By Milena Malaver and Jay Weaver, Miami Herald (TNS)

When entering the United States through an airport or seaport, your electronic devices — laptops, phones, tablets — can be subject to search by Customs and Border Protection.

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A basic search involves an officer manually reviewing the device’s contents without using any external tools.

An advanced search uses specialized equipment to access, copy and analyze the data on your device. This more invasive search requires reasonable suspicion of a law being broken or a national security threat, and must be approved by a senior Customs or Border Protection official.

But border agents do not need a warrant to conduct either one of these searches.

An electronic device subject to search is any “that may contain information in an electronic or digital form, such as computers, tablets, disks, drives, tapes, mobile phones and other communication devices, cameras, music and other media players,” according to Customs and Border Protection.

The issue has made headlines in recent weeks after a Michigan attorney was detained in early April at the Detroit airport by Customs officials, who told him they would confiscate his phone unless he gave it to them to look through his contacts. (Because he was a U.S. citizen, he was given back his phone and eventually allowed to reenter the country after a family vacation in the Dominican Republic.)

“We say everyone should have a plan before travel,” said Sophia Cope, senior attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation nonprofit focused on civil rights in the digital age.

The EFF created an extensive guide on how to protect your digital privacy at the border. Cope said the foundation does not “discourage people from handing over the actual physical device,” as federal agents have the right to inspect it.

However, Cope said to be aware that an officer may ask for a device to be unlocked or requests the passcode: “The traveler has to know what they’re going to do in that moment, either they’re going to comply or they’re not going to comply.”

Here are key steps in protecting the data on your device:

Minimize your phone’s data

Before you travel, delete sensitive data on your phone or move it to secure cloud storage (and log out of those accounts).

If you’re a journalist, attorney, doctor or other professional, you have a special responsibility to protect sensitive data —whether it’s confidential sources, privileged client information, or even personal content like photos or private messages, Cope said.

The EFF also suggests leaving behind electronic devices such as laptops and computers, if possible.

Use strong passwords and encryption

Enable full-disk encryption — on an iPhone, go to Settings and Face ID & Passcode, where you should see the phrase data protection is enabled at the bottom of the page. Also, set up strong, alphanumeric passwords and disable facial recognition and fingerprint identification, as these may be easier to compel.

CBP and other law enforcement agencies can use advanced forensic tools to recover deleted files and reveal past activity on your device, even if it’s not visible at first glance, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

But the EFF discourages people from trying to hide data on their devices. “We recommend against using methods that may be, or even appear to be, calculated to deceive or mislead border agents about what data is present on a device,” she said.

Back up your data

“Backups prevent your data from being lost if your device is seized, stolen, or broken — risks that are significantly heightened during international travel,” according to the EFF.

The EFF has a guide on how to enable advanced data protection on IOS and a Surveillance Self Defense Guide.

You may choose to safeguard your data at home or work or use an online backup you can access while traveling.

Power down devices

Turn off your devices completely and make sure they’re disconnected from WiFi before arriving at Customs. This ensures that full-disk encryption is active and adds a layer of protection.

Get a temporary phone

For especially sensitive travel, consider using a temporary or burner phone with only the essential data needed for your trip, but be prepared for any questions that may arise from agents.

“Sometimes having a completely wiped phone or that kind of very clean travel device might itself raise suspicions,” said Cope.

She suggests that travelers be prepared to give an honest answer when using a travel phone.

“You don’t want to be in a situation where what you’ve done or what you’re saying could be interpreted as lying to a federal agent, and that’s a crime,” Cope said.

Know your rights

You have the right to refuse a search — even if there may be consequences, such as having your electronics confiscated. Assert your rights calmly and ask whether you’re free to go. If a device is confiscated, ask for a receipt.

Cope said if you choose not to comply with a request, border agents might let it go if it’s just a routine inspection and you’re not a specific concern, but there’s also a chance it could upset them.

“You kind of have to hope for the best,” she said.

Be prepared to seek legal support

If you believe your rights are violated, legal organizations like the EFF can help. Document the encounter and seek assistance as soon as possible.

What about social media?

Under its 2018 policy, “CBP expressly says that they are not allowed … to look at live cloud content,” Cope said.

To make sure officers don’t access any information stored online, CBP officers will either ask the traveler to turn off internet and network connections or they’ll turn them off themselves, according to the CBP website

This includes both public and private social media — whether it’s a public Instagram or a private Facebook account, Cope said. Previously, she said, officers were able to open the apps and scroll through the accounts.

This rule also applies to other devices like laptops or iPads. Customs agents are only permitted to review data “resident on the device,” which means information that’s physically stored on the hard drive, Cope said.

However, she notes a technical caveat: Even though data like emails or social media content live primarily in the cloud, “copies are downloaded onto the device,” so agents might still see remnants of cloud content.

She recommends that travelers “delete social media apps” and “clear the cache” in browsers as a precaution.

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Brooks Lee had struck out in each of his first three at-bats on Thursday, had made a critical error in the field and was quickly in an 0-2 hole in his fourth plate appearance.

But with a pair of runners on and a pair out in a game that had been tied for innings, Lee took ball three before unleashing on a Gregory Soto fastball, flipping the narrative of his day.

The ball traveled over 400 feet and Lee settled for a two-run double, one which broke the tie and helped lift the Twins to a 5-2 victory in the series finale on Thursday afternoon at Target Field. With it, the Twins have now won a season-high five straight games, taking this one after the Orioles frequently looked like they were on the verge of breaking through.

Working a day earlier than expected, starter Bailey Ober gritted out a start where nothing seemed to come easy, yet still put his team in a good position to win a ballgame.

Because of Joe Ryan’s illness, Ober’s start was bumped up a day — he was still on normal rest because of Monday’s off day — giving him the day game against the Orioles instead of the night game against the San Francisco Giants on Friday that he had been planning on.

The Orioles clogged the bases with at least a runner on — sometimes two — in each of his five innings. But they could do little to turn those runners into runs, scoring once in the second and again in the third (an unearned run after Lee’s error).

After each of the first two runners of the fourth inning reached base, Ober got a critical double play. An inning later, the Orioles had a pair of runners in scoring position to begin the fifth and Ober worked around it, letting out a show of excitement as he walked off the mound for the final time.

And while he was doing that, the Twins’ offense did just enough to keep them in it.

Though Byron Buxton did not have a hit in Thursday’s win, snapping a seven-game hitting streak, his fingerprints were all over the Twins’ win. He drew a leadoff walk to begin the first inning and came around to score on Ty France’s RBI knock — one of two on the day for the first baseman. He scored again on Lee’s hit and also threw a runner out at the plate in the sixth inning to keep the Orioles’ lead to just one at the time.

The Twins erased that lead in the bottom of the frame when Trevor Larnach blasted his fifth home run of the season, and that tie remained intact until Lee’s big hit innings later.

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By Sono Motoyama, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — My Japanese grandmother lived on the opposite coast when I was little. I only met her a couple times, but she would annually send a box of homemade Japanese treats, including red bean-stuffed buns.

As a kid growing up in a New York suburb, these were not exactly something I yearned for. I probably — no, definitely — would have been happier if she sent us Twinkies and Hostess Cakes.

Apparently now, though, Japanese red bean is having a moment, along with other Asian desserts.

A twentysomething acquaintance said he enjoyed Asian desserts because they don’t “feel like they’re immediately going to give you cavities.” Though he admitted that red bean was an “adult acquired taste, like coffee.”

On social media you can see an eye-popping array of Eastern desserts, including mochi in all the colors of the rainbow, the cutest little animal-shaped dessert buns and yes, red bean-filled taiyaki.

‘A hot concept’

As an adult, I would occasionally enjoy going to Chinese bakeries — the kind where you pick a trayful of sweet and savory treats with tongs — that you find in Chinatowns. But now they’re in the most unlikely places, including Memphis, where I recently lived. It most decidedly does not have a Chinatown.

Indeed, trend trackers Carbonate Insights has proclaimed, “Asian dessert cafés are one of the hottest concepts of 2025.”

It cites as evidence South Korean chain Paris Baguette, with locations in more than 20 U.S. states; Taiwan-based 85°C Bakery Cafe, in 10 states; and French-Asian bakery Tous les Jours, with over 100 locations in the U.S. — including Shadyside.

The gateway drug is bubble tea, which incited interest in other Asian desserts and snacks. Social media multiplied the curiosity among millennials and Gen Z.

Another draw was that many dessert cafes are open late. (Thank you! What’s up with coffee shops and cafes closing in late afternoon?) These dessert cafes offer non-alcohol-based but high-design social hangouts.

On a recent evening midweek, the photo-ready interiors of New York-based chain Mango Mango and Japanese chain Kyo Matcha, only a few yards from each other on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, were buzzing with a young crowd. Both opened within the last year.

Substance over style

But as we welcome these sleek newcomers, we shouldn’t forget the previous generation that paved the way.

Sumi Chun who emigrated from Seoul, Korea, runs Sumi’s Cakery in the Strip District with her husband, Jun. (Previously, the shop was in Squirrel Hill.) She touts her strawberry layer cake, green tea cake and mocha cake. She had no professional cooking experience when she started her business — she taught Korean dance in her home country — but perhaps fittingly for such social media-ready edibles, she learned how to bake from the internet.

“Almost every bakery has a strawberry cake,” she said. “Mine is special.”

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It is ultralight, she said, because she uses whipped cream as a topping instead of butter cream.

Pink Box Bakery, in Squirrel Hill, opened around the same time as Sumi’s Cakery — in the 2010s. It is currently run by Hong Yang, a Taiwanese immigrant who took it over from his wife’s siblings. It has hints of an old-style bakery, with trays to stack up your treats. It carries a wide variety of sweet and savory buns (including red bean), taro bread and some intriguing-looking, colorful mochi cakes.

Like Chun, Yang takes pride in making everything in-house and using the best ingredients, preferring substance over style. Most of his pastries are traditional Taiwanese offerings, he said.

Perhaps the Instagram-ready newbies and the traditionalists could learn a thing or two from each other.

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press

SCHIAVON, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’s choice of name signals a commitment to social justice which is very much in line with the late Pope Francis’ global ministry.

“I think a lot us had a question mark when they elected an American, and then he selected the name Pope Leo XIV,” said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University. “It really means to me he will continue the work of Leo XXIII.”

Pope Leo XIII, who was head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age. He criticized both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching.

The name “is a deep sign of commitment to social issues,” said Imperatori-Lee. “I think this (new) pope is saying something about social justice, by choosing this name, that it is going to be a priority. He is continuing a lot of Francis’ ministry.”

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Another predecessor, Pope Leo I, was known for repelling the barbarian invasion of Atilla the Hun in 452 A.D. and dissuading him from sacking Rome through diplomacy, Italian Cardinal Maurizio Piacenza told RAI Italian state TV. He also noted that Pope Leo XIII elevated the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii to a papal basilica in 1901.

For most of the Catholic Church’s first millennium, popes used their given names. The first exception was the 6th century Roman Mercurius, who had been named for a pagan god and chose the more appropriate name of John II.

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The practice of adopting a new name became ingrained during the 11th century, a period of German popes who chose names of early church bishops out of “a desire to signify continuity,” according to Rev. Roberto Regoli, a historian at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.

For many centuries, new popes tended to choose the name of the pope who had elevated them to cardinal. John was the most popular, chosen by 23 popes, followed by Benedict and Gregory, each with 16.

It was from the mid-20th century that new popes begin to choose names signaling the aim of their papacy, Regoli said.