Fundus News Scrapes
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Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 03:06:15+00:00 | [
"Nico Hoerner",
"Chicago Cubs",
"Miami Marlins",
"Javier Sanoja",
"Connor Norby",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Carson Kelly",
"Justin Turner",
"MLB baseball",
"Jesus Tinoco",
"Kyle Stowers",
"Sports",
"Pete Crow-Armstrong",
"Chris Flexen",
"Ryan Weather",
"Jesus Sanchez"
] | # Hoerner, Turner deliver run-scoring hits in the 9th inning to rally Cubs past Marlins 5-4
By Gavin Dorsey
May 14th, 2025 03:06 AM
---
CHICAGO (AP) — Nico Hoerner had an RBI single and Justin Turner followed with a two-run double, all in the ninth inning, as the Chicago Cubs rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Kyle Stowers hit a solo homer in the second and Connor Norby went deep in the seventh for the Marlins. Javier Sanoja knocked in a run with a ground out and Jesus Sanchez added an RBI single for Miami, which carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Chicago's comeback started when Hoerner hit a line drive to center that cut the deficit to one run. Two pitches later, pinch-hitter Turner doubled into the left field corner, scoring Vidal Bruján and Hoerner.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Carson Kelly each had two hits for Chicago. Crow-Armstrong hit his 11th homer in the third inning.
Chris Flexen (1-0) allowed one hit over the final two innings and earned his first victory.
Miami's Jesus Tinoco (2-1) blew the save opportunity, allowing two hits, three runs — two earned — and a walk while recording just one out in the ninth.
## Key moment
Turner's line-drive two-RBI double into left field for the walk-off win.
## Key stat
The Cubs struggled with runners in scoring position before taking advantage in the ninth inning. Chicago was 0 for 4 in the first eight innings, but 2 for 2 with runners on second or third in the ninth.
## Up next
The Marlins will send LHP Ryan Weather (0-0) against Chicago RHP Jameson Taillon (2-2, 4.53) in the series final on Wednesday night.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 02:46:01+00:00 | [
"Colorado Rockies",
"Texas Rangers",
"Jack Leiter",
"Bud Black",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Wyatt Langford",
"Hunter Goodman",
"Sports",
"Luke Jackson",
"Shawn Armstrong",
"Kyle Freeland",
"MLB baseball",
"Warren Schaeffer",
"Sam Haggerty",
"Patrick Corbin",
"Josh Jung",
"Chris Martin"
] | # Jung's 2 homers back Leiter's solid start as Rangers beat struggling Rockies 4-1
May 14th, 2025 02:46 AM
---
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Josh Jung hit a first-inning three-run home run and an eighth-inning solo shot while Jack Leiter allowed only one run on two singles over a career-high six innings as the Texas Rangers beat the struggling Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Jung's first homer followed singles by Sam Haggerty and Wyatt Langford for the Rangers (22-21), who have won four consecutive games to move above .500 for the first time since April 30. His second homer gave him his fifth career multihomer game and was his third homer in three games.
Leiter (3-2) didn't allow a hit after two of the first four Rockies singled, Hunter Goodman scoring Jordan Beck. He won for the first time since April 2.
Shawn Armstrong earned his first save of the season following Chris Martin, who left with elbow tightness after allowing a first-pitch single in the ninth.
Luke Jackson, Texas' closer, was unavailable after his pitching hand was struck by a comeback liner Monday.
Kyle Freeland (0-6) gave up three runs on his first five pitches for the Rockies (7-35), who have the worst record through 42 games of the divisional era (beginning in 1961). They've lost their first two games under interim manager Warren Schaeffer, who took over Sunday evening following the firing of Bud Black.
Colorado's 2-19 road record matches four other clubs as the worst through 21 games during the modern era (since 1900).
## Key moment
Armstrong, Texas' third pitcher in the ninth, entered with runners on the corners and none out. He struck out the next three batters — all looking.
## Key stat
Jung gave Leiter three runs' backing just three batters in after Leiter received no run support in his previous two starts.
## Up next
Wednesday's series finale will match Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-6, 5.77 ERA) against Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (2-2, 3.13).
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 22:35:04+00:00 | [
"Willie Eugene Sims",
"San Jose",
"California",
"Jeanette Allen Ralston",
"Crime",
"Homicide",
"Ohio",
"Jeff Rosen",
"Lara Wallman",
"William Weigel",
"Law enforcement",
"Allen Ralston"
] | # Thumbprint on cigarette carton leads to arrest in 1977 death of young woman
May 13th, 2025 10:35 PM
---
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Nearly half a century after a young California woman was strangled to death, officials say a thumbprint on a carton of cigarettes has led to an arrest.
Willie Eugene Sims was arrested in Jefferson, Ohio, in connection with the death of Jeanette Ralston, according to a Friday statement from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
Sims, 69, has been charged with murder and was arraigned on Friday in Ashtabula County Court before being sent to California.
Ralston was found dead in the back seat of her Volkswagen Beetle on Feb. 1, 1977, in San Jose, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Her body was found in the carport area of an apartment complex near the bar where friends say she was last seen.
She had been strangled with a long-sleeve dress shirt, and evidence appeared to show she was sexually assaulted, according to prosecutors. Her car showed signs of having been unsuccessfully set on fire.
Her friends said at the time that they saw her leave the bar with an unknown man the evening before, saying she would be back in 10 minutes, but she never returned. Police interviewed the friends and other witnesses and created a suspect sketch. But the investigation went cold.
A thumbprint found on Ralston's cigarette carton in her car was found to match Sims last fall after law enforcement had asked to run the print through the FBI's updated system, prosecutors said.
Earlier this year, officials from the District Attorney's office and San Jose police went to Ohio to collect DNA from Sims. Prosecutors say it matched the DNA found on Ralston's fingernails and the shirt used to strangle her.
"Every day, forensic science grows better, and every day criminals are closer to being caught," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "Cases may grow old and be forgotten by the public. We don't forget and we don't give up."
William Weigel, homicide team supervisor for the Santa Clara county public defender's office, confirmed Monday that Lara Wallman had been assigned the case. He said their office can't comment on the evidence yet because they haven't seen it but cautioned the public from jumping to conclusions.
"It is kind of important that we let the system play itself out and allow our side to conduct our own independent review and investigation of the case before we rush to judgment as it were," he said.
Back in 1977, Sims was an army private assigned to a facility about 68 miles (109 kilometers) south of San Jose, prosecutors said.
The year after Ralston's death, a jury in a separate case convicted Sims of an assault to commit murder in Monterey County and sentenced him to four years in prison, court records show.
Ralston's son, Allen Ralston, was 6 when she died. He told WOIO-TV that he is grateful and relieved an arrest was finally made.
"I'm just glad that somebody cared," he said about the case. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:26:17+00:00 | [
"South Australia",
"Rohan Dennis",
"Melissa Hoskins",
"2024 Paris Olympic Games",
"Cycling",
"Indictments",
"Amanda Hoskins",
"Law enforcement",
"Jane Abbey",
"Sports",
"Legal proceedings"
] | # Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis receives suspended sentence over wife's death
May 14th, 2025 01:26 AM
---
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Former Olympic cyclist and world champion Rohan Dennis received a suspended sentence on Wednesday over what was termed a "tragic accident" that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
The 34-year-old Dennis appeared in South Australia District Court after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm.
Dennis was arrested after Hoskins, 32, was struck by his vehicle in front of their home at Medindie in Adelaide's north on Dec. 30, 2023. Hoskins suffered serious injuries in the crash and died at Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The court was told that the couple had argued over kitchen renovations before Dennis left their home and drove away. The court also heard that Hoskins had jumped onto the hood of the car during the incident.
Dennis on Wednesday was sentenced to one year, four months and 28 days in jail, to be suspended for two years. The sentence was reduced from two years and two months because of his guilty plea and he's been placed on a two-year good behavior bond.
His licence was also suspended for five years.
"I accept you have a sense of responsibility for all that occurred, I accept you have anguished over what could have been different if you had acted in some other way," Judge Ian Press said Wednesday.
Dennis showed little emotion when Press sentenced him.
"Given your plea of guilty, your remorse, that you are the sole carer for your young children, and given all your other personal circumstances and the circumstances of the offending, I am satisfied that good reason exists to suspend that sentence," the judge said.
The offense carried a maximum sentence of seven years in jail but lawyer Jane Abbey asked that her client receive a suspended sentence, which was not opposed by the prosecution.
During sentencing submissions in in April, Amanda Hoskins said her daughter had loved Dennis "and I know that you would never intentionally hurt her."
"I believe this is a tragic accident. Your temper is your downfall and needs to be addressed," she said.
Hoskins' funeral was held in her home city of Perth, Western Australia and a public memorial service was held in Adelaide in February 2024. Dennis attended the service with their two children.
Hoskins competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics on the track in the team pursuit and was in the squad that won the 2015 world title. Dennis won two world titles in the road time trial, as well as silver in the team pursuit at the 2012 Olympics and bronze in the road time trial at the Tokyo Olympics.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 21:07:27+00:00 | [
"Missouri",
"Kansas City",
"Mary Elizabeth Coleman",
"Mike Kehoe",
"Missouri Tigers",
"Legislation",
"DC Wire",
"Sports",
"Politics",
"NFL football",
"John Sherman",
"Stocks and bonds",
"Chris Brown"
] | # Missouri House backs new stadium aid for Chiefs and Royals
By David A. Lieb
May 13th, 2025 09:07 PM
---
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House on Tuesday endorsed a new framework of financial incentives to try to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from possibly leaving the state by helping fund new or renovated stadiums for them.
The legislation, which has the backing of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, would authorize the state to issue bonds valued at up to half the cost of the stadium projects and allow tax credits of up to $50 million. But the plan doesn't list a total cost or a location for the stadiums, leaving those details to be negotiated later.
Missouri lawmakers are scrambling to try to counter an offer from neighboring Kansas, which authorized its own package of incentives last year after voters in Jackson County, Missouri, turned down a sales tax extension that would have helped finance a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City and an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium.
The clock is ticking for Missouri lawmakers. The state Senate would still need to approve the plan before a Friday deadline to wrap up work in the annual legislative session.
But the legislation encountered immediate resistance when it was brought up later Tuesday in Senate. Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman denounced it as "special interests for billionaires" and foreshadowed a lengthy debate that ended without a vote Tuesday night.
The Chiefs and Royals have played for more than 50 years in side-by-side football and baseball stadiums built in eastern Kansas City, drawing fans from both states in the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031, but Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won't play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season.
Kansas amended its laws last year to allow bonds that would cover up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.
Materials distributed Tuesday by the Missouri governor's office said, "Kansas is aggressively negotiating with both teams." Some lawmakers said they felt pressure to act now or potentially miss their chance to retain teams that generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of tax revenue annually.
"I can't imagine the economic landscape without the Chiefs and the Royals in Missouri," said Republican state Rep. Chris Brown, of Kansas City, who presented the plan to colleagues. But more than that, "the Chiefs and the Royals literally are a part of us to some degree, they are a fabric woven within the state of Missouri."
A provision in Missouri's legislation would require team owners to repay the state if they relocate to another state before the end of the financing agreement.
Missouri has experience with losing professional sports teams. The National Football League's Rams were the most recent to depart, leaving a publicly financed domed stadium that had lured the team to St. Louis to return to a gleaming new stadium in Los Angeles that opened in 2020.
But many economists contend that public funding for stadiums isn't worth it, because sports tend to divert discretionary spending away from other forms of entertainment rather than generate new income.
State Rep. Del Taylor, a Democrat from St. Louis, denounced "fearmongering" suggestions that the Chiefs and Royals might also leave, calling it "unfair" and "conniving" to come to lawmakers with a plan so late in the session.
"I don't like making decisions because someone has put my back against the wall," Taylor said.
Kehoe has been working for months with team representatives, lawmakers and community leaders to develop "a competitive package" for the Chiefs and Royals, said Gabby Picard, a spokesperson for the governor. The state aid ultimately also must be accompanied by local support.
"Choosing a location is a business decision that must be made by the teams, and any proposed tools put forward by the state will work in whatever Missouri location they select," she said.
Sports teams have been pushing a new wave of stadium construction across the U.S., going beyond basic repairs to derive fresh revenue from luxury suites, dining, shopping and other developments surrounding their stadiums.
The Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia announced a deal two weeks ago for a new stadium complex, with the football team contributing $2.7 billion and the city investing roughly $1.1 billion. Last month, the Ohio House endorsed a plan for $600 million of bonds to help build a new $2.4 billion football stadium complex for the Cleveland Browns. But that plan also must pass the Senate and has led the Cincinnati Bengals to re-up a request for $350 million of aid for their own stadium. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 23:48:17+00:00 | [
"Ian Happ",
"Moises Ballesteros",
"New York Mets",
"Baseball",
"Chicago",
"MLB",
"Illinois",
"Sports",
"MLB baseball",
"Sports transactions"
] | # Cubs put Ian Happ on IL with oblique strain and call up prospect Moises Ballesteros
May 13th, 2025 11:48 PM
---
CHICAGO (AP) — One of the Cubs' best hitters this season is heading to the injured list.
Chicago announced before Tuesday night's game against Miami that outfielder Ian Happ has been placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. In a corresponding move, the Cubs selected the contract of catcher Moises Ballesteros from Triple-A Iowa.
Happ suffered the injury on May 9 against the New York Mets and has missed the last three games. The 30-year-old is hitting .269 on the season, his best since he was an All-Star in 2022, and has three homers. Happ's designation is retroactive to May 10.
The 21-year-old Ballesteros is the Cubs' No. 4-ranked prospect. The Venezuelan signed with Chicago as an international free agent in 2021 and made his major league debut against the Marlins, going 0 for 4 as the designated hitter in the Cubs' 5-4 win.
In five seasons in the Cubs' farm system, Ballesteros is batting .288 in 386 games. He's hitting. 368 with four homers in 34 games for Triple-A Iowa this season.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 00:49:14+00:00 | [
"Megan Thee Stallion",
"Crime",
"Tory Lanez",
"Prisons",
"Legal proceedings",
"Kylie Jenner",
"Santino Casio",
"Homicide",
"California",
"Los Angeles",
"Assault",
"Criminal punishment",
"Entertainment",
"Pedro Calderon Michel",
"Sexual assault"
] | # Rapper Tory Lanez's alleged prison attacker is man with previous conviction for assault on inmate
By Andrew Dalton
May 14th, 2025 12:49 AM
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that a man who attacked rapper Tory Lanez in a California prison is an inmate serving a life sentence for second-degree murder who was previously convicted for an in-prison assault with a deadly weapon.
Lanez was in fair condition a day after the attack in a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, where he's serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, Pedro Calderon Michel, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in an email.
Authorities did not specify how Lanez was attacked, but a message posted on the rapper's Instagram account Monday evening said Lanez was stabbed 14 times and both his lungs collapsed.
Prison officials identified the alleged attacker as Santino Casio, 42. He has been put in restricted housing pending an investigation by the prison and the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
Casio has been in the facility since 2004, after he was sentenced to life, with parole possible, for convictions of second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. In 2008, he was sentenced to six more years for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon, and in 2018 he was sentenced to two more years for possession and manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner.
An email seeking comment sent to an attorney who previously represented Casio was not immediately answered.
The prison is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Los Angeles in the mountains of the Mojave Desert and houses about 1,700 medium- and maximum-security inmates.
In December 2022, Lanez was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial that in July 2020, after they left a party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home, Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding.
She had bullet fragments in both feet that had to be surgically removed. It wasn't until months after the incident that she publicly identified Lanez as the person who had fired the gun.
A judge rejected a motion for a new trial from Lanez's lawyers, who are appealing his conviction. They had no immediate comment after the attack.
Megan recently alleged that Lanez was harassing her from prison through surrogates, and in January a judge issued a protective order through 2030 ordering him to stop any such harassment or any other contact.
The 32-year-old Canadian Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major label albums, two of which reached the top 10 on Billboard's charts.
The Monday Instagram post on Lanez's status said he was "talking normally, in good spirits, and deeply thankful to God that he is pulling through." |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 23:25:54+00:00 | [
"Pete Rose",
"Rob Manfred",
"Baseball",
"Aaron Boone",
"Bruce Bochy",
"MLB",
"Marcus Giamatti",
"Cincinnati Reds",
"Sports",
"Bob Castellini",
"Mike Schmidt",
"MLB baseball",
"Bart Giamatti",
"Charlie Hustle",
"Bud Selig",
"Texas Rangers",
"Philadelphia Phillies",
"Gary Sheffield Jr.",
"New York Yankees",
"John Rocker"
] | # Reaction to Pete Rose being reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred
By The Associated Press
May 13th, 2025 11:25 PM
---
Reaction to Pete Rose being reinstated along with Shoeless Joe Jackson by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making them eligible for the Hall of Fame:
___
"The Veterans Committee, that's their decision and I think that's fair. Nobody played the game harder. Nobody. He was all-out, full throttle. That was Pete. Charlie Hustle — that's how you get that name. Switch-hitter, amazing player. He was just a complete ballplayer. He played all over the field - outfield, infield. First base, third base. He was a winner. His team won. And I think that's a credit to him, how he played, how he set the tone. Amazing player." —- Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy.
___
"It's a great day for baseball as Commissioner Manfred has reinstated Pete Rose, making him eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The ongoing question of whether Pete Rose should or shouldn't in the Hall will be answered by a secret panel in the next Classic Baseball Era Committee. Congratulations to Pete's family, his teammates, as well as his supporters who have waited many years for this opportunity for consideration." —- Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt.
___
"I've always maintained I think he should have been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago. Again, not discounting what went on and how serious that I think that is, and maybe how that should have affected being with the club and all those things. But when it came to the Hall of Fame, it felt pretty simple to me that he always should have been in there." — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
___
"I understand and respect Commissioner Rob Manfred's decision regarding the removal of Pete Rose and 16 other deceased individuals from the ineligible list. Given my affection for my friend, the late Bart Giamatti, MLB's seventh Commissioner who disciplined Mr. Rose for gambling on his own team all those years ago, I believe Bart would understand and respect the decision as well." -- former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.
___
"That just because someone is dead dies not at all change the facts nor the behavior. Permanent means permanent. I am incredibly disappointed in the Commissioner's decision. I am also disappointed that my family was not consulted prior to this decision. The Commissioner's decision makes this a very dark day for baseball, the country and the fans. My father's mission by banning Rose was to uphold the integrity of the game. Therefore, reinstating Rose in this manner puts that integrity, Rule 21 and everything that my father fought to uphold in peril. My father believed that no one person is above the game, and were he here today, he would maintain that the institution of baseball must stand up to outside influences, political influences, and influences that are not in the best interest of baseball. Without integrity, the game of baseball will cease to exist. Without integrity, how will fans ever trust the purity of the game itself ever again? A purity built on the principle of fair play. Baseball is woven into the genetic and generational code of so many communities across this county, making it an integral part of the American experience. — Marcus Giamatti, son of former baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, who signed a permanent ban agreement with Rose in 1989.
___
"On behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision of Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball regarding the removal of Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list. Pete is one of the greatest players in baseball and Reds Country will continue to celebrate him as we always have. We are especially happy for the Rose family to receiver this news and what this could mean for them and all of Pete's fans." —- Cincinnati Reds principal owner and managing partner Bob Castellini.
___
"Absolutely pathetic they waited for Pete Rose to pass away before giving him his day in the sun. Reprehensible." former big league outfielder Gary Sheffield Jr.
___
"Pete Rose deserved to see his name in the Hall of Fame." — former big league pitcher John Rocker.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 20:07:42+00:00 | [
"Pete Rose",
"Donald Trump",
"Baseball",
"Cincinnati Reds",
"Rob Manfred",
"Cincinnati",
"Voting",
"MLB",
"New York City Wire",
"Albert Pujols",
"Jackson",
"Marcus Giamatti",
"Sports",
"MLB baseball",
"Ty Cobb",
"Benny Kauff",
"Yadier Molina",
"Jeffrey Lenkov",
"Philadelphia Phillies",
"Joe Jackson",
"San Francisco Giants",
"Bud Selig",
"Jane Forbes Clark",
"Ray Liotta"
] | # MLB reinstates Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson
By Ronald Blum
May 13th, 2025 08:07 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson were reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport's Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by gambling scandals.
Rose's permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and came a day before the Cincinnati Reds will honor baseball's career hits leader with Pete Rose Night.
Manfred announced Tuesday he was changing the league's policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire at death. MLB said 17 individuals had their status changed by the decision, including all eight banned members of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox, former Philadelphia Phillies president Williams D. Cox and former New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff.
Under the Hall of Fame's current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be in 2028.
Rose agreed with then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti to a permanent ban on Aug. 23, 1989, following an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule.
Rose first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but Commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying "Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life."
Rose died Sept. 30 at age 83, and a new petition was filed Jan. 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose's daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec. 17.
Rose's supporters have included U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously. Manfred discussed Rose with Trump when the pair met in April, but he hasn't disclosed specifics of their conversation.
In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, "In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase 'permanently ineligible' should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others.
"In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served."
Marcus Giamatti, son of the former commissioner who signed the agreement banning Rose, said in a statement he was "incredibly disappointed" in Manfred's decision.
"I am also disappointed that my family was not consulted prior to this decision," he said. "The Commissioner's decision makes this a very dark day for baseball, the country and the fans.
"My father's mission by banning Rose was to uphold the integrity of the game. Therefore, reinstating Rose in this manner puts that integrity, Rule 21 and everything that my father fought to uphold in peril."
A 17-time All-Star during a playing career from 1963-86, Rose holds record for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215). He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP and 1975 World Series MVP. A three-time NL batting champion, he broke the prior hits record of 4,191 set by Ty Cobb from 1905-28.
Jackson was a .356 career hitter who was among the eight Black Sox banned for throwing the 1919 World Series. He died in 1951, but he remains one of baseball's most recognizable names in part for his depiction by Ray Liotta in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.
## What else needs to happen for Rose or Jackson to reach the Hall of Fame?
Under a rule adopted by the Hall's board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can't be considered for election to the Hall. Jackson was twice considered on ballots by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but received just 0.9% in 1936 and 1% of a nominating vote in 1940.
Rose's reinstatement occurred too late for him to be considered for the BBWAA ballot. If not on the permanently banned list, Rose would have been eligible on the ballots each from 1992 through 2006. He was written in on 41 votes in 1992 and on 243 of 7,232 ballots (3.4%) over the 15 years, votes that were not counted.
Without the ban, both players are eligible for the Hall's Classic Baseball Era, which next meets to consider players in December 2027 and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.
A 10-person historical overview committee selects eight ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall's board, and the ballot is considered by 16 members at the winter meetings, with a 75% or higher vote needed. The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives and media/historians.
Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark confirmed in a statement that players affected by Manfred's ruling Tuesday would be considered.
"The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball's permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration," she said. "Major League Baseball's decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered."
Among the players in the 2028 class eligible for the BBWAA ballot are Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
## Did Trump help get Rose reinstated?
Trump has said he would pardon Rose, but it's not clear what a presidential pardon for Rose would entail.
Rose entered guilty pleas on April 20, 1990, to two counts of filing false tax returns, admitting he failed to report $354,968 during a four-year period. Rose was sentenced on July 19, 1990, by U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel in Cincinnati to five months in prison. He also was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service as a gym teacher's assistant with inner-city youths in Cincinnati as part of a one-year probation period. The first three months of the probation were to be spent at the halfway house. Rose repaid the Internal Revenue Service $366,042.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 02:42:18+00:00 | [
"Vladimir Guerrero Jr.",
"Toronto Blue Jays",
"Tampa Bay Rays",
"Coco Montes",
"Chris Bassitt",
"Jeff Hoffman",
"Toronto",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Sports",
"Edwin Uceta",
"Daulton Varsho",
"Ryan Pepiot",
"MLB baseball",
"Jonathan Aranda",
"Junior Caminero",
"Travis Jankowski",
"Bo Bichette",
"Ernie Clement",
"Danny Jansen"
] | # Junior Caminero's 9th-inning grand slam powers Rays to 11-9 win over Blue Jays
May 14th, 2025 02:42 AM
---
TORONTO (AP) — Junior Caminero hit a tiebreaking grand slam during a five-run ninth inning, Danny Jansen homered against his former team, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-9 on Tuesday night.
Daulton Varsho homered twice for the Blue Jays, and his three-run shot in the eighth against Edwin Uceta (3-1) put Toronto ahead 7-6. After Chandler Simpson's RBI single and Caminero's 419-foot shot to the upper deck in left made it 11-7 in the ninth, the Rays survived run-scoring doubles by Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the bottom half.
Mason Montgomery came in to get the final out, retiring Varsho on a flyball for his first save of the season.
Jeff Hoffman (3-2) gave up Caminero's eighth homer this season and blew his second save.
Jansen was drafted by Toronto in 2013 and played for the Blue Jays beginning in 2018 before being traded to the Red Sox last July. In August, he played for the Red Sox in the resumption of a suspended game from earlier in the season, becoming the first major leaguer to play for both teams in the same game. He signed a one-year deal with the Rays in the offseason.
Jonathan Aranda and Ernie Clement homered for Toronto, which had a four-game win streak snapped.
Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz was placed on the restricted list and will miss the series because of a passport issue. Infielder Coco Montes was called up from Triple-A Durham.
## Key moment
Simpson drove in Travis Jankowski with a bases-loaded single to tie the game and set up Caminero's grand slam.
## Key stats
The Rays have won eight of their last nine away games. Jansen extended his career-best on-base streak to 18 games.
## Up next
Ryan Pepiot (2-4, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Rays on Wednesday against the Blue Jays' Chris Bassitt (3-2, 3.35).
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 22:56:27+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Indictments",
"Hannah Dugan",
"Wisconsin",
"Juries",
"Immigration",
"Courts",
"United States government",
"Kenneth Gales",
"Eduardo Flores-Ruiz",
"U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation"
] | # Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan is indicted on accusations she helped a man evade immigration agents
By Todd Richmond
May 13th, 2025 10:56 PM
---
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin judge Tuesday on charges she helped a man in the country illegally evade U.S. immigration authorities looking to arrest him as he appeared before her in a local domestic abuse case.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan's arrest and ensuing indictment has escalated a clash between President Donald Trump's administration and local authorities over the Republican's sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to the crackdown.
Prosecutors charged Dugan in April via complaint with concealing an individual to prevent arrest and obstruction. In the federal criminal justice system, prosecutors can initiate charges against a defendant directly by filing a complaint or present evidence to a grand jury and let that body decide whether to issue charges.
A grand jury still reviews charges brought by complaint to determine whether enough probable cause exists to continue the case as a check on prosecutors' power. If the grand jury determines there's probable cause, it issues a written statement of the charges known as an indictment. That's what happened in Dugan's case.
Dugan faces up to six years in prison if she's convicted on both counts. Her team of defense attorneys responded to the indictment with a one-sentence statement saying that she maintains her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court. She was scheduled to enter a plea on Thursday.
Kenneth Gales, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee, declined to comment on the indictment Tuesday evening.
Dugan's case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge, who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.
Prosecutors say Dugan escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back jury door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking his arrest.
According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013. Online state court records show he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse in Milwaukee County in March. He was in Dugan's courtroom that morning of April 18 for a hearing.
Court documents suggest Dugan was alerted to the agents' presence by her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that the agents appeared to be in the hallway. An affidavit says Dugan was visibly angry over the agents' arrival and called the situation "absurd" before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers. She and another judge later approached members of the arrest team in the courthouse with what witnesses described as a "confrontational, angry demeanor."
After a back-and-forth with the agents over the warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they speak with the chief judge and led them away from the courtroom, according to the affidavit.
She then returned to the courtroom and was heard saying words to the effect of "wait, come with me" and ushered Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out through a back jury door typically used only by deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants, according to the affidavit. Flores-Ruiz was free on a signature bond in the abuse case at the time, according to online state court records.
Federal agents ultimately captured him outside the courthouse after a foot chase.
The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan from the bench in late April, saying the move was necessary to preserve public confidence in the judiciary. A reserve judge is filling in for her. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 04:06:19+00:00 | [
"Legal proceedings",
"Homicide",
"Kitty Menendez",
"California",
"Los Angeles",
"Courts",
"Erik Menendez",
"Juries",
"California state government",
"Nathan Hochman",
"Criminal punishment",
"George Gascn",
"Michael Jesic",
"Jose Menendez"
] | # A timeline of the Menendez brothers' double-murder case
May 13th, 2025 04:06 AM
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Erik and Lyle Menendez will be eligible for parole after a judge on Tuesday reduced the brothers' sentences for murdering their parents from life without parole to 50 years to life.
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Their case reached a major turning point last year when then- Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said he was reviewing new evidence in the case.
The brothers would still need approval from the state's parole board to get out of prison. They could potentially go free on time served after spending nearly 30 years in prison for the murders. The state parole board will ultimately rule on whether to release them from prison.
Here's a look at their case over the last three decades:
___
## 1990s
March 1990: Lyle Menendez, then 21, is arrested. A few days later, Erik Menendez, 18, turns himself in. They are charged with first-degree murder.
July 1993: The Menendez brothers go on trial, each with a separate jury. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial gain. The brothers' attorneys don't dispute the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse by their father.
Jan. 1994: Both juries deadlock.
Oct. 1995: The brothers' retrial begins, this time with a single jury. Much of the defense evidence about alleged sexual abuse is excluded during the second trial.
March 1996: Jurors convict both brothers of first-degree murder.
July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
February 1998: A California appeals court upholds the brothers' conviction, and three months later, the state Supreme Court agrees.
October 1998: The brothers file habeas corpus petitions with the California Supreme Court. After they are denied the next year, they file petitions in federal district court, which are also denied.
September 2005: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denies their habeas corpus appeal.
## 2023
May 3: Attorneys for the Menendez brothers ask the court to reconsider the convictions and life sentences in light of new evidence from a former member of the boy band Menudo, who said he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was 14. In addition, they submit a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin before the killings about his father's abuse.
## 2024
Sep. 19: Netflix releases the crime drama " Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, " a nine-episode series about the killings.
Oct. 4: Gascón says his office is reviewing new evidence in the case.
Oct. 16: Multiple generations of family members of the Menendez brothers hold a news conference pleading for their release from prison. The relatives say the jurors who sentenced them to life without parole in 1996 were part of a society that was not ready to hear that boys could be raped.
Oct. 24: Prosecutors say they will petition the court to resentence the brothers, and that it could lead to their release.
Nov. 18: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he would not decide on granting the brothers clemency until after the newly elected district attorney has a chance to review the case.
Nov. 25: A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge holds a hearing regarding the request for resentencing but says he needs more time to make a decision, delaying the resentencing hearings.
Dec. 3: Nathan Hochman is sworn into office as the new district attorney of LA County.
## 2025
Feb. 21: Hochman says his office will oppose a new trial for the Menendez brothers. He cast doubt on the evidence of sexual abuse. The following week, Newsom orders the state parole board to conduct a "comprehensive risk assessment" to determine whether the brothers have been rehabilitated and if they would pose a danger to the public if released.
March 10: Hochman says his office won't support resentencing the brothers because they have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents.
April 11: Judge denies prosecutors' request to withdraw their resentencing petition. The following week, resentencing hearings scheduled are delayed due to disputes among prosecutors and the brothers' lawyers, who say they will ask to remove Hochman's office from the case.
May 9: Hochman's office remains on the case as the judge again denies prosecutors' request to withdraw their resentencing petition.
May 13: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduces the brothers' sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They are immediately eligible for parole because they committed the crime under the age of 26. The state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 02:38:02+00:00 | [
"Greg Weissert",
"Boston Red Sox",
"Alex Bregman",
"Kristian Campbell",
"Detroit Tigers",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Sports",
"Spencer Torkelson",
"Boston",
"Beau Brieske",
"Rafael Devers",
"MLB baseball",
"Ceddanne Rafaela",
"Jace Jung",
"Javier Baez",
"Tommy Kahnle"
] | # Javier Baez hits a pair of 3-run HRs, including one in 11th, to lift Tigers to 10-9 win over Red Sox
By Larry Lage
May 14th, 2025 02:38 AM
---
DETROIT (AP) — Javier Baez hit his second go-ahead, three-run homer in the 11th inning for his first multi-homer game in Detroit, lifting the Tigers to a 10-9 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
The AL-leading Tigers were ahead in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings and lost the lead each time.
After falling behind in each of the two extra innings, they came back to win a second straight game against Boston and 10th in 13 games.
Kristian Campbell hit a two-run homer in the 11th and Greg Weissert (1-1) failed to keep a two-run lead. He allowed Jace Jung to hit a leadoff single and Baez to turn on a no-doubt shot to left.
Beau Brieske (1-1) picked up the win after giving up two runs — one earned — and one hit in the 11th.
Boston went up by a run in the 10th on Ceddanne Rafaela's RBI groundout and Trey Sweeney's two-out single in the home half of the inning made it 7-all.
Baez, who has revived his career this season after struggling the previous three seasons in Detroit, also had a three-run homer in the sixth.
Hamilton's two-run blast off Tommy Kahnle pulled the Red Sox into a 6-all tie in the eighth. Boston had a chance to take the lead later in the inning with runners in scoring position, but Kahnle struck out Rafael Devers.
Boston's Alex Bregman, who was booed during each at-bat because he turned down an offer to sign with the Tigers in the offseason, hit a solo home run in the fourth.
## Key moment
Baez put both his hands in the air in the moment after he sent the game-winning home run to left and the crowd chanted "Ja-vy! Ja-vy!" for a player they previously jeered.
## Key stat
Spencer Torkelson has 11 homers in 43 games, a season after hitting just 10 in 92 games.
## Up next
Detroit LHP Tarik Skubal (4-2, 2.08 ERA) and Boston RHP Hunter Dobbins (2-1, 2.78) are scheduled to pitch Wednesday night in the series finale.
—
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 02:36:38+00:00 | [
"Houston Astros",
"Cam Smith",
"Kansas City Royals",
"Jose Altuve",
"Jonathan India",
"Jeremy Pea",
"Bobby Witt Jr.",
"Baseball",
"Kansas City",
"MLB",
"Sports",
"Brendan Rodgers",
"Hunter Renfroe",
"Isaac Paredes",
"Bryan Abreu",
"Freddy Fermin",
"Lucas Erceg",
"Vinnie Pasquantino",
"Kris Bubic",
"Framber Valdez",
"Maikel Garcia",
"Jake Meyers",
"Michael Lorenzen",
"John Schreiber",
"MLB baseball"
] | # Isaac Paredes homers in bottom of the 9th inning to lift Astros to 2-1 win over Royals
By Kristie Rieken
May 14th, 2025 02:36 AM
---
HOUSTON (AP) — Isaac Paredes hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the ninth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
The game was tied at 1 after a home run by Jeremy Peña in the sixth inning when Paredes led off the bottom of the ninth against John Schreiber (1-2). He sent his second pitch to left-center field for his fifth homer this season, giving Houston the win after Kansas City took the series opener Monday.
Both teams got strong outings from their starters. Houston's Framber Valdez allowed six hits and a run with seven strikeouts in eight innings. Kris Bubic yielded six hits and a run and tied a career high with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Bryan Abreu (1-1) struck out one in a scoreless ninth for the win.
Hunter Renfroe doubled off the wall in left-center field with one out in the eighth. Valdez plunked Jonathan India on the foot with two outs, but he induced a groundout by Bobby Witt Jr. to end his night.
Maikel Garcia walked to open the fifth before a single by Vinnie Pasquantino sent him to third. The Royals took a 1-0 lead when Freddy Fermin singled on a ground ball to right field that scored Garcia.
Peña's home run to left field tied it with no outs in the sixth. Jose Altuve followed with a double on a grounder down the third base line, but Bubic retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts, to leave him stranded.
Jake Meyers singled to start Houston's seventh, but was out at second when Cam Smith grounded into a force out. Bubic was replaced by Lucas Erceg and he picked off Smith at first before striking out Brendan Rodgers to end the inning.
## Key moment
The home run by Paredes.
## Key stat
Peña has three homers, four doubles, 24 hits and 13 RBIs in 15 games since moving to the leadoff spot.
## Up next
Kansas City RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-3, 3.57 ERA) opposes LHP Colton Gordon in the series finale Wednesday night. Gordon will be recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his major league debut.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 04:13:39+00:00 | [
"Hawaii",
"Access to health care",
"Gerhardt Konig",
"Hiking",
"Honolulu",
"Thomas Otake",
"Paul Wong",
"Indictments",
"Law enforcement",
"Joel Garner",
"Crime",
"Health"
] | # Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on a hiking trail denied bail
By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
May 13th, 2025 04:13 AM
---
A judge on Tuesday denied a Maui anesthesiologist's request to be released on bail while he fights an attempted murder charge on allegations that he tried to kill his wife on a Honolulu hiking trail.
Gerhardt Konig previously pleaded not guilty. His wife wrote in a petition for a temporary restraining order against him that they were hiking in Honolulu in March when he grabbed her, pushed her toward the edge of a cliff, attempted to inject her with a syringe and then bashed her head with a rock. Konig suggested they go on the hike while the couple were on a trip to celebrate the wife's birthday, the petition said.
In denying the motion for bail, Judge Paul Wong said there's evidence that Konig hid from police, presents a serious flight risk and is a danger to the victim.
She has since filed for divorce. An attorney representing her is asking a judge to withhold the divorce case, filed earlier this month, from the public to protect the privacy of the couple's young children and because of the "significant and arguably intrusive media coverage regarding the underlying events which precipitated this divorce."
The Associated Press does not name people who are victims of domestic violence unless they consent to be identified or decide to tell their stories publicly.
What is known as "Pali Puka" trail is closed because the route is unsafe, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. Hikers often enter through a small clearing near a popular lookout point that offers stunning views despite a warning: "Area Closed! Do not go beyond this sign."
At one point, Konig grabbed her by her upper arms and started pushing her toward the cliff's edge while yelling that he was sick of her, she said.
They began wrestling, and she screamed and pleaded for him to stop, fearing for her life, the petition said. During the struggle, she said he took a syringe from his bag and tried to inject her with something.
She said that she bit his arm in an attempt to defend herself.
He appeared to calm down, but then grabbed a nearby rock and "began bashing me repeatedly on the head with it," she said.
Konig's wife suffered major cuts to her head — from the jagged, softball-sized lava rock — and required surgery, prosecutors said.
While the couple were in Oahu, the two young sons stayed home on Maui with a nanny and family, according to the wife's petition filed in family court. A judge signed an order saying Konig must stay away from her and their children.
Prosecutors, in opposing the bail request, said Konig "faces a realistic prospect of life imprisonment." He tried to flee after the attack and called his adult son, who he told he "tried to kill your stepmom" and told him he would turn off his phone so that police could not locate him, prosecutors said in a court filing.
He also hid in the bushes until nightfall, even though the attack happened in the morning, and led police on a search, prosecutors said.
When he was apprehended, he said, "Wait, she's not dead?" according to prosecutors.
Defense attorney Thomas Otake called it a "very small rock" and argued doctors said there wasn't a substantial risk of death or a concussion from the wife's injuries.
During Tuesday's hearing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joel Garner said Konig was stashing lethal drugs at home, tried three different ways to kill his wife and has ties to South Africa, where he was born.
The petition for a restraining order said that in December, Konig accused his wife of having an affair.
In a court document filed Monday, prosecutors said Konig was storing at home syringes, needles and vials labeled anesthesia medication. On March 27, a few days after the alleged attack and when his wife was preparing to fly back to Honolulu for his grand jury proceedings, she discovered a fanny pack belonging to her husband that contained several syringes and several vials of what appeared to be drugs, the filing said.
"That's not unusual that a doctor who practices medicine would have drugs," Otake said, noting that none of the drugs were found on Oahu where the attack took place.
Konig has been held without bail since his indictment on March 28. In a motion seeking "bail at a reasonable amount," his defense attorneys said Konig, 46, has no prior criminal convictions.
In court, Otake suggested bail between $100,000 and $200,000, arguing that while the divorce is pending he doesn't have access to marital assets.
Otake said his client intends to go to trial: "This is going to be a 'he said, she said' trial."
___
This version corrects the date the wife found syringes and vials at home. Prosecutors say she found them on March 27, not May 27.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 02:14:37+00:00 | [
"ArDarius Washington",
"Baltimore Ravens",
"District of Columbia",
"Washington",
"NFL",
"Sports",
"National Football League",
"Malaki Starks",
"NFL football"
] | # Ravens S Ar'Darius Washington tears his Achilles tendon during offseason conditioning, reports say
May 14th, 2025 02:14 AM
---
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington reportedly tore his Achilles tendon during offseason conditioning.
NFL Network and The Baltimore Sun, both citing unidentified sources Wednesday, reported Washington's injury, which could impact the team's defense this coming season. Washington started from late October on last season, and his presence helped the Ravens' pass defense turn its season around after a shaky start.
Washington signed his restricted free agent tender with the Ravens last month. He's played all four of his NFL seasons with Baltimore.
The Ravens did use their first-round draft pick this year on another safety, taking Malaki Starks out of Georgia.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 19:01:57+00:00 | [
"Harvey Weinstein",
"Michael Cibella",
"Kaja Sokola",
"Assault",
"New York City Wire",
"Curtis Farber",
"Entertainment",
"Legal proceedings",
"Crime",
"Indictments",
"Sexual assault",
"Juries"
] | # Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal
By Philip Marcelo
May 13th, 2025 07:01 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — A former fashion model testifying in Harvey Weinstein 's retrial on sexual assault charges was confronted on the stand Tuesday with a private journal in which she wrote about people who sexually abused her, but notably left out the disgraced former Hollywood mogul.
Michael Cibella, a lawyer for Weinstein, noted that the journal by Kaja Sokola names at least two people who had sexually assaulted her. Neither one of them, she acknowledged to the jury in Manhattan, was Weinstein.
Instead, the "Pulp Fiction" producer is mentioned in the writings for altogether different reasons. Under an entry for "Harvey W" Sokola wrote that he was "promising me help," but "nothing came out of it."
"The trauma that Harvey Weinstein inflicted on you was that he made promises that he didn't keep, even as you accused two other men of sexually assaulting you," Cibella said.
The Polish model, now a 39-year-old psychotherapist, pushed back at the characterization.
"That's your interpretation and I'll leave that with you," Sokola responded from the witness stand. "Harvey made promises he didn't keep -- and he sexually assaulted me."
Earlier in the day, Sokola had argued that the journal, which she wrote in Polish in 2015, shouldn't be discussed in open court at all.
She said the writing has been part of her treatment for substance abuse. One of the steps of the program, she explained, was to list all the people and things with which she held resentment.
"This is very inappropriate," Sokola pleaded as one of Weinstein's attorneys began to cite portions of the text to the jury. "Please don't read that. This is my personal things. I'm not on trial here."
Judge Curtis Farber assured Sokola that he would only permit limited questioning around the document. He also said he had concerns about the journal's completeness and authenticity and wondering how defense lawyers had obtained what appeared to be private medical records.
"This might backfire tremendously" for the defense, Farber said at one point, as prosecutors also strongly opposed inclusion of the journal as evidence in the trial. "That's the risk they're willing to take."
Weinstein's lawyers, in their cross-examination of Sokola that began Friday, have sought to cast Sokola as a wannabe actor who tried to leverage her consensual relations with the former studio boss.
Cibella, to that end, quizzed Sokola on Tuesday about what she told prosecutors during a 2020 interview.
He contended that a prosecutor's handwritten notes from the meeting don't include any mention of Weinstein using force or tearing off her clothes, as she's described the incident to jurors in her testimony.
"Is it a fact that you never made an allegation in 2020 that Mr. Weinstein used force?" Cibella asked.
"That is a lie," Sokola fired back.
Cibella also questioned Sokola about her communications with Weinstein in the years after she claimed he had sexually assaulted her in 2006.
Among them were phone messages, text messages and emails in which she tried to meet up in person with the co-founder of the production company Miramax or asked him for help on various movie industry opportunities.
Sokola, who is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday, testified last week that Weinstein exploited her dreams of an acting career to subject her to unwanted sexual advances, starting days after they met in 2002, while she was a 16-year-old on a modeling trip to New York.
Some of those allegations are beyond the legal time limit for criminal charges, but Weinstein faces a criminal sex act charge over Sokola's claim that he forced oral sex on her in 2006.
Prosecutors added the charge to the landmark #MeToo case last year, after an appeals court overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction. The guilty verdict pertained to allegations from two other women, who also have testified or are expected to testify at the retrial.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies ever sexually assaulting anyone.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted, but Sokola has given her permission to be identified.
___
Associated Press reporter Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this story.
___
Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 09:25:49+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Friedrich Merz",
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan",
"Ukraine",
"Marco Rubio",
"Steve Witkoff",
"Istanbul",
"District of Columbia",
"Russia",
"Kyiv",
"Turkey government",
"War and unrest",
"Europe",
"Russia-Ukraine war",
"Dmitry Peskov",
"Politics",
"Ukraine government",
"Mykhailo Podolyak",
"Russia government",
"Germany government",
"Russia Ukraine war"
] | # Zelenskyy says he will be waiting for Putin in Ankara for talks
By Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab
May 13th, 2025 09:25 AM
---
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than 3-year war, amid heavy pressure from the U.S. and European leaders to reach a settlement.
Putin hasn't yet said whether he will be at the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the two sides to attend as part of Washington's efforts to stop the fighting.
Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said.
Zelenskyy said he would "do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with (Putin) that I must negotiate a ceasefire, as only he can decide on it."
Zelenskyy said that if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there from Ankara.
"If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader added that if Putin doesn't show up, European and U.S. leaders should follow through with threats of additional and heavy sanctions against Russia.
Trump, who is on a four-day Middle East trip, said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the talks. Special envoy Steve Witkoff also is set to take part, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview plans that have not been made public.
Washington has been applying strong pressure on both sides to come to the table since Trump took office in January with a promise to end the war.
Military analysts say that both sides are preparing a spring-summer campaign on the battlefield, where a war of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Monday that Russia is "quickly replenishing front-line units with new recruits to maintain the battlefield initiative."
## German leader says ball is in Putin's court
International pressure has been growing to push Ukraine and Russia into finding a settlement.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pressed again for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as he met his Greek counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday.
"We are waiting for Putin's agreement," he said.
"We agree that, in case there is no real progress this week, we then want to push at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions," Merz added. He said that "we will focus on further areas, such as the energy sector and the financial market."
Merz welcomed Zelenskyy's readiness to travel personally to Turkey, "but now it is really up to Putin to accept this offer of negotiations and agree to a ceasefire. The ball is exclusively in Russia."
## Russia isn't saying whether Putin will attend talks
Overnight, Russia launched 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said. It was Russia's smallest drone bombardment this year.
The Kremlin hasn't directly responded to Zelenskyy's challenge for Putin to meet him in person at the negotiating table.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined for the second straight day Tuesday to tell reporters whether Putin will travel to Istanbul and who else will represent Russia at the potential talks.
"As soon as the president considers it necessary, we will make an announcement," Peskov said.
Russia has said that it will send a delegation to Istanbul without preconditions.
## European leaders say Putin is dragging his feet
Zelenskyy won't be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Tuesday on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.
Lower-level talks would amount to simply "dragging out" any peace process, Podolyak said.
European leaders have recently accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts, while he attempts to press his bigger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.
Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, starting Monday, that was demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders, when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine. Putin instead offered direct peace talks.
But the wrangling over whether a ceasefire should come before the talks begin has continued.
"Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first," Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Tuesday.
Negotiations are impossible while "the Ukrainian people are under attack by Russian missiles and drones around the clock," Yermak said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025.
Putin has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, especially Zelenskyy himself, saying his term expired last year. Under Ukraine's constitution, it's illegal for the country to hold a national election while it's under martial law, as it now is.
Zelenskyy dismissed claims that a decree enacted by him in 2022 prohibited him from meeting Putin, saying that the claim was Russian propaganda.
Putin and Zelenskyy have only met once, in 2019.
In the war's early months, Zelenskyy repeatedly called for a personal meeting with Putin but was rebuffed. After the Kremlin's decision in September 2022 to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Zelenskyy issued the decree declaring that holding negotiations with Putin had become impossible.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that this decree affected other Ukrainian officials who were directly negotiating with the Russian leader.
___
AP writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Matthew Lee in Antalya, Turkey, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 04:02:07+00:00 | [
"Sean Diddy Combs",
"Crime",
"New York City Wire",
"Mary J. Blige",
"Alex Fine",
"Los Angeles",
"Sex and sexuality",
"Usher",
"Emily Johnson",
"Human trafficking",
"Entertainment",
"Sexual misconduct",
"Sexual assault"
] | # Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie testifies at his trial about abuse and 'freak offs'
By Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister
May 13th, 2025 04:02 AM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Cassie, the R&B singer and former girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, testified Tuesday that the mercurial music mogul — powerful, abusive and controlling — beat her mercilessly and ordered her to have "disgusting" sex with strangers during drug-fueled, multi-day marathons he called "freak offs."
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a tissue, sighed heavily and paused to compose herself through about five hours of testimony at Combs' sex trafficking trial.
In humiliating detail, she recounted a turbulent 10-year relationship with Combs that she said was consumed by violence and his obsession with a form of voyeurism where "he was controlling the whole situation." That included directing her encounters with male sex workers right down to the copious amounts of baby oil she applied to maintain the "glistening" look he desired.
The "Me & U" singer told jurors that his demands for her to engage in sometimes-revolting sex acts — sometimes as he watched from another room via FaceTime — left her feeling "heavily objectified." But, she said, she endured them because she was in love with Combs.
At the same time, Cassie said, Combs controlled every aspect of her life, from her career to her living arrangements, and she didn't feel like she could tell him "no."
When she did try to leave, she said, Combs punished her — most notably in a 2016 assault captured on a security camera at a Los Angeles hotel. In the video, played in court for a fifth time, Combs is seen hitting, kicking and attempting to drag her back to their room. After the footage was leaked last year, Combs apologized.
Asked how many other times Combs had knocked her to the ground, Cassie replied: "Too many to count."
Due to give birth soon to her third child, Cassie occasionally rested her hands on her pregnant belly as she testified. Her supporters in the courtroom included her husband, Alex Fine.
She is scheduled to return to the witness stand Wednesday. After prosecutors are done questioning her, Combs' lawyers will get their turn.
Prosecutors allege the three-time Grammy winner used his fame and fortune to orchestrate a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties. His lawyers argue that, although he could be violent, he never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering. They contend all sexual acts were consensual.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. He interacted with his lawyers but remained largely stoic as Cassie testified. During a break, he made a heart shape with his hands and mouthed "thank you" to one of his twin daughters. He also blew a kiss to his mother.
Jailed since his arrest last September, he could get at least 15 years and up to life in prison if convicted.
## Cassie testifies about violence and abuse
Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of abuse. He settled within hours, but dozens of similar lawsuits followed.
Cassie testified Tuesday that she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. Combs signed her to a 10-year contract with his Bad Boy Records label. Within a few years, they started dating, Cassie said.
Her 2006 single, "Me & U," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and was the signature song on her first studio album. She was working on a follow up, but Combs "chose what was next for me" and didn't release any others, she said.
Cassie told jurors she was "sexually inexperienced" when she met Combs and that he introduced her to various sex acts before asking her to engaged in her first "freak off" when she was barely 22. Cassie said she was "confused, nervous, but also loved him very much" and "wanted to make him happy."
Cassie, now 38, said her relationship with Combs ran the gamut from good times to arguments and physical altercations. She said the abuse happened "too frequently" and sometimes came after the smallest perceived slights.
Cassie said Combs ordered her to recruit male sex workers for "freak offs" and that he would pay them thousands of dollars to have sex with her. The encounters, fueled by ecstasy and other drugs, would go on for 36 or 48 hours, and she said the longest lasted four days. They took place in private, often in dark hotel rooms, unlike Combs' very public White Parties in the Hamptons that attracted A-list celebrities.
## Cassie felt she couldn't refuse Combs' demands
Cassie said her first "freak off" occurred in Combs' Los Angeles home with a male stripper from Las Vegas. She told jurors she felt dirty and confused afterward, but also relieved that Combs was happy.
Still, she said she felt obligated to go along with future "freak offs."
"I just didn't want to make him upset," she said. "I just didn't want to make him angry and regret telling me about this experience that was so personal."
Cassie began crying when asked if she liked any aspect of the "freak offs." She said she enjoyed "time spent with him."
She said she used drugs at every "freak off" to numb herself during "emotionless sex with a stranger that I didn't really want to have sex with."
The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done.
## 'Freak offs' became a 'job'
Soon, she said, she was doing "freak offs" weekly. They went on for a decade, with the final one in 2017 or 2018, she said. Each time, she said, she had to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs and "having sex with a stranger for days."
She described the situation as: "'Freak offs' became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again."
During her opening statement, prosecutor Emily Johnson told the jury that Cassie was not the only woman Combs beat and sexually exploited.
Combs was among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades, working with artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige and Usher. He also created the fashion clothing line Sean John and produced the reality show "Making the Band."
___
Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 16:01:56+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"India government",
"Pakistan",
"India",
"Narendra Modi",
"Kashmir",
"United States government",
"International agreements",
"United States",
"South Asia",
"War and unrest",
"Politics",
"Randhir Jaiswal",
"JD Vance",
"Marco Rubio"
] | # India disputes Trump's claim that trade incentives led to the India-Pakistan ceasefire
By Rajesh Roy
May 13th, 2025 04:01 PM
---
NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian government on Tuesday disputed U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan came about in part because he had offered possible trade concessions.
Addressing a weekly news conference, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for India's foreign ministry, said top leaders in New Delhi and Washington were in touch last week following the Indian military's intense standoff with Pakistan, but that there was no conversation on trade.
"The issue of trade didn't come up in any of these discussions," Jaiswal said, referring to the conversations held between U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar.
Following Saturday's understanding between India and Pakistan to stop military action on land, in the air and at sea, Trump told reporters on Monday that he had offered to help both nations with trade if they agreed to de-escalate.
"I said, come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let's stop it. Let's stop it. If you stop it, we'll do a trade. If you don't stop it, we're not going to do any trade,'" Trump said.
"And all of a sudden, they said, I think we're going to stop," Trump said, crediting trade leverage for influencing both the nations' decision. "For a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one," he said.
The militaries of India and Pakistan had been engaged in one of their most serious confrontations in decades since last Wednesday, when India struck targets inside Pakistan it said were affiliated with militants responsible for the massacre of 26 tourists last month in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any links to the attackers.
After India's strikes in Pakistan, the two sides exchanged heavy fire along their de facto borders, followed by missile and drone strikes into each other's territories, mainly targeting military installations and airbases.
The escalating hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals threatened regional peace, leading to calls by world leaders to cool down tempers.
Trump said he not only helped mediate the ceasefire, but also offered mediation over the simmering dispute in Kashmir, a Himalayan region that both India and Pakistan claim in entirety but administer in parts. The two nations have fought two wars over Kashmir, which has long been described as the regional nuclear flashpoint.
New Delhi also declined Trump's offer for mediation on Tuesday.
"We have a longstanding national position that any issues related to the federally controlled union territory of Jammu and Kashmir must be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. There has been no change to the stated policy," Jaiswal said.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Tuesday that Pakistan was expelling a staff member of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, accusing him of unspecified inappropriate activity and giving him 24 hours to leave the country.
In a tit-for-tat move last month, India and Pakistan reduced each other's diplomatic presence in Islamabad and New Delhi. So far, none of the expelled diplomats have returned. Pakistan and India routinely expel each other's diplomats over allegations of espionage.
___
Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed contributed to this story from Islamabad. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 00:50:37+00:00 | [
"Los Angeles Dodgers",
"Dave Roberts",
"Los Angeles Angels",
"Tyler Glasnow",
"Blake Snell",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Sports",
"MLB baseball",
"Clayton Kershaw"
] | # Clayton Kershaw to make season debut for the Dodgers on Saturday against the Angels
By Beth Harris
May 14th, 2025 12:50 AM
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels.
The 37-year-old left-hander began his 18th season with the team on the injured list while recovering from toe and knee surgeries. His return comes at a critical time for the Dodgers, with starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and rookie Roki Sasaki on the injured list.
"It's a big shot in the arm," manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. "Clayton has worked really hard to get healthy and the bar is high for him. He doesn't want to just come back to be active. He wants to be come back and help us win baseball games and be good. I know he's excited to contribute."
Kershaw struck out two and allowed a pair of runs on two hits and two walks in his final rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. He threw 57 pitches over four innings.
"It felt good to be focused on pitching," he told KLAC-AM before Tuesday's game. "The last few times I pitched last year I just focused on how much my foot was hurting. Just focusing on the next pitch as opposed to what hurts. It's been a hard road but I'm feeling good."
Roberts said Kershaw's imminent return "adds an element of certainty and performance."
The three-time Cy Young Award winner will tie Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years with the Dodgers franchise when he starts this weekend. He and Russell are the only players to log 18 seasons since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Kershaw is the longest-tenured player on the current roster.
"I'm tired of taking up space," Kershaw said. "I want to contribute and help the team out."
Kershaw is 32 strikeouts from reaching 3,000 to go with his 212 career wins.
He remains determined to eventually retire on his terms rather than let circumstances dictate his plans. His family is "a huge motivating factor as well," he said.
"If I go out there and get shelled and I'm not good anymore that's one thing," Kershaw said. "If another hitter gets the best of me that's one thing, but I'm not going to let it do it to myself."
He made just seven starts last year before his season ended in August due to pain in his left big toe. He watched from the sidelines as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win their eighth World Series title.
Kershaw has been following his teammates on TV.
"It's a great team. Forty games in you can see a lot of things that are going really well," he said. "I just want to be a part of it."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 16:16:10+00:00 | [
"Sean Diddy Combs",
"Casandra Ventura",
"Legal proceedings",
"Crime",
"Celebrity",
"Lawsuits",
"Music",
"RB",
"New York City Wire",
"Entertainment",
"Wiz Khalifa",
"Sexual misconduct",
"Human trafficking",
"Mario Barrett",
"Ryan Leslie",
"Sexual assault",
"Daniel Phillip",
"Frankie Stone Fine",
"Kid Cudi",
"Suge Knight",
"Alex Fine",
"Lil Wayne",
"Akon"
] | # Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial: Who is Cassie?
By Maria Sherman
May 13th, 2025 04:16 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Casandra Ventura, the R&B singer and actor known simply as Cassie, began testifying Tuesday in Sean "Diddy" Combs ' sex trafficking trial. She is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday.
The music mogul is charged with leveraging his status to coerce women — including Cassie — into abusive sexual encounters and using violence if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation.
Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old star witness:
## A talented performer
A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she signed to the top-tier talent and modeling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first met Combs.
Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single "Me & U," which secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019.
As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects including Fox's "Empire," "The Perfect Match" and "Spenser Confidential." She made her acting debut in 2008 in "Step Up 2: The Streets" and contributed the song "Is It You" to its soundtrack.
She appeared in a number of music videos as well, including Wiz Khalifa's "Roll Up" and Mario's "Just A Friend 2002."
Although she never released her long-teased sophomore album, at one point tentatively titled "Electro Love," she did drop a few tracks: the R&B-pop "Official Girl" with Lil Wayne, "Must Be Love" with Combs, and "Let's Get Crazy" with Akon. And in 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a feature on "The Boys" from Minaj's "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up."
Cassie is also a wife and a mother. She married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born that same year and they welcomed their second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. She is currently pregnant with their third child, a son.
## The Combs connection
Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating.
In her 2023 civil lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her in a "cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking" for more than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day.
In May 2024, CNN aired video that showed Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrored an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Cassie, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to bury the video at the time.
Later, Combs apologized for the assault on Cassie in his first real acknowledgment of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began.
Among other things, Cassie alleges Combs raped her when she tried to leave him and often punched, kicked and beat her, causing injuries including bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding.
She also alleges that Combs was involved in blowing up rival rapper Kid Cudi's car when he learned that Cudi was romantically interested in her, and she alleges that Combs ran out of his home with guns when he learned that Suge Knight, a rival producer, was eating at a nearby diner.
On the first day of Combs' sex trafficking trial, a witness, Daniel Phillip, said he was a professional stripper who was paid $700 to $6,000 to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions, with the first encounter in 2012.
Phillip told jurors that he stopped meeting with the couple after he saw Combs throw a bottle at her and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed.
___
AP writer Mike Sisak contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 22:49:40+00:00 | [
"Kim Kardashian",
"Crime",
"Paris",
"Theft",
"France",
"Legal proceedings",
"Entertainment",
"Simone Harouche"
] | # Kim Kardashian testifies about trauma of Paris jewelry robbery
By Thomas Adamson, John Leicester, and Nicolas Vaux-Montagny
May 13th, 2025 10:49 PM
---
PARIS (AP) — Defiant in diamonds, Kim Kardashian appeared in a Paris courtroom Tuesday to testify in the trial over the 2016 armed robbery that upended her life. The reality star and business mogul gave emotional, at times harrowing, testimony about the night masked men tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than $6 million in jewelry.
Here's what she revealed — and what's still to come.
## A night that changed everything
Kardashian said she was starting to doze off in bed in the early hours when she heard stomping on the stairs. She assumed it was her sister Kourtney returning from a night out. "Hello? Hello? Who is it?" she called.
Moments later, two masked men burst in. They dragged the concierge in handcuffs. They were dressed as police.
"I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack," she said.
She grabbed her phone but froze — "I didn't know what 911 was (in France)." She tried to call her sister and her bodyguard, but one man grabbed her hand to stop her. They threw her on the bed, bound her hands and held a gun to her back.
"I have babies," she recalled telling the robbers. "I have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home."
Her robe fell open — she said she was naked underneath — as one man pulled her toward him. "I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me," Kardashian said.
One attacker leaned in and told her, in English, she'd be OK if she stayed quiet. He taped her mouth shut, and took her to the bathroom.
Kardashian later managed to free her hands by rubbing the tape against the bathroom sink. She hopped downstairs, ankles still bound, and found her friend and stylist, Simone Harouche. Fearing the men might return, the women climbed onto the balcony and hid in bushes. While lying there, Kardashian called her mother.
The men took a diamond ring she'd worn that night to a Givenchy show and rifled through her jewelry box. They took items including a watch her late father had given her when she graduated high school. "It wasn't just jewelry. It was so many memories," she said.
## A changed life and constant fear
Investigators believe the attackers followed Kardashian's digital breadcrumbs — images, timestamps, geotags — and exploited them with old-school criminal methods.
The robbery reshaped Kardashian's sense of safety and freedom. "This experience really changed everything for us," she said. "I started to get this phobia of going out."
She often rents adjoining hotel rooms for protection and no longer stores jewelry at home, and now has up to six security guards at home.
"I can't even sleep at night" otherwise, she said.
She also said she no longer makes social media posts in real time unless at a public event. Her Los Angeles home was robbed shortly after the Paris heist in what she believes was a copycat attack.
## A letter and an unexpected moment of grace
In a powerful courtroom moment, the chief judge read aloud a letter from one of the accused, who is too ill to testify. The letter said he had seen Kardashian's tears on television and expressed regret. Kardashian was visibly moved.
"I'm obviously emotional," she said in response.
"I do appreciate the letter, for sure," she added. "I forgive you for what had taken place. But it doesn't change the emotion, the trauma, and the way my life is forever changed."
Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, added that she regularly visits prisons. "I've always believed in second chances," she said.
## Diamonds, defiance and public image
Kardashian made a fashion statement in court, wearing a $1.5 million necklace by Samer Halimeh New York. The jeweler's press release for the necklace came out even as she was on the witness stand, a reminder that visibility remains currency, even if the rules have grown more complicated.
The choice reflected defiance and the reclaiming of the image and luxury once used against her.
Kardashian said Paris had once been a sanctuary, a place where she would walk at 3 or 4 a.m., window shopping, sometimes stopping for hot chocolate. It "always felt really safe," she said. "It was always a magical place."
## What's next
Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has died. One was excused due to illness. The French press dubbed the group les papys braqueurs — "the grandpa robbers" — but prosecutors say they were no harmless retirees.
The defendants face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang association. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
Kardashian said she was grateful for the opportunity to "tell my truth" in the packed Paris courtroom.
"This is my closure," she said. "This is me putting this, hopefully, to rest."
The trial is expected to conclude May 23. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:53:14+00:00 | [
"Atlanta Braves",
"Washington Nationals",
"Pierce Johnson",
"Baseball",
"DC Wire",
"MLB",
"CJ Abrams",
"Ozhaino Albies",
"Dylan Lee",
"Sports",
"Bryce Elder",
"Amed Rosario",
"MLB baseball",
"Brad Lord",
"Austin Riley",
"Mike Soroka",
"Mitchell Parker"
] | # Drake Baldwin helps Braves reach .500 for first time in 2025 with 5-2 win over skidding Nats
By Bill Trocchi
May 14th, 2025 01:53 AM
---
ATLANTA (AP) — Drake Baldwin hit a two-run homer, Spencer Schwellenbach pitched seven strong innings and the Atlanta Braves improved to .500 for the first time this season with a 5-2 win over the skidding Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
The Braves (21-21), who began the season 0-7, handed the Nationals their seventh straight loss.
Baldwin was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Atlanta native CJ Abrams homered on the first pitch of the game from Schwellenbach (2-3), who kept the Nationals in check from there. He gave up two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out three.
Dylan Lee pitched a scoreless eighth and Pierce Johnson worked the ninth for his first save of the season.
Amed Rosario was 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Nats, who have scored just 15 runs during the skid.
Washington starter Michael Soroka, an All-Star for Atlanta as a rookie in 2019, went four innings in his first appearance against his former team, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out four. Brad Lord (2-5) gave up two runs in two innings of relief.
## Key moment
With the Braves trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, Baldwin tied it when he drove a hanging 3-2 slider from Soroka over the right-field wall for his fourth homer of the season.
## Key stat
Atlanta's Ozzie Albies ended an 0-for-28 drought with a one-out RBI single to right field in the sixth inning. It was the longest hitless streak of the nine-year veteran's career and the longest active streak in the majors.
## Up next
Bryce Elder (2-2, 4.97 ERA) will start for the Braves against the Nationals' Mitchell Parker (3-3, 3.97) on Wednesday night.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 15:09:14+00:00 | [
"Justin Trudeau",
"Donald Trump",
"Dominic LeBlanc",
"Canada government",
"Canada",
"Anita Anand",
"Franois Philippe Champagne",
"Bill Blair",
"Mlanie Joly",
"David McGuinty",
"International",
"The Goldman Sachs Group",
"Inc.",
"Royalty",
"Evan Solomon",
"King Charles III",
"Politics",
"Mark Carney",
"Business",
"Tim Hodgson"
] | # Canadian Prime Minister Carney names a new foreign minister in a Cabinet shake-up
By Rob Gillies
May 13th, 2025 03:09 PM
---
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a major Cabinet shakeup, including a new foreign minister, Tuesday as he shapes a newly reelected Liberal government.
Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau earlier this year and won election last month, named Anita Anand foreign minister, replacing Mélanie Joly, who becomes the minister of industry. Anand's previous roles include defense minister.
François-Philippe Champagne retains his job as finance minister, while Dominic LeBlanc remains minister of U.S. trade at a time of a trade war between Canada and the United States.
Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the aggression toward Canada shown by U.S. President Donald Trump, while preserving the calm demeanor of an economist who has led the central banks of both Canada and the United Kingdom.
"Canadians elected this new government with a strong mandate to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States and to build a stronger economy for all Canadians," Carney said.
Carney noted that King Charles III will deliver a speech outlining the Canadian government's priorities on May 27, when Parliament resumes. Charles is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.
Carney has emphasized Canada's founding nations, the United Kingdom and France, and has said the old relationship with the U.S. based on steadily increasing integration is over.
More than 10 people were dropped from the new Cabinet, including former defense minister Bill Blair. David McGuinty goes from public safety to defense.
Carney named former Goldman Sachs Canada CEO Tim Hodgson as natural resources minister. Carney, who worked for 14 years at Goldman Sachs, has said he wants to build Canada into an energy "superpower" and prioritize big, "nation building" projects.
Former journalist Evan Solomon is among the new ministers, serving in the new post of minister of artificial intelligence.
Women make up half of the Cabinet, as they did in Trudeau's Cabinet.
Carney said the new Cabinet is built to deliver the change Canadians want and need. The Liberal government is in its fourth term. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 15:23:57+00:00 | [
"Jensen Huang",
"NVIDIA Corp.",
"Saudi Arabia",
"Semiconductor manufacturing",
"Artificial intelligence",
"Technology",
"Data management and storage",
"Cloud computing",
"Business"
] | # Nvidia to send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia
By The Associated Press
May 13th, 2025 03:23 PM
---
U.S. chip maker Nvidia will partner with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund-owned AI startup Humain and will ship 18,000 chips to the Middle Eastern nation to help power a new data center project.
The partnership was revealed Tuesday as part of a White House trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been working to develop its artificial intelligence capacity and strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure with the help of foreign investment.
"AI, like electricity and internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation," said Jensen Huang, founder of Nvidia. "Together with Humain, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom."
The cutting-edge Blackwell chips will be used in a 500 megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia, according to remarks at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday. The California company said its first deployment will use its GB300 Blackwell chips, which are among Nvidia's most advanced AI chips at the moment, and which were only officially announced earlier this year. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 20:35:36+00:00 | [
"Pope Leo XIV",
"Pope Francis",
"Vatican City",
"Social media",
"Catholic Church",
"Papal conclave",
"Religion",
"Pope Benedict XVI",
"Donald Trump",
"Technology",
"JD Vance"
] | # Pope Leo XIV is back on social media, with a message of peace
May 13th, 2025 08:35 PM
---
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican's official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: "Peace be with you all!"
The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history's first American pope.
The Vatican said it was archiving the posts from Pope Francis ' 12-year papacy. On X, the new account didn't appear to be active Tuesday.
The Vatican launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. It now comes in nine languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin -- and counts a combined 52 million followers.
Past popes didn't actually send the posts, which were curated by the Vatican.
The former Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on X in an account started in 2011. It had been dormant since July 2023 but came back to life earlier this year to share criticism of Trump administration migration policies and comments by Vice President JD Vance.
___
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. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:05:09+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Philippines",
"Joe Biden",
"Jeanine Pirro",
"Lawsuits",
"Philippines government",
"Courts",
"Legal proceedings",
"Bribery",
"Corporate crime",
"Voting",
"New York City Wire",
"Erik Connolly",
"Rudolph Giuliani",
"Fraud",
"Indictments",
"Corruption",
"Sidney Powell",
"Elections"
] | # Fox News can get Smartmatic records about Philippines bribery case, court rules
By Jennifer Peltz
May 14th, 2025 01:05 AM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News can get access to some internal documents at the voting-technology company Smartmatic as part of its effort to defend itself against a $2.7 billion civil defamation lawsuit over its coverage of claims of voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election, a New York appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The documents concern a U.S. corruption case about Smartmatic's dealings in the Philippines.
The opinion reversed a lower-court judge's repeated denials of Fox requests to peer into the company's records about the federal inquiry, which led to criminal charges against Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate and two other executives.
Smartmatic says the suit is a world away from the criminal case, which alleges the executives conspired to pay over $1 million in bribes to a Filipino official between 2015 and 2018 to secure business there.
Piñate and at least one co-defendant have pleaded not guilty. It's unclear from court records whether the third executive has entered a plea or has an attorney who can comment on the charges. Smartmatic itself isn't charged and put the defendants on leave.
Florida-based Smartmatic says its business was decimated when Fox aired false claims that the election-tech company helped rig the 2020 voting. Under pressure from Smartmatic, Fox eventually interviewed an election technology expert who refuted the allegations.
The network says it simply reported on newsworthy allegations made by President Donald Trump and his allies, and that Smartmatic is vastly overstating its purported losses.
A five-judge state Appellate Division panel said Fox can get some documents about how the Philippines corruption indictment affected Smartmatic's business, reasoning that the information is "plainly relevant to its current and future lost profits."
In court filings and a recent hearing, lawyers for Fox News and Smartmatic disputed how much relevant material already was turned over.
Hailing Tuesday's ruling, the network said in a statement that evidence "shows that Smartmatic's business and reputation were badly suffering long before any claims by President Trump's lawyers on Fox News."
Smartmatic lawyer Erik Connolly said Fox's "campaign of lies was the number-one cause of Smartmatic's injuries."
Smartmatic is suing the network and some current and former on-air hosts, including Jeanine Pirro, newly tapped as top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. The lawsuit involves shows in which Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell portrayed Smartmatic as part of a broad conspiracy to steal the 2020 vote from Trump. The Republican was then in his first term.
Federal and state election officials, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump's own then-attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Dozens of judges, including some whom Trump had appointed, rejected his fraud claims. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:26:31+00:00 | [
"Mens college basketball",
"Illinois Fighting Illini",
"Brad Underwood",
"College sports",
"Illinois",
"Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball",
"Lou Henson",
"Sports",
"Josh Whitman",
"Rose Bowls"
] | # Illinois rewards football coach Bret Bielema and hoops coach Brad Underwood with 6-year extensions
By Andrew Seligman
May 14th, 2025 01:26 AM
---
Illinois has locked in its football and men's basketball coaches for the long term, agreeing to six-year contracts with Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood.
Illinois rewarded Bielema for turning around its struggling football program, and Underwood for an eight-year run that includes five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Elite Eight. Both deals were announced Tuesday.
Bielema's deal runs through 2030, while Underwood is locked in through the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the university's board of trustees on May 22.
Bielema's annual salary would begin at $7.7 million, while Underwood's would start at $4.4 million. Both coaches would be eligible for four one-year extensions if performance benchmarks are met, as well as annual retention incentives starting next July 1.
For Bielema, the retention incentives would start at $700,000 and increase each year. For Underwood, they would begin at $1.15 million.
In four seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 record and an 18-18 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini matched a school record for wins in 2024 when they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and became just the fifth team in the program's 133 years to reach double-digit victories.
"Over the last four seasons, our program has been built on tough, smart, dependable people in every facet: from our players, to our coaches and staff, to our administration," Bielema said in a statement. "I am fortunate to work every day with an athletic director that fully believes in our football program and a coaching staff that fully believes in our players."
Underwood praised his program's "alignment" with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees.
"That foundation created the environment where — led by all the tremendous players we've had along with a group of talented assistant coaches and a dedicated staff — we have been able to achieve success," he said.
Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, replaced the fired Lovie Smith after the 2020 season. He got a six-year contract at the time with a salary starting at $4.2 million to return to the Big Ten and his home state.
Illinois had nine straight losing seasons before Bielema was hired. The Illini went 5-7 in his first year before winning eight games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 before bouncing back last year.
Illinois won 10 games for the first time since 2001. The Illini were ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee a program-record four straight weeks and appeared in the AP poll 11 times, finishing at No. 16.
Underwood is 165-101 overall at Illinois and 92-66 in Big Ten play, with three league championships. He and Lou Henson are the only Illini coaches with at least five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Illinois was also on track to make the 2020 tournament that was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Illini won 22 games last season after losing five starters and the top eight scorers from a team that reached the Elite Eight in 2024.
Underwood has a 274-128 record in 12 seasons as a head coach, including three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:05:06+00:00 | [
"Connecticut Sun",
"Connecticut",
"Tina Charles",
"Jen Rizzotti",
"WNBA",
"Sports",
"NBA basketball",
"WNBA basketball",
"Caitlin Clark",
"Orlando",
"Michael Carter Williams"
] | # Connecticut Sun exploring all options, including sale of franchise according to team president
By Doug Feinberg
May 14th, 2025 01:05 AM
---
The Connecticut Sun are looking at all options for the franchise's future, including a potential sale, team president Jen Rizzotti said Tuesday.
The team is owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which runs the casino where the team has played since 2003. The Tribe bought the franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was the first in the league to be run by a non-NBA owner and also became the first to turn a profit.
Rizzotti, who took over in her current role four years ago, said that Mohegan's decision was the move of "responsible business owners" and that "it's more about being consistent about how they're evaluating all of their businesses, the Connecticut Sun being one of them."
The news was first reported Monday by Sportico, which said the team had hired investment bank Allen & Co to conduct the probe.
Rizzotti said that no decision has been made and that no timeline has been set. The team could be sold to an outside group or the franchise could bring on a minority owner.
"They want to make sure they're doing what's best for the organization as well as the WNBA," she said.
Rizzotti went on to say that the ownership group has done a great job over the years.
"They do everything first class. They pride themselves on guest experience and attention to detail and true investment in the right ways. If the tribe decides they want to own this team, they're as competitive, I think, as any ownership group in the league."
The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownerships groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven't announced any plans for a new training facility.
Connecticut practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community center.
Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the postseason in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this offseason with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade.
"We're going to pour into this franchise as long as it's here," Rizzotti said. "And if it ends up not being the case, then we'll worry about that when the time comes."
Rizzotti met with the players and coaches Tuesday morning and asked them to stay focused on this season, which begins Sunday against Washington.
"They have their job, and our job is to put the best product on the floor," said Tina Charles, who returned to the franchise this offseason after leaving in 2014. "We trust that they're gonna do their jobs and make the right decision that will benefit the organization and the players and the coaches and the staff moving forward."
The WNBA added a 13th franchise this year with the Golden State Valkyries beginning play. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next season as expansion teams. A 16th team will also be awarded to a city at some point soon.
The league hasn't had a team relocate since 2017, when the San Antonio franchise moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces. The Sun played a regular-season game last year in Boston and will again play one there in July against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
A group that includes former NBA player Michael Carter Williams expressed interest in February about bringing a franchise to Boston.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 19:08:32+00:00 | [
"Aaron Boone",
"Oswaldo Cabrera",
"Athlete injuries",
"Aaron Judge",
"New York Yankees",
"Injuries",
"Softball",
"Seattle Mariners",
"MLB",
"New York City Wire",
"Oswald Peraza",
"Sports",
"Pablo Reyes",
"New York",
"MLB baseball",
"Justin Greisberg",
"DJ LeMahieu",
"Jorbit Vivas"
] | # Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera placed on 10-day injured list with left ankle fracture
By Andrew Destin
May 13th, 2025 07:08 PM
---
SEATTLE (AP) — New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle fracture ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners.
In a corresponding move, infielder DJ LeMahieu completed his rehab assignment and was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
In the ninth inning of New York's 11-5 victory over Seattle on Monday night, Cabrera fractured his left ankle on an awkward slide when he reached back for the plate and scored the Yankees' final run on Aaron Judge's sacrifice fly.
Manager Aaron Boone said Cabrera avoided emergency surgery and was discharged from the hospital early Tuesday morning before taking a flight back to New York. Cabrera is expected to meet with Dr. Justin Greisberg, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon, in New York on Wednesday.
"He'll see Dr. Greisberg tomorrow and then kind of get the plan of action, surgery in play potentially the next day," Boone said. "But, we'll have a better idea here (in) the next 24 hours, 48 hours, just exactly what they're dealing with."
Boone visited Cabrera in the hospital Monday night, as did numerous Yankees teammates — two at a time — throughout the evening, as well as in the team hotel lobby Tuesday morning.
Upon leaving Seattle, Cabrera did so without a hard cast, nor a clear idea as to whether he had sustained any ligament damage in his left ankle. As a result, Boone was noncommittal about whether Cabrera could return later this year, or if his 2025 season ended with the injury.
"I have no idea," Boone said. "We'll see, we'll see. Again, that's one of those things that if and when they do surgery, they'll go in there and you'll get a better idea when you're in there of what exactly is needed and then we'll see."
Cabrera had become a regular in the Yankees' lineup this season. The clubhouse favorite is hitting .243 this season with one home run and 11 RBIs.
There are a number of internal options to fill Cabrera's spot in the lineup in the meantime, Boone said. The since-activated LeMahieu could get time there, as well as Pablo Reyes and Jorbit Vivas. Oswald Peraza got the start at third base on Tuesday night.
Primarily, LeMahieu will play second base, the position the 36-year-old utilityman has spent the majority of his MLB career.
"It feels natural. I played there for 12 years," LeMahieu said. "So, yeah, I feel really good over there. But yeah, kind of see how it checks out."
LeMahieu was flying to Seattle during the middle of Monday night's game, and learned of Cabrera's injury when checking the score. Like his Yankees teammates, LeMahieu was devastated by the news.
"Obviously it's one of the dark sides of the game," LeMahieu said. "Super unfortunate. He's a great guy, great player and just really unfortunate."
While Cabrera's season hangs in the balance and the Yankees attempt to move forward for however long he's sidelined, Boone hardly could have gathered the fourth-year big leaguer was going through a challenging time from their Tuesday morning interaction.
"He was smiling, happy," Boone said. "Trust he's in good hands."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 20:52:07+00:00 | [
"Maryland",
"Wes Moore",
"West Virginia",
"Schools",
"Evacuations",
"Climate and environment",
"Aaron Stallings",
"Education",
"Deval Patrick",
"Judy Hamilton",
"Floods",
"Climate"
] | # Flash flooding forces evacuation of elementary school in western Maryland
By Lea Skene
May 13th, 2025 08:52 PM
---
BALTIMORE (AP) — Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor, according to local officials.
Homes and businesses in downtown Westernport were also inundated with floodwaters after hours of heavy rain.
Officials reassured the public that students and staff were safe as concerned parents and other community members posted on social media wondering how long the emergency situation would last at Westernport Elementary School.
Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney said responders used rescue boats to safely evacuate the school. About 150 students and 50 adults were evacuated during 15 boat trips.
Kenney said additional evacuations were underway in nearby areas, with reports of people trapped in cars and houses, but no injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday afternoon. She said emergency crews from surrounding counties were helping with the response in the small community near the West Virginia line.
Another elementary school was also evacuated, and students at a middle school were sheltering in place, the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services said Tuesday evening. Officials said three emergency shelters had been opened across the county.
Aaron Stallings, rushed to Westernport Elementary to pick up his little sister earlier Tuesday afternoon, but he soon realized his car wouldn't make it. Stallings said he hopped a fence and made his way on foot through the shin-deep water.
"I knew my car was not going to get through, so I had to find an alternate route," he said.
Stallings said children were being kept on the second and third floors when he made his way inside. Minutes after he located his sister with the help of the principal, the water level on the first floor had already risen again to his knees and was rushing under the school doors.
Once he waded back outside with his sister, Stallings turned around to capture video of the scene, where parked cars and a dumpster were floating through the school's parking lot.
Alley Wade also left work early when she heard about flooding downtown. She and her husband hoped to pick up their two sons, ages 8 and 10, but they couldn't get to the school because roads were already closed. Instead, they spent most of the afternoon standing around in the rain anxiously watching the floodwaters rise.
"It was stressful because I felt so helpless," Wade said.
The family was finally reunited after the students had been evacuated. Wade said there were a lot of crying kids, but thankfully everyone was safe.
Roads throughout the area were closed due to flooding, including major arteries, according to the Allegany County Sheriff's Office.
Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton said the town has been prone to severe flooding in the past, but they weren't expecting it today.
"It just seemed to happen all at once," she said. "My heart is breaking."
She said the evacuated students were taken to higher ground and sheltered in a church building, where they would be kept safe by teachers and staff until their parents could pick them up.
With a population under 2,000 people, Westernport is located in the far corner of western Maryland. Its downtown took shape in a valley where Georges Creek flows into the North Branch Potomac River.
The National Weather Service reported widespread flash flooding in the area Tuesday afternoon.
"We are closely monitoring the flood conditions that are present across Western Maryland due to heavy rainfall, especially in Allegany County," Gov. Wes Moore said in a social media post, adding that the state and local authorities were actively responding to the inundation.
Hamilton said the last time Westernport suffered from devastating floods was in 1996.
"But we're strong and we always build back," she said.
In West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency Tuesday night in Mineral County, along the Maryland border, due to severe storms and heavy rains that resulted in flash flooding. The declaration allows the state to mobilize personnel and resources to the area.
___
Associated Press newsgathering producer Beatrice Dupuy in New York and reporter John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this story. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:10:37+00:00 | [
"Emmanuel Clase",
"Steven Kwan",
"Milwaukee Brewers",
"Cleveland Guardians",
"Carlos Santana",
"Kyle Manzardo",
"Baseball",
"MLB",
"Logan Allen",
"Sports",
"Gavin Williams",
"Hunter Gaddis",
"MLB baseball",
"Diving",
"Jackson Chourio",
"Quinn Priester",
"Christian Yelich",
"Matt Festa",
"Jose Ramirez"
] | # Ramírez homers, Allen pitches 6 sharp innings as Guardians blank Brewers for 2nd straight night, 2-0
May 14th, 2025 01:10 AM
---
CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez hit his seventh homer, Logan Allen allowed three hits in six innings, and the Cleveland Guardians beat Milwaukee 2-0 on Tuesday night, their second consecutive shutout of the Brewers.
Kyle Manzardo drove in the Guardians' other run with his second triple this season, a short flyball that got past a diving Jackson Chourio in center field to score Ramírez in the eighth inning.
Allen (2-2) walked one and struck out six. Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase completed the shutout. Clase got his ninth save.
The Guardians have six shutouts this season, including Monday night's 5-0 win over the Brewers. They have won five of seven overall.
Ramírez went deep in the first inning off Quinn Priester (1-2), who allowed three hits in five innings.
Ramírez and Steven Kwan each had two hits, including Kwan's ninth double. Carlos Santana walked twice to extend his on-base streak to 16 games.
Chourio had two of Milwaukee's three hits, including his 14th double, and stole his seventh and eighth bases of the season. The Brewers have lost five of six.
## Key moment
Chourio doubled to open the sixth but Allen then retired the 2-3-4 hitters, striking out Christian Yelich to end the inning.
## Key stat
Guardians starters have a 2.16 ERA over their last 14 games. They had a 5.24 ERA over the prior 28 games this season.
## Up next
Milwaukee hadn't announced a starter for Wednesday's series finale. Gavin Williams (3-2, 4.38) will pitch for the Guardians.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 01:06:55+00:00 | [
"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.",
"West Virginia",
"Irene Berger",
"Morgantown",
"Lung disease",
"Lawsuits",
"Richard Nixon",
"Sam Brown Petsonk",
"Health",
"Legal proceedings",
"Harry Wiley"
] | # Judge orders restoration of jobs in health program for West Virginia coal miners
By John Raby
May 14th, 2025 01:06 AM
---
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday ordered the restoration of a health monitoring program for coal miners in West Virginia and rescinded layoffs the federal government implemented in a unit of a small U.S. health agency.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by a coal miner who was diagnosed with a respiratory ailment commonly known as black lung disease.
Nearly 200 workers at a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health facility in Morgantown were told last month that their jobs were being terminated as part of restructuring within Health and Human Services. Berger ordered that jobs be restored within NIOSH's respiratory health division in Morgantown, although her ruling didn't specify a number. The division is responsible for screening and reviewing medical exams to determine whether there is evidence that miners have developed black lung.
Federal law mandates that regular health screenings be made available to coal miners. Those diagnosed with black lung also are given the option to transfer to other positions in a mine to protect them from continued dust exposure without a pay reduction.
Berger said the defendants "lack the authority to unilaterally cancel" the Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program within NIOSH. She ordered both the surveillance and job transfer programs to be restored, saying that "there be no pause, stoppage or gap in the protections and services" mandated by the federal Mine Safety and Health Act.
Poisonous silica dust has contributed to the premature deaths of thousands of mine workers from black lung disease. Plaintiff Harry Wiley, a West Virginia mine electrician who has worked in coal mines for 38 years, was diagnosed with early-stage black lung last November.
Canceling the health surveillance program would "cost lives," Berger wrote. "Remaining in a dusty job may reduce the years in which Mr. Wiley can walk and breathe unassisted, in addition to hastening his death. It is difficult to imagine a clearer case of irreparable harm."
The judge gave Kennedy 20 days to show the federal government is complying with her order.
An email seeking comment from Health and Human Services wasn't immediately returned Tuesday night.
Wiley's attorney, Sam Brown Petsonk, said the preliminary injunction "had to happen, and the public, I think, understands the absolute necessity of this program. It cannot be hindered. It cannot be whittled away. It's essential because it saves the lives of some of he hardest-working people in this entire world."
NIOSH was created under a 1970 law signed by President Richard Nixon. It started operations the following year and grew to have offices and labs in eight cities, including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Morgantown, and Spokane, Washington. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 22:33:48+00:00 | [
"Arizona",
"Katie Hobbs",
"New Mexico",
"Arizona state government",
"Emily Pike",
"North Dakota",
"Michelle Lujan Grisham",
"Legislation",
"Indigenous people",
"Teresa Martinez",
"Politics",
"Amber Alerts",
"Teens",
"Activism",
"Race and ethnicity",
"Kelly Armstrong",
"Race and Ethnicity"
] | # Arizona governor signs 'Emily's Law' to alert when Native Americans go missing
By Sejal Govindarao and Susan Montoya Bryan
May 13th, 2025 10:33 PM
---
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's governor on Tuesday signed legislation to create an alert system for Native Americans who have gone missing in the state, a measure that won unanimous approval from lawmakers in the wake of the disappearance and death of a San Carlos Apache teen.
With Gov. Katie Hobbs' signature, Arizona becomes the latest state to join a movement that began in 2022 in Washington state to use alert systems to quickly share information about cases involving Native Americans.
Colorado, California and other states have adopted their own versions of such systems. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently signed what is known as "turquoise alert" legislation, and North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong approved a "feather alert." The alerts take their names from items that hold spiritual and cultural significance to Native Americans.
Arizona's "turquoise alert" legislation is also referred to as "Emily's Law" to honor Emily Pike, whose remains were found Feb. 14 more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) from a group home she left in Mesa, Arizona, in late January. Pike's death spurred a resurgence of activism aimed at bringing more awareness to the disproportionate number of disappearances and violent deaths that have gripped Native American communities for decades, and prompted lawmakers to amend the bill to recognize her.
"It breaks my heart that we, the state of Arizona, didn't even go looking for this little girl. No one looked for her," said bill sponsor Rep. Teresa Martinez while on the House floor last week. "We cannot let children go missing without somebody being alerted."
Martinez's great niece is a member of the Gila River Indian Community.
The Federal Communications Commission voted last year to establish a new national alert code for delivering messages to the public via television, radio and wireless phones about missing and endangered persons cases.
The commission reported that in 2023, more than 188,000 people who fall outside of the criteria for Amber Alerts went missing, noting that the new code will be particularly beneficial to Native American, Alaska Native and Black communities. Those groups constitute 40% of missing people in the U.S. despite each making up much smaller percentages of the overall population, according to the commission.
States have various alert programs that cover cases that can include children, specific minorities, people with disabilities and older adults. California in 2024 rolled out "ebony alerts" to inform the public about missing Black youths. Supporters say there have been successful outcomes with that system but that law enforcement could be issuing more alerts for those cases that meet the requirements.
The Arizona legislation creates a rapid response system for issuing and coordinating alerts for people reported missing under the age of 65, including those who are members of federally recognized tribes, if law enforcement finds the individual could be in danger or missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
"Like my sister says, even though she's not here with us, she's still making a difference," Pike's uncle, Allred Pike Jr., said in an interview Friday.
Pike's mother, Steff Dosela, has told reporters that it took a week for her to hear about her daughter's disappearance from the group home. Lawmakers in the Arizona Senate are looking into Arizona Department of Child Services' group home regulations.
The FBI announced last week that it was offering a $75,000 reward for information that would identify the person or people responsible for the disappearance and killing of Pike, whose remains were recovered by Gila County sheriff's deputies on state land near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The reward is in addition to the $75,000 already being offered by the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
___
Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 17:08:56+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Karoline Leavitt",
"District of Columbia",
"Josh Hawley",
"John Thune",
"Richard Blumenthal",
"Rand Paul",
"James Lankford",
"Shelley Capito",
"U.S. Department of Justice",
"Qatar",
"United States",
"New York City Wire",
"Qatar government",
"Corruption",
"Politics",
"Tommy Tuberville",
"United States government",
"National security",
"Sean Hannity",
"Markwayne Mullin",
"Pam Bondi"
] | # Schumer vows to hold up Justice Department nominees over luxury plane from Qatar
By Mary Clare Jalonick
May 13th, 2025 05:08 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Justice Department nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar.
Trump said this week that he wants to accept the $400 million plane, and that it would later be donated to a presidential library. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the details of the donation are still being worked out.
The plan, Schumer said, "is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat."
Schumer said he wants answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration about whether it is investigating activities inside the United States by Qatari foreign agents that could benefit Trump or his business. He also wants to know if Qatar will be responsible for adding security measures to the plane and how it will be built and paid for.
"The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause — which requires congressional approval — or any other ethics laws," Schumer said.
The Constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting things of value, or "emoluments," from foreign governments without congressional approval.
In a post on his social media site on Tuesday night, Trump said the plane "is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years."
Democrats have expressed uniform outrage about the potential foreign gift and many Republicans are uneasy about the plan, as well. Returning to Washington on Monday evening, senators in both parties questioned how the deal would work and stressed the importance of following federal laws that govern how a U.S. president can accept gifts from foreign countries.
"We need to look at the constitutionality of it," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who said she'd be concerned about possible spying devices installed on the plane. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said that Trump had said he would follow the law, and "that's the right answer."
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Trump shouldn't accept the jet. "I don't think it looks good or smells good," Paul said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he'd prefer "a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America."
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., declined to give a direct opinion on the possible deal, but said that if it happens, "I can assure you there will be plenty of scrutiny."
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma defended the idea. "Why would we care if another country wanted to give the United States a gift?" he asked.
In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity airing Tuesday night, Trump also questioned the criticism. "My attitude is, why wouldn't I accept a gift?" Trump said. He said the United States "should have the most impressive plane."
Schumer's holds mean that the Senate can't quickly confirm any of Trump's Justice Department nominees. Many lower-level nominations, such as U.S. attorneys, are often approved in groups by voice vote.
Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Richard Blumenthal of Hawaii went to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon and tried to force a vote on a resolution disapproving of the Qatari gift. But it was blocked by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who said Democrats are "losing their mind over the situation" and the gift is not a done deal. If the Qatari government does donate the plane, "the only thing we should say is thank you," Tuberville said.
Schatz said that "it really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country. It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt, and the outrage and condemnation especially on the Republican side should be universal."
___
Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Leah Askarinam and Chris Megerian contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 16:08:07+00:00 | [
"Israel government",
"Benjamin Netanyahu",
"2024-2025 Mideast Wars",
"Donald Trump",
"Israel",
"Steve Witkoff",
"Hamas",
"Gaza Strip",
"Middle East",
"Hostage situations",
"War and unrest",
"International agreements",
"Humanitarian crises",
"Water shortages",
"Adam Boehler",
"Military and defense",
"Religion",
"Edan Alexander"
] | # Netanyahu says 'no way' war in Gaza ends until defeat of Hamas
By Melanie Lidman and Elena Becatoros
May 13th, 2025 04:08 PM
---
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is "no way" Israel will halt its war in Gaza — where airstrikes on two hospitals Tuesday killed at least eight and wounded dozens — even if a deal is reached to release more hostages.
Netanyahu's comments are likely to complicate talks on a new ceasefire that had seemed to gain momentum after Hamas released the last living American hostage on Monday in a gesture to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region but skipping Israel.
They pointed to a potentially widening rift between Netanyahu and Trump, who had expressed hope that the release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander would be a step toward ending the 19-month war.
The Israeli military on Tuesday struck what it said was a Hamas "command and control center" located beneath a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The strike on the European hospital was the day's second strike on a hospital, and left at least six people dead and 40 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The dead were taken to Nasser hospital, which Israel struck earlier in the day, saying militants were operating inside it, without identifying them. Two people were killed in that strike.
In comments released by Netanyahu's office Tuesday from a visit to wounded soldiers the previous day, the prime minister said Israeli forces were just days away from a promised escalation of force and would enter Gaza "with great strength to complete the mission. ... It means destroying Hamas."
Any ceasefire deal reached would be temporary, the prime minister said. If Hamas were to say they would release more hostages, "we'll take them, and then we'll go in. But there will be no way we will stop the war," Netanyahu said. "We can make a ceasefire for a certain period of time, but we're going to the end."
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The dispute over whether to end the conflict has been the main obstacle in negotiations going back more than a year.
Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with as many as 23 of them said to be alive, although authorities have expressed concern about the condition of three of them. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war were freed in ceasefire deals.
## Comments come after hostage release
Monday's release of 21-year-old Alexander resulted from negotiations between Hamas and the Trump administration that appeared to have largely bypassed Israel, which made no concessions for his release.
Alexander, who was 19 when he was taken from an Israeli army base during the 2023 attack, was the first hostage released since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March and unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Israel has promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza and displacing much of the territory's population again. Days before the ceasefire ended in March, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine. Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel's terms.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that according to Gaza's Health Ministry, 57 children had died from the effects of malnutrition since the blockade began on March 2.
A WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, said that if the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition over the next 11 months.
"This is one of the world's worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time," Peeperkorn said.
## Netanyahu faces criticism
Alexander's release created a backlash against Netanyahu, who critics accuse of putting the lives of the hostages in danger by continuing the war. Netanyahu says he is committed to returning all the hostages, destroying Hamas and resettling much of Gaza's population through what he refers to as "voluntary emigration."
During a nearly two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with the families of hostages on Tuesday, the United States' special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's envoy for hostage affairs, said they would do what was needed to bring the remaining hostages home.
Witkoff said everyone would prefer a diplomatic solution and that most hostages had been released through diplomacy. The officials headed to Doha, Qatar, after their meeting to join Trump. Qatar has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas.
Witkoff said they wouldn't be traveling to Qatar if they didn't think there was a genuine chance for progress in negotiations.
## Alexander's parents say he told of 'unimaginable difficulty' in captivity
Alexander's parents said in a statement on Tuesday that their son described enduring a harsh captivity that included hunger, lack of water, and "appalling sanitary conditions."
His mother, Yael, said he feared for his life every day, "but the most terrible sound that Edan feared was the sound of the war going on above their heads. Deafening explosions, the whistles of missiles, the sounds of collapse, collapse, and the earth shaking."
Alexander's parents called on Netanyahu to listen to "the vast majority of the Israeli public" and prioritize the return of the remaining hostage. They thanked Trump and his envoys for "their tireless efforts on Edan's behalf."
## Israel seeking to move Palestinians out of Gaza
Netanyahu has voiced support for a plan proposed by Trump for Palestinians to be moved out of the Gaza Strip after the war - a proposal that has infuriated Palestinians and Arab nations.
"We have put together an administration that will allow them to leave, but the problem with us is one thing — we need receptive countries," Netanyahu said during his visit to the wounded soldiers Monday. "That's what we're working on right now. If you give them the go-ahead, I tell you that more than 50% will leave, and I think much more."
Israel and the US have been seeking countries willing to take Palestinians who would potentially move out of the territory.
Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in the 2023 attack. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians.
Israel's offensive has obliterated vast swaths of Gaza's urban landscape and displaced 90% of the population, often multiple times.
___
Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece. AP reporters Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem, Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 19:35:45+00:00 | [
"Uruguay",
"Jos Mujica",
"Claudia Sheinbaum",
"Gustavo Petro",
"Gabriel Boric",
"Notable Deaths",
"Fernando Pereira",
"Cancer",
"Luca Topolansky",
"X Corp.",
"Rebellions and uprisings",
"Democracy",
"Politics",
"Evo Morales"
] | # José Mujica, Uruguay's humble president who changed his country and charmed the world, dies at 89
By Matilde Campodónico and Isabel Debre
May 13th, 2025 07:35 PM
---
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, a onetime Marxist guerilla and flower farmer whose radical brand of democracy, plain-spoken philosophy and simple lifestyle fascinated people around the world, has died. He was 89.
Uruguay's left-wing president, Yamandú Orsi, announced his death, which came four months after Mujica decided to forgo further medical treatment for esophageal cancer and enter hospice care at his three-room ranch house on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay's capital.
"President, activist, guide and leader," Orsi wrote of his longtime political mentor before heading to Mujica's home to pay his respects. "Thank you for everything you gave us."
Mujica had been under treatment for cancer of the esophagus since his diagnosis last spring. Radiation eliminated much of the tumor but soon Mujica's autoimmune disease complicated his recovery.
In January, Mujica's doctor announced that the cancer in his esophagus had returned and spread to his liver. In recent days, "he knew that he was in his final hours," said Fernando Pereira, the president of Mujica's left-wing Broad Front party who visited the ailing ex-leader last week.
## A colorful history and simple philosophy
As leader of a violent leftist guerrilla group in the 1960s known as the Tupamaros, Mujica robbed banks, planted bombs and abducted businessmen and politicians on Montevideo's streets in hopes of provoking a popular uprising that would lead to a Cuban-style socialist Uruguay.
A brutal counterinsurgency and ensuing right-wing military dictatorship that ruled Uruguay between 1973 and 1985 sent him to prison for nearly 15 years, 10 of which he spent in solitary confinement.
During his 2010-2015 presidency, Mujica, widely known as "Pepe," oversaw the transformation of his small South American nation into one of the world's healthiest and most socially liberal democracies. He earned admiration at home and cult status abroad for legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage, enacting the region's first sweeping abortion rights law and establishing Uruguay as a leader in alternative energy.
Rejecting the pomp and circumstance of the presidency, he drove a light blue beat-up 1987 Volkswagen Beetle, wore rumpled cardigan sweaters and sandals with socks and lived in a tin-roof house outside Montevideo, where for decades he tended to chrysanthemums for sale in local markets.
"This is the tragedy of life, on the one hand it's beautiful, but it ends," Mujica told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging Oct. 2023 interview from his farmhouse. "Therefore, paradise is here. As is hell."
As the Uruguayan government declared three days of national mourning, tributes poured in from presidents and ordinary people around the world. The first to share remembrances were allied leaders who recalled not only Mujica's accomplishments but also his hallowed status as one of the last surviving lions of the now-receding Latin American left that peaked two decades ago.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro praised Mujica as a "great revolutionary." Bolivia's former socialist president, Evo Morales said that he "and all of Latin America" are in mourning. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called Mujica "an example for Latin America and the entire world." Brazil's Foreign Ministry described him as "one of the most important humanists of our time."
Chile's leftist President Gabriel Boric paid tribute to Mujica's efforts to combat social inequality.
"If you left us anything, it was the unquenchable hope that things can be done better," he wrote. "The unwavering conviction that as long as our hearts beat and there is injustice in the world, it's worth continuing to fight."
## From robbing banks to running Uruguay
Mujica never attended university and didn't finish high school. But politics piqued his interest as early as adolescence, when the young flower farmer joined the progressive wing of the conservative National Party, one of the two main parties in Uruguay. His pivot to urban guerrilla warfare came in the 1960s, as leftist struggles swept the region in the wake of the Cuban Revolution.
He and other student and labor radicals launched the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement, which quickly gained notoriety for its Robin Hood-style exploits aimed at installing a revolutionary government.
By 1970 the government cracked down, and the Tupamaros responded with violence, planting bombs in upscale neighborhoods and attacking casinos and other civilian targets, killing more than 30 people.
Mujica was shot six times in a firefight with police in a bar. He helped stage a prison break and twice escaped custody. But in 1973 the military seized power, unleashing a reign of terror upon the population that resulted in the forced disappearance of some 200 Uruguayans and the imprisonment of thousands.
During his time in prison, he endured torture and long stretches in solitary confinement, often in a hole in the ground.
After power returned to civilians in 1985, Mujica left prison under an amnesty that covered the crimes of the dictators and their guerrilla opponents. He entered mainstream politics with the Broad Front, a coalition of radical leftists and centrist social democrats.
Rapidly rising through the party ranks, Mujica charmed the country with his low-key way of living and penchant for speaking his mind. In 2005 he entered government with the Broad Front as an agricultural minister. Just four years later he was Uruguay's 40th president, elected with 52% of the vote.
His wife, Lucía Topolansky, a former co-revolutionary guerrilla member who was also imprisoned before becoming a prominent politician, bestowed the presidential sash on Mujica at his inauguration — as is custom for the senator who had received the most votes. They married in 2005 and had no children.
"I've been with him for over 40 years, and I'll be with him until the end," she told a local radio station Sunday as Mujica's condition deteriorated.
## A folksy president who fascinated the world
Pepe's bracingly modest and spontaneous style as president — distributing pamphlets in the streets against machismo culture, lunching in Montevideo bars — made him a populist folk hero and token of global fascination.
"They made me seem like some impoverished president, but they were the poor ones ... imagine if you have to live in that four-story government house just to have tea," he told the AP of his decision to shun the presidential palace.
Over his years in power, Mujica presided over comfortable economic growth, rising wages and falling poverty. In speeches, he pushed Uruguayans to reject consumerism and embrace their nation's tradition of simplicity.
Under his watch, the small nation became known worldwide for the strength of its institutions and the civility of its politics — rare features most recently on display during Uruguay's 2024 presidential vote that vaulted Orsi, Mujica's moderate protégé, to power.
Mujica's greatest innovations came on social issues. During his term, Uruguay became the first country in South America to legalize abortion for the first trimester and the first in the world to legalize the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. His government also legalized same-sex marriage, burnishing Uruguay's progressive image in the predominantly Catholic region.
Mujica's government also powered a green energy revolution that transformed Uruguay into one of the world's most environmentally friendly nations. Today the country generates 98% of its electricity from biomass, solar and wind energy.
His tenure was also not without controversy. The opposition complained of rising crime and a swollen fiscal deficit that forced his successor to raise taxes.
Some world leaders disapproved of his disdain for the established order. Conservative Uruguayans voiced outrage over his progressive policies.
Still, Mujica ended his tenure with a 60% approval rating. Ineligible to seek re-election because of a ban on consecutive terms, he continued to wield influence at home as an elected senator and abroad as a trailblazer and sage.
Even so, his humility defined him until the end.
"They ask you: 'How do you want to be remembered?' Vanity of vanities!" he exclaimed to the AP. "Memory is a historical thing. ... Years go by. Not even the dust remains."
___
DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writers Leonardo Haberkorn in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Nayara Batschke in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 21:00:23+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Mike Johnson",
"Hakeem Jeffries",
"Joe Biden",
"U.S. Republican Party",
"Government programs",
"Legislation",
"United States House of Representatives",
"U.S. Democratic Party",
"Education costs",
"Congress",
"Border security",
"Mexico",
"Personal finance",
"Energy industry",
"Politics",
"Taxes",
"Asylum",
"Business",
"Jobs and careers",
"Labor"
] | # What's in Trump's big bill? Trillions in tax cuts, Medicaid changes and more
By Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro
May 13th, 2025 09:00 PM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans in Congress are moving with rapid speed to advance President Donald Trump's big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up border security funding as leaders work to enact many of his campaign promises.
House committees have been laboring for months to draft the legislation, which Republicans have labeled "THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,'' a nod to Trump himself. Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to approve the package and send it to the Senate by Memorial Day.
Democrats say they will fight what House party leader Hakeem Jeffries calls "this extreme and toxic bill."
Here's a look at what's in and out of the legislative package so far:
## Tax cuts for individuals and businesses
The tax portion of the GOP legislation contains more than $5 trillion in tax cuts, according to an estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation — costs that are partially offset by spending cuts elsewhere and other changes in the tax code.
Republicans look to make permanent the individual income tax cuts passed in President Donald Trump's first term, plus enact some of the promises he made on the campaign trail to not tax tips, overtime and interest on auto loans. Republicans partially offset the tax breaks by rolling back the clean energy tax credits passed during Joe Biden's presidency, such as a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles, bringing the overall cost of the tax cuts down to about $3.7 trillion.
The bill is expected to undergo further changes in the coming weeks. Lawmakers from New York are leading an effort to boost the state and local tax deduction, which the bill would already increase from $10,000 to $30,000 for families making less than $400,000 per year.
The legislation provides a deduction for those workers in service industry and other jobs that have traditionally relied on tips.
The package provides tax relief for automobile shoppers with a temporary deduction of up to $10,000 on car loan interest, applying the benefit only for those vehicles where the final assembly occurred in the United States. The tax break would expire at the end of Trump's term.
For seniors, there would be a bolstered $4,000 deduction on Social Security wages for those with adjusted incomes no higher than $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples.
## States to pick up more of the tab for food assistance
House Republicans are looking to shift some of the cost of the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to the states. States would shoulder 5% of benefit costs under the bill beginning in fiscal year 2028. The share could also go higher for those states with high rates of overpayments and underpayments. The bill would also require states to pick up 75% of the administrative costs.
Currently, states shoulder none of the benefit costs and half of the administration costs.
Republicans argue that states have minimal incentive to control costs as a result of the current cost-sharing arrangement. But the changes would give them the incentive to enhance efficiencies and improve outcomes for recipients.
Republicans also are expanding work requirements for food aid recipients, which under current law applies to individuals without dependents aged 18-54. The bill expands the work requirement through age 64 and exempts only those caring for a dependent child under the age of 7.
At the same time, the legislation would invest $60 billion in new money for agriculture programs, sending aid to farmers.
## New work requirements for Medicaid
A centerpiece of the package is more than $900 billion in reduced spending, most of that coming through the Medicaid program.
Republicans insist they are simply rooting out "waste, fraud and abuse" to generate savings with new work and eligibility requirements. But Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage. In the 15 years since Obamacare became law, Medicaid has only expanded as most states have tapped into federal funds.
An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by at least 7.6 million from the Medicaid changes, and possibly more with other changes to the Affordable Care Act.
To be eligible for Medicaid, there would be new "community engagement requirements" of at least 80 hours per month of work, education or service for able-bodied adults without dependents. The new requirement would not kick in until Jan. 1, 2029. People would also have to verify their eligibility to be in the program twice a year, rather than just once.
Applicants could not qualify for Medicaid if they have a home that is valued at more than $1 million.
## Funding for 1 million migrant deportations, 20,000 new officers and the border wall
The legislation would provide $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and more money for the deportation agenda.
There's $4 billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as well as 5,000 new customs officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses, for a total of $69 billion in new spending.
It includes major changes to immigration policy, imposing a $1,000 fee on migrants seeking asylum — something the nation has never done, putting it on par with few others, including Australia and Iran.
Overall, the plan is to remove 1 million immigrants annually and house 100,000 people in detention centers. It calls for 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.
## More money for the Pentagon and Trump's 'Golden Dome'
The House Armed Services Committee was tasked with drafting legislation with $100 billion in new spending. But they did that and more, passing a bill with $150 billion for the Defense Department and national security.
Among the highlights, it would provide $25 billion for Trump's "Golden Dome for America," a long-envisioned missile defense shield, $21 billion to restock the nation's ammunition arsenal, $34 billion to expand the naval fleet with more shipbuilding and some $5 billion for border security.
It also includes $9 billion for servicemember quality of life-related issues, including housing, health care and special pay.
## Tax on university endowments and overhaul of student loans
A wholesale revamping of the student loan program is key to the legislation, providing $330 billion in budget cuts and savings.
The proposal would replace all existing student loan repayment plans with just two: a standard option with monthly payments spread out over 10 to 25 years and a "repayment assistance" plan that is generally less generous than those it would replace.
Among other changes, the bill would repeal Biden-era regulations that made it easier for borrowers to get loans canceled if their colleges defrauded them or closed suddenly.
There would be a tax increase, up to 21%, on some university endowments.
## Federal employee pension cuts
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform targeted federal workers' pensions for a projected $50.9 billion in deficit savings over 10 years.
Most of the savings would come from requiring federal workers hired before 2014 to pay more into the retirement system. They would have to match the 4.4% salary rate paid by federal workers hired since 2014.
## More drilling, mining on public lands
One section of the bill would allow increased leasing of public lands for drilling, mining and logging while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government approvals. Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing former President Joe Biden's attempts to curb fossil fuels to help address climate change.
Oil and gas royalty rates would drop from 16.7% on public lands and 18.75% offshore to a uniform 12.5%. Royalties for coal would drop from 12.5% to 7%.
The measure calls for four oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the next decade. It also seeks to boost the ailing coal industry with a mandate to make available for leasing 6,250 square miles of public lands — an area greater in size than Connecticut.
Republican supporters say the lost revenue would be offset by increased development. It's uncertain if companies would have an appetite for leases given the industry's precipitous decline in recent years as utilities switched to cleaner burning fuels and renewable energy.
In a last-minute add, Republicans also included a provision authorizing sales of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmentalists.
___
Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Washington and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 18:42:21+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Sean Duffy",
"Kristi Noem",
"Lawsuits",
"Rhode Island",
"U.S. Department of Homeland Security",
"United States government",
"Legal proceedings",
"California",
"Colorado",
"Connecticut",
"Immigration",
"Government budgets",
"United States",
"Peter Neronha",
"Politics",
"Matthew Platkin",
"Tricia McLaughlin",
"Rob Bonta"
] | # 20 Democratic attorneys general sue Trump administration over conditions placed on federal funds
By Kimberlee Kruesi
May 13th, 2025 06:42 PM
---
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general filed two federal lawsuits on Tuesday, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless states agree to certain immigration enforcement actions.
According to the complaints, both Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have threatened to cut off funding to states that refuse to comply with President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.
While no federal funding is currently being withheld, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during a news conference on Tuesday that the threat was "imminent."
"President Donald Trump can't use these funds as a bargaining chip as his way of ensuring states abide by his preferred policies," Bonta added.
Department of Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the lawsuit will not stop the Trump Administration from "restoring the rule of law."
"Cities and states who break the law and prevent us from arresting criminal illegal aliens should not receive federal funding. The President has been clear on that," she said.
Duffy said in a statement that the 20 states have filed the lawsuit because "their officials want to continue breaking federal law and putting the needs of illegal aliens above their own citizens."
Both lawsuits say that the Trump administration is violating the U.S. Constitution by trying to dictate federal spending when Congress has that power — not the executive branch.
On April 24, states received letters from the Department of Transportation stating that they must cooperate on immigration efforts and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk losing funds.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin criticized the timing of Duffy's letter when Newark's airport struggles with radar outages and other issues.
"I wish the administration would stop playing politics with people's lives," Platkin said. "I wish Secretary Duffy would do his damn job, which is to make sure planes land on time, not to direct immigration enforcement."
Meanwhile, on Feb. 24, states received letters from the Department of Homeland Security declaring that states that "refuse to cooperate with, refuse to share information with, or even actively obstruct federal immigration enforcement reject these ideals and the history we share in common as Americans."
"If any government entity chooses to thumb its nose at the Department of Homeland Security's national security and public safety mission, it should not receive a single dollar of the Department's money unless Congress has specifically required it," Noem wrote in her letter.
Attorneys general behind the lawsuits include the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont.
The cases are being spearheaded by California and Illinois, but they were filed in federal court in Rhode Island, a detail that the attorneys general defended by saying they filed in "any court that is going to be fair and objective and consider our factual presentation and legal analysis."
The lawsuits are the latest legal actions that Democratic-led states have taken against Trump since he took office earlier this year. Bonta noted that California has filed more than 20 lawsuits against the administration, while Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said his state has launched more than a dozen.
While the lawsuits have challenged policies on tariffs, federal employee firings and health care research, Trump's focus on immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the United States illegally have received the most attention.
This has included the president's promise to mass deport people and the start of a registry required for all those who are in the country illegally.
"What we're seeing is a creeping authoritarianism," Neronha said. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 00:05:03+00:00 | [
"Rory McIlroy",
"Melbourne",
"Gary Player",
"Australian Open Tennis Championships",
"Australia",
"Golf",
"Australian Open",
"Sports",
"Tennis",
"Brisbane",
"Jack Nicklaus",
"Greg Norman"
] | # Rory McIlroy to play the Australian Open for the next 2 years on Melbourne's sandbelt
May 14th, 2025 12:05 AM
---
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Masters champion Rory McIlroy is heading Down Under for the first time in more than a decade to play the Australian Open on Melbourne's famed sandbelt courses for the next two years.
Golf Australia said Wednesday that McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam with his win at Augusta in April would play on the Royal Melbourne composite course from Dec. 4-7 and at nearby Kingston Heath in 2026.
Kingston Heath will host the Presidents Cup in 2028, the fourth time it has been played in Australia, with the previous three times at Royal Melbourne.
McIlroy will attempt to win his second Stonehaven Cup. He won the Australian Open in 2013 at Royal Sydney and returned the following year when it was played at another Sydney course, The Australian, but hasn't played in Australia since.
"I'm proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years, especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne sandbelt, somewhere I've always wanted to play professionally" McIlroy said. "The success of the Australian Open is important for the global game."
Royal Melbourne has hosted the Australian Open 17 times but not since 1991. First played in 1904, Gary Player has won the tournament seven times, Jack Nicklaus six and Greg Norman five times.
Golf Australia decided earlier this year to move away from its previous combined event. The dates and venue of the Women's Australian Open will be confirmed at a later date.
The men's Australian Open will follow the Australian PGA Championship (Nov. 27-30 at Royal Queensland in Brisbane), with both events again co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-14 00:07:44+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Troy Meink",
"Military and defense",
"U.S. Air Force",
"Pete Hegseth",
"District of Columbia",
"Daniel Driscoll",
"John Phelan"
] | # Senate confirms Troy Meink as the new Air Force secretary
By Lolita C. Baldor
May 14th, 2025 12:07 AM
---
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday easily confirmed Troy Meink as the secretary of the Air Force, putting a former KC-135 tanker aircraft navigator and space expert in charge of the service.
The vote was 74-25.
Meink has almost four decades of experience in the military and in government, including managing some of the nation's most sensitive satellite intelligence capabilities and the military's space portfolio.
He previously served as a deputy of the National Reconnaissance Office. While he is the last of the military's three service secretaries to get confirmed, Meink is the one with the most extensive national security and military experience.
"Your leadership is exactly what we need to refocus the Department of Defense on its core mission—lethality, readiness, and putting the warfighter first," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll served a short stint in the Army, but worked largely as a lawyer and investment banker. Navy Secretary John Phelan had been a private investment executive and businessman, and is the first leader of the sea service since 2006 not to have been a veteran.
Meink assumes control of both the Air Force and U.S. Space Force, which was established by President Donald Trump during his first term and just hit its fifth year in existence. And his confirmation comes as the Trump administration is working to reshape the nation's space capabilities, including the development of the "Golden Dome" missile defense system.
The futuristic system was ordered by Trump during his first week in office. If successful, it would for the first time enable the U.S. to place weapons in space that are meant to destroy ground-based missiles within seconds of launch.
Many countries, including Russia, China, North Korea and the U.S., are developing new ways to disable of defend the tens of thousands of satellites that ring the Earth as a way to cripple a potential adversary without fighting a traditional land-based war.
Meink is from Lemmon, South Dakota, and joined the Air Force as an ROTC cadet at South Dakota State University in 1988. In his previous position at the National Reconnaissance Office, Meink oversaw a more than $15 billion budget to acquire new satellite capabilities. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 22:06:40+00:00 | [
"Donald Trump",
"Pennsylvania",
"Stephanie Haines",
"Immigration",
"El Paso",
"David Briones",
"United States government",
"Alabama Education Association",
"Government and politics",
"Legal proceedings",
"Texas",
"Politics"
] | # Federal judge OKs use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans who are labeled gang members
By Rebecca Boone
May 13th, 2025 10:06 PM
---
A federal judge says President Donald Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan citizens who are shown to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
The ruling Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines in Pennsylvania appears to be the first time a federal judge has signed off on Trump's proclamation calling Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and invoking the 18th century wartime law to deport people labeled as being members of the gang.
Also Tuesday, another federal judge in the western district of Texas temporarily barred the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport people in that region. At least three other federal judges have said Trump was improperly using the AEA to speed deportations of people the administration says are Venezuelan gang members.
Haines, a Trump appointee, also said the administration hasn't been giving enough notice to people facing removal under the AEA. She ordered the administration to provide at least 21 days notice — far longer than the 12 hours that some deportees have been given.
"This case poses significant issues that are deeply interwoven with the constitutional principles upon which this Nation's government is founded," Haines wrote. "In approaching these issues, the Court begins by stressing the questions that it is not resolving at this time."
The ruling doesn't address whether the administration can remove people under other immigration laws, nor does it address whether Trump can invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport people who simply migrated to the U.S. and who aren't members of a foreign terrorist organization, Haines wrote. She also did not weigh in on whether people suspected of being members of other gangs could be removed under the act.
But she did say the Act can be used to remove Venezuelan citizens who are at least 14 years old, who are in the U.S. without legal immigration status, and who are members of Tren de Aragua.
"Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will," Haines wrote.
Trump issued a proclamation in March claiming that Tren de Aragua was invading the U.S. He said he had special powers to deport immigrants, identified by his administration as gang members, without the usual court proceedings. After the proclamation, the administration began deporting people designated as Tren de Aragua members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The proclamation and deporations sparked a flurry of lawsuits in multiple states — including the one that led to Haines' ruling Tuesday. That case was brought a Venezuelan national who says he fled to the U.S. with his wife and children in 2023 after facing extortion in his own country. He was arrested in February after a neighbor reported that he is a member of Tren de Aragua — a claim the man vehemently denies.
Haines initially approved the case as a class action, temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the AEA to deport any migrants in her district. But she lifted that designation Tuesday, clearing the way for deportations to resume as long as the people being removed are given at least 21 days notice in English and Spanish as well as an "opportunity to be heard" on any objections they might have.
In the Texas case, a woman said she fled Venezuela after she was subjected to repeated harassment, assault and intimidation as a form of political persecution. She came to the U.S. in 2023 and was granted temporary protected status, and is currently seeking asylum.
But last month she was arrested in Ohio and accused of being a gang member, which she denies. She is currently being held in El Paso, and asked Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones to stop the Trump administration from deporting her and other detainees in the region because, she said, the president's proclamation violates the due process rights of people facing removal and wrongly equates Tren de Aragua as an invasion by a foreign government.
Briones said she was likely to succeed on the merits, and temporarily barred the administration from transferring the woman or other people in the region accused of being Tren de Aragua members into other districts or deporting them under the Alien Enemies Act. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 17:09:26+00:00 | [
"Gulf of Mexico",
"Texas",
"Heat waves",
"Cameron Self",
"Weather",
"Sylvia Dee",
"John Nielsen-Gammon",
"Climate and environment",
"Brian Galvin",
"Climate"
] | # Extreme heat will make it feel more like August than May for Texas, parts of southeastern US
By Juan A. Lozano
May 13th, 2025 05:09 PM
---
HOUSTON (AP) — Sweltering heat more commonly seen in the throes of summer than in the spring was making an unwelcome visit this week to a large portion of the U.S. – from the Dakotas to Texas and other parts of the South – and putting millions of Americans on alert for potentially dangerous temperatures.
In Austin, forecasters warned that the early heat wave could break a century-old record for May of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
"Definitely more like August this week than May," said Cameron Self, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in the Houston and Galveston area.
It is not unusual to have temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in May in Houston and other parts of Texas.
"But getting long stretches of temperatures well in the 90s that usually holds off till June," Self said.
This week's extreme heat was predicted to have some Texas cities experiencing the longest string of triple-digit days they have ever had before in June, said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist.
Several cities around North Dakota set record high temperatures in recent days, with some shattering highs that stood for well over 100 years.
While cooler air is expected to provide some relief for the northern part of the country, Texas and states in the southeastern part of the U.S. were likely to suffer through this heat for at least the next week or so.
## What's causing the unseasonably high temperatures?
A very strong ridge of high pressure over the south-central United States that is centered over the Gulf of Mexico is responsible for the extreme heat. For the next six to 10 days, much of south central and the southeastern United States will be warmer than normal, with the highest temperatures occurring over parts of Texas and Florida, Self said.
The same weather system heating up Texas and other southern states was also the same one that helped spike temperatures in the Dakotas, Minnesota and parts of the Midwest, Nielsen-Gammon said.
## Heat in the Dakotas, Minnesota breaks records, boosts wildfire conditions
In the last few days, the Dakotas, Minnesota and southern parts of Canada have seen unusually warm temperatures for this time of year, as much as 30 degrees above normal, said Mindy Beerends, meteorologist-in-charge for the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
"This is very early for this type of heat," she said.
Fargo on Sunday hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), surpassing the previous high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33.89 degrees Celsius) set in 1887. Bismarck on Monday reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36.11 degrees Celsius), breaking the record of 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33.33 degrees Celsius) set in 1880.
The unseasonably high temperatures, along with very low humidity and spreading drought conditions have created unusually dangerous fire conditions in northern Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials said at a briefing Tuesday.
Weather conditions were expected to improve Thursday when rain and cooler temperatures should give firefighters a break, the officials said.
"But this is going to be an ongoing battle, probably throughout most of the summer," Walz said.
Minnesota usually experiences a little over 1,100 wildfires covering about 12,000 acres per year but the state is already up to 970, covering more than 37,000 acres, including over 80 since Sunday, the officials said.
Fires have been explosive in nature due to the dry conditions, said Brian Galvin, fire chief of the Goodrich Rural Fire Department in central North Dakota. About 50 to 60 firefighters, farmers and other people responded on Saturday to a fast-moving fire near Lincoln Valley that burned 200 acres.
## Parts of Texas could see triple digit temperature for days
Areas like Houston that are closer to the Gulf of Mexico could have their temperatures "modified somewhat" because water temperatures are still cool enough, but parts of Texas farther west of the Gulf are going to see temperatures well over 100 degrees, Self said.
In San Antonio, the National Weather Service said high temperatures were expected to rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) through the weekend.
The Texas Department of Public Safety asked residents to follow various safety tips, including staying hydrated and limiting outdoor activities, to stay safe.
Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The order only carries authority within the U.S. Other countries and international institutions continue to use the name the Gulf of Mexico.
## Hotter temperatures earlier in the year is the "new normal"
Sylvia Dee, an assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University in Houston, said with temperature records being broken "somewhere every month and every year," heat waves like the one impacting Texas and other parts of the country should not be seen as out of the ordinary.
Climate change is likely expanding the summer season, meaning that hotter temperatures will start earlier and end later, Dee said.
"I think that this is our new normal, for sure. I think we should be prepared as Texans, but also across the country, for these changes - higher temperatures, more persistent heat events," Dee said.
___
Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 23:44:59+00:00 | [
"Tom Holmoe",
"Brian Santiago",
"Fresno",
"High school basketball",
"Brigham Young Cougars",
"Basketball",
"Sports",
"College sports"
] | # BYU promotes Brian Santiago to replace longtime athletic director Tom Holmoe
May 13th, 2025 11:44 PM
---
PROVO, Utah (AP) — BYU has promoted Brian Santiago to replace longtime athletic director Tom Holmoe.
The school announced on Tuesday that Santiago will be elevated from deputy athletic director after working under Holmoe, who retired after 20 years earlier this year.
"We are excited to build on the forward momentum and legacy of Tom Holmoe, who is retiring, with the appointment of Brian Santiago as BYU's next director of athletics," BYU President C. Shane Reese said in a statement. "Brian has a track record of leadership and an ability to lead BYU Athletics as we navigate the complex and rapidly evolving waters of college athletics. It's become clear to me throughout this search process that Brian will seek to strengthen BYU's academic and spiritual mission, and he understands how it blesses the lives of our student-athletes."
Santiago has served as BYU's deputy athletic director since 2017 after spending the previous nine years as a senior associate athletic director. He started at BYU as an assistant basketball coach in 1997 before moving into athletic administration.
Santiago graduated from Provo High School and played basketball at Utah Valley and Fresno State. |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 20:44:08+00:00 | [
"Pete Rose",
"Rob Manfred",
"Baseball",
"Softball",
"MLB",
"New York City Wire",
"Philadelphia Phillies",
"MLB baseball",
"Leslie Mann",
"St. Louis Cardinals",
"Sports",
"Joe Gedeon",
"Chicago White Sox",
"Fred McMullen",
"Pittsburgh Pirates"
] | # A full list of the players permanently banned by MLB
May 13th, 2025 08:44 PM
---
NEW YORK (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and other players permanently banned by the sport would have their statuses restored at death.
The ruling opens a path for Rose and Jackson to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Here are all of the players and other figures who have been permanently banned:
## Chicago Black Sox
March 12, 1921 — Chicago White Sox pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams, first baseman Chick Gandil, shortstop Charles "Swede" Risberg, third baseman Buck Weaver, outfielders Jackson and Happy Felsch and infielder Fred McMullen were suspended by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. (The players were suspended by the team on Sept. 28, 1920, following their indictment on charges of throwing the 1919 World Series. Gandil at that time already was already on suspension in a salary dispute).
The players were acquitted on Aug. 3, 1921, but banned for life by Landis the following day. St. Louis Browns pitcher Joe Gedeon was also banned for his connections to the betting plot.
"Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player who throws a ballgame, no player that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball," Landis wrote.
## Philadelphia Phillies infielder Gene Paulette
March 24, 1921 — Paulette was banned indefinitely by Landis for allegedly accepting a loan from Elmer Farrar of St. Louis that was tied to a gambling scheme. Paulette never was reinstated.
## New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff
April 7, 1921 — Kauff was suspended indefinitely by Landis following his indictment on charges of auto theft and possession of a stolen car.
"An indictment charging felonious misconduct by a player certainly charges conduct detrimental to the good repute of baseball," he said.
Kauff was acquitted on May 13, but Landis refused to reinstate him. A lawsuit filed by Kauff against the commissioner for reinstatement was dismissed.
## New York Giants pitcher "Shufflin'" Phil Douglas
Aug. 18, 1922 — Douglas was banned for life by the club for writing a letter to St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Leslie Mann asking him to throw a game. Mann gave the letter to Branch Rickey, who sent it to Landis. The commissioner backed the ban, saying Douglas' letter was "tragic and deplorable."
## New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell and coach Cozy Dolan
Oct. 1, 1924 — Both were banned for life by Landis for offering a $500 bribe to Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand to throw game on Sept. 27, 1924. Sand told Phillies manager Art Fletcher, who told Landis.
## Philadelphia Phillies president William D. Cox
Nov. 23, 1943 — Cox was banned for life by Landis for making "approximately 15 or 20 bets" of "from $25 to $100 per game on Philadelphia to win." Cox was forced to sell his share of the team to Ruly M. Carpenter Jr.
## Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose
Aug. 23, 1989 — Rose agreed to a lifetime ban with Commissioner A. Barlett Giammati for gambling on Reds games.
## San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano
June 3, 2024 — Marcano was banned for life by Commissioner Rob Manfred for making 387 baseball bets, including 231 related to MLB, from Oct. 16-23, 2022, and July 12, 2023, through Nov. 1, 2023, while on the roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 18:16:53+00:00 | [
"Stephen Curry",
"Damian Lillard",
"LeBron James",
"Jayson Tatum",
"Steve Kerr",
"Jalen Brunson",
"Boston Celtics",
"NBA Playoffs",
"Tom Thibodeau",
"Doc Rivers",
"Joel Embiid",
"Donovan Mitchell",
"Steve Nash",
"Los Angeles Lakers",
"Moritz Wagner",
"Michael Porter Jr.",
"Victor Wembanyama",
"Injuries",
"Athlete injuries",
"NBA",
"New York City Wire",
"Zion Williamson",
"Donte DiVincenzo",
"Sports",
"Kyrie Irving",
"Milwaukee",
"Kawhi Leonard",
"Draymond Green",
"Temetrius Morant",
"Giannis Antetokounmpo",
"Cleveland",
"Dejounte Murray",
"NBA basketball"
] | # In the NBA playoffs, injuries are becoming the story
By Tim Reynolds
May 13th, 2025 06:16 PM
---
These are the NBA playoffs of survival, where not even the stars are safe.
The latest blow to this postseason: Jayson Tatum was wheeled off Monday night, his season with the defending champion Boston Celtics over because of a right Achilles tendon tear that surely will mean he misses at least some of next season as well.
Golden State's Stephen Curry may run out of time before his injured hamstring allows him to play again. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell is dealing with an ankle issue. If the Los Angeles Lakers' season had gone any deeper, LeBron James would have been sidelined with a knee sprain. And Milwaukee's Damian Lillard tore his Achilles, putting next season in some doubt and raising questions about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future as well.
The star power is gone in some cases, aching in others, and there's no question that injuries are becoming the story of this postseason. For Lillard — and now Tatum, too — the issues will linger into next season or rob of them of the chance to play in 2025-26 entirely.
"Obviously we want to go out there and compete, but when a player of his caliber goes down and he's rolling in pain like that, you know something's wrong," New York guard Jalen Brunson said after seeing Tatum's injury on Monday night. "So, that's why I just gave my thoughts and prayers — because you never want to see something like that, ever."
Injuries are a constant, and the regular season saw some big-name players forced to shut down much earlier than they wanted. Philadelphia's Joel Embiid wasn't right for basically the entire season because of knee issues, Dallas' Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama developed a blood clot that forced his season to end in February, New Orleans' Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles in January, Orlando's Moritz Wagner tore his ACL in December and two stars with long injury histories — the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and New Orleans' Zion Williamson — both were inactive for more than half the season.
Overcoming injuries is just part of NBA life, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said.
"The human spirit is amazing," Rivers said. "It really is."
And in the playoffs, the hits keep coming. Stars are hurting, most of Cleveland's starting lineup has been banged-up in these playoffs, Denver's Michael Porter Jr. is playing through a shoulder issue that typically needs weeks to deal with, and Memphis' Ja Morant had a hip problem that kept him from being on the floor at the end of the Grizzlies' season. Even teams that are winning aren't doing so at anywhere near 100% — case in point, Brunson has been dealing with an ankle issue and it somehow isn't slowing him down.
"Every year, playoffs are about adapting, whether it's a game plan, or an injury, or a lineup," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said shortly after Curry got hurt in the Warriors' second-round series against Minnesota. "So, we just have to adapt."
Down 3-1 in the series and facing a win-or-else game Wednesday, the Warriors are running out of time to adapt. There will be an update on Curry's status Wednesday, Kerr said. It wouldn't seem likely that Curry plays in Game 5.
"We're not going to Superman this thing," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "If he's in a place where he can play, I'm sure he will. ... But we don't need Superman. I play the long game. If he can, we know he will, but there's no pressure. We've got to figure out how to win, whether he plays or not."
James got hurt in a collision with Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo late in what became the Lakers' final game of the season, a loss in Game 5 of an opening-round matchup. James later revealed that he probably couldn't have continued even if the Lakers won that game because of a knee sprain that won't need surgery but will need weeks to heal.
"Even if we would have won Game 5 at home, I probably would have missed 6 and 7 and even further," James said on his "Mind the Game" podcast with Steve Nash. "I have some time, though. I have some time to get it right."
Tatum was having an absolutely monster game for Boston on Monday: 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots — numbers that nobody in Celtics history, at least since each of those stats started being charted, had ever finished a game with.
Those stats were largely forgotten by night's end, given the gravity of the injury and what it now means for the Celtics — a team that is in the process of being sold for a record figure exceeding $6 billion, is on track to face a potential record salary and luxury tax bill that could exceed $500 million next season and now has a franchise cornerstone in Tatum facing a long road back to the court.
Tatum has logged nearly 25,000 minutes in his eight seasons with the Celtics, more than any other player in the NBA over that span when counting both regular-season and playoff games. He's been an All-Star in six consecutive seasons, won two Olympic gold medals and likely will be All-NBA for a fourth consecutive season when that team is revealed in the coming weeks.
And in the blink of an eye Monday, his story drastically changed.
"He's been a great player," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "And he's a great guy, too."
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba |
Associated Press News | 2025-05-13 21:11:52+00:00 | [
"Jayson Tatum",
"Athlete injuries",
"Damian Lillard",
"Kevin Durant",
"Achilles Injuries",
"Aaron Rodgers",
"Boston Celtics",
"Indiana Pacers",
"Milwaukee Bucks",
"NBA Playoffs",
"New York Knicks",
"Brandon Graham",
"Leonard Floyd",
"NBA",
"New York City Wire",
"Sports",
"NBA basketball",
"Ryan Howard",
"Dominique Wilkins"
] | # Celtics' Jayson Tatum is the latest of many star athletes who've torn an Achilles tendon
By The Associated Press
May 13th, 2025 09:11 PM
---
The diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon for All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is a devastating blow to the defending champion Boston Celtics and the second injury of its kind during the NBA playoffs.
Seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks tore his left Achilles tendon during a loss to the Indiana Pacers on April 28.
The 27-year-old Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon on Monday night against the New York Knicks when he lunged toward a loose ball and his leg gave out. He buried his face in a towel in obvious pain while grabbing at his leg above the ankle after the non-contact injury.
The Knicks won 121-113 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. The series resumes Wednesday in Boston with the Celtics needing to win to stay alive in the playoffs.
Other notable athletes who have come back from a torn Achilles tendon:
## Aaron Rodgers
The four-time NFL MVP tore his left Achilles tendon on Sept. 11, 2023, four snaps into his first year with the New York Jets. He was hurt as he tried to avoid a rushing Leonard Floyd, who wrapped up the quarterback and spun him down to the MetLife Stadium turf. Rodgers, 39 at the time, returned to practice in an astonishing 77 days after surgery but did not play again until Sept. 9, 2024. The Jets released him in March, and he's undecided on playing in 2025.
## Kobe Bryant
The late Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, had surgery the next day and returned to the court with the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 8, 2013, at age 35. Bryant played only six games before a knee injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. Bryant averaged 22.3 points in only 35 games in 2014-15 and 17.6 points in 66 games in his last season in 2015-16.
## Kevin Durant
The two-time NBA Finals MVP tore an Achilles tendon on June 13, 2019, playing for Golden State in Game 4 of the championship round. He missed a full season and came back with the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 22, 2020, at age 32. Durant hasn't played more than 55 games in any season since his return but he's been elite, averaging 28.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three seasons since the injury.
## Dominique Wilkins
The Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on Jan. 28, 1992. He returned to the court with the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 6, 1992, just two months shy of turning 33. Wilkins averaged 29.9 points in his first season back and played seven more years, including two stints overseas.
## Brandon Graham
The Philadelphia Eagles defensive end tore an Achilles tendon on Sept. 19, 2021, and returned for the season opener Sept. 11, 2022, at age 34. Graham had his best season as a pro last year, posting a career-high 11 sacks.
## Ryan Howard
The 2006 NL MVP tore an Achilles tendon on the final swing of a postseason series on Oct. 7, 2011. Howard returned to the lineup with the Philadelphia Phillies on July 6, 2012, at age 32. The big slugger was never the same, however. Howard averaged 44 homers and 133 RBIs in a six-year span before the injury. He averaged 19/66 over the next five.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba |
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