By DAVID FISCHER

MIAMI (AP) — Detainees have been pepper-sprayed on at least two occasions at a Florida immigration detention center dubbed “Deportation Depot” since it opened this past September.

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The Florida Division of Emergency Management confirmed Thursday that the most recent incident at the former Baker Correctional Institution in northeast Florida occurred on Christmas Eve.

“Several detainees refused orders to return to their bunks and began advancing on staff,” officials said in a statement. “One detainee became violent, striking an officer, so chemical agents were released to restore safety to detainees and guards.”

The confrontation came nearly two months after an Oct. 29 incident, when detainees attempted to barricade themselves inside their housing unit while inciting violence and causing significant damage, officials said. Guards eventually used pepper spray to regain control. No injuries were reported, and everyone involved was medically cleared in an abundance of caution, officials said.

The northeast Florida facility is the second immigration detention center opened by the state of Florida, following one in the Florida Everglades earlier last summer. The state is awaiting approval from federal officials to open a third immigration detention center in the Florida Panhandle and is also looking into a potential fourth detention facility in South Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month.

DeSantis has said that there had been 10,000 arrests of people in the U.S. illegally in Florida during the past year through a state initiative with federal law enforcement, and that local law enforcement had made an additional 10,000 arrests for a total of 20,000 arrests. Under the state initiative, 63% of those arrested had a criminal arrest or conviction, DeSantis said.

Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, with DeSantis saying the Trump administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants. The Trump administration has trumpeted the Republican governors’ efforts to expand their immigration detention capacity, calling Florida’s partnership a model for other state-run holding facilities.

Attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have called the conditions deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods their tents and officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before they’re allowed to consult their attorneys.

Three federal lawsuits in Florida are challenging practices at the Everglades facility.

In one lawsuit, detainees are asking for the facility to be closed since immigration is a federal issue, and Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate it under federal law. In a second lawsuit, detainees were seeking a ruling that would ensure that they have access to confidential communications with their attorneys.

In the third lawsuit, a federal judge in Miami last summer ordered the Everglades facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact. But an appellate court panel put that decision on hold for the time being, allowing the facility to stay open.

By DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army general tapped to lead the U.S. National Security Agency assured lawmakers Thursday that he will follow the Constitution and the law when it comes to using the NSA’s powerful surveillance tools.

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Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, if confirmed by the Senate, would also run the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, giving him a critical role in the nation’s offensive and defensive cyber operations.

The NSA has been without a permanent director since President Donald Trump fired Gen. Tim Haugh last year. The questions at Rudd’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee reflected concerns about whether Trump has politicized the use of federal law enforcement and security programs to target his critics and political opponents.

Rudd has held senior roles in Army special forces, has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now the deputy commander of the Indo-Pacific Command. He told senators that the NSA’s mission is critical to protecting the lives of service members and the success of their missions while also keeping the homeland safe from espionage and digital threats.

Rudd assured skeptical Democrats that he would follow the law if asked to turn the NSA’s spying programs against Americans simply because of their speech or political beliefs, something forbidden by federal law.

“If you are directed to target people in the United States for surveillance, will you insist that there be a judicial warrant?” asked Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat.

“If confirmed, I will absolutely commit to executing the foreign intelligence mission of the NSA in accordance with the authorities it has been given and within all applicable laws,” Rudd said in response.

The NSA focuses on cybersecurity, digital surveillance and cryptography programs for American national security and works closely with other intelligence agencies and the Pentagon. Its importance has grown in recent years as the internet and digital technology created new opportunities for intelligence gathering as well as new threats from China, Russia and other adversaries.

Lawmakers also demanded assurances that he would inform them of any efforts by the White House to change surveillance policies without congressional consent.

Senators from both parties said they believe Rudd’s nomination will be confirmed by the entire Senate. A date for the vote on his nomination has not been announced.

Treaty Oak Revival, the Red Clay Strays, Minnesota’s own bluegrass favorites Trampled by Turtles and, of all acts, the Beach Boys are among the bands set to play the new country music offshoot of the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival.

The Minnesota Country Club Festival is set for July 10 and 11 at St. Paul’s Harriet Island Regional Park. Tickets start at $95 for one day and $140 for both, with numerous more pricey options available. Concertgoers can register for access to a presale that starts at 10 a.m. Friday at minnesotacountryclubfest.com.

Promoters announced the festival earlier this month in a social media post that promised “a weekend of roots, folk, country, Americana and a few surprises along the Mississippi.”

While the Yacht Club fest has featured arena-level headliners like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Green Day and Hozier, the Country Club Festival lineup is filled with much more niche artists.

Americana acts Treaty Oak Revival and the Red Clay Strays both headlined concerts at the 8,000-capacity Armory in downtown Minneapolis last year, but the rest of the bill features artists who typically play clubs and theaters. In its first two years, Yacht Club drew about 35,000 fans each day, but it seems unlikely that Country Club will replicate those numbers.

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Day 1 lineup: Treaty Oak Revival headlines the first day’s bill, which also includes Charley Crockett, Stephen Wilson Jr., Charles Wesley Godwin, Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, the Last Revel, Sons of Habit and Next of Kin. The Beach Boys are billed as a “special guest.”

Day 2 lineup: The Red Clay Strays will close out the second day, which also features Jessie Murph, Trampled by Turtles, Jesse Welles, Paul Cauthen, Chance Pena, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Elizabeth Nichols, Boy Golden and Nico Welsh.

The Lumineers, Matchbox Twenty and the Strokes will headline the third annual Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, which returns to Harriet Island July 17 through 19.

It was pointed out to Bob Motzko that his team’s performance was better last weekend against Michigan State than it was two weeks prior against Michigan.

“Yep,” Motzko said on his Gophers Hockey Weekly show, “but the outcome (was the same). We’re in a tough spot.”

Minnesota has now lost seven straight games heading into its home weekend series against Wisconsin, which opens at 7 p.m. Friday. The six losses since the break have all come to teams currently ranked inside the top five in the nation.

“Five of the games, it’s been we make a mistake, it ends up in the back of our net, we’re chasing the game,” Motzko said on his coaches show. “And we’re fighting in there, we’re playing really good teams right now that we’re trying to catch, but we’re having to play catch up in the games.”

But the level of competition in those contests is of little solace for anyone inside the program, or out. Motzko credited the Gophers faithful with producing the best visiting crowd he’s seen at a Frozen Four three years ago in Tampa Bay. Those same ardent supporters are upset at this season’s lack of success.

“We’re fully aware of negativity, but as I reminded our guys and I reminded our staff, that’s what happens when you come to a program like this. When you’re going great, they’re great. When you’re going bad, they’re bad,” he said. “Do they have the right to be mad? Hell, yeah. We’re mad. But it’s senseless energy for our team right now.”

Motzko noted Minnesota (8-16-1 overall, 4-10 in Big Ten) isn’t the first sports team to go through struggles. It’s easy to play the blame game right now, but he’ll have none of it.

“We have to fight our way through it right now, and we can’t let negativity sneak into our group,” Motzko said. “Our guys have been terrific on that side of it. The fight continues. It will pass. It will pass. But we have to fight our way through it, and we have to go earn it.”

He likened it to a train fighting its way uphill at the moment. The challenge, he said, is to keep pushing forward until the train reaches the peak, and momentum can be gained on the downhill.

There are signs of progress, even amid the losses. Motzko noted a positive is Minnesota is getting young players more minutes than they’d otherwise see. That experience is producing flashes, and the hope is that more young players find the types of consistent success goalie Luca Di Pasquo is starting to achieve as he establishes himself as a No. 1 netminder.

With the Gophers now healthy after battling a series of injuries in the opening half of the campaign, Motzko is freed up to tinker and adjust in his efforts to concoct a winning formula. Brody Lamb moved to center last weekend, where Motzko believes he can utilize his size, skating and smarts. He’s lined up with Brodie Ziemer and LJ Mooney, a trio that’s carrying the Gophers’ power-play unit and looks to find more 5-on-5 success.

Motzko also is pushing for Minnesota’s forward to get more active on the forecheck, noting the Gophers “need to have a ground game.”

“We need to get pucks deep and we need to go to work,” he said on his coaches show. “Even this last weekend, we had far too many trying to score on the rush, score in transition when it’s not there. Because you’re playing teams now whose systems are locked in. … We need to have an attack with four lines putting pressure on the other team. We had far too many turnovers.”

Every adjustment is aimed at Minnesota playing its best hockey come March. That’s always the goal, but is especially pertinent given the Gophers’ current circumstance. Minnesota is currently No. 40 in the pairwise rankings, meaning its only path to NCAAs is winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

Achieving that goal starts by finding a groove now. With that in mind, Motzko’s full focus is on Wisconsin. The Badgers (15-7-2 overall, 8-6 in Big Ten) are having a nice season, but enter Friday as losers of four straight.

“It better be a weekend of two teams that are desperate, getting after it,” Motzko said. “You’re going to see good hockey, I know that.”

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