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5 people charged after migrant boat capsized, killing 3, including 14-year-old boy from India

Federal officials filed charges Tuesday against five people in connection to a boat carrying migrants that capsized a day earlier off San Diego's Pacific coast, killing three people, including a 14-year-old boy from India.

The boy's 10-year-old sister is still missing at sea and is presumed dead, the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego said in a statement. Their parents were among the four people who were injured and taken to the hospital, including the father, who is in a coma.

Nine people were initially reported missing. All but the 10-year-old girl were found late Monday by Border Patrol agents conducting operations in the San Diego area, officials said.

Two Mexican citizens were arrested at the beach near where the boat overturned. They were charged with human smuggling resulting in death, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison.

Border Patrol agents found eight migrants who managed to make it to shore. The agents also identified vehicles with drivers who were waiting to pick up the migrants as part of the smuggling scheme, according to court documents.

U.S. authorities also arrested three Mexican citizens and charged them with unlawfully transporting migrants. One had been deported in 2023 from the U.S.

It was unclear if any of the defendants had defense attorneys, and they could not be reached for comment.

RELATED STORY | 3 dead, 9 missing after boat overturns off California beach

The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business, said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. We are committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims, and to holding accountable any traffickers responsible for their deaths.

The search efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard stopped late Monday. Crews combed the area via helicopter and a cutter for hours after the boat flipped shortly after sunrise about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of the Mexico border. Officials described the skiff as a panga, a small wooden open-air boat used to fish but also commonly used by smugglers to bring people into the U.S. from Mexico.

Migrants are increasingly turning to the risky alternative offered by smugglers to travel by sea to avoid heavily guarded land borders, including off Californias coast. Pangas leave the Mexican coast in the dead of night.

In 2023, eight people were killed when two migrant smuggling boats approached a San Diego beach in heavy fog. One capsized in the surf. It was one of the deadliest maritime smuggling cases in waters off the U.S. coast.

A federal judge sentenced a San Diego man to 18 years in prison in 2022 for piloting a small vessel overloaded with 32 migrants that smashed apart in powerful surf off San Diegos coast, killing three people and injuring more than two dozen others.

India fires three missiles across the frontier with Pakistan, killing 8, officials say

India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, Pakistani authorities said. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants.

The Indian army said later on Tuesday three civilians were killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

It said in a statement the Pakistani army resorted to arbitrary firing, including gunfire and artillery shelling, across the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries, and their international border.

The Indian army was responding in a proportionate manner, it said.

Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since last month's massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, which Islamabad has denied.

Pakistans Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday's airstrikes and said the deceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks at five locations in Pakistan and that his country would retaliate.

Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given, Sharif said.

He said his country and its armed forces know very well how to deal with the enemy.

Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee for Wednesday morning.

The missiles struck locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country's eastern Punjab province. One hit a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed and a woman and man were injured.

Pakistans military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, said that India launched attacks at six different locations, resulting in the martyrdom of eight people and injuries to 38 others.

RELATED STORY | Indian police say gunmen kill at least 20 tourists in Kashmir

State-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials, said the country's air force shot down three Indian jets in retaliation but provided no additional detail. There was no immediate comment from India about Pakistan's claim.

Pakistans Foreign Affairs Ministry said Indian forces had launched the strikes while staying in Indian airspace. Other locations hit were near Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

It said the attack reportedly resulted in civilian casualties and posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic. This reckless escalation has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict, the statement said.

Indias Defense Ministry said at least nine sites were targeted where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.

Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted, the statement said, adding that India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.

We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable, the statement said.

Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said in a statement late Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.

The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, the statement read.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce commented on the escalating tensions in the region on Tuesday:

"We continue to urge Pakistan and India to work towards a responsible resolution that maintains long-term peace and regional stability in South Asia," Bruce said. "We remain in touch with the governments of both countries at multiple levels we are not watching from afar in that regard."

State Department comments on escalating tensions in Kashmir region

In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad, said he heard several explosions and that some people were wounded in the attack. People were seen running in panic and authorities immediately cut the power, leading to a blackout.

The blasts ripped through walls. Locals inspected the damage to their homes in the aftermath of the missile attacks, rubble and other debris crunching underfoot.

People took refuge on the streets and in open areas, fearful of what might happen. We were afraid the next missile might hit our house, said Mohammad Ashraf.

Waqar Noor, the region's interior minister, said authorities have declared an emergency in the region's hospitals.

Pakistan shut schools in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province after the missile strikes. It had already had closed religious seminaries in Kashmir in anticipation of an attack by India.

Along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, there were heavy exchanges of fire between both armies.

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty to skip Preakness, dashing Triple Crown bid

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness Stakes, officials announced Tuesday, meaning there won't be a Triple Crown champion for a seventh consecutive year.

We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness," said Mike Rogers, executive VP of 1/ST Racing, which operates the Preakness. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision."

Mott told Preakness officials the plan will be to enter Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown, on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. Mott on Sunday morning had foreshadowed skipping the Preakness in the name of long-term interests.

We want to do whats best for the horse, he told reporters at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and thats not something were not going to think about.

Sovereignty won a muddy Derby with jockey Junior Alvarado at odds of 7-1 by passing favorite Journalism down the stretch.

United Arab Emirates-based Godolphin owns Sovereignty. A call and a message sent by The Associated Press to Godolphin's U.S. director of bloodstock, Michael Banahan, were not immediately returned.

RELATED STORY | A new push to protect racehorses is leaving behind young thoroughbreds

This is the fourth time since Justify won all three races in 2018 that the Preakness will go on without a true shot at a Triple Crown. The two-week turnaround from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and changes in modern racing have sparked debate around the sport about spacing out the races.

Prominent owner Mike Repole earlier Tuesday posted on social media a proposal to move the Belmont to second in the Triple Crown order, four weeks after the Kentucky Derby and sliding the Preakness back further with the aim of keeping more of the top horses involved.

The Preakness being run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, in this new day and age in racing, shows the lack of vision and leadership needed to evolve this sport, Repole wrote. I expect the top three finishers of this years Derby to skip the Preakness and go right to the Belmont.

No decision has been made on second-place finisher Journalism or third-place Baeza for the 150th running of the Preakness, the last at Pimlico Race Course before it is knocked down and rebuilt.

Town official in upstate New York shot a lost DoorDash driver seeking directions

A town official in upstate New York has been arrested after state police say he shot and wounded a delivery driver who got lost and approached his house seeking directions.

John Reilly, the highway superintendent in Chester, a town nearly 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Manhattan, was charged Saturday with first-degree assault and criminal possession of a firearm.

State Police say the DoorDash driver had been attempting to deliver food to a residence in Reilly's neighborhood on Friday night when he became lost and unable to navigate using the app.

They say the driver approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at Reilly's residence.

"Reilly told the victim to get off his property, before firing multiple shots at the victim as he attempted to leave in his vehicle, striking the victim once in the back, causing serious physical injuries," state police said.

The 48-year-old, who is also a federally licensed firearms dealer, was remanded to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, or $750,000 partially secured bond, according to police. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 9 in the Town of Chester Court.

No one answered Reilly's office number late Monday, and it could not be immediately determined if he has a lawyer.

The case was not yet listed on the state court's online database and spokespersons for the Orange County District Attorney's office didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, in a statement posted on Facebook, said he and the town board were "deeply troubled" by the incident and wished the driver a "full and healthy recovery."

But he noted that the town government does not have control over Reilly's future, as he is an elected highway superintendent, and the local police department has recused itself from the investigation because it involves a town official.

A spokesperson for DoorDash wrote in an email that the company was "devastated by this senseless act of violence" and wished the driver, who has not been named publicly, a "full and speedy" recovery."

"No one should ever fear for their safety just for trying to make deliveries in their neighborhood," the statement read. "We'll continue to work closely with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic incident."

Mattel plans to raise prices on some toys to offset tariff costs

Mattel Inc., the maker of Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels cars and other popular toys, announced it would have to raise prices for some products sold in the U.S. where necessary to offset higher costs related to President Donald Trumps tariffs.

The El Segundo, California-based company said the increases are necessary even though it is speeding up its plans to diversify its manufacturing base away from China. Trump imposed a 145% tariff on most Chinese-made products.

Company executives told analysts on a conference call that China currently accounts for 40% of Mattel's global production. The company plans to move roughly 500 products this year from manufacturers in China to sources in other countries, compared to 280 products last year.

For some highly sought-after toys, Mattel said it would enlist factories in more than one country. To prevent possible shortages, the company said it was focusing on getting products to stores without interruptions.

RELATED STORY | Trump administration claims parents will choose quality over cost in toy purchases

The company said that even with price increases, it expects 40% to 50% of its toys will cost customers $20 or less.

The diversified and flexible supply chain in global commercial organizations are clear advantages to Mattel in this period of uncertainty, CEO and Chairman Ynon Kreiz told analysts.

Citing the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the presidents trade policies, however, Mattel withdrew its annual earnings forecast on Monday. The company said it would be difficult to predict consumer spending and the companys U.S. sales for the remainder of the year without more information.

RELATED STORY |Β Senate fails to pass resolution blocking President Trump's tariffs

Mattel reported larger-than-expected first-quarter sales but also a wider loss. Mattel said sales rose 2% to $827 million for the quarter that ended March 31.

The company's loss expanded to $40.3 million, or 12 cents per share, in the quarter. That compares with a loss of $28.3 million, or 8 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Analysts expected a loss of 10 cents on sales of $786.1 million for the first quarter, according to FactSet.

Mattels shares were down less than 1% in after-hours trading.

Army pausing helicopter flights near Washington airport after close calls

The Army is pausing flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon.

The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause flight operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following Thursdays close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press.

It comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan airport.

RELATED STORY | NTSB recommends immediate changes at Reagan National Airport following fatal mid-air crash

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not publicly announced. The unit is continuing to fly in the greater Washington, D.C., region.

Thursdays incident involved a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

They were instructed around 2:30 p.m. by air traffic control to perform go-arounds because of a priority air transport helicopter, according to an emailed statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

RELATED STORY |Β Why Reagan National Airport is one of the trickiest for pilots to land

The priority air transport helicopters of the 12th battalion provide transport service to top Pentagon officials. It was a Black Hawk priority air transport known as PAT25 that collided with the passenger jet in midair in January.

That crash was the worst U.S. midair disaster in more than two decades. In March, the FAA announced that helicopters would be prohibited from flying in the same airspace as planes near Reagan airport.

Trump threatens a 100% tariff on foreign-made films

President Donald Trump is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S.

In a post Sunday night on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to slap a 100% tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.

The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," he wrote, complaining that other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw" filmmakers and studios away from the U.S. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!

The White House said Monday that it was figuring out how to comply with the president's wishes.

Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trumps directive to safeguard our countrys national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again, said spokesperson Kush Desai.

RELATED STORY | Trump says he'll reopen Alcatraz prison for 'Americas most ruthless and violent Offenders

Its common for both large and small films to include production in the U.S. and in other countries. Big-budget movies like the upcoming Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning," for instance, are shot around the world.

Incentive programs for years have influenced where movies are shot, increasingly driving film production out of California and to other states and countries with favorable tax incentives, like Canada and the United Kingdom.

Yet Trump's tariffs are designed to lead consumers toward American products. And in movie theaters, American-produced movies overwhelmingly dominate the domestic marketplace.

China has ramped up its domestic movie production, culminating in the animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 grossing more than $2 billion this year. But even then, its sales came almost entirely from mainland China. In North America, it earned just $20.9 million.

In New Zealand, where successive governments have offered rebates and incentives in recent years to draw Hollywood films to the country, the film industry has generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue driven by the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, which featured the countrys pristine and scenic vistas. More recently, the blockbuster Minecraft movie was filmed entirely in New Zealand, and U.S. productions in 2023 delivered $1.3 billion New Zealand dollars ($777 million) to the country in return for NZ$200 million in subsidies, according to government figures.

RELATED STORY | Senate fails to pass resolution blocking President Trump's tariffs

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was awaiting more details of Trumps measures before commenting on them but would continue to pitch to filmmakers abroad, including in Indias Bollywood. Weve got an absolutely world class industry, he said. This is the best place to make movies, period, in the world.

The Motion Picture Association, which represents major U.S. film studios and streaming services, didnt immediately respond to messages Sunday evening.

The MPAs data shows how much Hollywood exports have dominated cinemas. According to the MPA, the American movies produced $22.6 billion in exports and $15.3 billion in trade surplus in 2023.

Trump, a Republican, has made good on the tariff man" label he gave himself years ago, slapping new taxes on goods made in countries around the globe. That includes a 145% tariff on Chinese goods and a 10% baseline tariff on goods from other countries, with even higher levies threatened.

By unilaterally imposing tariffs, Trump has exerted extraordinary influence over the flow of commerce, creating political risks and pulling the market in different directions. There are tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, with more imports, including pharmaceutical drugs, set to be subject to new tariffs in the weeks ahead.

Trump has long voiced concern about movie production moving overseas.

Shortly before he took office, he announced that he had tapped actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to serve as special ambassadors" to Hollywood to bring it "BACK BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!

U.S. film and television production has been hampered in recent years, with setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hollywood guild strikes of 2023 and the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Overall production in the U.S. was down 26% last year compared with 2021, according to data from ProdPro, which tracks production.

The group's annual survey of executives, which asked about preferred filming locations, found no location in the U.S. made the top five, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Toronto, the U.K., Vancouver, Central Europe and Australia came out on top, with California placing sixth, Georgia seventh, New Jersey eighth and New York ninth.

The problem is especially acute in California. In the greater Los Angeles area, production last year was down 5.6% from 2023 according to FilmLA, second only to 2020, during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Last, October, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, proposed expanding Californias Film & Television Tax Credit program to $750 million annually, up from $330 million.

Other U.S. cities like Atlanta, New York, Chicago and San Francisco have also used aggressive tax incentives to lure film and TV productions. Those programs can take the form of cash grants, as in Texas, or tax credits, which Georgia and New Mexico offer.

Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States, Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday night after returning from a weekend in Florida. If theyre not willing to make a movie inside the United States we should have a tariff on movies that come in."

Coalition of 19 states ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Health and Human Services

Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging cuts to the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, saying the Trump administration's massive restructuring has destroyed life-saving programs and left states to pick up the bill for mounting health crises.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington D.C. on Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said. The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia signed onto the complaint.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. restructured the agency in March, eliminating more than 10,000 employees and collapsing 28 agencies under the sprawling HHS umbrella into 15, the attorneys general said. An additional 10,000 employees had already been let go by President Donald Trump's administration, according to the lawsuit, and combined the cuts stripped 25% of the HHS workforce.

"In its first three months, Secretary Kennedy and this administration deprived HHS of the resources necessary to do its job," the attorneys general wrote.

RELATED STORY | Layoffs begin at US health agencies that track diseases, regulate food

Kennedy has said he is seeking to streamline the nation's public health agencies and reduce redundancies across them with the layoffs. The cuts were made as part of a directive the administration has dubbed, " Make America Healthy Again."

HHS is one of the government's costliest federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion that is mostly spent on health care coverage for millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.

The cuts have resulted in laboratories having limited testing for some infectious diseases, the federal government not tracking cancer risks among U.S. firefighters, early childhood learning programs left unsure of future funds and programs aimed at monitoring cancer and maternal health closing, the attorneys general say. Cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also have hampered states' ability to respond to one of the largest measles outbreaks in recent years, the lawsuit says.

RELATED STORY | HHS to mandate placebo testing on 'all new vaccines'

"This chaos and abandonment of the Department's core functions was not an unintended side effect, but rather the intended result," of the "MAHA Directive," they said. They want a judge to vacate the directive because they say the administration can't unilaterally eliminate programs and funding that have been created by Congress.

The restructuring eliminated the entire team of people who maintain the federal poverty guidelines used by states to determine whether residents are eligible for Medicaid, nutrition assistance and other programs. A tobacco prevention agency was gutted. Staff losses also were significant at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Trump administration is already facing other legal challenges over cuts to public health agencies and research organizations. A coalition of 23 states filed a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island last month over the administration's decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds for COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country.

Met Gala: Fashion's biggest night of the year is here. Here's how to watch and follow along

Pharrell Williams has high hopes for the Met Gala, the first to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme.

"I want it to feel like the most epic night of power, a reflection of Black resiliency in a world that continues to be colonized, by which I mean policies and legislation that are nothing short of that," he recently told Vogue.

"It's our turn."

Indeed. And welcome to the first Monday in May.

How to watch the 2025 Met Gala

Vogue will livestream the gala starting at 6 p.m. ET on Vogue.com, its YouTube channel and across its other digital platforms. Teyana Taylor, La La Anthony and Ego Nwodim will host the stream. Emma Chamberlain will also do interviews on the carpet.

The Associated Press will livestream celebrity departures from the Mark Hotel beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern and will stream the gala carpet on delay beginning at 6:30 p.m. The feeds will be available on YouTube and APNews.com.

E! will begin live coverage at 6 p.m. on TV. The livestream will be available on Peacock, E! Online and YouTube, along with the network's other social media feeds.

Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala?

This year, the fundraising gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosted by a group of Black male celebrities, including Williams, the musical artist and Louis Vuitton menswear director, and Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky, with NBA superstar LeBron James as honorary chair. They're joined by Vogue's Anna Wintour, the mastermind behind the gala, considered the year's biggest and starriest party.

Also guaranteed to show up is a second tier of hosts from a variety of worlds: athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens; Angel Reese and Sha'Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope; musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Mone and Andr 3000; author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

The gala raises the bulk of the curation budget for the museum's Costume Institute.

This year's Met Gala dress code is...

It's more like a firm suggestion. From Wintour. This year, it's about tailoring and suiting as interpreted through the history and meaning of Black dandyism across the Atlantic diaspora. The theme is inspired by the annual spring exhibition, which this year is based in large part on "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity," a book written by Monica L. Miller. She is the guest curator of the exhibit.

"Historical manifestations of dandyism range from absolute precision in dress and tailoring to flamboyance and fabulousness in dress and style," Miller writes in the exhibit catalog. "Whether a dandy is subtle or spectacular, we recognize and respect the deliberateness of the dress, the self-conscious display, the reach for tailored perfection, and the sometimes subversive self-expression."

How the dress code goes, in terms of taste and style, is anyone's guess. Wintour has a hand in virtually all things gala, so the presumption is things can't go too far off the rails. She recently knocked down the rumor that she approves all looks, telling "Good Morning America" she'll weigh in if asked.

The exhibit, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," draws on other sources beyond Miller's book. It's organized into 12 sections. Each symbolizes a characteristic of dandy style as defined by Zora Neale Hurston in her 1934 essay, "Characteristics of Negro Expression."

Among them: ownership, presence, distinction, disguise, freedom, respectability and heritage. Presumably, for gala guests who do deep-dive research (or have stylists to do it), some of these factors will play out on the museum steps that serve as the event's red carpet.

Who else is going to show up?

The guest list amounts to about 450 high-profile people from tech, sports, art, entertainment and more. The mix, Williams said, is a must.

"It's so important to me to have successful Black and brown people of every stripe in the room: not just athletes and actors and actresses, entertainers, but also authors, architects, folks from the fintech world," he told Vogue. "We've got to invest in each other. We've got to connect with each other, because it's going to take everybody to coalesce the force of Black and brown genius into one strong, reliable force."

Trump says he'll reopen Alcatraz prison for 'America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders'

President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years.

In a post on his Truth Social site Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. Thats the way its supposed to be.

That is why, today," he said, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house Americas most ruthless and violent Offenders.

IN RELATED NEWS | Hidden US prison workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands

Trumps directive to rebuild and reopen the long-shuttered penitentiary was the latest salvo in his effort to overhaul how and where federal prisoners and immigration detainees are locked up. But such a move would likely be an expensive and challenging proposition. The prison was closed in 1963 due to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and supplying the island facility, because everything from fuel to food had to be brought by boat.

Bringing the facility up to modern-day standards would require massive investments at a time when the Bureau of Prisons has been shuttering prisons for similar infrastructure issues.

The prison infamously inescapable due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that surround it was known as the The Rock" and housed some of the nation's most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone and George Machine Gun Kelly.

It has long been part of the cultural imagination and has been the subject of numerous movies, including The Rock starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.

Still in the 29 years it was open, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes, according to the FBI. Nearly all were caught or didnt survive the attempt.

IN OTHER NEWS | Infamous Kansas prison known for high-profile executions will now open for tours

The fate of three particular inmates John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris is of some debate and was dramatized in the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood.

Alcatraz Island is now a major tourist site that is operate by the National Park Service and is a designated National Historic Landmark.

Trump, returning to the White House on Sunday night after a weekend in Florida, said hed come up with the idea because of frustrations with radicalized judges who have insisted those being deported receive due process. Alcatraz, he said, has long been a symbol of law and order. You know, its got quite a history.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that the agency will comply with all Presidential Orders. The spokesperson did not immediately answer questions from The Associated Press regarding the practicality and feasibility of reopening Alcatraz or the agencys role in the future of the former prison given the National Park Services control of the island.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat whose district includes the island, questioned the feasibility of reopening the prison after so many years. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The Presidents proposal is not a serious one, she wrote on X.

The island serves as a veritable time machine to a bygone era of corrections. The Bureau of Prisons currently has 16 penitentiaries performing the same high-security functions as Alcatraz, including its maximum security facility in Florence, Colorado, and the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, which is home to the federal death chamber.

The order comes as Trump has been clashing with the courts as he tries to send accused gang members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, without due process. Trump has also floated the legally dubious idea of sending some federal U.S. prisoners to the Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.

Trump has also directed the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 of what he has labeled the worst criminal aliens."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | How common are prison escapes in the US?

The Bureau of Prisons has faced myriad crises in recent years and has been subjected to increased scrutiny after Jeffrey Epsteins suicide at a federal jail in New York City in 2019. An AP investigation uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons. AP reporting has disclosed widespread criminal activity by employees, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including assaults and suicides.

The APs investigation also exposed rampant sexual abuse at a federal womens prison in Dublin, California. Last year, President Joe Biden signed a law strengthening oversight of the agency after AP reporting spotlighted its many flaws.

At the same time, the Bureau of Prisons is operating in a state of flux with a recently installed new director and a redefined mission that includes taking in thousands of immigration detainees at some of its prisons and jails under an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. The agency last year closed several facilities, in part to cut costs, but is also in the process of building a new prison in Kentucky.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let DOGE access Social Security systems

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for Elon Musk s Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans.

The emergency appeal comes after a judge in Maryland restricted the teams access under federal privacy laws.

Social Security holds personal records on nearly everyone in the country, including school records, bank details, salary information and medical and mental health records for disability recipients, according to court documents.

The government says the DOGE team needs access to target waste in the federal government, and asked the justices to put the lower court order on hold as the lawsuit over the issue plays out.

Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the judges restrictions disrupt DOGEs urgent work and inappropriately interfere with executive-branch functions. Left undisturbed, this preliminary injunction will only invite further judicial incursions into internal agency decision-making, he wrote.

Musk has been focused on Social Security as an alleged hotbed of fraud, describing it as a Ponzi scheme and insisting that reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending.

RELATED STORY | Lawmakers want to know why DOGE is building a database of sensitive Social Security info

An appeals court refused to immediately to lift the block on DOGE access, though it split along ideological lines. Conservative judges in the minority said theres no evidence that the team has done any targeted snooping or exposed personal information.

The lawsuit was originally filed by a group of labor unions and retirees represented by the group Democracy Forward.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland that blocked DOGE from Social Security systems did allow staffers to access data that has been redacted or stripped of anything personally identifiable.

The appeal is the latest in a string of emergency applications to the nation's highest court as the Trump administration faces about 200 lawsuits challenging various aspects of President Donald Trump's sweeping conservative agenda.

'No point in continuing to fight': Prince Harry says he wants to reconcile with royal family

Prince Harry says he wants to reconcile with his family, but admitted he doesnt know how much time his father, King Charles III, has left.

The Duke of Sussex made the comments in a BBC interview after losing a legal battle to restore the police protection he had before stepping back from royal duties and moving to the United States in 2020.

I would love reconciliation with my family. Theres no point in continuing to fight anymore, Harry said.

In February 2024, King Charles announced he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Earlier this year, the 76-year-old monarch was hospitalized due to complications from treatment.

"I don't know how much longer my father has," Harry said. "He won't speak to me because of this security stuff."

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Its been about five years since Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from their official royal roles a decision that deepened tensions within the family. The rift widened with the publication of Harrys memoir, Spare, which offered a candid look into his life as a royal.

Harry has returned to the U.K. only a few times since relocating to the U.S., including for Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral and King Charles coronation. Meghan and their children did not attend the coronation, and Harry said Friday that he no longer feels comfortable bringing them to the U.K.

"I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point," he said.

Driver who killed 4 by smashing through an Illinois after-school camp may have had health emergency

The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday.

No decisions have been made on whether to file charges against the 44-year-old driver, Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said at a news conference. The driver is not in custody, Kelly said.

Evidence that she may have had a medical emergency was "not conclusive" and the investigation is ongoing, Kelly said.

The car went off the road Monday, crossing a field and smashing into the side of the building in Chatham used by Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, also known as YNOT. It traveled through the building, striking people before exiting the other side.

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Six other children were hospitalized. Four of them remained hospitalized, including one in critical condition, a state police spokesperson said after Thursday's news conference.

Those killed were Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, Ainsley Johnson, 8, Kathryn Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7. All of the children were from Chatham, a community of about 15,000 outside the Illinois capital of Springfield.

The driver was not injured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the crash, Kelly said. She voluntarily submitted blood and urine samples that tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said.

"Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading up to the crash," Kell said. "However, the investigation of this information and other evidence has not yet concluded and will continue until all leads and research have been exhausted."

He would not elaborate on the possible health issue or say what evidence investigators have indicating a medical emergency may have occurred. He also would not say whether the driver was conscious and alert when emergency responders reached her.

Security camera footage showed the vehicle was "a substantial distance" away when it left the roadway, said Jamie Loftus, founder of YNOT Outdoors. It crossed the field, a road, the sidewalk and YNOT's parking lot before crashing through the building "with no apparent attempt to alter its direction," Loftus said earlier this week. The vehicle then crossed a gravel road and crashed into a pole and fence.

Kelly said the vehicle traveled more than 1,300 feet (396 meters) but would not elaborate and also would not say how fast the vehicle was moving.

He said he could not provide a timeline for completing the investigation and said charges, if appropriate, would be up to the Sangamon County state's attorney.

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Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed.

Man sentenced to 53 years for hate-crime attack on Palestinian-American boy

An Illinois landlord who murdered a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injured the boys mother in a vicious hate-crime attack days after the war in Gaza began was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison.

Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of his mother, Hanan Shaheen.

Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict.

The family had been renting rooms in Czubas home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened.

Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boys mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier.

Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives.

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He could not escape, Michael Fitzgerald, a Will County assistant states attorney, told jurors at trial. If it wasnt enough that this defendant killed that little boy, he left the knife in the little boys body.

The jury deliberated for 90 minutes before returning a verdict. Czuba is eligible for a minimum prison sentence of 20 to 60 years or life, according to the Will County state's attorney's office.

Prosecutors declined to comment ahead of Friday's hearing and have not said what sentence they will seek. Illinois does not have the death penalty.

The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.

Czuba did not speak during the trial. His defense attorneys argued that there were holes in the case. His public defender, George Lenard, has not addressed reporters and declined comment ahead of the sentencing.

Shaheen had more than a dozen stab wounds and it took her weeks to recover.

She said there were no prior issues in the two years she rented from the Czubas, even sharing a kitchen and a living room.

Then after the start of the war, Czuba told her that they had to move out because Muslims were not welcome. He later confronted Shaheen and attacked her, holding her down, stabbing her and trying to break her teeth.

He told me You, as a Muslim, must die, said Shaheen, who testified in English and Arabic though a translator.

Police testified that officers found Czuba outside the house, sitting on the ground with blood on his body and hands.

Separately, lawsuits have been filed over the boys death, including by his father, Odai Alfayoumi, who is divorced from Shaheen and was not living with them. The U.S. Department of Justice also launched a federal hate crimes investigation.

White House comes out with $163 billion in spending cuts in Trump's 2026 budget plan

President Donald Trump's 2026 budget plan would slash non-defense domestic spending by $163 billion while increasing expenditures on national security, according to statements released by the White House on Friday.

The budget showed a desire to crack down on diversity programs and initiatives to address climate change. But the administration has yet to release detailed tables on what it wants income taxes, tariffs or the budget deficit to be a sign of the political and financial challenge confronting Trump when he's promising to cut taxes and repay the federal debt without doing major damage to economic growth.

Budgets do not become law, but serve as a touchstone for the upcoming fiscal year debates. Often considered a statement of values, this first budget since Trump's return to the White House carries the added weight of defining the Republican president's second-term pursuits, alongside his party in Congress.

It also arrives as Trump has unilaterally imposed what could hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases in the form of tariffs, setting off a trade war that has consumers, CEOs and foreign leaders worried about a possible economic downturn.

The White House's Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025, provided contours of a so-called skinny version of topline numbers, with more details to come.

Details soon, Vought said during a Cabinet meeting this week at the White House.

The nation's estimated $7 trillion-plus federal budget has been growing steadily, with annual deficits fast approaching $2 trillion and the annual interest payments on the debt almost $1 trillion. That's thanks mostly to the spike in emergency COVID-19 pandemic spending, changes in the tax code and climbing costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, largely to cover the nation's health needs as people age. The nation's debt load, at $36 trillion, is ballooning.

This year's presidential budget request is expected to reflect cuts already made by Trump's actions and adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, including the slashing of the government workforce. It also could point to potential new revenue streams, possibly from Trump's tariffs program.

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Democrats are prepared to assail Trump's budget as further evidence that the Republican administration is intent on gutting government programs that Americans depend on.

Congress is already deep into the slog of drafting of Trump's big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered funds for the administration's mass deportation effort a package that, unlike the budget plan, would carry the force of law.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who spoke with Trump multiple times this week, is racing to have the president's big, beautiful bill approved by the House by Memorial Day and sent on to the Senate.

We had a very productive and encouraging meeting at the White House this morning, and the remaining pieces of The One, Big Beautiful Bill! are coming together very well," Johnson, R-La., said in a statement after Thursday's meeting with Trump and various committee chairmen.

But deep differences remain among the Republicans, who are trying to pass that big bill over the objections of Democrats.

"We are awaiting some final calculations on a few of the tax components, and we expect to be able to complete that work on a very aggressive schedule, Johnson said.

Meantime, Cabinet officials are expected to start trekking to Capitol Hill to testify about their various requests in the president's budget.

It's Congress, under its constitutional powers, that decides the spending plans, approves the bills that authorize federal programs and funds them through the appropriations process. Often, that system breaks down, forcing lawmakers to pass stopgap spending bills to keep the government funded and avoid federal shutdowns.

Vought is also expected on Capitol Hill in the weeks ahead as the Trump administration presses its case to Congress for funds.

Man who fell from stands at Pittsburgh Pirates game identified as star athlete

A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday nights game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remained in critical condition.

Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X Thursday that the incident is being treated as accidental in nature.

The man who fell was identified Thursday as Kavan Markwood, according to information supplied by the Southern Alleghany School District. District Workforce Development Coordinator Laura Thomson said in a statement that the district is keeping the former student and standout athlete in its thoughts and prayers. She identified Markwood was a 2022 graduate who made a lasting impact on the district community as an athlete and a man of character, and said he was MVP of the football team during his senior year.

Thomson's statement said Markwood is best known for his resilience, strength and kindness. He is a friend to all someone who lifts others up and faces challenges with courage and grace.

Markwood fell onto the warning track in right field just as Pirates star Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3. Players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man.

RELATED STORY | Fan remains in critical condition after falling from stands at Pittsburgh Pirates game

Markwood was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel, before being removed from the field on a cart. He was taken to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital, where he remained on Thursday.

Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting said the club was deeply saddened and truly heartbroken over what he called a terrible accident.

In times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers, Nutting said in a statement. We also want to thank and appreciate the efforts of the first responders who rushed to his attention and provided him with compassionate care."

The railing that runs along the Clemente Wall in right field is three feet (36 inches) in height, which exceeds the building code requirements of 26 inches, according to Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki.

Fans were sitting in the front row above the Clemente Wall on Thursday ahead of the series finale between the two teams.

McCutchen, a five-time All-Star and franchise icon, said Thursday that the team was devastated," adding that they prayed together after the game. Asked to describe his viewpoint of the sequence, McCutchen declined, saying he is trying not to think about it and is more focused on the mans health.

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Were just hoping for the best for him, he said. I hope he pulls through because hes the reason why we are here. Hes the reason why we play the game. People that show their support so we can do something we love, partly because of him and because of fans. So, I just pray that hes all right.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Cubs manager Craig Counsell both alerted the umpire crew of the situation immediately after the play.

Even though its 350 feet away or whatever it is, I mean the fact of how it went down and then laying motionless while the play is going on, I mean Craig saw it, I saw it. We both got out there, Shelton said. I think the umpires saw it because of the way it kicked. Its extremely unfortunate. Thats an understatement.

Players from both teams could be seen praying and McCutchen held a cross that hung from his neck while Markwood was taken off the field.

The game was paused for several minutes while he received medical attention but there was no official stoppage in play.

Police said any medical update on the fan will be provided by medical personnel in conjunction with the man's family.

Fans have died from steep falls at baseball stadiums in the past.

In 2015, Atlanta Braves season ticket holder Gregory K. Murrey flipped over guard rails from the upper deck at Turner Field. That was four years after Shannon Stone, a firefighter attending a game with his 6-year-old son, fell about 20 feet after reaching out for a foul ball tossed into the stands at the Texas Rangers former stadium.

Both incidents prompted scrutiny over the height of guard rails at stadiums. The Rangers raised theirs, while the Braves settled a lawsuit with Murreys family.

A spectator at a 2022 NFL game at Pittsburghs Acrisure Stadium died following a fall on an escalator.

Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter known for 'I Kissed a Girl,' has died in a fire

Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the song "I Kissed a Girl," died in a house fire Thursday. She was 66.

Her death was confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear how the fire in Woodbury, Minnesota, started.

"Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture," John Porter, her manager, said in a statement. "I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client & a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others."

During her more than three decades of recording, Sobule released 12 albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues.

Her first album, "Things Here Are Different," was released in 1990. Five years later, she received widespread attention for her hit singles, "Supermodel," from the movie "Clueless," and "I Kissed A Girl," which, despite being banned on several southern radio stations, made it into the Billboard Top 20.

She also starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical that initially premiered at the Wild Project in New York in 2022 and includes songs and stories about her life.

Sobule was known for taking control of her career by fundraising so she could make her next album. In 2008, after two major record companies dumped her and two indie labels went bankrupt beneath her, she raised tens of thousands of dollars from fans so she could make a new album.

"The old kind of paradigm, where you've always waited for other people to do things, you'd have your manager and your agent," she said at the time. "You'd wait for the big record company to give you money to do things and they tell you what to do. This is so great. I want to do everything like this."

Sobule was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday night. Instead, there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend Ron Bostwick from 105.5 The Colorado Sound at the performance space where attendees can "share a story or song," according to her publicist.

A formal memorial to celebrate her life and legacy will be held later this summer.

"No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond," Craig Grossman, her booking agent, said in a statement.

Born in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 16, 1959, she has described herself as a shy child who preferred observing over participating.

Sobule was known for playing dozens of shows a year and has described her live performances as vulnerable experiences. She said she often doesn't have a set list and wings it.

She's performed with such icons as Neil Young, Billy Bragg and Cyndi Lauper, and also inducted Neil Diamond into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, according to her website. She also sang a song as herself on an episode of "The Simpsons" in 2019.

"In a good way, I feel like I'm still a rookie," she told The Associated Press in 2023 in an interview about her musical. "There's so much more to do and I haven't done my best yet."

She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, along with her nephews and cousins.

UK judge refuses appeal to restore Prince Harry's security detail

Prince Harry lost his appeal Friday, challenging the U.K. governments decision to strip him of his publicly funded security after he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the U.S.

The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee hadn't treated Harry unfairly when it decided to review his protection on a case-by-case basis each time he visits the U.K.

The ruling is likely to leave the Duke of Sussex with a large bill to pay the U.K. governments legal fees in addition to his own lawyers costs.

It wasnt immediately clear if he would try to appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court.

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The ruling upheld a High Court judges decision last year that found that a bespoke plan for the Duke of Sussexs security wasnt unlawful, irrational or unjustified.

Harry made a rare appearance for the two-day hearing last month as his lawyer argued that his life was in danger and the Royal and VIP Executive Committee had singled him out for inferior treatment.

There is a person sitting behind me who is being told he is getting a special bespoke process when he knows and has experienced a process that is manifestly inferior in every respect, attorney Shaheed Fatima said. His presence here and throughout this appeal is a potent illustration -- were one needed -- of how much this appeal means to him and his family.

A lawyer for the government said that Harrys argument repeated his misconceived approach that failed in the lower court.

It involves a continued failure to see the wood for the trees, advancing propositions available only by reading small parts of the evidence, and now the judgment, out of context and ignoring the totality of the picture, attorney James Eadie said.

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Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had stepped back from their official roles in the family in 2020 because they didnt feel they were being protected by the institution, his lawyer said.

After doing so, a Home Office committee ruled there was no basis for publicly funded security support for the duke and duchess within Great Britain.

Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting his homeland because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by news media.

Since he lost his government-sponsored protection, Harry faced at least two serious security threats, his lawyer said in court papers. Al-Qaida had published a document that said Harrys assassination would please Muslims, and he and his wife were involved in a dangerous pursuit by paparazzi in New York.

Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, has bucked royal family convention by taking the government and tabloid press to court, where he has a mixed record.

He lost a related court case in which he sought permission to privately pay for a police detail when in the U.K. A judge denied that offer after a government lawyer argued officers shouldnt be used as private bodyguards for the wealthy.

But he won a significant victory at trial in 2023 against the publisher of the Daily Mirror when a judge found that phone hacking at the tabloid was widespread and habitual. He claimed a monumental victory in January when Rupert Murdochs U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life for years, and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.

He has a similar case pending against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Spanish distributor says restoring power after huge outage could take 6-10 hours. Portugal also hit

Spanish power distributor Red Elctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country after a massive and unprecedented outage Monday that also hit Portugal could take 6-10 hours.

The company declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout. The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Electrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event exceptional and extraordinary.

The outage hit across Spain and Portugal, including their capitals, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.

Authorities said the cause was not immediately known, though one Portuguese official said the problem appeared to be with the electricity distribution network in Spain.

The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime ministers residence, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez visited power distributor Red Elctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations.

The countries have a combined population of over 50 million people. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian Peninsula.

A couple of hours later, Spains electricity network operator said it was recovering power in the north and south of the peninsula, which would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide.

Portugals government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. Its still being ascertained, Cabinet Minister Leito Amaro was quoted as saying.

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to a problem with the European electricity system, according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilize the network, according to Expresso.

Spains public broadcaster RTVE said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spains parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark.

A graph on Spains electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop around 12:15 p.m. from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

Video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona.

Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were underway when power went down.

Spains traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage.

In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.

Portugals E-Redes said parts of France also were affected.

In a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators.

Portuguese hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working and trains stopped running.

Portugals National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon stopped working.

It was not possible to make calls on mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

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