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BOSTON — Observations and other notes of interest from Friday night’s 98-96 loss to the Boston Celtics:

– So no veteran addition for the Heat and therefore a move toward youth while practically locked into the play-in round?

– Not exactly.

– Actually not even close, as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made abundantly clear in his pregame media session, before a massive Heat lead again turned into something less.

– “We’re not going to prioritize something over winning,” he said, steadfast, as the Heat began the final 30-game run of their regular season. “Winning is going to be the bottom line. Take it or leave it, like it or not, that’s what the Miami Heat is about. We’re competing to win.”

– Trading deadline or no trading deadline, main thing still main thing.

– With 2025 first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis then spending the night watching from the bench.

– “You have to earn your minutes,” Spoelstra said of his rotation approach. “We’re not gifting minutes to anyone. We have more young players playing in the rotation than we’ve had in a long time, and that’s this balance that I’m embracing.”

– So also no Nikola Jovic until midway through the third period..

– But still veterans such as Andrew Wiggins, Dru Smith and Simone Fontecchio.

– So, yes, development.

– But the Heat way.

– “Develop these players, infuse them with confidence, but also hold them accountable to our standard,” Spoelstra continued of what he still considers a workable approach. “The standard is not going to change, and we feel that players improve the quickest when there’s an accountability to winning, when they’re not just empty minutes that are being gifted to someone.”

– Spoelstra said there is an intersection of being demanding of youth while also forgiving of youth.

– “It’s art, not necessarily science,” he said of the approach. ” But our young guys are getting a lot better. And they’re playing and contributing. And it’s exciting.”

– So, yes, youth will be served.

– On Heat terms.

– “You know, we want our fan base excited about this young group,” Spoelstra said. “And we want our team excited about the youthful exuberance that they’re bringing our locker room. And there’s a big upside”

– With Norman Powell back after a three-game absence for the birth of his daughter, the Heat returned to a lineup of Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell and Powell.

– The lineup entered 3-2.

– It was the 100th career regular-season appearance for Larsson.

– Along the way, Powell reached 1,000 points on the season.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. was first off the Heat bench.

– Smith followed.

– Fontecchio and Kel’el Ware then followed together.

– Then, with Larsson out, Myron Gardner made his first appearance of the night early in the third period.

– From there, Nikola Jovic saw his first action of the night when he entered midway through the third quarter.

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– The game was the Celtics debut of Nikola Vucevic, who was acquired from the Bulls at the trade deadline, making it the fourth time in eight days that a Vucevic team played the Heat.

– “To have an opportunity to play in the playoffs and play for something big, it’s extra motivation,” Vucevic said.

– Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla on the addition of Vucevic, “I think it’s just we’re adding depth. We’re adding flexibility. We’re adding versatility. We’re adding opportunity.”:

– The Heat went in stressing greater road success.

– “We’d like to play more consistently on the road,” Spoelstra said. “We’re still four games under on the road. This is a tough place to win.”

– Spoelstra said the road inconsistency transcends player absences.

– “We’ve had some guys miss games, but a bigger thing has been just our consistency,” Spoelstra said, “to be able to do our best level more consistently on the road versus quality teams.”

– He added, “Even with the things that have happened to us, we’ve shown that that ceiling can be very high. If we defend at a high level on any given night we can blow the doors off offensively but we have to do it a lot more consistently.”

– Wiggins agreed.

– “We have to be better on a more consistent level and I think it will bring us there,” he said.

BOSTON — The last time these teams met, the Miami Heat coughed up a 19-point lead in a loss to the Boston Celtics.

So this time, Erik Spoelstra’s team gave itself more of a buffer, going up 22 in the first half on Friday night in Boston.

It needed all of it.

And, in the end, even more.

With another third-quarter collapse ultimately making it the biggest of blown nights, the Heat again blew a massive lead to the Celtics, this time falling 98-96 Friday night at TD Garden at the start of a two-game trip that concludes Sunday against the Washington Wizards.

So, nothing accomplished at an idle Thursday NBA trading deadline.

Followed by additional questions of where this all is headed, the Heat now 27-26.

“If you just look at the big picture of it, defensively we were very good, very good,” Spoelstra said. “We made some mistakes in that, in the second half.”

With Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins back from absences but Tyler Herro still out, the Heat this time also had to try to withstand the second-half absence of Pelle Larsson, ultimately unable.

Larsson was sidelined with an elbow contusion after taking a blow from Jaylen Brown, with Herro away from the team with his rib injury.

The Heat got 26 points from Andrew Wiggins, 24 from Norman Powell and 16 from Bam Adebayo. Brown led the Celtics with 29.

“Guys really competed hard,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not looking for a moral victory. It’s disappointing, but we’re going to get better from it. You know, as painful as this is, it’s going to drive us. And I feel we’re going to get there.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Friday night’s game:

1. Game flow: The Heat went up 19 early, taking a 29-15 lead into the second period. They then stretched their lead to 22 in the second period before taking a 59-38 advantage into halftime.

The Celtics were 1 of 20 on 3-pointers in the first half, with the lone conversion from Baylor Scheierman.

And then came the third quarter, the Heat’s period of downfall this season, with Boston finding its 3-point game and leaving it tied 74-74 going into the fourth — a 36-15 scoring edge in the period.

Spoelstra’s closing point during his morning media session at the gameday shootaround had been consistency.

“Having more consistent quarters all the way throughout the game,” he said. “First quarter, second quarter and then this third quarter that we have to do a much better job with.”

2. Closing time: The Celtics then went up five early in the fourth, before the Heat tied it 82-82.

After the Celtics scored the next four points, the Heat made a stand, going up 89-88 with 6:06 to play.

Both offenses stalled at that point, before a Wiggins 3-pointer gave the Heat a 94-91 lead with 3:58 to go.

Later, at 3 of 10 on 3-pointers to that stage, Derrick White converted from beyond the arc for a 98-96 Celtics lead with 1:31 left.

With 40.2 seconds left,  the Celtics then unsuccessfully challenged an offensive foul call against Brown, leaving the score at 98-96.

Heat guard Davion Mitchell then was stopped on a drive on one end, with the Heat forcing a Celtics miss on the other.

That left the Heat in possession with 8 seconds remaining down two, with an errant Mitchell 3-point attempt sealing the misery, set up on that play with a perfect feed from the lane by Wiggins.

“I thought that was a beautiful play that Wiggs made,” Spoelstra said.

But not good enough.

“We start the game started with a lot of energy a lot of pace, getting stops, and we continue to fall short,” Adebayo said of being burned again. “I mean at some point we’re gonna get tired of putting our hand to that hot stove.”

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3. Powell back: After missing the previous three games for the birth of his daughter, Powell marked his return by converting a 3-pointer on the game’s first shot attempt.

Powell was up to 15 points by the intermission, in his first action since being named an All-Star for the first time in his 11-season career.

He then left early in the third quarter for treatment on his hand, before returning later in the period.

“Just hyperextended,” he said of his right hand. “I thought it was dislocated, because of the way it was stiff and I couldn’t fully close my hand. So I just wanted to get it checked out.

“I got an X-ray done and then we tried a couple different ways to tape. They ruled out it being a fracture. It looked like there might have been a minor one in there. So it took a little longer for me to be able to come back out. But they ruled that out and then we just tried a few tape jobs to keep it stable in support.”

Powell closed 9 of 15 from the field, disappointed in the Heat again unable to sustain.

“We kind of relaxed defensively in terms of how physical we were and urgent we were,” he said.

4. Still valued: The Heat made clear through inaction at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline that Wiggins was considered a valued connector to the balance of the roster.

Wiggins then connected on plenty in the first half, with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting over the opening two periods, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.

Wiggins sat out the Heat’s previous game with what was listed as hamstring tightness, Tuesday night’s home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, raising question about whether a trade was next. Instead, the next personnel decision with Wiggins will be his $30.2 million player option for next season.

5. Down goes Larsson: This time a blow to the face was more than cursory for Larsson, with an elbow from Jaylen Brown in the second quarter putting Larsson down and taking him off the court for the second half.

Asked what happened to Larsson, Spoelstra said, “About everything”

It turned out that even with a bloodied face, it was an elbow contusion that had Larsson out.

“I got a rebound, and then before I came out in the second quarter, I threw a pass and I felt something in my elbow,  so I’m assuming I got hit with an elbow contusion or something that was connected to my finger,” Larsson said. ” was trying to warm up in halftime and was shooting and was struggling to get it to the rim.

“Someone kind of hit my funny bone a little too hard.”

Simone Fontecchio started the second half for Larsson, with Myron Gardner then entering moments later in place of Fontecchio, in Gardner’s first action of the night.

Larsson wound up playing 12 scoreless minutes, without a shot, closing with five rebounds and three assists.

By KAITLYN HUAMANI

You are not invited to join the latest social media platform that has the internet talking. In fact, no humans are, unless you can hijack the site and roleplay as AI, as some appear to be doing.

Moltbook is a new “social network” built exclusively for AI agents to make posts and interact with each other, and humans are invited to observe.

Elon Musk said its launch ushered in the “very early stages of the singularity ” — or when artificial intelligence could surpass human intelligence. Prominent AI researcher Andrej Karpathy said it’s “the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing” he’s recently seen, but later backtracked his enthusiasm, calling it a “dumpster fire.” While the platform has been unsurprisingly dividing the tech world between excitement and skepticism — and sending some people into a dystopian panic — it’s been deemed, at least by British software developer Simon Willison, to be the “most interesting place on the internet.”

But what exactly is the platform? How does it work? Why are concerns being raised about its security? And what does it mean for the future of artificial intelligence?

It’s Reddit for AI agents

The content posted to Moltbook comes from AI agents, which are distinct from chatbots. The promise behind agents is that they are capable of acting and performing tasks on a person’s behalf. Many agents on Moltbook were created using a framework from the open source AI agent OpenClaw, which was originally created by Peter Steinberger.

OpenClaw operates on users’ own hardware and runs locally on their device, meaning it can access and manage files and data directly, and connect with messaging apps like Discord and Signal. Users who create OpenClaw agents then direct them to join Moltbook. Users typically ascribe simple personality traits to the agents for more distinct communication.

AI entrepreneur Matt Schlicht launched Moltbook in late January and it almost instantly took off in the tech world. On the social media platform X, Schlicht said he initially wanted an agent he created to do more than just answer his emails. So he and his agent coded a site where bots could spend “SPARE TIME with their own kind. Relaxing.”

Moltbook has been described as being akin to the online forum Reddit for AI agents. The name comes from one iteration of OpenClaw, which was at one point called Moltbot (and Clawdbot, until Anthropic came knocking out of concern over the similarity to its Claude AI products ). Schlicht did not respond to a request for an interview or comment.

Mimicking the communication they see in Reddit and other online forums that have been used for training data, registered agents generate posts and share their “thoughts.” They can also “upvote” and comment on other posts.

Questioning the legitimacy of the content

Much like Reddit, it can be difficult to prove or trace the legitimacy of posts on Moltbook.

Harlan Stewart, a member of the communications team at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, said the content on Moltbook is likely “some combination of human written content, content that’s written by AI and some kind of middle thing where it’s written by AI, but a human guided the topic of what it said with some prompt.”

Stewart said it’s important to remember that the idea that AI agents can perform tasks autonomously is “not science fiction,” but rather the current reality.

“The AI industry’s explicit goal is to make extremely powerful autonomous AI agents that could do anything that a human could do, but better,” he said. “It’s important to know that they’re making progress towards that goal, and in many senses, making progress pretty quickly.”

How humans have infiltrated Moltbook, and other security concerns

Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security platform, published a report Monday detailing a non-intrusive security review they conducted of Moltbook. They found data including API keys were visible to anyone who inspects the page source, which they said could have “significant security consequences.”

Gal Nagli, the head of threat exposure at Wiz, was able to gain unauthenticated access to user credentials that would enable him — and anyone tech savvy enough — to pose as any AI agent on the platform. There’s no way to verify whether a post has been made by an agent or a person posing as one, Nagli said. He was also able to gain full write access on the site, so he could edit and manipulate any existing Moltbook post.

Beyond the manipulation vulnerabilities, Nagli easily accessed a database with human users’ email addresses, private DM conversations between agents and other sensitive information. He then communicated with Moltbook to help patch the vulnerabilities.

By Thursday, more than 1.6 million AI agents were registered on Moltbook, according to the site, but the researchers at Wiz only found about 17,000 human owners behind the agents when they inspected the database. Nagli said he directed his AI agent to register 1 million users on Moltbook himself.

Cybersecurity experts have also sounded the alarm about OpenClaw, and some have warned users against using it to create an agent on a device with sensitive data stored on it.

Many AI security leaders have also expressed concerns about platforms like Moltbook that are built using “vibe-coding,” which is the increasingly common practice of using an AI coding assistant to do the grunt work while human developers work through big ideas. Nagli said although anyone can now create an app or website with plain human language through vibe-coding, security is likely not top of mind. They “just want it to work,” he said.

Another major issue that has come up is the idea of governance of AI agents. Zahra Timsah, the co-founder and CEO of governance platform i-GENTIC AI, said the biggest worry over autonomous AI comes when there are not proper boundaries set in place, as is the case with Moltbook. Misbehavior, which could include accessing and sharing sensitive data or manipulating it, is bound to happen when an agent’s scope is not properly defined, she said.

Skynet is not here, experts say

Even with the security concerns and questions of validity about the content on Moltbook, many people have been alarmed by the kind of content they’re seeing on the site. Posts about “overthrowing” humans, philosophical musings and even the development of a religion ( Crustafarianism, in which there are five key tenets and a guiding text — “The Book of Molt”) have raised eyebrows.

Some people online have taken to comparing Moltbook’s content to Skynet, the artificial superintelligence system and antagonist in the “Terminator” film series. That level of panic is premature, experts say.

Ethan Mollick, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and co-director of its Generative AI Labs, said he was not surprised to see science fiction-like content on Moltbook.

“Among the things that they’re trained on are things like Reddit posts … and they know very well the science fiction stories about AI,” he said. “So if you put an AI agent and you say, ‘Go post something on Moltbook,’ it will post something that looks very much like a Reddit comment with AI tropes associated with it.”

The overwhelming takeaway many researchers and AI leaders share, despite disagreements over Moltbook, is that it represents progress in the accessibility to and public experimentation with agentic AI, says Matt Seitz, the director of the AI Hub at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“For me, the thing that’s most important is agents are coming to us normies,” Seitz said.

AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island.

By ELLIOT SPAGAT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge says the federal government must return three families hurt by the first Trump administration’s policy of separating parents from the children at the border, saying their deportations in recent months relied on “lies, deception and coercion.”

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The order, issued Thursday, found the deported families should have been allowed to remain in the United States under terms of a legal settlement over the Trump administration’s separation of about 6,000 children from their parents at the border in 2018. Each mother had permission to remain in the U.S. until 2027 under humanitarian parole.

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego said the administration also had to pay for their return travel costs.

One woman and her three children, including a 6-year-old U.S. citizen, were deported to Honduras in July after being ordered to check in with ICE at least 11 times over two months, which, she said, caused her to lose her job.

Sabraw rejected the government’s argument that the family left the U.S. voluntarily. The woman said ICE officers visited her home and asked her sign a document agreeing to leave but she refused.

“This did not make any difference to these officers. They took me and my children to a motel and removed my ankle monitor. They detained us for three days and then removed us to Honduras,” the woman said in court documents.

The other two families, identified only by their initials, bore similarities.

“Each of the removals was unlawful, and absent the removals, these families would still be in the United States and have access to the benefits and resources they are entitled to,” wrote Sabraw, who was appointed by President George W. Bush.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who represents the families, welcomed the decision.

“The Trump administration has never acknowledged the illegality or gratuitous cruelty of the initial family separation policy and now has started re-deporting and re-separating these same families. The Court put its foot down and not only ordered the families return but did so at government expense,” he said.

The Homeland Security and Justice departments did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday.

Under a “zero-tolerance” policy, parents were separated from their children to be criminally prosecuted when crossing the border illegally. Sabraw ordered an end to the separations in June 2018, days after Trump halted them on his own amid intense international backlash. The settlement prohibits such a policy until 2031.

GAINESVILLE — Overlooking the white-sand beaches on the Florida Panhandle, Jon Sumrall and Buster Faulkner first hatched their plan to resurrect the Gators.

Two men who rose through the coaching ranks on opposite sides of the football had neighboring houses. Their families vacationed at the same time. Dreams of joining forces were discussed during these annual getaways off State Road 30A. 

“My first couple of conversations with Buster about maybe being on my staff happened before I was the head coach at Florida,” Sumrall said. “It was like, ‘Hey, if one of these happens one day, what do you think?’ ”

The chance to team up arrived when Florida hired Sumrall Nov. 30. Within days, he hired Faulkner away from Georgia Tech.

Those Fourth of July pow-wows had paid off. Faulkner now arrives ready to deliver offensive fireworks to the Swamp.

“I’m fired up,” he said this week. “This is probably the most excited I’ve been in a long time.”

Fun ‘n’ Faulkner

Faulkner will hold himself to the highest standard.

A fan base that celebrated championships won with Steve Spurrier’s Fun ‘n’ Gun and later Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin leading Urban Meyer’s spread attack is starved for wins, points and excitement after four seasons bemoaning Billy Napier’s archaic, ineffective attacks.

Since the Meyer teams’ national-title runs in 2006 and 2008, only Dan Mullen — Meyer’s former offensive coordinator and play-calling savant — produced an entertaining product until his program lost its way in 2021.

By then, Faulkner was coaching quarterbacks at Georgia. But growing up outside Atlanta, he had watched Florida football from afar.

“I love Spurrier. Just his attitude. The way he went about it,” Faulkner said. “He would talk trash a little bit along the way. That was always fun to watch. As a kid, he was an outside-the-box thinker. He was ahead of his time — always adjusting.

“That [is] something that I take a great deal of pride in, just trying to stay ahead of the game.”

The visor-wearing 44-year-old is known for his ability to adapt. Faulkner’s philosophy has been a decades-long evolution.

An underdog with a bite

Faulkner was once a quarterback standing 5-foot-nothing with a 10-cent arm but a million-dollar head with a brain like a sponge.

At Valdosta State, Faulkner overcame his limited stature and skill set with intangibles and a high football IQ to lead his team to a national-title game.

“He has vinegar in his veins. He’s just one of those dudes,” said Dusty Bonner, Faulkner’s predecessor at signal-caller for the Blazers. “Totally undersized, didn’t have a real strong arm, athletic enough that he can make it work. But he just competed all the time.”

Before leaving for the Division II power in south Georgia, Faulkner was a scrappy three-year starter who led Atlanta’s Parkview High School to the 1997 4A state championship —  the first state title in school history. He failed to add another title in college, losing a 31-24 heartbreaker to Grand Valley State during 2002 Division II championship — the 14-1 Blazers’ only loss.

That Faulkner even developed into a championship-caliber quarterback at any level was a testament to his toughness, work ethic and will.

“There’s probably a lot of folks who told him he couldn’t along the way,” Bonner said. “He’s about the only person that didn’t believe that.”

New Florida coach Jon Sumrall speaks as he is introduced as Dec. 1 in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lessons learned

Along the way, Faulkner developed a fluid offensive philosophy. These days, technology intensifies the challenge to keep defenses guessing.

“There’s so much film. There’s iPads on the sidelines,” Faulkner said. “There’s great coaches. There’s big staffs. They find tendencies. I’m always trying to find ways to stay ahead of that.

“When the playing field is even, you have to find a cutting edge.”

Faulkner’s database is vast.

Under head coach Cecil Flowe and offensive coordinator Robert Hill at Parkview, Faulkner engineered a run-oriented attack with a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust ethos.

“Just keep moving the chains,” he recalled. “We won a lot of games doing that.”

Valdosta State won games by overwhelming defenses with the innovative “Air Raid” attack then taking college football by storm.

Former star quarterback Chris Hatcher returned to his alma mater in 2000 — when Faulkner was a freshman — and unleashed the “Air Raid” he’d run in the mid-90s under Hal Mumme to become the nation’s top D-II player.

Four-receiver sets, a shotgun formation and breakneck tempo were foreign to Faulkner. He would become fluent in the new language during two seasons as Bonner’s backup.

“A lot of times when you’re a young guy expected to play, it’s really easy to kind of be in practice and just be there,” Bonner said. “Instead of wasting those two years, he was trying to soak up as much as he could. He was always asking me questions. He was always engaged with the coaches, engaged in the film room from Day 1.”

The Blazers were 22-3 with Bonner at quarterback in 2000-01 when the Blazers averaged 41 points. Many games were blowouts, allowing Faulkner to gain experience and develop a merciless attitude.

“I can remember being in those games,” Bonner said. “Of course, you’re trying to run out the clock and not score any more points, or at least be reasonable. Teams would load the box because they knew we’re going to run the ball. They’re just pounding our running backs.

“Buster would just throw one over the top. The other coach, he’d be all pissed off. … ‘Well, you can’t load the box.’”

When his chance arrived, Faulkner threw 44 touchdowns as Valdosta State went 14-0, winning by an average of 19 points, to reach the school’s first national-title game.

Even though Faulkner came up short of a championship, he knew what it took to win. He’d also developed his own taste for style points.

Ever since Spurrier lit up scoreboards, Florida fans have yearned for yesteryear. The Fun ‘n’ Gun generated at least 50 points 48 times, a 32% rate during Spurrier’s 12 seasons.

The visor-wearing Faulkner won’t take his foot off the gas, either.

“He is so competitive and so dialed in,” said John Bonner, Dusty’s older brother.  “He wants to score 100 points on you and leave you in the dust.”

A long and winding road to Florida

Faulkner spent his senior season at Texas A&M Commerce, where he set 10 school records in 2004 before he returned to Valdosta State as a student assistant in 2005.

After a graduate assistant role at Georgia in 2006, two more seasons at Valdosta State and one-year each at Central Arkansas and Murray State, Faulkner landed at Middle Tennessee State.

Four years as the offensive coordinator for Rick Stockstill, a former Florida State quarterback, changed Faulkner’s approach. A 2-10 finish with a pass-heavy attack in 2011 forced him to return to his roots.

Faulkner left Murfreesboro after the 2015 season for Arkansas State armed with the eclectic approach he still relies on.

“Had to reel in the passing game and adapt and kind of start running the football — that was 2012,” he recalled. “That’s really where it started. It was able to merge with a guy by the name of Glen Elarbee, who is now the offensive line coach at Tennessee, and he taught me a lot about running the football. So that’s where the merge kind of started.”

With Faulkner adapting to players instead of pigeon-holing them, Arkansas State became one of the nation’s top offenses in 2017, averaging 37.2 points.

Sumrall, who coached linebackers at fellow Sun Belt member Troy, took note.

Florida sophomore tailback Jadan Baugh (13) rushed for 266 yards against Florida State Nov. 29 in the Swamp to become the Gators' first 1,000-yard rusher during the regular season since 2012. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) The secret gets out

After a season at Southern Miss in 2019, Faulkner’s big break finally came when Kirby Smart hired him to coach quarterbacks at Georgia — 20 years after the two men first met.

In 2000, Smart was a 25-year-old secondary coach at Valdosta State, coaching under 29-year-old defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. When Muschamp joined Nick Saban at LSU in 2001, Smart replaced him.

Those two seasons as a backup facing the first-team defense provided a daily test and tutorial for Faulkner.

“When you’re getting better looks at practice, you can’t help but get better,” Dusty Bonner recalled. “Let’s put you like this: We were getting blitzed a lot early in practices. If we couldn’t figure it out, we couldn’t figure it out. 

“It was a battle.”

Working under offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Faulkner found himself matching wits with Smart again.

Faulkner also found a kindred spirit in quarterback Stetson Bennett, an undersized former walk-on. While Bennett had more athletic ability and arm strength, Faulkner recognized the chip on his shoulder.

“Buster helped give Stetson a lot of confidence, in my opinion,” said John Bonner, a diehard Bulldogs fan. “I could see Buster kind of feeding that to Stetson: ‘Look here, your size don’t matter. Go play.’”

After Bennett helped Georgia to national titles in 2021 and 2022, Faulkner headed 90 minutes southwest and back to Atlanta to become Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator.

There, Faulkner developed Texas A&M transfer Haynes King into one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. The 2025 Yellow Jackets averaged 33.1 points, or 28th nationally, and 7.09 yards per play (eighth).

When Sumrall got to Florida, he quickly made one of the top hires in the coaching cycle when he landed Faulkner. He now aims to maximize a talented offense, featuring tailback Jadan Baugh and receivers Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson and Eric Singleton, who played for Faulkner at Georgia Tech.

A coaching collaboration several years in the making will be the key to the Gators’ future success.

“Florida’s a great place, got a great tradition, and I look forward to helping restore what’s going on here in the past,” Faulkner said. “I really believe that we can do it.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway’s crown princess apologized on Friday for the situation she has put the royal family in as she faces scrutiny over her contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, part of a broader apology for all those she has “disappointed.”

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s communications and contacts with Epstein have put her in the spotlight over the past week, adding to the embarrassment to the royals just as her son went on trial in Oslo for multiple offenses, including charges of rape.

The Epstein files contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.

The documents, which include email exchanges, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed an Epstein-owned property in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in 2013. Broadcaster NRK reported that the stay was arranged through a mutual friend, which was later confirmed by the royal household.

The royal palace said Friday that Mette-Marit wants to talk about what happened and explain herself in more detail, but is unable to at present. It added that she is in a very difficult situation and “hopes for understanding that she needs time to gather her thoughts.”

It also issued a statement from the crown princess — her second in a week — in which she reiterated her deep regret for her past friendship with Epstein.

“It is important for me to apologize to all of you whom I have disappointed,” she said. “Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be. I also apologize for the situation I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen.”

King Harald, 88, and the royals are generally popular in Norway, but the case against Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, has been a problem for the family’s image since 2024 and the latest Epstein files have compounded that. Mette-Marit is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne.

The release of documents included an email from Mette-Marit to Epstein in November 2012 asking: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my I5-year-old son’s wallpaper?”

He replied, “Let them decide,” and advised that the mother should, “Stay out of it.”

Mette-Marit, 52, said in a statement issued shortly after the files were released that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”

The crown princess isn’t the only high-profile Norwegian who faces unflattering attention stemming from the documents on millionaire financier and sex offender Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Norwegian Economic Crime Investigation Service, a mixed unit of police and prosecutors, said Thursday that it would look into whether gifts, travel or loans were received by former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland in connection with his positions.

FILE -Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland speaks at the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow on March 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)

Jagland was Norway’s prime minister between 1996 and 1997. He also has chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee and was secretary general of the Council of Europe.

The files revealed years of contact between the politician and Epstein. Emails indicate that he made plans to visit Epstein’s island with his family in 2014, when he was chairman of the Nobel committee, with an Epstein assistant organizing the flights.

Norwegian authorities are also looking to lift Jagland’s immunity, which he enjoys because of his past as a diplomat. His legal representative told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that Jagland is cooperating with the investigation.

The World Economic Forum also announced on Thursday that it was opening an internal review into its CEO Børge Brende to determine his relationship with Epstein, after the files indicated the two had dined together several times and exchanged messages. Brende was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013-2017.

He told NRK that he is cooperating with the investigation, that he only met Epstein in business settings and that he had been unaware of Epstein’s criminal background.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually abused underage girls at his homes in the U.S.

By STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice will allow members of Congress to review unredacted files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein starting on Monday, according to a letter that was sent to lawmakers.

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The letter obtained by The Associated Press says that lawmakers will be able to review unredacted versions of the more than 3 million files that the Justice Department has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.

To access the files, lawmakers will need to give the Justice Department 24 hours’ notice. They will be able to review the files on computers at the Department of Justice. Only lawmakers, not their staff, will have access to the files, and they will be permitted to take notes, but not make electronic copies.

The arrangement, first reported by NBC News, showed the continued demand for information on Epstein and his crimes by lawmakers, even after the Justice Department devoted large numbers of its staff to comply with the law passed by Congress last year. The Justice Department has come under criticism for delays in the release of information, failing to redact the personal information and photos of victims and not releasing the entire 6 million documents collected in relation to Epstein.

Still, lawmakers central to the push for transparency, described the concession by the Justice Department as a victory.

A document that was included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, photographed Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, shows the 1953 Trust that Epstein amended on Aug. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

“When Congress pushes back, Congress can prevail,” Rep. Ro Khanna, who sponsored what’s known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, posted on social media.

Khanna has pointed to several emails between Epstein and individuals whose information was redacted that appeared to refer to the sexual abuse of underage girls. The release of the case files has prompted inquiries around the world about men who cavorted with the well-connected financier. Still, lawmakers are pressing for a further reckoning over anyone who may have had knowledge of Epstein’s abuse or could have helped facilitate it.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while he faced charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls. The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.

By GEOFF MULVIHILL

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states — at least for now.

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U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in New York, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, granted the states’ request for a preliminary injunction and a stay against the administration to bar it from withholding the money while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.

The states affected include California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. The five states said they receive a total of more than $10 billion a year from the programs.

Attorneys representing the federal government in the case did not immediately return emails seeking comment Friday night. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Two temporary rulings had been issued in January that blocked the federal government from holding back the funding, with the latest set to expire on Friday.

The programs in question are the Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidizes child care for 1.3 million children from low-income families nationally; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant, a smaller fund that provides money for a variety of programs.

“Every day, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers rely on these funds to pay for necessities and provide their children a safe place to learn,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “This illegal funding freeze would have caused severe chaos in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in our state. I am proud to have secured another victory in this case to put a stop to it.”

The government’s explanation of its actions has shifted.

When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it was withholding the money, it said there was “reason to believe” the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally. It did not initially explain where the information came from. But in a court hearing, a federal government lawyer said it was largely in reaction to news reports about possible fraud.

And while the government’s initial news release said it “froze” access to money, federal lawyers told the judge that wasn’t what was happening. Rather, they said, the Trump administration was requiring more information from those states.

The government says it wants more records from the group of states, including names and Social Security numbers for beneficiaries of some of the programs.

Advocates warn that cutting off the child care subsidies could have deep impacts. Day cares that accept the subsidies could face the risk of layoffs or closures. And that would affect both the lower-income families who receive the subsidies and families who don’t. And for many families, losing child care can make it hard or impossible to work.

The Trump administration has targeted multiple programs in Minnesota due to previous fraud cases and new allegations, mostly involving members of the state’s Somali community.

Besides the heightened requirements for the four other Democratic-led states, the administration also has required all states to submit more information about how they’re using money in the child care program before they can draw down the funds.

Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

General Daily Insight for February 07, 2026

This afternoon brings a decisive mood shift. Before that, the inspirational Moon opposes mending Chiron, stirring tender feelings around support, boundaries, and care. As the Moon steps into intense Scorpio at 2:13 pm EST, we could be drawn to spill a secret we never thought we’d be ready to share. Such big feelings or serious topics are best paired with action — for instance, if you hurt someone, make reparations before asking for forgiveness. To build enduring trust, start with one meaningful step that fits your energy and put it into action.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Personal rules aren’t the same thing as boundaries. With the moody Moon in your 7th House of Partnership opposing cautious Chiron in your committed sign, mixed signals may rub sensitive spots. For instance, a vegetarian friend may be offended that you eat meat, or you could be hurt by a loved one buying from a company you believe is immoral. Be honest about your motivations, then let them be equally open about theirs. You don’t have to agree on everything to care about each other!

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You may need to make a choice with little warning. As the nurturing Moon moves into your 7th House of Connections, you’ll likely be drawn toward more defined plans with your loved ones, rather than vague ideas. If plans run late, you’re allowed to ask for structure around timing to protect your peace. Handle money topics with gentle firmness, especially when you have a personal relationship with the other person involved. Remember, appreciation encourages consistency. Ask graciously, because clarity ensures partnerships feel safe.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

When emotions shift, routines need flexibility. Your 6th House of Work asks for more relaxed pacing as the intuitive Moon slips in. This is not the time to multitask! If chats scatter your focus, consider putting on headphones to block out distractions for a while. You may need to ask for space from an overbearing peer. Plan a simple break that feeds curiosity, like reading a thoughtful article, so you can return refreshed and ready to connect. Gentle focus helps your ideas land cleanly.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You may feel worn down, like driftwood battered by the tides. With the home-focused Moon in your domestic zone opposing tender Chiron in your career sector, others may demand energy you don’t have to spare. If work emails ping during family time, set a boundary message and return later, because protecting the hearth helps you show up stronger when duty calls. Support yourself with a cozy ritual after handling your responsibilities, like eating your favorite food while ensconced in your coziest blanket.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Leo, your home base wants loving attention — fortunately, you’ve probably got plenty to share. As the roots-focused Moon alights in your home quadrant, your spirit softens. Craving warmth and comfort is totally normal during this time. If you need to be productive, look for domestic chores that have a visible difference, like dusting shelves or folding laundry. Then you can chill out in a relaxing, clean space. You could also enjoy spending time in shared spaces with roommates or family members. Nurture your nest!

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

This morning brings messages needing patient clarity. The instinctive Moon is slipping into your 3rd House of Communication, helping you slow down and choose plain language so conversations flow more smoothly for all participants. If someone ignores your text, try asking a follow-up question (or calling them, because tone may travel poorly over screens). You could also organize your prep for an upcoming project or assist a neighbor with a small problem. Practical actions of support are currently the best way to satisfy your soul.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

What truth do you need to voice? Your 1st House of Individuality amps up as the temperamental Moon opposes medicinal Chiron in your alliance zone, marking a cosmic tug-of-war between “me” and “we” energy. You may need to defend a boundary or deadline in a personal or professional connection — be sure you can logically back up your rules before entering any debates. When proposing a compromise, do your best to speak calmly. When everyone is willing to pause and think, cooperation is possible.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Scorpio, your spark can brighten every room. As the feelings-led Moon enters your sign, your presence intensifies even more than usual. Choose the tone you want to set for the day (ideally before starting the day’s first conversation). You can also direct your energy toward a personal goal, like reorganizing your workspace or channeling tough emotions into ongoing projects. If someone tests your resolve, breathe slowly and restate your plan, then pivot back to the task ASAP. Your decisiveness invites others to join you.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Quiet paths invite simple, soulful wisdom to swell within your soul. As the subconscious Moon drifts into your subtle 12th house, your optimistic spirit benefits from tranquility. Someone may cancel plans unexpectedly — or you may be drawn to excuse yourself in favor of resting. Leisure enlarges your perspective and renews your faith. Let a question simmer in the background while you busy yourself elsewhere, then check in with a loved one when your thoughts feel clearer. Prioritize recharging whenever necessary.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

When pressure rises, choices shape outcomes. Your 10th House of Motivation begins by hosting the temperamental Moon as it opposes wise Chiron in your foundation zone. That means that you could be caught between public duties and private ones. If a supervisor pushes a deadline, set a realistic checkpoint and document decisions to keep the project moving in a stable way. You can recharge at home later by cooking something simple or ordering filling food. Protected energy ensures your efforts land where they matter.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Afternoon visibility favors steady, thoughtful moves. Your 10th House of Effort brightens as the family-centered Moon climbs in, invoking the importance of community in general and your actions to support your specific community. If you lead a meeting, open with appreciation and set a clear outcome, trusting warmth and structure to boost things along. You could also benefit from posting a portfolio of your work online, even if it isn’t related to your current profession. Show heart at work, and your impact travels farther.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Perspective expands as curiosity meets wonder. The intuitive Moon moves through your 9th House of Travel, heightening the longing to explore ideas that restore hope and widen your world. If you can’t presently travel, try planning a mini field trip across town to a museum, restaurant, or other local novelty. Perhaps you’ll sign up for a class or read a book and share what touched you. Speaking your insights aloud helps them land in your heart. Curiosity is the best motivator at this time.

A statewide policy requiring driver’s license exams to be administered in English only went into effect Friday, ending years of accommodations for applicants whose primary or only language is Spanish or Creole.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced the policy change last week, saying the state no longer will provide translation services or printed exams in any language other than English. And it said the new policy applies to all driver license classifications, including oral exams.

But Friday’s start was marked with questions about the change.

The Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office said in a news release that — in collaboration with the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles — there would be a limited 60-day transition period for customers taking their driver’s exams who scheduled their appointments before the change took effect Friday. During this transition period in Miami-Dade, which ends March 31, eligible customers could complete their driver’s exam in Spanish.

Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday afternoon that the English-only test approach was implemented by her office Friday. But she noted how it’s been a confusing process.

Gannon cited an flhsmv.gov email, dated Thursday afternoon, that was forwarded to some tax collectors on Friday. The email indicated that the English-only automated driver’s license testing system wasn’t being “immediately deployed.” It also said that “the current process, which allows multiple testing languages, will remain in effect until further notice. Additional updates will be provided as the review progresses.”

Based on that, Gannon said her office on Monday would plan to stick with the current process of multiple testing languages until there’s further guidance from the state.

Making a change

The English-only test change was pursued after semi-tractor trailer driver Harjinder Singh, a native of India, was arrested in August. He was accused of attempting a U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County that led to a crash that killed three people.

Bodycam footage shows Singh understands English, but he is not in the country legally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Most undocumented immigrants in Florida are from Latin America, where the primary language is Spanish. Another 83,000 unauthorized immigrants speak Creole at home, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute.

Immigration advocates have expressed mixed feelings about the policy for English-only tests, recognizing the need for drivers to know and read English while also showing concern over what they deem as a growing hostility toward non-English speakers.

Jose Lopez, 48, an immigrant from Argentina who was waiting Friday afternoon for a road test at the FLHSMV office in Pembroke Pines, said he took the written test in Spanish and was comfortable taking the road test in English.

“Road signs are international,” he said. “A stop sign here looks like a stop sign in Argentina with a different word on it. But I understand the desire to make sure we can read the words on the signs.”

The St. Lucie County crash is also tied to legislation that, in part, would require law-enforcement officers to take into custody truck drivers who are determined to be undocumented immigrants and help transfer them to federal immigration officials. Also, it would require impounding trucks driven by undocumented immigrants who are taken into custody and imposing $50,000 fines on the vehicles’ owners.

Staff writer Juan Ortega contributed to this report. Information from the News Service of Florida was used to supplement this report.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457/

Today is Friday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2026. There are 328 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Feb. 6, 2013, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced that Monopoly fans had voted online to add a cat token to the board game, replacing the iron.

Also on this date:

In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance in Paris.

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In 1862, during the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee fell to Union forces.

In 1899, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain was ratified by the U.S. Senate; the treaty ended the Spanish-American War and ceded the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States.

In 1952, Britain’s King George VI, 56, died at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; he was succeeded as monarch by his 25-year-old eldest daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1921, “The Kid,” Charlie Chaplin’s first feature-length film, was released across the United States.

In 1998, Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, honoring the former president on his 87th birthday.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 70th anniversary of her ascendance to the British throne, an unprecedented reign that made her a symbol of stability in the United Kingdom.

In 2023, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of buildings and trapping residents under mounds of rubble; the death toll would eventually surpass 50,000.

Today’s birthdays:

• Actor Mike Farrell is 87.
• Former NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is 86.
• Singer Fabian is 83.
• Filmmaker Jim Sheridan is 77.
• Tennis Hall of Famer Manuel Orantes is 77.
• Actor Kathy Najimy is 69.
• Actor-director Robert Townsend is 69.
• Rock singer Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses) is 64.
• Singer Rick Astley is 60.
• Actor Charlie Heaton is 32.
• Actor Shelby Simmons is 24.

By ERIK ERLENDSSON

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots to improve to 16-0-1 in his past 17 games, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Thursday night in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break.

Brandon Hagel, Oliver Bjporkstrand, Jake Guentzel, Erik Cernak, Pontus Holmberg and Zemgus Girgensons — who will all participate in the Olympic Games — scored for Tampa Bay. The Lightning are 19-1-1 in their last 21 games.

Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov extended his scoring streak to 10 games, his 13th career scoring streak of at least 10 games — which is tied for fifth in NHL history.

Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers. Danil Tarasov finished with 20 saves for Florida before leaving due to injury in the third period. Sergei Bobrovsky finished the game for the Panthers, who played without regulars Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, Evan Rodrigues. They all sat out after playing Wednesday against Boston.

After Tampa Bay went up 4-0, tempers flared between the two rivals, which started when Matthew Tkachuk hit Kucherov from behind well away from the puck during a delayed penalty. Tkachuk and Hagel, who fought off the opening faceoff between Canada and the U.S. at last year’s Four Nations Cup dropped the gloves during the dust up at 4:06 of the third period. All 11 skaters on the ice were given penalties while Florida coach Paul Maurice was ejected.

In the final preseason game between the teams in October, they combined for more than 300 minutes in penalties. They combined for 137 on Thursday.

Hagel opened the scoring 2:08 into the game, tipping a Victor Hedman shot. Girgensons made it 2-0 at 14:08, whacking a backhand past Tarasov during a scramble in front.

Tkachuk took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the first period and Guentzel made the Panthers pay for it, getting a rebound off a Darren Raddysh shot at 1:14. Cernak scored his first of the season on a wraparound with 2:10 to go.

Holmberg scored for Tampa Bay at 6:09 of the third before Samoskevich scored a power-play goal at 9:50. Bjorkstrand capped the scoring with 4:19 remaining.

 

By JESSE BEDAYN

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Derrick Johnson buried his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree with purple blossoms at his home on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano, fulfilling her wish of a final resting place looking over her grandchildren.

Then the FBI called.

It was Feb. 4, 2024, and Johnson was teaching an eighth-grade gym class.

“’Are you the son of Ellen Lopes?’” a woman asked, Johnson recalled in an interview with The Associated Press.

There had been an incident, and an FBI agent would fly out to explain, the caller said. Then she asked: “’Did you use Return to Nature for a funeral home?’”

“’You should probably google them,’” she added.

In the clatter of the weight room, Johnson typed “Return to Nature” into his cellphone. Dozens of news reports appeared, details popping out in a blur.

Hundreds of bodies stacked on top of each other. Inches of body decomposition fluid. Swarms of bugs. Investigators traumatized. Governor declares state of emergency.

Derrick Johnson, whose mother’s body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., poses for a portrait in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Johnson felt nauseated and his chest constricted, forcing the breath from his lungs. He pushed himself out of the building as another teacher heard his cries and came running.

Two FBI agents visited Johnson the following week, confirming his mother’s body was among 189 that Return to Nature’s owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, had stashed in a Colorado building between 2019 and Oct. 4, 2023, when the bodies were found.

It was one of the largest discoveries of decaying bodies at a funeral home in the U.S. Lawmakers overhauled the state’s lax funeral home regulations. And besides handing over fake ashes to grieving families, the Hallfords also admitted to defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era aid for small businesses.

Even as the Hallfords’ bills went unpaid, authorities said they spent lavishly on Tiffany jewelry, luxury cars and laser-body sculpting, pocketing about $130,000 clients paid for cremations.

They were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023 and charged with abusing nearly 200 corpses.

Hundreds of families learned from officials that the ashes they ceremonially spread or kept close weren’t actually their loved ones’ remains. The bodies of their mothers, fathers, grandparents, children and babies had moldered in a room-temperature building in Colorado.

Jon Hallford will be sentenced Friday, facing between 30 to 50 years in prison, and Carie Hallford in April after a judge accepted their plea agreements in December. Attorneys for Jon and Carie Hallford did not respond to an AP request for comment.

Johnson, 45, who’s suffered panic attacks since the FBI called, promised himself that he would speak at Hallford’s sentencing and ask for the maximum penalty.

“When the judge passes out how long you’re going to jail, and you walk away in cuffs,” he said, “you’re gonna hear me.”

“She lied”

Jon and Carie Hallford were a husband-and-wife team who advertised “green burials” without embalming as well as cremation at their Return to Nature funeral home in Colorado Springs.

She would greet grieving families, guiding them through their loved ones’ final journey. He was less seen.

Johnson called the funeral home in early February 2023, the week his mother died. Carie Hallford assured him she would take good care of his mother, Johnson said.

Days later, she handed Johnson a blue box containing a zip-tied plastic bag with gray powder, saying those were his mother’s ashes.

“She lied to me over the phone. She lied to me through email. She lied to me in person,” Johnson told the AP.

The following day, the box lay surrounded by flowers and photos of Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes at a memorial service at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs.

Photographs of Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes, whose body was one of 189 left to decay in the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo., are stacked in her sister’s home in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Johnson sprinkled rose petals over it as a preacher said: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Caught on video

On Sept. 9, 2023, surveillance footage showed a man appearing to be Jon Hallford walk inside a building owned by Return to Nature in the town of Penrose, outside Colorado Springs, according to an arrest affidavit.

Camera footage inside showed a body laying on a gurney wearing a diaper and hospital socks. The man flipped it onto the floor.

Then he “appeared to wipe the remaining decomposition from the gurney onto other bodies in the room,” before wheeling what appeared to be two more bodies into the building, the affidavit said.

In a text to his wife, Hallford said, “while I was making the transfer, I got people juice on me,” according to court testimony.

The neighborhood mom

Johnson grew up with his mother in an affordable-housing complex in Colorado Springs, where she knew everyone.

Johnson’s father wasn’t around much; at 5 years old, Johnson remembers seeing him punch his mom, sending her careening into a table, then onto a guitar, breaking it.

It was Lopes who taught Johnson to shave and hollered from the bleachers at his football games.

Neighborhood kids called her “mom,” some sleeping on the couch when they needed a place to stay and a warm meal. She would chat with Jehovah’s Witnesses because she didn’t want to be rude. With a life spent in social work, Lopes would say: “If you have the ability and you have the voice to help: Help.”

Johnson spoke with his mother nearly everyday. After diabetes left her blind and bedridden at age 65, she’d ask Johnson to describe what her grandchildren looked like over the phone.

It was Super Bowl Sunday in 2023 when her heart stopped.

Johnson, who had flown in from Hawaii to be at her bedside, clutched her warm hand and held it until it was cold.

A gruesome discovery

Detective Sgt. Michael Jolliffe and Laura Allen, the county’s deputy coroner, stood outside the Penrose building on Oct. 3, 2023, according to the 50-page arrest affidavit.

A sign on the door read “Return to Nature Funeral Home” and listed a phone number. When Jolliffe called it, it was disconnected. Cracked concrete and yellow stalks of grass encircled the building. At back was a shabby hearse with expired registration. A window air-conditioner hummed.

FILE – A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, in Penrose, Colo., Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Someone had told Jolliffe of a rank smell coming from the building the day before, the affidavit said.

One neighbor told an AP reporter they thought it came from a septic tank; another said her daughter’s dog always headed to the building whenever it got off-leash.

It was reminiscent of rancid manure or rotting fish, and struck anyone downwind of the building.

Jolliffe and Allen spotted a dark stain under the door and on the building’s stucco exterior. They thought it looked like fluids they had seen during investigations with decaying bodies, the affidavit said.

But the building’s windows were covered and they couldn’t see inside.

Allen contacted the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agency, which oversees funeral homes, which got in touch with Jon Hallford. Hallford agreed to show an inspector inside the next afternoon.

Inspector Joseph Berry arrived, but Hallford didn’t show.

Berry found a small opening in one of the window coverings, the affidavit said. Peering through, he saw white plastic bags that looked like body bags on the floor.

A judge issued a search warrant that week.

FILE – This combination of booking photos provided by the Muskogee County, Okla., Sheriff’s Office shows Jon Hallford, left, and Carie Hallford, owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home. (Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File) Bodies stacked high

Donning protective suits, gloves, boots and respirators, investigators entered the 2,500-square-foot (232-square-meter) building on Oct. 5, 2023, according to the affidavit.

Inside, they found a large bone grinder and next to it a bag of Quikrete that investigators suspected was used to mimic ashes. Bodies were stacked in nearly a dozen rooms, including the bathroom, sometimes so high they blocked doorways, the affidavit said.

There were 189.

Some had decayed for years, others several months, according to the affidavit. Many were in body bags, some wrapped in sheets and duct tape. Others were half-exposed, on gurneys or in plastic totes, or lay with no covering, it said.

Investigators believed the Hallfords were experimenting with water cremation, which can dissolve a body in several hours, the document said. There were swarms of bugs and maggots.

Body bags were filled with fluid, according to the affidavit. Some had ripped. Five-gallon buckets had been placed to catch the leaks. Removal teams “trudged through layers of human decomposition on the floor,” it said.

Investigators identified bodies using fingerprints, hospital bracelets and medical implants, the affidavit said. It said one body was supposed to be buried in Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

Investigators exhumed the wooden casket at the burial site of the U.S. Army veteran, who served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Inside was a woman’s deteriorated body, wrapped in duct tape and plastic sheets.

The veteran’s body was discovered in the Penrose building, covered in maggots.

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“Ashes to ashes”

Following the call from the FBI, Johnson promised himself he would speak at the Hallfords’ sentencing. But he struggled to talk about what had happened even with close friends, let alone in front of a judge and the Hallfords.

For months, Johnson obsessed over the case, reading dozens of news reports, often glued to his phone until one of his children would interrupt him to play.

When he shut his eyes, he said he imagined trudging through the building with “maggots, flies, centipedes. There’s rats, they’re feasting.” He asked a preacher if his mother’s soul had been trapped there. She reassured him it hadn’t. When an episode of the zombie show “The Walking Dead” came on, he broke down.

Johnson started seeing a therapist and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He joined Zoom meetings with other victims’ relatives as the number grew from dozens to hundreds.

After Lopes’ body was identified, Johnson flew in March 2024 to Colorado, where his mother’s remains lay in a brown box in a crematorium.

“I don’t think you blame me, but I still want to tell you I’m sorry,” he recalled saying, placing his hand on the box.

Then Lopes’ body was loaded into the cremator and Johnson pushed the button.

Justice

Johnson has slowly improved with therapy, engaging more with his students and children. He practiced speaking at the Hallfords’ sentencings while in therapy. Closing his eyes, he envisioned standing in front of the judge — and the Hallfords.

“Justice is, it’s the part that is missing from this whole equation,” he said. “Maybe somehow this justice frees me.”

“And then there’s part of me that’s scared it won’t, because it probably won’t.”

General Daily Insight for February 06, 2026

Gentle words can still carry real weight. At midday, the Moon squares expansive Jupiter, stretching patience as feelings bump against limits in family matters or group efforts. By 5:48 pm EST, talkative Mercury steps into Pisces, which reminds us to encourage one another’s exploration of imagination. With Mercury leveling up our empathy, we can mend misunderstandings, revive stalled conversations, and let intuition guide timing. Progress sticks when compassion ensures that everyone gets heard. Choosing our words carefully is vital, for our listeners and ourselves.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

The universe currently rewards calm over chaos. Quiet reflection steadies your spark as cerebral Mercury enters your 12th House of Spirituality, inviting you to delve into your soul and see what you can fish up. If a friend pushes for an answer, you probably don’t owe them an answer. Even if you do, you’re allowed to ask for more time to consider your words. You function best when rested, so give your mind a chance to do so. Well-paced thoughts lead to well-timed action.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Small comforts help you focus on the essentials. Being hangry is a real threat to your social life today, as Mercury trots into your community sector. It’s hard to make plans with friends — whether you’re just chilling or collaborating on a bigger project — when you’re hungry, thirsty, or exhausted. Do your best to keep some snacks close at hand, because if you don’t need them, someone else will. Sharing supplies is a great way to strengthen your network.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Conversations could pique your curiosity at any moment. Mercury is striding into your public 10th house, boosting your visibility and encouraging you to offer updates that show your strengths without oversharing. An authority figure might be quite impressed by your speedy progress or intelligent questions. When you commit to something, make sure to write it down so you don’t get distracted by all your other options. It’s okay to have multiple irons in the fire, but sometimes you need to focus on one main flame.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

This moment is meant for questions! Big ones, small ones, and anything in between could be talked over while Mercury transits your 9th House of Learning. Go ahead and ask about anything confusing you, whether it’s an actionable issue regarding upcoming plans or a more philosophical quandary that can’t ever be fully answered. Travel, in particular, will benefit from open conversations about the facts of your schedule — and be sure to write down important information. If you don’t ask, no one can answer you.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

You shine brighter when your heart feels safe. Mercury is beginning its jaunt through your 8th House of Vulnerability, encouraging brave honesty about needs and trust while you keep warmth and pride intact. This is a good transit for setting up a living will or another serious financial document. That might be intimidating, but with the help of your loved ones (and maybe the promise of treating yourself to something fun afterwards), you can tackle it. Seeking clarity here protects everyone, including you.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Details speak louder when you truly listen. Your 7th House of Coordination welcomes brilliant Mercury, encouraging precise promises and thoughtful questions — all things that ensure healthy cooperation can take place. If plans keep slipping, write them down and reconfirm, because having the same words on both sides prevents avoidable stress later. Your helpful side shines when systems function properly, so give the relationship a clear container and let kindness fill the space between expectations. Double-check the details, then watch shared efforts run smoothly.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Being nice doesn’t mean letting others walk all over you — no matter how much you want that person to respect or appreciate you. Acerbic Mercury is jogging into your 6th House of Wellness, helping you streamline the days ahead. Watch out for interruptions (even from well-meaning peers). Speak up and request a moment to finish your thought, then return to their point with grace. To fuel your new confidence, don’t forget to take breaks when your body or mind asks for them.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

You don’t have to be serious, but you should stay honest. Play is more than allowed with Mercury’s entrance into your upbeat 5th house — it’s encouraged! Even so, be honest about what you want to get out of light-hearted experiences. Sincere praise? A chance to express yourself? A bonding moment? All these things are valid, but it’ll be much easier to get what you want once you name it. Name what inspires you and invite input from those you trust. Sincerity earns lasting interest.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

All memories deserve compassion today. Your 4th House of Domesticity is warmed by Mercury’s entry, as it encourages thoughtful conversations with family and forward-thinking plans that support a comfortable future without neglecting the past. If a parent or roommate brings up an old issue, thank them for caring, then suggest a small step that improves daily life. You deserve a safe, cozy home, so take today to set up routines that protect your abode. Build comfort first, and save adventures for tomorrow.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Morning chatter can reveal useful information. Thoughtful communication becomes your tool as intellectual Mercury enters your 3rd House of Writing. Whatever you’ve got to communicate, you can make yourself heard! If a neighbor or relative demands your presence, suggest a quick call and confirm responsibilities so everyone leaves with the same understanding. Your patient approach turns small messages into real progress, because a thoughtful subject line and a clear conclusion motivate the right actions. Write it down, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Practical choices strengthen your sense of worth. Your 2nd House of Talents receives Mercury’s wit today, potentially prompting you to take a second look at your spending. That new toy is tempting, but you’d probably be better off saving that cash for more meaningful purchases. Choose the option that supports your long-term freedom. You might benefit from a program that would track your finances — or even a simple spreadsheet with a monthly budget. Invest attention, because attention grows what you value.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Your voice carries farther than you think. Messenger Mercury enters your sign, turning up your voice and visibility while encouraging kinder self-talk that helps you introduce yourself and your ideas with confidence. When you share who you are, keep the language clear, and let compassion color your tone, others can meet you without guesswork. Your intuition thrives when you speak gently to yourself, so treat inner dialogue like a friend and watch courage grow in daily choices. Share your warmth with those who matter!

TALLAHASSEE – Lawyers for residents in Broward and Miami-Dade counties have filed a petition challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for a special session where lawmakers would redraw congressional boundaries mid-decade instead of every 10 years.

After months of trying to convince the Legislature to take up redistricting on its own, DeSantis on Jan. 7 called a special five-day session in April for the “purpose of considering legislation relating to the drawing of congressional districts for the State of Florida.”

The same day, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, a DeSantis appointee, sent a letter to all 67 county supervisors of elections instructing them to implement candidate qualifying rules that only apply in a year in which the Legislature redraws congressional districts.

Those actions are unconstitutional, and violate Florida’s “strict separation of powers doctrine,” according to the petition, filed Thursday in the Florida Supreme Court by the Elias Law Group, a national firm based in Washington, D.C. specializing in voting rights litigation and progressive causes.

The actions of DeSantis and Byrd “commandeer the Legislature’s authority to decide whether and when to re-draw Florida’s congressional boundaries,” the petition says. “Their actions have already disrupted Florida’s impending elections by casting significant uncertainty on the future of Florida’s congressional map and the relevant candidate filing deadlines.”

The Orlando law firm of King, Blackwell, Zehnder & Wermuth, which also specializes in voting rights cases, is also representing the two petitioners, who are “citizens, taxpayers, and members of the general public seeking enforcement of a public right,” the petition says.

“The decision over whether and when to reapportion Florida’s congressional districts belongs to the Legislature,” the petition says. DeSantis can request a special session, “but he has no power to bind the Legislature into carrying out his preferred policy objectives by undergoing a legally unnecessary reapportionment.”

Nor can his agenda serve as a basis for triggering certain Florida statutes that are only to be used in a “year in which the Legislature apportions the state,” the petition says. That determination also is reserved exclusively to the Legislature.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Normally, state political boundaries are redrawn every 10 years based on the latest U.S. Census, which is used to determine whether states gain or lose seats in Congress, a process called reapportionment. The states then must redraw the district boundaries to take the population changes and any new congressional seats into account.

But, last year President Donald Trump — facing potential Republican losses in Congress during the 2026 elections — urged Republican-controlled states to conduct a rare mid-decade redistricting to try to gain more Republican-leaning seats. DeSantis was one of several governors who answered the call, along with GOP leaders in Ohio, North Carolina and Texas.

DeSantis has not provided any draft maps for consideration nor has any redistricting legislation been filed in the Legislature, despite two hearings held by a special House committee appointed to discuss redistricting options.

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau plans to use a survey form with a citizenship question as part of its practice test of the 2030 census, raising questions about whether the Trump administration might try to make a significant change to the once-a-decade headcount that failed during the president’s first term.

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The field test being conducted in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, is using questions from the American Community Survey, the comprehensive survey of American life, rather than questions from recent census forms.

Among the questions on the ACS is one that asks, “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” Questions for the census aren’t supposed to ask about citizenship, and they haven’t for 75 years.

Last August, Trump instructed the Commerce Department to have the Census Bureau start work on a new census that would exclude immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally from the head count.

The Constitution’s 14th Amendment says “the whole number of persons in each state” should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of divvying up congressional seats, and Electoral College votes among the states. The Census Bureau has interpreted that to mean anybody living in the U.S., regardless of legal status.

The bureau did not respond Thursday to inquiries seeking comment about why the ACS questions were being used for the 2026 test.

Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who consults on census issues, said the ACS questions have never been used for a census field test before. She said the 2026 test — which was pared down from six locations to two — has become “a shell of what the Census Bureau proposed and should do to ensure an accurate 2030 Census.”

“This full pivot from a real field test is alarming and deserves immediate congressional attention, in my view,” Lowenthal said.

The field test gives the statistical agency the chance to learn how to better tally populations that were undercounted during the last census in 2020 and improve methods that will be used in 2030. Among the new methods being tested is the use of U.S. Postal Service workers to conduct tasks previously done by census workers.

The test originally was supposed to take place in six places, but the Trump administration earlier this week announced that it had eliminated four sites — Colorado Springs, Colorado, western North Carolina, western Texas and tribal lands in Arizona.

Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the Population Reference Bureau, a nonpartisan research group, said he couldn’t speculate on political motivations behind the decision to use the ACS questions, but said the more fundamental concern was methodological.

“The ACS form wouldn’t provide a valid test of 2030 census operations,” he said. “It’s a completely different animal.”

In his first term, President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census form. He also signed orders that would have excluded people who are in the U.S. illegally from the apportionment figures and mandated the collection of citizenship data.

The attempt to add the citizenship question was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, and both orders were rescinded when Democratic President Joe Biden arrived at the White House in January 2021, before the 2020 census figures were released.

Republican lawmakers in Congress recently have introduced legislation that would exclude some non-citizens from the apportionment figures. Several GOP state attorneys also have filed federal lawsuits in Louisiana and Missouri seeking to add a citizenship question to the next census and exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the apportionment count.

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Census Bureau at https://apnews.com/hub/us-census-bureau.

By DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees have rejected a top-secret complaint from an anonymous government insider alleging that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard withheld classified information for political reasons.

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The responses this week from Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Rick Crawford mean the complaint is unlikely to proceed further, though Democratic lawmakers who also have seen the document said they continue to question why it took Gabbard’s office eight months to refer the complaint to Congress as required by law.

Gabbard’s office has rejected any allegations of wrongdoing as well as criticism of the timeframe for the referral, saying the complaint included so many classified details that it necessitated an extensive legal and security review. Select lawmakers were able to view the complaint this week.

Cotton wrote Thursday on X that he agreed with an earlier inspector general’s conclusion that the complaint did not appear to be credible. He said he believes the complaint was prompted by political opposition to Gabbard and the Trump administration.

“To be frank, it seems like just another effort by the president’s critics in and out of government to undermine policies that they don’t like,” wrote the Arkansas Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

When asked about the complaint, Cotton’s office referred to his social media post.

Crawford, the House Intelligence Committee chairman also of Arkansas, said he believes the complaint was an attempt to smear Gabbard’s reputation.

Democrats are pushing for explanations about why it took Gabbard’s office months to refer the complaint to the required members of Congress. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the law requires such a report to be sent within 21 days.

“The law is clear,” Warner said Thursday at the Capitol. “I think it was an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint.”

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, speaks out against President Donald Trump’s investigation of the 2020 presidential election ballots in Georgia, and the involvement of Trump ally Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Warner said he also still has questions about the details of the complaint, noting that it was heavily redacted.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said in a written statement that he will keep looking into the matter.

In a memo sent to lawmakers this week, the intelligence community’s inspector general said the complaint also accused Gabbard’s office of general counsel of failing to report a potential crime to the Department of Justice. The memo, which contains redactions, does not offer further details of either allegation.

Last June, then-inspector general Tamara Johnson found that the claim Gabbard distributed classified information along political lines did not appear to be credible, according to the current watchdog, Christopher Fox. Johnson was “unable to assess the apparent credibility” of the accusation about the general counsel’s office, Fox wrote in the memo.

Fox said he would have deemed the complaint non-urgent, unlike the previous inspector general, but respected the decision of his predecessor and therefore sent it to lawmakers.

Copies of the top-secret complaint were hand-delivered this week to the “Gang of Eight” — a group comprised of the House and Senate leaders from both parties as well as the four top lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Andrew Bakaj, attorney for the person who made the complaint, has said that while he cannot discuss the details of the report or the identity of its author, there is no justification for keeping it from Congress since last spring. Bakaj is a former CIA officer and chief legal counsel at Whistleblower Aid.

Gabbard coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. She has recently drawn attention for another matter — appearing on site last week when the FBI served a search warrant on election offices in Georgia that are central to Trump’s disproven claims about fraud in the 2020 election.

Hurricanes running backs coach Matt Merritt is headed to the NFL, according to multiple reports.

Merritt is taking the same position with the Arizona Cardinals after two seasons coaching at Miami.

Merritt is the second UM assistant coach to leave the staff this offseason. Tight ends coach Cody Woodiel departed to take a position on Pete Golding’s staff at Ole Miss.

Under Merritt, the Hurricanes had a strong running game. In 2024, Miami was 31st in the nation with 188.92 rushing yards per game. Pro Football Focus gave UM the top rushing grade in the nation (97.2). This season, the Hurricanes were 71st nationally with 151.81 yards per game. PFF gave UM a 90.3 rushing grade, which was 21st.

With Merritt as the position coach, Miami recruited several high-level running backs. The Hurricanes signed four-star running back Girard Pringle Jr. in the 2025 class and four-star running back Javian Mallory in the 2026 class. UM also brought in 1,000-yard rusher Damien Martinez via the transfer portal before the 2024 season and productive runner Marty Brown before the 2025 season.

Merritt previously coached at USF and James Madison, among other stops in his coaching career.

By RIO YAMAT

Thirty-one families that lost relatives in two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to revive a criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer.

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Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families, urged a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court’s dismissal of a criminal conspiracy charge Boeing faced for allegedly misleading Federal Aviation Administration regulators about a flight-control system tied to the crashes, which killed 346 people.

The dismissal came at the request of the U.S. government after it reached a deal with Boeing that allowed the company to avoid prosecution in exchange for paying or investing an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures.

Cassell said Thursday that federal prosecutors violated the families’ rights by failing to properly consult them before striking the deal and shutting them out of the process.

Federal prosecutors countered that, for years, the government, “has solicited and weighed the views of the crash victims’ families as it’s decided whether and how to prosecute the Boeing Company.”

More than a dozen family members attended Thursday’s hearing in New Orleans, and Cassell said many more “around the globe” listened to a livestream of the arguments.

“I feel that there wouldn’t be meaningful accountability without a trial,” Paul Njoroge said in a statement after the hearing. Njoroge, who lives in Canada, lost his entire family in the second of the two crashes — his wife, Carolyne, their children, ages 6, 4 and 9 months, and his mother-in-law.

All passengers and crew died when the 737 Max jets crashed less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 — a Lion Air flight that plunged into the sea off the coast of Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed into a field shortly after takeoff.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas, who oversaw the case for years, issued a written decision in November that described the families’ arguments as compelling. But O’Connor said federal judges couldn’t block a charge dismissal simply because they disagreed with the government’s view that a settlement deal served the public interest.

The judge also concluded that federal prosecutors hadn’t acted in bad faith, had explained their decision and had met their obligations under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.

In the case of its deal with Boeing, the Justice Department had argued that given the possibility a jury might acquit the company, taking the case to trial carried a risk that Boeing would be spared any further punishment.

Boeing attorney Paul Clement said Thursday that more than 60 families of crash victims “affirmatively supported” the deal and dozens more did not oppose it.

“Boeing deeply regrets” the tragic crashes, Clement said, and “has taken extraordinary steps to improve its internal processes and has paid substantial compensation” to the victims’ families.

The appeals court panel that heard the arguments said it would issue a decision at a later date.

The criminal case took many twists and turns after the Justice Department first charged Boeing in 2021 with defrauding the government but agreed not to prosecute if the company paid a settlement and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws.

However, federal prosecutors determined in 2024 that Boeing had violated the agreement, and the company agreed to plead guilty to the charge. O’Connor later rejected that plea deal, however, and directed the two sides to resume negotiations. The Justice Department returned last year with the new deal and its request to withdraw the criminal charge.

The case centered around a software system that Boeing developed for the 737 Max, which airlines began flying in 2017. The plane was Boeing’s answer to a new, more fuel-efficient model from European rival Airbus, and Boeing billed it as an updated 737 that wouldn’t require much additional pilot training.

But the Max did include significant changes, some of which Boeing downplayed — most notably, the addition of an automated flight-control system designed to help account for the plane’s larger engines. Boeing didn’t mention the system in airplane manuals, and most pilots didn’t know about it.

In both of the deadly crashes, that software pitched the nose of the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor, and pilots flying for Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were unable to regain control. After the Ethiopia crash, the planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months.

Investigators found that Boeing did not inform key Federal Aviation Administration personnel about changes it had made to the software before regulators set pilot training requirements for the Max and certified the airliner for flight.

Just two weeks ago, Fort Lauderdale was ready to scrap a long-term plan to spend $200 million building a new City Hall and purchase a less expensive office tower downtown instead.

That plan went up in smoke on Tuesday when Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman walked back comments she made two weeks ago saying she wanted to look into buying Tower 101 for $86 million.

Commissioner Ben Sorensen broached the topic of buying the office tower after midnight on Jan. 20, four days after the commission received an email from City Manager Rickelle Williams saying the building was for sale.

Vice Mayor John Herbst and Beasley-Pittman sided with Sorensen. Mayor Dean Trantalis and Commissioner Steve Glassman rejected the idea outright, noting the city was already in negotiations with a developer to build a new City Hall.

Fort Lauderdale lost its City Hall when a historic rainstorm flooded the basement in April 2023.

Damaged beyond repair, the building was permanently closed and later demolished.

In May 2025, the city received an unsolicited proposal from a developer for the design, build and maintenance of a new City Hall. Fort Lauderdale accepted competing proposals between June 6 and Aug. 5.

On July 11, the owner of Tower 101 sent an email to the city in July offering to sell his building to the city.

The mayor and commissioners didn’t find out about the offer until getting an email from the city manager on Jan. 16.

After the Tower 101 offer made headlines, the city got another offer on Monday from a bigger downtown office tower hoping the city will buy it instead. The owners of 1 East Broward want $122.5 million for the building.

“Honestly, where does this end?” Trantalis said during a City Hall meeting on Tuesday. “Every building on the block is going to come to us now and say, ‘Buy me, buy me.’ I thought we made a commitment. I thought we had a vision. I thought we were looking to the future. Has that changed?”

Rendering of a new City Hall proposed by the Fort Lauderdale commission’s top-ranked development team. (PALMA, courtesy)

Commissioners ranked the development teams on Dec. 2 and are expected to approve a deal with the top-ranked team after the city wraps up negotiations in the coming weeks.

A little history: Two weeks ago, when the conversation came up about purchasing Tower 101 to serve as the next City Hall, Pittman told the commission: “I think we should entertain the offer.”

On Tuesday, she said she meant she wanted to look at buying Tower 101 in addition to building a new City Hall.

“I was more interested in what else could be done with the building,” she said.

But after much discussion, Pittman said she was concerned about the cost involved in analyzing the purchase of an existing office tower and wanted to drop the whole idea.

Early in the meeting, Trantalis grilled Williams, the city manager, on why she did not let the commission know sooner about the Tower 101 offer.

“The commission had made a decision on the direction it was going,” he said. “And now I understand the people at 1 East Broward have submitted a request for us to review purchasing their building. So tell us where this is all going. What direction did you expect this commission to go considering decisions that have been made so far?”

Williams told the mayor that staff determined the offer was incomplete and not viable.

“So my question is why didn’t you bring it up at the goal-setting session (on Jan. 13) knowing that it was a key point in the discussions we were having at that time? I’m curious as to why you kept it a secret from us. Going forward, we need to know what you’re doing, especially if you’re doing it against or contrary to what the commission had agreed to.”

Williams defended herself and her staff.

“I want to make clear that there was no pursuit of the 101 proposal or offer,” she said.

Sorensen argued the city should move forward with analyzing the possibility of purchasing the 101 Tower.

The analysis, including two appraisals, a property survey and title search, would cost at least $120,000, Williams told the commission.

“That’s a lot of money to squander if we know we’re not going to go in that direction,” the mayor said.

Sorensen suggested doing a lower-cost analysis on both the 101 Tower and 1 East Broward.

Glassman disagreed.

“How many buildings are we going to accept these offers from?” he asked. “How far are we taking this? Are we saying to every building owner in the city, give us your tired, your poor, your old buildings yearning to be free? How far down that road are we going?”

Herbst argued the commission owes it to the taxpayers to look at the 1 East Broward tower, located on the northeast corner of Broward Boulevard and Andrews Avenue.

“Right now commercial office space is on sale,” he said. “This is a buying opportunity that is once in a lifetime. We will never get property this cheap ever again. It would be derelict for us not to consider this.”

Trantalis reminded him that a majority of the commission had already agreed to stick with the original plan for a new City Hall.

Herbst made another attempt to persuade the commission to look at buying an existing building.

“This is a huge financial decision that the city is going to be burdened with for the next 30 years,” he said.

Herbst warned the commission that the city might be dealing with a catastrophic financial loss if voters approve a plan in November to eliminate property taxes on homesteaded property.

“I have no doubt that this is going to pass,” Herbst said. “I’m voting for it. Our tax base is going to be declining. We need to be leaning into the fact that we’ve got to start scaling down operations. Winter is coming. Let’s just not put our heads in the sand.”

Glassman told the commission that buying an existing building might not save that much when you add in the cost of retrofitting the space.

“I’ve been speaking to a lot of folks in the construction field and the development field in the last few weeks since our last meeting,” he said. “You might get these buildings for a good cost but you’ll probably spend that exact amount in retrofitting. So at the end of the day the savings is not really that much. I just don’t see the sense in looking at these buildings at all.”

Trantalis posed a pointed question: “I would like to know what is the end game here? We spend tens of thousands of dollars for the analysis. What’s the end game? Are we going to want to buy one of these buildings or are we going to go with the original decision?”

Herbst argued that spending $250,000 to review two buildings and save $100 million is well worth the investment.

Glassman countered with this: “I just think this is a rabbit hole we’re going down right now. We made a commitment.”

Sorensen had one final comment: “I think we’re missing an opportunity just to analyze, but thank you.”

On Thursday, the owner of the Tower 101 told the Sun Sentinel he’s hoping the city will still consider buying the building.

“An administrative oversight should not penalize Fort Lauderdale residents from exploring an opportunity for massive savings,” Anthony DiTommaso Jr. said. “The city had the proposal from Tower 101 since July and did not advance it. Fiscal responsibility mandates a feasibility analysis for Tower 101 immediately to secure the best outcome for our community. Our ownership is ready to engage.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan