Hurricane Gil forms in the eastern Pacific but is not forecast to threaten land

Hurricane Gil forms in the eastern Pacific but is not forecast to threaten land

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Gil strengthened into ahurricanein the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday but was not expected to threaten land, forecasters said. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 1,080 miles (1,740 kilometers) west-southwest of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Gil had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 20 mph (31 kph). No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. The storm was expected to keep traveling to the west-northwest in the coming days. Gil was strengtheningduringa busy period for stormsin the eastern Pacific. Another named storm, Iona, which also was once a hurricane, was downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression as it moved far to the west of Hawaii. It, too, was not threatening land. Other storms could develop in the coming days in the eastern Pacific, forecasters said.

byAlpha World

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August 02, 2025

Hurricane Gil forms in the eastern Pacific but is not forecast to threaten land

Hurricane Gil forms in the eastern Pacific but is not forecast to threaten land MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Gil strengthened into ahur...

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The US said it had no choice but to deport them to a third country. Then it sent them home

The US said it had no choice but to deport them to a third country. Then it sent them home

By Kristina Cooke and Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration says that some serious criminals need to be deported to third countries because even their home countries won't accept them. But a review of recent cases shows that at least five men threatened with such a fate were sent to their native countries within weeks. President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally and his administration has sought to ramp up removals to third countries, including sending convicted criminals to South Sudan and Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, two sub-Saharan African nations. Immigrants convicted of crimes typically first serve their U.S. sentences before being deported. This appeared to be the case with the eight men deported to South Sudan and five to Eswatini, although some had been released years earlier. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in June that third-country deportations allow them to deport people "so uniquely barbaric that their own countries won't take them back." Critics have countered that it's not clear the U.S. tried to return the men deported to South Sudan and Eswatini to their home countries and that the deportations were unnecessarily cruel. Reuters found that at least five men threatened with deportation to Libya in May were sent to their home countries weeks later, according to interviews with two of the men, a family member and attorneys. After a U.S. judge blocked the Trump administration from sending them to Libya, two men from Vietnam, two men from Laos and a man from Mexico were all deported to their home nations. The deportations have not previously been reported. DHS did not comment on the removals. Reuters could not determine if their home countries initially refused to take them or why the U.S. tried to send them to Libya. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin contested that the home countries of criminals deported to third countries were willing to take them back, but did not provide details on any attempts to return the five men home before they were threatened with deportation to Libya. "If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, you could end up in CECOT, Alligator Alcatraz, Guantanamo Bay, or South Sudan or another third country," McLaughlin said in a statement, referencing El Salvador's maximum-security prison and a detention center in the subtropical Florida Everglades. FAR FROM HOME DHS did not respond to a request for the number of third-country deportations since Trump took office on January 20, although there have been thousands to Mexico and hundreds to other countries. The eight men sent to South Sudan were from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam, according to DHS. The man DHS said was from South Sudan had a deportation order to Sudan, according to a court filing. The five men sent to Eswatini were from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen, according to DHS. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the men deported to South Sudan and Eswatini were "the worst of the worst" and included people convicted in the United States of child sex abuse and murder. "American communities are safer with these heinous illegal criminals gone," Jackson said in a statement. The Laos government did not respond to requests for comment regarding the men threatened with deportation to Libya and those deported to South Sudan and Eswatini. Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesperson said on July 17 that the government was verifying information regarding the South Sudan deportation but did not provide additional comment to Reuters. The government of Mexico did not comment. The Trump administration acknowledged in a May 22 court filing that the man from Myanmar had valid travel documents to return to his home country but he was deported to South Sudan anyway. DHS said the man had been convicted of sexual assault involving a victim mentally and physically incapable of resisting. Eswatini's government said on Tuesday that it was still holding the five migrants sent there in isolated prison units under the deal with the Trump administration. 'A VERY RANDOM OUTCOME' The Supreme Court in June allowed the Trump administration to deport migrants to third countries without giving them a chance to show they could be harmed. But the legality of the removals is still being contested in a federal lawsuit in Boston, a case that could potentially wind its way back to the conservative-leaning high court. Critics say the removals aim to stoke fear among migrants and encourage them to "self deport" to their home countries rather than be sent to distant countries they have no connection with. "This is a message that you may end up with a very random outcome that you're going to like a lot less than if you elect to leave under your own steam," said Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. Internal U.S. immigration enforcement guidance issued in July said migrants could be deported to countries that had not provided diplomatic assurances of their safety in as little as six hours. While the administration has highlighted the deportations of convicted criminals to African countries, it has also sent asylum-seeking Afghans, Russians and others to Panama and Costa Rica. The Trump administration deported more than 200 Venezuelans accused of being gang members to El Salvador in March, where they were held in the country's CECOT prison without access to attorneys until they were released in a prisoner swap last month. More than 5,700 non-Mexican migrants have been deported to Mexico since Trump took office, according to Mexican government data, continuing a policy that began under former President Joe Biden. The fact that one Mexican man was deported to South Sudan and another threatened with deportation to Libya suggests that the Trump administration did not try to send them to their home countries, according to Trina Realmuto, executive director at the pro-immigrant National Immigration Litigation Alliance. "Mexico historically accepts back its own citizens," said Realmuto, one of the attorneys representing migrants in the lawsuit contesting third-country deportations. The eight men deported to South Sudan included Mexican national Jesus Munoz Gutierrez, who had served a sentence in the U.S. for second-degree murder and was directly taken into federal immigration custody afterward, according to Realmuto. Court records show Munoz stabbed and killed a roommate during a fight in 2004. When the Trump administration first initiated the deportation in late May, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had not been informed. "If he does want to be repatriated, then the United States would have to bring him to Mexico," Sheinbaum said at the time. His sister, Guadalupe Gutierrez, said in an interview that she didn't understand why he was sent to South Sudan, where he is currently in custody. She said Mexico is trying to get her brother home. "Mexico never rejected my brother," Gutierrez said. 'USING US AS A PAWN' Immigration hardliners see the third-country removals as a way to deal with immigration offenders who can't easily be deported and could pose a threat to the U.S. public. "The Trump administration is prioritizing the safety of American communities over the comfort of these deportees," said Jessica Vaughan, policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports lower levels of immigration. The Trump administration in July pressed other African nations to take migrants and has asked the Pacific Islands nation of Palau, among others. Under U.S. law, federal immigration officials can deport someone to a country other than their place of citizenship when all other efforts are "impracticable, inadvisable or impossible." Immigration officials must first try to send an immigrant back to their home country, and if they fail, then to a country with which they have a connection, such as where they lived or were born. For a Lao man who was almost deported to Libya in early May, hearing about the renewed third-country deportations took him back to his own close call. In an interview from Laos granted on condition of anonymity because of fears for his safety, he asked why the U.S. was "using us as a pawn?" His attorney said the man had served a prison sentence for a felony. Reuters could not establish what he was convicted of. He recalled officials telling him to sign his deportation order to Libya, which he refused, telling them he wanted to be sent to Laos instead. They told him he would be deported to Libya regardless of whether he signed or not, he said. DHS did not comment on the allegations. The man, who came to the United States in the early 1980s as a refugee when he was four years old, said he was now trying to learn the Lao language and adapt to his new life, "taking it day by day." (Reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Brendan O'Boyle and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City, Marc Frank in Havana, Phuong Nguyen and Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Kirsty Neeham in Sydney; Editing by Mary Milliken and Claudia Parsons)

byAlpha World

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August 02, 2025

The US said it had no choice but to deport them to a third country. Then it sent them home

The US said it had no choice but to deport them to a third country. Then it sent them home By Kristina Cooke and Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reut...

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James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)

James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)

James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)originally appeared onParade. James Van Der Beekhas entered a new act in his life—one ushered in by his cancer diagnosis. When theDawson's Creekstar moved to Texas during the pandemic and found himself surrounded by nature and with his children, he thought, "Man, this is life. What do I need acting for?" "I really let go of any attachments that I had to what it means to be an actor, or what my own version of success is or felt like or needs to be. And I just really felt like, 'Oh, I could walk away from this,'" Van Der Beek, 48, recalled in an exclusive interview withParade. "And then when I got cancer and I looked around at the world and where my place is in it and wanting to stay in it, I realized I love to tell stories. I really am so grateful for this opportunity to write and to act." "I joked that I'm the only guy who got cancer and said, 'You know what I've realized is I need to work more,'" he added. Van Der Beek, whowas diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023, feels he's gained not just a newfound appreciation for life. "And so I'm really looking forward to this next act," he said. As for what this new act might look like? "I think it's going to be a combination of things that I write and create and things that I'm just lucky enough to step into and join," Van Der Beek explained. "I would imagine there's got to be some comedy in there and hopefully some singing and dancing, too." Related:See the Cast of 'Dawson's Creek' Then and Now The Masked Singeralum admittedly "really, really, really" wants to do a musical one day, but for now has been busy with projects like theSidelinedsequel andElle. Months after revealing his cancer diagnosis, Van Der Beekjoined the cast of theLegally Blondeprequel series,Elle. "It was such a gift to get to do such a cool, high-profile project. That [Elle] andOvercompensating, which I got to do," Van Der Beek said. "Both were relatively small time commitments, which allowed me to stay with my family, but then I also get to go to set with these genius people and make something really fun." View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) The actor's wifeKimberly Van Der Beekand their six kids—Olivia,Joshua,Annabel,Emilia,GwendolynandJeremiah—"are the center" of his life. Aug. 1, 2025 marked the couple's 15th wedding anniversary. ForThe Rules of Attractionactor, those 15 years have taught him how important it is to evolve together. "I think there was maybe a part of me before that was like, 'Okay, I'm gonna go grow or build or deal with this thing here, and then come back and I'll be perfect. Look at this.' And what I realized is just how marriage, it's a team sport," Van Der Beek said with a laugh. "If your spouse is attending a class or reading a book, or they've read some self-help book or whatever, and they're putting everything through that lens. Read that book. Read that book. Know what they're doing and participate in it and share your own process as well. Because there's who you were before you got married, there's who you are when you get married, and then there's who you're meant to become, and this other person is there to help you discover that." When it comes to their long-lasting marriage, the Hollywood star takes it day-by-day and tries to show up the best he possibly can, but remarked that "probably the secret" is "I married the right person, really." By his own admission, Van Der Beek's cancer diagnosis has strengthened his and Kimberly's relationship. "I'm more in love than ever, and more in awe of her than ever, and how she's able to handle everything that I had to drop when I got diagnosed, and everything that she does, and just what it is to be that loved by somebody," Van Der Beek gushed. "It's really been an absolute gift." View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) The actor's children have also been a source of strength and motivation amid his cancer journey—and their hugs are "the most healing thing" Van Der Beek "could possibly get." The dad of six said, "I really feel like that's the best medicine, to be around all that love and just to see their support and to show them. You can talk about resilience. And I try really, really as best I can to teach resilience in my kids. But I think the best thing I could do is show them resilience." Related:James Van Der Beek Opens Up About How His Kids Are Handling His Cancer Diagnosis Since being diagnosed with cancer, Van Der Beek has come to discover the depth of his own resilience and strength. "In the beginning, one of the things I kept saying was, 'Man, I know this sounds stupid, but this is harder than I thought it would be,' and having been through this crazy journey, what I'm realizing is just how strong I am," he shared. Van Der Beek's also recognized the importance of asking for help, "no matter how strong you are." He said, "I don't know how anybody does this alone. And I was blessed with this amazing group of friends and family who had all been wanting to show up for me, but me trying to be Superman wouldn't let them. And so I was robbing them of a chance to show me how much they cared. That's really been a game changer, is just 'Oh I can be the guy who also asks for help when he needs it.'" To help raise awareness about colorectal cancer screenings, Van Der Beek has teamed up withGuardant Health. "One of the things I really want to get across to people is that you don't need symptoms to start getting screened. Put it on your radar, talk to your doctor," he advised. "At the time that I got diagnosed, I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I was doing sauna, cold plunge, working out, all the things and I had full-blown stage three cancer and didn't know it." While colorectal cancer is the "second deadliest cancer," Van Der Beek pointed out that it is "also the most treatable when you catch it early." TheVarsity Bluesstar stressed, "That's why it's so crucial, and that's why I'm so happy to team up withShield by Guardantto get the word out there. What they offer is a really convenient, pleasant screening option because it's just a simple blood draw that you could do at your next doctor's appointment." Van der Beek himself had a "couple of symptoms" that prompted him to go in for his screening, but "nothing like [a] big flashing red flag." After privately navigating his diagnosis for a period of time, theSidelined: The QB and Meactorpublicly opened up about his healthin November of 2024. "Fortunately, I have an amazing inner circle, and my community, the Greater Austin medical community was amazing, and nobody leaked it for a year. And so I was given the time and the grace to handle it privately for quite some time," he said. Van Der Beek's diagnosis has continued to be a process with many chapters. "I think at first there was shock, and then there was 'All right, how am I going to make this the best thing that ever happened to me?' And then you ride that enthusiasm for a little while, and then reality kicks in and then you get tired and you get scared, and then you really start to look at your own mortality," he shared. "And then eventually, where I came to was recognizing that 'Oh wow. Even with cancer and not able to do the things that I want to do, like be the father I want to be, be the husband I want to be, even if I'm just sick in bed, I'm still worthy of love' and that's a really important thing to know and an important thing to share with everybody because we all are, and I think that's one thing that I had missed in my life in just how busy and how dedicated and how ambitious I was because I had such an oddly transactional relationship with self-love." Van Der Beek noted, "I look at it and say, 'Well, maybe that's the whole reason I'm going through this is to learn that lesson of, you know, the thing of like put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others.' You gotta love yourself before you can help anybody else." Next,James Van Der Beek Is One Busy Dad: Inside the 'Dawson's Creek' Actor's Life With Six Kids James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)first appeared on Parade on Aug 1, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.

byAlpha World

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August 02, 2025

James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)

James Van Der Beek Says Cancer Reignited His Passion for Acting and He's 'More in Love Than Ever' With Wife Kimberly (Exclusive)...

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“Naked Gun” Director Limited Reboot to Only 1 O.J. Simpson Joke to Be 'Respectful': 'The Elephant in the Room'

"Naked Gun" Director Limited Reboot to Only 1 O.J. Simpson Joke to Be 'Respectful': 'The Elephant in the Room'

Paramount Pictures (2) Akiva Schaffer is directing the latest iteration of the popular police movie,The Naked Gun The comedy creator was tasked with following the franchise's storied legacy, while still acknowledging the fresh cast To do so, Schaffer said the new film needed to acknowledge O.J. Simpson's previous role in the original films The Naked Gunis making a comedic reference to all of its previous stars, including controversial athleteO.J. Simpson DirectorAkiva Schafferconfessed toThe Hollywood Reporterthat when people learned he was taking on the newest iteration of the spoof franchise, he was immediately asked about what he would do about Simpson'sNaked Guncharacter, Detective Nordberg. The late athlete starred in the 1988 original, plus the sequels in 1991 and 1994. "When I first told friends, 'Hey, I'm actually about to write aNaked Gun,' they'd go, 'What are you going to do about O.J?' So, right away, I was like, 'Oh, right. That's the elephant in the room that has to be addressed,' " he recalled for the outlet. But he confessed they only needed one joke to address audience questions. Paramount Pictures Schaffer, 47, admitted that after writing the initial joke acknowledging Simpson's character, he and the writers "never wrote another O.J. joke." The sole Simpson joke appears in the film's trailer, as starsLiam NeesonFrank Drebin Jr. andPaul Walter Hauserpay tribute to framed photos of their late parents in a police Hall of Legends. It then transitions to a framed portrait of Nordberg (Simpson), before cutting to his son Nordberg Jr. (Moses Jones) breaking the fourth wall and shaking his head in appallment. "We just went, 'Yep, that takes care of that,' " Schaffer said. "I didn't know that the joke would kill as hard as it did at our first test screening. If I had known that, then maybe I would've written other jokes," he continued. "But you want to be respectful of everything that revolves around him, so it's not something I really took glee in. We just had to acknowledge it in a way we thought was not dancing on anybody's misfortunes," he said, seemingly referencingSimpson's infamous 1995 murder trialfor the homicides of his ex-wife,Nicole Brown Simpsonand her friend,Ron Goldman. Unique Nicole/Getty for Paramount Pictures He also explained that he and the team "didn't get pushback or anything." "On the edgy jokes, people would go, 'Ooh, I don't know.' And I'd be like, 'Don't worry. The movie is going to be 85 minutes. A fourth of the script is getting cut. Anything that doesn't work is going to be cut,' " he explained. "So that's the way I made everyone relax all the time." (The film was intended to be 85 minutes long to mirror the original two films' runtimes, but is ultimately 83 minutes.) The movie, produced bySeth MacFarlane, is based on the Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and Jerry Zucker franchiseThe Naked Gun,which originally starred Leslie Nielsen as self-serious detective Frank Drebin, who managed to rise through the ranks of the police squad. In the new film, Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of Nielsen's character, as he follows in his father's footsteps. The cast includes Hauser,Pamela Anderson, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu and Danny Huston. Frank Masi/Paramount Pictures Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Naked Gunpremiered in theaters on Friday, Aug. 1. Read the original article onPeople

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August 02, 2025

“Naked Gun” Director Limited Reboot to Only 1 O.J. Simpson Joke to Be 'Respectful': 'The Elephant in the Room'

"Naked Gun" Director Limited Reboot to Only 1 O.J. Simpson Joke to Be 'Respectful': 'The Elephant in the Room' Par...

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Key takeaways from 3-day hearing on deadly D.C. midair collision

Key takeaways from 3-day hearing on deadly D.C. midair collision

Over the course of three days of investigative hearings, the National Transportation and Safety Board sought to gather more information about the factors that lead to thedeadly midair collisionover Washington, D.C., in January between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane. The NTSB heard testimony from air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army, and the families of several of the victims were in attendance. At one point on the first day of the hearings, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said of the circumstances leading up to the crash, "Every sign was there that there was a safety risk." Addressing the families, she said the hearings would be "a critical part of our ongoing investigation." On Jan. 29, aBlack Hawk helicopterstruck an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, as it was coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing all67 peopleaboard both aircraft. The NTSB will continue its fact finding and will compile a final report with determinations about the probable cause, likely within the next year. Here are the top takeaways from the hearings: Helicopter's altitude measurements showed significant discrepancies The barometric altimeter the Black Hawk crew members were relying on may have given them incorrect information, according to NTSB investigators, because the crew was calling out altitudes that were lower than the actual height at which the helicopter was flying. The helicopter and commercial airliner collided approximately 300 feet above the Potomac River, and the maximum altitude for helicopters at that part of the route near D.C.'s Reagan Airport is 200 feet. The NTSB, as part of its investigation, tested three helicopters that are in the same battalion as the one that crashed and found that the barometric altimeter for all three was off by 80 to 130 feet. Army representatives on Wednesday told investigators that discrepancy is within the accepted variability because pilots are trained to maintain their altitude at plus or minus 100 feet. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CBS News' senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave the NTSB calculated the margin of error on Route Four in that area of the Potomac to be 75 feet. The Army said it is conducting additional reviews to determine how to proceed, frustrating investigators who asked why it would not make changes to the equipment, based on the findings of the NTSB tests. In 2022, an FAA working group considered moving helicopter traffic away from the airport, but ultimately did not. Airplane pilots knew they were going to be hit Transcripts from the airplane's cockpit voice recorder show the pilots received an automated verbal warning about traffic in the vicinity approximately 20 seconds before the collision. Less than two seconds before impact, the pilots shouted in alarm. Flight data indicates the plane's pilots attempted to climb to avoid the helicopter just before impact. The transcripts also reveal the pilots of the American Airlines flight questioned the move to Runway 33. The plane was originally supposed to land on Runway 1 but was redirected by air traffic controllers to Runway 33. As it was trying to land on that runway, the helicopter and plane collided. Black Hawk pilots missed key command from air traffic controller The pilots of the Black Hawk missed a key word when communicating with the air traffic control tower, according to a transcript released during the hearings of the conversation between the helicopter crew and the control tower. Fifteen seconds before the collision, DCA Tower asked the helicopter if it had the regional jet in sight. Four seconds later, the DCA Tower instructed the helicopter to pass behind the plane. The Black Hawk's cockpit voice recorder indicated that the phrase "pass behind" was rendered inaudible because a helicopter crew member pressed the microphone key. FAA acknowledged air traffic controller did not warn airliner that the helicopter might cross its path Although it was already known — based on control tower audio from that night — that the controller did not warn the American Airlines plane that the Black Hawk might cross its path, the FAA only openly acknowledged this for the first time during this week's hearings. In a key moment from the second day, Homendy asked FAA Air Traffic Oversight Service executive director Nick Fuller if any traffic advisories or alerts were issued to the plane. He responded, "No safety alerts." Homendy then asked, "Should the local controller have let the [plane] crew know that there was a helicopter there?" "Yes," Fuller responded. Medivac pilot said presence of military helicopters in National Airport airspace makes him "uncomfortable" Rick Dressler, of Metro Aviation – which operates medical helicopters — was asked if there are units flying in the National Airport airspace that make him uncomfortable. "I don't like saying that first heli of [U.S. Air Force] from Andrews (Air Base) and I don't like saying that 12th Aviation Battalion gives us all pause in the community…," Dressler said, but "we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating." During the hearing, the Army admitted helicopters regularly flew below flights that land at Reagan National Airport. Arkansas officials reveal new details about Devil's Den murders of husband and wife The A.I. Divide | America Unfiltered Defense attorneys refuse new cases in Massachusetts, citing unfair pay

byAlpha World

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August 02, 2025

Key takeaways from 3-day hearing on deadly D.C. midair collision

Key takeaways from 3-day hearing on deadly D.C. midair collision Over the course of three days of investigative hearings, the National Trans...

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