Ronaldinho, left, and Ronaldo stand with Madonna as she performs during the halftime show in the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Madonna, Muppets, Bieber

entertain at World Cup

Madonna, center in photo, opened the World Cup halftime show with her 2000 dance-pop hit “Music,” joined by star Brazilian soccer players of yesteryear, Ronald, left, and Ronaldinho, right. Sunday’s show started with an apparently prerecorded piece in a roller rink before she rode into the stadium on a dune buggy.

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel led an orchestra through the White Stripes’ sporting anthem “Seven Nation Army,” while Animal and other Muppets bopped and shook. K-pop sensations BTS took to the field in red and black moments later singing “Dynamite.”

There was also Justin Bieber, “Ted Lasso” characters and, of course, “Dai Dai.”

Taylor Farms expands recall

of tainted lettuce to 27 states

Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S.

Products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Ohio, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Jersey, the California-based company said in a statement Friday.

“We are actively removing the implicated products,” the statement said, adding that the company has stopped sourcing lettuce from an implicated lot in central Mexico.

U.S. health officials last week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in Ohio and four other states.

The Associated Press

The Taylor Farms recall announcement listed 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. Taylor Farms did not respond to an emailed request for the full names of those brands or retailers. The recalled products were shipped as recently as Thursday and have “best by” dates as late as Aug. 3.

5 family members found dead

after flash flood in Utah

BICKNELL, Utah — Five members of a Utah family have died after a flash flood swept through canyons in southern Utah where they were on a day outing.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said the family had gone hiking Friday when heavy rains triggered a sudden, devastating flood.

The bodies of the five were recovered Friday evening and Saturday.

Tributes poured out for the family identified them as a fire department captain with the Provo Fire Department, as well as his wife and their three sons. A fundraiser was established to support the couple’s surviving daughter.

5.5 magnitude earthquake

hits Peru, kills at least 6

LIMA, Peru — A 5.5 magnitude earthquake has shaken the Andes region of Peru, killing at least six people. Authorities reported the quake struck Saturday night, with the epicenter near the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province. More than 30 people were injured and 300 have been displaced.

Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said the number of missing is still unknown. Several buildings, including a local church, collapsed or were damaged. The use of rustic adobe materials in construction contributed to the damage. Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, which is located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Untested court activated for

‘alien terrorist’ deportations

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has filed a first-ever petition to a secretive and dormant court created 30 years ago to weigh government requests to deport so-called “alien terrorists” from the United States.

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until this past Wednesday, when the Justice Department filed an application seeking the removal of an individual whose name is withheld from the single-page document posted on the court’s website.

A written response from the court’s chief judge indicates that a hearing was held last week and that the Justice Department was directed to provide more information on Wednesday.