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  • Amid Trump’s southern border clampdown, smugglers and migrants use deadlier routes into U.S.

    Amid Trump’s southern border clampdown, smugglers and migrants use deadlier routes into U.S.



    Despite a more than 90% drop in the number of migrant apprehensions at the border since President Donald Trump took office, people continue to try to reach the United States — and smugglers are taking them along more dangerous routes, according to authorities and groups assisting migrants.

    In recent months, human smugglers have adopted another method to bring migrants into the country via the southern border: They are sending them alone through inhospitable terrain while guiding them remotely using cellphones, Jesus Vasavilbaso, a Border Patrol agent in Tucson, Arizona, told Noticias Telemundo.

    An increasing number of people are being found by law enforcement in the desert without a “coyote,” or smuggler, he said. They’re dehydrated, dressed in camouflage and with pieces of carpet stuck to the soles of their shoes in an attempt to hide their tracks on the sand. The clothing is part of a crossing package that coyotes sell them, the Border Patrol agent said.

    “If you don’t buy that kit, they won’t let you cross. It comes with camouflage, with those mats you put under your shoes, and a backpack with supplies, whether it’s water, IV drip, tortillas, or canned food. And that also includes your cellphone,” Vasavilbaso explained.

    More closures — and more dangerous routes

    Between February and April, 24,000 apprehensions were recorded along the southwest border, the majority in the El Paso and Rio Grande Valley sectors in Texas, the Arizona desert and the San Diego sector in California, according to federal data.

    The nationalities of those crossing have shifted since the Biden administration, returning to the historical pattern led by Mexicans, given their geographic proximity. In April 2024 and 2023, migrants from Mexico accounted for one-third of all apprehensions; in April this year they accounted for 73%.

    “We’re seeing Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans and occasionally people who aren’t from the (American) continent. The majority we’re encountering now are unaccompanied adults. Very rarely do we see a family. And we have seen two or three unaccompanied children,” Vasavilbaso said.

    Crossing through the desert and mountains is in itself very dangerous, and with the increased border security — Trump sent 1,500 additional troops to build barriers, and the Mexican government, under threat of tariffs, reinforced border patrols with 10,000 members of the National Guard — smugglers are turning to more remote and risky routes to try to evade federal controls.

    “They are no longer crossing through places where they typically crossed (…) right now we are seeing that people are crossing through a very difficult mountain,” Pedro Ríos, director of the border program for the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, California, told Noticias Telemundo.

    Ríos is referring to Otay Mountain in eastern San Diego County, a difficult-to-access wilderness area with rocky passes and extreme conditions. On Feb. 14, in two separate incidents, three migrant border crossers — a woman and two adult men — died on the mountain during a storm where temperatures “dropped to near-freezing levels,” according to the Border Patrol.

    Separately, agents responding to an emergency call found a 16-year-old girl suffering from hypothermia, without food or water, and two deceased adults. One of them was her father.

    On March 28, two Mexican women, one of them pregnant, were rescued from a remote canyon in Otay Mountain; they were unable to walk due to ankle injuries and they lacked food or water. Agents set up a makeshift tent for protection from the elements until they were evacuated by helicopter the following morning.

    “As we start seeing more closures of traditional crossing points, the crossings become much more dangerous,” Ríos said.

    In Arizona, coyotes have returned to dangerous routes in the Sonoran Desert in areas such as the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the Tohono O’odham Indian Territory, the Baboquivari Mountains and around Sasabe, a remote village less than a mile from the border in Pima County, Vasavilbaso said.

    “When a person crosses that town, they have to walk approximately 45 miles to reach the next paved road. So, although it’s not mountainous, it’s very dangerous because it will take them two to three days to get there, and they can’t carry enough water and food,” he said.

    In the summer, temperatures in the Sonoran Desert frequently exceed 104°F and sometimes reach 118°F, according to the National Park Service.

    In 2024, rescuers and authorities found the remains of 154 migrants in the Arizona desert, according to data from the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office and Humane Borders, which maintains a system of water stations for migrants in the Sonoran Desert.

    The remains were mostly discovered in the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness Area, in the low desert, and in the Tohono O’odham Indigenous Territory.

    So far in 2025, the remains of 40 migrants have been found in Arizona. Because of the condition they were in — in many cases, skeletons — it’s presumed that most of the remains belong to people who crossed months or years ago, Professor Brad Jones, director of Humane Borders, told Noticias Telemundo.

    And while the flow of migrants along the more familiar routes south of Tucson have plummeted, Jones predicts the flow will shift to the western side of the Sonoran Desert, which is “even more remote.”

    “It’s a part of the desert where humanitarian groups are simply forbidden to go. And by that, I mean, a lot of the land on the Arizona-Mexico border in far western Arizona is U.S. military,” Jones said.

    The deadly consequences of this shift in migration routes will become clearer over time, Jones said.

    “Migrants come, they just take greater risks. And I suspect that in the coming weeks and months, we’re going to start seeing more remains recovered in the more remote areas of Arizona,” he said.

    César Ortigoza, founder of the Armadillos group, a nongovernmental organization that searches for missing people along the border, warned that the Arizona military zone is one of the most dangerous for migrants.

    The Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range is located there. It’s an active bombing range where Ortigoza and his group once found the remains of 12 migrants, including fragmented remains that led them to believe that at least one person died from a bomb blast.

    Ortigoza said the routes migrants are traveling through the desert require between six and 10 days to reach a highway, where smugglers are waiting.

    It’s very difficult for them to survive all that time walking, because they have to carry a lot of water. We believe the most they could carry is eight gallons of water, which they’ll run out of in two or three days,” Ortigoza said in an interview in Mexico City.

    On May 21, border agents intercepted a coyote in a remote area near Lukeville, Arizona, walking through the desert with four migrants who had crossed the border that morning: a 49-year-old Cuban woman and a 27-year-old woman from Uzbekistan, accompanied by two young children.

    “Smuggling through remote desert areas poses significant danger, particularly for families with children,” Sean McGoffin, chief Border Patrol agent in the Tucson sector, said in a statement about the case.

    A new strategy: remote coordination

    The use of technology is changing the way smugglers operate, as they now prefer to send migrants on their own and guide them remotely through the desert. “Criminal organizations are selling them cellphones. They’re directing people through cellphones, giving them coordinates via WhatsApp or telling them to dial a number and then giving them directions,” Vasavilbaso said.

    “When I started as a Border Patrol agent 16 years ago, we always saw people regularly crossing with a coyote. Now that many people carry cellphones, they’re being left to their own devices. The danger of this is that they don’t know the terrain, so they have to count on having a cellphone signal to be able to make that call and also be able to understand the instructions the coyotes are giving them,” he said.

    On Feb. 27, agents detained three migrants who had crossed the border without permission at a ranch near Carrizo Springs, Texas. They were wearing rugs on their shoe soles, which is a new practice among smugglers, Vasavilbaso explained. Smugglers attach pieces of carpet to the migrants’ shoe soles so they don’t leave traces in the desert that border agents can follow.

    “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s a little more difficult when they bring those carpets,” though he said it wasn’t impossible to follow. Nevertheless, this tactic is also “a double-edged sword,” according to Vasavilbaso, because when migrants end up lost and call emergency services for help, it becomes more difficult to locate them because there’s no trail for agents to follow.

    “It’s a little late for us to be able to provide them with the help they need,” he said.

    Vasavilbaso blamed criminal groups for the danger migrants face when traveling along these inhospitable border routes: “If they cross through a more dangerous area, it’s because coyotes are taking them through those places. Those people didn’t choose to cross there.”

    A lucrative business that persists

    The desert isn’t the only death trap for migrants who continue to cross illegally. The presence of authorities at highways and border cities has led smugglers to make risky decisions and abandon migrants to their fate regardless of the conditions, authorities say.

    On March 28, two migrants from Guatemala, including a 14-year-old boy, drowned near Elsa, Texas, after the smuggler transporting them in a pickup truck drove into a canal while being pursued by authorities. The victims had crossed the Rio Grande River with a group of 11 others earlier that morning. The mother of the deceased boy, Juana Veronica Macario-Chan, who was also in the vehicle, told authorities she had agreed to pay $16,000 to be taken with her two children to Los Angeles, California, according to court documents.

    Despite the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, human smuggling remains a lucrative business for criminal organizations, which continue to charge for transporting people to U.S. territory or simply for permission to cross the border, Vasavilbaso said.

    “Criminal organizations control the border on the Mexican side, and no one crosses without their permission,” he added.

    On May 9, following a chase along the highways of Laredo, Texas, Border Patrol agents apprehended four Mexican migrants who had crossed the river as well as the coyote who had loaded them into a vehicle. One of the migrants, Omar Osiel Ruiz Gómez, told border agents he had paid $7,000 to cross and travel to Houston. The four migrants were taken into Border Patrol custody. The coyote who transported them, Humberto García, faces charges of bringing and transporting undocumented migrants to the United States. He has pleaded not guilty, according to court documents.

    On May 22, agents arrested three more migrants — two Mexicans and one Honduran — who crossed the Rio Grande River in McAllen. One of them admitted to paying $2,500 for permission to cross. All three wore bracelets indicating payment to the cartel, said Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

    In another case, a 15-year-old boy from Reynosa, Mexico, who was arrested on May 21 in Hidalgo County, Texas, while guiding a group of migrants across the river, told police that the organization that recruited him paid him $150 for each person he managed to cross. He also explained that criminal groups use geographic coordinates and encrypted messages to coordinate trips.

    The young man faces charges of human smuggling and is being held at a local juvenile detention center awaiting a judge’s decision on his case, Lieutenant Olivarez told Noticias Telemundo.

    Despite increased border security and the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies, Vasavilbaso acknowledged it’s “impossible” to stop the crossing of undocumented immigrants across the southern border of the United States.

    “Ever since man existed, there have been people who migrate. Humans will always look for a way to find a better life — I think it’s impossible to stop it, but we can have a controlled way of how people migrate,” he said.

    He also issued a warning to those considering crossing the border without papers. “Don’t take the risk, as it’s dangerous, and the possibility of being detected, detained, and returned to your country is higher than ever.”

    An earlier version of this story was first published in Noticias Telemundo.



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  • Justin Bieber shares lengthy Instagram post about ‘anger issues’

    Justin Bieber shares lengthy Instagram post about ‘anger issues’



    Justin Bieber shared a message to his followers saying he knows he’s “broken” one day after Father’s Day.

    The singer posted on Instagram June 16, writing that he knows he has anger issues and that he “tried to do the work” his entire life to be more like people who told him he needed to be “fixed.”

    “People keep telling me to heal,” Bieber wrote. “Don’t you think if I could have fixed myself I would have already?”

    “I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues,” he continued. “I tried to do the work my whole life to be like the people who told me I needed to be fixed like them. And it just keeps making me more tired and angry.”

    Bieber, 31, added the harder he tries to grow, the more focused on himself he becomes.

    “Jesus is the only person who keeps me wanting to make my life about others,” he said. “Because honestly I’m exhausted with learning about myself lately aren’t you?”

    Bieber captioned the post with a middle finger emoji, which he also used to caption most of his 18 Instagram posts he published on Sunday, June 15.

    Some of the Sunday posts included photos of his son, Jack, and wife, Hailey Bieber, with some showing the pair playing piano together, and another of Jack’s hand with a bracelet on it.

    Other posts included pictures of Bieber’s feet as he laid on the floor, and close ups of his face, including his first Father’s Day post, which he captioned: “I’m a dad that’s not to be f—– with.”

    Justin and Hailey Bieber announced the birth of their first child in August after sharing they were expecting in May 2024.

    “WELCOME HOME,” Justin Bieber captioned an Instagram post on Aug. 23, before sharing the baby’s name. “JACK BLUES BIEBER.”

    Since Jack’s birth, Justin Bieber has shared snippets into his life as a dad, including a carousel of photos posted in January showing him and his wife enjoying time outside in the snow.

    In one photo, he’s seen carrying Jack in a baby harness on his chest, though only the back of the baby’s head is visible.





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  • For some in the industry, AI filmmaking is already becoming mainstream

    For some in the industry, AI filmmaking is already becoming mainstream



    Across Hollywood, talking about it publicly can sometimes be taboo. Using it without disclosing that you did could make you the center of controversy. And protesting its use has been the norm.

    But even amid widespread vocal pushback against generative artificial intelligence, industry leaders say its use in film and TV is slowly becoming mainstream. More filmmakers are using evolving AI tools, and studios are partnering with AI companies to explore how they can use the technology in content creation.

    “It’s being used by everybody that doesn’t talk about the fact that they’re using it,” Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, said during a panel at the third annual Runway AI Film Festival in Los Angeles last week.

    Lionsgate, which is behind hits like the “John Wick” and “Hunger Games” franchises, signed a deal with Runway last fall allowing its video generation model to train on the studio’s movies and TV shows. Burns joked that AI tools are like the Ozempic of the film industry, referring to the popularity of the semaglutide-based weight loss drug.

    Burns was among hundreds — including a mix of creatives and execs — who attended the AI video company’s showcase of user-submitted short films made with generative tools. The festival, which was also held in New York City this month, ballooned from 300 film submissions in its first year to 6,000 submissions this year, its organizers said.

    While using AI in film isn’t completely new, the technology has continued to stoke concerns among creatives. AI was a sticking point during the 2023 writers and actors strikes against studios, with creatives seeking assurances that their work wouldn’t be replaced by the technology.

    Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela, however, is optimistic about AI’s impact on the labor force, telling reporters before the Los Angeles festival that history has “proven once and again” that industries can adapt to new technologies.

    AI-generated video-making has taken off even as it remains controversial. The technology has given rise to music videos to brand advertisements to nonconsensual deepfakes. Though AI videos have frequently been marked by telltale distortions, such as extra fingers or nonsensical physics, Google’s latest video generation model, Veo 3, shocked the internet last month with how seemingly flawless its outputs were.

    “There are going to be new industries” as a result of AI, Valenzuela said. “Just the hard thing is it’s really hard to understand these industries when they’re new; we have never experienced them.”

    The company has increased its presence in Hollywood in the past few years.

    Burns said the partnership between Lionsgate and Runway is an attempt to create higher-quality content for lower prices.

    “Even a year or two years ago, there was no chance that the output was going to be able to be projected on the big screen without you seeing gaps or somebody with three arms or a dragon that didn’t look like a dragon,” Burns added. “And now, today, it’s a completely different place.”

    Runway also recently reached a deal with AMC Networks, giving it access to Runway’s AI tools for use in marketing materials and TV development processes, such as pre-visualization or special effects ideation.

    All 10 of the films shown at the festival included generative video, but not all were made entirely with AI. The shorts, which were created in a variety of animated and photorealistic styles, appeared to lean into the more absurdist themes made possible by generative tools.

    One followed the perspective of a chicken on its way to prison. Another offered life lessons through a small insect’s journey. And another painted a scene of human souls desperate to reclaim their bodies after Earth’s collapse.

    Other AI companies have also upped their visibility in the industry in recent years.

    OpenAI, which is behind ChatGPT, held its own AI film screenings this year in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo to tout its popular text-to-video model Sora. The tool, launched in early 2024, stirred both buzz and panic when the company first teased its hyperrealistic generation capabilities.

    Last year, the Tribeca Film Festival partnered with Runway and OpenAI to highlight more short films that leveraged AI.

    Even some film schools appear to be hopping on the AI bandwagon. Elizabeth Daley, dean of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, said AI is being embedded in various courses, including one focused on AI creativity. She said the school encourages students to explore AI as long as it doesn’t become “an excuse not to work.”

    “We need to stay in that conversation. We need to stay in the struggle to make sure that the tools that are developed are actually the tools that writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators need to do their work,” Daley said at a panel at the Runway film festival. “And those will create other jobs. No doubt.”



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  • Infant among 3 people fatally shot at Utah carnival after argument

    Infant among 3 people fatally shot at Utah carnival after argument



    WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Three people, including an 8-month-old infant, were fatally shot at a Utah carnival after two groups got into an argument, police said.

    Police officers working at WestFest at Centennial Park in West Valley City saw the two groups Sunday night.

    “As they approached to break up the altercation, a 16-year-old male from one of the groups pulled out a gun and fired,” the department posted on X. One officer fired back but did not hit anyone.

    In addition to the infant, a 41-year-old woman described as a bystander was killed, police said. An 18-year-old man in one of the groups was also struck by gunshots and died.

    Two other teens, a 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old male, were both hit in the arm, police said. It was not clear if they were connected to the groups involved. Their conditions were not known.

    The 16-year-old was taken into custody, police said. His name has not been released.

    West Valley City, which has about 134,000 people, is a suburb of Salt Lake City.



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  • Up to $20K reward offered amid ongoing search for 2 escaped NJ detainees

    Up to $20K reward offered amid ongoing search for 2 escaped NJ detainees



    Federal officials continue Monday to search for two detainees who went missing from an immigration detention center in New Jersey last week and are offering a reward up to $10,000 for the arrest of each.

    A total of four initially escaped Newark’s Delaney Hall facility, where ICE has been holding individuals facing possible deportation, on Thursday. One was captured in Passaic on Saturday, by the FBI and ICE, and a second was taken into custody Sunday.

    Still at large?

    Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes, 20, and Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 24, both of whom federal authorities described as public safety threats, remain at large.

    Reyes, federal officials say, was arrested previously on local aggravated assault and possession of a weapon charges. The Honduran had a last known address in Long Branch, New Jersey. He has tattoos on his right arm and cheek. Bautista-Reyes allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2021.

    Pineda-Mogollon, of Colombia, overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023, DHS says. He was arrested previously on local petty larceny and residential burglary charges. His last known address was in Newark, New Jersey, and he is known to have ties to Queens, New York.

    Investigators say the four inmates escaped by kicking through a wall at Delaney Hall, a wall Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the operator did not have a permit to build.

    New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim called the construction “essentially just dry wall with some mesh inside that led to an exterior wall. It shows just how shoddy how construction was here.”

    The men ended up in a parking lot and hopped a fence. Kim says officials in charge of Delaney Hall are examining other walls that might be vulnerable.

    Local and state authorities are assisting with the investigation.

    “Additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO [be on the lookout] has been disseminated,” DHS has said in a statement. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to the locating of these individuals.”

    What is Delaney Hall?

    Delaney Hall made headlines in May after protests broke out at the 1,000-bed, privately owned facility.

    Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged in a criminal complaint with two assault counts stemming from a May 9 visit to the center. She was indicted on Tuesday; the indictment includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials.

    McIver’s attorney, Paul Fishman, told NBC News the prosecution is politically motivated.

    At the same visit that resulted in McIver’s charges, Mayor Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped. Baraka later filed a lawsuit against acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution.

    On Friday, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker joined the chorus of local officials denouncing the conditions inside Delaney Hall, calling it “a house of horrors.” Sen. Kim confirmed the reports that detainees are getting too few meals and dealing with overcrowded conditions.

    A woman who said her husband is believed to be detained at the facility said he has lost more than 20 pounds in the last month.

    “He said it hurts to lay in the beds they gave him because he’s so skinny now, they’re not feeding them,” said Rosalinda Ortega, whose husband Miguel was detained. “Yesterday I called, they said stop calling and be patient. How can I be patient when they have him and are mistreating him?”



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  • Venetians protest Amazon founder’s grandiose wedding plan

    Venetians protest Amazon founder’s grandiose wedding plan


    As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, prepare for a lavish, star-studded wedding in Venice, not everyone in the Italian city is happy about the impending nuptials.

    “No space for Bezos,” a sign read at a protest by residents who say the famed canal city is already overrun by tourists, billionaires, or otherwise.

    Protesters say their issue is with the happy couple and authorities, like Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who said he was “ashamed” by the protests.

    “We want to send a very clear message: The ones who should be ashamed are them,” protester Federica Toninello told Reuters. “They are the people who have destroyed this city.”

    Venice’s two-square-mile main island and historic center, home to about 50,000 people, receives about 20 million visitors yearly, mostly day-trippers from cruise ships or other cities. While tourism is central to Venice’s economy and cultural identity, critics say it has displaced residents and damaged historic sites.

    Venetians’ wedding wariness comes as demonstrators across Southern Europe rallied over the weekend against mass tourism. Residents protested on the Spanish island of Mallorca and in Spanish cities such as Barcelona — where tourists were spritzed with water guns — as well as in Venice and Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

    Public Assembly Against Bezos' Wedding In Venice
    “No Space For Bezos” activists display a banner on the Rialto Bridge in Venice on Friday.Stefano Mazzola / Getty Images

    Officials in Venice are aware of the problem, and last year Brugnaro introduced a daily entrance fee of 5 euros ($5.79).

    But Brugnaro and others are rolling out the red carpet for Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest person after fellow tech titans Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

    Brugnaro said Bezos had “achieved great things on a global level” and that the city was “extremely proud” to host him.

    “It is an honor that he is coming to Venice,” he said.

    Though details of the Bezos-Sánchez wedding are top secret, according to Vogue, the guest list could include celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Katy Perry — Sánchez’s crewmate on an April spaceflight by Bezos’ Blue Origin — and at least some of the Kardashians.

    In a statement to NBC News, city hall officials said regular taxi and water transports would continue during the wedding festivities, which are reportedly set to begin June 24.

    Officials said only about 30 of the 280 water taxis have been reserved, and only three or four hotels will be used for the event.

    “The city is fully accustomed to hosting high-profile events of this nature and scale, including other celebrity weddings, international summits such as the G7 and G20, as well as traditional events like the Festa del Redentore and the Venice Biennale,” the statement said.

    City officials added that “the celebrations, attended by 250 guests, will blend into the daily rhythm of a city that, with dignity and respect, welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world while safeguarding the quality of life for its residents, workers, and students.”

    “Protest initiatives are in no way representative of the majority of citizens, who are proud that Venice has been chosen as the wedding location,” the statement added.

    Venice has a long history of hosting major events, including international summits and the 2014 wedding of actor George Clooney and human rights attorney Amal Alamuddin.

    “Once again, Venice proves to be a world stage,” Brugnaro said.



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  • Shohei Ohtani will pitch for the Dodgers after a nearly two-year absence from the mound

    Shohei Ohtani will pitch for the Dodgers after a nearly two-year absence from the mound



    LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is going to be the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night against San Diego, 21 months after the two-way star had elbow surgery.

    The Dodgers made the announcement after Sunday night’s 5-4 win over San Francisco. Ohtani likely will be used as an opener as the NL West leaders kick off a four-game set against the visiting Padres.

    “Shohei is getting antsy, which is a good thing for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the team announced Ohtani would get the ball on Monday night.

    “I don’t know if it’s going to be one or two innings, but my guess is probably an inning to start. But it’s a good thing. The live, simulated, or whatever, sort of ran its course. He’s ready to make his debut on the mound.”

    Ohtani has not pitched in a game since Aug. 23, 2023, when he got hurt during a start for the Los Angeles Angels against Cincinnati. He had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018, and is recovering from right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023.

    In the second season of a $700 million, 10-year contract, he paused his pitching work after a mound session on Feb. 25 to prepare for opening day as a hitter, then started bullpen sessions on March 29 and batting practice on May 25.

    Roberts said he is excited to see Ohtani pitch in a big league game again.

    “There’s been a lot of anticipation,” he said. “I think we’ve done it the right way as far as our process, communicating with Shohei and feeling good. … It’s good for our team. Our guys are excited about this potential. And obviously, most important, I’m excited for Shohei.”

    A three-time MVP, Ohtani is hitting .297 with an NL-leading 1.035 OPS, 25 homers and 41 RBIs. A batter only last year in his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani hit .290 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.

    On Sunday, Roberts said rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki appears likely to be sidelined for a lengthy stretch. With Sasaki (right shoulder impingement), Blake Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder inflammation) on the injured list, the Dodgers have resorted to bullpen games.

    Sasaki has not pitched in a game since May 9 and is not part of the team’s long-term pitching plans this season.

    “I think that’s what the mindset should be,” Roberts said before the game. “Being thrust into this environment certainly was a big undertaking for him, and now you layer in the health part and the fact he’s a starting pitcher, knowing what the build-up (required to return) entails … I think that’s the prudent way to go about it.”

    Sasaki, 23, went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts after joining the Dodgers from the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines, averaging less than 4 1/3 innings per start. His walked 22 and struck out 24 in 34 1/3 innings and his fastball averaged 95.7 mph, down 3-4 mph from his average in Japan.

    Roberts said Sasaki was pain-free when he resumed throwing in early June, but the pitcher was shut down after feeling discomfort this past week. Sasaki recently received a cortisone injection in the shoulder; Roberts said no further scans are planned.

    “I don’t think it’s pain,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if it’s discomfort, if it’s tightness, if he’s just not feeling strong, whatever the adjective you want to use. That’s more of a question for Roki, as far as the sensation he’s feeling.

    “He’s just not feeling like he can ramp it up, and we’re not going to push him to do something he doesn’t feel good about right now.”



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  • Minnesota shooting suspect captured and Trump’s support of Israeli strikes: Morning Rundown

    Minnesota shooting suspect captured and Trump’s support of Israeli strikes: Morning Rundown


    A suspect is in custody in the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers. An NBC News poll finds most U.S. adults believe the Trump administration should follow federal court orders. And a look at how a Nebraska city is recovering after the state’s largest worksite immigration raid.

    Here’s what to know today.

    Minnesota shooting suspect arrested after he was found crawling in a field

    The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, as well as the shooting of a second state lawmaker and his wife was arrested Sunday night, officials said. The capture of Vance Boelter in a sparsely populated area capped a “two-day manhunt” and “two sleepless nights,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Sunday night. Authorities said he was found crawling in a field and taken into custody without incident.

    Boelter is accused of trying to kill Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home at roughly 2 a.m. Saturday in Champlin, a suburb of Minneapolis, before fatally shooting state Rep. Melissa Hortman, also a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, in nearby Brooklyn Park.

    The suspect was seen on security video at Hoffman’s home presenting himself at their door as a police officer, wearing a mask over his face, and using a Ford SUV that had the appearance of a marked patrol vehicle, according to a statement of probable cause.

    This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

    Police were performing a check on Hortman’s home when they found her and her husband dead, Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said last night at a news conference. During the check, officers came upon the suspect, which forced him to leave his vehicle behind as he fled.

    Inside the suspect’s abandoned SUV, officers found three semiautomatic rifles and two 9mm handguns, and an alleged hit list of other politicians, as well as those who have been vocal in support of abortion rights, including Hortman and Hoffman. Evans said the list also included politicians based in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa.

    Warrants for Boelter’s arrest include a state warrant alleging he committed second-degree murder and a federal warrant alleging he was on the run to avoid prosecution.

    Here’s what else we know, and follow our live blog for the latest developments.

    Trump’s reluctant support for Israel’s strikes on Iran

    Deadly strikes between Israel and Iran continued for a fourth day as President Donald Trump and other leaders from the Group of 7 major economies were set to meet in Canada, where the conflict will be high on the agenda. According to Iranian media, at least 224 people have been killed in the country since the strikes started Friday, more than 90% of the casualties being civilians. Follow our live blog for updates.

    Yesterday on social media, Trump advocated for talks over strikes between Israel and Iran, saying the two should “make a deal.” Even before the strikes began last week, Trump opposed Israeli military action against Iran. But in the days prior to the first attack, the president became convinced that Israel’s heightened anxiety over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities was warranted and came to accept that Israel was determined to launch strikes.

    This account of Trump’s thinking leading up to the Israeli operation is based on interviews with five current U.S. officials and two Middle Eastern officials, as well as two people with knowledge of the deliberations, two former U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations and a Trump ally.

    After the strikes began, the administration initially took great pains to say it had provided no military assistance to Israel. By the next day, however, it left the door open to the U.S. having provided some of the kind of intelligence Israel needed to mount an attack. Read the full story here.

    Poll digs into Trump’s job approval, court order compliance

    Most Americans think the Trump administration must comply with federal court orders, an NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey found. The poll shows 81% of U.S. adults say that if a federal court rules that an administration action is illegal, then the administration has to follow its ruling. The remaining 19% say the administration can ignore the ruling and continue its action.

    But the sentiment is split among MAGA supporters — 50%-50% — over whether Trump should comply with federal court orders. Meanwhile, 96% of Democrats and 87% of independents believe the administration has to follow court orders.

    The issue of whether the White House can ignore federal court rulings has become more relevant as the administration carries out executive actions, including its deportation program. Read the full story here.

    The NBC News Decision Desk Poll also found:

    55% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s performance, while 45% approve, unchanged from an April NBC News Stay Tuned Poll.

    51% approve of his handling of immigration and border security.

    55% have favorable views of the Supreme Court, while 45% view it unfavorably.

    48% say Republican Party politicians are always dishonest while 44% say Democratic Party politicians are always dishonest.

    35% blame America’s chronic health problems on the food industry, in line with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. On vaccines, 49% say they “strongly support” using vaccines to prevent diseases, contrasting Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism.

    Read All About It

    • The inventor of a device that allows the cleaning of antique watches says Trump’s tariffs on China have upended his business.
    • J.J. Spaun won the U.S. Open after a rough start, a rainy day and two pivotal shots in the final two rounds that propelled him to his first major championship.

    Staff Pick: When immigration raids come to town

    Dan Brouillette for NBC News

    Nebraska’s largest worksite immigration raid saw the arrest of 76 workers at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, disrupting operations of the meatpacking plant. Reporter Nicole Acevedo visited the city to see how it’s working to forge ahead as news of the ICE raid unleashed a chilling effect on the local workforce and community.

    This portrait of Omaha dials in on the aftermath of the raids. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he supports ICE’s actions, while John Ewing, the first Black mayor of Omaha, said he disapproves. Community members have protested and raised money to support their neighbors. In this story, you’ll see beautiful images of an immigrant enclave in Omaha (the popular Labubu dolls even make an appearance) and gain insight into the challenges some businesses face. And as raids continue across the country, this is one example of what happens when members of a community are removed. Amina Kilpatrick, weekend platforms editor

    NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

    The most important shoes in your closet this summer just might be the humble flip flop. The NBC Select team pulled together some of their favorites from Havaianas. And here’s a comprehensive list of what to buy before tariffs cause major price hikes, according to shopping experts.

    Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

    Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.



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  • Britain’s MI6 spy agency gets its first female chief

    Britain’s MI6 spy agency gets its first female chief



    OTTAWA, Ontario — Britain’s real-life spies have finally caught up with James Bond. MI6 has appointed its first female chief.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday that Blaise Metreweli will be the next head of the U.K.’s foreign intelligence agency, and the first woman to hold the post since its founding in 1909. She is currently the MI6 director of technology and innovation — the real-world equivalent of Bond gadget-master Q.

    A career intelligence officer, Metreweli, 47, steps from the shadows into the light as the only MI6 employee whose name is made public. She said “I am proud and honored to be asked to lead my Service.”

    Starmer said the “historic appointment” comes at a time “when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital.

    “The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale — be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services,” he said.

    Starmer made the announcement as he arrived in the Canadian province of Alberta for a Group of Seven leaders’ summit.

    Metreweli takes over at MI6 as the agency faces growing challenges from states including China and Russia, whose use of cyber tools, espionage and influence operations threatens global stability and British interests, even as it remains on alert against terrorist threats.

    Metreweli is the first woman to get the top job, known as C — rather than M, the fictional MI6 chief of the 007 thrillers. M was played onscreen by Judi Dench in seven Bond movies starting in the 1990s.

    She will take up her post in the fall, replacing Richard Moore, who has held the job for five years.

    Britain’s two other main intelligence agencies have already shattered the spy world’s glass ceiling. MI5, the domestic security service, was led by Stella Rimington from 1992 to 1996 and Eliza Manningham-Buller from 2002 to 2007. Anne Keast-Butler became head of electronic and cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ in 2023.

    Moore, an Oxford-educated former diplomat, fit the 007 mold like a Savile Row suit. But in recent years MI6 has worked to increase diversity, broadening its recruitment process from the traditional “tap on the shoulder” at an elite university. The agency’s website stresses its family-friendly flexible working policy and goal of recruiting “talented people from all backgrounds.”

    Moore suggested he would like his successor to be a woman. He wrote on X in 2023 that he would “help forge women’s equality by working to ensure I’m the last C selected from an all-male shortlist.”

    Like many things about MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, the process of choosing a new chief took place out of public view. It began with the country’s top civil servant writing to government departments in March asking them to put forward candidates. The job was open to applicants from other intelligence agencies, the civil service, the diplomatic service, the armed forces or the police.

    In the end, MI6 opted for an internal candidate with a 25-year career in espionage, a degree in anthropology from Cambridge University — where she was on the women’s rowing team — and expertise in cutting-edge technology.

    “At a time of global instability and emerging security threats, where technology is power and our adversaries are working ever closer together, Blaise will ensure the U.K. can tackle these challenges head on to keep Britain safe and secure at home and abroad,” said Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who oversees MI6.



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  • Americans overwhelmingly want Trump to obey court rulings, but MAGA Republicans are split

    Americans overwhelmingly want Trump to obey court rulings, but MAGA Republicans are split



    The vast majority of American adults believe the Trump administration must comply with federal court orders, though the president’s strongest supporters are split over the issue, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.

    In the poll, 81% of U.S. adults say that if a federal court rules that an administration action is illegal, then the administration has to follow its ruling, while 19% say the administration can ignore the ruling and continue its action.

    But among people who consider themselves supporters of the MAGA movement, there’s a sharper divide. According to the poll, supporters of President Donald Trump are split, 50%-50%, over whether he should comply with federal court orders.

    Democrats are almost unanimous on the issue, with 96% saying the administration has to follow court orders. Among independents, 87% say the administration must obey court orders, while 13% say Trump can ignore them.

    The issue of whether the White House can ignore rulings from federal courts has come to the fore as the administration carries out executive actions, including its deportation program, at rapid speed.

    White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller argued last month that “Marxist judges” were conducting a “judicial coup” by constraining the president’s authority when a judge ordered the release of a Tufts University student in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. Several federal judges, meanwhile, have considered whether to hold executive branch officials in contempt for what one called “willful disregard” of judicial orders.

    The issue has also arisen in the high-profile case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was deported to an El Salvadoran prison in what the government initially called an “administrative error.” The case rose to the Supreme Court, which ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return. The Trump administration held out against pushing for that for nearly two months before Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States early this month to face federal charges alleging human smuggling.

    Views of the Supreme Court

    The poll found that 55% of Americans have favorable opinions of the Supreme Court, while 45% view it unfavorably.

    Republicans are more supportive of the court than Democrats: 75% view it favorably, compared with 34% with favorable views among Democrats.

    Yet one key finding is that Americans generally don’t hold strong views of the Supreme Court right now: 11% have strongly favorable opinions, while 12% are strongly unfavorable. The large remainder rates the court “somewhat” favorably or unfavorably.

    The poll was conducted ahead of the Supreme Court’s traditional season for its highest-profile rulings, and it has yet to rule this year on contentious cases like one concerning birthright citizenship, which could affect public opinion of the court.

    The court isn’t expected to rule on the merits of whether Trump can end birthright citizenship, which has long been considered a clear right under the 14th Amendment, via executive order. Rather, the current case focuses on the power of judges to block presidential policies through nationwide injunctions.

    If the court rules in Trump’s favor, district judges would be limited from using nationwide injunctions to temporarily block an administration policy. There have been at least 39 such rulings during Trump’s second term.

    Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” last month that he has “great respect” for the Supreme Court.

    The NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey was conducted online from May 30-June 10 among a national sample of 19,410 adults ages 18 and over. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.



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