Brazil's Lula visits Fernández de Kirchner under house arrest in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited former Argentina President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at her home Thursday, where the former leader is serving her six-year sentence for corruption under house arrest.

Fernández, 72, had asked the court’s permission to receive Lula, a longtime political and ideological ally. Lula was in Buenos Aires for the summit of the regional Mercosur trade alliance and made the short trip to Fernández’s home in Argentina’s capital after the meeting concluded.

Lula was inside with Fernández for just under an hour and they did not appear publicly together.

“His visit was much more than a personal gesture: it was a political act of solidarity,” Fernández wrote in a lengthy post later on X that included photos of the two embracing.

It was not Lula’s first show of support for Fernández since Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld her sentence last month. He had called her to express his support after her conviction.

Fernández had been convicted of directing state contracts to a friend while she was the first lady and president. The sentence also permanently bans her from holding public office.

Fernández dominated Argentine politics for two decades and forged the country’s main left-wing populist movement known as Kirchnerism, after her and her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner.

Lula has also faced imprisonment. While he was held in a police station in Curitiba in 2019, also for corruption, he received then-Argentinian presidential candidate Alberto Fernández, a political ally of Cristina Fernández who is not related to her. Lula’s conviction was later overturned.

Cristina Fernández on Thursday drew a parallel to Lula's detention, noting that he too was a victim of “lawfare,” but noted that the public returned him to office.

Lula posted on X later as well, encouraging Fernández to continue “your fight for justice.”

“I know how important recognition is in the most difficult moments,” he wrote.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and Argentina's President Javier Milei pose for a group photo during the Mercosur Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman holds up a Brazilian flag on a road covered by the Spanish phrase: "Free Cristina" near the home of former President Cristina Fernandez, who is under house arrest serving a six-year prison sentence for corruption, after Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited her in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A supporter of Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez holds a flag featuring Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Fernandez outside her home where she is under house arrest serving a six-year prison sentence for corruption, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, July 3, 2025, on the day Lula visited her at home while he is in the country for the Mercosur Summit. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Journalists waits outside the home of former President Cristina Fernandez, who is under house arrest serving a six-year prison sentence for corruption, for the arrival of Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leaves the home of former President Cristina Fernandez, who is under house arrest and serving a six-year prison sentence for corruption, after visiting her while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the Mercosur Summit, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

CHICAGO (AP) — A potential replay challenge by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday was denied because first-year manager Kurt Suzuki waited too long to make the appeal.

The play occurred with the Chicago Cubs batting in the third inning of the Angels' 6-2 loss in the series finale at a chilly Wrigley Field. Nico Hoerner doubled into the gap in left-center, and Miguel Amaya used a headfirst slide to score the first run of the game.

Shortstop Zach Neto's throw beat Amaya to the plate. It was unclear if Amaya's left hand touched home, and if it got in there ahead of catcher Travis d'Arnaud's tag. Umpire David Rackley ruled Amaya was safe.

Suzuki held up his hand in the direction of the field before deciding to challenge. But the umpires did not initiate a replay review because they said Suzuki took too long to make his decision.

According to Major League Baseball's replay regulations, once a manager notifies an umpire that a club is considering a challenge, the umpire “will hold play until the earlier of the expiration of the 15-Second Determination Timer ... or an indication from the Manager that the Club is not going to challenge the play.”

“When a close play happens like that, the manager is required to immediately hold, to signal to start the clock, which is 15 seconds,” crew chief Chris Guccione told a pool reporter. “So once I see a manager hold by raising his hand, I'll radio up to the press box, to the tech up there, who then starts the clock. So then from that point they've got 15 seconds to either wave it off, challenge, whatever they need to do.”

The 15 seconds is displayed on the pitch clock, and umpires wear a communication device that buzzes when the clock strikes zero.

“There's zeros and the buzz, and then Kurt came up just a little late,” Guccione said.

Suzuki said bench coach John Gibbons, who is the conduit between the manager and Angels staffers looking at the replay, said the timing of the challenge decision was close.

“He said it was a judgment thing,” Suzuki said. “He said it was like zero-bam and then I challenged, so it was like right after. If we’re late, we’re late. Can’t really argue that. Even if it’s a half-second, a second, you can’t argue that. If you’re late, you’re late.”

The Cubs went on to score four more runs in the third, including two with two outs in the inning.

The Angels challenged a successful steal by Hoerner in the sixth, but the call was upheld.

The time limit for deciding whether to request a replay challenge was lowered from 20 to 15 seconds when the pitch clock was instituted as part of a package of rules changes ahead of the 2023 season.

The 42-year-old Suzuki took over as the team's manager in October. He spent the previous three seasons as a special assistant to Angels general manager Perry Minasian.

Suzuki was a major league catcher for five teams over 16 seasons, winning a World Series with Washington in 2019. He had no major league coaching experience when he was hired as manager.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, left, attempts to challenge a play with an umpire during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, left, attempts to challenge a play with an umpire during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)