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Hezbollah fired into a disputed border zone held by Israel on Monday after multiple Israeli strikes inside Lebanon since a ceasefire took hold last week. The militant group said the volley, its first during the truce, was a warning shot in response to what it called repeated Israeli violations . Israeli leaders threatened to retaliate, and within hours, Israel’s military carried out a string of strikes in southern Lebanon, state media reported. There was no immediate word on casualties or what was struck. Israel has said its strikes in since the ceasefire began Wednesday have been in response to unspecified Hezbollah violations, and that under the truce deal it reserves the right to retaliate. Hezbollah began launching its attacks in solidarity with Hamas militants who are fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage . Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,429 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war in Gaza has destroyed vast areas of the coastal enclave and displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million, often multiple times . Here’s the Latest: WASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is demanding the immediate release of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, saying that if they are not freed before he is sworn into office for a second term there will be “HELL TO PAY.” “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social site . He added that, “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” It was not immediately clear whether Trump was threatening to directly involve the U.S. military in Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Trump allies have said he hopes there will be a ceasefire and hostage release deal before he returns to office early next year. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Some 100 are still held inside Gaza , around two-thirds believed to be alive. WASHINGTON — Senior American officials have had conversations with Israelis to raise questions about some of the strikes they have carried out against Hezbollah since a ceasefire went into place but have not found the Israelis to be in gross violation of the terms of the ceasefire, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive conversations with the Israelis, said those conversations were part of a mechanism that was created to ensure that ceasefire agreement is implemented. “This is that mechanism working,” the official added. White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Monday that “largely speaking the ceasefire is holding.” “We’ve gone from, you know dozens of strikes, you know, down to one a day maybe two a day,” Kirby told told reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden made his way for a visit to Angola. “That’s a tremendous, tremendous reduction. And we’re going to keep trying and see what we can do to get it down to zero so that both sides are fully implementing it. But, this is, this is the only it’s only a, a week or so old.” — By Aamer Madhani JERUSALEM — Hezbollah fired into a disputed border zone held by Israel on Monday, the militant group’s first attack since its ceasefire with Israel took hold last week, after Lebanon accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days. The Israeli military said two projectiles were launched toward Mount Dov, a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon, where the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet. Israel said the projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported. Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired on an Israeli military position in the area as a “defensive and warning response” after what it called “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal by Israel. It said complaints to mediators tasked with monitoring the ceasefire “were futile in stopping these violations.” The U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday calling for a 60-day halt in fighting, aiming to end more than a year of exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel. Since then, Israel has carried out a number of strikes in Lebanon, most recently on Monday, when a drone strike killed a man on a motorcycle in southern Lebanon and another hit a Lebanese army bulldozer in the northeastern town of Hermel, wounding a soldier. The Lebanese army had stayed on the sidelines of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel says the strikes are in response to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire, without giving specifics. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s parliament speaker on Monday accused Israel of committing 54 breaches of the ceasefire that ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel, demanding urgent intervention to halt what he called “flagrant violations.” Speaking to the Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri condemned Israel’s “aggressive actions,” including the alleged demolition of homes in border villages, the persistent overflight of Israeli reconnaissance drones, and airstrikes that have caused casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Berri’s assertions. Israel says it reserves the right under the ceasefire deal to respond to perceived ceasefire violations. An Israeli drone strike on Monday hit a Lebanese army military bulldozer in the northeastern town of Hermel, wounding a soldier, the Lebanese army said in a statement. Also on Monday, an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle in Jdeidet Marjayoun in southern Lebanon killed one person, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. In Bint Jbeil province, a drone strike injured one person, the state-run National News Agency said. On Saturday, two people were killed in an airstrike on Marjayoun province, Lebanon’s state media said. Berri called on the technical committee established to monitor the ceasefire to take immediate action, urging it to “oblige Israel to halt its violations and withdraw from Lebanese territories without delay.” He said that Lebanon and Hezbollah have fully adhered to the terms of the ceasefire since the early hours of Wednesday. Berri is the leader of the Shiite Amal movement, which is closely allied with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Monday one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit a motorcycle, while the Lebanese army said that a soldier was wounded in an Israeli strike on a military bulldozer at an army base. The Israeli military said that it carried out a series of strikes in Lebanon on Sunday and Monday, including one in the same area where the soldier was said to have been wounded. It said it struck several military vehicles in Lebanon’s Bekaa province as well as strikes on Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. The incidents underscored the fragility of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah reached after nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting. Since the ceasefire went into effect on Wednesday, Israel has struck several times in response to what it says have been ceasefire violations by Hezbollah. Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the deal but so far Hezbollah has not resumed its rocket fire. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday rejected accusations that Israel is violating the tenuous ceasefire agreement, saying it was responding to Hezbollah violations. In a post on X, Saar said that he made that point in a call with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot. France, along with the U.S., helped broker the deal and is part of an international monitoring committee meant to ensure the sides uphold their commitments. Israel says that it reserves the right under the deal to respond to perceived ceasefire violations. TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said Monday an Israeli American soldier who was believed to have been taken hostage alive on Oct. 7, 2023, is now presumed to have been killed during Hamas’ attack and his body taken into Gaza. Neutra, 21, was a New York native who enlisted in the Israeli military and was captured when Hamas attacked southern Israel. Neutra’s parents, Ronen and Orna, led a public campaign while he was thought to be alive for their son’s freedom. They spoke at protests in the U.S. and Israel, addressed the Republican National Convention this year and kept up ties with the Biden administration in their crusade to secure their son’s release. In a statement announcing the death, the military did not say how it came to the conclusion over Neutra’s fate. He was one of seven American Israelis still held in Gaza, four of whom are now said to be dead. Hamas released a video of one, Edan Alexander, over the weekend, indicating he was still alive. In late summer, Israel said Hamas killed Hersh Goldberg-Polin , another prominent Israeli American hostage, along with five other captives, whose bodies the Israeli military recovered. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Some 100 captives are still held inside Gaza , around two-thirds believed to be alive. Iraqi militias supported by Iran deployed in Syria on Monday to back the government’s counteroffensive against a surprise advance by insurgents who seized the largest city of Aleppo, a militia official and a war monitor said. Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo last week and the countryside around Idlib before moving toward neighboring Hama province. Government troops built a fortified defensive line in northern Hama in an attempt to stall the insurgents’ momentum while jets on Sunday pounded rebel-held lines. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus Sunday and announced Tehran’s full support for his government. He later arrived for talks in Ankara, Turkey, one of the rebels' main backers. Iran has been of Assad’s principal political and military supporters and deployed military advisers and forces after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. Tehran-backed Iraqi militias already in Syria mobilized and additional forces crossed the border to support them, said the Iraqi militia official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. According to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some 200 Iraqi militiamen on pickups crossed into Syria overnight through the strategic Bou Kamal. They were expected to deploy in Aleppo to support the Syrian army’s pushback against the insurgents, the monitor said. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. Navy destroyers shot down seven missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the warships and three American merchant vessels they were escorting through the Gulf of Aden. No damage or injuries were reported. U.S. Central Command said late Sunday that the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane shot down and destroyed three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three drones and one anti-ship cruise missile. The merchant ships were not identified. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement and said they had targeted the U.S. destroyers and “three supply ships belonging to the American army in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” Houthi attacks for months have targeted shipping through a waterway where $1 trillion in goods pass annually over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon. A ceasefire was announced in Lebanon last week. The USS Stockdale was involved in a similar attack on Nov. 12 . Read more of the AP's coverage of the Middle East wars: https://apnews.com/hub/mideast-warsBryant defeats Tennessee State 97-85

Senator Rand Paul , a Kentucky Republican , said on Sunday that while he supports the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, he does not support President-elect Donald Trump 's plan to use the U.S. military to expel migrants "because it's illegal." Trump heavily campaigned on the issue of immigration in this year's election cycle, which has been a central focus of his platform since stepping onto the political stage in 2016. He promised to carry out the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants on the campaign trail and on Monday, he confirmed that his incoming administration is prepared to declare a national emergency to carry out his mass deportation plan and will use the U.S. military in some form to help. Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday morning, Paul, a ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, told Margaret Brennan, "I'm a 100 percent supportive of going after the 15,000 murders, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists—all of these people. Let's send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison...but you don't do it with the army because it's illegal and we've had a distrust of putting the army into our streets." Paul was referring to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) report released in September on noncitizens who have been convicted or charged with a crime. The senator seemed to mix up the numbers as ICE reports 13,099 noncitizens convicted of murder and 15,811 convicted of sexual assault. Also, these numbers span decades, including people who entered the country over the past 40 years or more. "The police understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to judges. They have to get warrants; it has to be specific. I'm for removing these people, but I would do it through the normal process of domestic policing," Paul told Brennan. Newsweek reached out to Paul's office and Trump's team via email for comment Sunday afternoon. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he supports President-elect Donald Trump's plan for mass deportations, but not his suggestion of using the military for it, "because it's illegal." "We've had a distrust of putting the army into our streets," he says, calling for deportations "through... pic.twitter.com/WUms7FSu66 Brennan mentioned how taxing a mass deportation plan would be on immigration authorities, saying, "There are just 6,000 agents, 41,000 detention beds to carry out the assignment of rounding up millions of undocumented people, potentially." She then asked Paul, "How do you suggest they implement it?" "I will not support and will not vote to use the military in our cities. I think it's a terrible image," Paul said, using the same language as in an interview with Newsmax he did earlier this week. Paul said he would use the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ), ICE and Border Patrol to carry out the deportations. "It's not about detaining [the migrants]. In all likelihood, they should be going to a jail, either a jail here or in the country they came from," he added. The senator also said he doesn't think deputizing the U.S. National Guard to carry out the deportations is "the best way to do it." "It's less clear whether that's legal or illegal. Typically it has to be done at the behest of the governors. I still don't like a militarization of police, whether it's National Guard or Army," he said. Senator Richard Blumenthal , a Connecticut Democrat who also sits on the Homeland Security Committee, said Trump using the military to carry out mass deportations would be against the Insurrection Act, which allows presidents to use troops on American soil to restore order when they decide it's warranted. "We're pursuing whatever we can do to make clear that the Insurrection Act should not permit that use of the military," Blumenthal told The New York Times in an article published Monday. Under the Insurrection Act, "if there is no threat to public order of a fundamental, far-reaching kind, it would be illegal," the senator said.

Putin's 2nd Oreshnik Strike On Ukraine? Russia Vows Revenge After Kyiv Fires 13 ATACMS In 3 Days Recommended Playlist Russia Attacks Ukrainian Airfields; Aircraft, Equipment 'Up In Smoke' Russia Shoots Down American Long-Range Missiles Over Russian Region As Putin Okays Nuke Attack Russia Launches Massive Air Attack On Ukraine With Missiles, Drones; Kharkiv Village Falls | Watch Putin's Ballistic Revenge; First ICBM Attack On Ukraine After Nuclear Doctrine Revised Putin's Oreshnik Sends Chills Through NATO | Why U.S. Allies Can't Intercept New Russian Missile Russia's Kursk Counteroffensive Begins: 50k Russian & North Korean Troops Attack Ukraine Army 'Europe On Nuke Missile Target': Putin's Chilling Message To U.S. & NATO After Bombing Ukraine Putin's Aide Tells Europe How To Stop WW3: 'Russia Won't Launch Oreshnik Strike If...' Ukrainian Soldiers Abandon Bases After Putin's Men Fire Hypersonic Missile, Storm Donetsk | Details Russian Forces March In Kursk With North Korean Troops; Capture 5 Ukrainian Positions | Watch Top Viral Videos Shocking! Lawyer rams Mercedes car into Kachori shop in Delhi, Six injured In a shocking incident, six people were injured after a lawyer rammed his speeding Mercedes car into a Kachori shop in the national capital. The incident took place at Fateh Kachori in Civil Lines area. The police have taken the lawyer into custody and seized his car. The lawyer has been identified as Parag Maini who is a resident of Noida’s Sector 79. The police have registered a case against the lawyer under Section 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by endangering life). Telangana cop punched, dragged by villagers, video goes viral On Cam: Crane drags car with senior citizens sitting inside, case registered | video goes viral Instagram influencer shot dead by husband in Rajasthan's Phalodi CCTV: Thieves arrive in car, decamp with jewellery in MP's Damoh Goons hurl abuses at toll plaza employee in MP's Chhatarpur Two goons hurled abuses at a toll plaza employee in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. One of the assailants is reportedly the brother of an MLA. The incident was filmed by an employee of ol plaza which has gone viral on social media. The goons were upset after they had to wait in the queue. Viral: Cobra blocks road in MP's Chhatarpur district Nigeria: Lion kills zookeeper at Obafemi Awolowo University CCTV: Biker crushed to death by speeding bus in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district Four women steal tray full of earrings from a jewellery shop in MP's Raisen Shirtless British man punches air steward after destroying aircraft toilet, arrested A shirtless British man punched an air steward after destroying the aircraft toilet. The man was arrested. The man went berserk soon after the flight took off . He went up to smash the plane’s toilet. The incident took place on February 7 when the flight took off from Bangkok to London. A video of the incident went viral on social media. On cam: Several injured after swarm of bees attacks guests during wedding ceremony in MP's Guna On cam: Man hurls abuses at government school teacher in MP's Chhatarpur district On cam: Man thrashes youth with stick in MP's Ujjain Doctor loses cool, misbehaves with home guard in MP's Chhatarpur On cam: Goons thrash Dalit youth in MP's Betul A Dalit youth was thrashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul. The man was brutally thrashed and forced to squat while holding his ears. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. Congress leader Jitu Patwari highlighted the plight of the Dalit man. The police have launched a probe into the matter. On cam: Govt employee consumes alcohol at work place in MP's Singrauli On cam: Goons thrash liquor shop employee in MP's Gwalior CCTV: Man thrashed, abducted in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district Fight breaks out between CHC employee and patient in UP's Barabanki Short Videos BJP Orchestrated Attack On Kejriwal During ‘Padyatra’ Campaign: Delhi CM Atishi Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Kejriwal Questions RSS Over BJP’s 'Dirty' Tactics Against Opposition | Watch Atishi's 1st Statement After Being Picked As Delhi CM; 'Kejriwal Made Biggest Sacrifice' Kejriwal To Give Up CM Residence; AAP's Sanjay Singh Issues Big Warning... Haryana Polls: Vinesh Phogat & Bajrang Punia Join Congress; Sakshi Malik next? Putin's Big Pledge For Russian Speakers In Ukraine; 'Will Fight For...' Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion Has Failed To Achieve Objectives, Declares Putin Putin Says Russia Will Support Kamala Harris In U.S. Elections Related Articles Ex-Google CEO Schmidt to the US Army: Give tanks away, instead buy a ... Trump's pick for top security advisor Mike Waltz calls for 'responsible end' to Russia-Ukraine war Big escalation: 'Russia launches ICBM strike' against Ukraine, shoots down UK Storm Shadow missiles 'Not enough to prevail': Zelenskyy warns of Ukraine's possible loss without US aid Stocks fall as Russia-Ukraine war rattles traders: Markets wrap Ukraine arrests commander for allegedly sharing intelligence with Russian military 'PM Modi deserves Nobel Peace prize for global mediation efforts,' says veteran investor Mark Mobius Do Today’s Wars Really Ever End?

Tayshawn Comer scores 18 to lead Evansville past Campbell 66-53

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Manchester City defender Nathan Ake said his side must “show character” if they are to end their winless streak after Feyenoord scored three times in the final 15 minutes to claim a 3-3 draw in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium. City are now six games without a victory but appeared to be cruising towards three points before being stunned by the Eredivisie side, who hit them with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko to fight back from 3-0 down. Two goals from Erling Haaland, one of them a penalty, and one from Ilkay Gundogan had the 2023 European champions three up after 53 minutes as they sought the win that would help to get their ailing season back on track. FULL-TIME | A point apiece. 🩵 3-3 ⚫️ #ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/6oj1nEOIwm — Manchester City (@ManCity) November 26, 2024 After the team collapsed in the closing stages, Ake called on his team-mates to show their mettle if their campaign is not to wither away. Speaking to Amazon Prime, he was asked whether he believed the the team’s problem is a mental one. “Maybe it is,” he said. “It is difficult to say. Obviously we have not been in this situation many times but this is where we have to show our character. “When everything seems to go against us and everyone is writing us off, we have to stay strong mentally, believe in ourselves and stick together. 🔢 pic.twitter.com/diyhxQXsdF — Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) November 26, 2024 “Every season there is a period when they write us off. We have to make sure we stay strong as a team and staff and make sure we get out of it.” The draw leaves City with work to do if they are to secure one of the eight automatic spots in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League. They are currently 15th in the table, two points outside of the top eight, and will need positive results in their next two games against Juventus and Paris St Germain to keep their hopes alive. They then face Club Brugge in their final league match on January 29. The result at least ended a run of five straight defeats in all competitions ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown with leaders Liverpool at Anfield. “When you are three goals up it feels like a defeat when you give up three goals at home,” said Ake. “It is tough now, a tough night, but the only thing we can do is look forward to the next one. Liverpool is a big game and it is another challenge to overcome. “(We were) 3-0 up and we played quite well and were under control, but then it all changed. “You just have to stay strong mentally. At 3-1 they then push on but I think we need to go for it a bit earlier so we could keep the pressure on them, but we stayed playing at the back and maybe invited more pressure on us. “Then when you concede the second one there is even more pressure and then we have to stay stronger mentally.”

Dec. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Poison experts see it every winter holiday season: Parents rush kids to the emergency room or call hotlines, panicking that their child has ingested something dangerous. Between holiday breaks, visiting relatives' homes, attending festivities, and opening gifts galore, kids face extra risks for accidental exposure to poison. In addition to heart felt season’s greetings, the Nebraska Poison Center sends out reminders that changes in routine may increase risks for kids. Poison experts urge parents and party hosts to remember safety best practices. • Pretty holiday plants aren't edible. Keep small children and animals away from mistletoe, holly berries, yew plants and poinsettias. • Be mindful of small batteries. Toys, games, watches, remotes, and musical greeting cards may contain button or disc batteries. If swallowed, they can become stuck and cause serious injury or death if not removed. • Watch out for water beads and magnets in toys . Expanding water beads and rare earth magnets are inappropriate for those who may ingest them. Strong magnets can stick together in the intestines and trigger a medical emergency. If water beads are swallowed, they may swell and cause a blockage in the intestines. • Be on the lookout for nicotine-containing products, including vape liquid and chewing tobacco, as well as CBD and THC products . These are often in brightly colored packaging that can easily be mistaken for candy or other food items for children. If swallowed by youngsters, nicotine may cause shakiness, vomiting or seizures. Keep these items away from common areas, locked and out of reach. • Lock up cleaning cabinets. Cleansers, laundry pods, and other cleaning products should also be stored out of sight. Do not mix chemicals together when cleaning and follow all label directions for using these products. • Remind relatives without small children about the importance of child-proofing prescription drugs . Encourage friends and family to store medications up, out of sight and locked up tight, not out on a nightstand or counter. Keep all purses and travel bags secured. • Be vigilant about the bar and alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are more readily accessible during gatherings. Clean immediately after gatherings and remove all items that may contain alcohol. Sadly, the holiday season can bring joy and grief simultaneously. As seasonal calls to the Poison Center concerning children increase, so do calls about intentional harm. If you or a loved one are having thoughts of self-harm or are in a crisis, remember that you are not alone. Call 988 to reach the 24/7 National Suicide and Crisis Line for help. Prevention is the best way to avoid and minimize poisonings. The Poison Center’s specially trained registered nurses and pharmacists are available 24/7/365. If you have questions or suspect poisoning exposure, call 1-800-222-1222. Your call will be routed to a local poison control center. Poison Center services are free and confidential. More information The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) has more about poison exposure. SOURCE: Holiday Help From the Nebraska Poison Center, fact sheet.Bryant defeats Tennessee State 97-85

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Tayshawn Comer scored 18 points as Evansville beat Campbell 66-53 on Sunday night. Comer had six rebounds and six assists for the Purple Aces (3-4). Cameron Haffner scored 16 points and added six rebounds. Gabriel Pozzato shot 3 for 5, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.None

NoneST. LOUIS — Dozens of activists gathered Friday to demand changes at the city’s downtown jail, which has seen 18 people die in custody since 2020. In a press conference on the steps of City Hall, activists said the city has failed to provide proper health care services and has broken its promises to improve conditions and be more transparent about problems. “We must act now to prevent any further loss of life,” said Mike Milton, who heads Freedom Community Center, which advocates for alternatives to incarceration. The protest marked only the latest call for change at an institution that has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years. Since 2021, it has been buffeted by rioting , hostage-taking , and rashes of deaths. Detainees and their family members have complained of dismal health care services . Attorneys have complained of trouble getting access to clients . Aldermen have held hearings on worrying staff shortages. It has also been a political problem. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ campaigned on cleaning up the Corrections Division after years of complaints of inhumane conditions and treatment of detainees at the City Workhouse, on the north riverfront, and riots at the downtown jail. The workhouse is closed, and set for demolition next month. But the downtown jail remains an albatross. The city has tried to improve conditions, St. Louis Public Safety Director Charles Coyle countered at a press conference Friday. Officials have hired a new contract health care provider and created new city health department positions to oversee care . They have ramped up visitor screening to keep out drugs that have caused deadly overdoses. They have spent millions of dollars replacing faulty cell locks that enabled at least some of the rioting. “We have made improvements, and continue to make improvements,” Coyle said. He noted that only two people have died in city custody thus far this year. If that holds, it would mark a reduction from 2022, when six people died, and 2023, when five people did. But activists said they would not be satisfied without sweeping change. Reading from a letter signed by a slew of social justice groups and delivered to city officials Friday, Milton said the city must end lockdowns that keep detainees in their cells for most of the day, and work with courts and prosecutors to reduce the number of people in the jail. He said the city has to stop arming its guards with mace spray, which critics say has been overused on prisoners . He said the city’s citizen oversight board must be given full access to the jail and its records to investigate wrongdoing, something board members say they have been consistently denied over the past two years. Others, like Inez Bordeaux, who is running for alderman in the city's 3rd Ward, and Janis Mensah, the onetime chair of the city's jail oversight board, spoke of closing the downtown jail like the city did with the old workhouse, leaving the city with no jail at all. “To me, it's simple,” Mensah said. “No more jail deaths means no more jail.” Rasmus Jorgensen, a spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, said the city has no plans to close its remaining jail.Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the SenateORONO, Maine (AP) — Christopher Mantis helped lead Maine past Holy Cross on Sunday with 17 points off of the bench in an 80-55 win. Mantis had five rebounds for the Black Bears (3-3). Quion Burns scored 16 points and added eight rebounds. AJ Lopez went 6 of 13 from the field (2 for 6 from 3-point range) to finish with 14 points. The Crusaders (4-3) were led in scoring by DeAndre Williams, who finished with 12 points. Joe Nugent added 11 points for Holy Cross. Caleb Kenney had 10 points. Maine took the lead with 11:42 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 35-26 at halftime, with Burns racking up nine points. Maine pulled away with a 19-3 run in the second half to extend a seven-point lead to 23 points. They outscored Holy Cross by 16 points in the final half, as Lopez led the way with a team-high 12 second-half points. NEXT UP Both teams play on Friday. Maine squares off against Elon and Holy Cross travels to play Virginia. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Dollar climbs on Trump’s Brics tariff threat and French political woesTaylor Swift kicked off another dance party in Toronto as her headed into its final three shows in the city Thursday night. Since launching the trek back in March 2023 in Arizona, the Referring to herself as “the host” of the night’s festivities, Swift told the Toronto crowd the tour’s impending end was bittersweet. “Fun fact: this is actually the second to last weekend of the Eras Tour, which is crazy to think about,” she said. “In 2024, we have taken this tour all over the world. We went to Australia, Asia and spent the entire summer in Europe.” Swift said ending her run in Canada made sense because her fan base here is “the most loyal, passionate and kind.” “We’ll end the thing with a big, big group hug,” she said. “That’s what we’re doing. I’m so happy to see you tonight.” Swift said she kept adding dates to the Eras run because “it was the most fun tour I’ve ever done in my life.” “We just kept adding shows and adding shows,” she said. Swift has played multiple nights at Rogers Centre on past outings, but her six-night stand is unique. She’s the only artist to have ever played the venue that many times on the same tour. , both of which were written about Jonas after their 2008 breakup. With Swift now pals with Jonas’ ex Sophie Turner, fans weighed in on the “epic combo” on X. “ “Joe Jonas just felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck,” . After Jonas broke up with her, “ But the Jonas dig was short-lived. During the piano portion, As she has done for the last year-and-a-half, Swift played songs from all her studio albums, including her recent Grammy nominated . “I’ve been touring since I was 15 and we’ve made a lot of fun memories,” she said. “I’m so overjoyed to see your faces.” She called the night “a little adventure” that would span the last 18 years of music. “We’re going to be doing this one era at a time,” she said as 49,000 fans enthusiastically cheered. “You’re about to hear a lot of songs. There are lot of songs in this show.” Her fans hung on every word, identifying with Swift’s lyrics about getting older, breaking up, making up and going through this messy thing we call life. “These songs, I wrote about either something that happened to me in my life, a feeling I had at one point, or something that I completely invented in my imagination, and maybe that’s what you think about when you hear these songs out in the world,” she said. All that changes after the Eras Tour ends next month in Vancouver. Now when people hear these songs they’re going to think about one memorable night in Toronto or wherever they might have seen the show. “After tonight, when you hear these songs, you’re going to think about us and the memories we made here tonight at the Eras Tour,” she said. The show has no doubt became more polished as it has gone on. But during one lengthy ovation following , Swift soaked it all in. “We only get to do this show a few more times,” she said, overcome with emotion as she basked in the thunderous applause. “So once that’s over, I know there’s going to be some days when we’re really missing it ... I can promise you that on those days, we’re going to replay our memories of you just doing that.” Taylor Swift returns to the stage at Rogers Centre in Toronto tonight and tomorrow.