Nicholas Alo was taken into custody after investigators say he met two girls, ages 13 and 15, at a popular teen hangout along the Daytona Beach Boardwalk, known locally as the “White Fence.” Authorities say Alo obtained the girls’ social media contact information before arranging to meet them in person.

“They get in the car with him and he drives them to Daytona One, he allows them to drive around in the parking lot, they go to a liquor store where he purchases a bottle of flavor vodka and they drink the vodka and go to a secluded area, a park in Ormond Beach,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

Deputies say that is where Alo had sex with both girls. The investigation was triggered after one of the victims told her father what had happened.

“One of the girls gets home and mentions something to her father about it and then that alerts us to the investigation and last night we’re able to go and take this Nick Alo into custody. He’s on probation for felony charges in Ormond Beach,” Chitwood said.

This is not Alo’s first brush with the law involving a minor. In 2020, he was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and traveling to meet a minor.

“He was arrested when he was in the bedroom of a 12-year-old naked in a closet,” Chitwood said.

Those charges were ultimately pleaded down to a child abuse conviction, meaning Alo was never required to register as a sex offender. He did serve two years in prison.

Chitwood says the pattern of behavior is what concerns investigators most — and why they believe additional victims may exist.

“It’s a pattern. Hanging out at that ‘White Fence area.’ I didn’t know what that was — I sure do now. It’s where all of the teenagers hang. There he is imbedding himself there. The social media aspect of it. We have all of his devices so we’re going through those now,” Chitwood said.

The sheriff noted that deputies regularly patrol the Daytona Beach Boardwalk area and stressed there is nothing wrong with teens gathering there. However, he urged young people to be cautious about who they speak with and who they share their contact information with.

Alo is currently being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail. Anyone with information is asked to call (386) 323-3574.

Golf Digest cited multiple sources as saying Mickelson is no longer welcome at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where the six-time major champion has played and practiced for decades. The unwanted contact was said to have happened earlier this spring.

Mickelson, the chief recruiter in the launching of LIV Golf, has only played once this year because of a serious family health matter that has not been disclosed. He did not play the Masters and PGA Championship, and is no longer exempt for the U.S. Open.

Golf Digest said it verified the identity of The Farms employee and was withholding her name to protect her privacy. It said she declined to participate in the reporting of the story.

A spokesperson for Mickelson told Golf Digest, “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”

Digest cited sources in reporting Mickelson approached the woman in the clubhouse and made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her. The woman rejected his advances and reported it to her supervisors.

Officials at The Farms reviewed and investigated, Golf Digest reported, and then confronted Mickelson on the course. Mickelson, 55, was told to leave the premises.

The Farms said in a statement to Golf Digest, “Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.”

“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.”

Golf Digest cited multiple sources in confirming the member was Mickelson.

The Farms, located about 10 miles from Torrey Pines, is a private club where several top players are members such as Annika Sorenstam and Xander Schauffele, both of whom have primary residences in Florida.

The development adds to what has become a dark chapter for Mickelson, who is married with three children and was once one of the most beloved public figures in golf for his bold and creative game, and for the time he spent after rounds signing autographs.

Mickelson was a relief defendant in an insider trading scheme in 2016 in which he was not criminally charged but agreed to repay nearly $1 million he made in a single trade. Noted gambler Billy Walters was involved in that case and sentenced to five years in prison.

Walters wrote an autobiography in 2023 in which he claims Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last 30 years, including one day in 2011 in which Mickelson was said to have placed 43 bets on Major League Baseball that resulted in $143,500 in losses.

Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. A year later, he was a central figure in helping to launch Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He lost major sponsorships when he was quoted in early 2022 as calling the Saudis “scary mother (expletives)” and that he was only thinking of joining the league to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is ending its financial support of LIV after this year.

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

The Justice Department highlighted cases against three Guatemalan nationals that they say underscore the dangers of improper vetting of sponsors in a program that seeks to unite kids with relatives or family friends after they enter the U.S. Officials said they are investigating numerous other so-called super-sponsors — those who gained custody of more than three unrelated children — to determine whether the sponsors took the kids in fraudulently.

“We will not accept half measures when it comes to securing the border, protecting American lives and saving children from exploitation,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters.

Taking custody of multiple unrelated migrant children is not a crime. The sponsors may be caring and well-intentioned, but senior administration officials calling them out suggests that authorities harbor suspicion about them and may subject them to deeper scrutiny.

Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible adult sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly. But the approach also yielded errors, with some children being released to adults who forced them to work illegally, or to people who provided clearly false identification and addresses.

Under Trump, the administration tightened rules aimed at preventing traffickers from illegally bringing children into the country and that has also led to a dramatic increase in federal custody times for kids. As of May, children are held in federal custody for an average of 206 days before they’re released, compared with an average of 37 days when Trump took office. At the same time, the number of total children in custody has steadily dropped.

Striking a balance to release children to vetted sponsors and shielding them from danger has proved a contentious partisan disagreement.

Democrats “want to claim that Republicans, because we’re enforcing the laws, it’s inhumane, somehow,” Blanche said after criticizing the vetting procedures under the Biden administration. "What’s inhumane about taking care of our kids?”

The cases announced Thursday include charges against a woman who, authorities say, was living in the U.S. illegally, schemed with others to smuggle kids across the border, then used fake identities to gain custody of them in exchange for money. In another case, a woman is accused of falsely claiming that she was siblings with a teen who had entered the U.S. illegally in her application to become the teen’s sponsor.

The Associated Press has sought comment from attorneys representing the accused in those cases.

Critics of the Trump administration have raised concerns over wellness checks carried out by immigration officers at elementary schools, immigration officers showing up and detaining sponsors at reunification meetings with children, and newly required documentation that's created a “paperwork barrier” and led to a recent lawsuit.

Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal services for unaccompanied migrant children under contract with the government, said the administration has not acknowledged the harm it has caused to kids by “subjecting them to indefinite detention and eroding nearly every avenue for legal relief.”

Aber added: “If the administration is concerned with the well-being of unaccompanied children, the answer can’t be to take them away from loved ones, try to undermine their representation, and detain them in group facilities with well-documented risks of isolation, abuse, and mental health deterioration.”

Even sponsors willing to undergo the new vetting procedures have been forced to wait through unnecessary delays.

A Chicago father who is a U.S. citizen and had a valid birth certificate for his child was kept waiting for five months before the government could schedule a fingerprinting appointment. During the wait, his toddler daughter was sexually abused in federal custody, a lawsuit claimed. The government did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the case.

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Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.

The Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in Thursday night's Game 5, with the best-of-seven series even at 2-2. The Hurricanes won Game 4 on the road to retake home-ice advantage, which would include next Wednesday's Game 7 if the series goes the distance.

Game 6 is Sunday in Las Vegas and will provide the first opportunity for a Cup-clinching win.

‘We're excited to be at home," Hall said. "I think our game has been trending in the right direction all series long, doing a lot of really good things. We feel like we're an in-shape team. We can go as long as this needs to go. The fact we had three short series to start with, we’re confident in where we’re at."

Home ice hasn't mattered much in a series in which the only reliable element is its unpredictability. It’s made for an epic finale with nightly blown multi-goal leads, wild swings and close finishes — perfect for fans packed into buzzing arenas and TV viewers but leading to what Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour has described as intensely stressful nights behind the bench.

As Vegas coach John Tortorella said Wednesday: “I don't think anybody expected this.”

It's come in a series that was expected to be a defense-first battle but has instead seen 33 goals through four games (8.3 per game), making life tricky for each team's goaltenders.

Carolina started veteran Frederik Andersen after he had led them in a 12-1 run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, but pulled him in the third period of Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0 before rallying in what ended as a double-overtime loss. Brandon Bussi played well in relief, then got the start in Game 4 with Brind'Amour saying Andersen — who didn't dress out — needed a break.

Brind’Amour wouldn’t specify a Game 5 starter beyond saying everyone is available.

As for Vegas, Carter Hart has become the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games yet two of them were wins. Tortorella said he had no concerns about Hart's play “at all.”

This Stanley Cup Final has offered a perfect companion to what's going in the other major American pro sports championship series taking place. On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks rallied from 29 down to stun the San Antonio Spurs in the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history to take a 3-1 series lead.

“I wanted to go to bed,” Tortorella said of watching the comeback. “But when they got it down to 15, you knew something stupid was going to happen. I'm just basically saying the same stupid stuff's happened in our series.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Ruggs, a former first-round draft pick and Raiders wide receiver, drove his sports car at speeds up to 156 mph (251 kph) in the city on Nov. 2, 2021, slamming into a vehicle that killed driver Tina Tintor and her dog, Max. Tintor was 23.

Prosecutors at the time said his blood-alcohol level taken within the required two hours after the crash was 0.16%. Before the crash, he was at TopGolf, a sports entertainment venue in Las Vegas, according to prosecutors.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May 2023 to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He was sentenced in August 2023 to a three- to 10-year prison sentence.

Ruggs will go before the parole board again three months before his Aug. 24, 2027, mandatory parole release date, according to Kathi Baker, executive director of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.

“Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor’s family,” Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a Thursday statement, adding that they were disappointed by the parole board’s decision to deny parole.

The attorneys said there is “overwhelming evidence” of Ruggs’ accepting responsibility for his conduct and engaging in community outreach efforts related to DUI prevention, including completing educational programs while in custody.

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This story has been updated to correct the day that Henry Ruggs' parole was denied. It was on Thursday, not Friday.

The group is called Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language and the two officials are Thomas Campenni, former Mayor of Stuart, and Michael Davey, former Mayor of Key Biscayne.

They claim the ballot measure (HJR 1F), which seeks to increase the existing $50,000 tax exemption for homestead properties to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, would deceive voters.

“The ballot summary does not merely describe the Proposed Constitutional Amendment – it endorses it,” the lawsuit states. “The ballot summary … sets forth three political taglines – ‘ensuring funding for core services,’ ‘protecting small businesses,’ and ‘ensuring fairness for Florida residents’ – giving reasons why voters should vote for the proposal. But the purpose of a ballot summary is to explain what an amendment does, not to advocate for its adoption.”

But even if the court finds the ballot summary is misleading, that wouldn’t erase the measure from the ballot.

Under state law, Attorney General James Uthmeier would be required to amend the ballot summary if it is found to be defective.

Lawmakers passed the measure after it was drafted by DeSantis’ office. GOP leaders amended it to exempt taxes levied to fund schools, but city and county officials across the state have warned if voters approve it their budgets – and the services they provide to residents – will suffer.

DeSantis and supporters of the measure, though, have largely waved those critiques away, claiming local governments have overtaxed homeowners as property values have risen in recent years and now they need to rein in spending.

According to a House staff analysis the measure could cost local governments $8.4 billion per year, if it gets the necessary 60 percent support from voters to pass into law.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis didn’t immediately respond to an email Thursday.

The lawsuit claims several pieces of the ballot summary are misleading.

The phrase “ensuring funding for core services” is a misnomer, the lawsuit claims, because it drastically cuts property tax revenues. The proposed amendment would require cities and counties to spend property tax revenues on a list of “core services,” including public safety, but it also lowers the amount of money available for those services.

The lawsuit also takes issue with the phrase “protecting small businesses,” as there’s no provision that marks such business out for special treatment. There is a provision lowering the current 10 percent cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties to 5 percent, but that applies to more than just small businesses.

“The Proposed Constitutional Amendment broadly limits future assessment increases on all categories of non-homesteaded property, and provides no protection to small businesses, or other non-homesteaded property, from the expected higher taxes resulting from increases in millages rates necessary to offset (at least partially) the loss of tax base caused by the amendment,” the lawsuit states.

Another misleading piece, according to the lawsuit, is it’s expressed intent to eventually eliminate all non-school homestead property taxes, something DeSantis has said is his goal. But although the measure directs the Legislature to set up a structure to allow local governments to phase out homestead property taxes, that’s short of a mandatory full elimination.

“The actual proposed constitutional language does not require the ‘full elimination,’” the lawsuit states. “Rather, it requires the Legislature to establish procedures through which local governments may choose to grant additional exemptions in the future ‘up to’ the full assessed valuation.”

Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Thursday. However, a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that nitrogen executions are unconstitutional and blocked the state from using the method to put Lee to death. The state filed an appeal Thursday asking the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling and allow the execution.

“If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,” lawyers with the Alabama attorney general's office wrote. The Supreme Court has never ruled that a state's execution method violates the Constitution.

The case has put a spotlight on the nitrogen execution method and the sharp disagreements over its use.

The execution method involves strapping a respirator to the person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from a lack of oxygen. Nitrogen has been used in eight executions in the United States — seven in Alabama and one in Louisiana. Lee was scheduled to be the ninth person put the death by nitrogen.

U.S. District Judge Emily Marks ruled Tuesday, after an appeals court reversed her initial finding that the method was constitutional, that Lee had shown by a “preponderance of the evidence that the protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.” The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision Wednesday night, rejected Alabama's request to stay the ruling. The court earlier said the three minutes that it could take for an inmate to lose awareness is an “intolerable” time frame, “given the suffering that would likely take place under Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol.”

During the previous Alabama nitrogen executions, the inmates shook, pulled at the restraints and exhibited labored breathing. During the state’s last execution by nitrogen gas, 30 minutes elapsed between Anthony Boyd exhibiting signs of being impacted by the gas and state officials closing the curtain to the viewing room to signal the execution was complete.

The state has maintained that the method is constitutional and causes no more suffering than other execution methods.

Lee’s attorneys said Alabama is attempting to move forward with an execution method that courts have found unconstitutional. His supporters have urged Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to commute his sentence to life imprisonment, which is the sentence that jurors at his trial had recommended.

“Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall wants to execute Jeffery Lee under a death sentence the jury rejected using a nitrogen gas method that two federal courts have ruled unconstitutional. This execution is simply too flawed to move forward,” Lee’s lawyers said in a Wednesday statement.

“We remain hopeful that Governor Ivey will intervene,” they added.

A jury convicted Lee of two counts of capital murder for killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998. Prosecutors said Lee entered Jimmy’s Pawnshop with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, the owner of the store, and Thompson, a store employee.

A jury voted 7-5 that Lee should receive a sentence of life imprisonment. However, a judge overrode that recommendation and sentenced Lee to death. Alabama in 2017 ended the practice of judicial override and no longer allows a judge to disregard a jury’s sentencing decision in death penalty cases.

Bestselling author John Grisham called on Gov. Kay Ivey to honor the jury's decision and commute Lee's sentence to life without parole.

“The practice of a judge overriding a jury was declared unconstitutional and so indefensible that Alabama itself abolished it in 2017, Grisham said in a statement. ”Jeffery Lee’s jury made its decision, the Alabama Legislature later agreed that juries, not judges, should decide life or death sentences."

Marks did not block the state from using its other authorized execution methods, lethal injection and the electric chair. However, it is unclear if the state could swiftly change the method.

Trump said in a social media post that he made the move after a breakthrough in negotiations, and that significant points under discussion “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”

The announcement came after two days of back-and-forth attacks between the U.S. and Iran had pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.

Trump had threatened further escalation earlier Thursday, posting on social media that the U.S. would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and take “total control” of its oil and gas industries.

A few hours later, Trump wrote that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.

Trump has claimed multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials or mediators regarding Trump’s latest comments about progress in negotiations.

Talks have stalled over Iran's nuclear program, which the U.S. and Israel fear could lead to an atomic weapon, but which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes. Another major point of contention is Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for transporting oil and natural gas.

Trump again moves quickly from threats to negotiating

Trump's rapid shift Thursday from dire threats to promoting peace negotiations again underscored his whipsaw approach to the war. He suggested on Monday that a deal to end the conflict could be reached in a matter of days.

Then back-and-forth strikes rattled the Middle East this week. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the U.S. and Iran, which targeted countries where U.S. troops are based. The U.S. strikes began after Trump blamed Iran for downing an American attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots were rescued safely.

The U.S. military said it targeted Iran’s military surveillance, communications and air defense sites. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said a manufacturing complex was hit, along with a military barracks and a Guard base outside Tehran.

Tehran said it fired back at Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, which said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from intercepted Iranian strikes.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

After Trump threatened more attacks were to come on Thursday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, responded on social media that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” would wreak havoc on energy markets and “create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

It wasn't the first time Trump threatened escalation before giving negotiations another chance. In April, he warned Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if it didn’t agree to his terms, before extending a ceasefire.

Trump threatened to seize Iran's main oil terminal

Iran’s monthslong disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has crimped global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Trump had threatened Thursday to seize Kharg Island, the heart of Iran’s oil industr y, through which 90% of its exports pass.

But Trump himself soon voiced doubts about taking over the oil terminal, saying in an interview with Fox News: “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. would extract funds from frozen Iranian accounts to offset the costs of damage to American allies and any tolls Iran imposes for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond the deadlock over the strait and sharp divisions over Iran's nuclear program, Tehran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally militia Hezbollah and Israel.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group, further complicating negotiations with Tehran.

Criticisms over US strike that killed 3 Indian sailors

The U.S. faced criticism Thursday for an American military strike that killed three Indian sailors on an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military said it fired Tuesday to disable the Palau-flagged tanker M/T Settebello as it attempted to breach a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports while carrying a shipment of Iranian oil. Three Indian crew members were killed, India’s minister overseeing ports and shipping said Thursday on X.

The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack. India’s foreign ministry summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to convey its “deepest concerns” and formally protest the strike, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

The U.S. State Department said it was “in direct contact" with the Indian government regarding the strike, but offered no further details.

The U.S. military's Central Command said American forces issued warnings before firing on the ship. It's one of nine merchant vessels the U.S. military has disabled to enforce the blockade.

Iranian student says hope dwindles as attacks escalate

A 25-year-old student in northern Iran says Iranians are fearing “chaos” amid the war and multiplying crises at home.

The student, who lives in the city of Babol, said many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries in the face of mass job losses and triple-digit food inflation. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of security fears.

“Everything is going wrong and there is no hope among the people,” the student added.

The student first spoke to The Associated Press before the war when he participated in widespread anti-government protests. He now says his chief concern is that Iran “maintain territorial integrity and deterrence” in the face of attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

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Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Collin Binkley, Konstantin Toropin and Matthew Lee in Washington; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Victoria Eastwood and Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director. The job oversees the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies.

The situation has led to a standoff in Congress after Democrats said they would refuse to renew foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

As the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Clayton oversees the largest and most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

He took over from interim U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in February after refusing to carry out orders from the Justice Department to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. The case was eventually dropped after prosecutors from Washington submitted a request to a judge.

Republicans hope to move quickly on nomination

Clayton appeared Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he raised questions about the integrity of California’s elections. Trump has claimed without evidence that the state’s slow count in its recent primaries meant the vote was rigged.

“The American people are right to question it,” Clayton said, adding that the delay in results increased the opportunity for fraud.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., says the Senate could move “fairly quickly” to confirm Clayton as Director of National Intelligence if the White House submits his paperwork soon.

He praised Clayton after Trump said on social media that he would nominate him for the job, saying he has a “great reputation.”

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s decision to temporarily tap Pulte. They say they won’t support an extension of the law, which expires at midnight on Friday, until Trump withdraws Pulte’s appointment.

Trump previously said Pulte would take over on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Thune said.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he has “known and respected” Clayton for decades and that had he been tapped as DNI a week ago, “lots of pain might have been avoided.”

“His intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI,” Himes said.

Asked about Clayton’s nomination, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that “Pulte has to go.”

“He cannot be in the DNI role,” Schumer said. “It’s too important.”

Trump's pick has led SDNY during a tumultuous period

Clayton navigated his way through a 14-month tenure in the Southern District of New York without clashing with the federal judges in the busiest court in the nation, unlike his counterparts in upstate New York and New Jersey. After his interim term expired after 120 days, the judges of the Southern District appointed him as U.S. attorney.

Clayton was sworn in as U.S. attorney in April 2025 on the same day three prosecutors resigned, saying they felt pressured to admit wrongdoing or regret about prosecuting the now-dismissed corruption case against then-New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Then, weeks later, the office had to withstand controversy over the Trump administration’s firing of one of its most respected and successful prosecutors, Maurene Comey. She claims she was fired because of Trump’s dislike of her father, former FBI Director James Comey.

Under Clayton, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office facilitated the unsealing of thousands of pages of court records from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — documents that were made public as part of the Justice Department’s release of records related to the late sex offender and his longtime confidant.

Clayton filed documents with the court explaining the process the government followed in releasing the materials.

Clayton has also overseen the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.

Clayton has overseen cases involving national security threats

Several recent terrorism cases brought by Clayton’s office touch on the global threats and influences that he’ll be navigating if confirmed as director of national intelligence.

They include the May arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi and Iranian citizen accused of plotting 20 attacks in Europe and Canada and planning to attack a Manhattan synagogue and Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, in retaliation for the U.S. war on Iran.

“There are foreign nations and terrorist organizations that see our success as a threat. A threat that they want eliminated,” Clayton said at a recent press briefing. “That is a stark truth.”

“And don’t take my word for it,” he added. “Take their words and their actions. When your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it.”

The first Trump administration tried in June 2020 to install Clayton, then the chairman of the SEC, as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, but backed down and instead allowed Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss to serve in the post. The reversal came after then-U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman agreed to step down, following assurances that probes into Trump allies would not be disrupted and that Strauss could lead the office.

At the time, the office was looking into dealings by Rudy Giuliani, who was serving then as Trump’s personal attorney, and was also investigating the actions of a state-owned Turkish bank.

Trump doubled down on naming Pulte as the acting director, even though he emphasized it would be a short-term job. The president said he wanted Pulte to downsize the office, which has already been significantly scaled back in his second term.

Gabbard resigned on May 22, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis.

Trump said last week that he was interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently and that all have national security backgrounds.

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Neumeister and Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the league's executive board meeting to discuss its options in the Sorsby situation.

The temporary injunction issued Monday by a Texas district court prevents the NCAA from enforcing its ban of Sorsby. The transfer QB had been ruled ineligible for what will be his final college season after he acknowledged years of gambling that included at least 40 bets on his own team while a freshman at Indiana.

Since NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team, the judge’s decision sent shockwaves through college sports, including in Texas Tech’s own league.

Yormark said the executive board met as planned Thursday in preparation for a meeting Monday of the Big 12's full board of directors, which is made up of presidents and chancellors from the league's 16 schools.

“We had a good and informative discussion. Sentiment among the executive board was no different from what we heard from the ADs earlier this week,” the commissioner said. "Our discussion with the full board will determine our course of action, and all options remain on the table.”

Yormark said the conference is taking time with its legal counsel to understand the concerns of the state.

The meeting of the executive board came two days after a conference call among Big 12 athletic directors.

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

Amid escalating protests and social tensions in Mexico’s capital, more than 80,000 fans made their way to Mexico City Stadium — better known as Azteca Stadium. It got a much-needed facelift ahead of the 48-team tournament that Mexico is co-hosting alongside the United States and Canada.

The iconic venue will be the first stadium to host three World Cup openers — after doing so at the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.

It is the eighth opening match of a World Cup for the Mexicans, who had previously lost five and drawn the last two, including against South Africa in the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa is playing in its first World Cup since hosting the 2010 tournament. Bafana Bafana also played in the 1998 and 2002 editions.

Mexico arrived with an eight-match unbeaten streak and has not lost since last November, when Paraguay beat them in a friendly.

The Mexican team is led by the 67-year-old coach Javier Aguirre, who is in his third stint with the national team.

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

The Winter Haven theme park is hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience from June 11 through July 19, bringing soccer-themed, hands-on LEGO fun to families.

“The whole world is excited about the FIFA World Cup, of course, and we wanted to bring it to life in a way that only Legoland could, specifically for families and their children,” said Brittany Williams, spokesperson for Merlin Entertainments Florida.

One of the standout experiences puts kids head-to-head with a life-size LEGO minifigure goalie — with parents stepping in behind the giant figure while children try to score.

Families can even pose with a LEGO replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Soccer fans can also get up close to brick-built models of global icons — including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Lego figurines range from over 17,000 pieces (Lionel Messi) to almost 31,000 pieces (Cristiano Ronaldo).

Ryan Wood, Lego Master Builder said, “Getting to be involved with any of the model builds is exciting for me and my team...I get excited about little things like the details. Messi’s arms on the Lego minifigure model have his tattoos. That’s a really cool thing that I think is authentic and really captures the accuracy of these real-life people.”

Even families who aren’t die-hard soccer fans will find something to enjoy. The Super Squad activity encourages teamwork as families work together to knock down LEGO towers — no soccer knowledge required.

“You really don’t have to know anything to kick a soccer ball around for the first time,” Williams said. “You can just come and play and enjoy.”

Guests can also design their own custom jersey and display it on the Heroes Wall throughout the day. The wall refreshes daily, giving each new group of visitors a chance to add their creations.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy and soccer ball are also available for purchase at the resort’s retail store.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience is included with regular park admission.

More summer highlights

The FIFA celebration is just one piece of a packed summer at Legoland Florida. Peppa Pig Theme Park is running its own limited-time event — Pig Family Travel Adventure — where guests receive a passport and explore five themed countries, earning a commemorative pop badge upon completion.

On July 4, the resort will host Red Brick and Boom, a fireworks show over Lake Eloise set to music, celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

Following the FIFA experience, The LEGO Festival kicks off July 20 and runs through Aug. 16, featuring live music, live entertainment and creative builds inspired by adult music festivals — scaled down for kids.

The brand-new Galactic Coaster also makes its debut this summer. The indoor, space-themed family coaster uses RFID bracelet technology to let riders design their own spacecraft before launch.

For tickets and more information, click here.

Hello, friends. It’s Haley.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to experience Paradise Nights, the new after-hours event at Discovery Cove, which offers a laid-back atmosphere reminiscent of the park’s daytime experience — with an elevated twist.

The event features a strong elemental theme woven throughout, from its curated beverage menu to its live entertainment. The headliner show includes four acts, each inspired by one of the classical elements: earth, air, water, and fire.

Guests can expect a feast for both the eyes and the palate. A Caribbean-inspired buffet anchors the dining experience, with a dessert plate rounding out the meal.

Paradise Nights is open to guests of all ages and offers a relaxed, uncrowded setting that may appeal especially to older adults looking for a more intimate theme park experience.

The event is roughly three hours, making it an easy addition to an evening without requiring a major time commitment

For a full guide and additional visuals, click here.

Walt Disney World

Saving sea turtles 🐢

Tucked behind EPCOT’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends attraction, a Disney aquarist and her team are nursing rescued sea turtles back to health.

We recently visited the turtle quarantine area. The program is part of a broader conservation mission at The Seas that largely happens out of public view.

Winter 2026 was one for the record books as we experienced some pretty cold days, so you can imagine how busy the rehab was earlier this year.

One of my favorite assignments this year so far was going behind-the-scenes at The Seas as it celebrated its 40th anniversary.

SeaWord Orlando

It’s electric 🐬

SeaWorld Orlando’s Electric Ocean is back and bigger than ever starting this weekend, with brand-new nighttime animal presentations, a drone spectacle, fireworks finale, cirque show, and a family-friendly DJ dance party — all included with park admission.

For a look at the full summer lineup, click here.

Legoland Florida

FIFA fever ⚽

Soccer fever has officially arrived in Central Florida.

In case you missed it, Legoland Florida’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience is underway, bringing brick-built versions of the sport’s biggest stars, experiences, and a replica of the iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy — all included with regular park admission.

Click here for more highlights.

This was an early edition of In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops. I’m off all next week, so I will circle back with you the following week.

As always, keep me in the loop through my email or reach out to me on X or Instagram.

- Haley

Trump had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war.

The threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East.

Here's the latest:

Thune says Senate could move ‘fairly quickly’ to confirm Clayton

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after Trump announced on social media that he would nominate Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence.

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s temporary pick for the job, federal housing regulator Bill Pulte. The law expires Friday at midnight.

Trump has previously said that Pulte will take over from the outgoing director, Tulsi Gabbard, on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

Rubio signs sports diplomacy agreement with UFC ahead of cage fight at the White House

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a cooperation agreement with the president of the Ultimate Fight Championship that will pair the two institutions in providing fight training, health and diet regimes and promote teamwork and leadership for youths around the world.

Rubio signed the agreement with UFC chief Dana White at the State Department on Thursday, just three days before the UFC will stage a cage match at the White House. Sunday’s match will be held in conjunction with Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of America’s 250th independence anniversary.

The partnership will be part of a broader sports diplomacy initiative that has been operating for decades. It has involved golf, tennis, figure skating, American football, soccer and other athletes. Under the program, program, UFC athletes and coaches will serve as U.S. sports ambassadors, leading training clinics for young international athletes.

Trump picks Jay Clayton, ex-SEC head and current US attorney, as director of national intelligence

Trump says he plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as director of national intelligence.

Trump announced the nomination on social media on Thursday amid pressure from Congress to name Tulsi Gabbard’s permanent replacement. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director after Gabbard announced last month that she was stepping down because of her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

The situation led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew a foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Pentagon ends lockdown over ‘air quality’ issue

The Pentagon has stood down from a lockdown over what officials described as an “air quality issue.”

“Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed,” the Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a social media post.

The lockdown lasted for about two hours and prompted a response from hazmat teams of the Pentagon’s internal police force as well as the team from nearby Arlington, Virginia.

Trump calls off threatened strikes against Iran after indicating progress in talks

Trump says he’s called off new military strikes on Iran hours after threatening to escalate the 3-month-old war.

The president said in a social media post Thursday that he made the move “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”

Trump also suggested that progress has been made in talks to extend the fragile ceasefire, writing that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.

Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Targeting Iran’s Kharg Island carries major risks

Kharg Island has emerged as a focus of the war launched by the United States and Israel. The Persian Gulf island is home to a terminal through which Iran exports most of its oil.

Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic.

An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf infrastructure. That would further drive up oil prices that already threaten the world economy.

▶ Read more

A look at the scene on the White House South Lawn for Sunday’s UFC event

It looks from afar more UFO than UFC.

Maybe it’s the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America’s leader.

But come closer and you’ll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet in diameter and shaped like the MMA league’s signature Octagon.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the fighting in the cage below.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

▶ Read more

Iran’s parliamentary speaker responds

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a social media post Thursday that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” would wreak havoc on energy markets and “create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

Iran’s monthslong stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Hazardous materials units respond to the Pentagon

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazardous materials team was responding to an unknown issue and parts of the Pentagon were under a shelter-in-place order while officials investigate.

“The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants. Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Thursday. “The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.”

The Arlington County Fire Department also sent units, including its hazardous materials team, according to a posting on its X account. Questions to the media office were referred to the Pentagon.

Iranian student says hope dwindles as attacks escalate

A 25-year-old student in northern Iran says Iranians are fearing “chaos” amid the war with the U.S. and Israel and multiplying crises at home.

The student, who lives in the city of Babol, said many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries in the face of mass job losses and triple-digit food inflation. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of security fears.

“Everything is going wrong and there is no hope among the people,” the student added.

The student first spoke to The Associated Press before the war when he participated in widespread anti-government protests. He now says his chief concern is that Iran “maintain territorial integrity and deterrence” in the face of attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy

Tensions persist over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. would extract funds from frozen Iranian accounts to offset the costs of damage to American allies as well as any tolls Iran imposes on ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond the deadlock over the strait, the two sides also remain at odds over Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear efforts are peaceful. The U.S. and Israel fear Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be used to build an atomic weapon. That was a main reason they cited for going to war Feb. 28.

Trump doesn’t back down on Bill Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment as director of national intelligence, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position. But Democrats, and some Republicans, want his appointment pulled immediately and for Trump to nominate a replacement that can be confirmed by the Senate.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director — he’d also start earlier than expected, on June 19.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

— Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Seung Min Kim

GOP leaders lobbied the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement for director of national intelligence. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House.

Trump has said he’s interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently, after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the president has made it very clear that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

House vote to extend FISA spy tool fails and it could lapse as Friday deadline looms

A rare lapse in a law that allows the United States to gather intelligence abroad appears likely after the House failed Thursday to temporarily extend the program, in a protest of President Trump ’s refusal to name a permanent head of the nation’s intelligence agencies.

Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though Pulte has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won’t support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the Republican president withdraws Pulte’s appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with some Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure. The Senate may try its own vote later Thursday, but hopes are dimming to prevent what could be an unprecedented lapse in the surveillance tool. The law expires Friday at midnight.

▶ Read more

Homeland security secretary defends decision on a World Cup referee from Somalia

Markwayne Mullin said he wouldn’t get into specifics on why the Somali referee was prevented from entering the U.S. to officiate at the World Cup. But Mullin said the government wasn’t going to admit people believed to have “criminal ties.”

“I’m not going to get into why we denied this individual, but there’s a reason why this person was denied,” Mullin said during a news conference.

Mullin said the department is also in close consultation with FIFA and explains their decisions in a case like this.

“We talk to FIFA and their directors constantly. Anybody that was denied, we made the case for and showed them why they were denied,” Mullin said.

“We did a phenomenal job on getting as many people cleared as we could, but some people just can’t clear,” he said.

Iran says US attacks have made the ceasefire `meaningless’

American strikes on Iran that lasted into Thursday morning appeared more intense and widespread than the day before.

Tehran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had the previous day.

It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the U.S. and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

Trump weighs trying to seize Iran’s main oil terminal

Kharg Island — located on the other side of the Persian Gulf from U.S. bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — is the beating heart of Iran’s oil industry, through which 90% of its exports pass. It’s important because Iran’s coastline is mostly too shallow for tanker ships to dock.

It was unclear how serious Trump was about his threat to seize it.

“My preference has always been to take Kharg Island,” Trump said in an interview Thursday on Fox News. “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it to be honest.”

American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island because of its close proximity — about 33 kilometers (21 miles) — to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.

Trump indicated in the interview that he remains averse to sending U.S. forces into Iran. “We could walk in there tomorrow. We could take soldiers — I don’t want to have boots on the ground. But if I wanted to we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the place.”

Cuban official comments on Hegseth’s visit to the island nation

Cuba’s representative to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón, reacted Thursday to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit the previous day to the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay in eastern Cuba.

“The future of #Cuba —a sovereign and independent country— belongs solely and exclusively to the Cuban people and government,” Soberón wrote in a social media post.

“Anyone who believes that Cuba’s future lies in other hands is completely and utterly mistaken,” added the diplomat, who accompanied his message with a photograph of Hegseth in front of his troops, officially released by the United States.

Hegseth’s visit to the eastern portion of the island, which is controlled by the United States, comes at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Havana.

Opening of Canada-US bridge in Detroit that Trump threatened to block is delayed

The opening of the Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River that President Trump previously threatened to block has been delayed due to “outstanding issues.”

In a statement released Thursday ahead of a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.”

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US jobless aid filings rise to 229,000 last week, remain historically low despite Iran war headwinds

The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It’s also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

The four-week moving average of jobless claims, which softens some of the weekly volatility, rose by 4,250 to 219,000.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending May 30 jumped by 24,000 to 1.8 million, slightly more than analysts predicted.

▶ Read more

Trump says US will hit Iran ‘very hard,’ threatens to take ‘total control’ of its oil industry

The president on Thursday said the U.S. would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” threatening in a social media post to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island, in the “not too distant future.”

The post came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and wider than the day before.

Iran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before.

▶ Read more

Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet won the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction with “The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan.”

Both prizes come with a 30,000 pound ($40,000) purse and are open to female English-language writers from any country.

Evans wrote seven unpublished novels before writing “The Correspondent" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was released quietly in 2025. A story told through years’ worth of letters from retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp to friends, family and famous writers, it gradually climbed bestseller lists and became a book club favorite. A film adaptation starring Jane Fonda is in the works.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who chaired the fiction judging panel, said the novel “captured our hearts.”

“It is no mean feat to write a life in letters, but Evans makes this feel effortless, asking the reader to consider the choices we make, whilst elevating an ordinary life in the most heartfelt of ways,” she said.

Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent, profiles staff and guests of Kabul’s once-glamorous Inter-Continental Hotel – scarred but still standing -- to provide a microcosm of Afghanistan’s turbulent recent history.

Labour Party politician Thangam Debbonaire, head of the nonfiction jury, called it “a perfect work of narrative non-fiction” that is “informed by decades of excellent reporting.”

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

The sister prize for nonfiction was founded in 2024 to help redress a gender imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Last year’s nonfiction winner was British physician Rachel Clarke’s account of an organ transplant, “The Story of a Heart.”

Trump had doubled down on his choice of Bill Pulte for acting director of national intelligence, even though the federal housing finance regulator has little experience for the job. Democrats say they will not support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the Republican president withdraws Pulte's appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with 19 Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure, 198-218. The Senate tried to approve its own versions later Thursday, but also failed, dimming the chances to prevent what could be rare lapse of spy powers. The law expires on Friday at midnight.

After those votes, Trump announced he was tapping Jay Clayton, a U.S. attorney who previously served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as his permanent pick as intelligence director. But it was not immediately clear whether that would break the standoff over Pulte before the deadline.

The impasse could soon result in limitations on what intelligence the U.S. government can collect abroad just as World Cup games begin in cities around the country and ahead of celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. While the provision has expired briefly before, this would be the first lengthy lapse, at a time when the U.S. and Iran are engaged in missile strikes that are testing a fragile ceasefire in the war.

A lapse would not automatically deprive the government’s authority to conduct surveillance, but could open the door to court challenges of the program. That could lead to stale intelligence, lawmakers said, including the type of information included in the president’s daily briefing.

“We have done everything we possibly can,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, who blamed Democrats for the breakdown and said he would not be recalling lawmakers back to Washington as they left for weeklong recess. “It is detestable, it is dangerous, it is going to jeopardize the security of this country.”

Democrats said Trump and the Republicans are the ones putting national security at risk by installing Pulte to the job. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Pulte has “weaponized” his position in the federal government to go after Trump's critics.

Jeffries said it was a window into the White House's thinking that Trump “could put Bill Pulte forward and the country wouldn’t react adversely to it.” He said the president must ”come to the table and demonstrate leadership so we can reopen good faith negotiations about how best to extend surveillance authority.”

Trump has said wants Pulte to begin downsizing intelligence agencies.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with 19 Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure, 198-218. The Senate tried to approve its own versions later Thursday, but also failed, dimming chances to prevent what could be rare lapse of spy powers. The law expires on Friday at midnight.

GOP leaders lobby the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House, but on Thursday he blamed Democrats for the FISA impasse.

“Now this critical tool is set to go dark on Friday, and what the consequences of that will be, we cannot predict,” Thune said.

Trump has said that he won't let Democrats “extort us” and that he is interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently, after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.

The president wants Pulte to serve in a "sort of renovation role,” Johnson said, to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers skeptical of Pulte have pointed to his lack of intelligence experience and also his record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In the position, he has been linked with criminal referrals over allegations of mortgage fraud by public officials Trump sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve.

“He has distinguished himself only as someone who will do or say anything to stay in your good graces,” Himes and the other lawmakers wrote, "qualities that are precisely the opposite of what our nation needs.”

FISA will lapse at midnight Friday

Section 702 of FISA allows agencies such as the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant.

While members of both parties who cite privacy issues have long wanted to limit the authority, there was broad bipartisan support to renew it, especially after Republicans and Democrats recently worked out a compromise bill.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has worked with Republicans on the compromise legislation to renew the authority. But he called Pulte’s appointment to replace Gabbard “a live hand grenade” disrupting the process.

Warner said the only way he’ll support a short-term extension of the surveillance law is if the principal deputy director of national intelligence, Aaron Lukas, is the acting leader during the duration of that extension.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have warned the administration to prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection.”

Trump doesn't back down on Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director but that he would start earlier than expected, on June 19.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

___

Associated Press reporters Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

The attacks by Vance Boelter, 58, sparked the largest search for a suspect in state history. They also reverberated far beyond Minnesota, as elected officials across the country feared that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence.

There were brief sobs from the courtroom gallery on Thursday as family members of Melissa and Mark Hortman sat alongside Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, while the chilling events of June 14, 2025, were described in great detail.

Disguised with a tactical uniform and realistic mask that covered his entire head, Boelter drove a fake police SUV with lights flashing to the legislators' homes. As his federal defense attorney questioned him about his actions, including whether he pressed a gun to Melissa Hortman’s head and fired, Boelter repeatedly said a simple “yes." The Hortman family's golden retriever was so gravely injured that it had to be euthanized.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said in a press conference Thursday that they believed the case was charged appropriately and “death penalty-eligible.” He said the death penalty was only taken off the table with Boelter’s agreement to the longest possible prison sentence: two consecutive life terms, plus 40 years, for the six federal charges.

“Political violence is a scourge in our nation,” Rosen said in a statement Thursday. “To all of those who would commit political violence: this Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms for your offense.”

Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder as well as charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Thursday that the federal plea agreement does not affect the state's case, which had been on hold pending the resolution of the federal case.

Boelter, wearing his orange jail sweatshirt and sweatpants, followed along in the courtroom Thursday as U.S. District Judge John Tunheim talked through each of the six charges and the maximum sentences they carry. Tunheim accepted the guilty pleas but did not yet set a date for sentencing.

Boelter was captured near his home in rural Green Isle the day after the shootings, which prosecutors have said were politically motivated. When they announced the federal indictment in July, they released a rambling handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the attacks. However, the letter didn’t make clear why he targeted the Hortmans or the Hoffmans.

In some messages to media, Boelter referenced a vague and cryptic “investigation” he had been carrying out, sometimes suggesting it was about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work.

John Hoffman said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand likely would never fully recover and that he also had permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems.

Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness, the lawsuit said, while their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.

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Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.3%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 802 points, or 1.6%, as of 2 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.8% higher.

Stocks leaped immediately after Trump said on his social media network that “discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved” and that the time and place of a signing will “be announced shortly.”

A deal to end the war with Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to carry crude again from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. Hopes that the global flow of oil can get going again sent the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude down 2.8% to $87.56. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3.5% to $89.84 per barrel, though it’s still above its roughly $70 price from before the war.

Worries had been high because the United States and Iran launched attacks over the past several days threatening a more than monthlong tenuous ceasefire.

High oil prices caused by the Iran war have sent inflation painfully upward, and a report on Thursday showed that prices at the U.S. wholesale level increased by more in May than economists expected. The effect is worldwide, and the European Central Bank on Thursday became the first major central bank to raise interest rates in response.

Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation. But they also simultaneously slow entire economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling the artificial-intelligence industry a bubble where investment inflated too far.

Big swings for AI stocks have been yanking the U.S. stock market in their wake over the last week, and they were a bigger factor for Wall Street than the war with Iran as they went from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. The big concern is whether such stocks shot too high, too fast because of AI mania, and their careening moves have sometimes reversed direction hour by hour.

AI stocks had already been rolling back up their roller coaster early Thursday, before Trump made his announcement on Iran.

Marvell Technology climbed 6.3%. It’s coming off a manic stretch where it plunged 16.7%, soared 9.6% and then fell more than 5% for two straight days. Just before that, it had a one-day surge of 32.5% that was its best in history when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested it could be “the next trillion-dollar company.” It was worth a bit more than $190 billion at the time.

Companies involved in the making of chips, meanwhile, jumped to some of the market's biggest gains. Lam Research jumped 10.7%, and KLA climbed 11%.

That helped offset a drop of 11% for Oracle. It reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also said it expects to raise $40 billion in cash this fiscal year through borrowing and sales of its stock. That comes after it raised $48 billion last fiscal year to help pay for AI investments.

Other companies’ stocks have also been punished recently for announcing heavy spending on AI, as the question remains whether all the investment can produce the profits and productivity that AI proponents are promising.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.48% from 4.55% late Wednesday as falling oil prices meant less upward pressure on inflation.

A sustained drop in oil prices could allow the Federal Reserve to keep its main interest rate on hold this year, instead of hiking it as many traders suspected it may have to because of high inflation and a solid U.S. job market. Following Trump's announcement, traders ratcheted back their bets for a possible increase to the federal funds rate this year, according to data from CME Group.

Stocks of smaller companies can feel the biggest benefit from easier interest rates because many need to borrow cash to grow, and the Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks jumped a market-leading 2.6%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

___

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

The woman, who may have been exposed to the virus while aboard the Dutch MV Hondius cruise liner in April, had gotten off the ship and then flown to San Francisco before traveling to the isolated British territory of Pitcairn Island through Tahiti, according to two U.S. officials and an internal government document obtained by The Associated Press.

The exact amount of the total evacuation payment is still being assessed because the operation is still underway. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a medical case covered by U.S. privacy laws.

The costly effort to pick up the woman has added to the expense of rapid evacuations for diplomats and private U.S. citizens from the Middle East since the start of the Iran war as well as preparations for possible evacuations from Ebola-stricken countries. All have stressed the State Department budget for unforeseen emergencies, known as the “K Fund,” and brought its balance to the lowest level in seven years.

State Department emergency budget strained by multiple evacuations

Another internal document said the State Department is looking at transferring as much as $50 million into that emergency fund from other accounts — $35 million from the budget for embassy security, construction and maintenance and an additional $15 million from an account that pays for broader diplomatic programming. No decision on the transfers has yet been made.

One of the officials said the State Department has another option, to ask Congress to replenish the fund. However, the official said the department is expected to be able to handle payments for both ongoing and “emerging contingency needs.”

The official would not say what the potential shortfall is but insisted that the department is “well positioned" to support diplomats, other U.S. government employees and private Americans who have been forced to leave the Middle East because of the Iran confict, as well as U.S. citizens who may need assistance due to developments such as the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

How the US is evacuating an American exposed to hantavirus from a remote island

The State Department declined to comment on the specifics of the woman’s case on Pitcairn Island but said that “when an American is at risk abroad and unable to access commercial transportation, the Department of State seeks to provide appropriate assistance to get them home to the United States or to another safe location.”

After the woman departed the cruise liner where the hantavirus outbreak occurred, the ship continued to other destinations in the South Atlantic, with some passengers falling ill and at least three dying. The unidentified American woman was stuck on Pitcairn, an island with only about 50 inhabitants, no airport and infrequent maritime options to depart.

Pitcairn is well-known as the island on which Fletcher Christian and other British mutineers from the HMS Bounty took refuge after the 1789 events that toppled Capt. William Bligh, which have entered into the public lexicon with books and films about the “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Their descendants make up most of the island's current population.

Complicating matters, British authorities had sought urgent American assistance in evacuating the woman from the island, which is their territory, according to the government document about the cost of the evacuation and the second U.S. official.

But initial attempts to send her to Tahiti, a French dependency, about 1,350 miles (2,160 kilometers) — or a 30-hour sea journey — from Pitcairn, were rejected by French Polynesian authorities. They did not want to allow her in because she had not disclosed her exposure when she transited the island on her way to Pitcairn.

The U.S. is transporting the woman, who was not symptomatic, from Pitcairn to Easter Island, another remote location in the Pacific about 1,400 miles (2,253 km) away, which is a territory of Chile and has direct flights to Santiago, so she can return to the United States for any necessary treatment.

All of those factors mean the process of getting her moved from Pitcairn to Easter Island took many weeks to arrange, the officials said.

The government document, which was confirmed as accurate by the two officials, said moving the woman from Pitcairn eventually was arranged via the “Titaina Explorer” trimaran yacht owned by a wealthy Frenchman, who uses it for personal exploration in the South Pacific. Pitcairn has no airport and only limited sea access.

The officials said the woman had no political or celebrity connections and they did not know exactly when she will return to the U.S. Maritime tracking sites show that the Titaina Explorer departed Pitcairn Island on June 5. The voyage to Easter Island can take up to 10 days depending on the speed of the boat and the weather.

This summer, Phase 1 of the “Connect Kissimmee” complete streets improvement project is set to begin, bringing a redesigned streetscape to downtown.

The project will focus on the corridor running from John Young Parkway to Vine Street along W. Emmett Street, Broadway and N. Main Street. The city’s goals include improving pedestrian, bicycle and transit connectivity; reducing vehicle speeds and cut-through traffic; and enhancing accessibility to businesses along the corridor.

Planned improvements include a new roundabout at the intersection of Ruby and Stewart Avenue, wider sidewalks, bike lanes and on-street parking.

One of the project’s most significant changes will be to Broadway Street. It is expected to be reduced from four lanes to two. Sidewalks along the corridor would also be extended, and a bike lane would be added. The city believes the changes are designed to improve the pedestrian experience while reducing vehicle speeds.

Kyle Summers, who lived in Kissimmee for 10 years and still visits the area regularly, sees value in improving pedestrian safety.

“I still try to come back at least once a week just to walk around and see how things are,” Summers said.

He acknowledged that crosswalks in the area are often ignored by drivers.

“There’s crosswalks and stuff, but not a lot of [drivers] listen to them. So, it’s very much you just got to walk across and hope that you know, someone hits the brakes,” Summers said.

Still, Summers expressed concern that the lane reduction could worsen traffic congestion in an already busy area.

“It’s already backed up traffic as is, considering the buses and the amount of dump trucks that come through here and just everything else,” Summers said.

Those who work in the downtown area hope the improvements will encourage more people to explore the district on foot.

“I think that it’ll be better for all the businesses,” Jose Medina, who works in the area, told News 6.

The city approved the two-phase, $16.3 million project last year. This week, officials began accepting construction bids.

Phase 1 carries an estimated cost of $9,316,579, with $6,582,000 in federal funding and $2,583,842 in local funding. It is estimated to be completed in 2028.

Phase 2 carries an estimated cost of $6,983,960, with $5,527,495 in federal funding and $467,760 in local funding. Phase 2 is estimated to be completed in 2029.

Fore more information on the project, click here.

The government of populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa also lifted a ban on imports from Jewish settlements and ended an embargo on the export and transit of military weapons and equipment to and from Israel, the official STA news agency reported.

Jansa's government took office earlier this month following a parliamentary election in March. Jansa has said he would seek to improve ties with Israel, in a contrast to the policies of his predecessor, Robert Golob.

Under Golob, Slovenia was one of the most vocal critics of Israel in the European Union. The small Alpine nation recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, before imposing the entry bans in 2025 on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu.

Ben-Gvir was banned also by France last month. He has sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting the activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by Israeli police.

The new Slovenian government said in its statement that it was scrapping the punitive measures to open political communication, the official STA news agency reported. The Defense Ministry said that weapons trading is already sufficiently regulated by existing national defense laws and the EU arms export criteria, the same report said.

Political dialogue and quiet diplomacy will help “strengthen the role of the Republic of Slovenia in the efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East,” the government said. It cited “active cooperation” over “actions that limit and close off channels for direct communication.”

Last year, Slovenia linked the entry ban for Netanyahu to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Shortly after taking office, Jansa's government removed a Palestinian flag from the government building, also symbolically marking the policy shift. Slovenia's liberal president, Natasa Pirc Musar, then raised the flag on the presidency building.

Also this month, Israel announced that it would open an embassy in Slovenia. The country's embassy in Austrian capital Vienna has previously covered Israel's diplomatic interests in neighboring Slovenia.

Jansa is serving his fourth term in office. The political veteran is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election in April.

The March 22 election was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The population of around 2 million in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Claude Corps, named for the company’s popular AI chatbot, will hire and embed 1,000 fellows trained in the use of Claude at a wide range of organizations for a year. Anthropic President Daniela Amodei told The Associated Press the company hopes the program will expand and become a pillar of its strategy to help humankind realize the benefits of AI while also managing its risks.

Amodei said Claude Corps will be evaluated after its first year to see if it should continue and expand.

“We’re hoping it’s a good idea that can take root and that other people can build on and learn from, whether that’s public or private,” Amodei said in an interview at Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco. “But I think my hope is that we’ll learn, the people who do it will learn, and we’ll be able to come back and do it again next time even better.”

Anthropic's commitment includes paying the Claude Corps members and providing at least 400 host organizations with a $10,000 grant and free credits to use Claude.

Anthropic says it wants to balance profits and social impact

Philanthropy is built into the way Anthropic’s co-founders believe the company should be run, Amodei said. Amodei, her brother Dario, who is Anthropic’s CEO, and the company’s five other co-founders have already pledged that they will donate 80% of their wealth. They established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that for-profit companies select to balance financial goals and social impact.

Anthropic, which is valued at $965 billion, is moving toward going public on Wall Street, announcing earlier this month it submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering.

Amodei, interviewed before the SEC filing, said she could not comment about IPO plans but said the company’s values are very clear to anyone looking to invest in it.

“There’s decisions and choices that we might make that might feel in conflict with just the pure commercial interests of the business and we’re going to be really open about that,” she said. “I think we have been very well served by our inclination to just be very honest about who we are because people who like that really like us. And for people, if it’s not what they like, they don’t work with us. And I think that’s actually better for everyone.”

Anthropic has been outspoken about the risks inherent to the breakthrough technology. It warned last week that companies should coordinate a way to pause development of advanced AI systems if humans risk losing control of the self-improving technology. It collaborated with Pope Leo XIV as he developed his encyclical on AI and the need for increased regulation. And it found itself in a high-profile fight with President Donald Trump’s administration when Anthropic refused to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of its AI technology.

Amodei said Anthropic is an “unusual” company because its business teams and research teams are run separately.

“Sometimes research says things like ‘AI is doing bad things’ and we really want to be open about what those things are,” she said. “Because I don’t think there’s a way for the broader community that is the world to adapt to these changes if we don’t understand the challenges.”

Bella DeVaan, director of the Charity Reform Initiative at the progressive research organization the Institute of Policy Studies, said she is skeptical that any AI company will willingly set aside enough of its profits to support all the people affected by the adoption of AI.

“The fox can't guard the henhouse,” said DeVaan, who has studied the donations of the ultra-rich. “They can’t be responsible for their own regulation or for their own definition of what their altruistic mandate is. That has to be determined by the public.”

Like Pope Leo outlined in his encyclical, DeVaan is calling for more stringent government regulation of AI companies. Without government intervention, she worries AI will create a permanent underclass of workers. She said governments also need to do their own research about the potential benefits and harms of AI rather than leaving it up to the AI companies.

Anthropic announced separately Wednesday that it will donate $200 million to support an economic framework to help workers displaced by AI. It will start with investment into studying the issues created by AI adoption.

“We can’t understand what the societal disruption might look like if we don’t study it, publish it and talk about it,” Amodei said.

Claude Corps aims to enlist AI-minded people early in their careers

To create Claude Corps, Anthropic partnered with CodePath, the San Francisco-based nonprofit created to help first-generation and low-income students enter the tech workforce through higher education courses and career support.

CodePath CEO Michael Ellison said he had long been thinking about redesigning AmeriCorps to account for AI adoption. The federal agency for volunteer service was gutted by Trump administration cuts last year.

“I think we need programs that are meeting folks where they are when you’re looking at the traditional late adopters — from nonprofits to governments, to schools,” Ellison said. “We’re putting humans into the organizations that serve the majority of Americans as a way to bring them along and bring our communities along.”

He said CodePath will manage the initiative, which will accept fellowship applications through July 17. Ellison said the fellowship will be available to a wide range of young people early in their careers.

“We are intentionally trying to be extremely accessible,” he said. “We’re not requiring that you have a certain degree. We want the initial group of fellows to be representative of a broad section of the population in this country.”

Jennifer Blatz, CEO and president of StriveTogether, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit network that helps prepare young people for better economic opportunities, said she was thrilled her organization was chosen to host two Claude Corps fellows.

Though her nonprofit already uses AI to analyze some of the data it gathers on the impact of its programs, she hopes that Claude Corps can help standardize its usage in her organization and throughout its network, which spans 27 states. Blatz said she wants both her network and the people it supports to understand “AI is a tool – not the whole strategy.”

“AI can help us work smarter, but trust building and community collaboration, that’s a deeply human part of the work,” she said. “And that’s not going away just because we use this tool.”

_____

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

Building on her work helping foster children, Trump said the new federal guidance will give child welfare agencies the ability to act as a guardian for children in foster care for the purposes of opening an account.

The first lady, speaking at a news conference at the Treasury Department, said the move “gives foster children the same chance at asset ownership and long-term wealth as every other child.”

The accounts will be open for contributions on July 4. To qualify for an account, a child must also be a U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that a Trump Account balance for a baby born in 2026 will be $5,800 by age 18 and $18,100 by age 28 if no other contributions are made.

The first lady said 23 governors, all Republicans, have pledged to allow state agencies to begin the process of enrolling children in the program. “I urge every governor and business leader to help fund these accounts," she said.

There are roughly 330,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, according to the National Council for Adoption. One in 5 of them is at risk of homelessness after aging out of foster care, and only half gain employment by the time they are 24, the National Foster Youth Institute says.

“Those outcomes are unsettling, but we refuse to accept them as inevitable,” Bessent told the news conference. “We are affirming that the American dream belongs to every child.”

A provision of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation that he signed into law last summer created Trump Accounts. Under them, the Treasury Department gives $1,000 to babies so long as their parents open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the children can access the money when they turn 18.

Employers and billionaires across the country have pledged to make matching Trump Account contributions for employee benefits. Among them are Michael and Susan Dell, who announced a $6.25 billion donation, and hedge fund founder Ray Dalio and his wife, Barbara, who pledged $75 million for kids under 10 in Connecticut, where the Dalios live.

Healey told Starmer in a letter that the government’s Defense Investment Plan falls “well short of what is required at this dangerous time.”

Publication of the plan has been delayed amid reports of disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Treasury.

Starmer said in a letter to Healey that he was sorry to see him go, but insisted that the funding plan would provide the necessary military resources to keep the United Kingdom safe.

“The increases in spending that underpin this plan will be sustainable and fair,” Starmer said. “They will mean significant reallocations of funding from across government departments and the right choices to protect our nation.”

Critics say too little, too late

Starmer has pledged to boost U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and 3% by 2035. But many in the military say that isn't fast enough.

“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey wrote in his resignation letter.

He said that the spending plan put forward by the Treasury, and presented to him on Monday, would see defense spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year.

Healey said that isn't enough with growing demands on defense and British military commitments, citing the Iran war, Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine and threats from Moscow.

“I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation,” he said.

Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead a defense review that underpins the investment plan, said the government is “actively going backwards” by refusing to fund its own review.

“It diminishes the U.K.’s standing within NATO, weakens our credibility with allies, and increases our vulnerability to the realities of 21st-century conflict,” he said. “Allies and adversaries alike will be paying attention.”

The government said that it was delivering “the largest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War.”

“This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest,” it said in a statement.

Healey is considered a safe pair of hands

Healey has been U.K. defense secretary since the Labour Party government was elected in July 2024, and he's regarded as a capable and serious minister.

He has played a key role in bolstering international support for Ukraine and assembling a multinational coalition to help guarantee security if a ceasefire is reached. Healey also has helped spearhead a maritime security force that would help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping if the Iran war ends.

The United Kingdom and other NATO member nations have faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the value of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight.

The U.K. military is also seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which fully invaded its neighbor Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and increasingly tests the defenses of European nations with overt and covert activity.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, informed of Healey's resignation by The Associated Press during a news conference in Brussels, said that Healey is someone “I respect very much.”

“What we are seeing all over the alliance is countries increasing their defense investments, and of course it is not easy, because in the end there is always a trade-off with other expenses, which are also important,” Rutte said.

Healey’s resignation is likely to further stoke talk that Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered. Already bruised by a series of missteps since Labour returned to power less than two years ago, Starmer has faced calls within his party’s ranks to stand down.

In a sign of his waning authority, Starmer appears to have been unable to bridge the gap between Healey’s department and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves over defense spending.

Olivia O’Sullivan, head of the U.K. in the World program at the Chatham House think tank, said the resignation “significantly undermines Starmer,” especially since the prime minister has had “a relatively assured track record on defense and foreign affairs.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the leadership, if he returns to Parliament in a June 18 special election.

Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline, said that Healey's resignation “should not have been allowed to occur in a well-run government.”

“It just further underlines a lack of control here, a lack of clarity, a lack of resolution, a gap between words and delivery,” he said.

___

Mark Carlson in Brussels, and Pan Pylas and Brian Melley in London, contributed to this report.

These roles are independent reporters who embed themselves in their assigned communities around the Orlando DMA as exclusive News 6 Community Correspondents, where they report, shoot, and edit major news stories from their beats. 

Beachside: Brevard County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Brevard County, embedding into these coastal communities on Florida’s actively growing Space Coast.

Close to Beachside: West Volusia County

This independent journalist will focus on the things that matter most to West Volusia County and DeLand, Deltona, and as many as 12 other distinct communities centered around the historic St Johns River.  Just 30 minutes from the beach and the hustle of Orlando’s city center, West Volusia County is big enough to matter, but small enough that your coverage can actually have a real impact.

In the Backyard of Theme Parks: Osceola County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to St Cloud, Poinciana, and the greater Osceola County area, a rapidly growing area south of Orlando.  To be clear, this is not a theme parks beat, but this reporter would live nearby, making it a great way to spend personal time.  Also, if you’re bilingual in Spanish, this is the beat for you!

The heart of Florida: Marion County

Sprawling live oaks, rolling hills, grand lakes, and breathtaking glimpses of old Florida bump right into the hustle and bustle of the Sunshine State’s rapid modernization! This journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Ocala, The Villages, and Marion County, living and working in communities in the heart of Florida’s horse country, and one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S., right along the I-75 corridor.

What kind of reporter are we looking for?

Graham Media Group, in Market #15 Orlando, Fla., is looking for an experienced reporter who is a fair, driven, and tech-savvy journalist who can work quickly and independently to cover a specific set of communities.

This role at WKMG News 6 is perfect for you if you excel at delivering fair, fact-based reporting, using compelling visuals and creative storytelling techniques you create and execute, which can hold people’s attention. 

You are an expert at developing trust rapidly with viewers and sources and can use those relationships to break high-impact local news stories first in the market.  You have a bit of a competitive edge, whether you’re covering breaking news first or asking the first question at every news conference.  And you can balance that competitive spirit with a strong team-first mentality in the newsroom that inspires the teammates around you.

Ultimately, you care deeply about standing up for what’s right, and you’re motivated by a call to serve, delivering relevant, hyper-local reporting that informs our audiences, helps keep them safe, holds others accountable, and improves our communities for the better.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a News 6 Community Correspondent, you will embed yourself in an assigned geography and its associated county, where you will develop enterprise hard news stories that directly impact people in your area.

You work independently, reporting, shooting, and editing your own stories efficiently every day, with occasional options to partner with experienced photojournalists on certain stories.  You also get to work with a veteran broadcast journalist as your individual coach to help you master your reporter skillset, style, and storytelling craft.

You are comfortable with a rapidly changing workday, and you can quickly master new technologies, from cameras to content and editing software.  You know how to quickly deliver reports and storytelling on TV, vertical social media videos, and YouTube/digital formats.  You’re also game to try new equipment and techniques while still delivering quality high-impact local journalism.

It’s also important to have a strong on-camera presence/delivery that is clear, conversational, and commanding.  Your live experience ranges from successfully gathering relevant information first at breaking scenes to wall-to-wall live coverage, like the kind that accompanies hurricanes.  This live delivery helps you execute well on linear, digital, and streaming platforms.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Report, shoot, and edit your own stories efficiently, every day.
• Be the expert on the news that matters to your assigned geography or associated county.
• Pitch enterprise stories vetted in advance from your assigned beat.
• Produce digital articles, videos, vertical videos, and other visuals/graphics as needed that drive engagement with your stories.
• Report stories that are fair, balanced, and use process language often, when appropriate.
• Ask the right questions in interviews that capture key emotion or insights.
• Synthesize complex documents and break them down into conversational terms.
• Execute creative storytelling standups and teases that include movement and complement your reporting.
• Turn high-quality journalism despite daily deadline pressure.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

• Several years of successful reporting in 2 television markets preferred; at least one of those was a medium market or a very active market with a high volume of news.
• A college degree in Journalism, Communications, or a related field is preferred.
• Proficiency in multiple newsroom producing and editing systems, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and verified internet search and research techniques and databases.
• Being bilingual in Spanish is preferred but not required.
• Work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays, as news and business needs require.
• Have a valid driver’s license with a safety record acceptable to Graham Media Group.
• Create good solutions for problems or when something doesn’t go as planned.
• Partner productively with platform producers and newsroom leaders.
• Have experience partnering with a photojournalist.

Interested candidates should send their resume and links to their reporting work to WKMGCareers@wkmg.com.

WKMG-TV - Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, WKMG-TV/ GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

Italian prosecutors are investigating Montgomery, Alabama-based Caddell Construction, a major builder of U.S. diplomatic missions. Two of its managers in Italy were arrested this month on suspicion of labor exploitation, one while boarding a flight to leave the country and another planning to flee, prosecutors said.

The investigation is led by prosecutor Paolo Storari, who also has spearheaded probes into sweatshops supplying luxury brands. So far only Caddell has been named as a target, not any of its subcontractors.

The consulate probe was launched about six months ago and involves some 70 workers, mostly from India. Prosecutors allege Caddell illegally deducted room and board from wages and forced them to work 10-hour days, six days a week. Some were paid as little as 500 euros (less than $580) monthly after room and board were deducted, prosecutors said. Minimum wage for construction workers in Milan starts at 13.39 euros (over $15) an hour, according to the Cassa Edile benefits fund.

Caddell and the U.S. State Department said they are investigating the allegations and cooperating with Italian authorities.

The consulate project is part of a construction boom in Milan over the past two decades that has modernized the skyline and raised the international profile of Italy’s fashion and finance capital.

Workers describe unpaid wages and threats

The AP spoke to four workers from Kenya and one from India at a trade union center where officials were organizing assistance, including legal help and housing. The workers provided documentation and spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation and to protect the ongoing investigation.

The Kenyan workers said they had been hired by Caddell after working on a multi-million-dollar extension of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Two showed employment letters on Caddell stationery signed by a company representative promising annual salaries topping 25,000 euros (nearly $29,000).

They said they were not paid anything close to that and were threatened by human resources personnel at the job site after they questioned management.

“When you go to the office to ask any question, you are being told, ‘Either you work or you will be returned to your country. That’s the amount you are supposed to be paid,’’’ one Kenyan electrician said. He added that he was paid just 800 euros ($925) a month after being promised 2,300 euros ($2,660).

Another Kenyan electrician said he was threatened with defamation after presenting an AI summary of Italian labor law and was told the 25,000 euros in the employment letter was “for visa purposes,” not a promise of payment.

US government and Caddell say they are investigating

The State Department said it is investigating the allegations made by prosecutors and that U.S. law enforcement is working with Italian authorities.

“The U.S. government does not tolerate labor exploitation,” the department said in a statement.

Caddell said it was “fully cooperating” with Italian authorities and conducting its own “comprehensive inquiry into this matter to ensure all our global subcontractors and consultancies are in compliance with all labor standards and legal requirements.”

“Caddell is committed (to) treating and paying workers fairly. We will continue to work with authorities in good faith to ensure the welfare of those who work on this important project,” the company said in a statement.

More than a decade ago, Caddell paid millions to the U.S. government to settle allegations it made false claims to gain access to government incentives. Caddell did not reply to a request for comment on that case.

Fired workers seek help

All five of the workers who spoke to the AP, ranging in age from their late 20s to early 50s, said they were fired without cause this year. One of them said he returned from visiting family in Kenya to find that he no longer had a job or place to stay.

Four of the workers were trained electricians, including the Indian worker whose resume showed he had more than a decade of experience working for other companies in Persian Gulf countries.

The Indian worker said he was promised a monthly salary of 2,500 euros (nearly $3,000). Instead, he had a pay slip showing his actual pay amounted to around 500 euros (less than $580) per month. It listed an hourly wage of 1.55 euros ($1.80).

The Kenyans said they reached out to authorities after learning of the investigation.

“I believe in justice,” one said. “Also the workers there should not be afraid. They should come and speak up.”

Two said they are currently sleeping in parks, while one is staying with a friend. One said he had been offered a job at a Caddell site in another country but declined after his treatment in Milan.

Caddell is a major diplomatic contractor

Caddell became a leader in building U.S. diplomatic missions when the State Department launched a major security upgrade after the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya killed more than 250 people.

“Very few contractors can meet the strict requirements to even bid on secure work necessary for diplomatic facility projects,” Caddell said on its website marking its 40th anniversary in 2023. At that point, the firm counted 39 projects in its embassy portfolio valued at $7.4 billion. It has added four projects since then.

The Milan consulate campus is being built on a 10-acre (40,000-square meter) site at a former shooting range. The current U.S. Consulate is in a high-rise building designed by acclaimed Italian architect Gio Ponti.

Plans for the campus called for about 500 “locally employed workers,” according to the U.S. State Department. The project includes restoration of a century-old building, along with a five-story consulate building, restored gardens, a reflecting pool and a large outdoor gathering area.

Work is continuing under court supervision. Workers no longer have their room and board deducted. They are limited to 45 hours and guaranteed two days off a week.

Pay records appear to bolster allegations

The pay stubs presented by the workers listed apparent charges of 510 euros (around $590) a month for housing and more than 300 euros (around $350) monthly for food. But those deductions only account for a portion of the difference between the promised wages and actual pay.

Unions intend to seek damages for the workers to recover at least what they earned “through hard work and commitment,” said Laura Malguzzi, a labor representative at the Fillea Cgil union federation representing construction workers.

Malguzzi said she was surprised that the pay stubs presented by the workers appeared to document the alleged exploitation. Union experts are still studying the documents, which do not conform to Italian standards, and could not verify their origins.

“They probably had in their minds the absolute certainty that they were untouchable,’’ Malguzzi said.

The Kenyan workers said they begrudgingly accepted a $200 monthly salary in Nairobi, where unemployment is rampant. But they expected better from a U.S. company operating in Europe.

“They can just hire you, and you just go running,” one worker said of the company. “Because you are poor you have nothing. And you have nothing you can do.”

The anticipation builds as the public address announcer begins to reveal the second starter, a 6-foot-7 forward from Indiana. When he finally reaches the player's name, the fans scream it right along with him.

“O! ... G! ... AN-UN-OBY!!!!”

Early Thursday morning, fans again chanted Anunoby's name, this time in a bar outside the arena as they celebrated one of the most memorable moments in New York Knicks history.

Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 put the Knicks on the verge of a title and moved him into the discussion for NBA Finals MVP.

Anunoby is not the kind of player who usually wins awards, and he might be the least-known of the Knicks' starters. But his teammates understand Anunoby's value far exceeds his reputation.

“So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room,” guard Jalen Brunson said.

Anunoby is the only player on the Knicks' postseason roster who has won a ring, but he was injured and didn't play for Toronto in the 2019 NBA Finals. But there's no way New York would have a chance at its first championship since 1973 if he wasn't front and center now.

From scoring to stopping, Anunoby might to be asked to do more than any Knicks player. He not only finished with 33 points in Game 4 but also made the biggest defensive play of the game when he chased down De'Aaron Fox to block his shot with 11 seconds left and the Spurs leading 106-105.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said that's what he expects from a player who seems to save his best for the biggest moments.

“Every time I talk to him, I say, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter, and he did exactly what I thought he would do,” Towns said. “He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you could ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA.”

The Knicks couldn't believe Anunoby was only voted to the All-Defensive second team, certain there aren't five better defenders in the NBA. It was those defensive skills that made him most attractive when the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in 2023, giving up two of their most promising players on a developing team in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

Anunoby was also known as a reliable 3-point shooter from the corners, and he made one as time expired to give the Raptors a victory over Boston in the 2020 playoffs. He hardly celebrated after the shot went through, just as he was one of the few people inside Madison Square Garden who appeared completely calm after his basket in Game 4.

“Just, the game wasn’t over,” Anunoby explained. “I looked up to see the time. If it would have been 0:00, I would have been more excited, but it was just 1.2 left. So just knowing, get a stop now, just stay with it, staying present, not getting too happy because the game is not over yet.”

Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points in the series, shooting 58% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range. He finished 10 for 15 in Game 4, including 7 for 9 behind the arc.

When Anunoby limped off the court with a hamstring injury late in the Knicks' victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the second round, there was concern this run could be in jeopardy just as it was picking up steam. When Anunoby was hurt at the same time in the 2024 playoffs, the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead against Indiana and ultimately lost the series in Game 7, when Anunoby gamely tried to return after missing four games but it was clear he could hardly move and was yanked after five minutes.

This injury was not as bad. Helped by extended time off when the Knicks swept the 76ers, Anunoby was able to return in time for the start of the Eastern Conference finals.

Having him on the floor now — and soaring through the air in the final seconds of Game 4 — could be what it takes to end a 53-year title drought.

“OG, he’s been amazing since he’s got here,” fellow forward Josh Hart said. “This whole playoff run, he’s been amazing on both ends of the ball. He’s a winning player and he made a winning play.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Anunoby returned from injury at the start of the Eastern Conference finals, not semifinals.

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

Though her body has never been found, police believe Harmony Montgomery was killed in 2019, nearly two years before she was reported missing. Her father, Adam Montgomery, was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison in 2024 after being convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, falsifying evidence, witness tampering and assault.

The Supreme Court, however, reversed the most serious charge, agreeing with Montgomery that the lesser assault charge should have been prosecuted separately. It sent the second-degree murder charge back to the lower court while letting the other convictions stand.

In their unanimous ruling, justices said combining the cases jeopardized Montgomery’s right to a fair trial because jurors may have used the stronger evidence about the assault to conclude, based on weaker evidence, that he killed her months later.

“There was a significant risk that the jury would draw the impermissible inference that because the defendant assaulted the victim before by striking her in the head, he must be the one who fatally assaulted her in December by again striking her in the head,” the justices said.

The second-degree murder conviction accounts for 45 years of Montgomery’s 56-years-to-life sentence, which was imposed on top of an earlier 32 ½-year sentence he already was serving on unrelated gun charges.

The attorney general’s office said Thursday it will pursue a retrial on the second-degree murder charge.

“We remain confident in the facts of this case, the evidence presented, and the exceptional work of our prosecutors, investigators, and law enforcement partners,” said spokesperson Michael Garrity. “We will continue our efforts to seek justice for Harmony Montgomery and all those who knew and loved her.”

Montgomery's attorneys did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Last year, the state agreed to pay $2.25 million to Harmony Montgomery's mother to settle a lawsuit accusing social workers of ignoring signs that the girl was being abused by her father after he was awarded custody in early 2019. Crystal Sorey went to police in 2021, and in 2022 authorities announced that they believed Harmony was dead.

Adam Montgomery did not attend his trial in February 2022, and his lawyers called no defense witnesses. His attorneys acknowledged he was guilty of falsifying evidence and abusing a corpse, but they said he did not kill Harmony and instead suggested the girl actually died while alone with her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery, who served an 18-month prison sentence for lying to a grand jury about where she was when Harmony was last seen, was the star witness for the prosecution. She testified that her husband killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family lived in their car. Montgomery was driving to a fast-food restaurant when he turned around and repeatedly punched Harmony in the face and head because he was angry that she was having bathroom accidents in the car, she said. He then hid the body in the trunk of a car, in a ceiling vent of a homeless shelter and in the walk-in freezer at his workplace before disposing of it in March 2020, she said.

Kayla Montgomery said she tried to stop her husband from hitting the girl but was scared of him and that he beat her as well as he grew paranoid that she would go to police.

A lawsuit brought by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs challenges the process used by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration to eliminate an income cap and copays for childcare assistance before the Legislature had a chance to weigh in or approve funding.

“This is executive overreach. The program was launched unlawfully,” said Rodriguez, who lost his party’s nomination in New Mexico’s recent primary.

The state’s childcare agency disputes that, arguing in court filings that lawmakers have since “expressly authorized” and funded the expansion, rendering the lawsuit moot. Lujan Grisham signed legislation in February enshrining the program into law, provided state finances remain healthy.

District Judge Elaine Lujan could issue a ruling Thursday on whether the lawsuit can proceed. A potential pause on the program would put thousands of New Mexican families back on the hook for daycare payments and create a headache for businesses.

Ilene Harding, who runs seven daycare centers in the Albuquerque area, said the expansion has boosted enrollment and streamlined billing.

“We’ve always been financially solvent, but it’s given us stability,” Harding said.

The challenge comes as New Mexico looks to cement its place as the first U.S. state to cover daycare bills for all families regardless of income, provided parents or legal guardians are working, in school or qualify for an exemption. The stakes extend nationwide as policymakers from New York to California look for models to reduce costs for families and expand public investment in childcare.

New Mexico’s program, which is financed in large part with revenue from oil and gas production in the state, was among the nation's most generous before November’s expansion, waiving costs for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty rate or roughly $132,000 per year for a family of four.

Legislative analysts already have raised questions about the sustainability of New Mexico's expanded program, noting earlier this year that the state’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department started overspending just weeks into the November launch.

This week, the state agency proposed new regulations aimed at shoring up the program’s sustainability. Potential guardrails include copayments for higher-income families in the event of a significant drop in oil prices or enrollment in free childcare surging beyond state projections.

A video shared online showed at least one egg tossed in the direction of the San Antonio Spurs superstar as he entered his hotel, flanked by security, following the team's game 4 loss to the Knicks.

It was not clear who threw the egg. The video showed taunting fans swarming the hotel, a few blocks south of Madison Square Garden.

A few seconds after the egg cracks on a street sign, Wembanyama turns around and confronts a person standing near the hotel's entrance, before continuing inside.

The Spurs did not immediately respond to a request seeking clarity on whether the object struck Wembanyama.

The confrontation followed a historic collapse by the Spurs, who now find themselves on the brink of elimination after blowing a 29-point lead to the Knicks. Wembanyama missed two key free throws in the game's final minutes.

The Knicks victory prompted scenes of bedlam and jubilation across New York City, as ecstatic fans packed the streets, set off fireworks, scaled lampposts and at times clashed with police.

According to the New York Police Department, 56 people were taken into custody for charges that ranged from assault to disorderly conduct.

“Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game,” the police department said in a statement.

An NYPD spokesperson said they had nothing on file about the egg incident.

Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially confirmed the existence of the El Nino, which is a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe. NOAA's announcement said there's a 63% chance that the El Nino will get so intense this late fall and early winter that it “would rank among the largest El Nino events in the historical record going back to 1950.”

The warm, deep waters of an El Nino affect weather patterns by bringing “a lot of extra heat to the surface, fueling a lot of extreme events for a lot of places around the world,” said Clark University climate scientist Abby Frazier.

She said, especially in the Pacific, “it can get dire very quickly.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described El Nino as an “urgent climate warning.”

“El Nino conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” Guterres said in a video message.

El Nino's impacts spawn winners and losers

The weather pattern's effects vary by region. El Nino often dampens — but doesn't eliminate — Atlantic hurricane season activity, but increases it in the Pacific. So while the U.S. East and Gulf coasts may get a break, Hawaii and other islands are more in danger, Frazier said.

The drought-stricken Middle East could benefit, climate scientists said. Other places are looking at more danger. Parts of western South America — where the first El Ninos were noticed decades ago — often get heavy rain and floods, along with an extra warm summer. India faces more intense heat waves, while drought, wildfires and heat threaten Australia.

Northeastern Africa is likely going to get weather whiplash from intense drought to dangerously heavy rains, said Columbia University climate scientist and El Nino expert Muhammad Azhar Ehsan.

In the U.S., El Ninos can cause more intense storms with heavier rainfall in the South, but they also tend to generally benefit the U.S. agriculture industry, said Jon Gottschalck, operational branch chief at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Michael Ferrari, meteorologist and head of research at the investment research firm Moby, said conditions for grains and seed, especially soybeans, look favorable in 18 major growing states, but are more mixed when it comes to dairy and cattle.

The northern Rockies and Southwest — where there’s an “off the charts” snow drought — could get some strong summer rains, Gottschalck said. The biggest effect in the U.S. is often in the winter, when the south can get wetter and the Pacific Northwest warmer and drier.

But overall, temperatures raised by the weather pattern can dampen American economic growth, said Stanford climate economist Marshall Burke. Several climate scientists forecast that 2027 will be the hottest year on record because of lagging effects of this El Nino, which is expected to peak in the fall or winter.

“We have pretty clear evidence that the U.S. economy grows more slowly when temps are above normal,” Burke said.

Strong early signs

The weather extremes caused by an El Nino also depend on when it develops.

Usually El Ninos form in the summer, peak in the late fall or early winter, and peter out the next spring, scientists said.

However, Ehsan's team forecasts that this El Nino will peak a month or two earlier based on strong early signs from recent weeks. Princeton University climate scientist Gabriel Vecchi said large El Ninos like these also tend to last longer.

The early indications — including warmer water pushing toward the surface of the Pacific — have been so strong and noticeable that forecasters have all been predicting the same ultra strong El Nino, Vecchi said, adding that El Nino forecasts often are all over the place at this time of year.

Scientists predict stronger El Ninos as the world warms from the burning of coal, oil and gas, Frazier and others said. But she said it is too early to say if this El Nino is part of that.

Even before it officially formed, this El Nino has gotten nicknames ranging from “super” to “Godzilla.”

“Instead of scared, we can ask people to be prepared,” Columbia's Ehsan said

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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.

As part of Operation Bad Habits, detectives posed online as children, ranging in age from 7 to 15 years old, or as parents offering to traffic their children to suspects, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.

“These predators simply found us. They found our profiles. They solicited us. The only thing that we did is we joined whatever application, whatever website,” Woods said.

Woods said the suspects included fathers, teachers, coaches and even a high school student.

One suspect, Ashay Shakes, 31, identified himself as a second-grade teacher at Fessenden Elementary School in Marion County. He is in the country on a work visa from Jamaica.

According to Marion County Public Schools, Shakes started with the school district last August and was notified in February that his contract was not renewed. His last day with the district was May 29.

Another suspect, Wyatt Bernstein, was identified as a Pop Warner football coach.

Woods also pointed to another suspect, Matthew White, who had been arrested in April in Stuart during a child sex predator sting. Woods says he was out on bond when he traveled to Marion County to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

“We have broken systems throughout this United States, and sometimes our judicial system fails us,” Woods said.

Another suspect, Matthew Szilagyi, is accused of agreeing to meet with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The location of the meeting? The Marion County Jail.

“At least he saved me some money. I didn’t have to use all that gas to take him," Woods said.

Woods was joined by a lineup of state officials, including Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Glass, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Howze, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, and representatives from Florida’s Fifth District Office of the State Attorney.

The National Weather Service said it received more than a dozen reports of tornadoes Wednesday across northern Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois. Trees and utility wires were reported down across the region.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. The man was found critically injured Thursday morning and died at the scene, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.

Severe weather was expected to continue in the region on Thursday, while the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were bracing for high heat and humidity as well as a slight risk of strong storms through Friday, according to the weather service.

Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois

Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League animal shelter in Springfield were heavily damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs housed there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director.

“It pretty much wiped out our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings,” Corbin said. “It’s a miracle. We were so blessed to not have any injuries of either people or animals.”

The community pitched in to take in all the cats and dogs temporarily, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said.

Damage also was reported at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.

Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the frontal system that produced the storms, including high winds and hail, was moving eastward Thursday, fueled by cool air from Canada clashing with warm, humid air from the South.

“Going forward, we’re expecting another area of severe weather to develop across portions of the central Plains, Midwest, particularly from Iowa, northern Missouri, northeastward through the Great Lakes,” Pereira said. “Again, it’s all tied into a pretty well-defined frontal system.”

Tornado warnings were issued in Iowa north of Des Moines on Thursday morning as strong storms hit the area. The weather service also posted tornado watches for parts of northern Missouri, eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois.

Record high temperatures expected along East Coast

Potentially dangerous heat and high humidity also was forecast Thursday and Friday for a swath of the East Coast from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, where daily high record temperatures could be broken in numerous places, the weather service said. Temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) were expected, but with the humidity it could feel like 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or more, the service said.

Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday and Friday, activating cooling centers, home visits by field teams, outreach to people experiencing homelessness and other services. New York City officials were also urging residents to take precautions, including drinking plenty of water and finding a cool place to stay if they do not have air conditioning.

Wednesday storms moved into the Chicago area in the afternoon, downing trees and damaging some buildings.

Severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel, power lines

The two major Chicago airports, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport, temporarily put all flights on hold Wednesday evening due to thunderstorms. A similar ground stop was issued at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York due to thunderstorms.

By Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

Air traffic appeared to return to normal Thursday morning, with only 25 flight cancellations nationwide, although there were 300 delays, FlightAware reported. Delays jumped to more than 500 by early afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration said it expected thunderstorms to cause more flight delays Thursday.

Strong winds blew part of the roof off an apartment building in the Chicago area, forcing residents to leave, according to NBC 5 Chicago. Elsewhere, barns collapsed in Wisconsin and buildings were crushed in rural northern Missouri, photos and video online showed.

More than 250,000 customers had no electricity in the Midwest on Thursday afternoon, down from about 390,000 earlier in the morning. There were nearly 168,000 outages in Illinois, down from 226,000 earlier the morning. A large number of outages in Cook County, including Chicago, had been fixed. Another 56,000 homes and businesses were without power in Michigan, according to poweroutage.us.

Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electric service across northern Illinois, said the storms had downed poles and wires.

“We know how difficult and frustrating it is to be without power, and we truly appreciate your patience,” the company said in a post on X early Thursday morning. “Right now, more than 100 crews are working around the clock to safely and efficiently restore service after this unique storm brought widespread damage and challenging conditions across our service area.”

The storms soaked Rate Field in Chicago before Wednesday night’s game between the White Sox and the Atlanta Braves.

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The story has been updated to correct the name of the White Sox stadium to Rate Field, from Guaranteed Rate Field.

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Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.52% from 6.48% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the increase, the average rate remains below 6.84%, where it was a year ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate climbed to 5.84% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.97%, Freddie Mac said.

When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran began in late February, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’s sent oil prices sharply higher, helping drive up inflation.

Expectations of higher oil prices as the war drags on have kept long-term bond yields elevated, causing mortgage rates to mostly trend higher.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note was at 4.53% in midday trading Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.47% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since. Two weeks ago, it climbed to 6.53%, its highest level since August 28.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, their mostly upward trajectory and uncertainty over how much higher they may go has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales were essentially flat in April, but accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hovering close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

The latest mortgage applications data suggest home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates are not holding out for them to move lower.

After declining in recent weeks, mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, jumped 10.8% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications for both home purchase and refinancing loans rebounded.

The increase in mortgage applications is an encouraging sign for the housing market heading into the second half of the year after a lackluster spring homebuying season.

“However, if inflation continues to outpace wage growth, eroding purchasing power alongside still-elevated mortgage rates, household budgets will come under increasing pressure, posing a meaningful drag on housing demand heading into the summer,” said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

Each one of the 49 people killed, now known as the 49 angels, on June 12, 2016, left behind a legacy.

To honor their memories, News 6 journalists compiled stories learning about every victim through interviews, news articles and social media. All 49 articles can be found at ClickOrlando.com/Pulse49.

[WATCH: News 6 special on Pulse]

Before they were victims, the 49 were mothers, fathers, recent graduates, veterans, breast cancer survivors, dreamers, artists and so much more.

Those stories include 33-year-old Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala’s who was known as “Rody” by friends. Ayala served as the platelet supervisor at OneBlood, the center that collected blood donations for many Pulse shooting survivors.

“He was the sweetest, most genuine person. (He) cared for everyone and would do anything for you, and he’ll be sorely missed here,” Kelly Gollert, the director of manufacturing for OneBlood, said after his death.

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49, was a mother to 11 children, beat cancer twice and often went dancing at the Pulse nightclub with her son. She was at the nightclub with her son, Isaiah Henderson, on June 12, 2016.

More than anything, Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19, dreamed of traveling the world after he finished a degree in accounting.

“He would just look at you and laugh,” his mother, Myrlande Bébé, said. “He loves to smile. He was just fun.”

Two days after the shooting Luis S. Vielma’s co-workers and friends at Universal Studios Orlando raised their wands near the Hogwarts castle in the 22-year-old’s honor. He was studying to be a physical therapy assistant at Seminole State College.

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35, was at home on stage. A video on YouTube viewed thousands of times shows Rosado gracefully gliding across the stage of Orlando’s Parliament House in a leather cape and top hat, to the delight of the audience.

In the five years since the shooting, the OnePulse Foundation was formed to honor the victims and assist the survivors, as well as their families through a variety or means.

The 49 Scholarship program works with the families and loved ones of those killed, to award scholarships to those who “embody love, hope, unity, courage and unconditional acceptance.”

The scholarships honor the victims’ legacies.

The healthcare scholarship was named in honor of Stanley Almodovar III, who was a devoted advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and a nursing scholarship was named for Amanda Lizzette Alvear, who dreamed of becoming a nurse.

This week the U.S. Senate voted to make the former nightclub site a national memorial. The OnePulse Foundation has plans for a reflection area, memorial and museum in the SoDo area of Orlando.

To read about all 49 angels click here.

Orlando Deputy Chief Robert Anzueto was on the line.

“Mayor, I have to inform you that there’s been a shooting at the Pulse Nightclub,” Dyer recalled. “There’s multiple casualties, and it’s turned into a hostage situation. Your driver is on the way to pick you up, and the Mobile Command Center is being deployed south of the club on Orange Avenue.”

Ten years later, Dyer still remembers what he did next: he called his then-26-year-old son.

[WATCH: Orlando mayor reflects on Pulse tragedy]

“I don’t know whether he had ever been to Pulse or not,” Dyer said. “He was fortunately home in bed, so it freed me to do all the things that I needed to do.”

By the time Dyer arrived at the mobile command center, law enforcement agencies were converging from across Central Florida and beyond - Orlando police, multiple sheriffs’ offices, the FBI, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

[WATCH: Items inside Pulse being preserved]

Asked whether he had ever received a call like that before, Dyer didn’t hesitate.

“Nothing comparative to that at all,” he said.

The weekend itself had already been marked by grief. The night before Pulse, singer Christina Grimmie was murdered at the Plaza Live. Days later came an alligator attack at Walt Disney World.

“We had three horrible events in the span of about four days,” Dyer said.

,

When Dyer arrived on scene, he didn’t fully know the scope of what was unfolding.

“No, I had no idea,” he said. “I didn’t really understand the whole magnitude until after the first press conference because we didn’t have a total on the people that had died that night, nor actually until sometime later, the number of people that were injured as well.”

Police were still pulling survivors out of the building - people trapped in rooms and bathrooms, including one where the shooter was also present. Then came another terrifying turn.

The shooter “indicated that he had explosives and that he was going to blow up the remaining hostages as well as himself,” Dyer said.

With texts coming from inside and information being independently verified, Dyer said leaders believed the threat.

OPD Chief John Mina ultimately made the decision to breach, first freeing survivors from one bathroom and then continuing toward the shooter. Even after the gunman was killed, Dyer said something beneath the body appeared, at first glance, like a possible device.

That fear shaped a critical decision: delay the first major press conference.

[WATCH: Promises for a permanent Pulse memorial]

“So that was about 5 o’clock (a.m.), and we delayed having a press conference until seven, 7:30 a.m. or somewhere in that time frame because we didn’t think we would instill confidence in people if we came out and had a press conference and the building blew up in the background,” Dyer said.

At the microphone, Dyer then tried to communicate what leaders knew, while the worst details were still coming into focus. At the initial briefing, Dyer said the goal was to reassure the public: that authorities had control, that the community was safe. But the death toll wasn’t yet confirmed.

He also wanted to define Orlando’s response.

“We weren’t going to be defined by the hate-filled act of this murder,” Dyer said. “We were going to be defined by a response… with love and compassion and unity.”

Then, as the first press conference ended, new information arrived.

“There are 50 people dead. That was 49 plus the shooter,” Dyer said.

Dyer says, announcing that 49 people had been killed remains one of the hardest moments of his public life.

“That was probably the toughest thing that I had to do in the entirety of the whole process,” Dyer said. “Just getting that in your mind that there are 49 people that have been killed on that spot and there were seasoned journalists there and they were in shock, I could tell on their faces when I described that.”

In those hours, Orlando wasn’t yet able to say who the victims were.

“Everybody was hoping their loved one was not one of the 49,” Dyer said.

Orlando Health waiting rooms were filled with hundreds of family members searching for information. Dyer said one lesser-known but essential step that morning was securing help from the White House to obtain a HIPAA waiver.

“So Orlando Health could tell the people that were there looking for their loved ones who the individuals were that they had and were treating,” he said.

At one point, the names of patients were read aloud.

“If your loved one was not on that list and was missing, you knew that he or she was probably on the other list - the bad list,” Dyer said.

The aftermath of Pulse brought a wave of global support: rainbow lights, messages from leaders and strangers alike, and a feeling in Orlando that something profound might change.

Ten years later, Dyer said he believes Orlando is better in some ways - but not as far along as he once hoped.

“We’re not in the place I hoped we would be,” he said. “There was a presidential election of consequence in that same year, and it kind of changed the mood of the country.”

A permanent memorial: progress after years of controversy

A decade later, one of the most visible reminders of the unfinished work is also one of the most important: Orlando still does not have a permanent memorial at the Pulse site.

The city has now taken over the process after the previous efforts led by the onePulse Foundation failed. The city purchased the Pulse property in 2023, as well as the doctor’s office behind it. Orlando has committed $7.5 million toward a permanent memorial, while Orange County has committed another $5 million. Dyer estimated total costs will be a little more than $12.5 million with additional private fundraising to create reserves and cover construction needs.

“When the onePulse Foundation failed, a number of the families came to us and said ‘you guys are the only ones that can get this done’ and convinced us to take that process over,” said Dyer. “But we have totally given it to the survivors and the families to dictate what it was going to look like. We had an advisory committee and I’m really pleased with what they’ve come up with and we are on target to be completed before I finish being mayor.”

“We have nothing to do with onePulse. OnePulse is done. We were never involved with onePulse. That was a separate organization. We tried to purchase the property at the very beginning and to run the process, but the Pomas wanted to do it themselves. They owned the property. We didn’t have the ability to simply take the property from them. So we let that run its course,” said Dyer.

“Unfortunately, what happened, in my opinion, is they got too grandiose and what they wanted to do it with having a museum as well as a memorial,” said Dyer. “If they had been focused simply on getting a memorial done, they probably could have got that done, but I’m really pleased with how we have done this in a transparent manner and involved the families and the survivors rather than the board that they had, quite honestly. So I think we’re in a pretty good place at this point.”

Asked about rumors of code violations at the nightclub, Dyer said investigations did not find anything that contributed to the tragedy.

“So we looked at that, the FBI did a separate investigation, and there are no public safety code violations that in any way hampered anything on that evening,” said Dyer. So there’s been a lot of rumors related to that, but there’s no substance to that."

As for any further investigations into onePulse, Dyer said he has moved on.

“Just as I moved on from the shooter, and he’s nothing to me, I moved on from that organization,” said Dyer. “If somebody wants to go after them, have at it, but we’re very focused on making sure that we continue to support the families and the survivors and get the memorial done.”

In the decade since, Dyer pointed to changes in how first responders train together, particularly joint operations between police and fire.

He also highlighted the growing acceptance of mental health support.

“Ten years ago, a lot of the police officers were still in that mode of, ‘I’m a big, strong police officer and I don’t need somebody to check in on my feelings,’” Dyer said. “There’s a lot more support for that now.”

He also acknowledged what doesn’t fade: the physical and emotional injuries survivors continue to carry.

“There are individuals who every single day since that night, they have lived with and thought about that,” he said. “That will be the case for the rest of their lives.”

For Dyer, one of the most vivid images from Orlando’s response isn’t from inside the command center - it’s from the community outside.

“Probably my most vivid memory was the lines of people wrapped around the building to give blood,” he said. “It gave purpose to a lot of people that wanted to do something and that was just heartwarming.”

The city’s public events marking the 10th anniversary included the CommUNITY Rainbow Run on Saturday, as well as a service at First United Methodist Church at 5:30 p.m. on June 12, along with private observances for families.

An art exhibit is also planned to open June 11 inside Orlando City Hall, featuring paint-by-number pieces begun by an artist and completed by families of the 49.

For Dyer, the memorial’s completion is deeply personal - and urgent.

“That’s the most important thing that I have left to do,” he said. “I want to make sure that it’s completed and that we have a place where the family members and anybody who wants to remember the 49 can go and pay their respects.”

We explored how the LGBTQ+ community and allies have worked together, evolved, and pushed forward in the years since Pulse. We began by creating space for reflection on the memories of Pulse and the lasting impact of June 12, 2016, discussing how the tragedy changed individuals, families, Orlando, and the community at large.

The conversation also included a mental health component, with mental health professionals recognizing the lasting effects of the community’s collective loss and discussing the ongoing journey toward healing.

Panelists will reflect on what has changed over the past decade while also looking toward hopes for the future. The discussion will center around cultural shifts, the political climate, allyship, advocacy, and the challenges still facing the LGBTQ+ community today.

Viewers were encouraged to participate in real time by asking questions, sharing comments, and engaging with the discussion throughout the evening.

I recently sat down with longtime law enforcement officer and trainer Steve Kelley of Decision Tactical to talk about how active shooter response has evolved from the days of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 to the reality officers face today.

Kelley explained that Columbine was a major turning point for police agencies nationwide.

“I think it was April 20, 1999, the Columbine shooting,” Kelley said. “That one, for lack of a better term, spanked us as law enforcement.”

At the time, law enforcement tactics focused heavily on staging officers and building organized response teams before entering an active scene. But as incidents evolved, so did the understanding that time equals lives.

[WATCH: 10 years later, Pulse changed trauma care far beyond Orlando]

After tragedies like Columbine High School massacre and later the Pulse nightclub shooting, training shifted dramatically toward immediate action.

“Law enforcement decided we can’t afford to wait,” Kelley said. “We’re going to gunfire. I’m going.”

Today, officers are trained to move toward the threat as quickly as possible, even if they are alone.

“Most of us nowadays ride as individual officers, so I’m a team of one now,” Kelley explained. “I’m going to update headquarters on my location, but I’m on search and destroy.”

That aggressive response philosophy is now deeply embedded in modern policing and starts at the academy level.

[WATCH: Inside ORMC: The trauma surgeons who faced the Pulse mass shooting]

“It’s part of basic training nowadays,” Kelley said. “Then when they graduate and get to their agencies, we’re still training throughout the year to make sure they are highly proficient and skilled.”

The purpose behind the training is simple: reduce the threat as fast as possible and save lives.

Kelley said officers continually prepare for situations they hope never happen, knowing their actions in the first moments can directly impact survival for victims and fellow officers.

As Orlando approaches the 10-year mark since Pulse, Kelley said it is also important to recognize the law enforcement community that lived through those events and continues carrying those lessons forward today.

Their training never stops.

For some survivors, the scale of the medical response is measured in the amount of blood they received while fighting to stay alive.

“I was shot four times, and I received over 40 units of blood,” recalled Pulse survivor Jeff Xcentric one year after the shooting.

Forty units of blood represented donations from 40 people, highlighting the critical role blood products played in treating victims.

Survivor Ilka Reyes recalled the extent of her injuries as well.

“I was shot nine times, I received 11 units.”

In the hours after the Pulse shooting, thousands of people lined up to donate blood across Central Florida. However, blood that helped save lives that night was already available because donors had given before the attack occurred.

“It’s important to remember that it’s the donors who came in just a few days before the tragedy. Their blood was available at the hospital immediately when those patients were coming in,” said Susan Forbes, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations of OneBlood.

Just three days before the shooting, OneBlood had issued a plea for more Type O blood donors. Then, the mass shooting created an unprecedented demand for blood products.

“We’re hit with the worst tragedy the nation had seen at the time. And the blood was saving these people’s lives. They were injured, they were shot, they needed blood, and the number one thing that the doctors were reaching for, was blood,” Forbes said.

As victims arrived at Orlando Regional Medical Center that night ten years ago, doctors and nurses used blood products at a pace they had never experienced before.

“We were making multiple trips over to ORMC when that happened. We made eight trips over there, they transfused over 440 units of blood in 24 hours. That’s not normal,” Forbes said.

Trauma surgeons with Orlando Health said the community responded quickly as news of the tragedy spread.

“I think it was over 27,000 people who ended up donating blood,” said Dr. Michael Cheatham.

According to OneBlood, more than 28,500 units of blood were collected in just a few days following the shooting.

“It was a huge donor surge that happened right after Pulse and thousands of people lined up at our donor centers,” Forbes said.

The support extended beyond blood donations. Community members looked for other ways to help victims, families and hospital workers as the city grieved.

“We had donations of food and people donated so many things. It was an unbelievable response,” said Dr. Joseph Ibrahim.

The two surgeons said the outpouring of support remains one of their strongest memories from that time.

“The community felt the pain of the victims and their families,” Cheatham said.

A decade later, those who witnessed the aftermath say the community’s response continues to stand out.

“I don’t think any community in the world has ever responded like that to a tragedy like this,” Cheatham said.

For survivors like Jeff Xcentric, the generosity of blood donors remains deeply personal.

“If it wasn’t for the donors and the people who had donated, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you right now.”

Orlando blood drive to honor Pulse remembrance

OneBlood, the City of Orlando, and Orange County are kicking off a community blood drive honoring the 10th year remembrance of Pulse today at Orlando City Hall.

The event will highlight the ongoing need for blood donations and recognize the lifesaving impact blood donors continue to have in Central Florida communities.

WHEN:

Monday, June 1

Blood drive: 12 - 5 p.m.

WHERE:

Orlando City Hall

400 S. Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32801

OneBlood is also running its annual Pulse Remembrance Blood Drive from June 1 through June 12. Eligible donors can donate blood at select drives and donor centers and receive a Limited-edition Be The Pulse T-shirt and a OneBlood gift.

News 6 toured the undisclosed warehouse location on Tuesday, where crate after crate holds items from inside the nightclub, including a chandelier, the bar top, a door and the Pulse sign.

In December 2025, contractors carefully removed the remaining artifacts from Pulse as part of preparations to tear down the building.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says some of those pieces could eventually be displayed inside the permanent Pulse memorial’s planned visitor center, though space will be limited.

“Some of the items will be in the visitor’s center, but the visitor center is pretty small, so it’s not like it’s going to be a museum display or anything,” Dyer said. “But there will be the ability to tell the story in the visitor’s center, so there might be some items that are in there.”

In May, Orlando officials announced the design phase for the visitor center and the broader Pulse memorial is now 60% complete.

The warehouse storage follows a carefully planned packing process that began in December, when contractors loaded artifacts into custom-built crates and moved them off the site. City Facilities Division Manager Navid Erfan previously said the items were packed with “archival grade materials” to protect them.

The Pulse site had remained a powerful, largely unchanged place of mourning since June 12, 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at the LGBTQ+ nightclub. The temporary memorial outside continued to draw visitors, many of whom describe being overwhelmed by the photos, tributes and personal reminders left behind.

The building was demolished in March 2026 to make way for the permanent memorial.

Jerria Ford-Jamieson said visiting the site remains emotional, especially knowing someone close to her nearly went to Pulse the night of the shooting.

“I just got so emotional,” Ford-Jamieson said. “Tears were rolling down.”

The city expects construction on the permanent memorial to begin this fall, with completion anticipated by the end of 2027.

On Monday, the City of Orlando will display prayer ribbons created by Massachusetts-based artist Jay Critchley in front of City Hall at 400 South Orange Avenue. The ribbons, which carry messages of support from around the world, will remain on display through Sunday.

While those ribbons went up, the Orlando City Council got an update on the memorial during a workshop.

Last month, the Pulse Advisory Board reviewed new renderings after the city announced it reached the 60 percent design phase. The visitor center is taking shape, featuring a timeline of how events unfolded the morning of June 12, 2016 — though the design has drawn some scrutiny.

During the workshop on the memorial Monday, the design team discussed the renderings and specific details about the memorial.

President of Borrelli + Partners, Jorge Borrelli, explained how concrete from the building, that was torn down in March, will be repurposed throughout the site to help people who visit feel connected to it, even though it’s no longer physically there.

“There were many of the family members that did not actually want the building demolished because their child had died there, and they felt like their soul was there. So in this way, we’re able to preserve that and keep the building in a holistic manner on the site,” Borrelli said.

The team also shared how personal items that belong to the angels, given to the city by family members, will also be safely on display at the memorial in capsules.

“[This] allows the visitor, particularly those that are still going through the grieving process, to commune with that in that space and reflect back out, looking and seeing the survivors beyond this tragic site,” Project Manager Dan-Michael Trbovich explained.

“In a very symbolic way, this is the area in which you can come to be surrounded by those angels.”

Art exhibition opens Thursday

A new exhibition, “Created in Community: Portraits of Pulse”, opens Thursday at the Terrace Gallery inside City Hall and runs through Aug. 23.

The collection features 49 collaborative portraits — one for each life taken — designed as paint-by-number works by local artist Jeff Sonksen and completed in 2017 by families, friends, and community members. Some portraits were intentionally left unfinished.

The collection was acquired by the Orange County Regional History Center in 2024 after traveling to Chicago.

Remembrance ceremony set for Friday

The Annual Pulse Remembrance Ceremony is set to take place on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 311 South Magnolia Avenue.

The evening includes musical performances from local cultural artists and the Orlando Gay Chorus, a special presentation by City of Orlando Poet Laureate Camara Gaither, and participation from the Angel Action Wings volunteer group.

The ceremony will close with a candlelight vigil and the reading of all 49 names.

“Ten years later, we continue to carry the memories of the 49 lives taken in our hearts,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a news release. “Orlando stands united in love, resilience and remembrance, and remains committed to honoring their legacy through continued unity and support.”

For a full schedule of events, click here.

“The World May Be Flat” is described as an intimate two-character drama exploring survival and everything that comes after.

Rather than recalling the tragedy itself, the show focuses on what happened afterwards: survivor’s guilt, grief, internalized shame, memory, and the increasing pressure to move on in a world that often expects silence.

“The World May Be Flat” is set in an Orlando apartment. The play follows Noah, a Pulse survivor struggling to process unresolved trauma a decade later, and Jagger, his younger partner, shaped by a different cultural and political reality.

The playwright behind the show says their goal is to get the message out that, as a community, we need to continue supporting the long-term mental health needs of survivors. They see the play as a call to community action in ways other memorialization efforts sometimes cannot.

“The World May Be Flat” will be at the Dr. Phillips Center because, in the days after Pulse, the Performing Arts Center became a major public gathering space for mourning and solidarity.

The show’s organizers say presenting the play there 10 years later places the production within the same civic landscape that shaped the city’s response to the tragedy.

“The World May Be Flat” will be inside Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater for one night only on June 14 at 8 p.m. Click here for ticket information.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 6.5% from May 2025. It rose 1.1% from April, as it did the previous month. Wholesale gasoline prices surged by more than 23% from April to May, and nearly 70% from a year earlier.

Inflationary pressures, intensified by the energy shock caused by the Iran war, are frustrating Americans five months before midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump's Republicans keep full control of Congress.

Gasoline prices have been falling in recent days, but the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has been above $4 since March, according to motor club AAA. And the U.S. driving season, which pushes prices higher each year, has just begun.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.4% from April and 4.9% from May 2025.

The wholesale inflation numbers came out a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, most in three years. Gasoline prices were up nearly 41% from May 2025. Airfares were up almost 27%.

Inflation is running well ahead of the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The central bank is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged as its meeting next week. But financial markets expect the Fed could raise rates by the end of the year in an effort to curb price increases.

Wholesale prices can offer an early look at where consumer inflation might be headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, notably health care and financial services, flow into the Fed's preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index.

Stephen Brown, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, wrote that the producer prices “that feed into the PCE price calculation rose by much more than we expected ... It supports our view that the Fed will hike interest rates toward the end of the year.’’

After the United States and Israel attacked Feb. 28, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, causing the biggest disruption in oil supplies in history. Energy prices rocketed. S&P Global Energy warned Thursday that U.S. crude oil inventories are drying up as the summer driving season approaches.

“The bottom line is that U.S. inventory levels remain above estimated minimum operating thresholds,'' said S&P Global Energy's Aaron Brady. “However, with continued disruption to Middle East flows, draws are likely to extend into the third quarter, even in the event of a near-term diplomatic resolution.'' More big, sustained drops in inventories ”would likely signal entry into a ‘danger zone’ for the U.S. refining system.”

Wright worked most recently in merchandising on Main Street USA and previously Tomorrowland, another area of the Magic Kingdom.

Wright was a Miami Heat fan and attended Florida International University, according to his Facebook page.

He wrote about “magical moments” he often had with guests while working at Magic Kingdom, including once he gifted a Disney magic band for a 90-year-old woman on her birthday.

“What I learned today was not to take the little things (for) granted but to be thankful all you have and share a magical moments with someone special,” Wright wrote on Facebook.

Wright went to the Pulse nightclub to celebrate his friend Cory James Connell’s 21st birthday. Both men were killed in the June 12, 2016 shooting.

“Jerry was a great guy to work with,” a former coworker said. “He was quiet but really wonderful with all the guests. He always had a smile on his face.”

Wright’s memorial page is filled with comments about his glowing personality.

“Jerry was the type of guy who always made you laugh and smile even when you were having a good or bad day,” Christina Osmon, of Apopka wrote.

Known as “Danny” to his friends, Wilson Leon was a native of Puerto Rico and lived in Kissimmee with his longtime partner, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez.

Wilson-Leon was a manager at an Altamonte Springs shoe store.

“He was a faithful friend, kind and hardworking,” Wilson Leon’s friend Wanda Ferrer told News 6.

Both Wilson Leon and Mendez Perez were killed at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016.

The couple’s relationship also began at the club where they bumped into each other again and hit it off. They initially met when Wilson Leon bought a bottle of Declaration by Cartier perfume from Mendez Perez. The couple was proof that opposites attract, which is why they loved each other so much, Ferrer remembered about the pair.

“Danny would take care of (Jean) a lot because he was like a little boy,” Ferrer said.

Longtime friend Daniel Gmys-Casiano said it wasn’t always easy for Wilson Leon, who was bullied growing up and often called homophobic slurs.

“He was the first person on this earth I came out to, and he always protected and loved his friends. His strength and character were always an inspiration to all of us,” Gmys-Casiano said.

After a joint memorial for the couple, Wilson Leon was buried in Puerto Rico and Mendez Perez was buried in Kissimmee.

A year after the couple’s deaths, Ferrer said she feels a huge emptiness, but feels Wilson Leon is looking out for her still.

“Danny was and will always be my best friend,” she said. “He will always live in my memories … he’s taking care of me from above.”

Born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, family was central to Velázquez’s life.

His sister Jessica Silva described him as “the best kid that a mother could have, the best brother and the best uncle that my kids could have.”

VVelázquez was celebrating a friend’s birthday when he was killed inside Pulse nightclub alongside his husband during the June 12, 2016, mass shooting.

Velázquez’s family told News 6 that he always made an entrance when he walked into a room, adding his smile was radiant.

On Dec. 8, nearly six months after the Pulse massacre, Velázquez’s family reopened his hair salon in Orlando, naming it D’Magazine by Juan P. His mother, sister and cousin run the business in his honor. One year after Velázquez was killed, Silva said the loss is still like an open wound.

“It hurts. It hurts not being able to give him a kiss. To ask him, ‘Do you like what I’m doing? Do you think this is right? Do you think I should put this table here over there?’ And not having him is difficult,” Silva said.

The Manati, Puerto Rico, native is remembered by family and friends as fun-loving and joyful.

Silva Menendez was one of the 49 people killed on June 12, 2016, after dancing the night away at Pulse nightclub on Latin night, celebrating his heritage.

Silva Menendez’s best friend, Peter O. Gonzalez Cruz, 22, was also killed.

“(They) became so inseparable until they went to heaven together,” SIlva-Menéndez’ sister Marynell Valentin recently wrote, in Spanish on Facebook, of two friends.

Valentine moved to Orlando a few months before the one-year anniversary of her brother’s death.

“Eleven months since your departure, and to know that I’ll be there today and you’re not going to pick me up, that disheartens me,” she said on Facebook in Spanish. “I miss you so much, but he’s still watching over me from heaven.”

Silva Menendez lived in Orlando for just a few years and had his sights set on higher goals. He was attending Ana G. Mendez University to work in healthcare and also worked at a local Speedway.

Almost a year later, his sister still commemorates his memory, posting each month on Facebook.

“Eight months without hearing you laugh, without seeing you dancing. Wow, how I miss you,” Valentin wrote earlier this year.

Silva Menendez also loved dogs. The American Kennel Club acknowledged his work as a St. Bernard fancier after the shooting.

A video on Youtube viewed thousands of times shows Rosado gracefully gliding across the stage of Orlando’s Parliament House in a leather cape and top hat, to the delight of the audience.

Rosado performed at bars and clubs across Florida, on the Norwegian Cruise Line and at theme parks including Walt Disney World, according to the Dobbs Funeral Home, and entertained with energy, laughter and a smile.

“A few years ago, my siblings gathered for a reunion at my home in Winter Park,” wrote Thor Falk, of Winter Park on Legacy.com. “For a variety of reasons, we were somewhat homebound, so I thought it would be a good idea to have something fun and different to do with my sisters. I arranged for a Xavier to come teach some stiff Norwegians how to salsa. Xavier could not have been more fun and charming. He left all of us with great memories we will carry forever. Rest in peace, dear, sweet soul. We will always remember you with fondness.”

Rosado, originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was also a father. He leaves behind a 5-year-old son.

Wilma Lozano, the mother of Rosado’s son, said Rosado loved spending time with his son swimming in the pool, watching movies, and playing video games, according to Dobbs.

“He was always energetic and always had a smile on his face that made you smile too,” Lozano said through a Facebook message. “And if I was down, he knew how to make me smile and get back up.”

Rosado was killed inside Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, along with 48 others.

He leaves to cherish his memory, parents Jesus Serrano and Cruz Rosado, both of Puerto Rico; son Kelvyn Emmanuel Serrano, of Orlando; partner Wilma Lozano, of Orlando; brothers Jesus Serrano and Carlos Serrano, both of Puerto Rico; sisters Brenda Serrano, of Wisconsin; and Glenda Serrano, of Philadelphia, according to Dobbs.

“I am in disbelief that my friend is gone,” wrote Rico of Orlando on Legacy.com. “Words cannot express to the family how much I feel for all of you. His life’s focus was built around his child. His personality was contagious and would light up the room. He’ll be missed by many. I am sorry.”

Rosado’s funeral was June 21, 2016, at Resurrection Catholic Church in Winter Garden.

“I writhed in bed for hours in my head wrapped in all of this,” a friend said. “Sleep was nearly impossible, and waking up to the news that Xavier E. Serrano has passed, it’s soul-crushing.”

“Her smile lit up the room and her laughter brought a smile to your heart,” her sister Natalie Canlan wrote on a GoFundMe page.

The online fundraiser was established to help raise funds for Rodriguez Solivan’s husband and her two young sons.

Rodriguez Solivan, known as Mary to her family and friends, was someone you wanted to be near. She had an infectious personality and warm to everyone that she came across.

“Mary was an amazing daughter and an extraordinary sister,” Canlan said.

Rodriguez Solivan was a devoted mother of two sons, Jariel and Sergio, and the wife to race car driver Juan Borges.

She moved from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Kissimmee with her husband and children.

In one of the last photos of Rodriguez Solivan, her smile was brightly displayed across her face. Rodriguez Solivan went to Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, with her brother-in-law William Borges and friend Jonathan Camuy Vega.

Camuy Vega died trying to shield Rodriguez Solivan’s body from the gunfire. The 24-year-old “died like a hero,” Borges wrote on Facebook on June 12.

“The body of Jonathan was found protecting my sister-in-law,” Borges said.

Borges, the only survivor of the trio, was shot twice and recovered, but the impact his sister-in-law had on his life was lasting.

“I love you from here to the sky, where you are resting. I swear that my heart has a huge ladder tall enough to reach you,” Borges said in a Facebook post.

A native of Puerto Rico who lived in Kissimmee, he was killed alongside his longtime partner, Luis Daniel Wilson Leon at the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016.“Jean was the opposite of Danny,” the couple’s friend, Wanda Ferrer, told News 6. “That’s why they loved each other so much.”

Mendez Perez worked at Perfumania in the Orlando Premium Outlets, where he met Wilson Leon, selling him a bottle of Declaration by Cartier, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Ferrer said Perez was the best salesperson at the store.

Above all Mendez Perez was “a good friend with a very good sense of humor,” Ferrer said.

A GoFundMe for his funeral arrangements described Mendez Perez as a “man full of life and joy who loved his friends and family above all things.”

Family members describe him as dynamic, and a man who loved to play with his nieces and nephews. A friend called him her favorite artist on Facebook.

After a joint memorial for the couple, Wilson Leon was buried in Puerto Rico and Mendes Perez was buried in Kissimmee.

Some of them aren’t too enthusiastic.

“I think they’re all a waste of time,” said Shirley Prior on the choice of candidates in Makerfield, where a special election on June 18 has drawn interest from journalists around the world. That level of attention is all-but unheard of for a midterm by-election to fill one of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

If Andy Burnham from the center-left Labour Party wins, there’s a strong chance he will replace embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of both party and country. He's up against Reform UK, a hard-right party hoping to prove that this longtime Labour stronghold is fertile ground for its anti-immigration message, with potentially seismic consequences for British democracy.

This district has elected Labour lawmakers for 120 years, but Burnham is not a shoo-in. Reform, led by the veteran anti-immigration politician Nigel Farage, won 24 of the 25 council seats up for grabs in local elections in this area last month.

“I always voted Labour because my dad, my grandad, everybody voted Labour then,” Prior said. “I’ve never done that for a lot, a lot of years.”

Immigration is a top issue

The election is taking place amid heightened tensions over immigration. A stabbing in Belfast this week, for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder, triggered violent protests in Northern Ireland in which cars and houses torched.

In the constituency’s main town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London, some voters echo Reform claims that recent arrivals are straining housing and public services.

“Immigration’s too high, all the services are being put under pressure and Labour just keep inviting more and more people into the country and it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for them,” said retiree Phil Arrowsmith.

Annual net migration to the U.K. reached more than 900,000 in 2023, under the previous Conservative government, before falling to 171,000 last year.

That decline has done little to boost a Labour government that has floundered since winning election in July 2024.

Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

A dismal performance in local elections last month sparked a clamor from Labour lawmakers for Starmer’s resignation. He has refused, but Cabinet minister Wes Streeting quit so he can run in a leadership contest that could come soon.

Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, also harbors leadership ambitions, but needs a seat in Parliament if he wants to challenge Starmer. An opening emerged when Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election.

Burnham said he understands that voters are “fed up” and calls the large Reform UK vote “a cry for real change” that Labour must heed.

The ‘King of the North’ eyes power in London

The Makerfield constituency is a capsule of British history, a collection of former coal-mining communities turned commuter suburbs. The slag heaps and slum housing in the area described by George Orwell in his 1937 book “The Road to Wigan Pier” have been replaced by suburbs of tidy modern houses amid Victorian workers’ cottages, interspersed with farmers’ fields.

Though far from the city center, it is part of Greater Manchester, and Burnham gets honks and thumbs’ ups from passing drivers as he walks down the street in his smart-casual uniform of dark jeans with a navy blue shirt and jacket.

The 56-year-old has been mayor of the region of 3 million people since 2017, a period that has seen central Manchester boom, with skyscrapers blooming on postindustrial sites. Many residents praise him for championing the city, and for taking a piecemeal public transport system under municipal control as the Bee Network.

For a decade and a half before that he was a lawmaker in Parliament, and a minister in Labour governments. He doesn’t emphasize that part of his CV, preferring the outsider status that has seen him nicknamed the King of the North.

“What we’ve built in Greater Manchester needs to go national,” Burnham told reporters during a campaign event this week. “I know what it is to turn places around.”

Many predict a close contest

The campaign is an odd mix of the local and the international. Some voters cite immigration as a top concern. Others mention struggling main street shops, potholes and petty crime.

Burnham’s main rival is Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon, a 41-year-old plumber and local councilor who came second to Labour here in the 2024 national election. He says he’s an unpolished regular bloke, though opponents have criticized him over crude, sexist and anti-vaccine comments on social media.

Reform voters are also being targeted by Restore, an even more hardline anti-immigration party.

Michael Poultney, a retired teacher and Labour supporter, thinks the unpopularity of Starmer’s government means Burnham faces a stiff challenge.

“Without his personal vote, I think we would struggle,” he said. “Keir Starmer has done reasonably well on the international stage, but the government are yet to be in control of the economy.”

Burnham insists he is running for the people of Makerfield, not his own ambition, and is not taking victory for granted.

“I am making no assumptions beyond the 18th of June,” Burnham said.

But he stressed that “this is a change byelection.”

“I will take the fight for the changes I want to see in politics as far as I can take it,” he said.

The 25-year-old was known as “Drake Ortiz” to friends. He regularly posted workout selfies on social media, even sharing a photo from the weight bench the night before he was killed, on June 12, 2016, at Pulse nightclub.

“We will miss you at the gym here in Puerto Rico,” friend Wil Iglesisas wrote on Jimenez’s Facebook wall.

Ortiz was in Orlando visiting from Puerto Rico for a Selena Gomez concert at the Amway Center when he died.

“With the love of my life,” Ortiz said on a photo of himself and his favorite singer’s wax statue. He absolutely loved Gomez, his cousin, Tiffany Ortiz told the News York Times.

While performing two days after the mass shooting, Gomez dedicated “Transfiguration,” singing a cappella, to the 49 victims, reported NOLA.com.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz graduated from J. P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2010, a spokeswoman for the school district told the New York Times.

Ortiz was studying law at Universidad Del Este in Puerto Rico.

The young man who listed acting as his profession was killed exactly a month before what would have been his 26th birthday. 

“He was such a beautiful man,” Ivan Dominguez, his widower, told News 6. “He is missed by so many friends, family and co-workers.”

He was known for being “always happy,” his brother Nestor Ortiz said.

Ortiz Rivera worked at Sunglass Hut and Party City. He moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico in 2007 for a better life.

“It was my idea for him to move to Orlando and he lived with me the first few months,” Ortiz said.

But the two would later have a falling out and did not speak for five years. They rekindled their relationship four weeks before the Pulse massacre on June 12, 2016.

Ortiz Rivera preferred to go by his middle name, Ivan. It’s a name he liked so much, when his younger brother was born, he insisted his mother name him Ivan too.

“That’s why we have the same middle name,” Ortiz told News 6.

The name followed Ortiz Rivera as his partner was also named Ivan.

Like most people, Ortiz Rivera had pet peeves. “He hated when people spelled Eric, his first name, with a ‘K,’” Ortiz said.

The 36-year-old also joked that he would not live past 40 and made it clear to his family that he wanted to be cremated when he died, because “he was very claustrophobic and didn’t want to be confined to a box,” Ortiz said.

From a young age, Ortiz Rivera loved to paint.

“He was a creative person,” Ortiz said.

A creative person with a sense of humor, he loved to often use photo-editing software to place himself in locals around the world. In one photo he is in front of the Great Wall of China; in another, in front of the whitewashed walls of Santorini in the Greek Islands. “People actually thought he was there,” Ortiz said with a laugh. “He was always in a good mood.”

A former teacher remembered Ocasio Capo as “a ray of sunshine every day.” While a co-worker wrote, “He lit up any area he worked in, especially Starbucks.”

Ocasio Capo, known by friends and family as Omar, attended Valencia College. One of his former professors told News 6 that Omar dreamed of being an actor.

“He was one of the most amazing dancers,” his sister, Belinette Ocasio-Capo, said. “He would always call me and say, ‘I’m going to be the next Hollywood star.’”

“Now his name ended up being all around the world, like he wanted - just not this way,” she said of her brother.

A few days after the attack, his grandmother made the difficult journey to Orlando to attend Omar’s funeral. She was traveling alone, but soon realized every passenger on the flight was there to comfort her.

JetBlue employee Kelly Davis Karas and her co-worker decided to pass around a piece of paper for passengers to sign their good wishes. The two flight attendants did this as they took beverage orders, but halfway through realized they needed more paper because passengers were writing so much.

“We didn’t have just a sheet of paper covered in names, which is what I had envisioned. Instead, we had page after page after page of long messages offering condolences, peace, love and support. There were even a couple of cash donations, and more than a few tears,” Karas said.

With his grandmother’s permission, Karas asked for a moment of silence in memory of Ocasio Capo. And then, every passenger on board stopped to offer their sympathy to the grieving grandmother.

“I am moved to tears yet again as I struggle to put our experience into words. In spite of a few hateful, broken human beings in this world who can all too easily legally get their hands on mass assault weapons - people ARE kind. People DO care,” she wrote.​

She was at the nightclub with her son, Isaiah Henderson, on June 12, 2016. He survived the shooting, but McCool did not.

Henderson said his mother risked her life to save him by telling him to get down while she shielded him from the bullets.

“Brenda Marquez was a beautiful person. She always looked out for her kids, and she lost her life protecting one of them,” said one of McCool’s relatives at her memorial service.

Outside that service, dozens of bikers from the Latin American Motorcycle Association gathered to protect the family from protesters.

They said McCool participated in their events, cookouts and other gatherings. Now, they wanted to show their support.

“Everybody’s been looking out for one another,” a family member said. “Everybody’s been supporting one another. Orlando is Orlando.”

Bruel, 67, denies the allegations.

He was brought Wednesday before four investigative judges at the court in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris, following a two-day police custody.

The Nanterre prosecutor’s office said the formal investigation concerns allegations of rape in 2008 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of Paris, attempted rape in 2010 in Brussels, and sexual assault and sexual harassment in Perpignan, in southern France, and Ajaccio, Corsica, both in 2019.

The judicial investigation also continues into other allegations of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment between 2010 and 2019 in three French cities and in Nyon, Switzerland, according to prosecutors.

Some allegations that had previously been dismissed without further action were reexamined and included in the case, the prosecutor’s office said.

Bruel was released under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France. He was ordered to surrender his passport, undergo psychological treatment and post bail of 500,000 euros ($576,760). He is also prohibited from contacting his accusers or members of their families and from entering massage parlors, where some of the alleged offenses are alleged to have occurred.

Bruel’s lawyers said in a statement the singer would cooperate fully with the investigation and remains available to the judicial authorities.

In recent weeks, a series of media reports, notably by French investigative website Mediapart, brought into public attention allegations by multiple women spanning several decades against Bruel, prompting additional complaints to be filed.

Prosecutors said accusations by other women that appear to be barred by the statute of limitations have nevertheless been attached to the case file so investigating judges can gain a broader understanding of the allegations. Complaints filed in other jurisdictions could later be added to the Nanterre investigation.

Bruel became one of the biggest stars in the French-speaking world in the late 1980s and 1990s. His popularity was so intense that French media coined the term “Bruelmania,” drawing comparisons with Beatlemania.

Hit songs from his 1989 second album have became part of French popular culture, addressing universal themes including love, heartbreak, nostalgia and childhood and bringing together generations of fans. Bruel later built a parallel acting career, appearing in dozens of film and television productions.

Last month he canceled all shows planned this summer in France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium and at the end of the year in Canada.

Justice was one of 49 killed at Pulse nightclub last June. CBS News spoke with Justice’s best friend last year about the moments before shots rang out. He said they went to the nightclub early that morning at the last minute, just in time for last call.

“We were standing at the bar and ordering a drink. We never even got that drink,” Demetrice Naulings told CBS News.

Naulings said they were dancing when the first shots were fired, and he and his friends initially thought it was the music. Then reality set in.

As panicked club-goers rushed in an effort to find safety, Naulings made it outside. Justice, meanwhile, was among those trapped in a bathroom. That’s when he reached out to his mother, begging her to call 911.

Justice died a short time later. Family and friends recall Eddie as a loving young man with a heart of gold. He would do anything for anyone, they said.

About a hundred people attended a memorial held in Apopka at Wheatley Elementary School a few days after Justice died. 

Eddie Justice is survived by his mother, Wilhemina Justice; sisters Nerelsha Justice-Macklin (Donell), Lakitra Justice, Cherrisse Woods and Shanique Woods-Boschulte; a brother, Sean Woods; a grandmother, Joyce Logan Justice; and several aunts and uncles.

Jorge Reyes was known as Javi to family and friends, and went by Harvey George Kings on Facebook.

“Your smile was contagious and your sass always entertaining,” friend Ellen Taafe wrote on Facebook after his death. “You are so very loved and never forgotten. I hope you get to spend all your days dancing and laughing until we see you again!!”

Jorge Reyes was a salesman at Gucci, where he was loved by customers and colleagues alike. The company even helped pay for his body to be flown back to Puerto Rico.

Jorge Reyes was buried June 17 near his family’s home in Guayama, Puerto Rico.

“I’m in disbelief you are no longer with us,” co-worker Marlon Reyes said. “You are and will always be an amazing person one of the most kindest warm hearted guys I’ve ever met. I will never forget you.”

“A beautiful soul has left this earth,” added Sam Gabriel.

Jorge Reyes was the first of the 49 Pulse victims to be remembered with a memorial service in Orlando.

More than 500 people turned out for Jorge Reyes’s funeral, including many who had never met him.

Guerrero and his partner, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, 32, were killed during the attack at Pulse nightclub.

Family and friends said Guerrero was passionate and filled a room with his energy. He and Leinonen loved to dance, which brought them to the club that night.

According to his cousin, Robert Guerrero, Juan came out to his family in 2016 and was afraid they wouldn’t accept him, but they accepted him and embraced his boyfriend as well.

“They were very accepting,” said Guerrero, 19. “As long as he was happy, they were OK with it.”

Guerrero said his cousin didn’t yet know what he wanted to study at UCF, but he was happy to be in school.

“He was always this amazing person (and) he was like a big brother to me,” he said of his cousin. “He was never the type to go out to parties. (He) would rather stay home and care for his niece and nephew.”

— San Antonio wins and extends the series.

— New York wins and becomes NBA champions.

That's it. It's one or the other. After 1,321 games — 1,230 in the regular season, 84 in the playoffs, six more in the play-in tournament and one between the Spurs and Knicks that decided the NBA Cup — it really is that simple. If Wembanyama and the Spurs win in San Antonio, the season lives for at least one more game. If the Knicks win, all that'll be left in this season will be a parade.

The Spurs trail the series 3-1 and Wembanyama understands the reality. Of the previous 38 teams that trailed 3-1 in the NBA Finals, 37 wound up watching the other team celebrate the title. And if that bit of history didn't look daunting enough, the Spurs will try to climb out of this 3-1 hole after the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history — wasting a 29-point lead in a Game 4 loss at New York.

“I think it’s going to go one of two ways,” Wembanyama said shortly after Wednesday's 107-106 loss in Game 4, a game where the Spurs were outscored 55-25 in the final 21 1/2 minutes. “One of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”

Thursday was an off day for the teams, at least in terms of formal practices. Both sides are scheduled to practice in San Antonio on Friday, and then Game 5 is there on Saturday night — with the Knicks one win away from what would be their first championship in 53 years.

New York won Games 1 and 2 of the finals in San Antonio — rallying from double-digit deficits in both games — to take command of the series. The Knicks, with a win Saturday, would become the first team since Houston in 1995 to go 3-0 on the Spurs' floor in a single postseason series.

“Our mentality has to be 0-0, the way it’s been,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said, repeating the mantra he's cited time and time again in this postseason run. “It has to be that way, and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset can really benefit us. There's nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet, not even close.”

It's common sense for the team with a 3-1 lead to hold off on celebrating. But in this case, there's also some truth to what Brunson is saying.

Yes, the 3-1 deficit has been proven to be virtually insurmountable in NBA history; the only team that successfully escaped its grip in the finals was LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, when they rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors for that title.

This series, however, isn't exactly a statistical runaway.

The Knicks have outscored the Spurs by a total of eight points over the four games. Shooting is basically even; the Knicks are at 44%, the Spurs at 43%. The Knicks have made 52 3-pointers, the Spurs 49. Free-throw percentage, Knicks 79%, Spurs 78%. The Knicks have three more rebounds and both teams have exactly 90 assists through four games.

“Just take this one game at a time,” said Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox, who took heavy criticism for electing to try a layup — which was blocked — in the final seconds of Game 4 instead of taking time off the clock with a one-point lead. “It obviously looks like a steep hill, but this is something that’s happened before. Take this thing one game at a time. We’ve been in a position to win all these games. We’ve been up double digits. We have to figure out what we need to do to be able to put some of these games away.”

It has been a baffling problem for the Spurs.

They led Game 1 by one with 1:51 left, then lost after the Knicks finished on an 11-0 run.

They had the ball in a tie game with 11 seconds left in Game 2, then lost after Wembanyama threw a pass that Stephon Castle never saw and became a turnover that led to Brunson's game-winning free throw.

And now, this — a 29-point lead wasted in Game 4, and they still led by one until Anunoby's tip-in with 2.1 seconds left.

"We have to try to put this behind us," Fox said.

If they don't, the Knicks' 53-year wait for a title could end Saturday night.

___

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

Gonzalez Cruz worked for UPS before he was killed in the Pulse nightclub attack on June 12, 2016. He was one of the youngest victims.

Friends said they remember Gonzalez-Cruz’s smile and described him as helpful and kind.

Gonzalez Cruz lived in South Africa before moving to Orlando and loved to travel, according to his Facebook page.

“Rest in peace,” a friend wrote in Spanish on his memorial page. “Everyone who knew you knew the wonderful person you were. We love you.”

His Facebook timeline is filled with fierce selfies and bright images of flowers.

“Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love that you have shown me regarding my son,” his mother said on Facebook. “As a mother, I feel a deep and immense pain as everyone else who is going through this.”

His family joined other victims’ families in calling for justice for their loved ones and demanding that lawmakers enforce stricter gun control laws.

“We want justice. We want justice for the 49 victims,” Sonia Cruz, Gonzalez Cruz’s aunt, said.

Fernández was killed in the June 12, 2016, shooting at Pulse nightclub, along with 48 other people.

A native of Puerto Rico, Fernández worked as a leasing agent at Auvers Village Apartments in Orlando.

“He was a dancer, choreographer and loved Beyonce. He was truly her number No. 1 fan,” friend Pedro Feliciano said.

When he wasn’t doing hair and makeup for others on the side, Fernández donned wigs and stilettos on the stage as Indara Valkayre performing at clubs like Parliament House in Orlando.

Leroy was very protective of his family and worked hard to take care of his mom, according to Feliciano.

“I personally miss his phone calls and our hour-long conversation just talking about life. His family and friends honor him by remembering the good times we all had,” Feliciano said.

He said there’s never a day that goes by that he doesn’t think about his friend.

“It’s crazy how a single song, moment or memory reminds me so much of him. He lives in me and that brings me comfort in knowing he is no longer physically with us,” said Feliciano.

Fernández was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he worked as a visual merchandiser for Forever 21, designing displays for the Orlando clothing store.

Velázquez studied at Inter American University in Puerto Rico and graduated from Josefina Barcelo High School there, according to his Facebook page.

Among family and friends in Puerto Rico, Velázquez was known for Jibaro folk dancing, according to his sister, Sheila De Jesus. “He was a very loved person.”

“I still can’t accept it,” Sheila De Jesus wrote on Facebook in Spanish two days after her brother’s death.

Friend Blanca Rivera remembers him as happy and outgoing, though she said he could be shy too. The two met in Puerto Rico in 2005.

“We didn’t have to talk every day. However, knowing Jimmy, it didn’t matter how long it’s been you have not talked to him, we were able to hit it off like it was yesterday,” Rivera said. “Jimmy was and will be in each of our hearts. Bad friends come and go. Jimmy always stayed.”

A Facebook friend remembered Martinez the day after he was killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016, by commenting on one of his photos.

Ahytysl Urdaneta Contreras said she was thankful to God for knowing Juan, someone she said was always willing to joyfully give to others without ever expecting anything in return.

Contreras called Martinez a “treasure,” a great young man who left his signature with all that he did, and inspired others through his music, advice and love for hair, makeup and decorating.

Martinez’s niece, Ashley Gonzalez, also remembered her uncle and the love the two shared for hair and makeup.

“The relationship we had was literally the best, saying ‘We were gonna work together to do makeup and hairstyles,” Gonzalez posted on Facebook with a picture of her uncle and her. “Man I was really hoping for that one day. Love you so much Tio.”

Martinez was from Huichapan, Mexico, but had been living in Davenport, according to his Facebook page.

His immediate family was still in Mexico when Martinez was killed during the shooting, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his niece.

With the help of more than 330 donations, Gonzalez raised more than $10,000 so Martinez’s parents could have a funeral for their son his home country of Mexico.

Contreras said Martinez might no longer be with his loved ones physically, but she is thankful she has the opportunity to share all that she learned from him – his passion for what he loved, his excitement to give and his ability to inspire – with others.

The Venezuelan native, who went by Simón Carrillo, was living in Kissimmee before he was killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting last June.

Friends described Carrillo as someone who was full of energy and had a special light about him. His family cherished him.

His sister, Ariani Carrillo, shared a picture of the two on Facebook and said, “My everything.” You could see the love the siblings shared for one another on their faces, a friend wrote under the photo.

Others who knew Carrillo left comments on pictures of him that were shared on Facebook after his death.

“Always with that smile,” a friend wrote on a picture that Carrillo’s brother shared of him.

Another comment said Carrillo was unlike any other friend.

“Why so beautiful?” Ashley Candelaria wrote in a picture comment. “A friend like you is not given twice in life.”

Carrillo was a manager at McDonald’s and adored by his co-workers, according to The Associated Press.

His co-workers set up a GoFundMe page for Carrillo and his partner, Oscar Aracena, who also was killed in the June 12, 2016, shooting.

Co-workers started the fundraiser to give money to the couple’s families and said their “work family” was shocked and saddened about the senseless mass shooting.

“Loved these guys so much. They made me feel so welcomed and I will never forget their amazing senses of humor and beautiful smiles,” a friend said.

One coworker told the Orlando Sentinel that Carrillo never forgot anyone’s birthday and would make a point to celebrate them by bringing cakes to work for them.

She also spoke about his love for traveling and said he and Aracena-Montero had just returned from a trip to Niagara Falls together.

Colleagues told the Sentinel that Carrillo was a leader who paid attention to detail and strove to be the best.

“He had to be the best, that was his thing. ‘I cook the best, I clean the best, I work the best,’” co-worker Ivonne Irizarry said.

Carrillo was preceded in death by his father, Simón Carrillo. He is survived by his mother, Digna Fernandez de Carrillo; three sisters, Aileen Carillo Fernandez, of Kissimmee, and Ariani and Adriana Carrillo, of Venezuela; and two brothers, Gustavo Cuevas, of Orlando, and Simon Francisco Carrillo, of Venezuela. ​

Candelario-Padró was from Guanica, Puerto Rico, and relocated to Florida from Illinois a few months before June 2016.

But for those who were friends with him told News 6 that he made an impact on their lives.

Maria Trejo, who worked with Candelario-Padró at the Illinois College of Optometry, said a year later she still gets a knot in her throat when she thinks of her friend.

“It still feels like yesterday when we found out, in a way,” Trejo said.

“I can say that Angel was always full of life and was able to put a smile on people’s faces even at times when things would get difficult for him,” Trejo said. “I remember him if not every day, almost every day by the pictures I have of him around me at work.”

Before moving to Florida, Candelario-Padró worked at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago for nearly two years.

He started with the university Aug. 8, 2014, as a customer service associate and then later as an ophthalmic technician in the Illinois Eye Institute before leaving on March 19, 2016, the university told News 6 in an email.

In an internal newsletter to students, faculty and staff the Illinois College of Optometry honored Candelario-Padró and recommended that colleagues and friends of his keep his memory alive by dancing, smiling and listening to music.

Candelario-Padró was set to begin a new job at the Florida Retina Institute days after the June 12, 2016, Pulse shooting in a field that he loved.

He was offered the position in early June, the Florida Retina Institute told News 6.

“Upon acceptance of the position, he expressed to me his excitement of making a fresh start with a new practice and gaining additional skills in the field of retinal ophthalmology,” the institute said in a statement.

“He would have been an excellent addition to our team of technicians and the FRI family.”

Candelario-Padró was also studying to obtain his nursing license, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Candelario-Padró loved music and dance. That passion fueled him to become a Zumba instructor.

The 26-year-old had just gotten back into Orlando on June 11 before heading to Pulse nightclub with his boyfriend, Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31. They both died together inside the club on the morning of June 12, along with 47 others.

Close friend, Marz Aponte, spoke to News 6 about Aracena a few weeks before the 1-year anniversary of his death.

“I still can’t believe he’s gone,” Aponte said. “Oscar was full of life. Loved his family and friends and always had a smile on his face no matter what.”

Aponte said Aracena had just moved in with his boyfriend to a house they had purchased in Kissimmee. He worked as a manager at McDonald’s and Aponte said he was always trying to better himself.

“He was so determined to do so much,” Aponte said. “He was a doll. Purchasing his new car at age 20.”

Aponte said Aracena spoke to his family back in the Dominican Republic all the time, especially his mother, who was granted a special visa to leave Santo Domingo and attend her son’s funeral.

“He was a caring young man, he had so much to give,” Aponte said. “He had such a radiant smile and a personality to match.”

Aponte described Aracena’s death as “such a loss to all of us who loved him.”

She prepared months in advance for birthdays and holidays, she loved spending time with her nieces and godchildren, and she would never turn down a friend in need.

“Her friends and her family meant everything to her,” her brother, Brian Alvear, said. “She just did everything for her friends.”

He called his sister a motivated and passionate young woman who liked to be in control.

“She was just ready for life. She had everything planned out,” Brian Alvear said.

Amanda Alvear Benabe was killed June 12, 2016, during the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. Her best friend, Mercedes Marisol Flores, was with her that night. Brian Alvear said the duo was part of a clique in high school called The Hyenaz.

“They would always make each other laugh. Everyone would see them laughing,” Brian Alvear said, adding that onlookers thought they looked like a group of laughing hyenas.

After graduating from Ridge Community High School, in Davenport, Amanda Alvear Benabe went on to attend Valencia College, where she learned the skills needed to work as a pharmacy technician.

Amanda Alvear planned to attend the University of South Florida so she could become a nurse and help deliver babies.

During her life, she inspired thousands of people by documenting her weight loss transformation on Instagram.

Her brother said she lost about 200 pounds after having gastric bypass surgery and was within 20 pounds of her goal weight before she died.

“I had no idea. It was very touching,” Brian Alvear said when he saw his sister’s impact on Instagram. “It fills me with pride that my little sister was such an amazing human being. She loved everyone.”

Amanda Alvear Benabe’s tragic death left her family scared and confused, but it also inspired them to prove that one man’s senseless act of hatred can’t overpower all the kindness, hope and goodwill in the world. That’s why they’re in the process of developing the Hugs Not Hate campaign.

Brian Alvear said they wanted to quell the fear sparked by the shooting, so a few days after his sister’s death, he began hugging strangers. The movement spread quickly and before he knew it, strangers across the globe were participating.

“It helped me a lot, because it kind of gave me a focus, and it helped me help my mom,” Brian Alvear said. “I didn’t think it would grow to this thing that it’s becoming, but I’m glad I got to do this for her.”

Brian Alvear said his mother, Mayra Alvear, was hit particularly hard by the tragedy and through the organization, she wants to make sure that no other victims of similar tragedies are forgotten.

“It’s not fair when these things happen. I always seen on TV, on the news, where the other towns, San Bernardino, when Aurora, when the Sandy Hook happened, you cry with them when these tragedies happen and then it touches you. It’s just awful. It’s just awful. It’s so much pain. it’s so much pain, but I want to do something about it. I want to do something about it,” Mayra Alvear said.

Brian Alvear said the campaign has helped him and his mother heal, and he thinks Amanda Alvear Benabe would appreciate being remembered in such a positive way.

“I hope she would just be happy and look at it as a positive, and I’m doing something that was pretty much how she lived her life, and I just want to keep that going in her honor.”

The separately ticketed experience runs select Friday and Saturday evenings from June 5 through Aug. 8.

The night begins with a welcome cocktail — or mocktail — during a beachside reception at Serenity Bay, where animal ambassadors from the park also make special appearances. Guests then move to Laguna Grill for an all-you-care-to-eat Caribbean-inspired buffet paired with a live performance featuring four acts inspired by Earth, Air, Water, and Fire — including aerialists and a dramatic fire knife finale, according to a news release.

“Paradise Nights adds a new dimension to Discovery Cove,” said Brad Gilmour, park president of Discovery Cove. “Guests spending the day with us can extend their visit into the evening with a memorable dinner and live entertainment experience, while those looking for a unique night out in Orlando can join us exclusively for Paradise Nights, no daytime admission required.”

Guests can check in as early as 6 p.m. and enjoy the evening until approximately 9 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets start at $117 for adults and $53 for children ages 3–9, with gratuity included. Children under 3 are free but require a reservation. An optional sloth encounter — limited to 10 guests per night — is available for $59 per person.

For more information, click here.

The FDA last month gave its first OK to fruit-flavored vapes — essentially endorsing them as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. The decision came despite the agency’s longstanding position that such flavors appeal to children and must show extra health benefits to warrant approval for adults.

Health groups and Washington lawmakers quickly condemned the decision and have called for an explanation.

A six-page FDA memo released this week provides more details about the agency's rationale. In it, FDA regulators appear to sidestep previous statements about the risks of sweet vaping flavors while acknowledging shortcomings in the data submitted by vape manufacturer Glas Inc.

To meet federal standards, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means demonstrating that their vapes help adult smokers switch or quit cigarettes, while not attracting underage use by teens.

Smokers who tried Glas vapes were much more likely to completely switch from cigarettes over the course of a three-month study, according to the memo.

But the data did not show “statistically significant differences” between adults using the company's mango and blueberry flavors and those using a tobacco-flavored e-cigarette.

That means the new vapes failed to meet the same bar as a handful of other flavored products previously sanctioned by the FDA, including menthol-flavored vapes from Juul and NJOY. Those companies showed that adults who used menthol were significantly more likely to cut down or quit cigarettes compared with those vaping tobacco flavors.

Elsewhere, FDA regulators explained that the Glas flavored vapes “did not have to demonstrate added adult benefit,” because young people were unlikely to use them. Glas requires users to unlock each e-cigarette with an age-verifying cellphone app.

The agency's authorization also runs counter to recent FDA guidelines advising companies that fruit and dessert flavors would have to meet “a high evidentiary burden" for adult use, given their risks to children. Tobacco-flavored products are not popular with teens and generally face lower regulatory hurdles at the FDA.

The FDA document is also unusual in its brevity.

Previous FDA memos on new vaping products typically run dozens of pages. For example, last year’s document authorizing Juul’s menthol e-cigarettes was more than 90 pages and included detailed scientific data from research involving 50,000 people.

The short memo on Glas does not include key details, such as how many smokers the firm studied.

Previously, the FDA almost always posted such memos immediately after announcing an authorization. The document on Glas appeared on the agency's website more than a month after regulators OK’d the products.

The agency has faced questions from members of Congress about the decision. Last month, 10 Democratic senators sent a letter to the agency requesting more information about the authorization, calling it a “shortsighted and reckless decision.”

The application from Glas, which also included menthol and tobacco-flavored vapes, followed a winding path to authorization. The small, Los Angeles-based company submitted a marketing request to the FDA in 2021.

In February, FDA scientists authorized several of the flavors. But that decision was blocked by a senior official reporting to then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, according to internal memos later released by the agency.

The mango- and blueberry-flavored products were finally OK’d during Makary’s last full week leading the agency. He resigned the post after months of criticisms from industry stakeholders, including tobacco companies that have lobbied President Donald Trump's Republican White House for looser regulations on vaping flavors.

A spokesperson for the company could not immediately provide comment when reached Thursday morning.

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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.

In May, Amazon deforestation was 61.4% lower than in the same month in 2025, according to officials from the National Institute for Space Research, or INPE, and the Ministry of Environment.

Still, 370 square kilometers (nearly 143 square miles) of the rainforest were cleared. Deforestation over the same period fell 12% in the Cerrado, a savanna in central Brazil that has long been under pressure from the powerful agribusiness sector.

Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco said that the figure is the lowest ever recorded for May, and that Brazil is on track to reach its lowest annual levels once the data is consolidated next semester.

He said that the month typically sees higher deforestation, because it marks the start of the Amazon’s dry season. In the 10 months from August 2025 to May 2026, deforestation in the Amazon already fell by 37.5%, compared with the same previous period.

On June 2, the Trump administration proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil, saying that the world’s 10th-biggest economy engages in trade practices that are “unreasonable” and that “burden or restrict U.S. commerce.” The announcement came after an investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that accused Brazil of illegal deforestation and unfair tariffs of its own, among other things.

Capobianco said that the deforestation figures “debunk the unfair and unfounded accusation by the United States, which cited deforestation to justify imposing tariffs.” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nodded as he listened to the remarks.

Lula said that the Trump administration lied when they first imposed additional tariffs on Brazil last year, saying that the U.S. had a trade deficit.

“And now they raised questions about deforestation. They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030. This is not a decision by any COP or by the United Nations. It is a decision of our government,” the Brazilian president said, using the acronym for U.N. climate conferences.

“It’s a matter of justice, of Brazil’s contribution to the planet, fulfilling our obligation to avoid deforestation as much as possible. Preventing deforestation benefits Brazil, benefits the Amazon and benefits the world,” he said.

Deforestation is the leading driver of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming.

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

After reaching record levels in the 1990s and 2000s, deforestation declined until the 2019-2022 term of then President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government was widely criticized for weakening environmental protections. Under Lula’s administration, deforestation has fallen again, reaching its lowest level in a decade last year.

Despite gains in keeping forest standing, however, many other threats, ranging from climate change to potential legislation on the horizon, are putting the forest at risk.

Forest degradation, driven by wildfires, logging and drought, affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. All of this could be exacerbated this year with a strong El Niño, a cyclic warming of the equatorial Pacific, which causes higher temperatures and drier weather in the rainforest, conditions that worsen wildfires.

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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.

Maybe it's the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America's leader.

But come closer and you'll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and shaped, with careful precision, like the MMA league's signature Octagon. That is, a STOP! sign flipped on its edge, with wire-mesh sides and padded corners fitted with different sponsors' logos: Morgan & Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, which identifies itself as the world’s largest prediction market.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.

Think more the four-sided, metal grabby thing that tries to grasp stuffed animals at a video arcade rather than what house cats have — hence the extraterrestrial vibes.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus people for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

‘Quite attractive to a lot of people’

For non-UFC fans, all of this might be disorienting under any circumstances. But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House's South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn and is contesting a lawsuit meant to block the event.

The White House says the UFC is covering the costs, though the filing states that seven agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration — have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”

Fighters, their entourages and assorted support staffers are expected to take over the driveway and part of the West Wing when they're not fighting. But they'll enter the arena via curtained-off walkways with access to the Octagon.

They, as well as ordinary attendees of Sunday's spectacle, will have picturesque views of the White House's Executive Residence and its storied Truman Balcony on one side and the Washington Monument towering in the distance on the other. All of it will be accentuated by swirling spotlights, and perhaps even sweat and blood pouring off the fighters pummeling each other.

A packed pre-event schedule includes a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial with UFC chief Dana White and the fighters on Friday night.

There's also a ceremonial weigh-in for combatants on Saturday at the Ellipse, a park near the White House where organizers expect 120,000-plus visitors to watch Sunday night's proceedings on large screens after winning free tickets in a lottery.

Stunt athlete Travis Pastrana is also set to do a potentially death-defying backflip on a dirt bike on the White House lawn as part of the preshow extravaganza.

Trump has called the Octagon and its Claw “quite attractive to a lot of people.” He's even suggested that maybe the temporary structure could become permanent, like the Eiffel Tower, which he notes was originally built as part of the 1889 World's Fair but then was never taken back down.

Only the president knows how serious that suggestion really is.

The fights will go on rain or shine — despite a lack of covering

Work on the arena began May 20 and has continued for weeks. During a walk-through for reporters on Thursday, construction noises — particularly sanding and hammering — could be heard. Giant cranes were carrying materials around overhead, though that was for the $400 million ballroom that Trump is building nearby, not the UFC fight.

The remaining grassy lawn around the arena, on the other sides of the White House, has been fitted with supplemental spotlights. But the grass that normally grows between the White House and the start of the risers for the arena is now gone, with nothing but dusty dirt that will need to be resodded when this is all over — unless the president really does decide to leave the arena up permanently.

There's also a large Freedom 250 logo standing between the White House and the arena. Nearby, crews removed the tables and yellow patio umbrellas from Trump’s refurbished Rose Garden and were power-washing that space, as well as the colonnade to the Oval Office, in preparation for the fights.

Sunday's event starts at 8 p.m. ET. As darkness falls, crews will illuminate The Claw in red, white and blue, and the mass of lights will offer projections that make it seem as though the entire structure has been enveloped in a twirling stars and stripes pattern.

The weather forecast calls for hot and muggy conditions with thunderstorms possible. The underside of The Claw's tower features an overhead cover that should keep the fighters reasonably dry should it rain — and Trump is also likely to watch from a protected, covered area.

But everyone else would almost certainly get wet.

White has vowed that even heavy lightning — when The Claw might make a conspicuous target for bolts — wouldn't stop the show.

“I don’t care if it snows," White said.

The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the new name for the race held outside Barcelona, won’t be staged in 2027 as it starts being held every two years.

“It is probably going to be my last Barcelona race in Formula 1,” the 44-year-old Alonso told reporters at the track on Thursday.

Alonso quickly added he was not announcing his retirement, but the fact that the next Barcelona race will be in 2028 made it less likely he will take part.

He said in the coming months he will think hard about whether he is willing to keep racing next season while Aston Martin gives him a car that struggles to get him even near the top.

“I don’t have anything in mind, and after the summer I will take the decision to continue or not,” the Spaniard said. “But Barcelona is not happening next year, and if I don’t know what I am doing next year it is near impossible to know what I will doing two years from now.

“Every race I go to could be my last.”

Alonso is an icon of Spanish sports thanks to his world championships in 2005 and 2006, and he has remained one of the series' best drivers, even though he has never had the car to match his skills for several years.

His last F1 victory, No. 32, came in 2013 at this track in Montmelo. Few racing fans would then have imagined that Alonso, who remained sharp behind a wheel, would not stand atop a podium again.

Still, tens of thousands of his fans flock to the Spanish race to cheer him on each year.

This season he has just one point and was 18th out of 22 drivers.

And while Alonso said he was “at peace” with his career, it hurt not to be competitive.

“The hardest thing is to not win races and not be competitive,” he said. “If (this season) is the last, it is not affecting me. I am at peace now with myself and my career. I achieved a lot more than I ever dreamt when I was a kid."

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

Governor’s race takes shape as Demings exits, running mate rumors for Jolly swirl

WATCH ABOVE @ 2:30-13:00

On the Democratic side, former Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has suspended his campaign after revealing he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The announcement removes one of the party’s highest-profile candidates from the race and leaves former Congressman David Jolly as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

At the same time, speculation is mounting over who could join Jolly on the ticket.

Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham has emerged as a potential running mate after she was publicly introduced as Jolly’s prospective lieutenant governor pick during a June 7 church service in Tallahassee. Graham attended the service with her husband, Steve Hurm, and was seated near Jolly senior adviser Gayle Andrews, fueling further speculation.

Despite the growing buzz, Jolly’s campaign has not confirmed any decision, saying only, “We don’t have anything to announce at this time.”

Graham is no stranger to statewide politics. The daughter of former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham previously sought the governor’s mansion herself in 2018 but lost the Democratic primary to Andrew Gillum.

Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Congressman Byron Donalds continues to project confidence as he works to secure his party’s nomination.

Donalds says he is unconcerned by continued criticism from Governor Ron DeSantis and the governor’s refusal to endorse him. Donalds suggested lingering tensions may stem from the 2024 presidential race, when he backed President Donald Trump instead of DeSantis.

Even so, Donalds has praised DeSantis’ record in office, arguing that the administration’s accomplishments speak for themselves.

The congressman also points to polling that he says shows him approaching fifty percent support among Republican primary voters, a sign he believes his campaign is gaining momentum.

Following Demings’ withdrawal from the race, Donalds wasted little time framing the contest as a two-person battle. In a post on X, he declared that “the general election starts today” and argued that the contrast between himself and Jolly “could not be more stark.”

With the Democratic field narrowing and Republicans beginning to sharpen their message, Florida’s 2026 governor’s race is entering a new phase — one that could soon feature a finalized Democratic ticket and an increasingly heated showdown between the state’s leading contenders.

Property tax proposal raises questions

WATCH ABOVE @ 13:25 - 19:40

Another major topic on this week’s episode is Governor DeSantis’ proposed constitutional amendment aimed at dramatically expanding Florida’s homestead exemption.

Under the proposal, the homestead exemption would increase to $150,000 in 2027 before rising again to $250,000 in 2028. While schools would be shielded from the revenue impacts, local governments would not.

County governments, cities, and special districts could face significant reductions in property tax revenue, prompting warnings from local officials, fiscal analysts, and lawmakers.

Critics argue the proposal could strain local government budgets, threaten funding for public services, and create uncertainty surrounding local bond repayment obligations.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano has expressed concern that the proposal does not address outstanding bond debt, while House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell warns local governments could ultimately be forced to reduce services.

Municipal bond analyst John Mousseau has also cautioned that credit-rating agencies may view the proposal negatively if it weakens local governments’ financial outlook.

Legal challenges may be ahead

Beyond fiscal concerns, questions remain about whether the proposal can withstand legal scrutiny.

Former state senator Jeff Brandes argues the measure raises several constitutional and legal issues, including ballot language concerns, equal protection questions, constitutional uniformity requirements, home rule authority, and potential unfunded mandates.

State Rep. Toby Overdorf notes that because the proposal is a constitutional amendment rather than a traditional bill, it follows a different legal path.

No lawsuits have been filed so far, but many observers expect legal challenges once the proposal advances.

Under Florida law, any challenge to the ballot language of a legislatively referred constitutional amendment must be filed within 30 days after it is submitted to the Secretary of State. The proposal was released May 27.

If a court determines there are problems with the ballot language, the Attorney General would have the authority to revise the wording before voters see it on the ballot.

Redistricting case could have major consequences

WATCH ABOVE @ 19:45- 22:00

The podcast also examines a potentially landmark court fight over Florida’s congressional map.

Attorneys representing the Florida House are opposing efforts to block the state’s current congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Their argument centers on whether Florida’s voter-approved Fair Districts Amendment conflicts with more recent federal court rulings involving race-based redistricting.

Approved by voters in 2010, the Fair Districts Amendment prohibits both partisan and racial gerrymandering.

If the Florida Supreme Court ultimately agrees with House attorneys and invalidates the amendment, the consequences could extend far beyond congressional districts. Legal experts say such a ruling could open the door to mid-decade redistricting of Florida House and Senate districts as well.

Voting-rights groups and Democratic attorneys maintain that the amendment remains valid and argue broader constitutional questions should be addressed after the upcoming election cycle.

Republican lawmakers and state attorneys have already filed briefs ahead of an expected Florida Supreme Court ruling.

Opponents of the current congressional map contend it violates the Fair Districts Amendment and could help Republicans gain as many as four additional seats in Florida’s congressional delegation.

In one of the most closely watched developments in the case, attorneys representing the Republican-led House recently asked the court to declare the Fair Districts Amendment unconstitutional in its entirety.

With the governor’s race beginning to crystallize, a property tax proposal generating intense debate, and a redistricting battle carrying statewide implications, Florida’s political landscape is poised for a consequential and potentially historic year.

SpaceX is likely to become the biggest IPO ever, with proceeds of around $75 billion. SpaceX hopes to become the first company to send people to Mars. In fact, part of Musk’s future compensation depends on SpaceX eventually establishing a colony of at least 1 million people on the red planet.

Why SpaceX is going public now

In a video conference on Musk's social media platform X, he told JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon that people have suggested for the last 10 years that he take SpaceX public. He's doing it now because the company plans to put 100,000 next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. Deploying AI data centers in space is a “massive new growth base and you need capital for that,” he said.

Going public provides access to the capital that SpaceX needs. But it also exposes it to more scrutiny from shareholders and more regulatory oversight. That includes filing quarterly financial reports, which critics say incentivizes short-term thinking over longer-term planning and creates unnecessary costs for a company. Securities regulators are currently soliciting public comment on a proposal to require public companies to file the financial reports only twice every year.

How the IPO impacts the company

Musk will hold the majority of a special class of shares, giving him control over decisions related to company strategy, finances and personnel. On the latter, because of his ownership of most of these Class B shares, the only person who can fire Musk as CEO ... is Musk.

The company credits Musk with being the “driving force” behind its growth, innovation and success. But what happens if Musk is no longer in the picture? SpaceX warns that the loss of Musk could disrupt its ability to execute its strategy as well as hurt its “reputation and relationships with customers, partners and other stakeholders.”

The company also warns that finding a replacement with the same skills and experience as Musk would be time-consuming, if not nearly impossible. As Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote Wednesday, “At the end of the day Musk is SpaceX and SpaceX is Musk.”

Some big investors are unhappy. Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying some of the provisions in its IPO, including the “super voting shares,” mandatory arbitration of shareholder claims instead of the possibility of lawsuits and how much power Musk will hold over the company.

They said they could become owners of SpaceX stock because they hold index funds, which automatically buy stocks after they get included in certain indexes.

What could make or break SpaceX

Currently in the test phase, the gigantic reusable Starship rocket is key to SpaceX realizing Musk's ambitions. Much of the commercial space business hinges on SpaceX developing Starship’s capability to be fully reusable and hearty enough for a quick turnaround between flights. If that doesn't happen, SpaceX warns that putting data centers and satellites in space will take longer and cost more money, meaning it risks customers bailing on the company.

Analysts say that by pioneering reusable rockets, SpaceX has established a clear lead on competitors such as Blue Origin, led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Starlink satellite business competes with, among others, AST SpaceMobile – which is relying on a SpaceX rocket to send its latest generation of satellites into orbit next week.

The prospectus filed last week says SpaceX’s biggest potential market is the sale of business-oriented artificial intelligence products designed to transform how people get work done. It’s an opportunity SpaceX predicts would be worth $22.7 trillion if it could somehow dominate rivals like Anthropic, OpenAI and Microsoft in a highly competitive industry. But the prospectus shows no clear path to profitability for the xAI business, which merged with SpaceX earlier this year.

Why Wall Street is paying attention

If the SpaceX IPO is as successful, the stock could quickly join the Nasdaq 100, a widely followed index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies in the composite. That's important because some popular funds, such as the $460 billion QQQ exchange-traded fund, mimic the index and will automatically buy whatever is listed in the index.

Nasdaq recently changed its rules to allow select companies to enter the Nasdaq 100 after just 15 trading days.

S&P Dow Jones Indices, on the other hand, is sticking to established and more traditional thresholds that will not allow SpaceX or other companies with gargantuan IPOs faster entry into its S&P 500 index. That means even high-profile companies will still need to wait for their stocks to trade a full 12 months before they can enter the index.

Companies want to be in the S&P 500 in particular because it's arguably the most important index on Wall Street, with trillions of dollars either mimicking it exactly or benchmarked against it. Vanguard's VOO fund that tracks the S&P 500 has roughly $950 billion invested in it, for example.

Leo issued an impassioned plea to recognize the dignity of migrants from the port of Arguineguín, in the Canary Islands. In 2020, the port was dubbed “dock of shame” because of the squalid conditions migrants were forced to live in for months during a spike in arrivals.

“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,” Leo said, with rescue ships docked behind him and a simple wooden cross made from a shipwrecked migrant boat nearby.

Leo is spending the final two days of his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.

He is fulfilling a wish of Pope Francis to visit the islands to commemorate the thousands of lives lost at sea.

With two migrants standing by him, Leo threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea. The gesture recalled one Francis made in 2013, at the start of his pontificate, when he visited another migration flashpoint in Lampedusa, Sicily and denounced the “globalization of indifference” that the world showed migrants.

A visit to the ‘dock of shame’

The Canary Islands have long been a stepping stone for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa and Morocco. Some experts consider the Atlantic route they take to get here more deadly than the more well-known central Mediterranean smuggling route from Libya and Tunisia to Italy.

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked in 2024 at nearly 47,000. Following pressure and deals between the European Union, Spain and the governments of several West African nations, arrivals have fallen dramatically, with just over 3,000 people landing there in the first five months of 2026.

Upon his arrival, Leo went straight to the port in Arguineguín, where in 2020 arrivals reached such numbers that migrants were forced to sleep on the dock in makeshift camps in the open air.

Many spent weeks just a blanket and no showers. Potential asylum seekers had no proper access to legal advice and some people were held for weeks, much longer than the three days that the law allowed. The ombudsman later forced the government to shutter the makeshift camp and relocate the migrants in hotels that had been emptied by COVID-19.

A challenge to uphold dignity

At the port on Thursday, Leo sat under a shaded platform while a fierce midday sun baked down on the migrants and aid workers. He heard testimonies from rescue workers, humanitarian workers and the personal story of a Nigerian victim of human trafficking. Nearby a banner, recalling the port's former nickname, rebaptized it “Dock of Hope.”

“Dear migrants, before saying anything else to you, I want to bow before your dignity,” Leo said to them, bowing his head slightly.

Addressing the Nigerian woman and other women who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution, Leo assured them: “If others have put a price on your body, know that God has never ceased to recognize your inestimable worth,” he said.

He urged countries of origin to create the security and economic conditions so people are not forced to flee, and for transit countries to protect migrants so they don’t fall prey to smugglers. And he appealed to the “conscience of Europe, which cannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming unmarked graves.”

In one of the most powerful speeches of his pontificate, dedicated entirely to migration, Leo listed the rights of migrants to flee or remain. But he didn't mention the right of nations to control their borders or limit asylum requests as he has done in the past. And significantly, he insisted that if one is Christian, one cannot ignore the plight of migrants.

“May history not accuse us of turning the pain of those who suffer into a common sight along our shores,” he said. “Today, here by the sea, every individual that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity. Sooner or later, it will be known whether we protected life or whether we yielded to indifference.”

Among the migrants waiting for Leo was Mame Amandou Neang, a 56-year-old who arrived in the Arguineguín port from Senegal earlier this year.

“This is a great honor,” said Neang. “We hope that if we see him, all our problems will stay behind us, we will forget our problems, because we have many things to forget for the moment.”

The International Organization of Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded some 6,600 deaths on the Atlantic route from West Africa since it began keeping record in 2014. But it admits their estimate is a vast undercount due to the lack of information on the route and the phenomenon of “invisible shipwrecks.”

Since 2020, Spanish migrants rights group Walking Borders estimates more than 25,000 dead or missing trying to reach the Canary Islands.

Leo follows in Francis' footsteps in prioritizing migrants

Francis had made the plight of refugees a hallmark of his papacy, following the Gospel mandate to “welcome the stranger.”

Leo has followed suit, insisting especially on the dignity of migrants in his native United States amid the Trump administration’s crackdown and mass deportation program.

Next month, on July 4, the American pope will spend U.S. Independence Day on the island of Lampedusa, where Francis in 2013 first denounced the “globalization of indifference” the world shows migrants.

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Winfield reported from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Brito contributed from Barcelona, Spain.

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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.

“Did you realize that none of the characters look like our children?” he asked his wife, Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth.

Instead of simply pointing out the problem, the couple set out to change it. That observation eventually led to “Gracie’s Corner,” the educational music series inspired by their daughter Graceyn Hollingsworth that has attracted more than 6.3 million YouTube subscribers and nearly 10 billion views.

Now, “Gracie’s Corner” is headed to Disney+.

Disney announced Thursday that it has acquired the global streaming rights to the popular preschool series and will develop new original content with the Hollingsworth family. The deal includes global linear and streaming rights to more than 120 shorts and 18 themed compilations from the existing series.

Graceyn, 13, said she was “really ecstatic” when she learned Disney would become part of the show's next chapter.

“Disney, Disney. The one that makes all the princess movies and everything,” she recalled thinking. “It was really surprising.”

When will ‘Gracie’s Corner' premiere on Disney+?

“Gracie’s Corner” will debut Monday on Disney+ in the United States and select international markets, with 68 shorts and seven compilations available at launch. Additional shorts and compilations will roll out globally through 2026.

The acquisition adds “Gracie’s Corner” to Disney Jr.’s preschool lineup, which includes “Bluey,” “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “SuperKitties” and the recently launched “Sofia the First: Royal Magic.”

“‘Gracie’s Corner’ has made a real connection with families by meeting kids where they are, while still delivering the kind of joyful, enriching experience parents are looking for,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “It feels very at home alongside the Disney characters and stories families already love, bringing together music, learning and participation in a way that really resonates with today’s preschoolers.”

The inspiration for ‘Gracie’s Corner'

The journey began in 2020 when the Hollingsworths, both university professors, were juggling virtual work and parenting from home during the early days of COVID-19. Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth, a licensed clinical psychologist, and her husband were teaching classes remotely while helping their children navigate online learning.

Like many parents, they relied on educational videos to keep their children entertained and engaged. But they quickly realized many of the characters their children watched did not reflect their own experiences.

At the time, Graceyn was in elementary school. The couple’s younger children were toddlers.

“We were like every other parent, putting them in front of what we could to entertain them,” Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth said.

The conversation sparked an idea that would eventually become a family business.

Sing-along show blends hip-hop, R&B and learning

The Hollingsworths created “Gracie’s Corner,” an animated sing-along series that reimagines nursery rhymes while blending literacy, math, science and social-emotional lessons with music inspired by hip-hop, R&B and other contemporary sounds. It features animated versions of Graceyn and her family. The show is designed to provide educational content that children can enjoy while also giving parents something they won't mind hearing repeatedly.

Success did not come overnight.

The family’s earliest videos attracted only a few hundred views, mostly from relatives and friends. But a phonics-focused song helped the channel gain traction, eventually transforming the project into one of YouTube’s most successful educational brands.

“It didn't always look like it would be successful in the beginning,” Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth said. “What we set out to do, we’re seeing it’s important for other families too.”

The channel’s growth eventually attracted attention from across the entertainment industry including Disney.

Javoris Hollingsworth recalled receiving a LinkedIn message several years ago from a Disney executive expressing interest in the series.

“I thought it was a prank,” he said. “There’s no way Disney is reaching out to us.”

The partnership marks another milestone for a family-built brand that has won four NAACP Image Awards, landed a book deal with HarperCollins and expanded into live entertainment through its sold-out national tour.

Why ‘Gracie’s Corner' appealed to Disney

For Disney, the deal also reflects the growing influence of creator-led programming in children’s entertainment and the ways young audiences increasingly discover content outside traditional television channels.

“Disney has always created stories and characters that families trust, and kids genuinely connect with,” Davis said. “As the ways preschool audiences engage with content continue to evolve, we see an opportunity to work with creators who understand the kinds of music-driven, participatory experiences kids return to again and again, and bring those voices into the Disney ecosystem in a way that is thoughtful, curated and true to our brand.”

Unlike many traditional acquisitions, “Gracie’s Corner” will continue to live on YouTube while expanding to Disney’s platforms.

Javoris Hollingsworth said maintaining ownership of the brand and ensuring its accessibility were important considerations as discussions moved forward. The arrangement also includes a development agreement that will allow Disney and the Hollingsworth family to create new original content together.

“We always wanted to make sure that our content is accessible and available to those who may not have access to some of the things that others have,” he said. “Disney respected that.”

In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn't elaborate on what those are.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, jointly owned by Canada and Michigan, was expected to open to traffic later this month. But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president's many salvos over cross-border trade issues.

Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge after Trump's post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

But internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.

Michigan and Canadian officials stress the bridge will still open

Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hinted Wednesday that the opening could be delayed, while downplaying any concerns.

“There is no big drama. If it takes a little longer it will take a little bit longer, but this will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists, residents for decades and decades to come,” Carney said on his way into Parliament.

Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.

The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, would be a vital economic artery between Canada and the United States. It is named after the late Canadian hockey great, who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.

Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage. She had expected to qualify for a medical frailty exemption, but new guidance introduced by President Donald Trump's administration last week has thrown that into question.

The interim final rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services means being sick with extreme exhaustion and memory challenges related to her treatments may not be enough for Brandon to evade the new work requirements. She will have to attest and later prove that those symptoms “significantly impair” her ability to fulfill the mandates.

If the government doesn’t accept her case, she could lose her coverage and the twice-monthly maintenance chemotherapy that keeps her multiple myeloma in remission. Working is “outside of the realm of possibility for me,” she said in an interview.

“I was always a push-through-it person — you know, ‘Oh, you’re tired. Push through,’” Brandon said. “It’s hard to explain to people you can’t push through it.”

Health analysts have sounded the alarm about the Republican Trump administration’s newest guidance, which differs from what states had been expecting. Experts said it will put more Americans at risk of losing health insurance and force states to scramble in their already harried efforts to implement the changes on time.

“This will mean more paperwork for Medicaid patients — specifically for the sickest Medicaid patients,” said Adrianna McIntyre, a professor at Harvard University’s school of public health. That, she said, "is going to push in the direction of more people needlessly losing coverage.”

Medical frailty rules may mean paperwork nightmares for sick people

The new Medicaid restrictions, which Democrats have criticized, were part of Trump’s big tax and policy law in 2025. The change affects those covered through an expansion in most states that gave more lower-income people access to the government’s safety net healthcare program.

Expansion enrollees age 19 to 64 will have to show that they work or do community service at least 80 hours a month or are in school at least half the time. There are exceptions for those considered medically frail or in addiction treatment programs, among others.

Last week’s announcement from CMS caught states off guard with a new definition of medical frailty. The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions. But the CMS rule went further, saying someone’s condition must “significantly impair” their ability to work, volunteer or attend school at the rates required in the law for them to be granted an exemption.

In 2027 and once in 2028, the patient can attest that they meet this definition. But when they try to renew coverage in 2028, they’ll need to prove it.

Advocates said it is unclear what kind of documentation could prove that point. They said doctor notes may be required — something some providers don’t feel comfortable writing. Medicaid enrollees fighting disease may carry the bureaucratic burden.

Brandon, who tried to prove she couldn’t work to access disability benefits during her active cancer treatment and failed, said she’s worried about the hoops she and other patients may need to jump through.

“It’s not that easy — you may have to go through four doctors,” Brandon said. “If you’re already battling an illness like this, you don’t have the physical or the mental or the emotional energy to do that all the time.”

States and advocates are confused by the government's approach

States have been planning to use Medicaid claims data and other data sources to automatically exempt eligible enrollees whenever possible.

On a call with reporters last week, the CMS administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, endorsed that approach, saying he hoped most people would be helped "without ever having to talk to anybody.”

Asked to clarify how the rule should be implemented, the agency told The Associated Press in an email that it “chose not to allow states to categorically exclude individuals from work requirements based solely on a diagnosis or condition type.” For renewal in 2028, it said, “verification through claims data or other documentation will generally be required.”

But state Medicaid officials and consultants said Medicaid claims data doesn’t prove someone is significantly impaired from working, and they don’t know of any existing data that does. That has left them confused about how to honor the government's rule.

“States are going to be asked to make a determination using information that doesn’t exist in their systems,” said Kinda Serafi, a partner at the legal and consulting firm Manatt Health who is working with states to make the changes.

One state, Nebraska, started the new Medicaid work requirements ahead of schedule. But it used diagnostic codes to identify people who are medically frail, and therefore will likely have to rework its system, said Sarah Maresh, healthcare access program director at the advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed.

Maresh said she was concerned doctors in the rural state who are already reluctant to take Medicaid patients may stop.

“They’re already drowning in paperwork, so to require them to do an additional step of certifying whether someone is able to work, I think is concerning,” she said.

Preparing for the Jan. 1 kickoff of the new policies is an immense and expensive task. A $200 million federal allotment is flowing to states to help, and CMS has partnered with technology companies to provide free and discounted services, but the tab for the additional technology requirements and more staff is likely to exceed $1 billion, according to an AP analysis. That extra cost will be borne by a mix of federal and state tax dollars.

Republicans say the rules will save Medicaid for those who need it most

Democrats have slammed the Medicaid work requirements as attacks on healthcare coverage for struggling Americans.

Republicans promoting the new rules, though, say they are commonsense measures to eliminate government freeloading and preserve benefits for people who need them most. Oz last week, citing a report by the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, said able-bodied people on Medicaid spend an average of 6.1 hours a day “watching TV or just hanging out.”

“This is a concern, not a criticism,” he said. “Work requirements are going to turn this around, we hope."

Current enrollees who don’t meet the work requirement threshold said that’s a misrepresentation of their experience.

Mids Meinberg, a 42-year-old freelance writer from New Jersey who lives with chronic depression and diabetes, said that even with his health issues, he’s proud to have found a meaningful career. But his conditions make him unable to work 80 hours a month. He said he thinks there are many people with disabilities who are “too disabled to work but not disabled enough for the state to think they can’t work.”

Brandon, in North Carolina, said she wants the government to understand that she’s “not just sitting around wasting time or being a drain on society.”

“I’m pouring into my grandchildren,” she said. “We’re valuable, and we can still contribute to our communities even if it’s not working.”

• SpaceX’s IPO is expected to be one of the largest public offerings in history.
• Even investors who don’t buy IPO shares directly may gain exposure through retirement accounts.
• Financial experts caution that excitement surrounding SpaceX and other AI-related companies could be a sign of growing market speculation.

The long-awaited SpaceX initial public offering is set to begin trading on Friday, giving everyday investors their first opportunity to buy shares in Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite, and AI company.,

But while many investors are eager to get a piece of the company behind Falcon rockets, Starship, Starlink satellites, and Grok, financial experts warn that enthusiasm can sometimes cloud good judgment.

The IPO could also have implications far beyond those who choose to buy shares directly, as recent changes by major stock indexes could allow SpaceX to quickly become part of some retirement portfolios and index funds. Translation: millions of Americans may soon own a stake in the company without ever placing a trade themselves.

We spoke with CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger about the hype surrounding the SpaceX IPO, what it could mean for retirement savers, and why investors should be careful not to let excitement override their long-term financial plans.

Here’s the full transcript of our interview:

WKMG-TV:

SpaceX goes public this week as Elon Musk sells off a piece of the company to the public. And shares will start trading on the Nasdaq exchange. CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger is here to break down what is likely to be the biggest initial public offering in history.

Jill, Friday is going to be busy. Investors are scrambling to get a piece of the SpaceX IPO. What’s your advice to them?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, look like any risky venture we’re talking about a stock or crypto, maybe an investment in your friend or small business, the best way to protect yourself, but also to participate is to limit the amount you purchase to just a fraction of your overall investments, maybe 5% or less.

Let’s remember this is a company that’s currently operating at a loss. It’s a big bet on Elon Musk, and something could go wrong here. Let’s not make it too big of a wager in your own personal financial life.

WKMG-TV:

Now, Jill, this is something I found really interesting. What does this mean for the average person who has a 401 K?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, even if you don’t want to buy shares through the IPO or you can’t, SpaceX may soon be available inside your retirement account.

Last month, the Nasdaq and the Russell Indexes announced that they were making rule and methodology changes which would allow SpaceX to be included in its indexes. Now, that is very strange because this can happen within weeks of the deal.

Well, in the past, when you have a newly public company, they’d have to wait a year before getting included in an index.

Now there is one holdout. If you’re somebody who uses Standard and Poor’s funds like the S&P 500 index, S&P said they are not changing their criteria. SpaceX will not be in an S&P fund until at least mid-2027.

WKMG-TV:

And Jill, what does this deal signal about the current market?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, listen, if you look at SpaceX and you say, " =Wow", this is a company that’s targeting a valuation of $1.8 trillion and that is happening even though they’re unprofitable, it tells you that there are a lot of investors out there who were paying up for potential growth.

So, I mean, I’m just wondering if you look at this IPO, future deals for Anthropic and OpenAI, these are just massive deals without any precedent. So when I see that, I look at big risk-taking, loosening of listing and index standards, tons of enthusiasm for an innovation might be that everything’s fine, but it also could be a sign of an overheated market.

Now, in the past, we’ve seen overheated markets continue for months and sometimes years. But we also know they can end badly. So just be careful here. Stick to your game plan. Don’t get too excited on the way up so that you’re not too disappointed on the way down.

WKMG-TV:

Jill, great advice. Thank you so much.

You can see Jill regularly on CBS Mornings and the CBS Evening News. For more analysis, go to JillOnMoney.com.

The billionaire owner of the Head sports goods business lost a 65-64 vote to Alexander Ospelt, a lawyer from Liechtenstein who got a four-year term to lead the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

Eliasch also loses his membership of the International Olympic Committee, one of the most exclusive clubs in world sport. The 100-plus invited members include royal family members, former government leaders, industrialists, sports officials, athletes and Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.

In his concession speech, Eliasch aimed an allegation at the Olympic body and urged FIS to protect its independence before congratulating Ospelt.

“The IOC tried to influence the outcome of today’s vote. Against this we must stay firm,” Eliasch said.

He also stood in the IOC presidential election won by Kirsty Coventry 15 months ago.

In a statement on Thursday, the IOC congratulated Ospelt on his win without directly addressing Eliasch's claim, adding: “We thank Mr. Johan Eliasch for his work as FIS president and IOC member.”

The FIS congress in the Serbian capital Belgrade started with shows of power by 75 member federations; the votes hinted at problems ahead for Eliasch.

The agenda was changed on an 88% vote to bring the presidential election forward as the first item of business. The weighted voting used by FIS gives two or three votes to established ski nations instead of a one-member-one-vote system by other federations such as soccer body FIFA.

Then there was a 60% vote to use paper ballots instead of electronic voting, which seemed to reflect some mistrust in the FIS administration.

The 64-year-old Eliasch served as FIS president for five years that were marked by constant sparring with ski nations including Austria and Switzerland over issues such as his management style and spending of the ski body's cash reserves.

A dual citizen of Sweden and Britain, Eliasch was not supported by either of those national federations to stand for re-election. He complied with FIS rules by getting a passport and nomination from the country of Georgia.

The new president

FIS rules mean Ospelt becomes president officially one day after the election, leaving Eliasch to oversee the rest of the congress business of what was now his last day in office.

“It’s been a great privilege to serve you,” said the outgoing president, who had said the election would be a win-win as he could “get my life back” if he lost. “Either way I am very happy.”

Ospelt, who has been a member of the Eliasch-chaired FIS council, said he would start his new job with “great joy and humility.”

“I will be the president for all of you. Let’s be united,” he said.

Ospelt does not immediately become an IOC member, though he would probably be invited to join as head of the sports body that oversees about half of the medal events at each Winter Olympics.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front. The image was rejected during FIFA’s approval process.

Saeta said in a statement Wednesday that it would comply with the ban even though the design “was not intended as a political statement,” but rather as a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.”

The jersey featured blue to mirror the sea and red for the nation's “strength and passion,” the sportswear maker said. Players wore the now-banned jersey in a warmup match against Peru last week. The original design was currently marked as sold out on the SaetaUSA online shop.

Similarly, the International Olympic Committee required the removal of an image of Haitian founding father Toussaint Louverture from Haiti’s opening ceremony uniforms for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, ruling that it violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism.

Haiti gained independence in 1804 and is widely regarded as the world’s first independent nation founded by formerly enslaved people after a successful slave revolt.

Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, who designed the Olympic uniforms, came up with a creative solution: Painting over the figure, leaving just a horse against the background of tropical foliage. The designs were so much in demand that Jean later created a production version featuring the original Louverture image.

“Either way, Haiti has to be setting a record: Two rebukes from the highest international sports authorities in just a few months,” Jean told The Associated Press on Thursday.

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

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

How the new investigation started

FDLE agents opened the investigation in February after Altamonte Springs Police flagged a digital file found on Valdez’s cell phone showing the sexual abuse of children. Agents say they went on to find several video files depicting child sexual abuse — including videos showing children as young as 3 years old.

The alleged school stabbing plot

The new charges pile onto an already serious case.

Investigators say Valdez and co-defendant Lois Lippert planned to stab a boy in a bathroom at Lake Brantley High School. Prosecutors say Valdez told investigators she had been planning the attack for months and was obsessed with deceased Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza. She allegedly planned to target a student she said resembled him.

The plot was only stopped on the day of the alleged attack after an anonymous tip reached authorities.

Court documents say Lippert helped Valdez sharpen the knife in a school bathroom and tested its sharpness against her own skin and Valdez’s shirt.

From laughing on camera to ‘I’m not the same girl’

Minutes after their arrest, patrol car video captured both girls laughing together.

Months later, Valdez’s tone has changed — at least on paper.

In a letter sent to the judge and filed this week with the Seminole County Clerk of Court, she writes: “I’m very remorseful for my actions.”

She also tells the judge that when she was first detained, she started acting “recklessly and edgy” and made “everything sound worse than it was” because she wanted help.

The letter closes with a direct appeal for sympathy: “I’ve been thinking about my life and my choices. I’m not the same girl.”

When they arrived in the parking lot, the officer arrested the husband on a bogus charge, said his wife, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity for her and her 48-year-old husband because she didn’t want to risk being detained as well or put either of their pending asylum cases at risk.

“He told us he was issuing a ticket because the dog had bitten him, but that wasn’t true because the officer never got out of the car,” she said. “He started making calls, arrested him, and waited 40 minutes” for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to arrive and take her husband away.

Trump’s immigration crackdown has met with fierce resistance in Democratic-led sanctuary cities, where police are forbidden from assisting, elected officials have pushed back and local residents have tried to defend their migrant neighbors by whistling the alarm, recording cellphone videos and berating the masked federal agents viewed by many as an invading force.

That hasn’t been the case in Republican-led Florida, though, where 347 state and local agencies have signed on to take part in the crackdown and unleashed a flood of immigration arrests. Among them are police and sheriff’s departments, the Florida National Guard and the Highway Patrol, but also ones as seemingly unlikely as the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Lottery.

The surge in Florida immigration arrests during Trump’s second term has largely flown under the public’s radar, as many start as run-of-the-mill police traffic stops, the public seems more supportive of the initiative, and participating state and local agencies are roundly rejecting requests for arrest records and body camera video at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security.

Immigration arrests more than triple

Nearly 39,000 immigrants were arrested in Florida in the 416 days beginning Jan. 20, 2025 — the start of President Donald Trump’s second term — through March 11, 2026, the last day for which data was available in a set provided to the University of California, Berkeley’s, Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the AP. During the preceding 416 days of the Biden administration, there were 11,088. On average, Florida recorded 93 daily arrests during that Trump-led period, trailing only the 239 recorded by Texas, which shares the nation’s longest border with Mexico.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed Florida’s push to partner with ICE through so-called 287(g) agreements, which bestow immigration enforcement powers on state and local law enforcement agencies, allowing them to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for possible deportation. And they are under pressure to deliver, experts say.

“There’s a lot of officers who have been deputized, given immigration authority, and they are just looking for people,” said immigration attorney Vilerka Bilbao, who represents at least 23 clients detained by local police in the Jacksonville area. “They are arresting anybody — they need to show the numbers to DeSantis and the federal government.”

Officers stop vehicles for a “pretext reason” — such as a broken taillight or overly dark window tint — “and then you end up in ICE custody,” Bilbao said.

A father and son are deported

On Feb. 15, Lee County sheriff’s deputies detained a 44-year-old Guatemalan man and his 21-year-old son on the outskirts of Fort Myers. They approached the two in a store parking lot, told them their license plate was expired and ordered them out of their car even though its tags were valid until March 25, according to the older man’s wife and younger man’s mother.

The woman, a 40-year-old Guatemalan asylum-seeker who spoke on condition of anonymity for herself and her family over concerns for her safety and the safety of her three kids still with her in Florida, said her husband and adult son were detained and deported to Guatemala a week later, leaving behind her, her two underage sons and her daughter, who is an American citizen.

She said her husband and adult son had pending immigration court cases but were detained anyway. Her husband had attended three immigration court hearings but missed one because it was in Miami, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of Fort Myers, and he didn’t have the money to get there, she said. Her son, meanwhile, was seeking asylum, had a valid driver’s license and a work permit.

DHS disputes that the man and his son were legally in the U.S., saying they crossed the border illegally in 2017 and had a final order of removal from 2019.

In the case of the man walking his dog, DHS said he was arrested because he had two final orders of removal.

A test of Florida’s Sunshine Law

In both cases, the Florida agencies that initiated the stops — the Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office — refused to share the arrest reports and body camera footage with the AP, explaining that ICE requires them to forward all inquiries about immigration arrests to it.

ICE and DHS, its parent agency, declined to share the arrest reports and bodycam footage, with DHS explaining in a statement: “We are not going to disclose law enforcement sensitive intelligence.”

An ICE directive sent to the 287 (g) partners in Florida states that “information obtained or developed” under the agreements is “under the control of ICE” and cannot be released without federal approval.

The directive appears to violate the long-standing Florida Sunshine Law, which was passed in 1967 and presumes records are public unless specifically protected. The conservative state Legislature, though, has carved out exclusions in recent years.

It’s not just Florida

Although Florida is at the forefront of partnering in the crackdown, opening the “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” immigration detention centers in the past year, participation in the 287(g) program has skyrocketed, going from 135 agreements in 20 states before Trump’s second term began to more than 1,700 in 41 states and territories.

DHS announced financial incentives for state and local law enforcement agencies, including salary reimbursement. This includes up to $7,500 for equipment for each officer participating in the agreements, and up to $100,000 for agencies to purchase new vehicles.

By Thursday afternoon, the court had not yet released a decision, said Naji Abbas, director of prisoners and detainees at Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, a nonprofit group.

Hussam Abu Safiya, who served as director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, became of the face of health workers struggling to treat patients throughout the Israel-Hamas war. He led the facility through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, releasing videos in which he pleaded for help. Fourteen doctors from Gaza are still being held in Israeli prisons, PHRI said.

In a screen grab from his brief appearance on Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb. His face was pale and gaunt and he had lash-like marks on both arms. Multiple clips circulating on social media from the court showed Israeli officials quickly turning the video off as people jostled to see the doctor.

His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, can be heard in the video telling Abu Safiya that onlookers cannot see him, saying guards turned off the monitor and they are waiting for the judge to enter and decide whether to allow his image back on screen.

“Many people are present to show solidarity and support. The media is also both inside and outside the court,” Odeh said in the video.

Journalists' footage of the brittle doctor spread on social media, prompting renewed calls for his release. The Israeli military has said Abu Safiya is being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. Medical staff and international aid groups that have worked with Abu Safiya have denied those claims.

According to PHRI, he was recently placed in solitary confinement, a move his son, Elias Abu Safiya, said in a video posted on social media was made shortly after his appeal. Israel has yet to charge Abu Safiya with a crime.

“How can a person be punished for seeking to know why he was detained?” the younger Abu Safiya asked.

A son of the doctor was killed earlier in the war

Israel’s Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The Israeli Prison Service denied claims that the doctor, a trained pediatrician, was being mistreated. In a statement, it said all detainees receive professional medical care and any allegations of abuse or mistreatment made through official channels are examined.

After the hearing Wednesday, Odeh said he had a message from the doctor.

“I am a pediatrician who provides medical care to patients, the wounded, and the most vulnerable in the Strip,” Odeh said, relaying the doctor’s words. “I carried out my work in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards. My detention is unjust and arbitrary.”

In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, Abu Safiya fought to maintain his composure as Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, releasing grainy video dispatches from the facility under siege. When a drone strike killed Abu Safiya’s son near the hospital, the doctor spoke with tears in his eyes.

“Everything we have built, they have burned,” he said, his voice cracking. They killed my son. ... I buried my son in the hospital yard.”

The war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, after the Gaza-based militant group led an attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. Since then, nearly 73,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and the United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties.

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Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

At the opening of his trial at Newry Crown Court two weeks ago, Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two alleged victims from 1985 to 2008.

Both the alleged victims have given evidence at the trial that they were abused as children. The two 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 she had been raped.

Donaldson denied any wrongdoing in testimony Thursday. About the rape allegation specifically, Donaldson said: “It just didn’t happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that."

“It is not something I would ever have done, it is just simply not true," he said.

Donaldson was the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, a conservative party dedicated to maintaining the region’s historic ties to the United Kingdom, when he was arrested in 2024.

He was emotional at times during his testimony, and spoke of how his head was “in a spin” after his arrest. At the time he resigned as leader of the DUP and quit as a lawmaker in the U.K. Parliament.

Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, has denied several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending. She faces a fact-finding hearing on those charges but will not face a criminal trial on mental health grounds.

Donaldson denied any suggestion that his wife had witnessed the abuse but did not intervene.

“She would have been very angry, she would have intervened immediately," he said. “I am absolutely clear, there is no situation where that happened.”

As leader of the DUP from 2021 to 2023, Donaldson was the most powerful figure in Northern Ireland’s unionist movement.

The trial is expected to last another couple of weeks.

.

Climate models have long suggested that later this year, El Niño could rival, if not exceed, some of the strongest in recorded history.

In the modern era, since 1950, the strongest El Niño reached 2.5 degrees Celsius above normal.

That anomaly comes from recording the sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific.

The arrival of El Niño will impact the weather globally through at least the start of 2027.

What it means for Florida

Hurricane season 2026

In an El Niño year, typically, the Atlantic hurricane season is quieter with fewer named storms.

El Niño increases wind shear and stability in the Atlantic basin making conditions more hostile for tropical development.

Winter 2026/2027

The clearer signal comes during the cool season, as above-normal rainfall typically arrives during an El Niño.

During El Niño, the subtropical jet stream is much more active. This usually sends Pacific and Gulf moisture routinely into Florida.

That would mean more clouds and rain during the typically dry season in Florida.

This pattern would likely prevent a widespread drought from forming next season.

The chance for severe weather also increases during the cool months in Florida.

European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the Aug. 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the Europa League winner. The game will be in Salzburg, Austria.

“Football is made to connect people and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills,” UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said in a statement.

Artan got a hero’s welcome returning to Somalia on Wednesday, days after he was refused entry in Miami and questioned for 11 hours by U.S. authorities despite being picked by FIFA for World Cup duty. He was sent away on a flight to Turkey.

U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.

Artan's treatment heightened concerns about U.S. immigration policy around the World Cup that was criticized by the United Nations ' top human rights official on Wednesday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday it was powerless to prevent Artan's ordeal, and "we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”

The 34-year-old referee was judged the best in Africa last season and worked the decisive game in the continent's Champions League final last month.

Čeferin said UEFA worked on the plan with the Confederation of African Football and its president Patrice Motsepe. Čeferin and Motsepe both are FIFA vice presidents.

"Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent extremely proud," Motsepe said in the UEFA statement.

"This is a great honor for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide,” Motsepe said, hours before his native South Africa opened the World Cup against co-host Mexico. They play at the storied Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

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

The 189-country anti-poverty agency expects the world economy to grow just 2.5% this year, its weakest performance since the COVID-19 pandemic upended global commerce six years ago.

The bank downgraded its forecast for growth in two-thirds of the world's countries.

But the United States, which started the war by joining Israel to attack Iran on Feb. 28, is being spared a downgrade. The World Bank still expects the world's biggest economy to grow 2.2% this year, unchanged from a January forecast and up a tick from 2.1% in 2025.

As a major energy producer, the world's biggest economy is more resilient than countries that import their oil and natural gas, and the U.S. economy is benefiting from big tax cuts and booming investment in artificial intelligence. But ordinary Americans are still frustrated by higher gasoline and other prices.

Other economies are getting hit harder. The World Bank is slashing its 2026 growth forecast for developing and emerging market countries by 0.4 percentage points to a post-pandemic low of 3.6%. In those countries, the bank said, "the disruption in energy supplies and sharp increase in energy prices caused by the conflict have dampened confidence and weakened broader economic activity.''

China, the world's No. 2 economy, is expected to register economic growth of 4.2% this year, down from 5% in 2025 and from the 4.4% the bank had forecast for this year back in January. India is once again expected to be the world's fastest-growing major economy, expanding 6.6% this year; but that's down sharply from 7.7% in 2025.

The 21 European countries that share the euro currency are collectively expected to eke out 0.8% growth this year, down from 1.4% in 2025.

Iran responded to U.S. and Israeli attacks by closing down the Strait of Hormuz, through a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passes. Energy prices rocketed. The World Bank expects the price of the benchmark Brent crude oil to average $94 a barrel this year, up 36% from 2025 and 50% more than the bank had forecast in January.

The war has also disrupted trade in fertilizer, much of which is exported through the Persian Gulf. That could lead to food shortages as farmers skimp on fertilizer to avoid higher costs.

The ECB’s rate-setting council raised its benchmark rate to 2.25% from 2%, where it had been for a year. The move comes ahead of rate-setting meetings next week at the Fed, the Bank of Japan, and the Bank of England.

Oil prices have risen sharply due to Iran choking off the flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the sea passage for a fifth of the world’s oil and fuel products during normal times. Raising rates aims to dampen the consumer price inflation fed by higher costs for products made from crude such as gasoline, diesel fuel, cooking gas and heating oil.

International benchmark Bent crude was trading at around $93 per barrel on Thursday, up from around $73 on the eve of the war. That has helped push inflation to 3.2% in May in the 21 countries that use the euro currency, above the ECB’s target of 2%.

But ECB policymakers must also consider the impact of higher borrowing costs on an economy showing only mediocre growth. That has led analysts to think Thursday’s hike will be a one and done affair, aimed mainly at signaling to financial markets that the bank is determined not to get behind the curve if inflation spirals higher.

The bank's future decisions depend to a great extent on how long energy prices remain elevated and how high they go, ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a post-decision news conference. She said the bank was “well positioned to navigate the uncertainty caused by the war” and would “closely monitor the situation and follow a data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting approach.” She said the bank was “not pre-committing to a particular rate path.”

She said oil prices were expected to “lift inflation further over the summer” and that inflation was expected to remain “well above target” into the first half of next year. The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to most ship traffic for 103 days now.

Central banks in Australia and the Philippines have raises rates since the start of the war, and attention is focusing now on decisions in larger economies. For its part, the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged when it meets next week with new chair Warsh, appointed earlier this year by President Donald Trump.

Warsh advocated for rate cuts last year and Trump repeatedly attacked Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, for not cutting borrowing costs deeply enough. Yet with inflation jumping to a three-year high as gas prices have spiked in the wake of the Iran war, even Trump and his officials have started to shift their focus more to a push to keep rates unchanged.

The Fed is likely to change the statement it issues after each meeting by removing language that had suggested that its next move would be a cut. That would open the door for a rate hike down the road. Many Fed officials have warned that if inflation doesn’t begin to cool soon, a rate hike may be necessary by the end of the year.

Raising benchmark rates influences what lenders charge throughout the economy, increasing the cost of borrowing money to buy things and thus dampening demand for goods. Higher central bank rates can send interest costs higher for home purchases, investment in new factories, and government borrowing.

The ECB may be able to get by with only one or two increases because the inflationary surge may be milder than feared, said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank.

That is because consumers burned by the post-pandemic spike in inflation are in no mood to pay higher prices, leaving businesses little choice but to swallow higher energy costs: “The pass-through of higher energy and input prices to final consumption will be limited due to a lack of ability and willingness of consumers to actually pay for these higher prices,” he wrote in an emailed comment.

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Rugaber reported from Washington.

The Orlando Soccer Celebration runs now through July 19, transforming Pointe Orlando into a festival-style destination for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Organizers say the event will feature live viewings of all 104 matches, plus an immersive fan experience with live music and entertainment, global food and beverage offerings, appearances by Orlando City and Orlando Pride players, club legends and the team mascot, Kingston, along with an official pop-up store.

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The primary, “always-on” hub for match viewing will be Sports & Social – Live! at Pointe Orlando, located on the venue’s second floor. In addition, organizers say a minimum of five larger-scale events will take place in Pointe Orlando’s outdoor plazas, featuring live entertainment, interactive areas, giveaways and marquee match viewings.

Pointe Orlando, an open-air entertainment complex in the heart of Orlando’s Convention District, spans 17 acres and includes more than 20 restaurants, bars, lounges and entertainment concepts across three main plazas, with over 2,500 parking spaces on site.

Major event schedule (so far)

Event organizers say additional dates and times will be added as the tournament continues.

June 12, 3 p.m. — Orlando Soccer Celebration: Canada vs. Bosnia and USA vs. Paraguay (Pointe Orlando)

June 13, 6 p.m. — Orlando Soccer Celebration: Brazil vs. Morocco (Pointe Orlando)

June 19, 3 p.m. — Orlando Soccer Celebration: USA vs. Australia and Brazil vs. Haiti (Pointe Orlando)

Fan Zone dates

A centrally located Fan Zone between the two main viewing areas on the first floor will “come alive” on five marquee dates with interactive experiences, prizes and giveaways, according to the club:

• June 12
• June 13
• June 19
• June 25
• June 27
• July 19 (Final)

How to get more information

For the latest schedule, RSVP information and event details, visit Orlando City’s official page: www.orlandocitysc.com/soccercelebration

But what if people have qualities both unmistakably human and essential to career success that AI could not easily replace them?

Some workplace experts argue that with more businesses adopting AI tools, soft skills such as empathy, critical thinking and ethical decision-making are worth cultivating to help employees become indispensible.

Across industries and occupations, “the skills that are most resistant to displacement by AI are the ones that are the most distinctly human,” Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit focused on workforce development, said. “Some of those things are relationship building, conflict resolution, the ability to guide and motivate other people and ethical judgment.”

Even in job listings for technical roles such as IT support, organizations say they're looking for candidates who communicate well and take leadership initiative, Flynn said.

“We started to use the term ‘durable skills’ and think about them as capabilities that really are durable, in that they hold their value across economic shifts and technological change and labor market disruption,” she said. “And we think, especially now, in this time of AI advancement, that it’s the durable skills that really make a worker genuinely valuable at work, regardless of what tools and technology are available.”

Here are five skills to cultivate based on the areas where experts say humans still hold an edge over artificial intelligence.

Empathy

Interpreting body language and reading between the lines to decipher what wasn’t explicitly communicated are skills that many people find are best performed by humans. They also inform the ability to show empathy, and being sensitive to the feelings of others is a sought-after trait in workers.

Marco Iansiti, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said he saw that firsthand during a hospital stay.

“A nurse has incredibly human impacts. Feeling, relating to the patient, the type of care that is so important,” Iansiti said. “I remember times when I was sick in the hospital and the nurse was like the godsend. Would I have let a robot do the same thing? No. There was a human connection there that I found very valuable.”

Where AI could be helpful in a hospital setting is by taking on mundane tasks such as paperwork, freeing up time for nurses to provide compassionate patient care, he said.

“There’s a lot of systems that are being deployed now that I think are very effective in doing this and essentially release healthcare workers to do the things that they should be doing and do best.”

Nurturing relationships

Building strong personal ties with colleagues, clients and stakeholders remains a prized skill that experts say artificial intelligence models have difficulty replicating. Salespeople, for example, have files or databases with information they've learned about their clients from interacting face-to-face.

"You have people that have trusted you and have bought products from you for the last 10 years. That has value and that’s hard to transfer to artificial intelligence,” Iansiti said.

Interpersonal skills also are invaluable when conflicts arise. “Having that human in the loop to manage those expectations, to ease any ruffled feathers, to build the type of relationships that are needed, to expedite good work, is still going to be critical,” Flynn said.

Conflict resolution is a must-have quality for managers, said Colleen Adler, director analyst in the human resources practice at the Gartner consulting firm.

“People do still have managers, and managers and leaders impact the way they feel, and co-workers impact the ways we feel as well," Adler said. "There is still a tone to AI that does not yet mimic human connection. That could change; I don’t think we’re there yet.”

Work environments are rapidly changing and many employees feel like they're lurching from one difficult dynamic to another, Adler said. While AI agents can't help workers feel better about that uncertainty, strong leaders can help their teams, she added.

Critical thinking

Artificial intelligence models collect information and produce responses but can generate inaccuracies, so it's important to second-guess its output. Developing deep knowledge about your field can help you notice when the AI-generated results on topics from your industry are incorrect, said Amalia Kaufman, course developer and instructor at the University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education.

“You have to have the cognition and the critical thinking and the subject matter expertise to make sense of it, and to know when it’s wrong,” Kaufman said. “You have to check your facts.”

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers at Stanford tested 11 popular AI systems and found that artificial intelligence chatbots were prone to flattering and validating the feelings of users, affirming a user's actions 49% more often than humans did. Taking a step back and applying critical thinking skills when reading results generated by AI can help combat the tendency for it to be overly agreeable with its users.

Having a conscience

The ability to distinguish right from wrong, or listen to one's inner conscience, is a skill that is innately human, experts said.

Sometimes, people rely on sensations in their bodies to help guide their decision-making. “Gut feelings are something you feel in your gut," Iansiti said. “It’s not just a pattern of information that’s going through your brain. It is actually an emotional reaction that is intrinsically different from the way that AI operates. At least this generation of AI.”

When life-or-death decisions have to be made, such as when to use lethal military force, “do you want something that does not have human emotion, it does not have a body attached with the intelligence?” Iansiti asked. “AI can fake having a conscience because it’s read about what a conscience is, but it doesn’t have a conscience.”

People can build parameters, or guardrails, into artificial intelligence models to help AI agents make ethical decisions, he said. But human input is still required.

“It’s very hard to design a model that’s ethical for everything. It’s much better to build it around a specific use case. Say hiring,” Iansiti said.

Judgement calls

Ethical questions aren't the only ones that AI is less equipped to handle for now. The capacity to come up with creative ideas and make decisions in ambiguous situations — while mapping out strategies or developing a brand identity, for example — is another important human skill, experts said.

"We don’t believe that’s something that’s going to be replicated by artificial intelligence,” said Heather Stefanski, chief learning and development officer at management consulting firm McKinsey. "If we’re all just using the AI answer to problem-solve, how are you really going to be distinctive?”

Humans make judgment calls based on a constellation of knowledge and lived experiences, Flynn said. Artificial intelligence draws from a lot of data but doesn't necessarily work well in gray areas, Flynn said. For now, the ability to see all angles of an issue and add context remains a form of intelligence that people possess to a greater extent than AI, she said.

“The things that make us uniquely human to me are going to continue to be the things that help our society thrive in productive ways,” Flynn said. “And making sure that we are calling those things out, paying attention to them, making sure those are attributes that folks can name and articulate and feel good about, is going to be key as we all navigate a rapidly changing future.”

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Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It's also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Despite concerns that the conflict in the Middle East could further squeeze a flagging labor market, hiring has picked up in recent months following a miserable 2025 that saw fewer than 200,000 job gains. For comparison, about 1.5 million jobs were added in 2024.

U.S. employers delivered a surprising 172,000 new jobs in May and the economy is averaging 188,000 job gains in the three months since the Iran war began in late February. That’s the best three months of hiring since early 2024. The unemployment rate remains historically low at 4.3%.

Job openings also rose in April as employers posted 7.6 million vacancies, up from 6.9 million in March and the most since May 2024.

The government reported Wednesday that rising gas prices — triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern border — pushed U.S. consumer inflation in May to 4.2%, its highest level in three years. Despite recent declines, prices for oil and gas remain elevated, which can squeeze consumers’ budgets and make businesses think twice about hiring.

With inflation well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, most analysts expect officials at the U.S. central bank to stand pat on its benchmark interest rate when they meet next week. That meeting will be the first with new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who replaces Jerome Powell after his eight-year run as the U.S. central bank’s leader.

Lower interest rates can boost the economy and hiring, but also tend to stoke inflation, leading a number of Fed policymakers to say they are actually willing to consider an interest rate hike this year. That could potentially help bring inflation down, but higher borrowing costs generally make businesses more reluctant to hire.

Optimism over artificial intelligence has also injected a degree of uncertainty about the job market due to the investment required to develop it and because the powerful technology could alter or even replace some jobs.

Among the companies that have cut jobs recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, rose by 4,250 to 219,000.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending May 30 jumped by 24,000 to 1.8 million, slightly more than analysts predicted.

That was the message from Florida Representative Debra Tendrich as she responded to two recent cases in Central Florida.

In Orange County, authorities say Bryan Watts, a convicted felon, shot and killed his two young daughters, Tiana and Jaliyajh, before killing himself at their apartment last week. The killings happened one day after Watts was in court on charges accusing him of beating his girlfriend.

Investigators say after an alleged attack last November, the girlfriend left with little Jaliyah.

Tendrich said these cases show violence can reach children in places that should be safe.

A child’s safest place should be their home, but we’re seeing in these cases that’s not the case, Tendrich said.

Tendrich also pointed to the death of 3-year-old Paisley Brown in Marion County. Detectives say the child was beaten to death in February inside her home. The mother’s boyfriend, Jeroen Coombs, is charged with murder after investigators say he admitted tying down and punching the child. Paisley’s mother, Jennifer Kendrick, faces a charge of child neglect.

Tendrich, a domestic violence survivor, said leaving an abusive situation can be especially difficult when children and finances are involved. Her new proposal, House Bill 277, would increase the amount of financial help available to victims who need to relocate.

A lot of times, victims will stay is because of children, because the cost of leaving, Tendrich said. This bill actually increases the victim relocation allowance.

The bill also strengthens penalties for repeat offenders, expands electronic monitoring, and allows judges to order abuse suspects to stay away from a victim’s pets.

That provision is significant for Harbor House of Central Florida, which operates the Paws for Peace kennel program so survivors can bring cats and dogs with them when they seek safety.

The organization’s CEO said the group is especially encouraged by language that recognizes threats or harm to family pets as a factor in protective injunction cases. The CEO noted abusers often use pets as a means of control and many survivors delay leaving because they fear for their animals’ safety.

If passed and signed, HB 277 would take effect statewide July 1.

READ THE FULL BILL HERE- House Bill 277 (2026) - The Florida Senate

And for those in need of domestic violence help, Harbor House of Central Florida can be reached via its 24-hour Crisis Hotline Number, (407)-886-2856.

But is time finally up for the BBC science fiction series that has entertained generations of fans?

The British broadcaster has canceled a Christmas special previously announced for later this year, and showrunner Russell T. Davies has confirmed his exit.

Davies had been due to write the Christmas episode, announced when the last season ended in May 2025.

The BBC said Wednesday that it, Davies and production company Bad Wolf “have collectively decided not to go ahead” with the Christmas episode. The broadcaster said it was determined “to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show.”

It said it would put out a tender for production companies to work on the series. A deal between the BBC and Disney+ to co-produce and distribute the show ended in 2025 after two seasons.

First broadcast in 1963, “Doctor Who” follows the adventures of a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in the Tardis, a time-and-space machine that from the outside resembles a mid-20th century British police telephone box.

Its longevity is due in part to its premise: the central character can regenerate into a new body when the old one wears out, so the show can outlive any individual star. More than a dozen actors have played the role, most recently Ncuti Gatwa.

Davies, who revived the show in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus and returned as showrunner in 2022, said the Christmas episode had not been written and no actor had been approached to play the central role of the Doctor.

Davies, who has also written dramas including “Queer as Folk,” “It’s a Sin” and the recent “Tip Toe,” said the show’s future was “unpredictable” in an Instagram post.

“You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who … but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!” Davies wrote. “It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who — exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future.”

Nicholas Dean Alo, 24, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the case.

The crimes took place on Saturday at Central Park in Ormond Beach, according to a Volusia Sheriff’s Office press release. Alo picked up the victims — ages 13 and 15 — purchased alcohol for them, and had sex with them in his vehicle, the release said.

One of the victims met Alo a few weeks earlier at a local hangout spot in Daytona Beach known as the “White Fence.” The two stayed in contact through Instagram and Snapchat, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators say Alo targeted victims by driving around the east side of Volusia County. The Sheriff’s Office says he frequently visited skate parks, the boardwalk, and other public parks to seek out victims.

Alo has faced similar charges before. The Ormond Beach Police Department previously arrested him, and he was convicted of lewd and lascivious molestation and traveling to seduce a minor in a case involving a 12-year-old. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Alo is charged with:

• Two counts of lewd and lascivious battery
• Two counts of child abuse
• Violation of probation

Detectives with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office Child Exploitation Unit are asking any potential victims who may have been targeted by Alo to come forward. Anyone with information about other potential cases is asked to contact Det. L. Johnson at (386) 323-3574.

The 44-year-old Williams' doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw on Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 16 on Wednesday.

In her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.

Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced, though British newspaper The Times of London reported it was Karolina Muchova.

Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than "retiring."

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This story has been corrected to say Mboko was injured in the last 16 of the singles, not the last 32

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

According to an arrest affidavit, a witness saw Bryan Stubbs, 36, tampering with the vehicle of a bowling alley employee he knew. An officer searched the car but did not locate anything unusual at the time.

When interviewed by officers, Stubbs said he was “pranking a friend.” The victim told investigators she had “concerns for her safety.” According to the arrest report, Stubbs told her, “I was attempting to put something on your car.”

Days after the incident, the woman began receiving alerts on her phone indicating that a tracking device was moving with her. Police in both Apopka and Ocoee searched the vehicle but were unable to locate the device.

Authorities said the device was eventually discovered by a mechanic. Those at that auto shop say the magnetic tracker had been attached to the vehicle’s lower control arm, making it difficult to find.

Ocoee police say although cases involving those devices are not common they are reminding residents not to ignore alerts indicating an unknown tracking device may be following them.

“If you do get an alert on your car, don’t panic. Pull over, get to a safe area and call us if you need us. We will gather all the information and take it from there,” an Ocoee police spokesperson said.

Police said that in cases where officers cannot locate a device, mechanics may be able to assist in identifying hidden trackers.

According to investigators, Stubbs later changed his story. he attempted to place the device on the woman’s vehicle out of jealousy. But still not attempting to actually placing the device. However, detectives also discovered that he had accessed the woman’s personal information 26 times through a state database and found probable cause on the matter.

Stubbs was booked Tuesday at the Orange County Jail and faces three charges: invasion of privacy through the installation or use of a tracking device without consent, unauthorized access to a computer or electronic device, and stalking.

He went before a judge the following day and has since posted bond.

Stubbs was placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation and an internal review.

Following the arrest, Winter Garden police issued a statement:

“The allegations are concerning and do not reflect the standards we expect of our personnel. We take matters of this nature seriously and will fully cooperate with the Apopka Police Department as its investigation continues.”

Winter Garden Police Department

The kingdom slapped a ban on Lebanese fruits and vegetables in 2021, saying they were being used to smuggle drugs. In one notable case, Saudi Arabia announced it had seized over 5 million pills of the amphetamine drug Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates coming from Lebanon.

Months later, the wealthy Gulf country extended the ban to all Lebanese products after Lebanon's information minister at the time, George Kordahi, publicly criticized Saudi Arabia's war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

At the root of the diplomatic crisis was Saudi Arabia's regional rivalry with Iran and its displeasure with the influence of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The ban came at a time when Lebanon's economy was already reeling from a major financial crisis and the collapse of its currency.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the reversal of the ban at the order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came as a result of “positive steps taken by the Lebanese state.”

It did not specify what those steps were, but over the past year, the Lebanese government has announced plans to disarm all non-state groups, including Hezbollah. Before the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, the Lebanese army had made progress on implementing the plan in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a statement thanked Prince Mohammed for the decision, which he said “will contribute tangibly to reviving the national economy and providing support to broad segments of Lebanese producers and exporters.”

The current government of Lebanon, which came to power last year with promises of reform, has sought to rebuild ties with the Gulf countries. Before the outbreak of the latest war, Lebanese officials were courting Gulf tourists to return to the country in hopes of reviving the economy, and some Gulf countries had lifted travel bans preventing their citizens from visiting Lebanon.

We are not expecting widespread severe weather, but a few stronger storms could produce wind gusts between 40 and 50 mph, frequent lightning and torrential downpours.

Once again, on Thursday, these storms will move slowly. Heavy rainfall rates could lead to localized flooding in urban areas and other spots with poor drainage. The highest rain chances today will develop near and west of Orlando as our sea breezes collide west of I-4 during the late afternoon and early evening.

Rain and storm coverage will continue to increase on Friday and through the weekend. Unlike recent days, storm chances will extend all the way to the coast, meaning beachgoers should keep an eye on the sky and be prepared to seek shelter if storms approach from inland areas.

Outside of the storms, we will continue to deal with building heat and humidity. Afternoon highs will climb into the low to mid-90s, with heat index values reaching the upper 90s to around 104 degrees on Thursday and Friday.

Over the weekend, heat indices are expected to rise even higher, ranging from 100 to 107 degrees.

If you’re heading to the beach, keep in mind that a moderate risk of dangerous rip currents continues along the Atlantic coast. Swimmers are urged to stay near lifeguards and use extra caution when entering the water.