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At US President Donald Trump’s new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, time has no discernible meaning.Prisoners are barely able to see sunlight in the windowless space, living under fluorescent lamps that are always on, with no clocks or anything else by which they might mark the days.Several detainees, their family members and lawyers have denounced appalling conditions at the facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” by an administration that has likened undocumented migrants to “animals” and promised to deport millions. AFP spoke with several “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees by phone and obtained further information about conditions there from relatives, lawyers and legal documents.Detainees spoke of facilities covered in filth, a lack of medical care, mistreatment, and the violation of their legal rights.”They don’t even treat animals like this. This is like torture,” said Luis Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Cuban who called AFP from inside the center.  Florida authorities built the facilities in eight days — opening the center on July 2 at an abandoned airfield in the Everglades wetlands.Governed by Republican Ron DeSantis, the southeastern state signed an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented foreigners, a power that until now had been reserved for federal authorities. Now, the Trump administration wants to make this a model for other detention centers across the country. – Like ‘murderers’ –Gonzalez arrived in the United States in 2022 and settled in Florida after authorities released him while his asylum application was being reviewed. Last month, when an immigration judge dismissed his case, ICE agents arrested him and took him to “Alligator Alcatraz.”They kept him chained by his hands, waist, and feet on a bus with other detainees for more than a day before taking him to one of the large tents that house eight cells each, he said.”I haven’t seen sunlight in the 14 days I’ve been here,” he said. “When they take us to the dining hall, they take us with our hands on our heads as if we were murderers.” He lives in a cell with about 30 people, a space enclosed by chain-linked fencing that he compares to a chicken coop. It is hardly ever cleaned, he says, not even the three toilets that everyone shares. At the time of the call, Gonzalez had not showered for a week. The days are hot, with swarms of mosquitoes in the cells, and the nights are not much better. – Beatings, attempted suicide –Gonzalez and other detainees have denounced the lack of medical care available at the site. Michael Borrego Fernandez, 35, complained of pain but was not treated until he began to bleed, according to his lawyers and legal documents. He underwent emergency surgery for hemorrhoids, only to have to be hospitalized again when he was not given antibiotics and his wounds became infected. Some prisoners, such as Marcos Puig, 31, have rebelled. Before a visit from officials, guards isolated him to prevent him from protesting, he said by phone from another Florida facility where he is now being held. Outraged, he broke a toilet in his new cell, prompting a dozen guards to enter, handcuff him, and punch and kick him all over his body. Afterward, he says, they left him kneeling for about 12 hours in a space without cameras or air conditioning before transferring him to another detention facility. “I arrived here broken. I was covered in bruises,” he said. Another inmate, Gonzalo Almanza Valdes, reported seeing guards “beat up” detainees, according to a recorded phone call with his wife. Desperation has pushed some to the limit. On Sunday, Sonia Bichara called her partner, detainee Rafael Collado.Through the speakerphone, the 63-year-old man said: “I have tried to kill myself twice, I have cut my veins.” When contacted by AFP, Florida authorities denied allegations of abuse.- ‘Completely illegal’ – Activists and lawyers are demanding the closure of the facilities, which are facing two lawsuits. The first alleges that migrants’ right to due process is not being respected. “There are people who have been there since they arrived and have still not seen a judge. And that cannot be, it is completely illegal,” said Magdalena Cuprys, Gonzalez’s lawyer. She said detainees were unable to request bail or a case review because the courts that should be hearing the cases are not doing so, claiming they have no jurisdiction over the state-operated center.The second lawsuit alleges that the facility threatens the Everglades ecosystem.Last week, a federal judge ordered a 14-day suspension of all new construction at the center while she reviews the case. 

Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” will be released on October 3, the star has revealed, as she showcased cover art and a tracklist for what is expected to be one of the biggest albums of the year.The news came during Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights Show,” a podcast fronted by her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason.It was also confirmed on Swift’s own social media accounts.”And, baby, that’s show business for you. New album The Life of a Showgirl. Out October 3,” she wrote on Instagram.Swift’s official website shows four different CD versions, with a “sweat and vanilla perfume edition” also available on cassette and vinyl.The album cover for that version shows the 14-time Grammy winner partially submerged in slightly grubby-looking water, wearing what appears to be a rhinestone-studded top.Only the star’s mouth, nose, eyes and forehead and a blinged-out wrist are above the water.The tracklist, which was also unveiled on Wednesday, shows 12 entries, including the title track which it says features Sabrina Carpenter.Swift’s last major release, “The Tortured Poets Department” came in April last year.Just hours after it dropped, the “Shake It Off” singer expanded it into a double album called “The Anthology” which dominated charts for the year.The 35-year-old has recently wrapped up a nearly two-year world tour, with a $2 billion dollar take that shattered records.The 149 shows of the Eras Tour were typically more than three hours long, delighting fans who had shelled out big bucks for the chance to see one of pop’s biggest ever stars.Though Swift is famed for singing about heartbreaks with her famous exes, her two-year relationship with Kelce, one of the NFL’s most bankable players, has further inflamed her celebrity.However her endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris in last November’s US presidential election, was not enough to tip the scales — though it did anger winner Donald Trump, who declared on social media “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”

US pop great Billy Joel will auction the motorcycle collection he maintains in New York state after being diagnosed with a brain condition that forced him to cancel a planned tour, his management said Wednesday.In May, Joel scrapped dates in Britain and a packed schedule crisscrossing the United States from July 2025 up until July 2026 because of a diagnosis of a rare condition, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH).”Due to a recent medical diagnosis, Billy will be auctioning off his bike collection later this year,” his publicist told AFP.Joel’s extensive collection of motorcycles is housed at a shop in the Long Island town of Oyster Bay, where they can be seen free of charge on weekends.”He will not be renewing the lease on the 20th Century Cycles bike shop once it expires late September,” the publicist said.The 76-year-old “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “New York State of Mind” legend has been a pop mainstay since the 1970s, and motorcycles have long been part of his public persona.In the hit song’s music video, he whisks away an “Uptown Girl” on the back of his motorcycle, and sings about riding a motorcycle in the rain in the song “You May Be Right.”His collection includes more than 75 bikes, per the shop’s website. “I like the older style,” with some motorcycles dating back to the 1940s, Joel said in a promotional video.Joel’s condition arises if cerebrospinal fluid cannot properly flow throughout the brain and spinal cord, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The excess fluid and pressure can cause brain damage.The institution said on its website that NPH is rare, and can cause cognitive impairment including memory problems as well as trouble walking.Joel said previously “this condition has been exacerbated by (previous) concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.”

The NBA on Wednesday approved the sale of the Boston Celtics to an investment group led by Bill Chisholm, five months after the deal worth a then-record $6.1 billion was agreed.”The NBA Board of Governors has unanimously approved the sale of the controlling interests in the Boston Celtics to an investor group led by Bill Chisholm,” the league said in a brief statement.”The transaction is expected to close shortly.”Chisholm is the managing director and co-founder of Symphony Technology Group. When he and his co-investors agreed to purchase the storied Celtics franchise “at an initial valuation of $6.1 billion,” that was the highest ever offered for a North American sports team.It has since been surpassed by the $10 billion sale, in June, of the Los Angeles Lakers by the Buss family to billionaire Mark Walter.When the Celtics sale was announced, it was stated that Wyc Grousbeck would continue in his roles of chief executive officer and governor, overseeing team operations through the 2027-28 season.The Grousbeck family and Steve Pagliuca purchased the Celtics for $360 million in 2002.But US media reported this week that Chisholm — a Massachusetts native who calls himself a “die-hard Celtics fan” — will assume the role of governor because under the terms of the deal, Grousbeck will no longer have the required 15% ownership stake the league requires to hold that role.Nevertheless, ESPN reported that Chisholm and Grousbeck “plan to run the team together as originally planned.”The Celtics are one of the most storied in the NBA’s history, with a record 18 championships, the most recent in 2024.

Tesla is recruiting a motorist to test its driver-assistance technology in New York with an eye towards autonomous driving, according to a job listing reviewed by AFP on Wednesday.The role of “Vehicle Operator, Autopilot” involves the driving of an “engineering vehicle” for extended periods, “conducting dynamic audio and camera data collection for testing and training purpose,” according to the job listing.The position is based in Flushing, New York in the borough of Queens. The functions described in the full-time position are still many steps away from providing autonomous or robotaxi service in New York City. New York State law currently limits the use of autonomous cars to testing. Waymo in June said it applied for a permit to begin testing self-driving cars.Billionaire CEO Elon Musk has described Tesla as poised for potential rapid deployment of autonomous vehicles, emphasizing the company’s use of artificial intelligence to analyze real-world data that has been gathered by the company’s existing fleet of vehicles.Tesla in June finally launched limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas following many delays. On a conference call in July, Musk predicted Tesla would “probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the US by the end of the year” — an ambitious target that looks highly unlikely.Musk acknowledged that the rollout depends on regulatory approvals, adding that the company is being “very cautious” in light of safety concerns. 

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named “Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue.Since returning to office in January, the Republican leader has declared war on what he calls “woke” viewpoints espoused in the nation’s cultural institutions, including a fresh probe of content at several Smithsonian museums.The Kennedy Center, a living monument to the late John F. Kennedy that opened in 1971, has long enjoyed bipartisan support but has been in the president’s crosshairs, and he appointed himself board chairman in February.”We have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,” Trump told reporters at the stately white marble complex overlooking the Potomac River.”We ended the woke political programming.”Also receiving the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the nation’s highest arts awards for lifetime achievement, will be disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and British actor Michael Crawford, known for Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera.”Trump announced he himself would host the awards gala, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS.”I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful,” he said.He also joked that he wanted an honor himself but was “never able to get one.”- Rocky and the Phantom -Stallone, who at 79 is the same age as Trump, is a three-time Oscar nominee: for best actor and screenplay for the 1976 classic boxing flick “Rocky,” and for best supporting actor, again in the Rocky Balboa role, in the 2015 follow-up “Creed.”Trump called Stallone a “great actor.”He is also a major Trump supporter and one of the president’s “Hollywood ambassadors” along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson. In November 2024, at a post-election event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida, Stallone called him “the second George Washington.”Strait, 73, is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with more than 120 million records sold. He is known for huge hits like “All My Exes Live in Texas” and “Amarillo by Morning.” “He’s a good looking guy. Hope he still looks like that,” Trump quipped.Gaynor, 81, is the singer behind the monster disco anthem “I Will Survive.”KISS, formed in the 1970s in Trump’s hometown New York City, gained fame with its shock rock performances and outlandish black and white face paint.”They work hard, and they’re still working hard,” the US president said.Crawford, 83, made his mark on British television in the 1970s before achieving international success by originating the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Phantom of the Opera,” thrilling audiences with his powerful tenor voice.”I think he’s one of the greatest talents I’ve ever actually seen,” Trump said Wednesday.In his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican president skipped the Kennedy Center Honors gala because some of the artists receiving awards criticized him or said they would not attend in his presence.- ‘We’re restoring the Kennedy Center’ -The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theater, opera, comedy and other productions.Many artists associated with the center, including opera singer Renee Fleming and musician Ben Folds, have cut ties with the institution since Trump took the reins. Others including comedian Issa Rae canceled performances.The producers of smash hit historical musical “Hamilton” opted to cancel a scheduled 2026 run, citing the end of “neutrality” at the center.”We’re restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world,” Trump said.”It was being run down, money wasn’t being spent properly. They were building things they shouldn’t have built that nobody wanted instead of taking care of the great gem that it is.”The Smithsonian Institution, which runs a vast network of museums, said it was reviewing a White House letter announcing a probe of content aimed at removing “divisive or partisan narratives.”Among the museums targeted are the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of the American Indian, the letter said.

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday took another detour from his high-profile holiday in the UK to visit American forces stationed in the country and praise their “courage”.Speaking after taking part in calls with European leaders and US President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, Vance said the US troops’ presence was essential to helping to end the fighting.Trump is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska “to try to achieve an end to this terrible war in Russia and Ukraine”, Vance told US troops stationed at the UK’s air force base in Fairford, Gloucestershire in southwest England.”You guys make that possible. You guys are the reason why we can go into a negotiation with strength,” Vance said.”Nothing that we do as an administration is possible without the hard work, the courage and the skill that you guys bring to the job,” he added.He addressed the troops after calls with Trump and European leaders ahead of the Alaska summit, aimed at convincing the US leader to respect Kyiv’s interests in the talks.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that there was now a “viable” chance for a ceasefire after over three years since Russia’s February 2023 invasion of Ukraine.Vance arrived in the UK on August 8 with his wife and three children, only to be met by protests from residents in the Cotswolds countryside.He has spent much of his time in meetings with UK officials, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who hosted Vance at his country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London over the weekend.On Wednesday, Vance reportedly had breakfast with Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, which is topping the current electoral polls.He met late Tuesday with Conservative Party justice spokesman Robert Jenrick, but has not managed to schedule face-to-face talks with the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, The Times newspaper reported.Vance is reportedly heading next to Scotland with his family for several days.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named “Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts institution.Disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and British theater star Michael Crawford, known for his indelible turn in the lead role of Broadway staple “Phantom of the Opera,” will also receive the Honors, one of the nation’s highest arts awards.Trump announced he himself would host the Honors gala, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS.”I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful,” he told reporters at the stately white marble complex overlooking the Potomac River.He also joked that he wanted an honor himself but was “never able to get one.”Stallone, who at 79 is the same age as Trump, is a three-time Oscar nominee: for best actor and screenplay for the 1976 classic boxing flick “Rocky,” and for best supporting actor, again in the Rocky Balboa role, in the 2015 follow-up “Creed.”He is also a major Trump supporter and one of the president’s “Hollywood ambassadors” along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson.Strait, 73, is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, known for huge hits like “All My Exes Live in Texas” and “Amarillo by Morning.” Gaynor, 81, is the singer behind the monster disco anthem “I Will Survive.”KISS, formed in the 1970s in Trump’s hometown New York City, gained fame with its shock rock performances and outlandish black and white face paint.Crawford, 83, made his mark on British television in the 1970s before achieving international success by originating the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Phantom of the Opera,” thrilling audiences with his powerful tenor voice.- ‘Not going to be woke’ -The Kennedy Center, one of the nation’s top performing arts venues, is a living monument to the late John F. Kennedy. Opened in 1971, it has long enjoyed bipartisan support.But in February, shortly after returning to the Oval Office, Trump ousted the center’s leadership and installed himself as board chairman, vowing to purge any programming he deems objectionable.”A few short months ago, I became chairman of the Kennedy Center,” Trump said Wednesday.”We ended the woke…political programming.”In his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican president skipped the Kennedy Center Honors gala, the biggest fundraiser of the year, because some of the artists receiving awards criticized him or said they would not attend in his presence.The Kennedy Center is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and also offers theater, opera, comedy and other productions.Many artists associated with the center, including opera singer Renee Fleming and musician Ben Folds, have cut ties with the institution. Others including comedian Issa Rae canceled performances.The producers of smash hit historical musical “Hamilton” opted to cancel a scheduled 2026 run timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, citing the end of “neutrality” at the center.

Among the constants in Donald Trump’s turbulent career have been a flair for drama and a belief in his dealmaking powers. In inviting Vladimir Putin, Trump will have plenty of the first — and put the second to the ultimate test.Trump will speak to his Russian counterpart about the Ukraine war on Friday in Alaska, the two presidents’ first standalone summit since a 2018 meeting in Helsinki where Trump’s cowed appearance haunted him long afterward.US officials said that Putin himself suggested the meeting. Trump agreed to invite him despite publicly saying how frustrated he has been with Putin’s refusal to accept any proposal to halt the war.Trump’s invitation to Putin, who is under indictment by the International Criminal Court, effectively ends the West’s shunning of the Russian president since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, whose leader Volodymyr Zelensky has called the Alaska trip a “personal victory” for Putin.Trump and his aides have quickly tried to play down the significance. Trump, voicing uncharacteristic humility about his diplomacy, said it was a “feel-out meeting” that would not in itself lead to a deal on Ukraine.But he rounded on the “fired losers and really dumb people” who have described the summit a propaganda victory for Putin, singling out in particular John Bolton, who served as his national security advisor for part of his first term. “If I got Moscow and Leningrad free, as part of the deal with Russia, the Fake News would say that I made a bad deal!” Trump thundered on his website, Truth Social.Trump has said he will speak with Zelensky and other European leaders immediately after the summit, which is expected to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage.All have insisted that Ukraine not be excluded from talks on its fate.”European leaders, in the past, had the experience that whoever talks to Donald Trump last makes the most important impressions,” said Liana Fix, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.There is “a very strong urge in Donald Trump to be the one who brings peace to Ukraine — even for a fleeting moment of time, to have the picture of him agreeing with Vladimir Putin to a ceasefire,” she said.- Latest swing in strategy -Trump had vowed to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands, within 24 hours of returning to the White House. But he has found the path difficult — and his tactics have swung drastically.Trump berated Zelensky during a heated on-camera meeting at the White House where Vice President JD Vance accused Ukraine of ingratitude for US support, which Trump briefly shut down.Ukraine quickly realized it had to stomach Trump’s approach and signed on to his ceasefire bid. When Putin did not, Trump threatened sanctions on Russia, only to agree to meet Putin.”The mere fact of holding such a summit will be a victory for Putin,” Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev said.”Putin has not offered Trump anything significant, and Trump is already inviting him to Alaska,” he added, also calling the lack of new US sanctions by Trump an “unconditional victory” for Russia.Trump has rejected criticism that he is soft, noting that he ramped up tariffs on India, a key buyer of Russian oil.But Trump has also pushed for concessions from Zelensky, who has refused to surrender any land that Russia seized by force.George Beebe, the former director of Russia analysis at the CIA who is now director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute, which supports military restraint, said that Trump could begin to work out the outlines of a deal to end the war.Russia could begrudgingly accept eventual European Union membership for Ukraine if it, in turn, stays out of NATO, the transatlantic military alliance, Beebe said.”As long as that relationship is limited to political and economic ties rather than military commitments, I think that’s something that they can live with,” Beebe said of Russia.But he said that such a short-notice summit at the presidential level raised expectations that may not be met.”Trump is tackling an issue that is fraught with political danger, and there’s absolutely no guarantee that this is going to be a success,” Beebe said.

Donald Trump styles himself as a strongman. And that’s exactly what he sees in Vladimir Putin.Their complicated relationship will be put to the test at a summit in Alaska on Friday, where the two leaders who claim to admire each other will seek to outmaneuver one another over how to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.While the two were close to a bromance during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), their relationship has grown strained during his second term. The US president has expressed anger with Putin for pressing on with his brutal three-year-old war in Ukraine, which Trump calls “ridiculous.”Trump describes the summit as “really a feel-out meeting” to evaluate Putin’s readiness to negotiate an end to the war.”I’m going to be telling him, ‘You’ve got to end this war,'” Trump said.The two leaders notably have radically different negotiating strategies: the Republican real estate magnate usually banks on making a deal, while the Russian president tends to take the long view, confident that time is on his side.- ‘Face to face’ -Referring to Trump’s meeting with Putin, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Trump needs “to see him face to face… to make an assessment by looking at him.”Trump praised Putin for accepting his invitation to come to the US state of Alaska, which was once a Russian colony.”I thought it was very respectful that the president of Russia is coming to our country, as opposed to us going to his country or even a third place,” Trump said Monday.It will be only the second one-on-one meeting between the men since a 2018 Helsinki summit.Trump calls Putin smart and insists he’s always “had a very good relationship” with the Kremlin leader.But when Russian missiles pounded Kyiv earlier this year, Trump accused him of “needlessly killing a lot of people,” adding in a social media post: “He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”For his part, Putin has praised the Republican billionaire’s push to end the Ukraine war. “I have no doubt that he means it sincerely,” Putin said last year when Trump was running for president.Since returning to the White House in January, the American president has forged a rapprochement with Putin, who has been sidelined by the international community since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.Trump and Putin, aged 79 and 72 respectively, spoke for 90 minutes by phone in February, both expressing hope for a reset of relations.But after a series of fruitless talks and continued deadly Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities, Trump has appeared increasingly frustrated.”I am very disappointed with President Putin,” Trump told reporters last month. “I thought he was somebody that meant what he said. And he’ll talk so beautifully and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.”- The memory of Helsinki -Trump and Putin have met six times, mostly on the sidelines of international events during Trump’s first term.In his recent book “War,” Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward wrote that Trump spoke to Putin seven times between leaving the White House in 2021 and returning there earlier this year. The Kremlin denies this.But the defining moment in their relationship remains the July 16, 2018 summit in the Finnish capital Helsinki. After a two-hour one-on-one meeting, Trump and Putin expressed a desire to mend relations between Washington and Moscow.But Trump caused an uproar during a joint press conference by appearing to take at face value the Russian president’s assurances that Moscow did not attempt to influence the 2016 US presidential election — even though US intelligence agencies had unanimously confirmed that it did.”I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said. “He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”Given this history, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen is worried about what could happen at the Trump-Putin summit.”I am very concerned that President Putin will view this as a reward and another opportunity to further prolong the war instead of finally seeking peace,” she said.