Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against the man accused of beheading a Dallas motel manager last September, authorities said. Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, admitted to using a machete to attack and kill his co-worker at the Downtown Suites on Samuell Boulevard during an argument, according to investigators.

It’s England vs. Argentina in the World Cup semifinals. It’s also Lionel Messi vs. Jude Bellingham.

The battle of the two No. 10s could be pivotal to deciding Wednesday’s match in Atlanta.

“We know how good Messi is,” England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said of the Argentina great, whose enduring brilliance has been on show again even at the age of 39.

Messi and Bellingham have been inspirational in their teams’ respective runs to the final four. And Wednesday’s match may well be determined by which one has the biggest say on the day.

Messi is playing England for the first time in his storied career.

“He’s scored so many goals and contributed to so many goals as well throughout his career, it’s great to finally go up against him,” Pickford said.

Messi is already considered by many to the be greatest soccer player of all time and he seems to be on a mission to settle the debate about where he stands in the history of the sport.

Already the all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 21 goals, he could surpass Argentina icon Diego Maradona by leading his country to back-to-back world titles.

His eight goals in the tournament so far have been pivotal to Argentina’s run and his moments of magic have dragged his team through big scares against Cape Verde and Egypt.

With Maradona as captain, Argentina won the World Cup in 1986 and was runner-up four years later when it lost to West Germany in the final.

“Trying to draw inspiration from what Diego did is difficult. Only Leo can do that,” said Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. “Diego is a national icon for us, and hopefully, we can achieve something similar to what that team did.”

England has a talisman of its own in the form of Bellingham, who is at the opposite end of his career to Messi.

At the age of 23, Bellingham is already playing in his second World Cup and his fourth major tournament for England. He has six goals, including two each in the last two rounds against Mexico and Norway.

Not bad for a player who was dropped by coach Thomas Tuchel in the lead-up to the World Cup, prompting debate about whether he’d even be in England’s starting XI.

For a long time Bellingham has not only been considered one of English soccer’s brightest talents, but one of the global game’s biggest names.

Yet his relationship with Tuchel cast doubt over his role in the England team, with Morgan Rogers threatening to take his place.

There is no doubt anymore about a player who Tuchel described as “world class” after his double against Norway in the quarterfinals.

Bellingham is different type of No. 10 to Messi, relying on his athleticism, power and speed when running beyond defenders. He is also technically gifted with his touch and range of passing, but arguably no one can rival Messi’s individual control of the ball, his dribbling ability or vision.

Bellingham’s maturity always stood out. He made his debut for second-division Birmingham at 16 and despite many of England’s top teams wanting to sign him, he resisted the likes of Manchester United and moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany instead.

Birmingham knew it had lost a special talent and said it was retiring his No. 22 jersey despite him playing less than 50 games for the club.

After starring for Dortmund, Bellingham joined Real Madrid, wore the great Zinedine Zidane’s No. 5 and helped the Spanish giant to the Champions League and Spanish title in his first season in 2024. That same year he was part of England’s team that reached the final of the European Championship, scoring an overhead kick in stoppage time to save his country from elimination earlier in the tournament.

With a record like that, it should come as little surprise that Bellingham, along with captain Harry Kane, who also has six goals, has been such an inspiration at this World Cup.

“Everyone talks about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs of the game, but you can’t look past the ability and talent we have in the squad,” Pickford said.

England vs. Argentina is a fierce rivalry that goes beyond the soccer field, with tensions also relating to the 1982 conflict over the Falklands Islands.

There have been numerous clashes at the World Cup.

Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered quarterfinal match against winner England in 1966.

Maradona scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal in 1986 – and England also felt aggrieved when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out against Diego Simeone in 1998 and losing in a penalty shootout.

Most recently England beat Argentina in the group phase in 2002, with Beckham scoring from the penalty spot.

Rather than being weighed down by the disappointments of previous clashes, Kane said it was that win that stood out in his mind.

“We all knew what Beckham went through previously against Argentina and that kind of redemption story of scoring that penalty, his celebration, he’s pulling the shirt and his face.

“I think that’s one of my favourite England memories,” Kane told ITV. “That was always one of my favourite memories, Beckham being a big idol of mine, so that one stands out for sure.”

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Meeting at the committee level Tuesday, Augusta commissioners took no action on proposed data center rules.

Instead, they sent the issue to the full commission with a deadline looming.

The current moratorium on new data centers expires July 21. If the full commission does not act by then, the freeze ends automatically.

The debate comes after months of complaints from neighbors about a proposed data center near Haynes Station, where residents have raised concerns about noise, lighting, and property values.

Planning Director Lisa Cameron said the proposed ordinance would place future data centers exclusively in heavy industrial zoning districts. She described it as a “living document” that can be updated over time as technology and community concerns change.

The Planning Commission did not recommend adopting the ordinance. Instead, it suggested the Augusta Commission consider extending the moratorium to allow more public discussion.

Commissioners debated whether to extend the moratorium by 30 or 60 days but could not agree. Both options would push a final decision to the August 18 commission meeting.

Cameron said staff’s recommendation remained adoption of the ordinance but said staff would support whatever direction the commission chooses.

Commissioners indicated they want any final ordinance to remain comprehensive — covering emergency management, utilities, fire, and engineering — rather than narrowed to zoning alone.

The proposed rules would apply only to future projects. The QTS data center already under construction on Gordon Highway would not be affected.

The full commission meets July 21 at 2 p.m. at the Municipal Building.

Zoning ordinance rewrite

Also as commissioners met Tuesday, Augusta’s Planning and Development Department asked for up to $68,368 more to finish the city’s comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite, along with a deadline extension pushing final adoption to November or December 2026.

The request moves to the full Augusta Commission next week. The additional funding would extend the contract with consultant White and Smith, LLC through the end of the year.

Cameron told commissioners Augusta’s current zoning ordinance dates to 1963 and has been amended piecemeal over the decades rather than comprehensively rewritten. She said after reviewing the consultant’s work, staff realized much of the existing language was simply being carried over rather than tailored to Augusta’s current needs.

Public outreach had been more limited than expected. Feedback from a recent meeting at Diamond Lakes showed many residents were unaware the zoning ordinance was even being rewritten.

The bulk of the additional funding — more than $34,000 — would go toward community engagement, including two more public workshops and a community survey.

The rest would cover an official zoning map and a future land use map, which were cut when the original contract was negotiated down from roughly $450,000 to about $327,000.

Planning and Development has since determined it does not have the staffing resources to complete that work internally.

Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle urged the department to include the Home Builders Association, commercial builders, and developers in the upcoming workshops, saying zoning changes can ultimately increase costs for homebuyers.

Adoption hearings are scheduled for Nov. 2 before the Planning Commission and Nov. 17 before the Augusta Commission.

Other items moved to full commission

Several additional items passed out of committee Tuesday without discussion and are set to go before the full Augusta Commission next week.

Augusta’s Housing and Community Development Department received approval to submit its FY2026 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, representing $3,852,829.39 in federal investment in housing and services for low- and moderate-income residents. The plan is due to HUD by Aug. 16. Approval also authorizes the Mayor to sign all required federal documents to finalize the submission.

Commissioners also approved a change order under RFP 25-242 to purchase an additional 50 light fixtures and accessories for the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in the amount of $54,400.

A request from Sheriff Eugene Brantley to purchase a $47,995 solar-powered mobile surveillance trailer for downtown Augusta also moved forward. The trailer is intended to fill coverage gaps in parking lots, side streets, and areas where permanent cameras are not in place as part of the Downtown Camera Project. The unit is mobile and can be relocated as needed. It includes three PTZ dome cameras, military-grade encryption, and is certified to operate on both Verizon and FirstNet/AT&T networks.