está en muchos problemas porque, desafortunadamente para ellos, está dirigida por un grupo de comunistas incompetentes”, dijo Rubio. “Ser comunista es malo, ser un comunista incompetente es como lo peor”.

Rubio dijo que Estados Unidos continúa las conversaciones con funcionarios cubanos. No mencionó la reciente acusación de Estados Unidos contra Raúl Castro por el derribo mortal en 1996 de dos aviones de Hermanos al Rescate.

En Venezuela, Rubio dijo que el proceso de “estabilización, recuperación y transición” seguía en marcha. Estimó que más de 10 millones de barriles de petróleo habían sido enviados a Estados Unidos desde el 3 de enero.

Rubio agregó que Venezuela estaba vendiendo petróleo a precios de mercado y que “el dinero” era depositado en una cuenta con sede en Estados Unidos auditada por KPMG y controlada por el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos.

“El dinero no está siendo robado”, dijo Rubio. “Está beneficiando al pueblo venezolano”.

Historias relacionadas

• Análisis: Mientras la guerra con Irán posiblemente llega a su fin, ¿Cuba es la próxima?
• El senador Rick Scott y el representante Carlos Gimenez hablan sobre política hacia Cuba
• La estrategia de Trump hacia Cuba refleja su estrategia con Venezuela. Pero existen diferencias clave

Instead of trying to copy symmetrical shapes from nature by building robots that look like people, dogs or insects, engineering professor Boyuan Chen and his team focused on uniformity in action, or what he calls “dynamic symmetry.”

The result was Argus. The roly-poly robot named after a mythological many-eyed giant has depth-sensing cameras attached to 20 telescoping legs that radiate from a central core. With no front, back, top or bottom, it can see and move in any direction instantly.

“Instead of measuring how your legs are arranged around a different part of your body, we’re measuring how fast you can move in any direction,” Chen said. “Who said, you know, if you have a robot to help us in a most effective way, it has to look like us?”

In experiments, Argus has navigated sandy beaches and forest undergrowth, rolling over obstacles and stabilizing itself after being pushed. It can climb between parallel brick walls by alternating bracing and thrusting motions with its legs. If one or more motor dies or a leg breaks, it continues to function.

“Watching Argus move is unlike watching any other robot we’ve worked with,” said Jiaxun Liu, a graduate student and co-author of a study about Argus published online Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics. “The first time we saw it navigate among trees and rough terrain, even under heavy collisions, we knew this was something different.”

As part of their work, researchers developed a new design principle called dynamic isotropy that rates robots on a scale of 0 to 1 based on how uniformly they can accelerate in every direction. Most robots in use today, including humanoids and drones, score below 0.6. Argus scores 0.91.

“When a robot can accelerate equally well in every direction, it stops needing to face the world in any particular way,” said Chen, who hopes the same principle could guide the development of search and rescue robots, underwater or aerial vehicles or robots with the ability to grip objects.

“Instead of building a robot hand that looks like a human hand … one idea is to think about having Argus be the hand itself, and it can manipulate objects in any direction,” he said. “The knowledge we can transfer to the rest of the world is much more deeper than building an existing robot or copying an existing species.”

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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

Woodensky Pierre is a defensive midfielder who plays for Violette AC in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 70% of that city is under siege by violent gangs.

The other 25 players on the World Cup squad play outside the country, coming from leagues in places like England, France, Portugal, Canada and the United States.

This year's World Cup will be only the second for Haiti in its history — the country’s only other appearance on soccer’s biggest stage was in 1974.

Haitian soccer federation spokesman Thecieux Jeanty said all but one player on the 1974 World Cup team was living and playing in Haiti at that time.

The U.S. visas for Pierre and nearly a dozen other officials with the Haitian soccer federation have yet to come through as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump continues to expand travel restrictions from countries including Haiti.

Pierre continues to train at a field with synthetic grass in Pétion-Ville, an upscale area of Port-au-Prince, as he awaits his visa, “in hopes of being with his team as soon as possible,” Jeanty told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday.

“I hope he doesn’t have to live in (Haiti) after the World Cup,” Jeanty said. “It’s an opportunity to present himself to the world and await a contract.”

The team’s home stadium in Port-au-Prince — not far from the neighborhood where Pierre is from — was deemed too dangerous, forcing Haiti to play its “home” World Cup qualifiers in Curaçao.

Pierre is from Cite Soleil, a seaside slum that has endured violence and hunger for years and serves as a base for powerful gang leaders. Cite Soleil has seen multiple massacres and gang rapes, with violence recently displacing more than 5,300 people, according to the latest report from the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.

“It’s a source of pride for him,” Jeanty said of Pierre being able to play in the World Cup. “It’s satisfying for (soccer) officials and for the public, too. As you know, Haiti is in crisis.”

Pierre did not return messages seeking comment, and neither did the team’s coach.

Officials for Haiti’s squad arrived in Florida on Sunday, and players began training in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday. Three other players are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, Jeanty said.

There is still time to resolve Pierre’s situation. Haiti will play two World Cup warmup matches, first against New Zealand on Tuesday and then against Peru on June 5, in South Florida.

Haiti opens World Cup play on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against Scotland, then plays five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.

Jeanty said he first made contact with Pierre in 2022, when they traveled together to Honduras for a under-20 match.

“I saw him as a top-level player,” Jeanty said, adding that “everybody’s very happy” to have Pierre on the team.

“There is soccer in Haiti,” Jeanty said. “It’s a country that wants to live.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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

A más de un mes del incidente que generó fricciones entre México y Washington y tensiones internas, Sheinbaum confirmó en su habitual conferencia diaria un número de agentes estadounidenses que es el doble del que habían reconocido las autoridades mexicanas inicialmente en Chihuahua.

Sin ofrecer detalles de la identidad de los agentes, las actividades que estaban cumpliendo en México o si pertenecían la Agencia Central de Inteligencia de Estados Unidos (CIA, por sus siglas en inglés) la mandataria dijo que a los dos agentes que sobrevivieron se les pidió abandonar el país porque “no tenían acreditación”.

Sheinbaum detalló que los cuatro agentes entraron a México “con pasaportes legales, diplomáticos, (y) como turistas”, pero que no cumplieron el protocolo de registro ante el gobierno mexicano, y agregó que a los dos agentes que “se les pidió que se registraran o abandonaran el país” optaron por salir.

La presencia de los funcionarios estadounidenses en México se conoció poco después de la muerte de dos de ellos en un accidente de tránsito que ocurrió el 19 de abril en las montañas del estado norteño de Chihuahua donde se había desmantelado un laboratorio clandestino de drogas sintéticas.

El incidente fue protestado por el gobierno de Sheinbaum, que se quejó a Estados Unidos de que no le informara de las actividades de sus agentes en territorio mexicano.

La CIA no hizo comentarios públicos sobre el caso.

Un funcionario de Estados Unidos y dos personas con conocimiento del accidente confirmaron en abril a The Associated Press la participación de la CIA. Todos ellos hablaron bajo condición de anonimato debido a que se trata de asuntos sensibles de inteligencia. La identidad de los dos estadounidenses como agentes de la CIA fue reportada primero por The Washington Post.

El hecho también ocasionó fricciones entre el Ejecutivo federal y la gobernadora opositora de Chihuahua, María Eugenia Campos, a quien la Fiscalía General de la República citó este miércoles para declarar sobre las actividades que realizaron los agentes estadounidenses en ese estado fronterizo.

De prosperar la investigación Campos y otros funcionarios de Chihuahua podrían ser enjuiciados por vulnerar las regulaciones sobre seguridad nacional.

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Detective Angel Rodriguez released a statement on Wednesday asking the public for help with finding Daphne S. Ellington.

Ellington was last seen at about 6 p.m. on May 10 walking in the area of Northwest 18 Avenue and 68 Street, according to a flyer that Rodriguez released.

Ellington has brown eyes, orange hair, weighs 110 pounds, and is 5-feet, 5-inches tall, and she was last seen wearing a short gray dress, according to the flyer.

Rodriguez asked anyone with information about Ellington’s whereabouts to call M-DSO Special Victims Bureau deputy K. Fernandez-Roblin at 305-715-3300 or 305-715-3249.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases who wants to remain anonymous to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

El detective Angel Rodriguez emitió un comunicado el miércoles solicitando ayuda del público para encontrar a Daphne S. Ellington.

Ellington fue vista por última vez alrededor de las 6 p.m. del 10 de mayo caminando en el área de Northwest 18 Avenue y 68 Street, según un volante publicado por Rodriguez.

Ellington tiene ojos marrones, cabello anaranjado, pesa 110 libras, mide 5 pies y 5 pulgadas de altura, y fue vista por última vez usando un vestido corto gris, según el volante.

Rodriguez pidió a cualquier persona con información sobre el paradero de Ellington que llame a la agente K. Fernandez-Roblin, de la Oficina de Víctimas Especiales de la MDSO, al 305-715-3300 o al 305-715-3249.

Los detectives solicitaron a cualquier persona con información sobre este u otros casos y que desee permanecer en el anonimato que llame a Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

The trio of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson, nicknamed Triple Espresso at the 2024 Olympics, were named on Tuesday to the U.S. training camp roster for a pair of June matches against the Brazilian national team in Brazil. The three have not played together since the gold medal match at the Paris Games.

Swanson was included on the U.S. roster for the first time since October 2024. She recently returned to her club team, the Chicago Stars, after taking time off for the birth of her daughter in November.

The 28-year-old Swanson has 38 goals in 103 appearances with the national team and scored the lone goal in the 1-0 victory over Brazil for the gold medal in Paris.

Wilson had returned to the national team in April after taking maternity leave last year for the birth of her daughter. She has 24 goals in 61 appearances for the United States.

“That front three haven’t been together since the Olympic gold medal match, that’s a long time, and we cannot waste a single minute," U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “We absolutely have to put the very best players together with every opportunity that we have. But the circumstances are slightly different. We have Mal, who is coming back last, and yes, she is competing and contributing to Chicago, but like Soph last camp, it is so important to get them into the environment to reconnect with their teammates.”

The United States will play Brazil on June 6 in Sao Paulo and June 9 in Fortaleza.

Because the national team does not play many friendly matches away from the United States, the games in Brazil give the younger players an opportunity to experience travel routines.

Additionally, Brazil is hosting next year's Women's World Cup. The United States will attempt to qualify for the tournament starting in late November at the CONCACAF W Championship.

“This is another moment where we get to see how we cope with all of the environmental conditions that come with going to Brazil, whether that’s adapting to different cultures, different training facilities, different hotels, different experiences, fan experience, feeling like the away team, but with the pressure cooker of a top opponent. All of these things really, really matter," Hayes said.

Hayes named 26 players to the camp roster for the international window, with 23 players to be designated as available for each match.

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Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)

Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Lilly Reale (Gotham), Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Gisele Thompson (Angel City), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)

Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Kansas City Current), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)

Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns)

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

Jacobs was arrested Tuesday in Brown County on allegations of strangulation and suffocation and other offenses over the weekend. His lawyers said he denies wrongdoing.

District Attorney David Lasee said it's too soon to make a formal charging decision.

“Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued. ... The investigation remains open and is ongoing," Lasee said.

Jacobs' lawyers — David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and Clarence Duchac — said they're pleased that he's out of jail.

“We encourage everyone to keep an open mind while the matter is fully reviewed. We remain confident that, once all of the evidence is gathered and evaluated, it will confirm that no charges should be brought against Josh in the future,” they said.

Hobart/Lawrence Police Chief Michael Renkas said police responded to a complaint about Jacobs around 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Jacobs is the Packers’ top returning rusher after running for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025. That followed a 2024 season in which he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning his third Pro Bowl selection.

The Packers, who started organized team activities this week, had issued a statement Tuesday saying that they were aware of the matter and that “as it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment.”

“I know there’s going to be a lot of questions about Josh,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before the Packers' practice on Wednesday. “I’m going to stick with the statement that we put out as an organization and just let the process play out.”

LaFleur declined comment on his reaction to the arrest, how he addressed the matter with the team and whether the Packers had communicated at all with Jacobs over the past few days. He also was asked about whether he has to prepare for the possibility the Packers might have to play part of the season without Jacobs.

“I think a lot’s going to happen between now and then,” LaFleur said.

The Packers canceled a scheduled post-practice availability for reporters with players Wednesday.

Jacobs, 28, has rushed for 7,803 yards and 74 touchdowns in his seven-year career, which included five seasons with the Raiders. He earned All-Pro honors and had an NFL-leading 1,653 yards rushing with Las Vegas in 2022.

The only active players with more career touchdown runs are Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (122) and Buffalo’s Josh Allen (79).

Green Bay lacks proven running backs aside from Jacobs.

The Packers' second-leading rusher last season was Emanuel Wilson, who has since signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers didn’t draft any running backs this year.

Green Bay's second-leading returning rusher is quarterback Jordan Love, who ran for 199 yards last season. The Packers did re-sign running back Chris Brooks, who rushed for 106 yards on 27 carries last season and ran for 183 yards and a touchdown on 36 attempts in 2024.

MarShawn Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick from Southern California, didn’t play at all last year and appeared in only one game as a rookie because of injuries.

“I think he’s done everything he can in his power to put him in the best possible position," LaFleur said of Lloyd. "He’s just going to have to go out there and prove it.”

Other running backs on Green Bay’s roster include Damien Martinez, Pierre Strong and rookie undrafted free agent Jaden Nixon.

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White reported from Detroit.

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

La gobernadora Jenniffer González indicó que la orden ejecutiva permitiría que su administración acelere proyectos para proteger los recursos naturales y a las comunidades costeras vulnerables. El gobierno señaló en un comunicado que el aumento del nivel del mar, las marejadas ciclónicas y otros factores han intensificado la erosión costera en Puerto Rico.

González se comprometió a ayudar a municipios del norte, entre ellos, Loiza, donde se ha evacuado a personas y han caído al océano trozos de asfalto de carreteras costeras tras fuertes oleajes.

La orden se firmó apenas unos días antes del inicio de la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico, que va del 1 de junio al 30 de noviembre.

Aún no se ha determinado el costo de los proyectos.

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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.

Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two alleged victims between 1985 and 2008.

Prosecutor Rosemary Walsh told jurors in Newry Crown Court that the alleged victims complained to police more than two years ago about “difficult and traumatic incidents they say happened when they were children.”

Donaldson resigned as leader of the DUP and quit as a lawmaker in the U.K. Parliament, after he was arrested in March 2024.

Donaldson’s resignation shocked the DUP shortly after the party ended its boycott of Northern Ireland’s semiautonomous government and returned to a power-sharing agreement, after he won concessions on Britain’s post-Brexit trading arrangements with the European Union.

As leader of the DUP between 2021 and 2023, he was the most powerful figure in Northern Ireland’s unionist movement, which seeks to maintain the region’s historic ties to the United Kingdom.

The two alleged victims told police that Donaldson groped them when they were around primary school age, and the older of the two, referred to in court as Complainant B, said that the abuse continued for several years, Walsh said.

Years later, Complainant B said that a meeting was arranged through a church and Donaldson apologized “for what had happened in the past.”

When Donaldson was interviewed by police, he said that it was “unbelievable” that he would have touched her sexually.

His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, has denied charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offenses, but she's not in court because Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial for mental health reasons.

Jurors will decide her case on facts, but she can't be convicted of a crime or punished. The trial is expected to last up to a month.

Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce. But many Iranians feared access could be cut off again at a moment's notice.

Internet tracking company Netblocks said Iran’s connectivity, which measures the ability of devices to connect to the internet, is at around 86% of capacity from before the cutoff. Internet analysis firm Kentik said internet traffic, which measures the amount of data transferred and is a good illustration of usage, was at around 40%.

Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity analyst, said there were still widespread disruptions. “It's too early to say the shutdown is over,” he wrote on X.

An unprecedented shutdown

Iran’s roughly 90 million people have been cut off from the internet for most of 2026, one of the world’s longest and strictest national shutdowns. Young people with online careers saw their incomes evaporate. Job losses and the closure of online businesses added to the war's steep economic costs.

The cutoff made it difficult for Iranian families to communicate through months of unrest and war. At some points, phone lines were also cut off, though they were later restored.

A woman living in Tehran said that for months she was barely able to speak to her sons living abroad. She couldn't believe authorities had restored access, saying she had assumed they would find some justification to prolong the outage.

A taxi driver, said service was restored but weak. He expressed hope it would improve so he could use messaging apps with family and friends. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Prices spiked during the shutdown, with residents in Tehran at times paying around $7.50 per gigabyte. Prices are back down to around $2.25 for 30 gigabytes, roughly where they were before the protests.

Even then, Iran tightly controlled access to popular social media sites, leading many to rely on virtual private networks, or VPNs. The cost of those workarounds soared during the shutdown, making them unaffordable for many as the economy was battered.

A slow return to service

Businesses have started reappearing online, announcing their return with posts on sites like Instagram and Telegram.

A gamer and tech influencer in the central city of Isfahan said the shutdown had caused him to lose a lot of his audience on YouTube and Instagram, where he had spent years building up a large following.

“All my views and interactions are way down. I’ve been erased from the algorithm,” he said in a voice note sent by WhatsApp, adding that his internet connection was still slower than before the shutdown.

“The situation is such that many content producers have had their income reduced to zero, have moved on to other jobs, or have been forced to sell their equipment to survive,” he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Iran claimed the shutdown was a wartime necessity

Iranian authorities first shut down the internet in January during mass anti-government protests that were eventually stamped out in a violent crackdown. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands detained.

That cutoff was just starting to ease when the government imposed a complete internet blackout after the start of the war, when U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and other top officials.

The government faced criticism for the prolonged shutdown, which caused even more harm to an economy devastated by inflation, strikes on key industries and a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

The internet cutoff cost an estimated $30-40 million daily, with indirect losses likely twice that much, a member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Afshin Kolahi, told a local newspaper last month. About 10 million people have jobs that depend on internet connectivity, according to Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi.

Iranians still had access to a national net, but that has a far narrower reach, and users complained of poor service and heavy censorship. Senior government officials are given SIM cards granting them access to the global internet. Under pressure, the government expanded access to the SIM cards to some professions during the shutdown.

The warning — which fell on the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha — came a day after Israeli troops clashed with the Iran-backed Hezbollah along a strategic river in southern Lebanon, with Israeli forces pushing farther north, days ahead of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations.

Wednesday's warning is the first that orders the Lebanese to relocate from the south since a ceasefire went into effect on April 17 and follows an escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Israeli troops have crossed the Litani River, edging closer to the southern city of Nabatiyeh. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has also intensified in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqieh, along the strategic river. Israel has not struck Beirut or areas near the capital since the truce started.

The war started on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with Iran. Over one million people in Lebanon have since been displaced, and over 3,200 people killed in Israeli strikes according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Many displaced people are sleeping in public schools that have turned into makeshift shelters or in tents pitched in encampments across the Lebanese capital.

Earlier, the Israeli military had called on the residents of Nabatiyeh and the city of Tyre along the Mediterranean coast to leave and stay away, saying there were Hezbollah members and military posts there.

Roads have been jam-packed with cars fleeing Tyre and surrounding neighborhoods heading north, seeking shelter. Strikes in the southwestern region have intensified in recent days.

Those who have nowhere to go are staying in the city, said Moussa Nasrallah of Lebanon's Civil Defense. He and other first-responders have been helping move the elderly and others living further out in the province to the city.

At least four Israeli strikes hit near Tyre since the warning was announced, Nasrallah said. The Israeli military said it has been targeting what it called “command centers” belonging to Hezbollah without giving further details.

“We can’t use our vehicles to evacuate people out of the area and not be available for the wounded,” Nasrallah told The Associated Press, fearing his colleagues would be stuck in the traffic, and unable to return to the front lines to help civilians.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for several attacks on both Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern Israeli border villages.

Also, amid a surge in Hezbollah attacks with exploding drones, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli military will expand the scope of its attacks against Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it has struck 550 targets since the beginning of the week, a significant increase in the number of attacks.

Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops that operate across large swaths of the country's south. The Iran-backed group has dismissed Lebanon's direct talks with Israel and has backed Iran's talks with Washington to their war. Among Tehran's conditions is ending the war in Lebanon as well.

Israel's widened attacks in recent days have struck areas in eastern Lebanon along the Bekaa Valley, near the border with Syria. On Tuesday, Israel struck near the Qaraoun Dam, Lebanon's largest, on the Litani River.

“It's all so funny,” she says. “When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they'll say, 'It's just so sad that they're disappearing.' I don't think they're really keeping track, or they just know about a store that closed or heard about one closing.”

The decline of physical bookstores remains so embedded in popular culture that the man dating Anne Hathaway's character in “ The Devil Wears Prada 2 ” laments that bookstores are “getting downsized and consolidated.” But the decline actually ended years ago, and the latest numbers from the American Booksellers Association show independent stores expanding at a pace not seen this century.

Membership in the ABA grew by more than 500 over the past year, to a total of 3,417 (at 3,783 locations), nearly triple what it was a decade ago and the highest level since the late 1990s. The surge included stores of various kinds — general interest shops like Hey Books! in San Diego; mobile stores like the Wandering Quills Bookshop in Westerville, Ohio; pop-up stores like Banyan Books in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Many of the new members reflect the current boom in romance, fantasy and their hybrid, romantasy, whether the Spicy Librarian in Denver or the Flutter Romance Bookstore in Austin, Texas: “Where butterflies begin. And every story ends in happily-ever-after,” according to its web site.

Both a business and a calling

Independent bookselling, rarely a way to get rich, is a meeting ground for idealists — for young people with a sense of mission, retirees embarking on a new life or middle-aged people no longer satisfied with their careers. “I think people want to realign their lives with their values,” Hill says.

In Wentzville, Missouri, 55-year-old Kelley Hartnett is a marketing consultant and copywriter who had always wanted to run a bookstore. Her husband's concerns included competing against Amazon, but Hartnett went ahead and opened Double Dog Bookshop in 2025 as a mobile store. She rode about the area in a converted cargo trailer, joined by two Australian Cattle Dog mutts, and has since opened a storefront downtown.

“For me, Double Dog is about maybe 50% books and 50% community,” says Hartnett, who hopes to find a larger space that would make it easier for customers to gather and “just be.”

“People are craving connection, especially in-person connection,” she said. “People are over the internet and virtual meetings and algorithms. They're not the same as having a human to human connection. It feels really healing.”

Hill can joke about the mistaken elegies for bookselling, while expressing concern that the state of independent stores is healthy but “precarious.” Costs are high, and schools and libraries face budget cuts that limit their purchases from local stores.

Is there room for indies and giants?

Independent owners also find themselves worrying about a onetime competitor which itself had seemed endangered, Barnes & Noble.

The superstore chain was the dominant seller in the 1980s and 1990s, and was widely seen as the leading cause for hundreds — maybe thousands — of independent stores shutting down. But by the 2010s, Barnes & Noble had been surpassed by Amazon. It began shutting down stores instead of opening new ones and struggled for years to find a new owner before the hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. bought it in 2019.

Under the leadership of CEO James Daunt, Barnes & Noble is expanding again, adding more than 100 stores over the past two years. In Chicago, the owner of the decade-old Volume Books has blamed a new Barnes & Noble for putting her out of business, while Hill added that “even a small decrease in sales can make or break a bookstore’s year in an industry with paper-thin margins.”

Daunt denies any intent to take business from independent sellers, saying it's not in his “DNA.”

“I'm an independent seller myself,” he says, noting that he founded Daunt Books in London. Daunt says he has customers who shop at his store and the British chain Waterstones (where he's also managing director). “I never thought of the market as finite.”

The owners of The Book Loft Oak Park, another Chicago-area store that opened last summer, acknowledge some nerves about a nearby Barnes & Noble coming soon. But Heather Nelson and Sophie Schauer Eldred hope the stores ultimately compliment each other.

“We’re hoping people whose curiosity is piqued by the new Barnes and Noble will walk down the street,” Schauer Eldred said, “and pop into our bookstore.”

Judge Pamela K. Chen accepted the explanation provided by U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. about why the government wanted to dismiss the indictment against Hernan Lopez.

A smiling Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, later left the Brooklyn federal courthouse, telling reporters he was relieved that “a case that never should have started is finally over.”

Nocella told Chen that the administration preferred to focus on domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, national security, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking and violent gangs.

The judge said Nocella's stated reason, along with an explanation in a written document submitted to the court, “does provide sufficient justification” to accept the request to dismiss the indictment.

Lopez and Full Play Group SA, a South American sports media company, were convicted in 2023 of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to nab broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches. But they were subsequently granted an acquittal by Chen.

An appeals court reinstated the convictions in July, but additional appeals followed and the fate of the prosecution had been uncertain.

Chen said during Wednesday’s hearing that she was not basing her decision to dismiss the indictment “in any way” on her prior decision granting the acquittal.

Prosecutors told the Supreme Court in December that the government has now determined that “dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” though they did not expand on their rationale.

Before ruling Wednesday, Chen asked the various parties to say how a broader decade-old corruption case related to TV rights for international soccer tournaments, including numerous convictions, would be affected by the indictment dismissal.

FIFA, soccer's governing body, said in a court filing two weeks ago that it agreed with the U.S. government that dismissing charges against Lopez and Full Play “would have no direct effect on the convictions of other defendants.”

FIFA said it has worked closely with the Department of Justice “in its efforts to root out corruption in football” and had taken disciplinary action, including lifetime bans to address misconduct the United States had unearthed.

The Justice Department told the judge in a March 12 letter that every other prosecution in the case had its own particular facts and circumstances.

In its filing, FIFA said the U.S. government had already turned over $201 million to FIFA and other organizations to disburse funds to support soccer-related projects with community impact worldwide.

Among projects FIFA cited were those establishing after-school soccer leagues in poor neighborhoods in Miami, the refurbished of community soccer fields in Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., the establishment of training programs for teachers and coaches in the Caribbean, and the hosting of children's soccer tournaments in South America.

Dos transeúntes inocentes murieron después de una balacera durante el tráfico congestionado de la hora pico el 5 de diciembre de 2019 en Miramar. Los tiradores eran dos delincuentes prófugos que también murieron, junto con 20 agentes del orden involucrados.

Los investigadores determinaron que una bala disparada por Mirabal impactó a Rick Cutshaw, quien se encontraba en su automóvil sobre Miramar Parkway cuando murió mientras regresaba a casa después del trabajo, muestran los registros. Tenía 70 años.

Según los investigadores, cinco balas disparadas por Mirabal y los agentes de la MDSO Jose Mateo, Richard Santiesteban y Leslie Lee impactaron a Frank Ordonez, un padre de 27 años que trabajaba como conductor de UPS cuando los delincuentes lo tomaron como rehén.

En 2024, un gran jurado del condado Broward emitió acusaciones contra Mirabal por dos cargos de homicidio involuntario con arma de fuego, y contra Mateo, Santiesteban y Lee por un cargo cada uno de homicidio involuntario con arma de fuego.

En 2025, el juez de circuito del condado Broward, Ernest Kollra, determinó que Mateo estaba “justificado” en el uso de fuerza letal y respaldó la aplicación de inmunidad bajo la ley “Stand Your Ground” de Florida.

La Fiscalía Estatal de Broward emitió un comunicado indicando que “la inmunidad de ‘Stand Your Ground’ no aplica en casos que involucran a transeúntes inocentes”.

En marzo, Kollra emitió el mismo fallo en los casos de Santiesteban, Lee y Mirabal.

En abril, los fiscales decidieron que las apelaciones en los casos de Mateo, Santiesteban y Lee “serían desestimadas voluntariamente” por la Oficina del Fiscal General del Estado, según la Fiscalía Estatal de Broward. La corte aprobó las desestimaciones.

La editora senior de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Frine Gomez, contribuyó a este informe.

Historias relacionadas

• Videos muestran cronología de balacera policial mortal que salió mal en Broward tras robo en Miami-Dade
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There were two innocent bystanders dead after a shootout during backed-up rush hour traffic on Dec. 5, 2019, in Miramar. The shooters were two felons on the run who also died, and 20 in law enforcement.

Investigators found that a bullet that Mirabal fired struck Rick Cutshaw, who was in his car on Miramar Parkway when he died on his way home after work, records show. He was 70.

Five bullets that Mirabal and M-DSO deputies Jose Mateo, Richard Santiesteban, and Leslie Lee fired struck Frank Ordonez, a 27-year-old father who was working as a UPS driver when the felons took him hostage, according to investigators.

In 2024, a Broward County grand jury issued indictments charging Mirabal on two counts of manslaughter with a firearm, and charging Mateo, Santiesteban, and Lee on one count each of manslaughter with a firearm.

In 2025, Broward County Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra ruled that Mateo was “justified” in using deadly force and supported the application of immunity under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office released a statement saying, “Stand Your Ground immunity does not apply in matters involving innocent bystanders.”

In March, Kollra issued the same ruling in the cases of Santiesteban, Lee, and Mirabal.

In April, prosecutors decided that the appeals in the cases of Mateo, Santiesteban, and Lee “would be voluntarily dismissed” by the State Attorney General’s Office, according to the Broward State Attorney’s Office. The court approved the dismissals.

Local 10 News Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Related stories

• Videos show timeline of fatal 2019 police shootout gone wrong in Broward after burglary in Miami-Dade
• FLORIDA FILES PODCAST: Listen to episode 3 of police shootout gone wrong

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It took place at Chase Stadium located at 1350 NW 55th St. in Fort Lauderdale, beginning around 9 a.m. and lasting until the early afternoon.

According to officials, the drill simulated an emergency in which multiple victims were exposed to hazardous materials, specifically a dangerous chemical substance, following a drone attack.

Authorities said around two dozen volunteers were brought in to participate as simulated victims of the attack.

Agencies participating in the drill included Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, Hollywood Fire Rescue, Sunrise Fire Rescue, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, Oakland Park Fire Rescue, Coconut Creek Fire Rescue and Tamarac Fire Rescue, per FLFR.

Officials made sure to stress that while there may be increased visibility of emergency vehicles in the area, there was no threat to the public at any time.

El ejercicio se llevó a cabo en el Chase Stadium, ubicado en el 1350 NW 55th St. en Fort Lauderdale, comenzando alrededor de las 9 a.m. y extendiéndose hasta primeras horas de la tarde.

Según las autoridades, el simulacro recreó una emergencia en la que múltiples víctimas fueron expuestas a materiales peligrosos, específicamente una sustancia química peligrosa, tras un ataque con drones.

Las autoridades informaron que alrededor de dos docenas de voluntarios participaron como víctimas simuladas del ataque.

Las agencias que participaron en el ejercicio incluyeron Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, el Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, Hollywood Fire Rescue, Sunrise Fire Rescue, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, Oakland Park Fire Rescue, Coconut Creek Fire Rescue y Tamarac Fire Rescue, según FLFR.

Las autoridades se aseguraron de enfatizar que, aunque pudo haber una mayor presencia de vehículos de emergencia en el área, nunca existió una amenaza para el público.

La acusación presentada la semana pasada por el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos contra el líder de facto de Cuba, Raúl Castro, por su participación en el derribo de dos aviones de Hermanos al Rescate sobre aguas internacionales en 1996, ha elevado las expectativas en la comunidad cubanoamericana de que el fin del régimen cubano está cerca.

Castro cumple 95 años el próximo mes y no estoy seguro de quién lo reemplazará. La visita hace dos semanas del director de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, tenía la intención de enviar un mensaje claro al gobierno cubano de que Estados Unidos espera cambios pronto o enfrentarán consecuencias adicionales.

Una pregunta que todos se hacen es si Estados Unidos invadirá Cuba y forzará un cambio de régimen. Mis fuentes en Washington D.C. me dicen que todas las opciones están sobre la mesa.

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

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Hafley said Achane missed the final game of the 2025 season after having what he described as “something in his shoulder that he had to get cleaned up.”

He said Achane is “doing well” in his recovery and expects to take part in individual drills and running but not full team work.

Earlier this month, the Dolphins signed the Pro Bowl running back to a four-year extension worth $17 million per year with $32 million guaranteed.

The shoulder injury is not expected to keep him out long term.

Achane, 24, rushed for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns on a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry last season while also catching 67 passes for 488 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games.

Hafley also said offensive tackle Austin Jackson is continuing to work back from a foot injury, adding he is “on his way” to returning as a full-time practice participant.

Hafley said third-round wide rookie receiver Chris Bell, who is recovering from an ACL injury suffered last year with Louisville, is also working off to the side and will participate in limited fashion. He said he is not yet sure of a timetable for a full return.

Hafley dijo que Achane se perdió el último partido de la temporada 2025 después de someterse a lo que describió como “algo en el hombro que tuvieron que limpiar”.

Indicó que Achane “está bien” en su recuperación y espera que participe en ejercicios individuales y carreras, pero no en trabajo completo con el equipo.

A principios de este mes, los Dolphins firmaron al corredor Pro Bowl con una extensión de cuatro años valorada en $17 millones USD por año con $32 millones USD garantizados.

No se espera que la lesión de hombro lo mantenga fuera a largo plazo.

Achane, de 24 años, corrió para 1,350 yardas y ocho touchdowns con un promedio líder en la liga de 5.7 yardas por acarreo la temporada pasada, además de atrapar 67 pases para 488 yardas y ocho touchdowns en 16 partidos.

Hafley también indicó que el tackle ofensivo Austin Jackson continúa trabajando en su recuperación de una lesión en el pie, agregando que “va en camino” de regresar como participante de tiempo completo en las prácticas.

Hafley dijo que el receptor novato de tercera ronda Chris Bell, quien se recupera de una lesión de ligamento cruzado anterior sufrida el año pasado con Louisville, también está trabajando por separado y participará de manera limitada. Agregó que aún no está seguro del tiempo estimado para su regreso completo.

Because climate change from the burning of fossil fuels should make more high-energy unstable air, which is conducive to hail forming, global storms pelting roofs, cars and the ground with hail bigger than a large marble will increase between 38% and 47% by the end of the century, depending on how much heat-trapping gas the world spews, a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature said. And storms that produce smaller hail will shrink by 4% to 8%, researchers found.

Hail generally doesn’t kill people, but it is expensive. It already costs the U.S. about $10 billion a year and around $80 billion globally, said study co-author John Allen, a meteorology professor at Central Michigan University.

Hail does more damage than tornadoes and generally costs “more than a couple hurricanes a year now,” Allen said in the morning from Guymon, Oklahoma, before he ventured out with scientists who drive into the heart of hail storms to figure out what makes them tick. “We’ve seen record hailstones in recent years. I find this extremely concerning because we’re not really building our environment to be resilient to hail. We don’t include this in our design standards, for example, for built homes in the U.S. or indeed internationally.”

Allen’s computer simulations show the mix of larger stones will grow with climate change. Those are the ones that cause more damage, he and outside scientists said.

Bigger stones mean bigger problems

Bigger stones weigh more and fall through the air faster to hit with more power.

While small hail can damage crops, large hail of around 2 inches (5 centimeters) “can cause major damage to vehicles, roofs, solar panels, and other infrastructure,” said Andreas Prein, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, who wasn’t part of the study.

One hole on a roof from a single hailstone can be patched, but many large stones hitting that roof usually means an expensive roof replacement, Allen said.

What happens is there’s more water vapor in a warmer atmosphere — nearly 4% more per degree Fahrenheit (7% per degree Celsius) — and “that increases the available energy to the atmosphere and so we tend to get end up with stronger updrafts,” Allen said. “And that leads to more thunderstorms with updrafts capable of producing hail.”

But with warmer air, there’s less cold as high up for smaller hailstones and they tend to melt more, where bigger ones don’t, Allen said.

Previous studies have mostly focused on hail in the United States — which has the most hail — and didn’t do the three-dimensional modeling of hail formation that the new study has done with lead authors out of China, Allen said. Other studies have looked at potential increase in frequency instead of size.

Hail is a global problem

Argentina, Europe, Canada and the U.S. Northern Plains will likely see the biggest increase in larger hail, while parts of the tropics should see a reduction because of smaller stones melting, Allen said.

“Hail is not just a U.S. problem,” Allen said. “Yes, we do see large losses here, but the global hail losses seem to be something that is really spiraling in recent years.”

Study authors looked at hail bigger and smaller than 1.2 inches (30 millimeters) in diameter, which is somewhere between a marble and golf ball, and about the size of a U.S. 50-cent coin. The team looked at three scenarios based on carbon emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas. In a slightly optimistic scenario of not so much carbon pollution, larger hail increases by 38%. In a more pessimistic scenario, where temperatures rise nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) even warmer than the other scenario, larger hail jumps by 47%.

“This is a meaningful climate signal,” said Walker Ashley, a Northern Illinois meteorology professor who wasn’t part of the study. “But disaster losses are not driven by the peril alone.”

As more people, more houses, more solar farms and more infrastructure move into areas prone to hail, the risk and damage increases, Ashley said. He added: “Climate change may be increasing the potential for larger, more damaging hail in some regions, but the future loss signal will also depend heavily on where people build, what they build, how resilient those structures are, and how land use changes.”

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

Según la policía de Miami Beach, el incidente ocurrió alrededor de la 1:10 a.m.

La policía indicó que el sospechoso recibió un disparo y fue trasladado al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial en condición crítica.

El policía no resultó herido.

La policía no confirmó de inmediato quién le disparó al sospechoso.

El Departamento de Cumplimiento de la Ley de Florida (FDLE) está investigando.

Vea Local 10 News o actualice esta página para más información.

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Last week’s indictment of Cuba’s de facto leader Raúl Castro by the U.S. Department of Justice for his participation in the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes over international waters in 1996 have raised expectations in the Cuban-American community that the end to Cuba’s regime is close.

Castro turns 95 years old next month and I am not certain who will replace him. The visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe two weeks ago was intended to give a clear message to the Cuban government that the U.S. expects changes soon or they will face additional consequences.

One question that everyone is asking is whether the U.S. will invade Cuba and force regime change. My sources in Washington, D.C. tell me that all options are on the table.

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

Durante una intervención en Tampa, DeSantis dijo que emitirá una proclamación para una sesión especial que comenzará el lunes. El objetivo, indicó, es colocar una propuesta de enmienda constitucional en la boleta de noviembre.

La propuesta del gobernador inicialmente elevaría la exención de vivienda principal a $250,000 USD. DeSantis dijo que eso eliminaría los impuestos a la propiedad para aproximadamente el 60% de los propietarios de viviendas en Florida con propiedad bajo exención de residencia principal.

La propuesta también requeriría que la Legislatura cree un cronograma para eventualmente eliminar por completo los impuestos a la propiedad sobre viviendas principales. DeSantis dijo que aumentar la exención a $500,000 USD haría que aproximadamente el 92% de los propietarios de viviendas principales en Florida queden libres de impuestos a la propiedad.

“El propósito principal de eso es hacer que su vivienda principal quede libre de impuestos a la propiedad”, dijo DeSantis.

El plan necesitaría la aprobación del 60% de la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado para llegar a la boleta. Si los legisladores lo aprueban, entonces el 60% de los votantes tendría que respaldar la medida en noviembre para que pase a formar parte de la constitución estatal.

La propuesta también incluye varias salvaguardas. DeSantis dijo que los ingresos restantes de impuestos locales a la propiedad provenientes de propiedades comerciales y residenciales que no sean viviendas principales estarían limitados a servicios esenciales como escuelas, policía y bomberos. El plan también reduciría el límite anual de crecimiento de tasaciones para pequeños negocios del 10% al 5%.

Otra disposición permitiría al estado exigir que nuevos residentes de Florida esperen hasta cinco años antes de calificar para el beneficio completo del impuesto a la propiedad. DeSantis dijo que eso busca evitar que la medida cree un nuevo incentivo para que personas se muden a Florida solo para evitar impuestos a la propiedad.

El gobernador también indicó que buscará un fondo fiduciario estatal para otorgar subvenciones a gobiernos locales para servicios esenciales, incluso en áreas rurales que puedan tener una base tributaria más pequeña.

No está claro si suficientes miembros de la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado respaldarán la medida. La cámara alta ha mostrado reservas sobre realizar recortes demasiado amplios que potencialmente afecten los ingresos en partes rurales del estado. La Cámara aprobó su propia exención de vivienda principal a principios de este año. Aunque preservó el financiamiento para escuelas, eliminó los impuestos de inmediato en lugar de hacerlo mediante una eliminación gradual.

Los demócratas ya han expresado preocupaciones sobre la idea. La líder demócrata de la Cámara, Fentrice Driskell, dijo el martes que no había visto consenso alrededor de una propuesta específica, pero advirtió que incluso recortes modestos en impuestos a la propiedad podrían tener efectos serios sobre los gobiernos locales.

“En conversaciones con los gobiernos locales a los que represento, escucho que cualquier recorte, aunque pueda parecer pequeño en el panorama general, podría ser devastador”, dijo Driskell.

También argumentó que el estado debería enfocarse en el seguro de propiedad, señalando que eso es lo que los residentes mencionan con más frecuencia en reuniones comunitarias.

“De lo que quieren hablar es de las tarifas del seguro de propiedad y de lo altas que son”, dijo Driskell.

Driskell dijo que los impuestos a la propiedad ayudan a pagar fuerzas del orden, socorristas, bibliotecas y otros servicios locales. Advirtió que reducir esos ingresos podría trasladar costos a otros lugares o dejar a algunos condados dependiendo del apoyo estatal.

DeSantis rechazó la idea de que el estado deba aumentar otros impuestos para compensar la propuesta, afirmando que Florida ya tiene una posición presupuestaria sólida y debería utilizar recursos estatales disponibles para ayudar a que el alivio de impuestos a la propiedad funcione.

Se espera que la sesión especial comience el lunes. Los legisladores tendrían que actuar rápidamente para finalizar el lenguaje de la boleta a tiempo para que los votantes consideren la medida en noviembre.

On Wednesday he added minority investor in the Cleveland Guardians to his resumé.

The Guardians announced before their game against the Washington Nationals that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has purchased a minority share in the franchise.

The Cleveland Heights native bought a small share of David Blitzer's 35% stake. Blitzer can become the controlling owner after the 2027 season or he can wait to exercise that option later.

“The opportunity came across my desk and I just couldn’t say no,” Kelce said on the “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce. “These guys (Blitzer and majority owner Paul Dolan) gave me the opportunity to show my Cleveland love and plant my roots in Cleveland forever, no matter what. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that a childhood kid that grew up on the east side is now part owner of his favorite baseball team.”

Kelce lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Cleveland Heights High School. He was a Cleveland Plain Dealer baseball player of the week after going 14 for 22 with two home runs and 12 RBIs during one stretch in May 2008, his senior year. He also played on a collegiate summer team in 2010 while attending the University of Cincinnati.

“Travis Kelce knows what it takes to win at the highest levels and he’s exemplified that throughout his playing career and in the way he shows up as a community leader and businessman,” Dolan and Blitzer said in a joint statement. “He cares deeply for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and is committed to supporting our mission of building out a world-class organization that helps uplift the communities we serve. It’s great to welcome Travis home and we know he’ll make a lasting impact here."

Kelce was wearing a Guardians' City Connect jersey during the podcast and recounted going to games growing up. The brothers said their favorite players during childhood were Albert Belle and Jim Thome.

“There’s so many countless memories of the 1990s and then early 2000s where it’s in me to always root for the Guards and always wanted to be a part of them from,” he said. “It’s a dream come true for a Cleveland kid. Any Cleveland kid would be through the roof right now, and I’m happy to be the honorable one to get to do it for us.”

Kelce and Swift were in Cleveland last weekend and attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Cavaliers and New York Knicks.

Kelce's first act as part of the Guardians will be to throw a first pitch on June 14 against the Detroit Tigers. He tried to throw the first pitch during Cleveland's 2023 home opener against Seattle but ended up throwing a ball that spiked near the plate and skipped to the backstop.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was mostly thrilled to hear about Kelce joining the organization. Vogt is a die-hard San Francisco 49ers fan and hasn’t forgiven Kelce for the Super Bowl wins over his favorite football team.

“I’m still a little bit bitter because the Chiefs beat the Niners twice in the Super Bowl,” Vogt said before the series finale against the Nationals. “But outside of that, it’s pretty cool to have Kelce on board.”

Kelce becomes the second member of the Chiefs to have a stake in a baseball team. Patrick Mahomes has a share in the Kansas City Royals and tweeted a video of Kelce's first pitch in congratulating him.

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AP freelance writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.

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

The space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base plans on Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four U.S. companies.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon’s south pole. These so-called lunar terrain vehicles will be built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace, which landed successfully on the moon last year, will deliver the first drones to the moon.

All this hardware is ideally supposed to arrive before the first Artemis astronauts land on the moon, planned for as early as 2028.

During April’s Artemis II mission, four astronauts flew around the moon, traveling deeper into space than the Apollo moon crews did during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For next year’s Artemis III, another team of astronauts will practice docking NASA’s Orion capsule in orbit around Earth with the lunar landers being developed for crews by Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

NASA is targeting Artemis III for mid-2027, with a landing by two astronauts following as soon as 2028. The moon base’s second phase, from 2029 into the early 2030s, will start building up the permanent infrastructure, including a power grid. As for when the base will be ready to support astronauts for extended periods in specialized permanent habitats, that’s expected sometime in the 2030s, during the third phase.

“Then we’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re permanently here and we’re not giving it up,’” said NASA’s moon base program executive Carlos Garcia-Galan.

Garcia-Galan envisions a moon base sprawling over hundreds of square miles, with a perimeter marked by drones, dubbed MoonFall, stationed at the corners.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said these territory markers are meant to be respectful of other countries’ spacecraft and equipment that might be nearby. He expects reciprocity in the matter.

The goal of the moon base is to encourage a lunar economy while conducting scientific research and laying the foundation for a Mars expedition, Isaacman stressed.

“For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand and we will not slow down,” Isaacman said. “We are really just getting started.”

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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.

Green, known for his protests during President Donald Trump's speeches, has served in Congress since 2005. He became a standard-bearer of progressive legislation on racial justice, often drawing the ire of Republicans.

“I am so honored to have served for these many years, more than twenty. And I’m honored to have done some things that I’m very proud of,” Green told his supporters during an election night event.

“You probably see me smiling and it’s because it’s because this is not the end,” he added as the audience cheered. “This is the beginning of a new chapter.”

In his primary contest, Green, 78, became a target of the cryptocurrency industry for his opposition to the emerging technology.

“Rep. Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility carries real electoral consequences, making him the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat,” said Geoff Vetter, a spokesperson for Fairshake, a pro-cryptocurrency super PAC that spent millions in the runoff to unseat Green. “Fairshake was the difference-maker in this race, and we will continue to aggressively back leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country.”

The former top attorney for Texas’ largest county, Menefee, 38, was sworn into Congress in February after winning a January special election to succeed the late Rep. Sylvester Turner. Turner had died in February of last year and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not set a special election for the seat for months. Democrats denounced the delay as an effort to protect Republicans' razor-thin majority in Congress.

Menefee lauded Green’s career in a statement following his win over the congressman, calling Green an “icon” and vowed to carry on his work in Congress.

“For decades, Congressman Green has done what so few in public life are willing to do: he has spoken truth to power, directly to their faces, without flinching,” said Menefee. “He protested with his body, his voice, and his career on the line. He stood in the well of the United States House of Representatives and called President Trump out to his face, even when he stood alone. That is a legacy that will outlast any election.”

Menefee also condemned the state’s electoral process.

Under previous maps, Green and Menefee had served in neighboring districts before the state’s Republican lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional maps in an effort to create more Republican-leaning seats.

“Republicans have made this hard on purpose,” Menefee told his supporters. “They delayed this election. They drew maps designed to dilute our power. They made you come back to the polls over and over again because they were hoping you would get tired and give up. You didn’t. Now it’s time to finish the job.”

Green in 2017 became the second Democrat to file an article of impeachment against Trump during the president’s first term and has continued to call for the president’s removal. Last year, Green filed three separate articles of impeachment against Trump, including for abuses of power and allegedly inciting death threats against lawmakers and judges.

Following Tuesday's runoff, Trump called Green “one of the most mentally deficient Congressmen in the history of our Country” in a social media post cheering the results.

“But I will miss that lunatic not screaming and violently waving his cane at me during my next State of the Union Speech,” Trump wrote.

The state's Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.

The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.

Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

The appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month's Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

The Alabama cases stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.

After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map’s use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination, a holding that was independent of and unaffected by the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans are seeking to use a map that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat.

The state is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as it makes preparations for the special vote in August.

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This story has been corrected to show the Alabama primaries were May 19, not May 11.

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Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Gov. Jenniffer González said the executive order would allow her administration to accelerate projects to protect natural resources and vulnerable coastal communities. The government said in a statement that rising sea levels, storm surges and other factors have intensified coastal erosion in Puerto Rico.

González pledged to help northern towns including Loiza, where people have been evacuated and chunks of asphalt from coastal roads have tumbled into the ocean following heavy swells.

The order was signed just days before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

The cost of the projects has not yet been determined.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees college sports, briefed The Associated Press on details of the bill they crafted in hopes it can get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate.

“This is a stability bill, not just an NIL bill,” Cruz said, referencing the name, image and likeness payments that have led to football rosters with $30 million payrolls and reshaped the industry.

Cantwell said she and Cruz teamed up on the legislation "because he and I really do believe the college sports system is in a bit of chaos.”

The bill looks very much like the “best of” from a pair of legislative proposals — one called SCORE, another called SAFE — that have gone nowhere over the past several months. It contains two elements the NCAA has supported: a limited antitrust exemption and a clause that would preempt much of the patchwork of state laws currently regulating NIL.

Meredith Page, the chair of the NCAA Division I Student Athlete Advocacy Committee and a former volleyball player at Radford, called the bill “a phenomenal step,” especially after the latest setback for the SCORE Act, which the SAAC also supported.

“I think this has lots of great protections and gives the ability for us to stablize the field that is so, so unstable right now,” Page said.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said the association was reviewing the bill and looked forward to “further productive dialogue with members of Congress.”

Antitrust help

College sports has been looking to Washington for help as it grapples with rising costs of paying players and an out-of-control transfer portal that have threatened smaller sports, many involving women, that make up the backbone of the U.S. Olympic pipeline.

This bill, called the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), would offer what Cruz and Cantwell said was targeted antitrust protection for the likes of the NCAA and the College Sports Commission, which was part of the largely Republican-backed SCORE Act that many Democrats opposed. That would be in exchange for what Cruz said would be “public-facing protections" for athletes in several areas, including guarantees for health insurance and scholarships, more stringent regulations for NIL deals from third parties and agents who broker their deals.

“I think it's better predictability,” Cantwell said. “Why did we do it? Because when you've got thousands of athletes being cut, hundreds of programs being cut, the risk to the whole infrastructure was too high to not try to get better predictability.”

Rules for players and coaches

The bill would limit players to one unrestricted transfer over the course of their college careers — a widely supported idea across the country — and would adopt something close to the five-year eligibility period that the NCAA appears ready to enact next month.

The bill also tries to regulate coaching movement. Kiffin's sudden move to LSU from rival Mississippi while the Rebels were preparing for the College Football Playoff last season put a fine point on an issue that has only gotten worse in an era where teams spend millions to fill out rapidly shifting football rosters: Schools have less patience (and more money) to devote to hiring coaches for a quick fix.

Under terms of the bill, midseason coaching changes would be prohibited.

“It's not fair or right to poach a coach in the middle of the season while the team is still competing," Cruz said. "There’s a reason the NFL has a rule that you can’t do that. Obviously, NFL teams hire coaches away from each other but they don’t do so in the middle of the season.”

Media rights money

The bill would rework the Sports Broadcasting Act to allow conferences to pool their TV rights — a move proponents have said could add billions of dollars to the ecosystem in a conclusion the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences believe is inaccurate.

The senators said leagues wouldn't be required to join the media pooling but those that do would have to use a percentage of any increase from that to support women's and Olympic sports. That alone could be a dealbreaker for the SEC.

The commissioners of the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences each said they were looking forward to reviewing the details, with the ACC's Jim Phillips saying he hoped the bill afforded his league a chance to “build upon today's positive momentum.”

Can the measure pass?

The SCORE Act, which garnered little support from Democrats, was on the House schedule last week but was abruptly pulled off when the Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP came out against it. Even if it had squeaked by in the razor-tight House, it had virtually no chance of passing as written in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to break a possible filibuster.

“The Congressional Black Caucus and I have the same objective: stop the ‘SEC SCORE Act,’” said Cantwell, referencing the SEC as one of dozens of conferences who have supported that bill.

Some Democrats were reluctant to support a bill, like SCORE, that prohibited college athletes from being classified as employees of their schools. The new bill takes what Cantwell said was a neutral stance on the issue of employment.

But it does not resolve all of Democrats' complaints, as Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., explained in a news release shortly after news of the bill hit.

“It gives the NCAA an antitrust exemption that no other industry gets just so they can keep underpaying the athletes,” he said. "Sure, there are some good things for players in this bill, but this seems like a great deal for the NCAA and the rich guys who run college sports, and a bad deal for athletes.”

Mit Winter, a Missouri attorney who specializes in sports law, said the proposal was so sprawling he was skeptical it will pass as is.

“When you start getting into the stuff about giving the CSC and NCAA antitrust exemptions and liability protection from enforcing rules on athlete denial of compensation, I think that’s where things get a little more dicey,” he said.

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AP College Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

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Anastasia Radzinskaya, known online as Like Nastya, has become one of the biggest children’s content creators on YouTube, with more than 132 million subscribers on her main channel and billions of monthly views across her platforms.

The 12-year-old was born in Russia and raised in South Florida.

Radzinskaya and her family began creating videos together, eventually building a worldwide brand localized into multiple languages.

Radzinskaya said performing has always been a dream.

“Well, at a young age, I always wanted to sing,” she said. “I would sing in the shower or I would sing to my parents, and I would do a little show for them.”

Like Nastya’s online success has quickly expanded into music and live performances. But she said growing up online also came with challenges.

“Probably bullying when I was little, because sometimes when people saw my videos, they were like, ‘Oh you look so weird in them,’” Radzinskaya said. “But that didn’t take away my confidence and I just kept going.”

Now, she hopes her platform encourages other children to embrace confidence and individuality.

“Be confident, be yourself, be happy,” she said.

Radzinskaya recently celebrated her first sold-out concert and said live performances have become one of her favorite parts of her career.

“A first it’s weird, but I love to perform and I love big stages and big audiences,” she said. “So when I’m on stage, I can be myself and it’s very fun.”

That same message carries into her music, including her song “I’m Gonna Shine.”

“It was about giving people self-confidence and not caring about the haters,” Radzinskaya said.

And while her career continues to expand, she hinted at another major project ahead.

“I can’t reveal anything but you guys are probably gonna see me in a movie soon,” she said.

The directive, issued on Tuesday to international news outlets based in the capital, Tehran, specified that mandatory language be included on “all submitted content, including photos, videos, reports, and other media productions.”

The instructions were sent to a number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which oversees media activity. “Responsibility for failing to comply with this directive rests with the submitting media outlet,” said the instructions, translated from Farsi.

The new restrictions come three months after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran that grew into a continuing, occasionally flaring war in the region. President Donald Trump insisted a peace deal is close on the 88th day of the war, even as Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability."

Under the new measures, international news outlets are required to say that the content in question cannot be used by Israeli media, and also Farsi-language TV stations based outside Iran. For years, Iran has banned international media from sharing some material with BBC Persian, VOA Persian, Manoto TV and Iran International at the risk of having their operations shut down in the country.

Despite the restrictions, many Farsi-language media outlets abroad still access images and videos released by Iranian state media through a variety of websites and messaging apps.

The Washington-based group Freedom House ranks Iran as not having a free and independent media, noting that all television channels are controlled by hard-liners within its theocracy and those working in other outlets face harassment and arrest.

Satellite dishes are banned, though many have them to watch Farsi-language channels broadcasting from abroad. Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday, after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users said service was slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted.

In a statement, Associated Press spokesman Patrick Maks said that the "AP, like all international news media operating inside Iran, are subject to their new restriction.

“Our team there," Maks added, “continues to produce strong, independent journalism under challenging conditions, ensuring the world has access to factual, eyewitness reporting about what’s happening on the ground.”

The likely death toll rose to 11, including the missing, after another person who was injured died, authorities said Wednesday.

Authorities said there was no hope of finding more survivors following Tuesday's tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, which also injured another eight people, including a firefighter who was treated and released by a hospital.

If the 11 deaths are confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest industrial accidents in the U.S. in recent decades — alongside a series of blasts that killed 16 people at an explosives plant in Tennessee last fall; a fire and detonation that killed 14 people at a fertilizer plant in Texas in 2013; and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 people in 2010.

Officials said Wednesday that the paper mill tank spilled more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of “white liquor,” a highly destructive chemical mixture used in paper manufacturing.

After delaying the search over concerns that the tank might collapse further, crews determined it contained less liquid than initially thought and that the tank was stable enough to resume efforts to find the missing. Fire officials said the search will be slow and methodical.

“We do not know where all nine are," said Scott Goldstein, a Cowlitz County fire chief.

Authorities said the rupture hasn't affected the safety of the air and drinking water in Longview, a Columbia River city of about 40,000 people with long ties to the Washington and Oregon paper and lumber industries. But they did say some of the contamination reached the river and that testing was ongoing. They also warned residents to keep away from ditches and dikes.

It was the second notable issue with a chemical tank in days on the West Coast, following the evacuation of thousands of Southern California residents due to an overheated tank at an aerospace plant before those orders were lifted Tuesday night.

The paper mill tank could hold about 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) and was more than half full when it ruptured, Goldstein said. White liquor, which is made mostly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.

The sprawling plant, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, and cartons. It sits along the river next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.

Paper mill worker was always there to help, friend says

The rupture happened at shift change Tuesday morning, causing the huge circular tank to buckle on one side. The cause remained unclear.

Authorities haven't released the names of the dead or missing, but some have begun to trickle out.

Todd Cornwell said his friend, Gilbert Bernal, was an electrician at the plant and was the first confirmed death. They knew each other through church and were in the same Bible study group, he said.

“We actually had our group last night and instead of doing Bible study, we talked about him,” Cornwell said. “He was always there willing to help in whatever needed to be done. When the local church school started flooding, he was one of the people there.”

Brian Williquette, a chemical supplier for the region’s mills, was at the plant Tuesday morning when he heard an alarm over the intercom and first wondered if it was drill. He was able to get out safely and didn’t see any of the damage.

“It’s just unfathomable,” he said at a community vigil Tuesday. “There’s not anybody that lives here that doesn’t know somebody at a paper mill.”

Crystal Moldenhauer, a Longview resident, said she has friends at the plant who remained unaccounted for. She said people called and texted each other all day trying to figure out what happened.

“We’re all still waiting for answers,” she said. “There’s families that have been torn apart, and we don’t know why.”

Authorities press for answers about the rupture

Nippon Paper Group in a statement said Wednesday that it was offering its “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families.”

Some of those who were injured suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said.

Following the tank's rupture, the liquid spilled into a drainage ditch, said Brittny Goodsell, a state Ecology Department spokesperson.

“I know there’s a lot of questions about how all of this happened and I want to assure you that we will all continue to pressure to get answers to those questions,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said Tuesday evening.

___

Associated Press reporters Gene Johnson and Hallie Golden in Seattle, Kathy McCormack in Concord New Hampshire, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.

El hombre, Teddy McCall Jr., fue condenado por crimen organizado, conspiración para cometer crimen organizado, conspiración para traficar cocaína, tráfico de cocaína, posesión de cocaína con intención de vender o distribuir y dos cargos de propiedad, arrendamiento o alquiler de un espacio para tráfico de drogas.

La condena se produjo tras un juicio con jurado de tres semanas.

Las autoridades indicaron que los cargos contra McCall estaban relacionados con la operación de una organización de tráfico de cocaína que utilizaba a familiares para distribuir drogas en todo el sur de Florida.

“Este criminal condenado convirtió el tráfico de drogas en un negocio familiar”, dijo Uthmeier en un comunicado emitido por su oficina. “Gracias al trabajo incansable de nuestros fiscales y socios de las fuerzas del orden, enfrentará una sentencia mínima obligatoria de prisión que bien merece”.

McCall regresará a la corte el 29 de junio para una audiencia de sentencia.

Enfrenta un mínimo de 13 años tras las rejas dentro del Departamento Correccional de Florida.

The quarantine and treatment center being set up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will be designed for Ebola patients who need to get out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to share the Republican administration’s plans. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.

It was unclear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan.

The official said the facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola, a rare but severe disease that is often fatal in people. But the official said people may be transported elsewhere for more advanced care as appropriate.

Kenya’s health minister confirmed officials there were talking with the U.S. about “preparedness and response mechanisms for Ebola” but didn’t address whether the country would establish a treatment facility for Americans.

“Any arrangements regarding international health cooperation will be guided by Kenya’s national laws, public health regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the government’s responsibility to safeguard the health and welfare of Kenyans,” Health Minister Aden Duale said in a statement.

For decades, medical experts have suggested moving patients suffering from Ebola and similar illnesses as little as possible in case their condition worsens, said Dr. Ali Khan, the public health college dean at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. But, he added, the quality of care must be equivalent to what someone would receive in American facilities.

“You’ve got to make sure the patient gets the best quality care, and you need to ensure excellent infection control,” said Khan, who earlier in his career led international responses to Ebola and other outbreaks for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Craig Spencer, a public health professor and emergency medicine doctor at Brown University who survived Ebola in 2014, said he doesn’t expect the facility in Kenya to provide the same quality of care that dedicated facilities in the United States do. He said refusing to consider bringing American Ebola patients home for treatment is “a moral abdication of what this country owes its own.”

An earlier outbreak

During a massive Ebola outbreak in west Africa in 2014 and 2015, more than a half dozen infected Americans were brought back to the United States. That experience prompted the establishment of a U.S. network of quarantine and isolation facilities across the country.

But during that earlier outbreak, Trump, then a businessman and reality TV star, repeatedly criticized then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, for bringing infected Americans home for care.

“The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people back. People that go to far away places to help out are great — but must suffer the consequences!” he wrote in a 2014 tweet.

He also suggested a plan similar to the one described to the AP by the administration official: “Treat them, at the highest level, over there,” Trump wrote in July 2014.

During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department and other agencies were working “very, very hard to contain this crisis to the countries where it’s currently located, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

“We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” he said.

Americans who've been exposed to Ebola

Earlier this month, an American doctor working in Congo tested positive for Ebola and was sent to Germany for medical care. Serge, a Christian missionary organization, identified him as Dr. Peter Stafford. Stafford’s wife and four children did not have symptoms but also were flown to Germany and placed in isolation at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital.

On Wednesday, the hospital said the patient was in stable condition.

“The viral load measured in the patient has dropped very, very rapidly over the course of the week," likely thanks to antiviral therapy, Dr. Leif Erik Sander, director of the hospital’s infectious diseases department, told reporters.

Another American medical missionary, Dr. Patrick LaRochelle, was transported to the Czech Republic for isolation after he was exposed to Ebola, though he did not have any symptoms, according to the missionary organization.

Health authorities in Congo have been struggling to contain the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has said is outpacing them.

The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed and it's looking into more than 3,000 possible contacts.

Challenges include the threat of armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the Trump administration's plan for the Kenya facility.

US officials expand airport screening

Meanwhile, officials have been expanding the number of U.S. airports where CDC staffers are screening and monitoring incoming passengers from outbreak countries. Enhanced screenings began last week at Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. CDC staff began screenings at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston this week, and are being dispatched to start screenings Friday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The CDC’s acting director, Jay Bhattacharya, sent an email Monday to CDC employees asking for volunteers from across the agency to work the screening stations. CDC veterans say it’s not unusual to see a call for volunteers for staffing major epidemic responses.

The government also has temporarily banned the entry of people without U.S. passports, as well as U.S. green-card holders, who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days.

___

AP journalists Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Julie Walker in New York and Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.

___

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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That man, Teddy McCall, Jr., was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy to racketeer, conspiracy to traffic cocaine, trafficking cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver and two counts of ownership, lease, or rental of a space for trafficking.

The conviction came after a three-week jury trial.

Officials said the charges against McCall were related to the operation of a cocaine trafficking organization that used family members to distribute drugs throughout South Florida.

“This convicted criminal made drug trafficking into a family business,” Uthmeier said in a statement released by his office. “Thanks to the relentless work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, he will face a well-deserved mandatory minimum prison sentence.”

McCall will be back in court on June 29 for a sentencing hearing.

He faces a minimum of 13 years behind bars within the Florida Department of Corrections.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami Beach Police Department, the victim discovered unauthorized outbound Bitcoin transactions from a Trezor hardware wallet that occurred in 2020.

At the time the theft was discovered, Bitcoin was valued at about $115,363 per coin, bringing the estimated loss to roughly $1.9 million, investigators said.

Investigators said an independent review led the victim to suspect former employee Nahum Reynaldo Castro, a trusted employee of the victim since 2013.

They said Castro worked as an information technology specialist and was known for his “technical capabilities.”

Castro was one of only two people known to possess the wallet’s seed phrase — the recovery key that allows access to cryptocurrency assets, according to the report.

The report states that possession of the seed phrase would have allowed someone to remotely recreate and access the wallet without having physical possession of the Trezor device itself, giving that person the ability to transfer cryptocurrency assets from anywhere.

The victim contacted trusted associates after discovering the transactions, according to the report.

During an interview in March, the victim and a witness provided detectives with transaction data connected to the wallet and the allegedly unauthorized transfers, the report states.

Detectives said they met in person with the victim and two witnesses earlier this month, who provided statements that were consistent with earlier interviews.

According to the report, records obtained from cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp included copies of Castro’s driver license and a “selfie-style verification video.”

Investigators said linked JPMorgan Chase bank records showed deposits originating from Bitstamp accounts tied to the cryptocurrency transactions.

Detectives said the investigation revealed Castro participated in “a series of unauthorized and fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions” intended to transfer and conceal stolen funds through intermediary wallets, cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions.

Authorities allege the transactions were designed to conceal “the nature, source, ownership, and control” of the cryptocurrency proceeds and hinder detection and recovery efforts.

Police said Castro was taken into custody on Monday.

Jail records show he is facing charges including money laundering involving more than $100,000, unlawful use of a communications device, offenses against computer users and first-degree grand theft exceeding $100,000.

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

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Miami Beach, la víctima descubrió transacciones no autorizadas de salida de Bitcoin desde una billetera física Trezor que ocurrieron en 2020.

En el momento en que se descubrió el robo, el Bitcoin tenía un valor aproximado de $115,363 USD por moneda, lo que elevó la pérdida estimada a alrededor de $1.9 millones USD, dijeron los investigadores.

Los investigadores indicaron que una revisión independiente llevó a la víctima a sospechar del ex empleado Nahum Reynaldo Castro, un empleado de confianza de la víctima desde 2013.

Indicaron que Castro trabajaba como especialista en tecnología de la información y era conocido por sus “capacidades técnicas”.

Castro era una de solo dos personas conocidas que poseían la frase semilla de la billetera, la clave de recuperación que permite acceder a activos de criptomonedas, según el informe.

El informe señala que poseer la frase semilla habría permitido a alguien recrear y acceder remotamente a la billetera sin tener posesión física del dispositivo Trezor, dándole a esa persona la capacidad de transferir activos de criptomonedas desde cualquier lugar.

La víctima contactó a asociados de confianza después de descubrir las transacciones, según el informe.

Durante una entrevista en marzo, la víctima y un testigo proporcionaron a los detectives datos de transacciones conectadas a la billetera y las transferencias presuntamente no autorizadas, señala el informe.

Los detectives dijeron que se reunieron en persona con la víctima y dos testigos a principios de este mes, quienes proporcionaron declaraciones consistentes con entrevistas anteriores.

Según el informe, los registros obtenidos de la plataforma de intercambio de criptomonedas Bitstamp incluían copias de la licencia de conducir de Castro y un “video de verificación estilo selfi”.

Los investigadores dijeron que registros bancarios vinculados de JPMorgan Chase mostraban depósitos originados de cuentas de Bitstamp relacionadas con las transacciones de criptomonedas.

Los detectives dijeron que la investigación reveló que Castro participó en “una serie de transacciones fraudulentas y no autorizadas de criptomonedas” destinadas a transferir y ocultar fondos robados mediante billeteras intermediarias, plataformas de intercambio de criptomonedas e instituciones financieras.

Las autoridades alegan que las transacciones fueron diseñadas para ocultar “la naturaleza, origen, propiedad y control” de las ganancias obtenidas de las criptomonedas y obstaculizar los esfuerzos de detección y recuperación.

La policía informó que Castro fue detenido el lunes.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta cargos que incluyen lavado de dinero por más de $100,000 USD, uso ilegal de un dispositivo de comunicación, delitos contra usuarios de computadoras y hurto mayor en primer grado por más de $100,000 USD.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Castro permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente por establecer”.

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In Florida, the average price for regular gas is $4.47. With summer travel on the horizon, Local 10 and Tropical Financial Credit Union are teaming up to bring drivers some relief.

“Right now, a lot of people across South Florida are feeling the pressure of everyday expenses, and even something as routine as filling up the gas tank can create real stress,” said Richard Shaw, Tropical Financial Credit Union President & CEO. “We wanted to do something simple but meaningful to help lighten the load, which is why we partnered with Local 10 on this gas card giveaway.”

All you have to do to sign up is complete the contest form below to be eligible to win a $100 fuel gift card. The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 31, at 11:59 p.m.

From June 1 through June 5, we will give away $2,500 in fuel gift cards to 25 Local 10 viewers. The winners will be chosen at random and five will be announced each day during our 6 a.m. newscast.

Sign up today for a chance to receive your “Prize at the Pump.”

“Even a little relief can make a difference, and we want people to know we’re here for them,” added Shaw.

El ataque en el departamento de La Guajira se produjo cuando las fuerzas militares activaron un plan de despliegue especial en el país para brindar seguridad de cara a los comicios en los que 11 aspirantes buscan suceder a Gustavo Petro, el primer izquierdista en gobernar Colombia.

“En épocas de elecciones, algunos grupos en áreas muy focalizadas intentan generar terror físico o mediático para influir en los votantes. No permitiremos que la barbarie altere la democracia”, afirmó el ministro de Defensa, Pedro Sánchez, en la red social X.

Sánchez aseguró que el ataque obedece a una reacción del Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) a los “fuertes golpes” que la fuerza pública le ha propinado en la zona.

Los episodios de violencia se han sucedido en los últimos días. La víspera al menos tres policías resultaron heridos en un ataque con disparos y explosivos perpetrado en el noreste de Colombia presuntamente por el ELN.

El Ejército indicó en un comunicado que tras el ataque de este miércoles está trabajando junto a la policía para ubicar a los responsables del “atentado terrorista”.

El ministro ofreció una recompensa de hasta 200 millones de pesos (aproximadamente 54.500 dólares) por información que permita capturar a los responsables y evitar cualquier otro atentado.

El ELN, alzado en armas desde 1964, prometió realizar un cese al fuego unilateral que regirá desde el 30 de mayo hasta el 2 de junio con motivo de las elecciones presidenciales.

El gobierno suspendió las conversaciones de paz con el ELN en enero de 2025, luego de una escalada de violencia en el noreste del país con un bando enemigo que terminó por afectar a la población civil.

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The free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature nearly 40 employers offering opportunities in the hospitality, maritime, government, security and logistics industries.

Event organizers said support and resources will be available for former Spirit Airlines workers after the airline ceased operations in early May, leaving roughly 17,000 employees without jobs nationwide.

Major airlines and companies expected to participate include American Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines, along with other employers connected to Port Everglades and the South Florida tourism and transportation sectors.

“Port Everglades is a major economic engine for Broward County that generates jobs in the community and among the maritime companies that conduct business here and call our port home,” Broward County Commissioner Alexandra Davis said in a statement.

“I am committed to inspiring job growth and helping people advance their career goals,” she added.

Organizers said attendees can also receive a $100 credit toward a Florida Atlantic University hospitality industry certificate.

The event is free to attend and includes free parking. Registration is encouraged for planning purposes through Eventbrite. More information is available by clicking here or calling 311.

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CareerFair-Flyer-8.5x11-PO202698304-v5 (002)

El evento gratuito está programado de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. y contará con casi 40 empleadores que ofrecerán oportunidades en las industrias de hospitalidad, marítima, gubernamental, seguridad y logística.

Los organizadores del evento informaron que habrá apoyo y recursos disponibles para los ex trabajadores de Spirit Airlines luego de que la aerolínea cesara operaciones a principios de mayo, dejando aproximadamente a 17,000 empleados sin trabajo en todo el país.

Entre las principales aerolíneas y compañías que se espera participen se encuentran American Airlines, JetBlue y United Airlines, junto con otros empleadores vinculados a Port Everglades y los sectores de turismo y transporte del sur de Florida.

“Port Everglades es un importante motor económico para el condado Broward que genera empleos en la comunidad y entre las compañías marítimas que hacen negocios aquí y consideran nuestro puerto su hogar”, dijo en un comunicado la comisionada del condado Broward, Alexandra Davis.

“Estoy comprometida con inspirar el crecimiento laboral y ayudar a las personas a avanzar en sus metas profesionales”, agregó.

Los organizadores indicaron que los asistentes también pueden recibir un crédito de $100 USD para un certificado de la industria de hospitalidad de la Universidad Atlántica de Florida.

La entrada al evento es gratuita e incluye estacionamiento sin costo. Se recomienda registrarse para fines de planificación a través de Eventbrite. Más información está disponible haciendo clic aquí o llamando al 311.

Medios relacionados

Se esperan lluvias y tormentas eléctricas dispersas típicas el miércoles, pero la cobertura será más extensa y fuerte el jueves a medida que la perturbación cruce de oeste a este, por lo que debemos esperar lluvias de impacto tanto durante el trayecto matutino como vespertino del jueves.

Algunos acumulados de lluvia podrían superar entre 2 y 4 pulgadas, lo que podría provocar inundaciones en calles, especialmente en áreas con mal drenaje.

La cobertura de lluvia disminuirá un poco más tarde el viernes y durante el fin de semana, pero con más sol y el calentamiento diurno habrá algunas tormentas dispersas en la tarde y noche, algunas de las cuales podrían volverse severas.

Por cierto, junio suele ser el mes más lluvioso del año con más de 10 pulgadas en promedio durante el mes, así que mientras avanzamos por estos últimos días de mayo, este pronóstico ciertamente parece estar justo a tiempo.

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The Miami-based app called Dibs Parking was started by two friends who met in middle school and went into business last year after studying computer science.

“The process is pretty simple,” said Dibs Parking co-founder Willy Merlet. “In like two minutes, you can reserve your spot. They see the options and choose the event.”

With the app, users can sign up and list their home, like the many near Hard Rock Stadium, for people to find and use for parking.

“It’s a lot more convenient for people,” said Miami Gardens resident Mike Jean, who uses his property for parking during events.

The creators say the platform was designed to help people find affordable parking near events like the World Cup and let people – like homeowners or business owners – make a little cash.

Local 10’s Jeff Derderian also found a unique website where ticket prices and trends are updated periodically called TicketData.com, which pulls information from places like StubHub, Vivid Seats and TickPick.

La aplicación con sede en Miami llamada Dibs Parking fue creada por dos amigos que se conocieron en la escuela intermedia y comenzaron un negocio el año pasado luego de estudiar ciencias de la computación.

“El proceso es bastante sencillo”, dijo el cofundador de Dibs Parking, Willy Merlet. “En unos dos minutos, puedes reservar tu espacio. Ven las opciones y eligen el evento”.

Con la aplicación, los usuarios pueden registrarse y publicar su casa, como muchas de las ubicadas cerca del Hard Rock Stadium, para que las personas las encuentren y las utilicen para estacionarse.

“Es mucho más conveniente para las personas”, dijo Mike Jean, residente de Miami Gardens, quien utiliza su propiedad para estacionamiento durante eventos.

Los creadores aseguran que la plataforma fue diseñada para ayudar a las personas a encontrar estacionamiento económico cerca de eventos como el Mundial y permitir que personas, como propietarios de viviendas o negocios, ganen algo de dinero.

Jeff Derderian, de Local 10, también encontró un sitio web único donde los precios y tendencias de boletos se actualizan periódicamente llamado TicketData.com, que recopila información de lugares como StubHub, Vivid Seats y TickPick.

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The incident happened Sunday on the sand in Miami Beach as many were enjoying the Memorial Day holiday.

According to police, a group of friends were hanging out on the beach when one of them, identified as Misael Algel Aguilar Santurio, began throwing sand at the others.

After the victim threw sand back at him, she told police Aguilar Santurio got upset and told her “that he was going to gut her” before retrieving a pocket knife from his backpack and chasing her around the beach, according to an arrest form.

“I was scared,” the victim, Yarielys Riobo, told Local 10 News. “All I was doing was backing up, all I was doing was watching him, because if I turned my back, he would have launched at me.”

Two men from the group tackled Aguilar Santurio and a third person took his knife away until officers arrived, police said.

“I don’t understand. I knew he had anger issues from the beginning,” said Riobo.

Aguilar Santurio is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer without violence.

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It sparked around 5 p.m. at a junkyard located in the area of Northwest 135th Street and Cairo Lane in Opa-locka.

Authorities began upgrading the fire soon after they started to combat the flames, with the blaze eventually being considered a six-alarm fire by late in the evening.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said wind pushed fire and embers into a second junkyard and additional businesses in the area.

Additionally, officials said they evacuated nearby apartment buildings out of an abundance of caution.

“To be honest, I have a sense of fear,” said Opa-locka resident Mimi Pierre. “I don’t live too far and I’m scared. If I lived here, I would start packing my bags.”

Sky 10 flew over the scene on Tuesday morning, where firefighters continued to douse several hotspots that were still burning.

“It looks like a bomb,” said Opa-locka resident Jairo Perez. “As soon as I saw it, the first thing I thought, it’s an airplane crash, because I saw it straight from (Interstate) 95.”

No injuries have been reported in the fire, authorities said.

There has been no word on what caused the flames to ignite.

“Right now our investigators are discussing the circumstance with one of the junkyards,” said MDFR Chief Ray Jadallah. “We have not come up with a final decision. We are having conversations with them and it’s still in the preliminary phases as a result of the sheer amount of fire.”

El incidente ocurrió el domingo sobre la arena en Miami Beach mientras muchas personas disfrutaban del feriado del Día de los Caídos.

Según la policía, un grupo de amigos estaba compartiendo en la playa cuando uno de ellos, identificado como Misael Algel Aguilar Santurio, comenzó a lanzar arena a los demás.

Luego de que la víctima le devolviera arena, ella dijo a la policía que Aguilar Santurio se molestó y le dijo “que la iba a destripar” antes de sacar una navaja de bolsillo de su mochila y perseguirla por la playa, según un informe de arresto.

“Tenía miedo”, dijo la víctima, Yarielys Riobo, a Local 10 News. “Lo único que hacía era retroceder, lo único que hacía era mirarlo, porque si le daba la espalda, se habría lanzado contra mí”.

Dos hombres del grupo derribaron a Aguilar Santurio y una tercera persona le quitó el cuchillo hasta que llegaron los agentes, informó la policía.

“No entiendo. Sabía desde el principio que tenía problemas de ira”, dijo Riobo.

Aguilar Santurio enfrenta cargos de agresión agravada con un arma mortal y resistirse a un agente sin violencia.

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Two major updates on the project will be completed in less than two weeks.

The first is a massive flyover bridge connecting eastbound lanes on the Palmetto Expressway to the northbound lanes of Interstate 95.

“This is probably the most important ramp of the project,” said Florida Department of Transportation Senior Community Outreach Specialist Sergies Duarte.

What may appear to be a small change is having a big impact, because the brand new connection never existed before.

“So no more navigating local roads, such as Northwest Seventh Avenue or Northwest 167th Street, to get onto the interstate from the Palmetto,” said Duarte.

The second change is a major lane shift on I-95 north before you get to the Golden Glades.

The three right lanes split off onto a new stretch of road, and next month, a fourth lane will also shift over.

“There’s always going to be traffic, but we just want to make sure that it’s flowing in an efficient manner,” said Duarte.

The road to that efficiency is a long and costly one.

This project has been slated to take over seven years to complete and cost more than $1 billion.

“We’re making a lot of progress in a short amount of time, building this interchange as safely and quickly as possible,” Duarte said.

The years-long project is trending ahead of its planned 2031 completion for now, but as with any construction project, timelines can change.

The measure, which goes against the guidance by the World Health Organization, underscores growing fears of contagion in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare type of the Ebola virus that is behind this outbreak and that has no approved medicines or vaccines.

Like Congo, Uganda has faced Ebola outbreaks in the past. A local Ugandan task force made the decision on the border closure. The Ugandan health workers were exposed to the virus by Congolese patients who had crossed the border before the outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on May 15.

Border crossings will be authorized only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, cargo or security reasons, Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told journalists. Anyone entering from Congo under emergency circumstances will be taken into mandatory isolation for 21 days.

Congo says over 100 cases have been confirmed

Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which usually manifests as hemorrhagic fever. The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.

The number of suspected cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed, and they are looking into over 3,000 possible contacts.

On Wednesday, Congolese authorities said that the first person who recovered from the Bundibugyo virus has been released home from a treatment center in Rwampara, one of the towns in eastern Congo at the heart of the outbreak.

WHO has discouraged border closures with Congo while acknowledging that neighboring countries are at high risk of contagion. The U.N. health agency has declared this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Closures "push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease," the agency said.

The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crossed by numerous footpaths beyond formal border posts. Many people come and go in the course of a day to visit families or to trade.

Congolese health authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak, which WHO says is outpacing them. The rare type of Ebola was confirmed weeks late as tests were carried out for a more common type. Challenges also include the threat from armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.

WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Wednesday for a ceasefire in eastern Congo to allow safe access for responders and others, saying on social media that “attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.”

Responders in Congo have said they are underprepared and under-protected for this outbreak, while conflict-traumatized residents, long wary of outsiders, have attacked a number of clinics and hurled stones and abuse at volunteers trying to make people aware of the virus and its risks.

Infected people or those have been in contact should not undertake international travel unless it’s a medical evacuation, WHO has said. On Wednesday, the Trump administration said it is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the United States.

Uganda is concerned about exposed health workers

Uganda has reported seven cases of Ebola, including the first case of a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala, the country's capital, on May 14. While the Ebola case load is not spiking, the number of locals exposed to infection via health workers has been rising.

“They have families, and so the number has been increasing,” Atwine, the Ugandan health official, said of the health workers.

She also said she was dismayed to see some Ugandans forming crowds to celebrate Arsenal as British Premier League champions. The team has a large following in Uganda. Atwine urged people to be vigilant, avoid shaking hands and use sanitizer.

Congo has had 17 Ebola outbreaks. Health experts say aid cuts last year by the U.S. and other rich nations are devastating for eastern Congo, in part because of the region’s unique problems.

Aid groups fighting this outbreak say they don’t have the equipment they need, including face shields and suits to protect health workers from infection, testing kits and body bags needed to safely bury victims.

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Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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FHP officials said the crash happened around 2:23 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway, just north of the Sample Road exit.

Troopers said a flatbed tractor-trailer carrying drywall was traveling south in the outside lane behind a dump truck when the driver of the tractor-trailer apparently did not see the slower-moving truck ahead.

According to troopers, the tractor-trailer driver swerved east at the last second, but the front right side of the truck struck the rear left side of the dump truck.

After the collision, the tractor-trailer left the roadway and slammed into a concrete barrier wall, FHP officials confirmed.

The impact caused the truck to lose its drywall load and pushed part of a “temporary Jersey barrier” into the northbound lanes, troopers said.

They also confirmed that debris blocked several lanes in both directions.

Authorities said all southbound lanes were closed and traffic was being diverted off the highway at Exit 11 near Sample Road. Northbound inside and center lanes were also blocked while crews worked to clear the roadway and repair the damaged barrier wall.

No injuries were reported.

El accidente ocurrió el martes por la tarde alrededor de la 1:45 p.m. en el área de la cuadra 4400 de Northeast Third Avenue en Deerfield Beach.

Según Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, una mujer murió en el choque y otras dos personas fueron trasladadas de emergencia a un hospital cercano como pacientes de trauma. La Oficina del Sheriff de Broward informó que una tercera persona también resultó herida en el accidente.

Las autoridades cerraron Third Avenue entre Northeast 43rd y 48th streets debido a la investigación de tránsito.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo que será actualizada a medida que haya nueva información disponible.

Starting Thursday, numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected each day. Some storms may be slow moving with pockets of flooding. There could also be a stronger storm or two with gusty winds and frequent lightning. This pattern will last each day through the weekend and well into next week. Widespread rainfall amounts of 4-8 inches is likely over the next week with locally higher totals possible.

The argument served as the administration's rationale for raising the U.S. refugee cap, but only for white Afrikaners. The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans into the U.S. as refugees this year, increasing its annual quota, but blocking people from other countries from entering through the program.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was increasing the refugee cap for white South Africans because of “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation.” He blamed the South African government for “recent increases in the incitement of racially motivated violence,” but gave no specific information.

South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said accusations of systemic persecution of Afrikaners were unfounded and that some beneficiaries of the refugee program have chosen to return to South Africa.

Around 6,000 South Africans have moved to the U.S. since the Afrikaner program started last year, according to the U.S. government.

Afrikaner trade union Solidariteit said refugee status isn't a viable solution for Afrikaners, who should thrive in South Africa instead. Spokesman Jaco Kleynhans said the organization didn't know about any "unforeseen emergency refugee situation" for Afrikaners but respected the autonomy of U.S. refugee policy.

The union “is in no way aware of anything that the Trump administration could be referring to,” Kleynhans said.

AfriForum, a lobbying organization for the country’s white Afrikaner minority with more than 300,000 members, said it “does not have information” regarding the specific assertion that there's an emergency refugee situation.

The organization’s CEO, Kallie Kriel, said the group’s focus is “fighting to create the circumstances in South Africa where there is no need for Afrikaners to leave.”

Trump suspended the U.S. refugee program on his first day in office and has turned it into a vehicle to allow Afrikaners — white South Africans descended mainly from Dutch settlers — into the United States. Advocates say the decision to focus a decades-old program on one group has left people around the world fleeing war and strife stranded and with few options.

Refugee groups have questioned why white South Africans are being prioritized ahead of people from countries facing war and natural disasters. Vetting for refugee status in the U.S. often takes years.

The Trump administration’s preference for white Afrikaner refugee admissions raises questions about selective humanitarianism, inconsistent refugee protection and favoring privileged groups while ignoring others experiencing severe hardships, according to Bryony Fox, a social justice researcher at South Africa's Stellenbosch University.

“This risks politicizing refugee protection in a way that may ultimately weaken the legitimacy and universality of the refugee regime itself,” she said.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Funcionarios de la FHP indicaron que el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 2:23 a.m. en los carriles en dirección sur de la Sawgrass Expressway, justo al norte de la salida hacia Sample Road.

Los agentes dijeron que un camión de plataforma que transportaba paneles de yeso circulaba hacia el sur por el carril exterior detrás de un camión volquete cuando el conductor del camión de carga aparentemente no vio el vehículo más lento que tenía delante.

Según los agentes, el conductor del camión de carga giró hacia el este en el último segundo, pero la parte frontal derecha del camión impactó la parte trasera izquierda del camión volquete.

Tras la colisión, el camión de carga se salió de la vía y se estrelló contra un muro de barrera de concreto, confirmaron funcionarios de la FHP.

El impacto provocó que el camión perdiera su carga de paneles de yeso y empujó parte de una “barrera temporal tipo Jersey” hacia los carriles en dirección norte, indicaron los agentes.

También confirmaron que los escombros bloquearon varios carriles en ambas direcciones.

Las autoridades informaron que todos los carriles en dirección sur fueron cerrados y el tráfico estaba siendo desviado fuera de la autopista en la salida 11 cerca de Sample Road. Los carriles interior y central en dirección norte también fueron bloqueados mientras las cuadrillas trabajaban para despejar la carretera y reparar el muro de barrera dañado.

No se reportaron personas heridas.

“This album in particular is what I think fans would say is the most recognized time in our career,” says Maines.

And so, they expect the shows — which will feature them performing “Taking the Long Way” in full as well as additional songs — will also have them reminiscing about the album and the very unusual time that led up to it, on stage.

The moment that changed everything was back in 2003, when then-President George W. Bush was preparing to invade Iraq. The Chicks were playing a show in London when Maines announced that they were ashamed that the president was from Texas. The backlash was swift, and the stuff of industry lore. They were booed on awards shows, radio stations pulled their music and fans destroyed their CDs. There was an apology, and then in 2006, a rescinding of the apology — with the best revenge served in the form of a multiplatinum selling single, “Not Ready to Make Nice.”

“It was definitely inspiring for songwriting,” said Maines of that period. “It felt like life was happening to us, like we weren't steering the ship.”

“Those were hard times for us,” adds Maguire. “It's all the stages of grief … I think we were kind of in that misunderstood, angry, but also really upset and needing an outlet (stage.)”

And so, they wrote the triumphant “Taking the Long Way,” produced by Rick Rubin, after “licking our wounds,” as Strayer puts it.

“Not Ready to Make Nice” came out of that. “It was like, ‘This is solely selfish. This is our lives,'” Maines says of the song. And they were shocked when it connected — but now, they recognize that “people have their own ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ story to tell.”

The album went on to earn them five Grammy Awards, including album, song and record of the year, and marked a transformative moment for the band. And its themes still resonate.

“Re-listening and rehearing those songs, I was surprised how relevant they still seemed and how universal they still seemed even though they were such personal stories,” says Strayer.

Later this year, fans will have the opportunity to relive the “Taking the Long Way” era for a 16-night run that starts at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Sept. 30 and ends in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre on Nov. 1 and 2. They'll also do two nights in Chicago, New York, San Antonio, Seattle and San Francisco. They'll hit Washington, Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, for one night only.

Tickets will go on sale June 4 at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation.com.

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The Chicks' ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Tour Dates

Sept. 30: Detroit — Fox Theatre

Oct. 3: Chicago — The Auditorium

Oct. 4: Chicago — The Auditorium

Oct. 6: Washington — The Anthem

Oct. 12: New York — Beacon Theatre

Oct. 13: New York — Beacon Theatre

Oct. 15: Nashville, Tennessee — The Truth

Oct. 17: San Antonio — Majestic Theatre

Oct. 18: San Antonio — Majestic Theatre

Oct. 20: Austin, Texas — Bass Concert Hall

Oct. 25: Seattle — Benaroya Hall

Oct. 26: Seattle — Benaroya Hall

Oct. 29: San Francisco — The Masonic

Oct. 30: San Francisco — The Masonic

Nov. 1: Los Angeles — Dolby Theatre

Nov. 2: Los Angeles — Dolby Theatre

The weapons systems are Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, and Patriot and THAAD interceptors that defend against incoming missiles and drones.

“The United States has enough munitions for any plausible scenario in the Iran war, but the depleted inventories have created a window of vulnerability for a potential Western Pacific conflict,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in its new report, provided to The Associated Press. “The time needed to rebuild those inventories has thus become a major concern.”

China has a stated goal of ensuring its military is capable of taking Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027, which experts see as more aspirational than a hard deadline. But Chinese President Xi Jinping warned this month that if Washington mishandles its relations with the self-governing island, the U.S. and China could end up clashing or even in open conflict.

Trump administration is boosting funding, but production takes time

The analysis by the Washington think tank factors in the Republican Trump administration's historic $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal for 2027, which significantly accelerates spending on high-end munitions that began under the Democratic Biden administration. While there's bipartisan agreement in Congress to boost inventories, “the problem today isn’t money; it’s time,” the report said.

“It takes time to expand production capacity and to build these complex systems,” the report said, adding that the window of vulnerability will last “for several years until inventories return to their previous levels and another several years before they get to the levels that war planners desire.”

Although munitions inventories are classified, CSIS said sufficient public information exists in Pentagon budget materials to estimate production timelines.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have insisted the U.S. is capable of fighting any war. They have pushed defense contractors to speed up munitions production, with Hegseth telling lawmakers last month that military spending under Trump will help manufacturers double or even triple their capacities.

During Trump’s Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Hegseth lauded the president’s efforts to expand the nation’s defense manufacturing sector, with private contractors investing in new plants and production lines “so that we’re getting weapons faster than ever.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.”

“We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” Parnell said.

Some military experts have pushed back. Pentagon officials “knew the reality of our military stockpiles and hopefully told someone, ‘Hey, if we go to this fight, even in the most conservative estimates, we are drawing down our stockpiles to a critical level,’” said Virginia Burger, a senior defense policy analyst at the Project On Government Oversight watchdog group and a former Marine officer.

Concerns about diminished stockpiles were a theme at recent congressional hearings. For Democrats, the munitions supply is a damning metric against the Iran war, which Trump launched without lawmakers' approval. Some Republicans argue that the problem stems from the U.S. sending Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022, although several American allies use those systems.

The roots of the predicament can be traced to the end of the Cold War, said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior adviser at CSIS who co-authored the study with research associate Chris H. Park.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991, the U.S. assumed future wars would be short and regional with little need for large numbers of such high-end weapons, Cancian said in an interview. The Pentagon ordered relatively low numbers, assuming the military would not need many of them. Military contractors responded in kind, relying on a relatively small manufacturing footprint to build them.

Russia’s war with Ukraine showed that wars could be protracted and require deep inventories of advanced weapons, Cancian said. At the same time, U.S. military strategists were war-gaming possible conflicts in the western Pacific.

“The thinking started to change, but it just takes time to build inventories,” Cancian said, adding that part of the challenge is bringing up to speed a complicated web of supply chains and subcontractors that produce very novel components.

President Joe Biden's administration should get some credit for starting conversations with the defense industry, putting money into the industrial base and ramping up production, said Cancian, who oversaw acquisitions of military hardware at the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents George W. Bush, a Republican, and Barack Obama, a Democrat.

“A lot of people in the Trump administration are inclined to say that everything was terrible until they arrived, and that’s not true,” Cancian said. “Now, it is true that the Trump administration really increased funding.”

How long it will take to rebuild key stockpiles

The U.S. fired 1,000-plus Tomahawk missiles at Iran, and it could take until late 2030 to fully replenish the prewar inventory, CSIS estimates show.

Fewer than 200 Tomahawks are made a year because of small orders in the past, the report says. However, manufacturer Raytheon has a goal of ramping up capacity to more than 1,000 per year.

RTX, Raytheon's parent company, declined to comment on the CSIS findings because it had not yet seen the report. But RTX pointed to investments of several billion dollars to boost production, including expanding facilities in Alabama and Arizona.

For in-demand air defense systems, replacing as many as 290 THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, interceptors that shot down incoming Iranian drones and missiles could take until the end of 2029, CSIS estimates. Replenishing more than 1,000 Patriot interceptors should wrap up in mid-2029.

Lockheed Martin is significantly boosting production of rounds for both systems, while deliveries of THAADs “were apparently re-sequenced to prioritize U.S. needs over those of allies and partners,” CSIS noted.

"Patriot deliveries pose a dilemma for the United States because of the need to replenish its own inventories, help Ukraine defend against Russian missile attacks, and meet the needs of 17 other countries that use the interceptor," the report said.

Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it's investing $9 billion through 2030 and “is already delivering tangible results to meet heightened munitions demand, including a new facility in Alabama announced last week along with more than 20 others across the United States.”

In the meantime, CSIS said a potential conflict with China is “not all bleak,” with the U.S. military recently displaying its capabilities against Iran, Venezuela and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“China is deeply aware that it has no recent combat experience and that it performed poorly in its last war — against Vietnam in 1979," the report said. "That difference in experience may preserve deterrence until munitions inventories are restored.”

El crimen del senador Manuel Cepeda Vargas, por el que fueron condenados dos militares, marcó su vida y su carrera política que ha dedicado a la defensa de los derechos humanos al fundar el Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado hace dos décadas.

Cepeda, de 63 años, ha dicho que fueron las víctimas quienes más influyeron en su decisión de competir el año pasado en una consulta del oficialista Pacto Histórico que lo impulsó como el candidato principal del progresismo.

Filósofo de profesión y congresista por 16 años, ha encabezado la mayoría de las encuestas publicadas en los últimos meses ganando cierta ventaja sobre los candidatos opositores Paloma Valencia y Abelardo de la Espriella, quienes también puntean entre el grupo de 11 aspirantes.

Heredero de Petro

Cepeda ha dicho que de llegar al poder convocaría a un acuerdo nacional a distintos sectores, incluyendo empresarios y movimientos sociales, para hablar de los principales temas del país y que no descarta que ese diálogo concluya en un proceso para cambiar la Constitución que rige desde 1991.

El saliente mandatario Gustavo Petro, su padrino político, puso en debate el cambio de la carta magna, pero no logró que el Congreso apruebe ponerlo en marcha.

El analista político Sergio Guzmán dijo a The Associated Press que Cepeda representa la continuidad del proyecto político de Petro, quien en su mandato mantuvo disputas con las altas cortes, la banca central y los órganos de control.

“De ser elegido Iván Cepeda no sería más radical que el Petro de 2026, pero sí sería mucho más radical que el Petro de 2022” que al inicio de su gobierno logró una coalición de fuerzas políticas disímiles, sostuvo Guzmán.

Cepeda ha dicho que sostendría y profundizaría las reformas sociales de Petro —como la del sistema laboral y de pensiones— e impulsaría las que faltaron, especialmente la reforma del sistema de salud rechazada por el Congreso.

Lucha contra las élites y defensa de procesos de paz

Cepeda evita las corbatas porque considera que son un símbolo de la oligarquía y la corrupción.

Nació en Bogotá en 1962 en una familia donde la política era parte de la vida cotidiana. Su madre, Yira Castro, integraba la dirigencia del Partido Comunista mientras su padre fue parte de Unión Patriótica, un partido constituido en 1985 tras un infructuoso diálogo de paz entre el gobierno y la guerrilla Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).

Cepeda Vargas fue uno de los más de 6.000 integrantes de la Unión Patriótica asesinados, amenazados, desaparecidos y torturados a partir de 1984 en lo que la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos calificó como un “exterminio” al condenar al Estado colombiano.

Durante la campaña Cepeda ha rechazado señalamientos de sus opositores que intentan ligarlos a él y a su padre con la extinta guerrilla FARC.

“Es un hombre que ha luchado por las víctimas de Colombia, también por la paz, y por eso lo han señalado en esta campaña”, aseguró Aida Quilcué, líder indígena y fórmula vicepresidencial de Cepeda.

Cepeda ha apoyado varios diálogos de paz con grupos armados ilegales, incluido el histórico acuerdo de paz firmado entre las FARC y el Estado en 2016. También fue el negociador nombrado por el gobierno de Petro en la mesa con la guerrilla Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), suspendida desde enero de 2025 tras actos de violencia.

Es el único de los candidatos que ha anticipado que daría continuidad a los diálogos de paz que ha impulsado Petro con múltiples grupos ilegales y bandas urbanas, cuestionados por otros candidatos por su falta de resultados. Pero ha dicho que los evaluará y condicionará a que los armados cesen los ataques contra la población civil y defensores de derechos humanos.

Antagonista del expresidente Uribe

Cepeda ganó reputación dentro del progresismo por ser quien derrotó en la primera instancia de un juicio al influyente expresidente Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) por los delitos de soborno a testigos y fraude procesal por los que el exmandatario fue absuelto en segunda instancia.

Ambos se enfrascaron en una disputa jurídica que terminó el año pasado durante el llamado “juicio del siglo”, por ser la primera vez que en Colombia se juzgaba a un expresidente.

Cepeda ha señalado que aspira a ganar la presidencia para derrotar a la “extrema derecha” y en especial al uribismo, recalcando que durante el gobierno de Uribe se produjeron los “falsos positivos”, como se conoce a las ejecuciones extrajudiciales de civiles presentados como guerrilleros abatidos en combate.

The median employee at companies in the S&P 500 earned $89,744, reflecting a 4.7% increase year over year. While that gain outpaced the rate of inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling pinched by the accumulation of higher prices over the past few years and had to cut corners to make ends meet and run up credit card debt to pay for everyday necessities.

The Associated Press’ CEO compensation survey, which uses data analyzed for The AP by Equilar, included pay data for 337 executives at S&P 500 companies who have served at least two full consecutive fiscal years at their companies, which filed proxy statements between Jan. 1 and April 30.

Here's a look at some highlights from the survey.

The pay gap

At half the companies in AP’s survey it would take the worker at the middle of the company’s pay scale 200 years to make what the CEO did in one, up from 192 years in last year's survey. Companies have been required to disclose this so-called pay ratio since 2018.

While the biggest gaps occur at companies where the CEO received compensation loaded with one-time awards of stock, the pay ratio also tends to be highest at companies in industries where wages are typically low. For instance, at Coca-Cola, its CEO earned nearly 1,739 times the median pay of $17,947 for its workers. The CEO at the retailer TJX Cos. makes about 1,774 times what a worker making the company’s median pay does.

Sarah Anderson, who directs the Global Economy Project at the progressive Institute for Policy Studies, noted in an email that there are ballot initiative campaigns in San Francisco and Los Angeles to raise taxes on companies with sizable gaps between CEO and worker pay.

“At a time when working families are struggling with rising costs, it’s obscene to see CEO pay continuing to skyrocket,” Anderson wrote.

Overall, wages and benefits netted by private-sector workers in the U.S. rose 3.4% through 2025, according to the Labor Department. The average worker in the U.S. makes $67,000 a year. That figure rises to $96,000 when benefits such as health care and other insurance are included.

The nature of CEO pay

While many people may think of a pay package as consisting of salary, bonus and some perks, those components make up only a small percentage of pay for the modern CEO.

Many companies have heeded calls from shareholders to tie CEO compensation more closely to performance. As a result, a large proportion of pay packages consist of stock awards, which the CEO often can’t cash in for years, if at all, unless the company meets certain targets, typically a higher stock price or market value or improved operating profits. And if the CEO delivers on those metrics, companies often give them one-time rewards as incentives to stay on and not look for a bigger payday elsewhere.

Shareholders can weigh in on a CEO's pay package through “say on pay” votes at a company's annual meeting. But the votes are non-binding and most pay plans pass with overwhelming support. The average “yes” vote at companies in this year's survey was around 90%.

Big rewards, lofty goals

As CEO pay has grown significantly over the past few decades, criticism of the lofty payouts has largely come from worker advocates and certain members of Congress.

Elon Musk's pay package is so extraordinary that even the pope weighed in.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla, received compensation valued at $132.3 billion, all in the form of stock awards. To actually get the shares, Musk must meet ambitious targets over the next 10 years for the company's market value and Tesla's electric vehicles, as well as his futuristic goals of developing a fleet of robotaxis and an army of humanoid robots.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shankh Mitra of Welltower received the second-largest compensation package in the survey at $821.1 million, the bulk of it in stock awards. Since October 2020, when he became CEO of the healthcare real estate investment trust, and October 2025, Welltower's stock price tripled. Mitra can only receive the full compensation, beyond a $110,000 annual salary, after a 10-year period.

CEO Hock Tan's pay package at Broadcom, valued at $205.3 million, covers the years 2028-2030 — companies assign a value at the time the package is awarded — and is tied to Tan's ability to greatly increase the revenue Broadcom generates from artificial intelligence, making it one of the few companies at this time to use AI as a benchmark in its compensation plans.

“Use of AI considerations or metrics in incentive plans has not yet taken hold as a majority practice,” said Kelly Malafis, founding partner at Compensation Advisory Partners, in an email, although she expects that could change going forward.

David Zaslav was at the center of a takeover battle that ended with him selling Warner Bros. to Paramount Skydance for $31 a share, up from $12.54 before reports of Paramount’s interest in a deal came out. For negotiating the deal at a premium and also exceeding certain financial and strategic goals, Warner gave Zaslav a pay package valued at $165 million, fourth largest in the survey. Since becoming CEO in 2007, Zaslav's compensation has totaled $1.1 billion, according to Equilar.

Big payouts for bankers

CEOs of three the nation's biggest banks got rewarded for yearslong efforts to retool their companies and revive a stagnant stock price.

Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon's pay package totaled almost $119 million — including stock valued at $80 million he can receive after five years. Goldman's board pointed to the 57% gain in the company's shares, as well as a hefty increase in its earnings per share. Solomon also sold off the company's Apple Card portfolio after an unsuccessful effort to expand Goldman's consumer-focused business.

Jane Fraser of Citigroup received a pay package valued at $95.8 million — tops among the 27 women CEOs in this year's survey and the highest-ever for a woman CEO in the survey's history. Fraser received a one-time award valued at $25 million in restricted stock and options after being elected Citi's chairman. She also got a one-time award for overseeing a wholesale reorganization of Citi into a leaner company, including laying off thousands of workers.

Overall, the median compensation for women CEOs in the survey fell 2.6% to $18.1 million, compared to a 6.4% increase for their male counterparts to $17.7 billion.

Wells Fargo gave CEO Charles Scharf a pay package worth $94.5 million after his yearslong effort to lead the bank back from a scandal involving fake bank accounts that landed Wells under federal supervision. And new scandals emerged along the way. The Federal Reserve finally let Wells leave the penalty box last year.

Other notables

In his last year as CEO of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett received compensation worth $389,488 — down 4% from the year prior.

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg's compensation was valued at $25.1 million and almost all of it involved costs for the company to provide security for him and his family, as well as the use of corporate aircraft.

Jensen Huang of Nvidia, the most valuable publicly traded company, got a pay package valued at $36.3 million. He didn't make the AP survey because Nvidia filed its proxy after April 30.

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Editors Dorothea Degen and Paul Harloff, and reporters Bernard Condon, Matt Ott, Alex Veiga, Ken Sweet and Chris Rugaber contributed.

“It’s going to be an extravagant moment, so come with your A-game,” Ross said in an interview with Local 10’s Alexis Frazier.

Ross says this tour is about celebrating how far the culture — and the city of Miami — have come.

If you’re going, don’t just show up. Come dressed to impress and ready to show out.

Hip-hop artists have performed with live instruments before, but Ross says this experience takes things to another level.

“Shout out to all the other artists who’ve done their thing. When I first saw Jay-Z do it — Jeezy has done it too — but I haven’t seen it like this, with a full orchestra and full choir," he said.

And there’s something poetic about the fact that it all starts in Miami — the city that helped build the boss.

Twenty years later, “Hustlin’” is still one of his most streamed songs.

“When I recorded ‘Everyday I’m Hustlin’,’ there was no way I could imagine 20 summers later, people still playing it,” Ross said.

And after two decades in the game, the Boss says he’s still hungry.

“The legacy ain’t going nowhere,” a humbled Ross said.

In addition to touring, Ross just released a new book.

The “Port of Miami 20” tour kicks off Friday at the James L. Knight Center.

Click here for ticket information and more.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth celebrated the U.S. military’s strength, even as a new analysis shows it could take three years for defense contractors to replenish the key weapons systems used in the Iran war. Trump also praised his administration’s work to stamp out fraud, saying his administration is “bringing our country back to honesty.”

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House Dems introduce bill to block Trump’s proposed Arch

House Democrats are introducing a bill to block construction of Trump’s proposed “ triumphal arch ” near the Lincoln Memorial. The bill comes after a federal commission approved the design for the project, which Trump wants to serve as an entrance to the nation’s capital.

Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia and Dina Titus of Nevada called the arch a “vanity project,” saying it relies on illegal funding manipulations without congressional authorization and violates the Commemorative Works Act.

Beyer’s district includes Arlington National Cemetery, adjacent to the arch site. He called the cemetery sacred ground, adding: “It is unthinkable that we would desecrate this hallowed space to build a monument to Donald Trump’s ego.”

The 250-foot arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

Wall Street hangs near its records as oil prices sink

U.S. stocks are hanging near their records on Wednesday as oil prices fall, easing pressure on households and businesses worldwide.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and added to its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 243 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.1%.

Bath & Body Works and Abercrombie & Fitch both rallied after becoming the latest companies to deliver stronger profit reports for the start of 2026 than analysts expected. That’s even though U.S. consumers have been getting more discouraged about inflation.

Stocks of oil-and-gas companies fell after the price of Brent crude dropped more than 4%. Treasury yields eased.

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Trump uses Cabinet meeting to play mayor and offer lengthy update on Washington construction

The president took on a new role during his latest Cabinet meeting, acting more like a small-town mayor than commander-in-chief.

He spent 10 minutes describing in great detail helping lead his administration’s efforts to fix fountains and spruce up the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, which Trump mistakenly called the “reflecting lake” and “reflecting pond.”

Workers “sandblasted it, and then we pebble-blasted,” Trump said, explaining it as “a bigger version of sand.”

His comments were far more extensive than what was said on meatier issues like the war in Iran, the economy or the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump even talked about fixing “the floor” of an outdoor park near the White House – meaning brick walkways in Washington’s Lafayette Park.

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South African government and Afrikaners reject US claim of a humanitarian emergency for white people

The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa.

The argument served as the administration’s rationale for raising the U.S. refugee cap by 10,000, but only for white South Africans. The Trump administration announced the increase on Tuesday and cited “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation.”

The South African government calls these allegations unfounded, saying some beneficiaries of the refugee program have chosen to return to South Africa. Around 6,000 South Africans have moved to the U.S. since the Afrikaner program started last year, according to the U.S. government.

Afrikaner groups such as Solidariteit and AfriForum say that refugee status isn’t a solution, and they aim to improve conditions in South Africa. Critics argue the U.S. decision prioritizes white South Africans over refugees from war-torn regions.

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Iran insists on peace in Lebanon as part of a US deal as Israeli-Hezbollah fighting expands

The Israeli military on Wednesday told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations and applies “extreme force” against Hezbollah militants. Already, Israeli troops clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters have pushed north of the strategic Litani river as Lebanon and Israeli delegations head to talks in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the expansion amid a surge in Hezbollah’s exploding drone attacks.

More than one million people in Lebanon have been displaced, and over 3,200 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, since open warfare began on March 2 with Hezbollah rockets fired toward Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed, along with two civilians.

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Alabama attorney general says state did not intentionally discriminate against Black voters

Steve Marshall also said Alabama should be allowed to hold new elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

More than 879,000 voters cast ballots statewide in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, using a court-ordered map that led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans want voters to return to the polls and use their map instead. It would reduce the Black voting age population in his district from 48% to 39% to reclaim the seat for the GOP.

Alabama’s GOP-controlled legislature already voided the May 19 results in the four districts affected by the map switch. Marshall is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as the state prepares for new special primaries for Aug. 11 in those districts.

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Trump ends public portion of latest Cabinet meeting

Trump wrapped up the public portion of his latest Cabinet meeting after roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The U.S. president started the meeting shortly before noon. He talked about his renovation and architectural plans for Washington, as well as the Iran war, efforts to lower prescription drug prices and the vice president’s task force on fraud, among other subjects.

“We’re doing great,” Trump said before dismissing the reporters in attendance. “Our country is doing fantastically well, and this group of people is outstanding.”

Trump says he opposes Russia or China retrieving Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile

“That would not make me comfortable,” the president said.

The two countries have the closest relations with Tehran. Nuclear analysts have said either country could serve as a potentially acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon, as part of a potential deal with the U.S. to end the war.

But Trump seemed to shut down that possibility Wednesday.

Under a 2015 deal negotiated by President Barack Obama, Russia took a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that Iran had at the time.

Trump spends 5 minutes talking about Reflecting Pool project

The president elaborated on the project with painstaking detail. He introduced his lengthy tangent as “a slightly smaller subject,” then walked through work on the 2,400-foot pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, saying it’ll be done by July 4.

“We cleaned it. We fumigated it. We had 10 major truck – dumpsters of garbage taken out. Can you believe it?” Trump said, blaming his Democratic predecessors for the “disgusting” conditions and disrepair.

“We made the surface as good as it can be,” Trump said. “And we’re now covering it with the most beautiful blue, very thick – you can think of it as a very sophisticated form of rubber. No leaks. No problems. And it’s beautiful. It’s called American flag blue.”

Trump at one point justified his intense oversight: “I’ve built hundreds of pools,” he said, later adding, “It’s not as simple as people think.”

Trump says deal on Iran has ‘got to be perfect’

Saying “I’m not sure we should make the deal” on Iran if additional countries don’t join the Abraham Accords — the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel — Trump said he’s “requesting strongly” that others, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign on.

But asked by reporters at the Cabinet meeting if an Iran deal were contingent on that act, Trump added, “I don’t want to say that.”

Trump also said that, while he felt a “good deal” with Iran could be achieved now, he preferred “a great deal,” and then said the agreement must be even better than that.

“It’s got to be perfect,” Trump said. “I didn’t do this to get a crummy agreement.”

Trump defends New Jersey detention center where protesters and federal officers have clashed

“We run the finest facilities anywhere in the world — of their type — but we have some horrible killers,” Trump said Wednesday when asked about an immigration detention center where some detainees have been on a hunger strike to protest conditions.

Recent protests at the center have drawn elected Democrats including Sen. Andy Kim, who said officers shot pepper spray at him and others this week.

Asked by Trump to weigh in, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Kim “probably shouldn’t have been there.”

“The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want,” Mullin said of the detainees. “This isn’t Holiday Inn.”

Trump says ‘Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up’

The president made the comment Wednesday after being asked whether he would accept a deal allowing Iran and Oman to share control the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at his Cabinet meeting, he said the strait must be open to everyone and that no one can control it, though he said the U.S. will “watch over it.”

After issuing the threat to Oman, Trump added: “They understand that. They’ll be fine.”

Bessent channels Biden era and calls higher inflation ‘transitory’

Bessent just dropped a “T” word to describe inflation — echoing past remarks by two of Trump’s favorite targets, former President Joe Biden and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, that higher prices would soon fade.

“In terms of prices, I believe the prices are transitory,” Bessent said. “Oil will be lower than preconflict levels when this ends.”

He was repeating an administration talking point that energy prices will plummet once the Iran war comes to a close. But his remarks contained a degree of irony.

Powell’s past use of “transitory” and Biden’s use of “temporary” came to haunt them. That’s because inflation remained persistently high as the economy emerged from the pandemic and was slower to ease than the public expected. The words formed the basis of attacks by Republicans and helped return Trump to the White House.

Bessent says Trump Accounts app coming Thursday

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during the Cabinet meeting that the app would launch “on all major platforms.”

A provision of Trump’s tax legislation, Trump Accounts are meant to give $1,000 to every newborn, so long as their parents open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the child can access the money when they turn 18.

Calling it a “great symbol of the 250th anniversary,” Bessent said that “nearly 6 million kids” had been signed up for the accounts, which officially launch July 4.

Trump says World War II Memorial fountain is next in line for renovation

The president said his administration will turn to the war memorial after finishing an overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

“Now we’re looking at the World War II fountain, because that’s also in pretty bad shape on the bottom,” Trump said Wednesday at his Cabinet meeting. “We’re going to duplicate it, I think with the — maybe with a slightly different color. Actually, we’ll go with a lighter color.”

Trump ordered the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to be resurfaced in what he calls “American flag blue” after he said a friend complained about the condition of the pool.

The World War II Memorial sits at the east end of the reflecting pool, featuring stone pillars and arches surrounding an oval fountain.

Trump said he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum “have a lot of fun” with the renovations.

Trump says anti-fraud work is ‘bringing our country back to honesty’

The president devoted a long stretch of his Cabinet meeting to a recap of the vice president’s anti-fraud task force, which officials see as a winning issue ahead of midterm elections.

Vance highlighted efforts to stop fraud and misuse in social programs from Medicare and Medicaid to federal student aid. Vance said officials have found tens of billions of dollars in Medicaid and Medicare fraud, adding that “we’re going to find a lot more.”

Trump congratulated officials on the effort, saying it’s a “tremendous amount of money.”

Rubio: No Ebola patients allowed in the US

The Trump administration “cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States” amid the ongoing outbreak overseas, Rubio said in the Cabinet meeting.

Rubio said the State Department and other agencies are working “very, very hard to contain this crisis to the countries where it’s currently located, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

The comments come as the Trump administration has said it is setting up a facility in Kenya where Americans exposed to Ebola can be sent for quarantine and treatment.

Rubio says having ‘failed state’ Cuba so close to the US is a ‘national security threat’

The secretary of state said “Cuba’s in a lot of trouble” and being run by “incompetent communists.”

He didn’t offer any details on U.S. actions related to the island, including a possible intervention, which Trump has hinted might be coming.

But Rubio said of Cuba: “Having a failed state 90 miles from our shores is a threat to the national security of the United States.”

Rubio says ‘diplomacy is always the first option’ on Iran

Asked to give an update on negotiations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he felt “there’s been some progress” on discussions with Iran and said the “next few hours and days” would yield more information.

Seated at Trump’s right hand, the country’s chief diplomat stressed that, while the president has “other options” if talks don’t yield the U.S.’ desired outcome, Rubio added, “We prefer the negotiated, diplomatic route, and we’re going to give it every chance to succeed.”

Trump said Rubio had been “all over the place” in recent days. The secretary of state returned to the U.S. last night after a five-day trip that included stops in Sweden and India.

Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defense help against Russian missile attacks, Kyiv says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to Trump and Congress asking for more American-made air defense ammunition to counter intensifying Russian ballistic missile attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers have backed a bill to draft bank employees to fight against Ukraine’s long-range drones that strike deep inside Russia — with trained bank staff shooting down the unmanned aircraft.

As aerial attacks by both sides escalate in the more than four-year war, Anne Keast-Butler, head of U.K.’s intelligence agency GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir “Putin is going backwards on the battlefield,” and new data shows “almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began.”

Zelenskyy’s letter, obtained by The Associated Press, says deliveries of Patriot PAC-3 missiles and other air defense systems are falling dangerously short as the Iran war diverts U.S. stocks.

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Trump, looking to move his Cabinet meeting along, suggests not all officials will speak

The president said he’d limit speaking roles in the Cabinet meeting to Vance, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kelly Loeffler, small business administrator.

“And maybe, if you have some questions, we’ll go to others,” he told reporters.

“But everybody around here has got a lot to say,” Trump said. “But we did that once, and it lasted for like four or five hours. It was a little much.”

Trump’s Cabinet meetings often feature top officials spending long periods of time praising him. That’s led to marathon sessions, though not quite as long as he suggested.

Last summer, one such meeting exceeded three hours.

Trump says his fraud task force will save Social Security. The numbers say otherwise

The U.S. president said at his Cabinet meeting that Social Security payments will be rescued by the crackdown on fraud by a task force led by Vice President JD Vance — a claim undermined by the numbers for the social insurance program.

“I think we have a chance to save Social Security without doing anything to it,” Trump said. “We’re going to make our Social Security so strong.”

The government said last year that Social Security’s trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients — will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2034. That’s because the cost of the benefits for an aging population are exceeding payroll tax revenues.

There is no sign that stopping improper payments would be sufficient to close the gap, as the government estimated they were 3.8% of Social Security expenditures in fiscal 2025.

Despite Social Security’s deteriorating finances under his watch, Trump said it “would be bankrupt” if Democrats were in power.

Trump doubles down that midterms don’t affect his Iran strategy

The president suggested that Iranian leaders think upcoming U.S. elections give them leverage over Trump because of his lagging approval ratings. If so, they’re flat wrong, Trump said.

“They thought they were gonna out-wait me. You know, ’We’ll out-wait him. He’s got the midterms,” Trump said. “I don’t care about the midterms.”

The president alluded to his preferred Texas GOP Senate nominee, Ken Paxton, trouncing Sen. John Cornyn.

“That was the prelude to the midterms,” the president insisted.

To be clear, Trump’s hold over the GOP is unquestioned at this point. But that doesn’t seamlessly translate to November victories – and even many Republicans are nervous that Trump’s standing and GOP nominees like Paxton will drag the party down in the fall as Democrats try to flip control of Capitol Hill.

Trump mixes up U.S. military operations, saying Venezuela when he meant Iran

Early in his Cabinet meeting, the president was trying to downplay the war in Iran, saying, “I don’t call it a war. I call it a conflict.”

“Despite the conflict with Venezuela, who no longer has a navy, no longer has an air force, no longer has a lot of people that were leading the country into very bad places,” Trump said, mixing up that South American country with Iran.

U.S. forces ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to face drug charges. before the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran.

He later added of Iran and talks about the ongoing ceasefire, “They’re negotiating on fumes,” but also renewed threats to renew major U.S. attacks, “Maybe we have to go back and finish it, maybe we don’t.”

Trump Cabinet meeting begins

It’s the first meeting of the president’s Cabinet since Tulsi Gabbard announced that she would step down as director of national intelligence, effective June 30, due to her husband’s health.

Gabbard is the fourth Cabinet member to depart during Trump’s second term, all of them women.

The meeting also comes at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the war with Iran, just days after Trump insisted that his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement but with the negotiations still in a state of flux.

The 39-year-old Djokovic was pushed by 74th-ranked French player Valentin Royer — who is 15 years younger than him — for more than 3½ hours before he reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory.

For the fourth straight day of this year’s tournament, the temperature rose above 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).

“When you play a three-and-a-half hour match on clay, it’s long and very exhausting,” Djokovic said. “These days have been really, really very challenging for a lot of players.”

When Djokovic won a key point early in the fourth set with a forehand that he whipped around the net post from far off the court, the 24-time Grand Slam champion waved his arms toward the crowd inside Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Djokovic wasted a chance to close the match out earlier when he missed a backhand long in the third-set tiebreaker then required four more match points in his final service game before a forehand from Royer landed in the net to conclude a long rally.

When it was finally over after 3 hours and 44 minutes, Djokovic first nearly stumbled to the clay. Then he performed his violin celebration, acting as if he were playing the strings on his racket like the musical instrument.

Before arriving in Paris, Royer had earned only one tour-level win across 11 tournaments he played this season.

Djokovic came to Roland Garros with questions over his form after getting beat in his only clay-court match before the tournament. He lost to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open after two months out due to a right shoulder injury.

But Djokovic is playing himself back into form after coming back from a set down to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, another Frenchman, in a first-round match that lasted nearly three hours.

Djokovic improved to 14-0 in his career against Frenchmen at Roland Garros and reached the third round in Paris for a 21st straight year. He raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023.

“Hopefully I won’t face another Frenchman until the end of the tournament,” Djokovic said with a laugh during his on-court interview. “Oh my God, I’ve had enough.”

One duo of Djokovic fans inside the main stadium held up a sign with a goat on it — for “Greatest of All Time” — that read “39 is the new 29.”

Up next for Djokovic is potentially a bigger test against 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca, who came back from two sets down for a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory over the 20-year-old Prizmic. Fonseca has been touted as a future Grand Slam contender.

Meanwhile, Jakub Mensik collapsed to the clay because of cramps and had a tough time getting up after edging Mariano Navone in a fifth-set tiebreaker. That match lasted 4 hours, 41 minutes.

Then in the next match on Court 6, Hailey Baptiste was forced to retire while facing a set point against Wang Xiyu after landing awkwardly on her left leg.

Djokovic suggested that French Open organizers should consider moving more matches later in the day and night on days with extreme heat.

“With Grand Slams it shouldn’t be an issue, because we have so many courts,” Djokovic said. “If you have certain days that you have extreme heat and conditions, then maybe that’s something to consider.”

In the night session, second-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Ukraine gets 3 wins

Elena Rybakina, this year’s Australian Open winner, was beaten by Ukrainian opponent Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

Also advancing were Ukrainians Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, who are coming off trophies at the Madrid Open and Italian Open, respectively.

The seventh-seeded Svitolina beat Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4 to extend her winning streak to eight matches. The 15th-seeded Kostyuk beat Katie Volynets 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.

“I’m most pleased that I didn’t cramp to death or didn’t pass out during this match,” Kostyuk said after her match, which lasted nearly three hours. “It was not easy for everyone.”

Swiatek improves Paris record to 42-3

Four-time champion Iga Swiatek improved her career record at Roland Garros to 42-3 by eliminating 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3.

Swiatek won Roland Garros in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Swiatek next faces Magda Linette in the first all-Polish meeting at Roland Garros in the professional era (since 1968). Linette eliminated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

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AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.

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

Pilgrims in Mina chanted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” in the ritual seen as a symbolic stoning of the devil. The act is also seen as rejecting evil and a commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s rejection of temptation when the devil tried to dissuade him from submitting to God’s will.

The physically demanding Hajj is occurring in intense heat. Many pilgrims poured water over their heads to cool themselves or carried umbrellas. Saudi authorities have highlighted the importance of drinking water and reducing direct exposure to sunlight. The National Center of Meteorology shared the high temperatures.

Aamar Shakur, a pilgrim from Pakistan, said he saw the pebble throwing as a symbol of confronting personal struggles in which he was “throwing the stone to my own devil.”

Crowds moved through the sprawling Jamarat complex after arriving from Muzdalifah, following a day of worship and prayer at Arafat on Tuesday.

The last days of the Hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice,” marking the willingness of Ibrahim, known as Abraham to Christians and Jews, to sacrifice his son. During the holiday, Muslims typically slaughter sheep or cattle and distribute part of the meat to the poor.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able. Performed over several days, the Hajj can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness. Rituals on its final days also include circling the cube-shaped Kaaba.

The joyous occasion is subdued for some

The Hajj brings together Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived from abroad, a Saudi official said Friday.

This year's Hajj takes place against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty throughout the region. Eid al-Adha is typically joyous, marked with communal prayers, food and festive gatherings. In some places, though, conflicts and economic pressures are dampening festivities.

Lebanon is observing Eid al-Adha amid a conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. Many displaced people are sheltering in tented settlements or public schools repurposed as shelters.

“There is no Eid for us. We are displaced, forced to leave our land, our homes, our livelihoods, while our memories are being destroyed,” said Rabee Khreis, who fled the village of Khiyam, where intense fighting has taken place.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict appears more nominal by the day, complicating efforts at a broader peace.

‘Eid is only for the people who lost no one’

In the Gaza Strip, where the Israel-Hamas war has devastated the territory and displaced most of its people, Palestinians are observing a subdued Eid al-Adha under a fragile ceasefire and rampant suffering.

“This is not Eid ... we’re dead,” said Mahmoud Saqer, a displaced man from Khan Younis.

In Khan Younis and Gaza City worshippers gathered for prayers amid destroyed buildings and with few signs of celebration.

“There’s no Eid. My children were killed,” said Ayda Al-Banna, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who prayed with her granddaughter. “Eid is only for the people who lost no one.”

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 72,803 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Israel launched the offensive after Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. While the heaviest fighting has mostly subsided since a fragile ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted the truce. Hamas and Israel have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

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Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida. Associated Press journalists Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Ali Sharafeddine in Beirut contributed.

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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.