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  • Giants’ Abdul Carter sets the goal of being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year

    Giants’ Abdul Carter sets the goal of being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year

    Abdul Carter is setting a lofty goal for himself.

    “I want to be Defensive Player of the Year,” Carter said. And he absolutely thinks he can do so right away.

    The North Philly native, who starred at La Salle College High School and Penn State, goes into his second NFL season with the New York Giants having come a long way from the edge rusher selected with the third pick in the 2025 draft and who asked Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor to wear his No. 56 — and was denied. He has visibly evolved as a player and a person since struggling through the first two months as a rookie and getting disciplined twice for off-field team violations.

    After finishing strong last year with 3½ sacks in his final five games, Carter has been a disruptive force early in training camp and could soon be an every-down linebacker and a difference-maker in all situations.

    Eagles practice observations: Defense brings the camp fire; O-line woes; DeVonta Smith and who else?

    “I know what I’m capable of,” Carter said last week at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. “I know if I put the work in and believe in myself, trusting myself, trust in my teammates, trust in my coaches, I can be whoever I want to be.”

    Carter has shown flashes of brilliance in practice, working against established starting left tackle Andrew Thomas and often beating him to the backfield. Thomas notices Carter being better than this time last year.

    “He’s using his power more, and you can tell he just has a better understanding for different types of blocks, different types of attacks, recognizing play schemes,” Thomas said, acknowledging Carter has exhibited growth all around. “He wants to be a good player, so when you have that drive, you just have to get it going in the right direction. You just learn as you go. He’s a young kid. He’s going to learn. He’s going to get even better.”

    The learning happened in a very public way. Carter had just half a sack in his first 10 pro games, got benched from the first defensive series of his 11th by interim coach Mike Kafka, who then sat him again for the first quarter two weeks later.

    Carter, who will be 23 in October, said at the time he owned his mistakes. Asked at this camp if he could tell his younger self anything, he brushed that off as not the way he thinks about life.

    “I feel like everything happened the way it was supposed to,” Carter said. “I learned from it, moved on from it, so I’m ready to go into year two.”

    What are the Giants getting from Carter in year two? Brian Burns, who’s coming off a career season in which he ranked second in the league with 16½ sacks behind record-setter Myles Garrett, sees big things.

    Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are in a competition for QB2 duties. And they’re trying to embrace it.

    “He ended the year strong,” Burns said. “I expect him to break out, pick up where he left off.”

    Carter intends to do that by leaning on the video, playbook study and practice habits he has developed. That approach fits in with what Burns and others have observed about Carter showing more maturity.

    It doesn’t hurt that Carter also has a new coach in John Harbaugh, who brings Super Bowl-winning gravitas to the job and hired Dennard Wilson to be defensive coordinator. It’ll be up to Wilson to figure out the best ways to use Carter to unlock his potential, though that’s something Harbaugh already has a good idea of.

    “Just a consistency level: down, after down, after down, all downs, all situations,” Harbaugh said. “Play the run, rush the passer, all the movements, stunts — things like that — (and) cover for guys on movements. All those things that he’s determined to do, I’ve heard him say it many times, to be a complete player.”

  • Scrolling endlessly to unwind? It could be making you feel worse.

    Scrolling endlessly to unwind? It could be making you feel worse.

    If you want to tune out and relax after a long day, you might turn to social media, online shopping, or playing games on your phone. But a new study suggests that these activities might actually stress you out more.

    Research published recently in the journal PLOS One finds that “problematic” internet users are more stressed, have lower moods, and are tempted to use the internet more than others. Researchers define problematic internet usage as causing significant distress or leading to “neglecting important areas of life like relationships or work.”

    But are people using the internet more because they’re grumpier, or are they grumpier because they’re online more?

    “It seems like we have a vicious circle,” said Andreas Oelker, a PhD student in psychology at the University of Duisburg-Essen and one of the authors of the study, which was conducted in Germany. “If you’re in a bad mood, you try to lift your mood by using the internet, but it doesn’t help very much. So you use it more and more and more.”

    Why we turn to the internet for stress relief

    The internet is full of temptations, and apps are designed to keep our attention. A Washington Post analysis showed how TikTok hooks its users by delivering an endless stream of personalized video clips. Some of those videos may be entertaining or informative, but users often spend many more hours a day on the app than they would like. And it’s hard to stop because there’s always more content.

    “You might have the expectation that you get a better mood if you watch funny videos or whatever. And that actually helps in the short run,” said Silke Müller, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen and co-author of the study.

    The problem, she said, is there are many other things on social media besides funny videos. You’re likely to also encounter stressful news or posts from acquaintances that lead to painful social comparison.

    Sometimes you might feel relief after looking at your phone, and other times you might feel worse. Researchers also noted that the more time you spend online, the more opportunities you miss for activities like sleep, hobbies, socializing, or work.

    In the study, the researchers interviewed 900 people about their online habits when it came to gaming, watching pornography, shopping, and looking at social media. Their internet use was classified as “nonproblematic,” “risky,” or “pathological.” Those who spent so much time online that they neglected their relationships or other activities had trouble controlling their behavior or kept doing it despite negative consequences were considered to be problematic users.

    Then, over the next 14 days, participants answered surveys every evening about their day, their mood, stress levels, and time online. Nonproblematic users might spend an hour on a social media app or an online gaming site, while problem users could spend two to four hours or even more. But the researchers emphasized that the time spent online wasn’t necessarily a problem if the person felt in control of their behavior and it wasn’t causing them to neglect other activities.

    The researchers found that problematic users had lower moods and that their internet use led to neglecting other activities like work, studies, or even hygiene.

    One limitation of the study is that it relied on self-reported data, which required people to accurately remember how they felt throughout the day and how they used the internet.

    Another notable takeaway is that researchers found the temptation to look at the internet was more powerful than the pleasure gained from time spent online. Sometimes it made people feel better and at other times worse.

    “I wouldn’t recommend that this is the best activity to do to lift the mood,” Oelker said.

    Why it’s hard to stay offline

    Part of what makes online games and social media compelling is that the rewards are inconsistent. Sometimes you win (you see a funny video maybe). Sometimes you don’t (you end up doomscrolling, or seeing images that make you feel worse).

    “Uncertainty is exciting,” said Ayelet Fishbach, a behavioral science professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In her research, she and her colleagues have found that people find uncertain rewards more motivating. Even though we generally don’t like uncertainty, we want to see the resolution.

    In games, uncertainty is part of the appeal. Social media has uncertainty built in, too, and it capitalizes on our human need to be social.

    “There’s fear of missing out. And there are no cues to stop,” Fishbach said. “Social media is just designed to get us addicted with every feature that is on the screen.”

    If you want to cut back on your internet use

    Fishbach and the researchers on the new study noted that there are effective strategies to try if you want to spend less time online.

    Think about what you’d like to do instead. If you’re spending three or four hours a day on social media or playing online games, decide what you’d rather do with that time. Make a plan to have dinner with a friend or take an exercise class or watch a movie you’ve been meaning to see. Moving toward something you want will be more motivating than just trying not to be on your phone.

    Put distance between you and your device. Literally. Fishbach said we underestimate how much our environment affects our behavior.

    “Checking the phone that’s already on your desk is much more likely than checking the phone that’s in your purse,” Fishbach said. “If the phone is in another room, the cost of going there just increases dramatically than if it’s in my pocket.”

    Try deleting apps or using an app blocker. There are more tools than ever to help people who want to be online less. Some apps require you to input a reason you need to open a locked app. Any excuse will work, but the point is to slow down the automatic temptation to check social media when you’re bored and force yourself to consciously decide whether you want to use it. Other devices, like the Brick, can be used to block yourself from accessing certain apps on your phone.

    “If you don’t have a problem, it’s just a recreational activity you can do like any other hobby and you might enjoy it,” Oelker said. “But if you have problematic use and neglect other activities, you might reconsider.”

  • Authorities arrested a man with ammo and apparently monitoring security at Trump golf course near LA

    Authorities arrested a man with ammo and apparently monitoring security at Trump golf course near LA

    RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — A California man carrying ammunition and with a gun in his car was arrested Sunday at President Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course after appearing to monitor security preparations two days ahead of Trump’s fundraiser there, authorities said Tuesday.

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the man was taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket. Authorities recovered a loaded pistol in his car. Law enforcement searched his home Monday and found a plethora of firearms, magazines, and ammunition, body armor, and notebooks with “concerning statements.”

    The sheriff’s department announced the arrest as Trump was preparing to arrive for a fundraising dinner for the Republican National Committee at the Trump National Golf Course in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes just south of Los Angeles.

    The 38-year-old man was arrested for allegedly carrying a concealed firearm and possessing prohibited ammunition. The sheriff’s department said the man was being investigated by the El Segundo Police Department for robbery.

    The sheriff’s department said there is “no credible threat to our communities.”

    A jury in 2025 found a man guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at the president’s Florida country club.

  • The antiaging industry has a new target: Your hands

    The antiaging industry has a new target: Your hands

    When Sharlene Velazquez bought a new car, her hands sat a little higher on the wheel than they usually did. Every day while driving to work or running errands, this new view of her hands upset her.

    Velazquez saw volume loss in her hands. Her skin was starting to thin and wrinkles appeared slowly; she wanted to do something about it.

    “My hands weren’t looking the same. My hands were not matching my face,” she said.

    She was one of many women seeking hand rejuvenation treatments to make them look fuller and younger.

    Velazquez, a registered nurse who owns a medical aesthetic practice in California, says hands can be a touchy topic of conversation. Hands can show age quickly because they are exposed to so much, including sunshine, water, and everything people touch throughout the day. As people age, their skin gets thinner, revealing bone structure and wrinkles; they can even develop sunspots or hyperpigmentation around the knuckles.

    But her clients don’t usually come in asking for hand treatments. Instead, it’s almost a ripple effect caused by the new standard of beauty for aging women.

    It starts with Botox and filler on the face, something that is completely normalized today. Studies have shown a 4% increase in neuromodulator injections (like Botox) within one year, according to a 2024 report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

    Many women notice their face no longer matches their neck and chest, and once they fix that inconsistency, they look to other places to close the gaps created by aging. That’s where hand treatments come in.

    “It’s per person, per goal because everybody is so different. It’s typically like a combination [of treatments]. Mostly women come in because of volume loss,” Velazquez said.

    Skin boosters, calcium-based filler, and microneedling are just a few treatments people seek.

    Ewoma Ukeleghe, a cosmetic and medical doctor, says skin boosters, such as hyaluronic acid, give instant results by restoring volume lost in the skin.

    “Skin boosters are a real metaphorical gateway drug to hand rejuvenation. You’re piercing the skin, which is intense. However, you get that instant payback of plump, soft, hydrated-looking skin,” Ukeleghe said.

    Ukeleghe says the conversation surrounding hands has increased over the last year. On TikTok, one of her most popular videos is about topical treatments for “dry, old looking hand girlies.”

    She agreed it’s about looking the same age across areas of the body but also part of a larger trend.

    Psychiatrist David Puder said the antiaging craze was present long before social media. What people are newly using to their advantage is these highly technical procedures, which leave them satisfied on the outside but not always on the inside.

    “You could spend a lot of money on this stuff, and our technologies are only going to get more astounding, but does it lead to lasting happiness or meaning or purpose? That’s where the question mark is,” Puder said.

    The harmful side of these antiaging trends is how it shifts the beauty industry. Some messaging on social media triggers people to think cosmetic surgery gives them value as a human, Puder explains, making treatments less of an individual choice and more a societal pressure.

    Kristin Leite, a master esthetician, said her TikTok audience expresses interest in hand care in the comments section, and the topic comes up more frequently after she posts a video about it.

    “My older gals ask about hands all the time. But once I do a video on it, people think about it, like, ‘Oh wait, let me do that to my hands,’” Leite said.

    Her golden rule for taking care of her hands is treating them like her face. This includes her daily skin care routine and rotating intensive treatment once a week, such as a chemical peel or microneedling, which has been very effective for her.

    For Leite, it’s not about promoting treatments that are specifically about antiaging but expanding awareness of skin care for areas like the arms and legs.

    “Everyone wants to look as good as they possibly can, especially for their age. Some people want to look way younger than [they are], but it’s about looking the best because then you feel your best.”

    To Puder, a social media algorithm of antiaging could be “normal.”

    “Guys will study bodybuilding for hours and watch people squat and dead lift. Some other people might study aesthetics for hours,” he said.

    Some may reach a level of obsession, causing an issue with their body image.

    Gemma Sharp, psychological science professor, sees antiaging swinging on a pendulum of principle. Some utilize antiaging treatments for self-care while others have a more excessive focus on appearance.

    “[This] can become distressing or interfere with quality of life, particularly if it is driven by unrealistic expectations or underlying body image concerns,” Sharp said.

    She said as beauty standards are ever-changing, the cosmetic industry capitalizes on features that were once ignored.

    “Rather than assuming this reflects increased vanity, it’s more accurate to say it illustrates how ideas about appearance continue to broaden and change,” Sharp said.

    So what’s next? Leite and Velazquez predict knee care will be the next trend.

    “With weight fluctuation, especially with GLP-1s, we’re losing volume and muscle, right? So a lot of people are walking around with creepy knees, and there are really no surgeries for knees,” Velazquez said.

    Maybe knees will be the new focus of antiaging cosmetic treatments. Or maybe, at least according to reality mega star Kim Kardashian’s Instagram, it’s feet.

    Kardashian recently posted an Instagram story in honor of her late grandmother, which got the internet talking. She wrote, “And for anyone that knows my grandma knows she had the most young beautiful feet in the world and she would want everyone to know lol,” with a photo of her grandmother’s perfectly pedicured feet side by side with her other famous sisters’ feet.

  • Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

    Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

    CAIRO — Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday.

    Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told the Associated Press.

    They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

    Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

    A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

    U.S. President Donald Trump is under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war that has driven up gas prices ahead of midterm elections and drawn down U.S. supplies of some munitions. In recent days, he has again whipsawed between threatening massive strikes and voicing support for diplomatic efforts.

    In an exchange with reporters on Monday, Trump reiterated his public stance that he’s opposed to tolling in the strait. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Trump said. “Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.”

    U.S. and Iranian officials confirm progress without giving details

    Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the bilateral talks with Oman are focused on “establishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.”

    “The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,” he added, in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said, “There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

    Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that it would create a “very dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

    Asked whether there would be tolls for movement through the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement.”

    The potential agreement between Iran and Oman was first reported by the New York Times.

    Cargo ship reports strike in Strait of Hormuz

    Meanwhile, a cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” in the strait off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said, without providing further information on the ship, including what flag it was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo.

    The ship sustained damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.

    In recent weeks, Iran had repeatedly attacked ships using a route running close to Oman that is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to bypass Tehran’s control.

  • The Danube River’s water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging

    The Danube River’s water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging

    PRAHOVO, Serbia — Water levels on the Danube River, the second longest in Europe, have dropped so low because of drought that the hulks of dozens of World War II German battleships are emerging into view.

    They are a curious distraction from the summer heat crisis. The Danube’s record low water levels also have forced power plants to the brink of shutting down, and governments across Central and Eastern Europe are taking steps to conserve electricity.

    In the middle of the river separating Serbia and Romania near the Serbian port of Prahovo, a rusty hull is now visible along with a broken mast where the Nazi flag used to fly.

    The ships, some still laden with weapons, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that the Germans deliberately sank as they retreated from Romania and as Soviet forces advanced deeper into Europe near the end of the war.

    Historians say up to 200 German warships were scuttled in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube gorge as they came under Soviet fire. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But Nazi Germany surrendered months later, in May 1945.

    The sight of the old warships is a reminder that the Serbian government, with European Union financial support, has long been trying to do something about them. Some were removed from the river by Communist Yugoslav authorities, but most have remained because of the explosives they carried.

    Now, however, authorities are trying to keep traffic moving on the Danube, which flows through 10 nations, as the dropping water levels create dangerous conditions. Experts have linked the unusually hot weather to global warming and other factors.

    Krsta Brandic, a Prahovo resident, said the low water levels have almost stopped ship traffic: “As you can see, the (big) ships can’t pass anymore.”

  • Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos lead $200M project to save 100 of globe’s most threatened species

    Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos lead $200M project to save 100 of globe’s most threatened species

    LOS ANGELES — Foundations funded and co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have launched an initiative committing $200 million to revive 100 of Earth’s most threatened species, including endangered lemurs, salamanders, pangolins, pigs, and echidnas.

    DiCaprio’s Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund are leading the Phoenix Species Project, the groups announced Tuesday. They call it the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.

    DiCaprio has for years been developing the idea of a major concerted effort to help species whose habitats and future existence are threatened by climate change.

    In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist who serves as the organization’s CEO, met with the Amazon-founding mega billionaire Bezos and his wife, former TV news reporter and host Lauren Sánchez Bezos. He serves as chair and she as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

    The meeting led to a series of conversations with local governments, environmental groups, and Indigenous people on how best to reverse the decline of their most vulnerable species. Those conversations eventually led to the Phoenix Species Project.

    Animals the initiative is seeking to sustain include:

    – The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar

    – The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, a lungless tree-dweller that lives only in a small canyon in North Carolina.

    – The Visayan warty pig, endemic to islands in the Philippines.

    – Mexico’s Cozumel harvest mouse, which lives only on an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.

    – The pink land iguana, found only on Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos Islands.

    – The Malayan pangolin, also known as the Sunda pangolin, native to Southeast Asia.

    – Tanzania’s pancake tortoise, named for its flat, flexible shell.

    – The starry night harlequin toad, known and named for its black-and-white evening sky appearance, found only in the mountains of Colombia.

    – Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a monotreme, or mammal that lays eggs, from New Guinea named in honor of the 100-year-old naturalist and narrator-of-nature David Attenborough.

    The project’s goals include giving long-term sustenance to successful but fleeting smaller efforts.

    “We’ve protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a budget that would never match what this species deserves, but letting it go extinct was never an option,” Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, one of the groups getting a grant from the initiative, said in a statement. “This funding, this global platform, and technical support change what is possible.”

  • Chipotle pulls jalapeños from some restaurants as health officials investigate salmonella outbreak

    Chipotle pulls jalapeños from some restaurants as health officials investigate salmonella outbreak

    CHICAGO — Chipotle Mexican Grill said Tuesday that it had removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants after determining the peppers could potentially be tied to a salmonella outbreak public health officials are investigating.

    In a brief statement, Chipotle maintained that the “health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority” — and that it had pulled the jalapeños out of an abundance of caution and “replaced them with product from different growers” in all locations where a previous common lot had been distributed.

    The company did not specify where the initial peppers came from but noted that the jalapeños in question were sent across multiple states to several retailers.

    The Minnesota Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that it was investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants — with jalapeños as the suspected source. Officials identified 110 cases in the state. Chipotle made up the majority of those where they were able to reach affected consumers for an interview — who ate at the chain between mid-June and mid-July — but not all.

    “Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well,” Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the MDH’s Health Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement.

    Medus said Chipotle had been cooperative over the course of the investigation — and that given the measures the company put in place, his department was not concerned about the chain at this time. Still, he said it was “too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing” and that it’s possible contaminated food is being served elsewhere.

    MDH noted that other states are contributing to the investigation, without elaborating further. On the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration is conducting the traceback probe — covering but not limited to jalapeños.

    The FDA on Tuesday confirmed it initiated its traceback investigation “of multiple ingredients” on July 22, in response to a cluster of salmonella illnesses identified by both state officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement, the agency said it appreciated Chipotle’s cooperation and that it would “provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update.”

    The CDC did not respond a request for further comments Tuesday afternoon.

    Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration, and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be more severe in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

    Shares of California-based Chipotle Mexican Grill plunged nearly 10% on Tuesday.

  • Runaway online rumors sparked frantic rush by migrants to the Spanish territory of Ceuta

    Runaway online rumors sparked frantic rush by migrants to the Spanish territory of Ceuta

    FNIDEQ, Morocco — It started with Instagram posts that suggested Spain’s border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coast guard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim.

    After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.

    Within hours, young people began heading toward the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses rolled into the neighboring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Regional trains filled up. Taxis did too.

    By the time authorities reacted, some 72,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration surge between Morocco and Spain in years. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede, authorities said.

    Nearly all of the surviving migrants soon returned, but the fallout from last week’s events will linger.

    Rumors started online

    In the northern Moroccan city of Larache, about 93 miles from Ceuta, three friends watched a video posted by an Instagram account called Haraga Ceuta claiming the border would be open. Haraga refers in Moroccan dialect to young migrants who destroy their identification papers and try crossing illegally into Europe.

    The post convinced Anas Amrani, Yahya Harak, and Ismail Atik that it was worth risking the journey.

    For migrants hoping to reach Spanish territory, the most common route begins in Fnideq, where many attempt the roughly 3-mile swim around the border breakwater. Others leave from the nearby village of Belyounech.

    One TikTok video mapped the exact route swimmers should follow.

    On Facebook groups such as Fnideq Bab Sebta, users shared screenshots from vessel-tracking platforms to identify moments when coast guard patrols appeared lighter. Some sought advice on using inflatable boats. Others advertised wetsuits for sale.

    “I saw online that the border was open, and I decided to go,” said 17-year-old Omar Danbor from Fnideq, walking back exhausted along the coast.

    It’s unclear who was behind the claims that the border was open or who operated many of the social media accounts, several of which were deleted soon after the crossings. The Associated Press contacted several accounts but received no response.

    The surge to Ceuta touched a political nerve in Europe, and the European Union is investigating what happened. The EU’s migration commissioner expressed concern Tuesday about online disinformation but didn’t identify a specific culprit.

    Chaos unfolded at the breakwater

    As migrants reached the shores of Ceuta, mass chaos erupted at a narrow concrete breakwater where many tried to climb onto land.

    According to multiple migrants interviewed by AP, people rushed to scramble over the slick rocks at the same time, pushing and climbing over one another. Several said they saw people knocked back into the water and forced beneath others, leaving them unable to resurface as migrants sought to reach land.

    “I stepped on the face of a dead man while I was climbing out. I hope God forgives me and all those whose bodies were found,” said Lahcen Kalouch, a Moroccan migrant who reached Ceuta before returning home distraught.

    At least 72 people died on the Spanish side of the border. Another 11 died on the Moroccan side.

    Tens of thousands of migrants have since returned to Morocco, either after being expelled or leaving by choice because of a lack of shelter, food, and water in Ceuta.

    Some misinterpreted Spain’s new migration measures

    Some migrants misunderstood recent legal developments in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s immigration regularization measures and a court ruling limiting authorities’ ability to immediately return migrants who swim into Ceuta.

    Sánchez’s recent efforts to regularize migration were meant only for people already living in Spain prior to Jan. 1, the majority of whom hail from Latin America and entered Spain legally but overstayed their visas. But some in Morocco misinterpreted his policy, believing they would be allowed to stay. That belief spread online.

    “Pedro Sánchez is a liar. He told us if we came, we would get jobs and papers, but they sent us back,” said Adam Assil, a migrant from Casablanca, even though Sánchez never made such a promise.

    While attempts to reach Ceuta are common, migration activists said this episode was different because of the way rumors snowballed online, encouraging thousands of people to head toward the territory at the same time instead of in smaller, scattered groups.

    Failures happened on both sides of the border

    Moroccan authorities said the migration wave was not spontaneous. The Interior Ministry blamed the “exploitation of the digital sphere” and “the spread of misinformation.” Officials offered no evidence but said an investigation had been opened. Spain’s government made similar statements.

    Ceuta officials said they had warned the Spanish government of a surge in arrivals before the massive crush on Thursday. The Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday that it had not received “any report or warning regarding the mass arrival of people in Ceuta,” and it praised cooperation with the Moroccan authorities in sending most of the migrants back.

    “Nobody addressed how these individuals managed to breach the border,” said Mustapha Azaitraoui, a Moroccan geographer specializing in migration dynamics. “If a large group of people can cross the border under these circumstances, it suggests a broader security issue that has yet to be acknowledged publicly.”

    Migrants reject government claims of smuggling

    Both Morocco and Spain blamed the Ceuta crisis on human smugglers and trafficking networks, saying organized criminal groups encouraged the mass crossings.

    But returning Moroccan migrants interviewed by AP largely rejected that explanation.

    “No one smuggled me there. I wanted to go of my own free will, but that country is not worth all this sacrifice,” Kalouch said.

    “There are no mafias. The border was open, and I crossed. But now I regret it,” said Danbor, his clothes still wet after making the journey back.

    The Spanish Interior Ministry said investigations into smuggling networks are ongoing and noted that Spain and Morocco have carried out joint operations against trafficking groups. The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to questions about smuggling networks.

    Several politicians and experts have suggested it would be impossible for so many to cross without Moroccan complicity. A high-ranking Moroccan diplomat appeared to push back against that.

    “It would be reductive to say that Morocco should have used force to stop the migrants,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is highly sensitive in Morocco. “We are not Europe’s police.”

    The lack of jobs is a key factor

    Morocco’s economy is projected to grow by 4.5% this year, boasting major factories, advanced ports, and ambitions to become a regional hub for the car industry.

    Yet for many young Moroccans, that transformation has not translated into stable work. Youth unemployment remains high, with 37% of people ages 15 to 24 out of work. Among university graduates, unemployment stands at nearly 20%. The dream of migration is often reinforced by stories of relatives who left and returned with cars, new clothes, and foreign currency.

    One of those who breached the border was a 16-year-old who grew up a few dozen miles from Ceuta. Europe had always seemed a dream close enough to see, yet impossibly far.

    So when he saw a post on Facebook suggesting the border was open and thousands were making it across, he joined the rush.

    Days later, he was back in Morocco, crying as he asked strangers for money for a taxi home.

    “They fired tear gas at me and beat me with batons. There’s nothing for me there,” said the teen, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being stigmatized following his failed border crossing attempt.

    “I just wanted to provide for my mom,” he said, wiping his tears.

  • Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts

    Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts

    WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche cleared a critical hurdle Tuesday in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.

    The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

    The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

    The full Senate could vote later this week on Blanche’s nomination. If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was hospitalized after a fall, does not return before then.

    Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche’s nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.

    After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

    Democrats complain about the fund

    Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.

    The order also doesn’t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.

    The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee.

    Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.

    Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.

    Cornyn said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday, adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a “stabilizing force” at the helm.

    “The Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation’s top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind,” Cornyn said.

    Blanche’s independence has been called into question

    Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department’s pursuit of the president’s political foes, and the agency’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

    But it was the settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche’s nomination, forcing a delay in the committee vote last week amid pressure from the two Republican senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill after their terms end in January.

    Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, said Tillis and Cornyn’s demands were “common sense.” Grassley said the senators’ concerns about the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and the IRS settlement were shared by many other lawmakers, including himself.

    “I’m grateful that they as well as Mr. Blanche and the White House worked in good faith to solve them, formally rescinding the fund, clarifying the scope of the release of claims has put this issue to bed once and for all,” Grassley said.

    Trump’s lawsuit has been sharply criticized because of the highly unusual way it was handled, with the president challenging an agency overseen by the executive branch he leads. A judge last month slammed the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing and referred one of Trump’s attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action.

    Blanche was an important figure for Trump’s defense

    Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump’s defense team as the Republican battled four indictments, arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. He was elevated to acting attorney general following Bondi’s failure to meet Trump’s demands to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents.

    While Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent post, he moved swiftly to accelerate investigations into Trump foes and advance other White House priorities, drawing condemnation from critics who say he has not shed his title as Trump’s personal lawyer.

    Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict longtime Trump adversary James Comey, the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

    Comey’s lawyers have accused the Justice Department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements, and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution.

    Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump.