By JOSH BOAK

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will be pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted for drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

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The president explained his decision on social media by posting that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”

In March of last year, Hernandez was convicted in U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S.A. He had served served two terms as the leader of the Central American nation of roughly 10 million people.

The post was part of a broader message by Trump backing Tito Asfura for Honduras’ presidency, with Trump saying the U.S. would be supportive of the country if he wins. But if Asfura loses the election this Sunday, Trump posted that “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is.”

Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro has leaned into a leftist stance, but she has kept a pragmatic and even cooperative attitude in dealing with the U.S. administration and she has received visits from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, when she was the commander of U.S. Southern Command. The president has even backed off his threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation with the U.S.

Under Castro, Honduras has also received its citizens deported from the U.S. and acted as a bridge for deported Venezuelans who were then picked up by Venezuela in Honduras.

Nearly 20 years after his death, photographer, filmmaker, author and activist Gordon Parks continues to inspire others and now legislative funding will help make plans to honor him a reality.

With his “American Gothic” looking over his shoulder, photographer Gordon Parks gestures while speaking at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington Tuesday Sept. 9, 1997 during the opening of an exhibit of his works. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul, on Sunday will announce legislative appropriations to commemorate Parks who began his photography career in St. Paul. Funds are allocated through the legacy finance bill authored by Husssein and Hawj and approved by Gov. Tim Walz in May.

“We’re really excited that the state of Minnesota is honoring and finally saying that the legacy of Gordon Parks is so important to the state,” said Parks’ grandniece Robin Hickman-Winfield. “Honoring and celebrating his life and legacy is important to the state of Minnesota.”

Hickman-Winfield said it’s been a long journey to getting the resources for a memorial for her uncle.

While plans for the memorial are still in development, Hickman-Winfield, Landmark Center Executive Director Amy Mino and others have discussed possibly having a statue of Parks in the Landmark Plaza.

They have wanted the memorial to be surrounded by “the footsteps of Uncle Gordon,” Hickman-Winfield said. That includes sites such as The St. Paul Hotel where he worked as a waiter and the Frank Murphy women’s clothing store in The Lowry Building that hired a young Parks to take some of the photos that helped start his career.

Parks would return to St. Paul in the 1990s to perform with a symphony orchestra at Landmark Center.

“So, his stomping ground where he worked, where he walked, surrounded Landmark Plaza. So for him to stand there, to take his rightful place (in) downtown St. Paul … .that’s why we selected that place,” Hickman-Winfield said.

Hickman-Winfield, Mino, Kevin Lindsey, chief executive officer of the Minnesota Humanities Center, Parks Legacy Initiative Partnership members and other community members and legislative leaders will attend Sunday’s announcement, which will take place on the birthday of Parks, who was born in 1912.

Hussein serves as the co-vice chair of the House Legacy Finance Committee and Hawj is the chair of the Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee and one of the authors of the appropriations bill.

Hussein said the project will uplift a cultural voice.

“This is a part of the art and cultural funding,” Hussein said. “And we are proud that we are putting his statue and his legacy in downtown St. Paul so kids and families and people from Minnesota can leave with his life’s legacy and what he has done.”

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Parks got his start with photography taking pictures at Frank Murphy’s clothing store. He would go on to shoot fashion for Vogue, capture scenes of poverty for Life and images of segregation for the Farm Security Administration. He also was a composer and the first Black director at a major Hollywood studio.

To view Gordon Park’s photography and learn more about his career go to gordonparksfoundation.org.

By SARAH RAZA

A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the peak holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said Wednesday in an internal memo.

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The airline expects it will be several months before its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet returns to service as it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, said the memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore to employees. The process was originally estimated to take weeks but is now expected to take several months.

A fiery MD-11 plane crash on Nov. 4 in Louisville, Kentucky, killed 14 people and injured at least 23 when the left engine detached during takeoff. Cargo carriers grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA.

“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.

A UPS spokesperson said in a statement that the company will rely on contingency plans to deliver for customers throughout the peak season, and it “will take the time needed to ensure that every aircraft is safe.”

The 109 remaining MD-11 airliners, averaging more than 30 years old, are exclusively used to haul cargo for package delivery companies. MD-11s make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet.

Boeing, which took over as the manufacturer of MD-11s since merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement that it is “working diligently to provide instructions and technical support to operators” so that they can meet the FAA’s requirements.

The FAA said Boeing will develop the procedures for inspections and any corrective actions, pending approval from the FAA.