# Lawsuit centers on power struggle over elections in Arizona's most populous county

By Sejal Govindarao
June 13th, 2025, 11:41 PM

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PHOENIX (AP) — The top elections official in one of the nation's most pivotal swing counties is suing the Maricopa County governing board over allegations that it's attempting to gain more control over how elections are administered.

County Recorder Justin Heap filed a lawsuit Thursday in state court with the backing of America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, who is now the White House deputy chief of staff.

Heap, a former GOP state lawmaker who has questioned election administration in Arizona's most populous county, has been at odds with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for months over an agreement that would divide election operations between the two offices.

After taking office in January, Heap terminated a previous agreement that was reached between his predecessor and the board. He claimed in his lawsuit it would have restrained his power to run elections by reducing funding and IT resources for the recorder's office.

Last year's agreement also gave the board authority over early ballot processing, which drew criticism from Heap in his lawsuit.

Heap is asking the court to undo what the lawsuit calls "unlawful" actions by the board and to issue an order requiring the board to fund expenses he deems necessary.

"Despite their repeated misinformation and gaslighting of the public on these issues, defending the civil right to free, fair and honest elections for every Maricopa County voter isn't simply my job as county recorder, it's the right thing to do and a mission I'm fully committed to achieving," Heap said in a statement Thursday.

The board's chair and vice chair have called the legal challenge frivolous, saying Heap is wasting taxpayer money by going to court.

Negotiations between the offices have been ongoing since the beginning of the year, and the board said in a statement that it appeared things were going well after a meeting in April. It was only weeks later, the board said, that Heap came back with what he called a final offer that included dozens of changes.

Heap claims in the lawsuit that the board rejected his proposed agreement in late May. In a statement, America First Legal says the board separately voted on a tentative budget that shifts Heap's key duties and underfunds the recorder's office.

"From day one, Recorder Heap has been making promises that the law doesn't allow him to keep," Board Chairman Thomas Galvin said. "Arizona election statutes delineate election administration between county boards of supervisors and recorders to ensure there are checks and balances, and Recorder Heap clearly doesn't understand the responsibilities of his position."

Following President Donald Trump's 2020 loss, Maricopa County became an epicenter for election conspiracy theories. Heap has stopped short of saying the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but he has said the state's practices for handling early ballots are insecure and has questioned how ballots are transported, handled and stored after they are submitted. Last year, Heap proposed an unsuccessful bill to remove Arizona from a multistate effort to maintain voter lists.

Heap's predecessor, Stephen Richer, was rebuked in some GOP circles for defending the legitimacy of the 2020 and 2022 elections, in which Democrats including former President Joe Biden and Gov. Katie Hobbs won by razor-thin margins. Trump won Arizona in 2024, along with the other battleground states.


Trump’s recent moves risk politicizing the military

# Trump's recent moves risk politicizing the military

By Nicholas Riccardi
June 13th, 2025, 07:01 PM

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Last weekend, President Donald Trump took the rare step of mobilizing the National Guard, and then the U.S. Marines, sending them into Los Angeles over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom quickly took the president to court for unilaterally calling in the military to clamp down on protests against the administration's immigration policies.

Trump followed that up with a campaign-style rally at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where uniformed soldiers cheered as he slammed former President Joe Biden, Newsom and other Democrats — raising concerns the president was using the military as a political prop.

The developments this week are the latest and most visible way Trump has tried to turn government institutions into vehicles to implement his personal agenda, and have cast Saturday's planned military parade in a new light.

The scheduled parade in Washington, D.C., celebrates the Army's 250th anniversary but happens to coincide with the 79th birthday of a president who warned that protests against the event will be "met with very big force."

"As many lengths as Army leaders have gone through to depoliticize the parade, it's very difficult for casual observers of the news to see this as anything other than a political use of the military," said Carrie Ann Lee, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund who also taught at the U.S. Army War College.

Trump has wanted a military parade since his first term, but senior commanders balked, worrying it would be more like a spectacle one would see in authoritarian countries such as North Korea or Russia than something befitting the United States. After returning to the White House, Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replaced him with his own pick and dismissed several other top military leaders.

In the wake of protests over the administration's immigration enforcement operation near downtown Los Angeles, Trump last weekend sent in the California National Guard — and later deployed U.S. Marines — over Newsom's objections. Trump contended Newsom had "totally lost control of the situation." Newsom said the president was "behaving like a tyrant."

It's the first time the Guard has been used without a governor's consent since then-President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama in 1965 to ensure compliance with civil rights laws.

A federal judge late Thursday ruled that Trump violated the law against using the military domestically in his mobilization in Los Angeles and ordered the Guard placed back under the governor's control. The ruling, which did not make a determination about the deployment of Marines, was later blocked by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pending a hearing next week.

Military experts warn of the costs of this week's events to the image of the military as a nonpartisan institution and one that has enjoyed a high level of trust among Americans.

"We don't want military forces who work as an armed wing of a political party," Lee said.

Trump has already used other parts of the federal government to reward his allies and punish his enemies. His Federal Communications Commission has launched investigations of media outlets Trump dislikes and, in some cases, is personally suing. The president has directed the Department of Justice to investigate Democratic Party institutions and a former appointee who vouched for the security of the 2020 election when Trump was arguing his loss was due to fraud.

During his brief blow-up with former donor and tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump threatened to pull Musk's government contracts — a sign of how Trump views the government as a tool for personal leverage.

"He's doing it in every aspect of government, not just the military," said Yvonne Chiu, a professor at the Naval War College and a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. "But the military is the one with all the weapons."

On Thursday, Trump laughed off protests planned for this weekend against the parade, organized by the "No Kings" movement: "I don't feel like a king," he said during a White House event. "I have to go through hell to get stuff approved."

A new Associated Press-NORC Poll found a partisan divide in whether Americans approve of the parade, but wider agreement on its cost, with 6 in 10 Americans saying the tens of millions of dollars to be spent is not a good use of public money.

Other recent polling has indicated that, even if many others are alarmed, most Republicans are comfortable with the way Trump is exercising his power. More than half of U.S. adults said the president had "too much" power in an April 2025 AP-NORC poll, but only 23% of Republicans agreed.

The president and his supporters have said he's simply giving voters what he promised during the campaign — a strong leader who cracks down on illegal immigration.

Kurt Weyland, a political scientist at the University of Texas, said while the president has done "shocking" things, at least part of the country's system of checks and balances has so far held to keep him in check.

"The courts have been the main line of defense," he said.

The courts stepped in again Thursday, with U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer — the brother of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer — finding that the situation in Los Angeles did not involve a rebellion, invasion or situation where the government cannot otherwise enforce its laws, which are the requirements for a president to use the military domestically.

"The Court is troubled by the implication inherent in Defendants' argument that protest against the federal government, a core civil liberty protected by the First Amendment, can justify a finding of rebellion," Breyer wrote.

William Banks, a former dean of the Syracuse University law school and an expert in national security law, said there are good reasons Americans don't want soldiers or Marines performing law enforcement on their streets. The military is trained to kill enemies, not handle the fraught interpersonal task of policing American streets.

"It's corrosive," Banks said of the military getting deployed domestically. "We don't like that in this society; we haven't for 250 years."

Several experts said the true test for democracy lies ahead — whether it can continue to hold free and fair elections.

Trump tried to overturn his own loss in the 2020 election and, since returning to power, has pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of crimes in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In the days after the Jan. 6 attack, one of the documents uncovered by investigators was a draft executive order that called for Trump to order the seizure of voting machines. The person the order would have directed to ensure the seizure happened was the secretary of defense.

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# US Army's parade proceeds despite rain forecast, protests

By Lolita C. Baldor and Michelle L. Price
June 14th, 2025, 04:04 AM

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The grand military parade that President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barreled down Constitution Avenue on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against a counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the U.S. leader as a dictator and would-be king.

The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument. The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognizing the Army's 250th anniversary.

"Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too," Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade's end.

The president praised the strength of the military's fighting forces and said U.S. soldiers "fight, fight fight and they win, win win" — putting a new twist on a line that Trump regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt.

Early in the evening's pageantry, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team descended from overcast skies toward the reviewing stand. The team had been scheduled to appear at the end of the parade, but jumped earlier than planned in the drizzly skies above the National Mall.

At times, Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when steamy weather and the threat of thunderstorms could have dampened turnout.

Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to sound off against the Republican president. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the U.S. capital.

## Displays of military might

The daylong display of America's Army came as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard over the governor's objections and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.

As armored vehicles rolled down the street in front of the president, on the other side of the country, the Marines who Trump deployed to Los Angeles appeared at a demonstration for the first time, standing guard outside a federal building. Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear beside the National Guard, Homeland Security officers and other law enforcement. Hundreds of protesters facing them jeered in English and Spanish, telling the troops to go home.

A previously calm demonstration in downtown Los Angeles turned chaotic when police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building and fired tear gas and crowd control projectiles.

In Washington, hundreds protesting Trump carried signs with messages that included "Where's the due process?" and "No to Trump's fascist military parade" as they marched toward the White House.

A larger-than-life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet.

Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as "I prefer crushed ICE," referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages included "The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A." and "Flip me off if you're a FASCIST."

"No Kings" rallies unfolded in hundreds of cities, designed to counter what organizers said were Trump's plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. Organizers said they picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, on the National Mall, a display of armored vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment was set up to commemorate the Army's birthday. Vendors outside the Army festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise.

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he traveled to Washington from Kansas City for the weekend "to see the military and see Trump."

Stallard, who voted for Trump, said it was "hard to believe" people were upset about the cost of the event when "they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we don't even need."

Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the daylong festival to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, but said the parade "was a little over the top."

Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a "very bold statement to the world, perhaps."

The parade was added just two months ago to the long-planned celebration of the Army's birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route.

About 6 in 10 Americans said Saturday's parade was "not a good use" of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Kathy Straus traveled from Richmond, Virginia, to attend the parade, carrying a sign criticizing its cost and arguing the money could have been used to feed veterans.

"I thought that it would be more effective to come here than go to a protest with people that think similar to me," said Straus.

The parade wound down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. A flyover of military aircraft included World War II-era planes, including a B-25 Mitchell bomber, and Army helicopters flew low over the crowd, below the top of the Washington Monument. Mounted soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division made an appearance — horses once played a crucial role in warfare, but today they're mostly used in ceremonial events like today's parade.

Trump swore in 250 new recruits and returning soldiers into service, with soldiers repeating an oath after him.

"Welcome to the United States Army! And have a great life," Trump said to them afterward.

Country music singer Warren Zeiders performed, as did "God Bless the U.S.A." singer Lee Greenwood. The event was capped off by a fireworks show.

It appeared that plans to have U.S. Air Force fighter jets fly over were scrapped because of the weather.


# Las 10 canciones más populares de la semana

By Por The Associated Press
June 13th, 2025, 08:05 PM

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Las 10 canciones más populares de la semana en algunos países de las Américas y España

ARGENTINA

1.- "Me gusta" - Miranda!, Tini

2.- "Sentimiento natural" – Aitana, Myke Towers

3.- "Carteras chinas" - Elena Rose, Los Ángeles Azules, Camilo

4.- "APT." - Rosé, Bruno Mars

5.- "Que haces" - Becky G, Manuel Turizo

6.- "La pelirroja" - Sebastián Yatra

7.- "Hace rato" - Nicki Nicole, Miranda!

8.- "Me toca a mí" – Morat, Camilo

9.- "Luck Ra: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 61" – Bizarrap, Luck Ra

10.- "Ahora resulta" - Luciano Pereyra, Emanero

(Fuente: Los 40 Principales)

CHILE

1.- "Voy a llevarte pa PR" - Bad Bunny

2.- "Imagínate" - Danny Ocean, Kapo

3.- "Carita linda" - Rauw Alejandro

4.- "La plena" - Beéle, WSound, Ovy On The Drums

5.- "APT." - Rosé, Bruno Mars

6.- "Anxiety" – Doechii

7.- "Mi refe" – Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

8.- "Whisky a la roca" - Jere Klein, Swift 047, Kidd Voodoo

9.- "Qloo_" - Young Cister, Kreamly

10.- "Q somos" - Lola Índigo, Kidd Voodoo

(Fuente: Los 40 Principales)

COLOMBIA

1.- "La plena" - Beéle, WSound, Ovy On The Drums

2.- "Priti" - Danny Ocean, Sech

3.- "Solcito" - Miguel Bueno, Juan Duque

4.- "Vitamina" – Jombriel, DFZM

5.- "Sobelove" – Beéle

6.- "Voy a llevarte pa PR" - Bad Bunny

7.- "Imagínate"- Danny Ocean, Kapo

8.- "Amistad" – Blessd, Ovy On The Drums

9.- "Mi refe" – Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

10.- "Parte & Choke (remix)" - Jombriel, Ryan Castro, Alex Krack

(Fuente: Los 40 Principales)

ESPAÑA

1.- "Anxiety" – Doechii

2.- "APT." - Rosé, Bruno Mars

3.- "Capaz (Merenguetón)" – Yorghaki, Alleh

4.- "Ordinary" - Alex Warren

5.- "End of the World" - Miley Cyrus

6.- "Azizam" - Ed Sheeran

7.- "Imagínate" - Danny Ocean, Kapo

8.- "Messy" - Lola Young

9.- "Degenere" - Myke Towers, Benny Blanco

10.- "Die with a Smile" - Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

(Fuente: Los 40 Principales)

MÉXICO

1.- "Vivir sin aire" – Maná, Carín León

2.- "Ordinary" - Alex Warren

3.- "Carita linda" - Rauw Alejandro

4.- "How Deep is Your Love" - Prince Royce

5.- "Carteras chinas" - Elena Rose, Los Ángeles Azules, Camilo

6.- "Die with a Smile" – Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

7.- "Me toca a mí" – Morat, Camilo

8- "Anxiety" – Doechii

9.- "Un millón de primaveras" - Alejandro Fernández

10.- "La pelirroja" - Sebastián Yatra

(Fuente: Los 40 Principales)


# Marines temporarily detain man while guarding LA federal building

By Jake Offenhartz, Lolita Baldor, and Julie Watson
June 14th, 2025, 12:29 AM

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shortly after they began guarding a Los Angeles federal building Friday, U.S. Marines detained a man who had walked onto the property and did not immediately hear their commands to stop.

The brief detention marked the first time federal troops have detained a civilian since they were deployed to the nation's second-largest city by President Donald Trump in response to protests over the administration's immigration arrests. The Marines were activated earlier this week but began their duties Friday.

The man, Marcos Leao, was later released without charges and said the Marines were just doing their jobs.

A U.S. Army North spokesperson said the troops have the authority to temporarily detain people under specific circumstances. He said those detentions end when the person can be transferred to "appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel."

Leao's detention shows how the troops' deployment is putting them closer to carrying out law enforcement actions. Already, National Guard soldiers have been providing security on raids as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown.

Leao, a former Army combat engineer, said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment when he stepped past a piece of caution tape outside the federal building. He looked up to find a Marine sprinting toward him.

"I had my headphones in, so I didn't hear them," Leao said. "They told me to get down on the ground. I basically complied with everything they were saying."

Leao was placed in zip ties and held for more than two hours by the Marines and members of the National Guard, he said. After Los Angeles police arrived, he was released without charges, he said. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said they responded to a call at the scene but weren't needed, and no charges were filed.

"I didn't know it was going to be this intense here," he said later.

A U.S. official told the AP that a civilian had stepped over the line. He was warned they would take him down and they did, according to the official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

About 200 Marines out of the 700 deployed arrived in the city Friday, joining 2,000 members of the National Guard that have been stationed outside federal buildings this week in Los Angeles. Another 2,000 Guard members were notified of deployment earlier this week.

Before the unusual deployment, the Pentagon scrambled to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil.

The forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, the military has said.

But the use of the active-duty forces still raises difficult questions.

"I believe that this is an inevitable precursor of things yet to come when you put troops with guns right next to civilians who are doing whatever they do," said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and military judge.

He said it's an example of Trump's attempt to unravel the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars active-duty forces from conducting law enforcement.


# How major US stock indexes fared Firday, 6/13/2025

By The Associated Press
June 13th, 2025, 08:49 PM

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Oil prices leaped, and stocks slumped on worries that escalating violence following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets could damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.

The S&P 500 sank 1.1% Friday and wiped out what had been a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 769 points, and the Nasdaq composite lost 1.3%.

Crude prices jumped roughly 7% because Iran is one of the world's major producers of oil and fighting in the region could disrupt the flow.

Treasury yields rose with worries about inflation.

On Friday:

The S&P 500 fell 68.29 points, or 1.1%, to 5,976.97.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 769.83 points, or 1.8%, to 42,197.79.

The Nasdaq composite fell 255.66 points, or 1.3%, to 19,406.83.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 39.59 points, or 1.8%, to 2,100.51.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is down 23.39 points, or 0.4%.

The Dow is down 565.08 points, or 1.3%.

The Nasdaq is down 123.13 points, or 0.6%.

The Russell 2000 is down 31.74 points, or 1.5%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 95.34 points, or 1.6%.

The Dow is down 346.43 points, or 0.8%.

The Nasdaq is up 96.03 points, or 0.5%.

The Russell 2000 is down 129.65 points, or 5.8%.


# Anker recalls over 1 million power banks after fire reports

June 13th, 2025, 03:13 PM

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NEW YORK (AP) — More than 1.15 million power banks are under recall across the U.S. after some fires and explosions were reported by consumers.

According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, electronics maker Anker Innovations is recalling certain "PowerCore 10000" power banks because the lithium-ion battery inside can overheat.

An overheating battery can lead to "melting of plastic components, smoke, and fire hazards," Anker wrote in an accompanying announcement. The company added that it was conducting this recall "out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of our customers."

According to the CPSC, China-based Anker has received 19 reports of fires and explosions involving these now-recalled portable chargers. That includes two minor burn injuries and 11 reports of property damage amounting to over $60,700.

The recalled "PowerCore 10000" power banks have a model number of A1263. They were sold online at Anker's website — as well as Amazon, eBay and Newegg — between June 2016 and December 2022 for about $27 across the U.S., per the recall notice.

Consumers in possession these now-recalled chargers are urged to stop using them immediately — and contact Anker for a free replacement.

Impacted consumers can visit Anker's website for more information and register for the recall. To receive a replacement, consumers will need to submit a photo of their recalled power bank that shows its model number, serial number, their name, date and the word "recalled" written on the product.

Both the CPSC and Anker note that these power banks should not be thrown directly in the trash or general recycling streams. Due to fire risks, recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries — so it's important to check local guidance.


# News of one survivor in Air India crash weighs on other sole survivors

By Josh Funk and Lisa Baumann
June 13th, 2025, 10:05 PM

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News of the sole survivor of an Air India plane crash that killed the other 241 people aboard has led to endless online fascination, but it has also stirred up painful feelings for a handful of others who have had similar fates.

Tens of thousands of people have searched for details about Vishwashkumar Ramesh since Thursday's crash, according to Google Trends. People have commented on social media that the idea seems unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle.

But it has happened more than a dozen times before.

George Lamson Jr., who was the lone survivor of a Galaxy Airlines crash more than 40 years ago, said such stories always deeply affect him.

## Surviving the Air India crash

Ramesh told India's national broadcaster that he still can't believe he's alive after his brother and more than 200 others died in the crash.

He said the aircraft seemed to become stuck immediately after takeoff. The lights then came on, he said, and right after that it accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed.

He said the side of the plane where he was seated fell onto the ground floor of a building and there was space for him to escape after the door broke open. He unfastened his seat belt and forced himself out of the plane.

"When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive," he said.

## Surviving leaves 'a lasting echo'

Lamson, who was a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, when he survived the Galaxy crash in Reno in 1985, didn't respond to messages from The Associated Press this week.

But he has talked about his feelings on social media and in the 2013 "Sole Survivor" documentary that focused on him and 13 other sole survivors of major airline crashes.

Lamson posted Thursday that he stays in touch with other sole survivors and he finds that "there's an unspoken understanding, and it's been comforting."

"My heart goes out to the survivor in India and to all the families waking up to loss today," Lamson wrote. "There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it. These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar."

## A pilot with survivor's guilt

Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky. When his wife told him that everyone else on the plane died, Polehinke wept.

"My first concern was the passengers that were my responsibility that day," he said in the "Sole Survivor" documentary.

Adding to the survivor's guilt is the fact that the airline announced in the aftermath of the crash that Polehinke and the pilot violated policy by having an extended personal conversation when they were supposed to be focused on the flight.

But one of the investigators of that crash told the filmmakers that the pilots' personal conversation likely had nothing to do with the crash, and everyone told investigators that Polehinke and the pilot were highly competent professionals.

But one of the survivors of that crash told the AP in 2014 that Polehinke's conversation with the pilot was the reason he survived.

"I have a very good feeling about Jim Polehinke," said his former co-pilot, Bill Doughty, now 63. "He's a very competent pilot. I think he's a good person, but he's a little bit of a loner. I think it was a conversation he had with Jim, and he was saying, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that.' And Jim said, 'I know you didn't mean to say that, but you can't take it back.'"

## 'The right place at the right time'

Cecilia Crocker doesn't just carry the marks of the 1987 crash she survived on her heart and in the scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She also got an airplane tattoo on her wrist.

Crocker, who was known as Cecilia Cichan at the time of the crash, said in the documentary that she thought about the crash every day.

"I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself," she said. "I think that me surviving was random. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

But Lamson said in the documentary that he doesn't believe in random chance and can't shake the feeling that "my life was spared for a reason either I wanted or something a higher power than me wanted."

Crocker was 4 years old when she flew on Northwest Airlines Flight 255 and it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground.

The Phoenix-bound McDonnell Douglas MD80 was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem.

Aviation experts have said that video of the Air India crash raises questions about whether the flaps were set properly this time.

Investigators have recovered the plane's flight data recorder, but they have not yet determined what may have caused the crash.


# July earthquake rumors are a hoax, says Japan's weather chief

By Mari Yamaguchi
June 13th, 2025, 02:06 PM

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TOKYO (AP) — The head of Japan's meteorological agency on Friday dismissed widespread rumors of a major earthquake in Japan this summer as unscientific and a "hoax," urging people not to worry because even the most advanced science still cannot predict any quake or tsunami.

"At the moment, it is still impossible to predict an earthquake with specific timing, location or its magnitude," Japan Meteorological Agency Director General Ryoichi Nomura told reporters. "Any such prediction is a hoax, and there is absolutely no need to worry about such disinformation."

Nomura was referring to rumors in Hong Kong and other Asian cities of a major earthquake or a tsunami in July in Japan have led to flight cancellations and reductions in service, affecting tourism.

He said it was "unfortunate" that many people are affected by the disinformation, though he sympathized with the sense of unease that the people tend to develop toward something invisible.

The rumor originates from a 2022 Japanese comic book "The future I saw," which features a dream foreseeing a tsunami and is also available in Chinese. The chatter began spreading earlier this year through social media, mainly in Hong Kong.

The author previously gained attention for allegedly predicting the 2011 quake and tsunami in northern Japan, which killed more than 18,000 people.

Japan, which sits on the Pacific "ring of fire," is one of the world's most quake-prone countries.

Last summer, a panel of seismologists noted a slight increase in the probability of a megaquake on Japan's Pacific coasts. The government organized an awareness-raising week but only triggered panic buying, beach closures and other overreactions and complaints.

While it is important to inform people about the science, Nomura said, it is also necessary for everyone in this quake-prone country to take early precautions.

"In Japan, an earthquake can occur anytime, anywhere," Nomura said. "So I ask everyone to take this opportunity to ensure your preparedness for a major quake."


# Several killed as separatists clash with Malian army, Russian allies in country's north

By Associated Press
June 13th, 2025, 09:56 PM

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BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian security forces clashed with members of an armed separatist group over two days, resulting in the deaths of 10 separatists, the Malian army said Friday. The Azawad separatists said it killed dozens of Malian soldiers and members of a Kremlin-controlled armed force.

The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement. On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed before the attack was repelled, it added.

The separatists reported they killed "dozens" of Malian soldiers and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the ambush.

The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military.

"We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the 30 vehicles in the convoy," Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that acknowledged the death of three of their members.

Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos.

The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South think tank.

"It's difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed and jihadist groups", said Lyammouri.

The latest attack occurred days after Russia's mercenary group Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali.

There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.


# Las 10 canciones más escuchadas de la semana en Spotify

By Por The Associated Press
June 13th, 2025, 06:32 PM

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Las 10 canciones más escuchadas de la semana en Spotify, a nivel global y en algunos países de Latinoamérica y España.

GLOBAL

1.- "Ordinary" - Alex Warren

2.- "Don't Say You Love Me" - Jin

3.- "Die with a Smile" – Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

4.- "Back to Friends" – sombr

5.- "Birds of a Feather" – Billie Eilish

6.- "Undressed" – sombr

7.- "La plena - W Sound 05" - W Sound, Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

8.- "APT." - Rosé, Bruno Mars

9.- "Who" – Jimin

10.- "Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)" - Tate McRae and F1 The Album

ARGENTINA

1.- "La plena - W Sound 05" - W Sound, Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

2.- "Ramen para dos" - Maria Becerra, Paulo Londra, XROSS

3.- "Motinha 2.0 (Mete Marcha) - Remix" - DENNIS, Luisa Sonza, Emilia

4.- "Capaz (merengueton)" - Alleh, Yorghaki

5.- "Tu jardín con enanitos" - Roze Oficial, Max Carra, Valen, RAMKY EN LOS CONTROLES

6.- "Vitamina" - Jombriel, DFZM, Jøtta

7.- "Pa las girlas" – Mattei

8.- "Blackout" - Emilia, TINI, Nicki Nicole

9.- "Baile inolvidable" - Bad Bunny

10.- "Veldá" - Bad Bunny, Omar Courtz, Dei V

CHILE

1.- "QLOO(asterisk)" - Young Cister, Kreamly

2.- "Who" – Jimin

3.- "Bella" - Lucky Brown, Jere Klein, Nes

4.- "Y ke pa - remix" - Julianno Sosa, benjitalkapone, Jairo Vera

5.- "La plena - W Sound 05" - W Sound, Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

6.- "Mambinho Brasileño" - benjitalkapone

7.- "2x1" - Jere Klein, Lucky Brown, Valdi, Mateo On The Beatz

8.- "Ponte lokita" - Katteyes, Kidd Voodoo

9.- "Tiene" - Tobal Mj, Lucky Brown, Nacho G Flow

10.- "Whisky a la roca" - Kidd Voodoo, Jere Klein, Swift 047

COLOMBIA

1.- "La plena - W Sound 05" - W Sound, Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

2.- "No tiene sentido" - Beéle

3.- "Quédate" – Beéle

4.- "Amista" - Blessd, Ovy On The Drums

5.- "Mi refe" - Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

6.- "Hiekka" - Nicky Jam, Beéle

7.- "Vitamina" - Jombriel, DFZM, Jøtta

8.- "Top diesel" – Beéle

9.- "Yogurcito" – Blessd, Tayson Kryss, Joseph Ren, Sebastian Ledher

10.-"Una noche de locura" - Blessd, Tayson Kryss, Joseph Ren, Sebastian Ledher

ESPAÑA

1.- "Droga" - Mora, C. Tangana

2.- "No tiene sentido" – Beéle

3.- "La plena - W Sound 05" - W Sound, Beéle, Ovy On The Drums

4.- "Aurora" - Mora, De La Rose

5.- "Soleao" - Myke Towers, Quevedo

6.- "Cuando hables con él" – Aitana

7.- "Capaz (merengueton)" - Alleh, Yorghaki

8.- "Hiekka" - Nicky Jam, Beéle

9.-"6 de febrero" - Aitana

10.- "Still Luvin" - Delaossa, Quevedo, Bigla The Kid

MÉXICO

1.- "Tu sancho" - Fuerza Regida

2.- "Marlboro Rojo" - Fuerza Regida

3.- "Morena" - Neton Vega, Peso Pluma

4.- "Vita Fer" - Los Dareyes De La Sierra, Tito Double P

5.- "Triple lavada" - Esau Ortiz

6.- "Amigos? No." - Oscar Maydon, Neton Vega

7.- "Champagne" - Tito Double P

8.- "Ansiedad" - Fuerza Regida

9.- "Ay Mamita" - Alan Arrieta

10.- "Tu Tu Tu" - Clave Especial, Edgardo Nuñez


# Judge blocks plan to allow immigration agents in New York City jail

June 14th, 2025, 12:19 AM

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NEW YORK (AP) — A judge blocked New York City's mayor from letting federal immigration authorities reopen an office at the city's main jail, in part because of concerns the mayor invited them back in as part of a deal with the Trump administration to end his corruption case.

New York Judge Mary Rosado's decision Friday is a setback for Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who issued an executive order permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to maintain office space at the Rikers Island jail complex. City lawmakers filed a lawsuit in April accusing Adams of entering into a "corrupt quid pro quo bargain" with the Trump administration in exchange for the U.S. Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him.

Rosado temporarily blocked the executive order in April. In granting a preliminary injunction, she said city council members have "shown a likelihood of success in demonstrating, at minimum, the appearance of a quid pro quo whereby Mayor Adams publicly agreed to bring Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") back to Rikers Island in exchange for dismissal of his criminal charges."

Rosado cited a number of factors, including U.S. border czar Tom Homan's televised comments in February that if Adams did not come through, "I'll be in his office, up his butt saying, 'Where the hell is the agreement we came to?' "

Adams has repeatedly denied making a deal with the administration over the criminal case. He has said he deputized his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island to make sure there was no appearance of any conflict of interest.

Rosado said that Mastro reports to Adams and "cannot be considered impartial and free from Mayor Adams' conflicts."

Mastro said in a prepared statement Friday the administration was confident they will prevail in the case.

"Let's be crystal clear: This executive order is about the criminal prosecution of violent transnational gangs committing crimes in our city. Our administration has never, and will never, do anything to jeopardize the safety of law-abiding immigrants, and this executive order ensures their safety as well," Mastro said.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running in the Democratic primary for mayor, called the decision a victory for public safety.

"New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised," she said in a prepared statement.


# A letter demanding data on Cuban medical missions roils the Caribbean

By Dánica Coto
June 13th, 2025, 04:17 PM

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An unusual request from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about Cuban medical brigades that operate worldwide and provide much needed help has roiled countries in the Caribbean and the Americas.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the commission asks members of the Organization of American States, OAS, for details including whether they have an agreement with Cuba for medical missions, whether those workers have labor and union rights and information about any labor complaints.

"This was an unprecedented move," said Francesca Emanuele, senior international policy associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. "It's deeply troubling."

Cuba has more than 22,000 doctors working in more than 50 countries, including in the Caribbean and the Americas, according to its government. A breakdown for the region was not available, but many impoverished nations in the Caribbean rely heavily on those medical professionals.

The commission, an independent body of the OAS, which is heavily funded by the U.S., said it plans to analyze the data collected as well as offer recommendations "given the persistence of reports of rights violations."

A spokesperson for the commission declined comment, saying the letter is private.

The letter was sent after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions in late February for Cuban or foreign government officials accused of involvement in Cuba's medical missions, which he called "forced labor."

"The timing is really suspicious," Emanuele said, noting that the information requested "falls squarely" within the member states' sovereign decision-making. "The role of this organization should not be distorted."

In June, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump slapped several unidentified officials from Central America with visa restrictions.

## A deadline looms

Silence has prevailed since the human rights commission issued its May 24 letter giving OAS member states 30 days to respond.

"I'm awaiting a regional approach," said Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He said in a phone interview that he would raise the issue next week during a meeting of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States as chairman.

"There are no human rights issues involved here," he said, noting that St. Vincent is party to several international and labor conventions. "They have not been breached and will not be breached."

Gonsalves said Cuban doctors run the sole hemodialysis center in St. Vincent that provides free care to 64 patients at a rate of $5 million a year.

"Without the Cubans, that dialysis center will close," he said.

When asked if he worried about potential visa restrictions, Gonsalves said he met earlier this year with Rubio and provided a lengthy letter that he declined to share detailing the work of Cuban medical professionals in St. Vincent.

"We didn't scrimp on any of the details," he said. "I didn't walk away from that meeting thinking that there was any possibility or threat of sanctions."

## A divided region

Guyana 's foreign minister, Hugh Todd, told The Associated Press on Friday that the government plans to amend its payment and recruitment system involving Cuban medical professionals.

He said their main concern "is to make sure we are compliant with international labor laws." Todd did not say whether the planned amendments are related to concerns over U.S. visa restrictions.

Late Thursday, Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said the government wants to ensure that "the conditions of work here don't run afoul of the requirements set by the United States of America."

Guyana depends heavily on the U.S. for support, especially given an ongoing and bitter border dispute with neighboring Venezuela.

Some Caribbean leaders have said they would risk losing a U.S. visa, noting that Cuban medical professionals provide much needed help in the region.

"If we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter...if the cost of it is the loss of my visa to the U.S., then so be it," Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley told Parliament in March as legislators pounded a table in support.

No Cuban medical workers are currently in Barbados.

Echoing Mottley's sentiment was Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley.

"I just came back from California, and if I never go back there again in my life, I will ensure that the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago is known to its people and respected by all," he said in March.

In April, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized what he described as a campaign against the Caribbean country.

"There is no doubt that that desperate campaign to block Cuban cooperation has two clear objectives: to close off any avenue of income for the country, even in an activity as noble and necessary to other nations as healthcare services," he said.

"The other reason is political and ideological: they want to sweep Cuba away as an example. And they resort to methods as immoral as threatening any foreign official involved in that activity," he added.

Rubio has defended visa restrictions, saying they promote accountability.


# Nigeria's president pardons activists executed during military junta

By Dyepkazah Shibayan
June 13th, 2025, 07:31 PM

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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has posthumously pardoned nine environmental activists executed 30 years ago by the then-ruling military junta, drawing sharp criticism and anger from activists who argued on Friday that the individuals committed no crime.

During an event Thursday to mark the 26th anniversary of Nigeria's return to democracy, Tinubu pardoned the "Ogoni Nine," including celebrated writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, and described them as "national heroes."

The men were convicted of murdering four local chiefs and were hanged in 1995 by the then-military regime led by Gen. Sani Abacha. They were part of the Ogoni ethnic group in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, and had protested environmental pollution in the region by multinational oil companies, particularly Shell.

Their trial and murder sparked international outrage at the time, with rights groups calling it unjust and lacking credible evidence.

Local rights and civil society groups described Tinubu's pardon as misleading and "insulting."

"A pardon is given to people who have been convicted of wrongdoing," said Ken Henshaw, executive director of local rights group We The People.

Henshaw said the process leading to their execution did not prove that they were guilty of the allegations against them. "For him (Tinubu) to say he wants to pardon them is a misnomer," he added.

The Nigerian government must also recognize formally that the murdered activists are "innocent of any crime and fully exonerate them," said Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria's director.

"Full justice for the Ogoni Nine is only a first step," said Sanusi. "Much more needs to be done to get justice for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do."


# David Beckham, Gary Oldman and others honored by King Charles III

By Pan Pylas
June 14th, 2025, 11:14 AM

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LONDON (AP) — Arise Sir David, Sir Gary and Sir Roger. And Dame Elaine, Dame Pat and Dame Penny.

Former England soccer captain David Beckham, Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman and The Who's frontman Roger Daltrey were knighted in King Charles III's birthday honors list released late Friday.

Elaine Paige, the renowned musicals singer, Booker Prize-winning novelist Pat Barker and former Conservative government minister Penny Mordaunt were given damehoods, the female equivalent of a knighthood.

The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people: Once at New Year's, and then in June to mark the king's birthday.

The winners are chosen by civil servants' committees based on nominations from the government and the public. The awards are usually given out by the king or a senior royal acting in his place at Buckingham Palace.

## The Sirs

Beckham, 50, was widely expected to be knighted following speculation last week that appeared to be based on a conversation he had with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show last month.

As well as representing England 115 times, including 59 times as captain, Beckham played for some of Europe's most venerable clubs, most notably Manchester United and Real Madrid.

He has been knighted for his services to sport and to charity, having partnered with UNICEF, the U.N.'s children's fund, for two decades and campaigned with a charity working to eradicate malaria. Beckham also played a pivotal role in London being awarded the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

"Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honor," he said.

Oldman, 67, was recognized for his services to drama both on screen and on stage. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the 2017 film "Darkest Hour," and recently dazzled audiences in the Apple TV spy thriller series " Slow Horses."

Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, has been recognized for services to charity as well as music, having been a patron of "Teenage Cancer Trust" since 2000.

The 81-year-old, who led the charity's concert series at Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades, said he was humbled by the award.

"It's a dream come true for me, but it's especially a dream because the charity means so much," he said.

## The Dames

Paige, 77, was honoured for her services to charity as well as music. She has held senior roles at a charity supporting young people with acquired brain injury and another one that supports disabled tennis players.

"I've got all these different emotions coming at me all at once," she said. "I'm proud and I feel grateful and I'm thrilled and surprised, and so it's been quite a lot to take in."

Barker, 82, known for "The Regeneration Trilogy," said she thought the letter announcing her damehood was from "really angry" tax authorities.

"Nobody else does that kind of quality of paper," she said. "I still sort of had to read the first paragraph several times before it sank in."

A year on from losing her seat at the general election when her Conservative Party lost office, Mordaunt said it was "lovely to be appreciated in this way."

Mordaunt, 52, saw her profile boosted during the king's coronation ceremony in 2023. The former lawmaker made a memorable appearance bearing the "sword of state," the first time the duty had been carried out by a woman.

## The 'Companion'

Antony Gormley, the sculptor who was knighted in 2014, was made a "Companion of Honour" for his services to art. The award is one of the most prestigious that the monarch can bestow to citizens in Britain and across the Commonwealth, as there are only 65 companions at any one time.

Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the award recognizes people who have made "a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time." Current members include British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and one of Britain's greatest-ever athletes Sebastian Coe.

## Hundreds more are awarded

The honors don't just reward people in the public eye. More than 1,200 people received honours in the latest list. Women made up 48% of those honored, with 11% of recipients from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The oldest recipient was 106-year-old World War II veteran William Irwin, who was awarded a British Empire Medal, for his services to the community.

The youngest was 11-year-old disability campaigner Carmela Chillery-Watson, who was made a "Member of the Most Excellent Order British Empire," or MBE. Chillery-Watson, who has LMNA congenital muscular dystrophy, has become the youngest ever recipient of the award for helping raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

In what is thought to be a first, three members of the same family were named in the same list. Jenna Speirs, her mother Caroline and father Duncan were each awarded a British Empire Medal for founding a children's cancer charity called Calum's Cabin after Jenna's twin brother died of an inoperable brain tumour aged 12.

Campaigners who have fought to tackle the rise of knife crime were also recognized. Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son was murdered with a ninja sword near his home, was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE. Alison Madgin, the mother of 18-year-old Samantha Madgin, who was knifed to death, was made an MBE alongside her daughter Carly Barrett.


# Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 20 as war rages on after the opening of a new front with Iran

By Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy
June 14th, 2025, 09:24 AM

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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight and into Saturday, according to local health officials. The 20-month war with Hamas has raged on even as Israel has opened a new front with heavy strikes on Iran that sparked retaliatory drone and missile attacks.

Another 11 Palestinians were killed overnight near food distribution points run by an Israeli- and U.S.-supported humanitarian group in the latest of almost daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have fired on the crowds, while the military says it has only fired warning shots near people it describes as suspects who approached its forces.

The sites are located in military zones that are off limits to independent media. Israel's military said it fired warning shots overnight to distance a group of people near troops operating in the Netzarim corridor, and an aircraft struck a person who kept advancing.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private contractor that operates the sites, said they were closed Saturday. But witnesses said thousands had gathered near the sites anyway, desperate for food as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the territory to the brink of famine.

Al-Awda Hospital said it received eight bodies and at least 125 wounded people from a shooting near a GHF site in central Gaza.

Mohamed Abu Hussein, a resident of the built-up Bureij refugee camp nearby, said Israeli forces opened fire toward the crowd about a kilometer (half-mile) from the food distribution point. He said he saw several people fall to the ground as thousands ran away.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital said it received 16 dead, including five women, from multiple Israeli strikes late Friday and early Saturday. It said another three men were killed near two GHF aid sites in the southernmost city of Rafah, now a mostly uninhabited military zone. Israel's military said it was unaware of any gunfire there during that time overnight.

An Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killed four people, Al-Aqsa Hospital said.

Meanwhile, Israel's military said two projectiles came from Gaza and fell in open areas, with no injuries.

## US, Israel push their own distribution to sideline UN

Israel and the United States say the new aid system is intended to replace a U.N.-run network that has distributed aid across Gaza through 20 months of war. They accuse Hamas of siphoning off the aid and reselling it to fund its militant activities.

U.N. officials deny Hamas has diverted significant amounts of aid and say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs. They say the new system has militarized aid by allowing Israel to decide who has access and by forcing Palestinians to travel long distances or relocate again after waves of displacement.

They say the U.N. has struggled to deliver aid even after Israel eased its blockade last month because of military restrictions and rising lawlessness.

Hamas, which is allied with Iran, sparked the war when its fighters led a rampage into southrn Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They still hold 53 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in count.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced 90% of the population of some 2 million Palestinians, leaving them almost entirely reliant on international aid.

The war has drawn in Iran and its other allies across the region, igniting a chain of events that led to Israel's major strikes on Iran's nuclear and military facilities on Friday.


# At least 100 people killed by gunmen in north-central Nigeria, rights group says

By Dyepkazah Shibayan
June 14th, 2025, 08:09 PM

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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 100 people have been killed in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria 's north-central Benue state, Amnesty International Nigeria said Saturday.

The attack took place between late Friday and the early hours of Saturday in Yelewata, a community in the Guma area of the state, the rights group said in a Facebook post.

Dozens of people are still missing, and hundreds were injured and without adequate medical care, it added.

"Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition," Amnesty said.

Graphic videos and photographs on social media platforms showed what appeared to be corpses and burnt down houses in the aftermath of the attack.

Udeme Edet, a spokesperson of the police in Benue, confirmed that an attack took place in Yelewata, but did not specify how many people were killed.

While it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water.

The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence.

Last month, gunmen, believed to be herders, killed at least 20 people in the Gwer West area of Benue. In April, at least 40 people were killed in the neighbouring state of Plateau.

Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia has sent a delegation to Yelewat to support relatives of the victims.


# US appeals court refuses to vacate Biden approval of Alaska's Willow oil project

By Becky Bohrer
June 13th, 2025, 05:49 PM

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Friday refused to vacate the approval of the massive Willow oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope though it found flaws in how the approval was reached.

The decision from a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a long-running dispute over the project, most recently greenlit in March 2023 by then-President Joe Biden's administration and under development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska by ConocoPhillips Alaska.

The court's majority opinion found what it called a procedural error — but not a serious or substantive one — by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of the analysis in approving Willow. The court sent the matter back to the agency for additional work.

The majority determined that vacating the project's approval would be unwarranted and its consequences severe, though Judge Gabriel P. Sanchez dissented on that point.

A prior version of the project approved late in President Donald Trump's first term was overturned in 2021, leading to the environmental review process completed under Biden that drew the latest legal challenges from environmentalists and a grassroots Iñupiat group.

Alaska's Republican governor and its congressional delegation and state Legislature have backed Willow. The project also has broad support among Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope and groups with ties to the region who see Willow as economically vital for their communities.

But critics cast the project as being at odds with Biden's pledges to combat climate change and raised concerns that it would drive further industrialization in the region.

Trump expressed support for additional drilling in the reserve as part of a broader, Alaska-specific executive order he signed upon his return to office aimed at boosting oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in the state.

During the cold-weather seasons, ConocoPhillips Alaska has worked to build infrastructure such as new gravel roads, bridges and pipelines at the project site, and it has laid out a timeline for producing first oil in 2029. In a statement Friday, the company said it welcomed the ruling and looked forward to "continuing the responsible development of Willow."

J. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of the Interior, said the agency doesn't comment on litigation. The Bureau of Land Management falls under Interior.

The appeals panel ruling comes more than a year after it heard arguments in the case. Environmental groups and the grassroots Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic had appealed a lower-court ruling that upheld Willow's approval. Attorneys representing the groups on Friday were evaluating next steps.

Arguments before the appeals court panel focused largely on claims the land management agency did not consider a "reasonable" range of alternatives in its environmental review, as well as the groups' contention the agency had limited its consideration of alternatives to those that allowed for full-field development of the project.

Attorneys for ConocoPhillips Alaska argued the leases in the company's Bear Tooth Unit in the northeast part of the petroleum reserve are in areas open to leasing and surface development — and that the agency committed the unit to development in issuing leases there over a number of years. Willow is in the unit.

Friday's ruling said the agency during the environmental review process took a stance that it needed to screen out alternatives that stranded an economically viable quantity of oil but then never explained whether the pared-back plan it ultimately approved satisfied the full-field development standard.

The agency "framed its environmental review based on the full field development standard and had a rational explanation for doing so," the ruling states. "But that does not permit BLM to potentially deviate from the standard without explanation."

ConocoPhillips Alaska had proposed five drilling sites for Willow but the Bureau of Land Management approved three, which it said would include up to 199 total wells.

Erik Grafe, an attorney with Earthjustice who represented some of the groups that challenged Willow, saw the ruling as a partial victory.

"They found a fundamental flaw that led them to conclude that the BLM acted arbitrarily in approving the Willow project and have sent that back to the agency to reconsider in a non-arbitrary way and make a new decision," he said.


United's direct service to Greenland starts on Trump’s birthday

# United's direct service to Greenland starts on Trump's birthday

By Kwiyeon Ha
June 14th, 2025, 07:51 PM

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NUUK, Greenland (AP) — The first direct flight from the U.S. to Greenland by an American airline landed in the capital city of Nuuk Saturday evening and is set to make its return flight on Sunday morning.

The United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 Max 8 departed from Newark International Airport in New Jersey at 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT) on Saturday and arrived a little over four hours later, at 6:39 p.m. local time (1939 GMT), according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

A one-way ticket from Newark to Nuuk cost roughly $1,200. The return flight had a $1,300 to $1,500 price tag.

Saturday's flight marks the first direct passage between the U.S. and the Arctic island in nearly 20 years. In 2007, Air Greenland launched a route between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Kangerlussuaq Airport, some 315 kilometers (195 miles) north of Nuuk. It was scrapped the following year due to cost.

Warren Rieutort-Louis, a 38-year-old passenger from San Francisco, decided to visit Nuuk for just one night to be a part of the historic flight.

"I've been to Greenland before, but never this way around. I came the other way through Europe, so to be able to come straight is really amazing," Rieutort-Louis said after the plane landed.

The United Airlines flight took place on U.S. President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, which was celebrated in Washington with a controversial military parade that was part of the Army's long-planned 250th anniversary celebration.

Trump has repeatedly said he seeks control of Greenland, a strategic Arctic island that's a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force.

The governments of Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland have said it is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. stepping up intelligence gathering on the mineral-rich island.

United announced the flight and its date in October, before Trump was re-elected. It was scheduled for 2025 to take advantage of the new Nuuk airport, which opened in late November and features a larger runway for bigger jets.

"United will be the only carrier to connect the U.S. directly to Nuuk — the northernmost capital in the world, providing a gateway to world-class hiking and fascinating wildlife under the summer's midnight sun," the company said in a statement at the time.

Saturday's flight kicked off the airline's twice weekly seasonal service, from June to September, between Newark and Nuuk. The plane has around 165 seats.

Previously, travelers had to take a layover in Iceland or Copenhagen, Denmark, before flying to Greenland.

The new flight is beneficial for the island's business and residents, according to Greenland government minister Naaja Nathanielsen.

Tourists will spend money at local businesses, and Greenlanders themselves will now be able to travel to the U.S. more easily, Nathanielsen, the minister for business, mineral resources, energy, justice and gender equality, told Danish broadcaster DR. The route is also an important part of diversifying the island's economy, she said. Fishing produces about 90% of Greenland's exports.

Tourism is increasingly important. More than 96,000 international passengers traveled through the country's airports in 2023, up 28% from 2015.

Jessica Litolff, a 26-year-old passenger from Louisiana, said she also hopes the new route will benefit the U.S. and Greenland.

"Distance-wise it's only like four and a half hours, so by flying you can get to Greenland faster than you can to some parts of the United States," she said.

Visit Greenland echoed Nathanielsen's comments. The government's tourism agency did not have projections on how much money the new flights would bring to the island.

"We do know that flights can bring in much more than just dollars, and we expect it to have a positive impact -- both for the society and travellers," Tanny Por, Visit Greenland's head of international relations, told The Associated Press in an email.

Aria Varasteh, a 34-year-old traveler from Washington, had wanted to travel to Greenland "for a very long time."

"I do hope that we receive a warm reception from the locals. From those I've talked to already, it seems that they're excited to have us here," Varasteh said. "And so we're excited to be here and just be the best versions of ourselves."


# Investigation finds medications were contributing factor in medical flight crash

June 13th, 2025, 07:21 PM

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CHELSEA, Ala. (AP) — Federal investigators found that a pilot's medication use may have been a contributing factor in a 2023 medical helicopter crash that killed two in Alabama.

The National Transportation Safety Board released the final report this month on the April 2, 2023, accident. The Airbus EC130 medical helicopter crashed near the community of Chelsea in Shelby County with the three crew aboard. The pilot and a nurse on the flight were killed.

The helicopter was responding to a call when the crash occurred.

The final investigative report said the probable cause was "the pilot's delayed corrective inputs while maneuvering, which resulted in a loss of control."

The report found that a contributing factor was the pilot's use of multiple medications that had a potential sedating effect.

An autopsy found the pilot had cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxer, and the allergy medications cetirizine and diphenhydramine in his system. The medications have the potential to depress the central nervous system, investigators wrote.

The use of the multiple medications "likely worsened this performance deficiency," investigators wrote in the report.

A witness told investigators the helicopter had been hovering along about three or four feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters) beside a road before the crash The helicopter then rapidly ascended, turned and "pitched nose down and impacted the road."

Chelsea is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of downtown Birmingham.


# US death benefits program for officers has growing backlog

By Ryan J. Foley
June 14th, 2025, 04:04 AM

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A federal program that provides benefits to families of police officers and firefighters who die and become disabled on duty is rapidly growing while facing criticism for increasing delays in deciding claims.

Congress created the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program in 1976 to guarantee that the spouses and children of officers who put their lives on the line would receive financial support.

But repeated expansions in eligibility approved by Congress, including three passed in the last five years, have made the program more popular and complex to administer. Critics say the program fails some families by taking too long to grant or deny benefits and making inconsistent rulings.

An Associated Press analysis found that hundreds of families are waiting years to learn whether they qualify for payments, and more are ultimately being denied.

## For one widow, payment came just as she'd given up hope

New Jersey widow Sharline Volcy learned this month that she'd been awarded the benefits, more than 3 1/2 years after her husband, Ronald Donat, died while training at the Gwinnett County Police Academy in Georgia.

Volcy said she was grateful for the aid, which will provide some financial security and help pay for her two daughters to go to college. But she said the long wait was stressful, when she was told time and again the claim remained under review and ultimately saw her inquiries ignored.

"They told me they didn't know how long it would take because they don't have a deadline. That's the hardest thing to hear," she said. "I felt defeated."

She said lawyers didn't want to take the case, and a plea for help to her congressperson went nowhere. She said she'd given up hope and was lucky she had a job as an airport gate agent in the meantime.

## The benefits program isn't meeting its timeframe goal

Volcy's experience isn't unique, and some cases take longer.

As of late April, more than 120 claims by surviving relatives or disabled first responders have been awaiting initial determinations or rulings on their appeals for more than five years, according AP's findings. About a dozen have waited over a decade for an answer.

The program has a goal of making determinations within one year but has not taken steps to track its progress, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

But roughly three in 10 cases have not met that timeframe in recent years. As of late late April, 900 claims had been pending longer than one year. That includes claims from nearly every state.

Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to require the program to make determinations within 270 days.

## The denial rate for benefits is up, too

Over the last year, the denial rate has increased, with roughly one in three death and disability claims getting rejected.

Applicants can appeal to a hearing officer and then the director if they choose, but that isn't common. Many say they can't afford attorneys or want to get on with their lives.

Justice Department officials, who oversee the program, say they're making complicated decisions about whether cases meet legal criteria.

"Death and disability claims involving complex medical and causation issues, voluminous evidence and conflicting medical opinions, take longer to determine, as do claims in various stages of appeal," they said in a statement.

## Claims have doubled in recent years

The program started as a simple $50,000 payout for the families of officers who were fatally shot on duty or died as a result of other violence or dangers.

But Congress expanded the program in 1990 to cover some first responders who were disabled on duty, which made some determinations harder to reach. A 1998 law added educational benefits for the spouses and children of those deceased and disabled officers.

Since 2020, Congress has passed three laws making many other types of deaths and disabilities eligible, including deaths related to COVID-19, deaths and injuries of those working rescue and cleanup operations after the September 2001 attacks, and responders who committed suicide under certain circumstances.

Annual claims have more than doubled in the last five years, from 500 in 2019 to roughly 1,200 today.

## Critics say a key partnership creates a conflict of interest

While many applicants have criticized the increasing delays, the leading group that represents the relatives of officers who die on duty has been silent.

Critics say that's because the group, Concerns of Police Survivors, has a financial incentive not to criticize the program, which has awarded it tens of millions of dollars in grant funding in recent decades.

The Missouri-based nonprofit recently received a new $6 million grant from the program to for its work with deceased officers' relatives, including counseling, hosting memorial events, educating agencies about the program and assisting with claims.

The group's founder and retired executive director, Suzie Sawyer, said she was warned many years ago that fighting too hard for claimants could jeopardize its grant funding.

But current spokesperson Sara Slone said advocacy isn't the group's mission and that it works "hand in hand" with PSOB to assist applicants and provide education about benefits.

## One widow's fight has been remarkable, supporters say

Lisa Afolayan's husband died after a training exercise at the Border Patrol academy more than 16 years ago, but she's still fighting the program for benefits.

An autopsy found that Nate Afolayan died from heat illness after completing a 1.5-mile test run in 88 degree heat, at a high altitude in the New Mexico desert.

The program had awarded benefits to families after similar training deaths, dating back to an officer who died at an academy in 1988.

But its independent investigation blamed Nate's death on sickle cell trait, a genetic condition that's usually benign but has been linked to rare exertion-related deaths in police, military and sports training.

The program denied Lisa's claim and her subsequent appeals, arguing the death wasn't the result of heat along and didn't qualify.

The program stood by its denial in 2024, even after a federal appeals court said it may have failed to adequately consider the weather's role and violated a law barring discrimination on the basis of genetic information.

The appeals court is currently considering Lisa's second appeal, even as the couple's two children reach college age.


# 8 are killed in latest shooting near Israeli and US-supported aid site in Gaza

By Mohammad Jahjouh and Samy Magdy
June 15th, 2025, 12:13 PM

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KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded Sunday in a shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. Witnesses blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment.

Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in the southern city of Rafah.

Experts and aid workers say Israel's monthslong blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the population of over 2 million. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's capacity to produce food.

The war in Gaza rages more than 20 months after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which sparked a chain of events that helped lead to Israel's surprise attack on Iran on Friday.

The shooting on Sunday happened close to the sites that are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group that Israel and the United States hope will replace a system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which has rejected the initiative, saying it violates humanitarian principles.

## Witness describes aid distribution as 'a trap'

There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds, and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces.

"There were wounded, dead, and martyrs," Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated Press on Sunday as he returned from one site empty-handed. "It's a trap."

Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival.

"There were many wounded and martyrs," she said. "No one was able to evacuate them."

The Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis said it received eight bodies after the shooting.

The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the U.N. system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May.

"A person dies next to you and you cannot carry him. If you wanted to carry him with your hands, you would return to your children without food. Life is death," said Alaa Saqer, among those seeking aid.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday that overall, the bodies of 65 people killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours.

Later, al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of 11 people killed in an Israeli strike on a house along Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza. It said 35 others were wounded.

## UN has criticized the new aid system

Israel and the U.S. say Hamas has siphoned aid from the U.N.-run system, while U.N. officials say there is no evidence of systematic diversion. The U.N. says the new system does not meet Gaza's needs, allows Israel to control who gets aid and risks further mass displacement as people move closer to the sites.

Two are in the southernmost city of Rafah — now mostly uninhabited — and all three are in Israeli military zones that are off limits to independent media.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military.

Separately, Israel's military body in charge of aid coordination in Gaza, COGAT, said 292 trucks of aid from the U.N. and international community entered Gaza over the past week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire.

"I feed my children bread and salt, I swear to God," said Mohammad Misleh in Gaza City.

Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel as Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel's military campaign has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population, often multiple times.


# Guinea's military junta sets up election body for December elections

By Associated Press
June 15th, 2025, 06:28 AM

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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Guinea's military junta has created a new institution that will be responsible for managing elections, including a constitutional referendum in September and the general and presidential elections set for December.

Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline.

The ruling junta's failure to meet the deadline led to opposition protests that paralyzed Guinea's capital Conakry in January.

The Directorate General of Elections, or DGE, will be responsible, among other duties, for organizing elections, managing the electoral register and ensuring electoral fairness, junta leader Doumbouya announced in a decree read on state television late Saturday.

The two heads of the institution will be appointed by presidential decree, he added. The DGE will also represent Guinea in subregional, regional, and international electoral bodies.

Last month, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said the general and presidential elections will take place in December 2025. He also confirmed the organization of a referendum to adopt a new constitution on Sept. 21, as announced by the junta in April.

There are concerns about the credibility of the elections. The military regime dissolved more than 50 political parties last year in a move it claimed was to "clean up the political chessboard."

It has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say, with social networks and private radio stations often cut off and information sites interrupted or suspended for several months without explanation, while journalists face attacks and arrests.


# Anger, worry in Iran's capital after Israeli strikes

By Nasser Karimi
June 14th, 2025, 10:09 AM

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Anger mixed with worry as Iranians in the capital of Tehran woke up Saturday to images of their country's retaliatory attacks on Israel.

Iranian state television, long controlled by hard-line supporters of the country's theocracy, repeatedly aired footage of missile strikes on Tel Aviv throughout the morning. The broadcaster also showed people cheering in front of a large screen set up in Tehran to follow the strikes as if they were watching a soccer match.

Traffic was lighter than normal on the capital's streets. The change was due in part to a religious holiday; even before the attacks began, many Iranians had traveled outside the city to enjoy days off in places along the nearby Caspian Sea.

The holiday mood made news of Israel's assault that much more shocking, particularly when the strikes on Friday killed many ranking members of Iran's military and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, something unseen since Iran's war with Iraq in the 1980s.

"Israel killed our commanders and what do they expect in return? A kiss?" said Mahmoud Dorri, a 29-year-old taxi driver. "We will go after them to punish them: an eye for an eye."

In downtown Tehran, 31-year-old teacher and mother of two Pari Pourghazi expressed her joy over Iran's attack, linking it to Israel's devastating war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"Someone should stop the Israelis. They think they can do anything they want at any time," she said. "Iran showed the Israelis are wrong, though they could suppress people in Gaza or Lebanon by heavy bombing."

Auto mechanic Houshang Ebadi, 61, also backed the Iranian strike but said he opposed a full-fledged war between Iran and Israel.

"I support my country. The Israelis made a mistake in launching attacks on Iran but I hope this comes to an end," Ebadi said. "War will not bear fruit for any side."

Others expressed concerns, verbally or through their actions. At one Tehran gas station, some 300 vehicles waited to fill up, with drivers growing frustrated.

"Sometimes there is a queue because people fear that the refineries may be targeted, sometimes there is a line because of a power outage," said Nahid Rostami, a 43-year-old stylist. "When is this emergency situation going to end?"

Fruit seller Hamid Hasanlu, 41, said his twins couldn't sleep Friday night with the sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft batteries firing.

"The leaders of both countries should know that people are suffering," he said.

Bakeries also drew crowds as people sought to buy supplies including traditional Iranian bread, a staple of meals.

"I buy more bread since I think maybe there is no flour or electricity because of the war," said Molouk Asghari, a 56-year-old homemaker. "I have children and grandchildren. I cannot see them in a hard situation without food, water and electricity."

Across the country, people faced the continued strain of the conflict as Iran's airspace remained closed.

"Who knows what happens tonight?" said Rostami, the stylist.


# Judge recuses himself days before sentencing officers in Tyre Nichols case

By Adrian Sainz
June 13th, 2025, 09:52 PM

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the case against five former Memphis officers convicted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols recused himself Friday, just days before he was supposed to hand down sentences for the men.

U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris issued a one-sentence order saying he was recusing himself and "returns the matter to the Clerk for reassignment to another United States District Judge for all further proceedings."

He offered no further explanation. Norris' clerk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment Friday.

Norris had overseen the case since federal indictments were issued in September 2023. He accepted guilty pleas from two of the officers and presided over the trial for the other three officers in October. Four of the five officers had been scheduled to be sentenced next week and the fifth on June 23.

U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman was added to the case late Friday, court records showed. It was not immediately clear how the change in judges would affect the timing of the sentencings.

Several motions had been filed under seal in recent days. It was not clear if any of those asked for Norris to step away from the case. It is unusual for a judge to recuse themself from a case between the trial and sentencing.

## Beating was captured on cameras

The officers yanked Nichols from his car, then pepper-sprayed and hit the 29-year-old Black man with a Taser. Nichols fled, and when the five officers, who are also Black, caught up with him, they punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton. Nichols called out for his mother during the beating, which took place just steps from his home.

Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days later.

Footage of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries — video that prompted intense scrutiny of police in Memphis.

The beating also sparked nationwide protests and prompted renewed calls for police reform. The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired from the police force and indicted in state and federal court.

Bean, Haley and Smith were found guilty in federal court in October of obstruction of justice through witness tampering related to an attempt to cover up the beating.

The officers failed to say that they or their colleagues punched and kicked Nichols and broke Memphis Police Department rules when they did not include complete and accurate statements about what type of force they used.

Bean and Smith were acquitted of more serious civil rights charges by the federal jury. Haley was found guilty of violating Nichols' civil rights by causing bodily injury and showing deliberate indifference to medical needs. He was also convicted of conspiracy to witness tamper.

Bean and Smith were scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. Haley's sentencing was scheduled for Tuesday, and Martin was scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday. Mills' sentencing was set for June 23.

Martin Zummach, Smith's lawyer, referred questions on Norris' recusal to the district court and the U.S. Attorney's Office on Friday.

Bean, Haley and Smith were acquitted in May of all state charges, including second-degree murder. The jury for the state trial was chosen in majority-white Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the case be heard from people outside of Shelby County, which includes the majority-Black Memphis. The officers' lawyers had argued that intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult.

Martin and Mills pleaded guilty in federal court last year to violating Nichols' civil rights by causing death and conspiracy to witness tamper. They did not stand trial in federal court with their former colleagues. Martin and Mills also avoided the trial in state court after reaching agreements to plead guilty there. Both Martin and Mills testified in the federal trial, and Mills also took the stand in the state trial.

## Officers were part of Scorpion Unit

The officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that was disbanded weeks after Nichols died. The team targeted illegal drugs and guns, and violent offenders, and sometimes used force against unarmed people.

In December, the U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people. The investigation also found that the Memphis Police Department conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests.

In May, the Trump administration announced it was retracting the findings of Justice Department civil rights investigations of police departments, including Memphis, that were issued under the Biden administration.

The city has hired a former federal judge and created a task force to address police department reforms. The task force has not announced any recommendations.

Nichols' family is suing the five officers, the city of Memphis and the police chief for $550 million. A trial has been scheduled in that case next year. Norris is the judge presiding over that case too. Court records in the lawsuit did not show any order of recusal Friday.


# American man detained in Greece as suspect in deaths of infant and woman in Rome

By Colleen Barry and Costas Kantouris
June 13th, 2025, 02:49 PM

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MILAN (AP) — Greek authorities detained an American man on Friday on the Greek island of Skiathos suspected of killing an infant found over the weekend in a Rome park and of having a role in the death of a woman believed to be the infant's mother, whose body was found nearby.

The American, who wasn't identified, was detained on a European arrest warrant issued in Italy, citing "strong evidence" of his suspected involvement in the death of the baby girl, chief Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told a news conference in Rome.

Italian investigators said that the cause of the woman's death wasn't known, "but there is a reasonable suspicion that it is a double murder," deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini said.

The bodies of the baby girl and mother, also believed to be American, were found in Rome's Villa Pamphili park on Saturday. The mother's body was under a black bag, having been killed several days before the infant, who was found several hundred meters away in undergrowth.

Both were naked, and without any identification, Lo Voi said.

The suspect, who witnesses had seen in the presence of a woman and infant, fled Italy for Skiathos on Wednesday, Lo Voi said.

He will be formally arrested when the warrant is forwarded to Greek officials, and will appear for an extradition hearing next week, Greek police told The Associated Press.

"It is not exactly understandable that someone who was with a woman and a baby girl, once the woman and the girl died, whom he carried in his arms, would then leave the country without calling for help, without seeking assistance," Lo Voi said. "In itself, that doesn't look good."

The victims' relationship with the suspect wasn't immediately clear — but video surveillance and witness reports put them together on several occasions; witnesses heard them speaking in English. They had been traced to a shelter for the needy near the Vatican, where they appeared to be a nuclear family, Corriere della Sera reported.

At one point, the pair had fought in the street, leading police to take his identity, which helped lead to him, investigators said.

Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said. He was located in Greece with cellphone data.

According to the newspaper, the woman, who was around 30 years old, had a tattoo of a skeleton on a surfboard.


# 2 killed and 32 injured after a bridge collapses at a tourist destination in western India

June 15th, 2025, 12:22 PM

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NEW DELHI (AP) — At least two people died and 32 others were injured after an iron bridge over a river collapsed on Sunday at a popular tourist destination in India's western Maharashtra state, the state's top elected official said.

At least six people were hospitalized in critical condition, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on the social media platform X. Local media reported that scores of tourists were on the bridge when it collapsed, plunging many into the swollen river.

Fadnavis said six people were rescued and that an intense search operation was ongoing as some people were swept away.

The incident occurred in Kundamala area in Pune district, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days, giving the river a steady flow, Press Trust of India reported.

It was not raining when the bridge collapsed in an area frequented by picnickers, the news agency reported.

Police said teams of the National Disaster Response Force and other search and recovery units have undertaken rescue operations, Press Trust said.

India's infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns, sometimes leading to major disasters on its highways and bridges.

In 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade.