Jessica Shepard completed a triple-double in just 21:57, the fastest in WNBA history, and the Lynx beat the Fever 95-90.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris said RT Kaleb McGary will miss "significant time" because of an injury he suffered Wednesday in practice and could be a candidate for IR.

For Americans, the price of eggs became a rallying cry for consumers beaten down by high prices. For Italians, its the cost of beach umbrellas.

Micah Parsons attended Friday night's preseason finale against Atlanta, the only player not to wear a jersey on the sidelines. He declined to answer questions after the game, but cornerback Trevon Diggs answered some on his behalf.

An investigation seeks to determine whether Mr. Bolton illegally shared or possessed classified information, according to two people familiar with the case.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson called out a "sloppy" first half in Friday's preseason win over the Chiefs that included a fumble and critical penalties, saying, "We got to get better in a hurry."

The maps passage was a major victory in President Trumps push to get Republican state leaders to help his party keep control of the U.S. House.

The unexplained decision raises fresh concerns about the erosion of press freedom in a city transformed by Beijings national security law.

Texas Rep. James Talarico speaks at a rally, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Wrigley Square in Millennium Park in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)2025-08-23T04:01:36Z HOUSTON (AP) Just as Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred was holding a town hall near the Mexican border as part of an unrig Texas campaign tour, the states Democratic fundraising powerhouse Beto ORourke rallied support in Austin for lawmakers who left the state to delay a redistricting plan led by President Donald Trump. The next morning, one of those wayward lawmakers, James Talarico, stood in the pulpit at former President Barack Obamas old church in Chicago to say he and his fellow legislators had simply taken a leap of faith.All three Democrats are either declared or potential contenders for the Senate seat on the ballot in next years midterm elections. In what would typically be a quiet period in Texas politics, Republicans have roiled the states 2026 Senate campaign with their rush to redraw congressional maps to give Trump more allies in Congress. The turmoil impacts contenders in both parties and gives Democrats fresh hope that they can capture a long-elusive seat, where an upset would dramatically improve their chances of regaining Senate control in Washington. For Democrats, the GOP power play offers a new way to stand out as fighters against Trump and his Make America Great Again movement. For Republicans, including incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, its a Trump loyalty test. Cornyn publicly called for involving the FBI in rounding up the defiant Democrats. His main primary challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, used his current office to ask state courts to remove departed lawmakers from office and to jail ORourke for raising funds to support the Democratic legislators. The clash has also been a welcome distraction from recent questions about Paxtons private life. Trump, meanwhile, had his eyes on the U.S. House when he openly prodded Texas Republicans this summer to give him five more GOP seats in a state he won handily last year. He hoped to avoid losing a slim House majority, as he did during his first term in 2018. Democrats nationwide condemned the effort to alter the playing field, in part because it comes before the typical 10-year timeline for redrawing congressional districts based on census results.Texas Democrats walked out for two weeks, denying Republicans the quorum they needed. They ended the walkout this week, but only after California Gov. Gavin Newsom countered with a redistricting push in his state, a Democratic stronghold. Weve got to stand up to them. These people are thugs, ORourke said in an interview with The Associated Press. Giving in or seeking compromise, or trying to make concessions in the hopes that theyll stop pursuing you, that stuff clearly does not work. The only thing that works is fighting.ORourke, a former congressman and onetime presidential candidate who has run and lost against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said he has not decided whether he will launch a senatorial bid. Republicans flex their muscle for TrumpPaxton has assumed the role as the Lefts chief antagonist, a good look during a primary campaign aimed at drawing the most devout Republicans. He asked courts to expel the lawmakers who walked out, brought lawsuits to declare their seats vacant and sought to jail ORourke, arguably the states most well-known Democrat, accusing him of illegally raising money to help defray costs for the Democratic lawmakers who left. A judge granted a temporary restraining order, ordering ORourke to cease and handing Paxton a victory.We are pursuing every legal remedy at our disposal to hold these rogue legislators accountable, Paxton said in a statement. Texas deserves representatives who do their jobs instead of running away at the behest of their billionaire handlers. Cornyn, a fourth-term incumbent, faces pressureCornyn used his federal role to ask the FBI to help bring Democratic lawmakers who fled the state back to Texas.After first criticizing Paxton for being on vacation in Europe when the redistricting drama began, Cornyn used the moment to question Paxtons tactics.It seems like both are doing what each of them can do, given their own public office, said Roy Bailey, a wealthy Republican donor from Dallas.Cornyns own polling shows him trailing Paxton. Cornyns campaign and groups that support him, including a pro-Cornyn super PAC and the Washington-based Senate Leadership Fund, have spent more than $7.5 million in advertising since July, mainly criticizing Paxton.Republicans affiliated with the Senate majority in Washington, including the Senate Leadership Fund, have argued that if Paxton wins the Republican Senate primary, it would cost the party at least $100 million more to win the open seat in Texas. Although the map of states with Senate elections next year favors Republicans, the party can afford to lose no more than four seats and still hold the majority. Redistricting gives Democrats a platformORourke has rallied around the state and raised money to support the dozens of Texas House Democrats who left the state earlier this month.At a time that so many who have the power to fight are instead bending the knee to Donald Trump, he said, the country really needed to see someone stand and fight.The redistricting drama has also inspired Allred, a former congressman and voting rights attorney who launched his bid for the Democratic nomination last month, to travel for a series of town halls on redistricting.Allred told The Associated Press the fight is energizing organizers and voters. He said a pastor in a Black church in Dallas compared the situation to a bully only being able to take it so far before victims start fighting back. If this had passed as quickly as it looked like it was going to, I think many folks wouldnt have known what was happening, Allred said after a Houston town hall. There certainly wouldnt have been the national attention on whats happening here in Texas, but that attention has built and built, and the awareness has also built and built, and so this means to me that ultimately there also will be a backlash against these folks who are trying to rig the elections.Redistricting clash boosts young Texas lawmakers profileThe clash in Texas has elevated the profile of Talarico, a 36-year-old legislator from Austin. He was among those who packed their bags and headed to Chicago. Talarico has appeared on network television and last month was interviewed by conservative podcaster Joe Rogan. Talaricos social media following has expanded to more than 1 million on Instagram and TikTok. He has said he is considering a Senate run but hasnt decided yet. ORourke had high praise for Talarico but said the young lawmakers plans wouldnt affect his decision.I think this is one of those moments where Democratic voters are looking at whos fighting and whos folding. And that to me is the primary dividing line in our party right now, Talarico told the AP. Its not really progressive versus moderates. Its fighters versus folders.In his sermon Sunday at Obamas old church in Chicago, Talarico referred to himself as one of the Texas outlaws who walked out, prompting loud cheers and applause.This is not just a political struggle, he told them. Its a spiritual struggle. ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Gomez Licon writes about national politics for The Associated Press. She is based in Florida. twitter mailto THOMAS BEAUMONT Beaumont covers national politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa. twitter mailto

FILE -Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)2025-08-22T06:37:47Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran said Friday its foreign minister spoke by phone with his French, German and British counterparts to avoid the reimposition of U.N. sanctions over Tehrans nuclear program, just days ahead of a European deadline.The call by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came as the three countries threatened to invoke the snapback provision of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by months end, allowing any party to reimpose sanctions if they find Iran out of compliance with requirements such as international monitoring of its nuclear program. The Europeans concern over the Iranian program, which had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels before the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June saw its atomic sites bombed, has only grown since Tehran cut off all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in the conflicts wake. That has left the international community further blinded to Irans program as well as the status of its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short, technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed nation enriching uranium at that level. The U.S., the IAEA and others say Iran had a nuclear weapons program up until 2003. After the call, a statement released on Araghchis behalf via Telegram said he criticized the countries legal and moral qualifications to threaten to reinstate the sanctions, but insisted talks would continue. The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it acts authoritatively in self defense, has never abandoned the path of diplomacy and is ready for any diplomatic solution that guarantees the rights and interests of the Iranian people, the statement said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot confirmed on the social platform X that the talks took place, and said another round of discussions would happen next week. We have just made an important call to our Iranian counterpart regarding the nuclear program and the sanctions against Iran that we are preparing to reapply, he said. Time is running out.That was echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the European Unions top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. Germanys Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said time is very short.Iran needs to engage substantively in order to avoid the activation of snapback, he wrote on X. We have been clear that we will not let the snapback of sanctions expire unless there is a verifiable and durable deal.European letter set deadlineIn a letter Aug. 8, the three European nations warned Iran it would proceed with snapback if Tehran didnt reach a satisfactory solution to the nuclear issues. That deadline would be Aug. 31, in nine days, leaving little time for Iran to likely reach any agreement with the Europeans, who have grown increasingly skeptical of Iran over years of inconclusive negotiations over its nuclear program. Restoring the IAEAs access is a key part of the talks. Iran has blamed the war with Israel in part on the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, without offering any evidence. The IAEA issues quarterly reports on Irans program and the 2015 deal gave the agency greater access to keep track of it. Its Board of Governors voted to find Iran out of compliance with its obligations to the agency the day before the Iran-Israel war began. Iran has also threatened its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, with arrest if he comes to Iran, further complicating talks. Grossi is considering running to become the U.N.'s secretary-general, something Tehran has seized on as well in its criticisms of the Argentine diplomat.Alongside the European call with Iran, IAEA officials in Vienna met with Iranian officials, a diplomat close to the agency told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting. Those talks were a continuation of a discussion held during an Aug. 11 visit to Tehran by Massimo Aparo, a deputy to Grossi, the diplomat added. Iranian state television also acknowledged the meeting. Iran tries to downplay snapback threatAraghchi has sought to downplay the threat that snapback poses. In his statement after the call, he said Iran would discuss the snapback threat with its friends, likely meaning China and Russia.The snapback power in the nuclear accord expires in October, also putting pressure on the Europeans to potentially use it as leverage with Iran before losing that ability. Under snapback, any party to the deal can find Iran in noncompliance, reimposing the sanctions. After it expires, any sanctions effort could face a veto from U.N. Security Council members China and Russia, two nations that have provided some support to Iran in the past but stayed out of the June war. ___Associated Press writers Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

In this image released by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Kilauea volcano spews lava on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. (M. Zoeller/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)2025-08-23T02:15:21Z HONOLULU (AP) Hawaiis Kilauea volcano resumed erupting Friday by shooting an arc of lava 100 feet (30 meters) into the air and across a section of its summit crater floor. It was Kilaueas 31st display of molten rock since December, an appropriately high frequency for one of the worlds most active volcanoes. The north vent at the summit crater began continuously spattering in the morning, and then lava overflowed a few hours later. The vent started shooting lava fountains in the afternoon. The eruption was contained within the summit crater, and no homes were threatened. A few lucky residents and visitors will have a front-row view at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If the past is a guide, hundreds of thousands more will be watching popular livestreams made possible by three camera angles set up by the U.S. Geological Survey.Whenever she gets word the lava is back, Park Service volunteer Janice Wei hustles to shoot photos and videos of Halemaumau Crater which Native Hawaiian tradition says is the home to the volcano goddess Pele. She said that when the molten rock shoots high like a fountain, it sounds like a roaring jet engine or crashing ocean waves. She can feel its heat from over a mile away. Every eruption feels like I am sitting in the front row at natures most extraordinary show, Wei said in an email. Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. Its about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the states largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu.Heres what to know about Kilaueas latest eruption: Towering fountains of molten rockA lower magma chamber under Halemaumau Crater is receiving magma directly from the earths interior at about 5 cubic yards (3.8 cubic meters) per second, said Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This blows the chamber up like a balloon and forces magma into an upper chamber. From there it gets pushed above ground through cracks.Magma has been using the same pathway to rise to the surface since December, making the initial release and subsequent episodes all part of the same eruption, Hon said.Many have featured lava soaring into the air, in some cases more than 1,000 feet (300 meters). The fountains are generated in part because magma which holds gases that are released as it rises has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipelike vents.The expanding magma supply is capped by heavier magma that had expelled its gas at the end of the prior episode. Eventually enough new magma accumulates to force the degassed magma off, and the magma shoots out like a Champagne bottle that was shaken before the cork was popped.This is the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. There were more episodes the last time Kilauea followed this pattern: The eruption that began in 1983 started with 44 sessions of shooting fountains. Those were spread out over three years, however. And the fountains emerged in a remote area, so few got to watch.The other two occurred in 1959 and 1969. Predicting Kilaueas futureScientists dont know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. In 1983 magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than periodically shooting out of a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and ended in 2018.Something similar could happen again. Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out.Scientists can estimate a few days or even a week ahead of time when lava is likely to emerge with the help of sensors around the volcano that detect earthquakes and minuscule changes in the angle of the ground, which indicate when magma is inflating or deflating.Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works, Hon said.The lava fountains have been shorter lately. Steve Lundblad, a University of Hawaii at Hilo geology professor, said the vent may have gotten wider, leaving molten rock less pressurized.Were still gonna have spectacular eruptions, he said. Theyre just going to be wider and not as high. Carrying stories of PeleSome people may see lava flows as destructive. But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanakaole Foundation, said lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island.Kanahele-Mossmans nonprofit is named after her grandmother the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture and founder of a noted hula halau, or school. Hlau o Kekuhi is celebrated for its mastery of a style of hula rooted in the stories of Pele and her sister, Hiiaka.Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began. She initially watches in awe and reverence. But then she observes more details so she can go home and compare it to the lava in the centuries-old tales that her school performs. While at the crater, she also delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei. You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward, she said, using the Hawaiian word for song. To be able to actually see that eruption thats described in the mele, thats always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.Visiting the volcanoPark visitation has risen all eight months of the year so far, in part because of the eruption. In April there were 49% more visitors than the same month of 2024.Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane noted that the last several episodes have only lasted about 10 to 12 hours. Those wanting to go should sign up for U.S. Geological Survey alert notifications because the eruption could be over before you know it, she said.She cautioned that visitors should stay on marked trails and overlooks because unstable cliff edges and cracks in the earth may not be immediately apparent, and falling could lead to serious injury or death. Young children should be kept close.Volcanic gas, glass and ash can also be dangerous. Nighttime visitors should bring a flashlight. AUDREY McAVOY McAvoy is a Honolulu-based reporter focused on covering state government and general news in Hawaii. mailto

Belarus opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova stands behind bars in a defendants' cage in a court in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 4, 2021. (Ramil Nasibulin/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)2025-08-23T05:01:03Z TALLINN, Estonia (AP) Antanina Kanavalava says her four years in a Belarusian penal colony as a political prisoner were filled with a fear and anguish that still haunts her.She nearly lost parental rights to her two young children when she was initially arrested. Her eyesight deteriorated from sewing military uniforms in a dimly lit room. Denied access to even basic needs like feminine hygiene products, she used rags or whatever she could find amid unsanitary conditions.Women in prison go through hell and cant even complain to anyone, Kanavalava, 37, told The Associated Press after her release in December. The head of the prison told me straight out that people like me should be put against the wall and shot.Belarus has nearly 1,200 political prisoners. While all endure harsh conditions like unheated cells, isolation and poor nutrition and health care, human rights officials say the 178 women behind bars are particularly vulnerable. Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer with the Viasna human rights center, says women are often singled out for abuse and humiliation, threatened with losing their children, and having medical problems ignored. Sapelka cited the case of Hanna Kandratsenka, 30, who died of cervical cancer in February, months after getting her freedom. She was diagnosed in prison but denied early release for treatment, he said.Independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council describe appalling conditions for women in Belarusian prisons, with a blatant lack of accountability for the ill treatment. Authoritarian President Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for over three decades, living up to his nickname of Europes last dictator by silencing dissent and extending his rule through elections the West calls neither free nor fair. A harsh crackdown followed a disputed 2020 vote, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets. Over 65,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten by police and hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were closed and outlawed. Opposition figures are either imprisoned or have fled abroad. Among those behind bars is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, the founder of Viasna, and Maria Kolesnikova, an opposition leader. Although Lukashenko has freed over 300 political prisoners in the last year, still others are arrested in a revolving door of repression.U.S. President Donald Trump said last week on social media that he spoke with Lukashenko and encouraged him to release more. On Friday, Lukashenko responded: Take them, bring them over there.Of the harsh conditions, Lukashenko says Belarus treats inmates normally, adding that prison is not a resort.The government has refused to allow international monitors and independent observers into the prisons. A mothers traumaKanavalava was a confidant of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged Lukashenko in the 2020 election but later fled the country amid the subsequent protests.With her husband also jailed, Kanavalava was convicted of participating in mass riots and sentenced to 5 1/2 years. Authorities threatened to send her 6-year-old son, Ivan, and 4-year-old daughter, Nasta, to an orphanage at the start of her sentence.For a mother not to see her children for four years is real torture, she told AP. The authorities know this and rub salt into this maternal wound every day, demanding I sign confessions and cooperate.The U.N. experts said female prisoners in Belarus were subject to arbitrary punishment, including solitary confinement and incommunicado detention without contact with their children.Kanavalava likened it to being a hostage, saying she was forced to cooperate with authorities because I wanted to survive for the sake of my children. Their grandmother ultimately took them to Warsaw, where they were reunited with their mother following her pardon and early release in January, Washing with warm teaFormer political prisoner Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, 50, spent more than four years behind bars in several detention centers and penal colonies, serving 270 days in solitary confinement.Held in a KGB detention center with no hot water, she used warm tea that she was served to wash herself, Sharenda-Panasiuk said, describing unsanitary conditions where illnesses become chronic due to the constant cold.The authorities deliberately exploit womens vulnerabilities to humiliate them and create unbearable conditions, she added. Physical abuse and hunger strikesThe U.N. experts expressed particular concern for Viktoryia Kulsha, who was initially sentenced to 2 1/2 years for moderating a Telegram messaging channel that urged drivers to block streets during the 2020 protests. Four more years were tacked on for allegedly disobeying prison officials.Human rights groups say the 43-year-old has gone on at least six hunger strikes protesting abuses in Penal Colony No. 24 in Zarechcha. The U.N. experts said in May her condition has been life-threatening for some time now.Sharenda-Panasiuk, who was in the same penal colony, said she saw a guard in 2023 punch Kulsha in the back, causing her to fall. The same guard later choked her by grabbing her from behind, she added.Viktoria slit her veins and went on hunger strikes in protest against the tyranny of the prison authorities and this slaughterhouse, but it kept getting worse and they are driving her to the brink, Sharenda-Panasiuk said. Her illnesses have worsened. ... She has problems with her breasts, with the thyroid gland.Conditions in Penal Colony No. 24 are among the harshest, she said, describing stints in solitary confinement as torture. Women often work 1214 hours a day, including Sundays, to meet quotas. They are under 24-hour surveillance, are not allowed walks outside, must wear the same clothes constantly and often have no opportunity to bathe.Strip searches are conducted by both male and female employees, Sharenda-Panasiuk said, and during a transfer from place to place, it was mainly men who searched me.Stints in a shame cageNatallia Dulina was arrested in 2022, convicted of extremism a common charge for dissidents and sentenced to 3 1/2 years. She was pardoned and released in June with 13 other political prisoners, and taken to neighboring Lithuania following a visit to Minsk by U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg.The 60-year-old Italian teacher at Minsk State Linguistic University described particularly harsh treatment at Penal Colony No. 4, including the installation of a shame cage in the courtyard. Women are forced to stand in the cage for hours, in all weather, to punish them for disciplinary violations, she said.No such cages exist in mens penal colonies, Sapelka said, and the authorities will come up with new ways to abuse women in particular.U.N. experts called this punishment inhuman and degrading.I decided that if someone ever tries to put me in this cage, I simply will not go there Ill go straight into solitary confinement, Dulina said in an interview from Vilnius.She described arbitrary punishment, adding she once lost visitation rights for feeding bread to a pigeon. Despite the harsh conditions, she said she refused to admit guilt or request a pardon.Lasting effects for freed prisonersKanavalava, who lives in Warsaw with her family, admits that prison is not over yet for her because her husband still has nearly two years left on his sentence.Neither is the anxiety. She said the fear of losing my own children haunts me even in my dreams.It is impossible to get used to the tyranny of the Belarusian authorities, but it is even harder to explain to children and to yourself the high price that Belarusians pay for their desire to be free, Kanavalava said. YURAS KARMANAU Karmanau is an Associated Press journalist covering Belarus and the CIS countries. He has worked in Belarus and Ukraine, as well as other countries in the region, for more than 20 years. He is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. mailto

Lyle Menendez appears before the parole board via teleconference on Friday, Aug 22, 2025, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. (California Department of Corrections via AP)2025-08-23T03:15:24Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Lyle Menendez was denied parole Friday by the same board that a day earlier rejected his brother Eriks appeal for freedom after serving decades in prison for killing their parents in 1989 at their Beverly Hills mansion. The reason was the same: misbehavior behind bars.A panel of two commissioners denied Lyle Menendez parole for three years after a daylong hearing. Commissioners noted the older brother still displayed anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule-breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.We do understand that you had very little hope of being released for years, said commissioner Julie Garland. Citizens are expected to follow the rules whether or not there is some incentive to do so.She also said the panel found his remorse genuine and that he has been a model inmate in many ways who has demonstrated the potential for change. Dont ever not have hope, she told Menendez.The brothers were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion almost exactly 36 years ago on Aug. 20, 1989. While defense attorneys argued that the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance. A judge reduced their sentences in May, and they became immediately eligible for parole. The parole hearings marked the closest they have come to winning freedom since their convictions almost 30 years ago. Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. Erik Menendez, who is being held at the same prison in San Diego, was denied parole Thursday after commissioners determined his misbehavior in prison made him still a risk to public safety. A day later, Lyle Menendez told the parole board details about the abuse he suffered under his parents. He cried, face reddened, while delivering his closing statement. He seemed to still want to protect his baby brother, telling commissioners he took sole responsibility for the murders. I will never be able to make up for the harm and grief I caused everyone in my family, he said. I am so sorry to everyone, and I will be forever sorry.The state corrections department chose a single reporter to watch the videoconference and share details with the rest of the press. Lyle Menendez describes abuseThe panel began by asking how abuse impacted decision-making in his life. The older brother described how his father physically abused him by choking, punching and hurting him using a belt.I was the special son in my family. My brother was the castaway, he said. The physical abuse was focused on me because I was more important to him, I felt.He also said his mother also sexually abused him. He appeared uncomfortable discussing this with the panel, who asked why he didnt disclose his mothers abuse in a risk assessment conducted earlier this year.Commissioners asked if one death made him more sorrowful than the other.My mother. Because I loved her and couldnt imagine harming her in any way, he said. I think also I learned a lot after about her life, her childhood, reflecting on how much fear maybe she felt. Later, he broke down in tears when recounting how they confronted their mother about Jose Menendezs abuse of his younger brother.I couldnt wrap my mind around the fact that she knew, he said.Hearing focuses on crime, over achievements in prisonLyle Menendezs parole lawyer, Heidi Rummel, was more outspoken during his hearing than the one for Erik Menendez on Thursday.She quarreled with the commissioners over several lines of questioning and whether the panel had access to trial evidence in the case.The panel asked Lyle Menendez whether the murders were planned, and about the brothers buying guns.There was zero planning. There was no way to know it was going to happen Sunday, he said, referring to buying the guns as the biggest mistake.I no longer believe that they were going to kill us in that moment, he said. At the time, I had that honest belief.Garland asked him about the sophistication of the web of lies and manipulation you demonstrated afterward, referring to having witnesses lie for them in court and attempts to destroy his fathers will. Menendez maintained that there was no plan, only that he was flailing in what was happening and didnt want to go to prison and be separated from his brother.In closing, Rummel expressed frustration that the hearing spent almost no time on Menendezs achievements in prison or his efforts to build positive relationships with correctional staff. She noted he never touched drugs or alcohol inside.How many people with an LWOP sentence come in front of this board with zero violence, despite getting attacked, getting bullied, and choose to do something different? she said.More than a dozen of their relatives attended Fridays hearing via videoconference, but many did not testify citing privacy concerns after learning audio from Erik Menendezs hearing Thursday was published online.I want my nephew to hear how much I love him, and believe in him, said his aunt, Teresita Menendez-Baralt. Im very proud of him and I want him to come home. Cellphones in prisonSimilar to his brothers hearing the day before, the panel zeroed in on Menendezs use of cellphones in prison as recent as March 2025.I had convinced myself that this wasnt a means that was harming anyone but myself in a rule violation, Menendez said.He said correctional staff were monitoring his communications with his wife and family and selling them to tabloids, so he saw cellphones as a way to protect his privacy. There was a lot of stress in his marriage around the time he transferred to the prison in San Diego, and he wanted to stay in close touch with his wife, he said. Commissioner Patrick Reardon applauded him for starting a prison beautification project and mentorship programs. However, he questioned if the cellphone violations tainted those accomplishments.I would never call myself a model incarcerated person, Menendez said. I would say that Im a good person, that I spent my time helping people. ... Im the guy that officers will come to to resolve conflicts.The panel noted that a psychologist found that Menendez is at very low risk for violence upon release.According to previous court documents, Menendez has not gotten into any fights in his time in prison. He said nonviolence was a promise he made to his grandmother.My life has been defined by extreme violence, he said. I wanted to be defined by something else.The brothers still have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in May 2023 seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father. JAIMIE DING Ding covers California breaking news for The Associated Press. She focuses on law enforcement and the courts, and is based in Los Angeles. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Lyle Menendez appears before the parole board via teleconference on Friday, Aug 22, 2025, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. (California Department of Corrections via AP)2025-08-23T05:24:33Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Erik and Lyle Menendez were denied parole by a California board this week after decades in prison for killing their parents in 1989 at their Beverly Hills mansion.During two days of hearings, the brothers were each questioned by panels of two commissioners and asked to speak with complete candor on the abuse they suffered in childhood, their mindsets leading up to and after the murders and various prison transgressions.The brothers were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for fatally shooting Jose and Kitty Menendez. The case has long captivated true crime enthusiasts, with the brothers amassing public support in the past year after shows on Netflix renewed interest. The hearings marked the closest they have come to freedom since their convictions. Despite each receiving three-year denials, they will be eligible to request an administrative review in one year. If granted, they could appear before the parole board again as early as 18 months from now.Here are takeaways from the hearings: Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. Having prohibited cellphones is not a minor prison infractionWhile it might not seem like a big deal to the nonincarcerated public, commissioners emphasized to the brothers that their use of illicit cellphones cast a shadow on their positive achievements while behind bars.Cellphones can be used to order hits, move drugs in prison and coordinate attacks on officers, they noted. Their presence meant a correctional officer had to smuggle them in, and a prison gang may have benefited by charging a tax on it, commissioner Robert Barton told Erik Menendez.What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone, Erik Menendez said. He said he used it to speak with his wife, watch YouTube, listen to music and watch pornography. In denying him parole, Barton said his behavior was selfish, a sign he believes the rules do not apply to him and the ends justify the means. Lyle Menendez also had two recent cellphone infractions, including one in March.He said correctional staffers were monitoring his communications with his wife and family and selling their content to tabloids, so he saw cellphones as a privacy measure. There was a lot of stress in his marriage around the time he transferred to the prison in San Diego, and he wanted to stay in touch with his wife, he said. I had convinced myself that this wasnt a means that was harming anyone but myself in a rule violation, Lyle Menendez said. I didnt think it really disrupted prison management very much.They have not been model prisoners as some believedOf the two, Erik Menendez committed more serious rules infractions.Commissioners questioned why he associated himself with a prison gang called the Two Fivers and helped them with a tax scheme around 2013.Menendez said he was trying to survive an extremely violent yard where close friends were stabbed or raped.I was in tremendous fear, he said. When the Two Fivers came and asked for help, I thought this was a great opportunity to align myself with them and to survive. Menendez told commissioners that he prioritized protecting himself over the rules because at the time, he had no hope of ever getting out. He used drugs and alcohol in his early years behind bars but became sober in 2013 on his mothers birthday, he said.While Lyle Menendez committed fewer violations, commissioner Julie Garland said he still demonstrated antisocial personality traits like deception, minimization and rule breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.Prisoners who break rules are more likely to do so in society as well, she said.Why they killed their mother remains a sticking pointCommissioners expressed concerns over the killing of Kitty Menendez, with Barton saying he found that it showed Erik Menendez was devoid of human compassion at the time.I cant put myself in your place. I dont know that Ive ever had rage to that level, ever, Barton said. But that is still concerning, especially since it seems she was also a victim herself of the domestic violence.Barton said the brothers were not in imminent fear for their lives and should have sought help from other family members or gone to the police.As for Lyle Menendez, Garland said shooting Kitty Menendea one final time was extremely callous. She also highlighted his actions in covering up the crime, such as lying to the police and trying to avoid prosecution. Parole denials are not unheard-of for prisoners with moderate riskGov. Gavin Newsom previously ordered the California parole board to conduct a risk assessment of the brothers in response to a clemency request. While it was never made public, LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman revealed in May that both brothers were deemed moderate risk. Barton said he deemed that assessment to be neutral, as far as he considered it at all. A 2022 analysis by the Prison Policy Initiative showed that California prisoners with moderate risk were granted parole 22% of the time. The nonprofit ranked the state as among the most difficult for obtaining parole. Family members back the brothersMore than a dozen relatives spoke at the two hearings to advocate for their release.Aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, Jose Menendezs sister, said she is dying from Stage 4 cancer and wishes to welcome them home.I want to make clear that although I love my brother, I have fully forgiven Erik, she said. Erik carries himself with kindness, integrity and strength that comes from patience and grace.Natascha Leonardo, Kitty Menendezs great-niece, promised the parole board that she would provide a home of unconditional love and stability for him in Colorado, where he could spend time with family and nature.Family members said in a statement that while they are disappointed parole was denied, they are not discouraged. We know they are good men who have done the work to rehabilitate and are remorseful, they said. We love them unconditionally and will continue to stand by them on the journey ahead. JAIMIE DING Ding covers California breaking news for The Associated Press. She focuses on law enforcement and the courts, and is based in Los Angeles. twitter mailto