Police and prosecutors asked for help in finding the 21-year-old suspect, whom they identified as Abdul B. They said he is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle late Saturday evening, and that one or more people apparently then left that vehicle. Several people were also apparently stabbed, they added.

Sunday鈥檚 notice warned the public to avoid 鈥渄irect contact鈥� with the suspect, saying that he may be armed and dangerous.

Police had said earlier that they had identified a suspect who has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.

鈥淭he suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,鈥� police spokesperson Florian Nath said.

Nath added that investigators had no information on 鈥渉is specific motives.鈥�

Police conducted operations in the city as they searched for the suspect. Those included a search at an apartment in Berlin’s Sch枚neberg district in the early hours of Sunday, but police said they found no one there.

Julian Miethig, who had attended the Pride festival nearby, said he wanted to go to an after-party when he heard from a friend that 鈥渟omething bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a dark day for the community,鈥� he said.

According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. The closing party at the , known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing at the time next to the Brandenburg Gate, a short distance away, following a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.

Police said a woman was killed. Berlin鈥檚 fire service said that three people sustained life-threatening injuries, another eight were seriously injured and five had slight injuries.

The Pride event next to the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band鈥檚 performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.

One of the presenters at the Pride party, Ricarda Hofmann, wrote in an Instagram post that she had been there 鈥渘ot just as a moderator, but as part of a community that comes together to be visible. To celebrate love. To stand up for each other.鈥�

She said the attack left her speechless. 鈥淲hat happened today has changed something in me,鈥� she wrote.

Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it鈥檚 unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. It鈥檚 one of Europe鈥檚 largest celebrations.

The van, with its battered front resting against a tree, could still be seen at the scene Sunday morning.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz described what happened as 鈥渁n attack on our society.鈥�

鈥淲hat an abhorrent act in Berlin,鈥� Merz wrote in a post on X. He added that Germany loves freedom, 鈥渁nd we will preserve and defend that.鈥�

In the neighboring Netherlands, Amsterdam is hosting World Pride this week and next alongside its own annual Pride celebrations. Mayor Femke Halsema said authorities and organizers 鈥渁re closely monitoring the security situation鈥� after the Berlin attack.

She said security is always high for such events and extra measures will be added where necessary, “which visitors will hopefully notice as little as possible. Because we don鈥檛 want to be scared and we want to be able to celebrate freedom and being able to be who you are and love who you want to.鈥�

___

Associated Press reporters Kirsten Grieshaber and Fanny Brodersen in Berlin, and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

Source

鈥淲e鈥檙e standing here saying, send back that descendant, send her back to the place that enslaved people built,鈥� Bush said. 鈥淭his is our moment.鈥� The crowd chanted 鈥渟end her back.鈥�

A progressive firebrand who started her political career as a Black Lives Matter organizer in Ferguson, Bush served two terms before losing a primary challenge to Wesley Bell, a moderate local prosecutor.

They’re now locked in an intense rematch that will serve as one of the clearest referendums on Democrats’ shifting political landscape, including anger at the party establishment, rising skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel and the growing clout of democratic socialists.

Both candidates are Black, with political careers rooted in the modern civil rights movement that began with the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. But they’ve taken divergent paths since then, and the race will test whether voters want to reelect Bell, who has fashioned himself as a pragmatist, or return to Bush, who views legislating and activism and inseparable.

Bush lost to Bell by less than six points two years ago. She blamed her loss on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s spending in the race and told supporters that 鈥渁ll they did was radicalize me.鈥� This time, her scathing criticisms of the war in Gaza and Democratic leaders have become more commonplace within the party, and she claims to have the 鈥渕oral authority鈥� in the rematch.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that they鈥檙e necessarily scared of me. They鈥檙e scared of what comes with me. They鈥檙e scared of y鈥檃ll,鈥� Bush told an audience of pro-Palestinian activists, Black Lives Matter organizers and democratic socialists who had traveled from across the country to canvass for her in the summer heat. Some held portable fans or poured water on themselves to cool off as they listened to hours of speeches by Bush鈥檚 allies near St. Louis鈥� landmark Gateway Arch.

While Bush was in the park, Bell met with senior citizens at a historic Black church. He has dismissed Bush’s attacks by arguing that he has been a more effective lawmaker, and he rallied with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday night, a sign of support from the Democratic establishment.

鈥淪he鈥檚 not a serious candidate,鈥� Bell said in an interview. 鈥淚n this election, the choices are clear. I wake up every day working for St. Louis, and the folks in St. Louis know that I鈥檓 going to wake up working for them. And then we鈥檝e got an opponent, Cori, who wakes up thinking about Cori. And we鈥檝e seen it over and over. And that鈥檚 why she was fired.鈥�

A personally bitter rematch with national stakes

Early voting for the Aug. 4 primary began Tuesday, but the two candidates have been trading recriminations for months. They accuse each other of misconduct and impropriety.

Bush criticizes Bell over a lawsuit he’s facing from protestors who allege they were assaulted at his town hall last year, and a settlement over employment discrimination claims made by someone who worked in Bell’s office when he was a prosecutor.

Bell highlights a previous Justice Department investigation into Bush’s campaign spending, including how she paid her husband as part of her security detail.

Both candidates deny any wrongdoing.

AIPAC’s role has also drawn national attention to the district at a time when the organization, which advocates for a closer U.S.-Israeli relationship, has been a lightning rod within the Democratic Party.

鈥淐ori is the knockout blow to AIPAC,鈥� said former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a close ally of Bush who was also defeated in 2024 by an AIPAC-backed primary challenger in a redrawn New York congressional district. Ahead of the recent rally, Bowman recorded a social media video last weekend calling on progressives 鈥渇rom New York to California鈥� to help mobilize voters during early voting.

Deepening hostility toward Israel has spurred concern about antisemitism among some moderate Democrats and Jewish Americans, who believe anti-Israel rhetoric too often bleeds into prejudice. Bush’s recent event included some Jewish faith leaders who share her criticism of Israel, as well as others who echoed hateful tropes.

One former union leader, Jay Ozier, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a 鈥渨ar monger,” condemned the 鈥淚srael lobby buying elections鈥� and declared that “we need a representative who is willing to turn over the tables of the money changers.鈥�

The crowd, including Bush, applauded the remarks, and Ozier later defended by noting it was a biblical reference to Jesus chasing merchants out of the Jerusalem Temple.

Bush declined to directly address the comment about 鈥渕oney changers.鈥�

鈥淲e condemn anti-Semitism. We condemn anti-Muslim hate, behavior and rhetoric at every chance we get,” Bush said in an interview. “But will Wesley Bell call out those who won鈥檛 stand against anti-Muslim sentiment, even in our own community? Will he stand up and fight for the liberation of the Palestinian people?鈥�

AIPAC has spent more than $1.2 million against Bush this year through United Democracy Project, its political action committee, about the same as the group spent opposing her in 2024. New Democrat Majority, which backs moderate House Democrats, has spent an additional $1 million against Bush.

鈥淪he was a terrible, ineffective member of Congress who didn鈥檛 deliver for St. Louis. We were happy to see her go,鈥� said Patrick Dorton, spokesperson for United Democracy Project.

Bell has emphasized his positions on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, and he has defended his support of military funding for Israel.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that we stand with our allies, and there鈥檚 going to be times when we disagree and we work those out,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淏ut what we鈥檝e learned in Iraq, what we learned in Afghanistan, is that we can鈥檛 do it alone. We need our allies and we also need to be transparent with the American people.鈥�

District’s activist history is shaping campaign

Many residents said their vote would hinge on how candidates had managed issues like procuring recovery funds for a tornado that devastated the St. Louis metropolitan area last year. There was also pervasive discomfort with the role of money in the race.

Allison Johnson said that she and her husband were divided over who to back in the Democratic primary. Her husband was more moderate and liked Bell鈥檚 performance in office, but she was concerned about how AIPAC had 鈥渄umped鈥� money into the district.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 seem like it should be big money should be influencing this race,鈥� she said.

The primary is also dispiriting for some longtime residents, who watched both Bush and Bell rise as figures in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bell was elected to the Ferguson city council and later prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County.

鈥淗e鈥檚 the best person for the job. When he was on council, he and I worked together to get the police reform done,鈥� said Ella Jones, the former mayor of Ferguson and first Black person to hold the role in the city’s history.

Bush was a pastor turned activist and triage nurse in the wake of the 2014 Ferguson protests. She won her House seat on a promise to bring her maverick persona into the halls of Congress.

鈥淚 like Cori, I think she is the best choice and has a clear commitment to St. Louis,” said DeRay McKesson, an activist who gained notoriety as a lead organizer during the 2014 protests in Ferguson. 鈥淪he鈥檚 not afraid to challenge power.鈥�

Source

In the week that followed, Jacqueline Kennedy invited journalist Theodore White to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for a “Life” magazine interview that helped define her husband鈥檚 legacy.

The PBS American Experience documentary 鈥淛FK,鈥� , pulls back the curtain on the man behind that image, exploring how pain, resilience and ambition shaped the nation鈥檚 35th president.

Originally released in 2013, the four-hour, two-part film traces Kennedy鈥檚 life from childhood through his rise in politics, examining the illnesses that threatened his future and the campaign that made him the youngest elected president in American history. It also explores his relationships with Jackie Kennedy, his brother Robert and his father, along with the strengths and weaknesses that defined his presidency.

Producer and director Susan Bellows said newly released health records helped provide a fresh perspective.

鈥淗is health records had suddenly become public,鈥� Bellows said. 鈥淚 think that was one of the breakthrough things that really began to change our understanding of him.鈥�

Kennedy battled serious health problems throughout his life, beginning with colitis-related stomach issues at Choate, a Connecticut boarding school. Later, chronic back pain became so severe that he underwent surgery and received last rites during a medical crisis, according to the documentary.

The film also details how Kennedy, unable to pass a military physical, entered the Navy during World War II with the help of altered medical records and his father鈥檚 influence. He was later wounded during the war, adding to the physical challenges he carried for the rest of his life.

Bellows said those struggles helped shape Kennedy鈥檚 resilience, determination and awareness of his own mortality, creating what she called 鈥渁 kind of urgency to speed.鈥�

鈥淚 think it gave him a certain determination and strength,鈥� Bellows said. 鈥淗e was in pain, but he never showed it, and he didn鈥檛 let it slow him down.鈥�

When asked about the Emmy she won for the series, Bellows laughed, saying her son kept the award in his room for a long time.

She said the most rewarding part of making films like “JFK” is showing how people evolve and how challenges shape who they become.

Source

Authorities in France’s Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located, issued overnight evacuation orders for five more localities southwest of the historic city, as shifting, gusting winds and arid conditions complicated massive efforts to limit the spread of the monster blaze that has burned out of control since midweek.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that after a 鈥渄ifficult鈥� night for fire crews, 鈥渢he situation remains very unfavorable.鈥�

鈥淭he fire again became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area,” Nunez posted on X.

鈥淚t became calmer by the end of the night,” the minister added.

Fire has burned an area four times the size of Paris

The area that has burned, much of it pine forests and scrubland made tinder-dry by this year, has grown inexorably, expanding by Sunday morning to an estimated 42,000 hectares (162 square miles), the Gironde prefecture said. That is seven times the area of Manhattan island and four times the size of Paris.

Firefighters are battling to slow the flames’ progression toward Bordeaux, both on the ground and in the air, with planes dropping water and retardants. Soldiers have been called in to reinforce fire crews’ exhausting round-the-clock efforts and other European countries have sent water-dropping planes, helicopters and firefighters.

The number of firefighters mobilized has grown to 2,500, backed up by 18 planes and helicopters, Nunez said. A giant A400M military cargo aircraft that has been converted for firefighting will also be used again, the minister said. On Saturday, it swooped low over arid, fire-threatened woodlands to drop a long plume of ochre-colored retardant.

Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave described the blaze as being “at the gates of the metropolitan area,鈥� about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away at its closest point. The Gironde prefect ordered the partial closure of a major highway heading in and out of the city.

Bordeaux has turned a giant exhibition center into an emergency shelter for evacuees, providing camp beds and food for thousands of people, including hundreds of older people evacuated from care homes.

Cazenave said an evacuation of Bordeaux itself isn’t on the cards for the moment. The city is home to 268,000 people.

A second fire burning farther south in the Landes region has also forced the evacuation of 36,000 people this week, driving the total number of displaced people in the southwest to more than 250,000. Nunez said 550 firefighters were still engaged Sunday against that blaze.

Fire crews have also been battling a separate blaze in the Var region of southern France on the Mediterranean. Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated there.

Tens of thousands of people also forced out of their homes in Spain

In neighboring Spain, authorities oversaw a new round of evacuations due to wildfires in the Valencia region. In total, uncontrolled blazes there and others west of Madrid this week have forced 116,000 people out of their homes.

A wildfire in a bushy ravine in Manises, a suburb of Valencia, that raged out of control for four hours killed one man on Saturday, the local government said, marking Spain鈥檚 first recorded death in the latest fires.

Earlier this month, in a fire in southern Spain, the country鈥檚 deadliest blaze in recent memory.

___

Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press writer Teresa Medrano in Madrid contributed to this report.

Source

Both teams are in the mix for a wild card in their respective leagues, and with the trade deadline a little over a week away, the Red Sox and Nationals made a deal involving two significant major league contributors. Mead has hit .254 with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs this season, and Early is 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts.

The Nationals acquired Mead in March after he was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox. Now the 25-year-old from Australia heads to the Red Sox after blossoming in Washington for what has surprisingly been the highest-scoring team in baseball. He has largely played at the corner infield spots this year, with a little time at second.

Boston surged into contention with that ended earlier this week. After Saturday’s loss to Toronto, the Red Sox occupy the second wild-card spot in the American League with a 53-50 record. Mead gives Boston a right-handed bat at Fenway Park at a time when the offense is trying to overcome injuries to Trevor Story and Roman Anthony.

Washington, meanwhile, is two games out of a postseason spot, its powerful offense negated by poor pitching in a season when the Nationals weren’t expected to do much.

The 24-year-old Early is currently on the injured list with elbow problems. Ironically, his last appearance on the mound was June 30 against Washington, when he threw four scoreless innings before leaving. That was the same night the teams had a .

___

AP MLB:

Source

Jackson Holliday hit a one-out line drive off Didier Fuentes (4-1), and he ended up with a double when left fielder Mauricio Dub贸n was unable to make a diving catch. Holliday went to third on Colton Cowser’s deep flyout, then Beavers pulled a 100 mph fastball past diving second baseman Ozzie Albies to win it.

The Orioles improved to 9-16 in one-run games after dropping the opener of this series 7-6 in 10 innings. Baltimore is now 2 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the American League. The Braves remained 5 1/2 games ahead of second-place Philadelphia in the NL East.

Yennier Cano (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth for the win. Gunnar Henderson homered for the Orioles, and Albies went deep for the Braves.

The starting pitching matchup of Brandon Young vs. Bryce Elder provided material for new 鈥淲ho鈥檚 on First?鈥� routines 鈥� and it was all the more amusing since Young is actually nine months older than Elder.

Baltimore’s Young allowed a run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out six. Atlanta’s Elder yielded one earned run and four hits in five innings.

Atlanta shortstop Jim Jarvis dropped two popups hit by Pete Alonso. The first of those errors led to a run in the third when Alonso scored on Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s single 鈥� a line drive that Jarvis also wasn’t able to handle.

Henderson struck out three times with men on base, but when he came up with nobody on in the fifth he connected for his 18th homer of the year to make it 2-0.

An RBI grounder by Dub贸n got the Braves on the board in the sixth, then Albies greeted reliever Rico Garcia with a drive to right in the eighth to tie it.

Up next

Reynaldo L贸pez (4-3) starts for Atlanta against Shane Baz (4-9) in Sunday’s series finale.

___

AP MLB:

Source

As the 聽linked to iceberg lettuce spread to , Americans have dubbed the health concern “lettuce-gate” on social media, and they aren’t convinced the situation is under control.

Days after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 聽about the parasitic illness, saying that the source of the outbreak has been identified and companies involved have implemented a recall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced hundreds more have been infected with cyclospora 鈥� bringing the nationwide total to 1,947 as of Friday.

At least 98 hospitalizations have been reported, but no deaths have been reported, according to the CDC.

“Is anyone else, like, deathly afraid to eat lettuce right now?” one person asked in a video posted on TikTok.

Health officials believe the affected iceberg lettuce came from a Taylor Farms facility located in central Mexico.

In a new statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for Taylor Farms said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not confirmed positive results from cyclospora testing of its product samples as of Friday.

“When questions were raised about the source of the recent Cyclospora outbreak, we immediately removed all potentially implicated product from the marketplace, and out of an abundance of caution we issued an even broader recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from the region,” the spokesperson said.

Taylor Farms also said it voluntarily suspended all iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico. The company supplied its lettuce to Taco Bell, which said it removed the affected products from its restaurants.

The Mexican government on Friday also said its tests found no evidence of the parasite at Taylor Farms. The country’s Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks said it tested 10 lettuce samples as well as four water samples.

More confusion sparked last week when the FDA announced that a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that had tested positive for cyclospora was a . But the FDA said Monday that its investigation and data “continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.”

While illnesses have been confirmed in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma,聽, Indiana, Kentucky, , Ohio and West Virginia, health officials suspect multiple outbreaks across 41 states, with more than 4,100 laboratory-confirmed cases and 7,400 suspected cases since May 1.

The number of confirmed cases is expected to rise despite the recall, due to the fact that it can take as long as six weeks for federal and state officials to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak, the CDC said.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that typically infects people through contaminated food or water. It causes a gastrointestinal illness called cyclosporiasis, which can result in symptoms like severe and sometimes “explosive” diarrhea. Symptoms can take up to two weeks to start.

“I don’t think we can say that this is under control yet,” Dr. Ulysses Wu, the chief epidemiologist for Hartford HealthCare, told CBS 草莓传媒. “Even if this lettuce was implicated, it doesn’t mean that other produce is not implicated as well.”

The FDA on Thursday reported a new cyclospora outbreak linked to unspecified products. It comes as health officials in North Carolina say they are investigating more than 560 cases there since May 1 that are possibly linked to parsley, cilantro and lettuce.

Source

The observance, organized by Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, brought together immigrant rights groups, faith leaders and residents calling for accountability and support for affected families.

“We get a lot of public support when we do an event like this,” said Laura Usher, co-leader of Indivisible Route 1 Corridor.

“We’re really grateful to have the support of the faith community in speaking out against the reprehensible treatment of immigrants.”

One of the signs held along the sidewalk read, “ICE agents repent, love, and save your souls.” Its owner, 20-year-old Jenifer Pineda, said fear has shaped her life and the lives of other children of immigrants.

“Before, it was, we couldn’t go outside because of COVID, and I was like, we can’t go outside because of the fear of our parents being taken away,” she said.

Pineda, president of the youth group at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, said her uncle was detained last August on his way to work, forcing her aunt and young cousin to leave the country.

Karen Murphy, who began protesting with her parents during the Vietnam War era, was joined Saturday by her son and daughter.

“I need to see more people at events like this,” she said. “Put down your phones and join these events.” She added,

“This isn’t right. This isn’t America. We stand up for human rights. This is a country of immigrants.”

Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey told 草莓传媒 that ICE agents are being asked to do work they are not trained for.

“These ICE agents aren’t trained to be doing the work that the administration has them doing,” he said.

“They really should be using these agents to focus on finding the worst of the worst instead of these roving patrols and racial profiling stops.”

The vigil included prayers, songs led by the Rapid Response Choir, and a reading of the names of people killed in ICE encounters. Organizers also collected food for Route 1 Mutual Aid, which supports families affected by ICE detentions.

Source

The latest wildfires in southern Europe this week have displaced more than 250,000 people, including some 70,000 people who were evacuated in central Spain. One man died in Manises, the municipality reported on its Facebook page, the first death so far in the blazes.

In France, the giant A400M transporter swooped in low, its long plume of ochre-colored retardant trailing over drought-hit woodlands in the southwest as fire crews on the ground fought flames that authorities feared could spread toward the wine region city of Bordeaux.

Race organizers and the Paris police department announced a truncated 21st and final stage on Sunday for the three-week Tour, France’s most famous annual sporting event, reflecting the immense strain that two large fires in the southwest are causing for emergency services.

Tour riders will race Sunday inside Paris, rather than starting from Thoiry, west of the capital, on a circuit of 89 kilometers (55 miles) 鈥� down by a third from the 133-kilometer (82.5-mile) route that had been planned. Part of the race’s security detail will instead 鈥渞einforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires,鈥� according to the statement announcing the 鈥漞xceptional measures made necessary by the situation.”

Shifting winds raise concerns for Bordeaux

With winds expected to shift in a west-to-east direction on Saturday afternoon, potentially driving flames closer to Bordeaux, fire crews and authorities were digging trenches, using retardants and taking other blaze-blocking steps, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, predicting a 鈥渓ong and very difficult鈥� battle.

He said the fire was about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the city and lost some of its intensity overnight. The prefect of the Gironde region that includes Bordeaux said the blaze grew into 鈥渁 firestorm” on Friday after igniting earlier this week and cautioned that it 鈥渞emains dangerous” even though firefighters were making progress.

The government mobilized soldiers to join fire crews and was rushing in 1.5 million face masks to protect against choking smoke.

Authorities ordered people between the fire and Bordeaux to evacuate, including from parts of the city鈥檚 western suburbs and other towns and villages.

Prime Minister S茅bastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented and said the Gironde blaze became so strong on Friday that it had begun generating its own winds. Firefighting teams were being reinforced with the addition of hundreds of soldiers and breathing masks to filter out potentially noxious smoke particles were being rushed to those exposed, Lecornu said.

In Bordeaux, authorities took in thousands of evacuees, offering them food and shelter in an exhibition center, and the city鈥檚 mayor said it could be equipped to welcome as many as 10,000 people if that became necessary. The city’s airport said it remained open but that its bus and tram services were suspended.

Evacuation orders were sent with special alerts to mobile phones, instructing people to leave, Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said. She said the fire had destroyed about 140 homes in the region.

The magnitude of the wildfires caught authorities off guard

The French military A400M transport plane, specially converted for fire-fighting, was a heavyweight new tool in the battle. It joined at least 18 other water- and retardant-dropping aircraft and helicopters that Nunez said were deployed in the Gironde region, working in rotation in the smoke-filled skies.

The virulence of the French and Spanish wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of , caught fire crews and authorities off guard.

Firefighters in Spain said the blazes spread so fast and violently that they could not be tackled head on. In France, some people even fled by boat when flames swept through touristic towns on the Atlantic coast.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never seen anything like this,鈥� said Javier Organista, a resident of El Tiemblo, west of Madrid, where fire charred a famed chestnut grove. 鈥淲hen we saw the flames coming into our town, surrounding us, leaving us with practically no way out, all the neighbors joined together to try to stop its advance.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 just really sad,鈥� he said.

Climate change supercharges fires

Spain deployed 2,600 firefighters, police and other emergency personnel to two blazes west of Madrid, backed by 19 water-dumping aircraft and helicopters.

France deployed 1,400 firefighters to the Gironde fire and hundreds of others to another wildfire further south in the Landes region. Dozens of firefighters suffered injuries, authorities said amid panic scenes with townsfolk fleeing by car and police went door to door to tell people to leave.

Successive heat waves that hit unusually early and hard this year, baking Europe with record-shattering high temperatures, have turned forests and scrublands into tinderboxes.

Fires have burned 130,000 hectares of forest already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of 100,000 hectares over the past decade, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez said Saturday as he visited a command post west of Madrid.

He said more favorable weather Saturday offered 鈥渁 window of opportunity鈥� for fire crews to bring the blazes under control. Madrid’s regional government said the fires decreased in intensity as winds and temperatures dropped.

The fatality reported on Saturday occurred in Manises, part of the wildfire-affected region of Valencia.

Other European nations were helping, with Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland already providing or expected to deploy water-dumping planes and helicopters to the Spanish and French fire fronts.

___

Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press journalists Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal; Manu Fernandez in El Tiemblo, Spain; and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

Source

Now, another water feature on the National Mall is being repaired after it was damaged.

A contractor’s vehicle drove over the center of a fountain feature at the German-American Friendship Garden after bike rack barriers meant to protect the area were moved, cracking the fountain and prompting repairs, according to the National Park Service.

You may be thinking to yourself that you’ve never heard of this place. Chances are you’ve walked through it without realizing it.

Located between the White House and the Washington Monument, the garden welcomes an estimated seven million visitors each year.

Unlike traditional fountains with basins, the features use ground-level water jets built directly into the pavement, offering visitors a place to cool off during Washington D.C.’s hot summer months.

The damage comes only a few years after the German-American Friendship Garden underwent a major restoration project.

Dedicated in 1988, the garden commemorates 300 years of German immigration to America.

The National Park Service said they are working on repairing the fountain.

Source

Polic铆as y bomberos se presentaron poco antes del mediod铆a a un incendio en una casa en Grand Haven Township, en la orilla oriental del lago Michigan. Al ingresar al lugar, encontraron los cuerpos, indic贸 el capit谩n Jacob Sparks, del

Sparks se帽al贸 que las autoridades a煤n no han identificado a todas las v铆ctimas y que no cuentan con una causa oficial de muerte. Agreg贸 que las edades de los menores oscilaban entre los 5 y los 15 a帽os.

No precis贸 cu谩ntas de las personas presentaban heridas de bala.

鈥淓s una escena complicada, una escena compleja鈥�, subray贸 Sparks.

Explic贸 que los investigadores no buscaban a m谩s sospechosos y que, hasta ahora, una de las hip贸tesis es un homicidio-suicidio. A帽adi贸 que aparentemente todos los residentes de la casa hab铆an fallecido.

Sparks afirm贸 que el incendio era 鈥渟ospechoso鈥� y que hab铆a motivos para creer que fue provocado. Indic贸 que investigadores de incendios provocados de la Polic铆a Estatal de Michigan forman parte de la pesquisa.

Grand Haven Township tiene alrededor de 18,000 habitantes y se ubica a unas 25 millas al oeste de Grand Rapids.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del ingl茅s con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa. Un editor de Telemundo Chicago revis贸 la traducci贸n.

The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by abortion providers in Kansas, Montana and Virginia to challenge the restrictions as excessive, unwarranted and inconsistent with other legal requirements. A similar case in Hawaii was already decided in October, with a federal judge also finding that the restrictions were arbitrary.

In Virginia, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Ballou, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, said the FDA failed to conduct an appropriate review of the 2023 restrictions on mifepristone, which include rules that prescribing pharmacies and clinicians must be specially certified and prescribers and patients must sign a form acknowledging the medication鈥檚 risks.

鈥淭he 2023 REMS modification is unlawful and must be remanded to the FDA for review,鈥� Ballou wrote, using the acronym for the FDA鈥檚 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies protocols.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of lead plaintiff Whole Woman鈥檚 Health Alliance, based in Virginia, said in a statement Friday that eliminating those three restrictions would help clinic staff focus on patient needs instead of 鈥渆xcessive paperwork.鈥�

鈥淚 have worked in abortion care for over 30 years, and I can attest that these regulations serve no medical purpose, nor do they add value to our patients鈥� experience of abortion,鈥� Hagstrom Miller said in the statement.

The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Stateline on Friday.

Ballou did not give a timeline for a review of the restrictions, but the FDA has said it is conducting a聽and has sought to dismiss cases related to mifepristone regulation until it completes that review. Trump administration officials told the Wall Street Journal in June that the review was expected to take about six months, meaning it would conclude after the national midterm elections.

Katie Keith, founding director of the Center for Health Policy and the Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, said the Virginia and Hawaii decisions mean the FDA has been ordered by two courts to reconsider its restrictions and more thoroughly explain why they are necessary.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to have to look at everything these various courts are telling them to look at,鈥� Keith said.

But the two rulings come at the same time the administration is receiving pressure from anti-abortion groups to further restrict access to mifepristone, even in states where abortion is legal.

The 2023 rules, which were decided under the Biden administration, also eased restrictions to allow mifepristone to be dispensed without an in-person provider for the first time. That helped expand national access to the medication, which is one of two drugs typically used to end a pregnancy before 10 weeks and to treat miscarriages, and allowed people who live in one of the 13 states with near-total abortion bans to continue to receive it by mail.

That expanded access prompted three other lawsuits from attorneys general in states with abortion bans that are still pending in federal courts. In Louisiana, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is considering whether to strike down the provision allowing telehealth prescriptions, and will hear oral arguments in the case in September.

The 5th Circuit initially granted an emergency request from Louisiana to block telehealth access to the medication, but after drug manufacturers appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices reversed the circuit court ruling. That stay from the high court will remain in place as the case continues.

Two other cases with different implications for the future of mifepristone are ongoing. One is in Missouri, joined by attorneys general from Idaho and Kansas, where they have asked the court to return all of the restrictions to what they were in 2016. The other is in Texas, joined by Florida鈥檚 attorney general, asking the federal court to revoke the drug鈥檚 approval entirely.

Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at聽kmoseley@stateline.org.

Source

The salary deadline is part of the state鈥檚 multiyear, multibillion-dollar education reform plan known as the Blueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future. It鈥檚 also a mandate for which there is little wiggle room for local districts: At a legislative hearing in March, an official with the Accountability and Implementation Board, which oversees the Blueprint, said the July 1 date was firm and there was no waiver.

But some local school officials said it wasn鈥檛 easy to meet that July 1 deadline.

Denise Sopa, chief financial officer for Cecil County Public Schools, said in an email Tuesday that a first-year, 10-month teacher will receive a starting salary of $60,086 for the 2026-27 school year. But 鈥渋n order to meet the state requirement and balance the budget in general, we needed to reduce 104 positions,鈥� she said, including 60 teachers, 30 support staff and 14 administrators.

Jodi Colman, assistant superintendent for academics and student services in Dorchester County, said some restructuring had to be done to hit the salary mark and balance the system鈥檚 2026-27 budget. One of the results: an increase in classes sizes 鈥� possibly from 18 to 22 鈥� because the school system wasn鈥檛 able to fund as many teacher positions.

Colman said Dorchester schools, which have about 4,500 students, also had to resort to a reduction in force聽鈥渋n order to make sure we were funding the classroom positions because we wanted to have the least impact on the schools as possible.鈥�

Colman acknowledged the work on this year鈥檚 budget 鈥渨as difficult. We don鈥檛 have a lot of extras around here.鈥�

But legislators who support the Blueprint, such as Del. Jessica Feldmark (D-Howard), said Friday the salary increase is an investment that helps not only the education profession, but also the students.

鈥淲ithin the context of whatever budget challenges we鈥檙e facing, we have to remember that this is about investing in our children and in our future, investing in the future of our workforce, our economy, our democracy, and that investment is something we have to take seriously,鈥� said Feldmark, vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

鈥淚f we want to have great schools, we need to be able to recruit and retain great educators, and recognizing their value and paying them a fair salary is a critical piece of that,鈥� she said.

When AIB Executive Director Rachel Hise told a聽聽in March that there would be no waivers on the minimum salary requirement, just half of the state鈥檚 24 school districts met the threshold: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George鈥檚, St. Mary鈥檚 and Washington counties. Starting salaries for those systems ranged from $60,000 even in Allegany and Carroll counties to $64,591 in Montgomery.

Since then, officials with Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Queen Anne鈥檚 and Talbot counties said they have met the minimum salary requirement. The remaining counties either did not respond or said they are still working on it.

One of the penalties for failing to hit the deadline is that the AIB can withhold a certain amount of funding from a district until the $60,000 salary gets approved.

At least one school district continues to work on it: Somerset County, which had the state鈥檚 highest percentage of people living in poverty, at 20.3% in 2025, according to the聽.

Somerset schools remain in negotiations with their bargaining units, Superintendent W. David Bromwell said in an email Thursday. Bromwell said the district is aware of the $60,000 minimum salary requirement.

鈥淎ny budgetary item/mandate, can be difficult to complete for any MD Public School system, especially the smaller districts,鈥� he wrote in his email.

Somerset officials have time on their side because they鈥檒l have until Sept. 1 to send an attestation to the AIB to confirm the $60,000 minimum teacher salary has been met. That must also be done by all other school districts.

While some school systems struggled, or continue to struggle, officials in Frederick County said it was simply a matter of doing what had to be done.

鈥淚t was a requirement under the law. We did it. I hope everybody else did the same,鈥� said Sarah Sirgo, chief of staff for Frederick County Public Schools.

Other school districts may have focused on the challenge to work on their budgets this year due to the salary mandate, but聽 Sirgo said she and her colleagues in Frederick don鈥檛 view it that way.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not like, 鈥極h well, if we鈥檙e going to pay teachers more, we can鈥檛 do X, Y, or Z,鈥欌�� said Sirgo, who also serves as the district鈥檚 Blueprint coordinator. 鈥淲hen we build our budget, we have our strategic plan. We make sure that our budget is advancing the goals that we鈥檙e after.鈥�

Source

You may soon notice new murals in D.C., as part of the District鈥檚 DC250 Mural Project.

鈥淧ublic art is a fantastic way to celebrate our country鈥檚 semi-quincentennial 鈥� through art, we can share our stories, celebrate our shared values, and inspire future generations,鈥� Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news release announcing the project.

Coordinated by the city’s Department of Public Works, eight D.C.-based artists will create one new mural for each of the eight wards of the city over the next few weeks, with each mural reflecting the history and character of the neighborhood it appears in.

At least two of the murals have been completed, one in Ward 4 and artist Luis Del Valle’s mural in Ward 7.

鈥淭o me, it just means that we’re celebrating the successes that happened, even when happening with the civil rights movement, we’re not where we want to be, but we have moved further (across) the line,鈥� Del Valle said about the 250th anniversary celebratory murals.

“So 250 anniversaries means that we get to celebrate some of the accomplishments, but we also get to acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Del Valle’s Ward 7 mural is located near the Shrimp Boat Plaza at 4510 East Capitol Street in Southeast D.C. It features images of children, with bright colors and more.

鈥淥n the right-hand side here, I have a eagle that is fishing. The eagle is the symbol of the United States. And as you move through the mural in the middle, we have a little young girl that kind of represents the future and hope. And as we move toward the far left, we have a little boy that’s fishing, so that is the little boy that was taught how to fish,鈥� Del Valle said.

Del Valle wanted to ensure that the images would bring a smile to people鈥檚 faces.

鈥淓ach of the colors here are actually very uplifting. So when people see them, it brings them joy and happiness, and sometimes they don’t really know why. But in the subconscious, the colors really affect you, and when you mix that with the little children, especially children, always attract people and always bring happiness to them,鈥� he said.

Here is the list of murals in the project and where to find them:

• Ward 1:聽Ben鈥檚 Chili Bowl, by Aniekan Udofia. Work begins in August.
• Ward 2: Blagden Alley entrance, 1312 9th Street, NW, by Julia Kagan. Work begins next week.
• Ward 3: Macomb Recreation Center, 3409 Macomb Street, NW, by Demont Pinder. Work begins next week.
• Ward 4: 5816 Georgia Avenue, NW, by Federico Frum. Complete.
• Ward 5: Metropolitan Branch Trail, 2000 5th Street, NE, by artist Asad Walker. Work begins next week.
• Ward 6: Henceforth restaurant, 1335 H Street, NE, by Mia Duvall. Work completed this week.
• Ward 7: Shrimp Boat Plaza, 4510 East Capitol Street, SE, by Luis Del Valle. Complete.
• Ward 8: Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Avenue, SE, by Nabi Bilal and Candace Taylor. Work begins in August.

草莓传媒鈥檚 Diane Morris contributed to this report.

Source

Sonia Mendez recalled standing in the communal room at the McDonald’s location in Riverdale, Maryland, when suddenly, members of her crew walked in holding colorful “Congratulations” balloons and flowers. They all shouted congratulations and clapped for her, leaving Mendez stunned.

“Vas al mundial,” one of her co-workers shouted in Spanish, translated to “You’re going to the World Cup.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my God! I just cannot believe it,'” Mendez, 40, said. “It was a very exciting moment, and especially that they have flowers, balloons and everybody was happy to say that I was going.”

Mendez, who is the general manager of the Riverdale location, was one of four U.S. McDonald’s employees selected to take part in a special three-day experience in New York City, which ended with a ticket to attend the men’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In total, 44 crew members from around the world were selected to take part in the experience.

Mendez, who’s worked at the company for 14 years, was nominated for the once-in-a-lifetime experience for her leadership skills and commitment to her team in Riverdale. Soledad Sanchez, operations consultant for McDonald’s, told 草莓传媒 she nominated Mendez for the opportunity for her hard work and passion.

“She makes it seem so easy,” Sanchez said. “She’s a leader. She helped her people, and she’s been helping her people grow, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Mendez began working at McDonald’s in Riverdale while attending Bladensburg High School in Prince George’s County. After bouncing around for years and gaining additional experiences, she returned to Riverdale in 2022 as its general manager.

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

Courtesy Sonia Mendez

(1/6)

Share This Gallery:

• Share This:
• share on email
• print

Despite ongoing nearby construction of a future Purple Line station, the location has continued to outperform sales metrics. Meanwhile, Sanchez said Mendez has been able to balance being a single mother of three daughters while fostering a great work environment with a motivated staff.

For her part, Mendez is a big soccer fan. She grew up watching games with her father Pablo and roots for the Mexican national team. While she knew McDonald’s had opportunities to go to other events or go to school, Mendez “never imagined” going to the World Cup finals.

One night, as Sanchez and Mendez spoke on the phone during a Mexico World Cup match, Sanchez got the news that her colleague had been selected.

“I got the email, and I said, ‘Oh my God,’ I cannot tell her, but I really wanted to tell her,'” Sanchez said. “But it was not a tough decision.”

She flew to New York and participated in a welcome reception and a river cruise, which included getting close to the Statue of Liberty. She met McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski and took a photo next to the World Cup trophy.

On match day, she was given a special McDonald’s jersey to wear to the final as part of a package of goodies she took home. After taking part in a special social media video, Mendez watched as Spain defeated Argentina in extra time to win its second World Cup. McDonald’s brought her and all the other nominees back to Times Square for a special postgame meal.

The fast food company paid for the entire experience, including her flight and hotel stay. By the end of the experience, Mendez said the company made her and the other participants feel special, which made it hard to say goodbye.

“I feel so proud to have the opportunity to be there,” Mendez said. “I feel so amazing that I had the opportunity to know more people, to see what McDonald’s really does for us, like take care of people too.”

Now back in Riverdale, Mendez said she welcomes those in the D.C. region to visit her and her crew, who she credits for all her success. She hopes the staff sees her as an example of how to excel to higher roles in the company.

“I share my knowledge that I know with them so they can have more opportunities like me,” she said. “Maybe they have better opportunities in the future. They might become the next general managers, too.

Source