MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday expressed his condolences after the reported death of María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests.
"All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” Sánchez said in a post on X. “A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today.”
Maricarmen, as she was known, had been hospitalized since she was carried out on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades. She was expected to return home as soon as she might be discharged, after accepting a deal with the company that owned her apartment.
Her case has drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets in outrage and led the prime minister to call for early elections after failing to pass measures to address the country’s housing crisis.
“Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late,” the Madrid Tenant’s Union said in a statement Wednesday. “It was an entirely avoidable situation following a harrowing ordeal.”
Protesters who have been camped out in Madrid's iconic Sol square held a minute of silence after hearing news of her passing.
Demonstrators sit next to their tents after spending the night camping during a protest demanding stronger protections for renters following last week's eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen, in Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Maricarmen, 87, waits at home for police to arrive before being evicted from the home where she lived in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Fernando Sánchez/Europa Press via AP)
Tropical Storm Isaias could make landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast as a hurricane this weekend, hours before No. 2 Georgia plays at No. 6 Alabama in a major college football game on Saturday night that President Donald Trump is planning to attend.
Forecasters say Isaias could become a hurricane by Thursday and make landfall late Friday or early Saturday somewhere along the Alabama-Mississippi-Florida coastlines before moving north. The storm could prompt schools to cancel games, change kickoff times or even move games to other locations. The Southwestern Athletic Conference moved Florida A&M’s game at Alabama State from Saturday to Friday morning.
Trump, who attended Texas' win over Tennessee in another Southeastern Conference game on Sept. 26, was asked Wednesday about the storm.
“I love Alabama. I’ve got to go to the game,” Trump responded.
Trump said he didn’t want to do “anything to take the focus” away from “all of the great people that work on those things,” including first responders and police, adding “We’ll have to see” about his travel plans.
Georgia and Alabama have not disclosed backup plans for the game scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern in Tuscaloosa, 200 miles inland from the coast. Alabama issued a statement saying “at this time there are no plans to alter the contest” but officials at the school and the SEC will continue to monitor conditions. The SEC ultimately makes the decision.
“It’s uncertainty beyond my control,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I’m focused on trying to prepare our team and game plan and scheme.”
Smart said Georgia went through similar preparations last week with the threat of severe weather surrounding its game against Vanderbilt. The weather turned into a non-event in the Bulldogs’ 38-14 win.
“We had that same prep last week with the threat of those things,” he said. “You can’t really practice conditions. You can’t simulate them, so you’re much better off to educate, learn from the past of other people that have played in them, and prepare your team to play and not make it about that.”
The storm could trigger flash floods with dangerous winds, heavy rain and tornadoes. Events in Alabama have already been canceled. Alabama meteorologist James Spann told AL.com that moving the game to Sunday night would be the best choice.
Smart and Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said they were being updated but didn't outline contingency plans.
“I’m not really involved in too much, just updated on kind of where things stand," DeBoer said. "If there’s anything that would need to be adjusted, but you know, I haven’t heard anything recently.”
In 1988, Alabama postponed a Sept. 17 game at Texas A&M to December because of Hurricane Gilbert. Georgia's 2016 game at South Carolina was pushed to Sunday due to Hurricane Matthew while the LSU-Florida game that same Saturday was postponed to November.
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This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Isaias off the eastern coast of Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/James Pugh)
