Ruben Amorim warned his Manchester United players that they have not yet booked their place in the Europa League final despite a dominant 3-0 win over Athletic Club in their semifinal first leg.

Big wins for Man United and Tottenham in the Europa League semifinals kept alive their hopes of lifting a major trophy and qualifying for the Champions League.

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. In California, the federal government was deep into an investigation of alleged racial discrimination at a school district where, a parent said, students called a Black peer racial slurs and played whipping sounds from their cellphones during a lesson about slavery. Then the U.S. Department of Education in March suddenly closed the California regional outpost of its Office for Civil Rights and fired all its employees there. That investigation and others went silent.In South Dakota, the OCR abruptly terminated its work with a school district that had agreed to take steps to end discrimination against its Native American students. The same office that helped craft the agreement to treat indigenous students equally made a stunning about-face and decided in March that helping Native American students would discriminate against white students.During its first 100 days, as the Trump administration has dismantled the Education Department, one of its biggest targets has been the civil rights arm. Now, Education Secretary Linda McMahon is reorienting whats left of it. Part of that shift has been ordering investigations related to the administrations priorities, such as ending the participation of transgender girls and women in girls and womens sports. After hearing that a transgender woman from Wagner College in New York competed in a womens fencing tournament at the University of Maryland last month, the head of the OCR launched a special investigation into both schools and threatened their access to federal funding.Through internal memos and case data, interviews with more than a dozen current agency attorneys, and public records requests to school districts and other targets of investigations across the country, ProPublica has documented how the Trump administration has radically reshaped the OCR. Only 57 investigations that found a civil rights violation and led to change at a school or college were completed in March, ProPublica has learned. Only 51 were resolved by finding violations in April. The Biden administration completed as many as 200 investigations a month. Leadership under President Donald Trump also has made it easier for the OCR to drop discrimination complaints quickly. In March, 91% of cases closed by the office were dismissed without an investigation, and 89% were dismissed outright in April, according to internal case data obtained by ProPublica. Typically, 70% of cases are dismissed because they dont meet criteria to warrant an investigation. With more than half of the Education Departments civil rights offices closed and the division reduced to a fraction of its former staff, families pleas for updates and action have gone unheard. One OCR attorney, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, told ProPublica that her caseload went from 60 to 380 as she absorbed cases previously handled by employees who worked in offices that had been closed. Some remaining employees have not been able to access documents, voicemail and email of fired employees.As with civil rights divisions in other federal agencies that the Trump administration has fundamentally altered, the OCR has worked for decades to uphold constitutional rights against discrimination based on disability, race and gender.OCR is the most useless its ever been, and its the most dangerous its ever been. And by useless, I mean unavailable. Unable to do the work, said Michael Pillera, who until recently was an OCR attorney in Washington, D.C. He is now with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.Investigating cases that allege racism, discrimination based on sexual orientation or mistreatment of students with disabilities now requires permission from Trump appointees, according to a memo from OCR leadership. As a result, thousands of discrimination investigations are idled, even ones that were nearing a resolution when Trump took office again.I thought we were somewhere, and now we are back to square one because they are closed, said K.D., the mother of the Black California student who said her daughter has been called racial epithets by her classmates. She emailed the agency more than a month ago to try to get an update on the investigation, but said the agency has not responded. ProPublica is identifying her by initials to protect her childs privacy. I never would have imagined that something so essential would go away, she said. Education Department spokespeople did not respond to questions and requests for comment sent over several weeks about changes in the civil rights division.The OCR attorney who said she is working through 380 cases said the job is now impossible.The people who remain are doing all they can. Were doing all we can. But it isnt enough, and it keeps us up at night, she said.Another OCR attorney who, like others, asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the administrations new vision for civil rights enforcement has harmed families.We were sort of the last bit of hope for them, he said, and now theyre calling and emailing and saying, Hey, I thought you all were going to help me. Protesters rally outside of the headquarters of the Department of Education in Washington in March. More than half of the departments Office of Civil Rights outposts have been closed, and more than half of its employees have been laid off since the new administration took over. (Jason Andrew for ProPublica) A Shadow DivisionThe arduous, grinding work undertaken by OCR attorneys is starkly different from the high-speed investigations that the Education Department announces in press releases every few days.The OCR, historically one of the governments largest enforcers of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, has been known for being a neutral fact-finder. Its investigators followed a process to determine whether complaints from the public met legal criteria for a civil rights claim, then carried out investigations methodically. Help Us Report on How the Department of Education Is Handling Civil Rights Cases We want to better understand how changes at the Office for Civil Rights are affecting students, families and school communities. If you have recently submitted a civil rights complaint or have a pending case, please get in touch. Share Your Story The vast majority of investigations were based on discrimination complaints from students and families, and a large share of those were related to disability discrimination. The inquiries typically took months and, in complex cases, years. The lengthy investigations sometimes were a source of criticism. The agency didnt share details of the investigations until they were completed, and the agreements often involved federal oversight going forward.Investigations being publicized now have largely bypassed the agencys civil rights attorneys, according to Education Department employees. McMahon and OCR head Craig Trainor created what amounts to a shadow division. The Trump administration has ordered more than a dozen investigations in the past three months on its own, not initiated by an outside complainant. These directed investigations are typically rare; there were none during President Joseph Bidens administration.The investigations have targeted schools with transgender athletes, gender-neutral bathrooms and initiatives that the administration views as discriminatory to white students. OCR attorneys told ProPublica theyve been given prewritten letters, which theyve reluctantly signed, to send to targets of these investigations. Some letters describe transgender girls as biological males, which is ideologically pointed language that OCR attorneys say theyve never used before.Theyre blowing through past precedents, past practices, best practices, said Catherine Lhamon, who led OCR under former Presidents Barack Obama and Biden and departed the office in January. And theyre not even attempting to appear like neutral arbiters of the law.In a first, McMahon and Trainor created ways to divert complaints and investigations away from the OCRs legal experts entirely. The administration made an End DEI portal that bypasses the traditional online complaint system and seeks only grievances about diversity, equity and inclusion in schools. Unlike the regular complaint system, the diversity portal submissions are not routed to OCR staff.We have no idea where that portal goes, who it goes to, how they review the cases. No idea, said the attorney who said he struggles with being unable to help families. That avoids us interfering with the games theyre trying to play, if they silo off the real civil rights lawyers.McMahon then announced a Title IX Special Investigations Team last month to work with the Department of Justice and appointed Trainor to it. It launches its own investigations into schools that include transgender girls in athletics. In an internal memo to the new team that was obtained by ProPublica, Trainor defined the special teams purpose: To effectively and efficiently address the increasing volume of Title IX single-sex sports/spaces cases, expedite those investigations and resolutions, and collaborate seamlessly with DOJ to conclude investigations that go to DOJ for enforcement.Theres no indication that more complaints related to transgender students are coming from the public, according to internal case data. Last month, in what appears to be the first case assigned to the Title IX team, the group notified the University of Maryland and Wagner College that it would investigate each school. The investigation began after Fox News and other media reported about a fencing tournament at the University of Maryland in which a transgender player from Wagner competed. Trainor signed the notification letters himself, a departure from Lhamons practice.A Wagner College spokesperson declined to comment. A University of Maryland spokesperson declined to comment about the investigation but said the tournament, while on the universitys campus, was run by USA Fencing.The public used to be able to see what the OCR was investigating. But an online database that is supposed to list all investigations underway hasnt been updated since Trump took office. At that time, about 12,000 pending investigations were listed. Among them were two related to a familys complaints that their California school district discriminated against students with disabilities, including by barricading them inside what it called a reset room. But then the OCR closed its California office and fired its employees.All work came to a halt. They stopped responding. Nothing was being done to stop the practice and protect kids, Genevieve Goldstone, the parent of the Del Mar Union School District student who filed the disability discrimination complaint, said in an interview. My federal complaints were meant to protect more kids and stop the abuses in the district.The district said it could not comment on the pending investigation but said it participated in more than a dozen interviews with an OCR attorney. It also said it conducted its own review of the allegations and determined that they were unsubstantiated.OCR attorneys say they have been repeatedly blindsided by public announcements about policy changes and investigations. To find out what Trainor and McMahon have launched on their behalf, they check the Education Departments website daily for press releases.Those statements sometimes quote Trainor preemptively saying a school appears to violate civil rights law. The attorneys worry they will have no choice, despite what their investigations uncover, but to find against schools that have already been excoriated by the department publicly. For example, in a press release announcing an investigation into a transgender athlete participating in girls track and field in Portland Public Schools in Oregon, Trainor said, We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the antidiscrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law.A third current OCR attorney, who asked not to be named for fear of losing her job, said the administration is misinterpreting civil rights law. Its subverting our office, or weaponizing it in these ways, without following our process, she said. Conservative groups with complaints about diversity or transgender students have been able to file complaints directly with Trainor and get quick results another norm-breaking way to operate outside of the OCRs protocol.America First Legal, a group founded by Trump deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller that considers itself the answer to the ACLU, emailed Trainor a few days after Trumps Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling executive order. The order directs schools to stop teaching about or supporting diversity, equity and gender identity.AFL respectfully requests that the Department of Education open investigations into the following public-school districts in Northern Virginia for continuing violations of Title IX, the letter read, listing five districts that have policies welcoming to transgender students. Senior leadership in Washington opened the cases the following week. America First issued a press release headlined VICTORY. The group declined to comment further. First image: A letter from Craig Trainor, the Education Departments acting assistant secretary for civil rights, claims that American educational institutions have discriminated against white and Asian students. Second image: A letter addressed to the superintendent of the Denver Public Schools announces a Title IX investigation into a gender-neutral bathroom. (Obtained and highlighted by ProPublica) Backtracking on Civil RightsRemaking the OCR isnt just about increasing caseloads and reordering political priorities. The Trump administration now is taking steps to roll back OCRs previous civil rights work.Last month, Trump issued an executive order that directs all federal agencies, including the Education Department, to stop enforcing cases involving policies that disproportionately affect certain groups for example, when Black students are disciplined more harshly than white students for the same infractions or when students with disabilities are suspended more than any other group even though they represent a small percentage of student enrollment.Trumps order requires the agencies to assess all pending investigations, lawsuits, and consent judgements that consider disproportionate discipline and take appropriate action. Complaints made to the OCR that students were unfairly disciplined could be thrown out; existing enforcement actions or monitoring of schools that had disciplined students disproportionately could be revoked.The OCR under Trainor did this in Rapid City, South Dakota even before the executive order. About a year ago, the office had signed an agreement with Rapid City Area Schools after an investigation found that the districts Native American students were disciplined far more harshly than white ones. They also were kept from enrolling in advanced courses.The OCR said that when speaking with an investigator, the superintendent of schools at the time said that Native American students in her district had higher truancy rates because they operated on what she termed Indian Time. She said, too, that they dont value education, according to the investigations findings. The former superintendent, Nicole Swigart, denied saying any of that. I recognize those comments are horrendous, Swigart said in an interview with ProPublica. She noted that the OCR investigation was opened in 2010 and that she first spoke to an investigator in 2022. Im not lying when I say I didnt say it. I didnt say it, and I dont know where it came from.In the agreement with the OCR, the district promised to examine its practices and make things right; the OCR would monitor its progress. The district also brought in a new superintendent.But last month, the OCR abruptly terminated that agreement, based on its differing interpretation of civil rights law. The OCRs new view is that equity and diversity efforts discriminate against white students. It was, in the view of agency attorneys, the most severe breach of the OCRs mission and methods to date. There was no public announcement.Native students in Rapid City just lost a layer of protection, the Lakota Peoples Law Project announced on Facebook. Native students are still being pushed out of classrooms and denied opportunities. Darren Thompson, who is Ojibwe, said the OCRs decision to abandon the agreement was another cycle of the federal government failing to uphold its promises.And this time, they are partisan, political, said Thompson, who works for the nonprofit Sacred Defense Fund affiliated with the Lakota group in Rapid City.In response to questions from ProPublica, the school district said it has completed much of the work including broader access to educational opportunities and an improved behavior tracking process and plans to continue it even without federal oversight. But it also said this week that under the OCRs new directives, we must shift our approach. The district did not elaborate on what will change.Its unclear whether the OCR has ended agreements with other districts or colleges. Education Department spokespeople did not respond to questions from ProPublica. Pushing BackSome subjects of the OCRs new directives and investigations have capitulated. A school district in Tumwater, Washington, that Trainor targeted for allowing a transgender basketball player from an opposing team to compete responded by voting to support the state athletic association excluding trans players altogether.But some are pushing back.Denver Public Schools was the first target of one of Trainors directed investigations in late January over the existence of one all-gender, multistall bathroom on one floor of a Denver high school. According to communication obtained by ProPublica through public records requests, the district called out the OCR for continuing to take a different approach with this case without explanation, a case with no complainant who is awaiting any form of relief or remedy.Kristin Bailey, a Denver Public Schools attorney, wrote to an OCR supervisor that the way the investigation is being handled appears to be retaliatory.Since February, at least half a dozen lawsuits have been filed to try to stop the dismantling of the Education Department and its civil rights functions among them, suits by Democratic state attorneys general and from the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. A recent suit by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates on behalf of children and their parents all of whom have pending complaints alleging discrimination claims theyre suffering from the OCRs abandonment of its core mission. The NAACP also sued the department, McMahon and Trainor, citing the End DEI portal and seeking a halt to such anti-diversity efforts. And the Victim Rights Law Center, representing students and parents, sued to try to restore what has been cut from the OCR so the agency can fulfill its mandate. It noted that under McMahon and Trainor, cherry-picked investigations appear to be the only matters the Department is currently pursuing. Those lawsuits are pending. The government has argued in the NAACP lawsuit that the group lacks standing, and in the other it has not filed a response.Several OCR attorneys told ProPublica that they hope these groups and school districts continue to push back. In the meantime, they said, they will continue to try to work on behalf of the public to uphold the nations civil rights laws.I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, helping the people I can help, and keep my eye on the long game, said a fourth OCR attorney. Hopefully were still here and can help rebuild in the future.

Dr. Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail has some pointed guidance for todays Trump opposition.

Some have urged us to withdraw our fathers music from the Kennedy Center to protest Trumps hostile takeover. We asked: What would Dad have done?

It puts me in the best mood.READ MORE...

Dial-up sound effects not included. READ MORE...

In this combination of file photos, President Donald Trump, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, are seen at the Elysee Palace, Dec. 7, 2024 in Paris, and President Vladimir Putin, right, addresses a Technology Forum in Moscow, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, left and center, Pavel Bednyakov, right, File)2025-05-02T05:04:25Z TALLINN, Estonia (AP) The discussions have taken place in an ornate Kremlin hall, on the polished marble of St. Peters Basilica and in a famously contentious session in the Oval Office of the White House.Whats emerged so far from the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine suggests a deal that seems likely to be favorable to Russia: President Donald Trump has sharply rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, echoed Kremlin talking points, and indicated Kyiv would have to surrender territory and forego NATO membership. Whats more, he has engaged in a rapprochement with Moscow that was unthinkable months ago.More recently, Trump has offered mixed signals social media posts that perhaps Russian President Vladimir Putin is stringing him along and a deal has yet to materialize.While the optics so far have been in the Kremlins favor, no proposals that were put forth have been cemented.And on Wednesday, Washington and Kyiv signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraines vast mineral resources that could enable continued military aid to the country under ongoing attacks from Russia. Dialogue and aligned vision One gain for the Kremlin is that Washington is talking again to Moscow after years of extremely strained ties following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and not just about the war, said Nikolay Petrov, senior research fellow with the New Eurasian Strategies Centre think tank. Russian officials and state media from the very start of discussions with Trumps officials sought to underscore that Ukraine was only one item on the vast agenda of the two superpowers. Trump and Putin talked in March about Ukraine but also the Middle East, stopping the proliferation of strategic weapons and even organizing hockey games between the countries.Russias main state TV channel reported that the meeting between Putin and Trump envoy Steve-Witkoff showed that Moscow and Washington were building a new structure of the world together. In this sense, Putin already got a part of what he sought the optics of Russia as a country that is on par with the U.S., Petrov said.Trump has said Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, will stay with Russia, and outlines of a peace proposal his team reportedly presented to Kyiv last month apparently included allowing Russia to keep control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. Trump, who had a contentious meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, lashed out at him for publicly rejecting the idea of ceding land, and also said that Kyiv was unlikely to ever join NATO.All of these have long been Moscows talking points, and Trumps use of them suggested his administrations vision was aligned with the Kremlins.Trump also seemingly puts more pressure on Kyiv than Moscow in trying to reach a peace deal and appears eager to return to a more normal relationship with Russia and its big business opportunities, said Sam Greene of Kings College London.Is there any part of this that doesnt look like a win for Russia? No, Greene adds. So far, its only talkBut so far, all of this has remained nothing but rhetoric, with terms of a possible settlement still very much in the air, says Sergey Radchenko, a historian and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.Moreover, there are still demands by both Russia and Ukraine that would be hard to reconcile in any kind of peace settlement. Ukraine refuses to cede any land and wants robust security guarantees against future aggression, possibly involving a contingent of peacekeepers - something a handful of European nations have been discussing and Russia publicly rejects as a nonstarter.Russia, in turn, demands that it holds onto the territory it has seized as well as no NATO membership for Ukraine. It also wants Kyiv to demilitarize, or significantly reduce its armed force. Radchenko sees the latter as a major sticking point in peace talks, because a strong, viable army is important for Ukraine to defend itself.If there are restrictions on the kinds of weapons Ukraine can receive (from the West) or the size of the army, then it will be very difficult to get them to accept this sort of agreement, he said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seemingly raised the stakes further this week by saying that international recognition of regions annexed from Ukraine by Russia was imperative for a peace deal.Achieving that remains unclear, given that dozens of countries have decried the annexations as violating international law.What if the US walks away?Some analysts believe it is in Putins interest to prolong the war and keep making gains on the battlefield. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have threatened to wash their hands of the peace effort if there is no progress soon.Putin, in an apparent gesture of willingness to keep talking, announced this week a 72-hour ceasefire starting May 8 for Russias Victory Day holiday that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Zelenskyy dismissed the gesture as a further attempt by Putin at manipulation to string along the U.S., saying a ceasefire should begin immediately and last longer.Greene noted that the Russian ruble and markets have been doing better recently over expectations of a peace deal and U.S. businesses and investors coming back, and there may be a price to be paid for pulling out the rug from under that.The larger question is what happens on the battlefield if the Trump administration withdraws from the peace effort.When the Trump administration says theyll walk away, we dont know what that means. Does that mean they walk away from negotiations and keep supporting Ukraine? Greene said.Greene says that Ukraine probably doesnt feel confident that the U.S. stepping back from the process means that Washington will keep supporting Kyiv, adding that Russia may not be sure of the Trump administration ending aid, either.I think its very difficult for the Kremlin to calculate the risks of dragging this out, he said.And U.S. Treasury Secretary Sctott Bessent said the mineral deal signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.A lot depends on whether Europe can step up and fill any gaps in U.S. aid.If Trump walks away from the peace effort and still pursues normalizing relations with Russia, lifting sanctions, this will amount to a major breakthrough for Putin, but its not a given, Radchenko says. That would be an uphill battle for Trump as theres a lot of congressional sanctions that are predicated on the war in Ukraine, Greene notes. DASHA LITVINOVA Litvinova is an Associated Press correspondent covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. She has covered Russia and the region for over a decade. twitter mailto

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the annual ceremony at the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers (Yom HaZikaron) at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)2025-05-02T05:02:51Z JERUSALEM (AP) When the U.S. and Iran met for nuclear talks a decade ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against an emerging deal from the worlds most public stages, including in a fiery speech to Congress seen as a direct challenge to the Obama administration as it was wrapping up the talks.Now, as the sides sit down to discuss a new deal, Netanyahu has fallen silent.Netanyahu sees an Iran with nuclear weapons as an existential threat to Israel, and he is just as wary of any new U.S. agreement with its archenemy that may not meet his standards. Yet he finds himself shackled with Donald Trump in the White House. Netanyahu is unwilling to publicly criticize a president who has shown broad support for Israel, whom he deems to be Israels greatest friend, and who doesnt take well to criticism.He cant do anything that goes against Trump. Hes paralyzed, said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv-based think tank. Israel is in a position of power against Iran after a series of strategic achievements over the past 18 months in the wars that have shaken the Middle East. It thrashed Irans allies in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and directly attacked Iran last year, neutralizing some of its key air defenses. Experts say Israel now has a window of opportunity for what could be an effective strike on Irans nuclear facilities, with possibly less regional blowback. Yet Israels leader was recently unable to galvanize Trump to prioritize a strike against Irans nuclear facilities which would likely hinge on U.S. military assistance to be successful. With the U.S. negotiating with Iran, Israel has little legitimacy to pursue a military option on its own.Netanyahu is trapped, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. He was banking on Israels position relative to Iran to improve under Trump. In practice, its the opposite. Netanyahu hoped for alignment with Trump on IranNetanyahu and his nationalist supporters hoped Trumps return to the White House would be advantageous because of his history of support for Israel. They thought that, under Trump, the U.S. might back a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. But Trumps approach to Iran as well as on other issues, such as tariffs has shown the relationship is more complicated, and that Trumps interests dont entirely align with Netanyahus.Netanyahu has long accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon and went on a global campaign against the Obama deal. He painted the nuclear program as an existential threat to Israel and the world, and said the agreement was too weak to contain it. Israel remains the Mideasts only nuclear-armed state, an advantage it would like to keep.With Netanyahus strong encouragement, Trump backed out of the deal struck by Obama. And since returning to the White House, Trump has given Israel free rein in its war against Hamas in Gaza, been soft on the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory and launched strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked Israel since the start of the war. But now that the U.S. has returned to the negotiating table with Iran, Netanyahu would risk jeopardizing his good ties with the president if he were to publicly oppose one of his administrations key foreign policy initiatives.The last time Netanyahu crossed the temperamental Trump was when he congratulated Joe Biden for his election win in 2020. Trump was apparently offended by the perceived disloyalty, and their ties went into deep freeze.Israel is communicating to Washington its priorities for any deal. As part of that, it understood that should Israel choose to carry out a strike on Iran, it would likely be doing so alone so long as negotiations were underway, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. Netanyahu is hoping for a strict deal on Irans nuclear programIn a speech in Jerusalem this week, Netanyahu said he had discussed his terms for a deal with Trump. He explained that it would need to dismantle all the infrastructure of Irans nuclear program and that it should work to prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering a bomb.I said to President Trump that I hope that this is what the negotiators will do. Were in close contact with the United States. But I said one way or the other Iran will not have nuclear weapons, he said. Netanyahu has said he would favor a strict diplomatic agreement similar to Libyas deal in 2003 to destroy its nuclear facilities and allow inspectors unfettered access. However, it is not clear if Trump will set such strict conditions and Iran has rejected giving up its right to enrich. The Trump-led talks with Iran began earlier this month and have advanced to expert discussions over how to rein in Irans nuclear program and prevent it from being able to obtain atomic weapons, should it choose to pursue them. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, though some officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb. While Trump has said a military option remains on the table, and has moved military assets to the region, he says he prefers a diplomatic solution. Planned talks between Iran and the United States this weekend were postponed on Thursday. Netanyahu will also struggle to criticize a deal once one is clinchedSince Trump scrapped the Obama-era agreement in 2018, Iran has ramped up its nuclear enrichment and increased its uranium stockpile.Netanyahus 2015 speech to Congress against Obamas deal at the invitation of Republicans was made without consulting the White House. Obama did not attend.That was just one of many instances in which Netanyahu was seen as cozying up to Republicans, driving a wedge in what has traditionally been bipartisan support for Israel. That, coupled with Netanyahus strained relationship with the Biden administration over Israels conduct in Gaza, has meant that Netanyahu cant rely on Democratic allies to take up his cause. Still, Netanyahu would struggle to find any Republicans willing to publicly confront the president on this issue. And he himself will struggle to criticize a deal if one is clinched; instead, he might send surrogates like his far-right allies to do so, said Gilboa of Bar-Ilan University.But until then, Gilboa said, Netanyahus best hope is that the talks fail.That, for him, will be the best case scenario. TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 02 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01354-yMichael Running Wolf leads artificial-intelligence initiatives to revive lost languages and empower Indigenous people.

Nature, Published online: 02 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01335-1Satellite observations of solar radiation have narrowed down the possible properties of dark photons a proposed dark-matter particle.

Globally recognized Spanish superfan Manuel Caceres, known for his drum-pounding support of Spain's national team across ten World Cups and eight Euros, died on Thursday at the age of 76.

Jalen Brunson made a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining and the Knicks defeated the Pistons 116-113 to advance to the Eastern semifinals.

by Asia Fields, Ashley Clarke, Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration laid off nearly half of the Department of Education division that handles civil rights investigations and shifted its focus. The administration halted work on thousands of pending discrimination cases while ordering investigations aligned with its priorities. Some people have spoken out about their cases being in limbo or about not receiving updates. We know there are thousands of other people who are affected. We need your help to see the full picture of how the dismantling of the Office for Civil Rights is affecting students, parents, school employees and their wider communities. If you submitted a complaint or had a case closed this year, or if you have a currently pending case, we want to hear about your experience. Were also interested in connecting to people with other insights about the Department of Education. If you work or worked for the Department of Education, please do not fill out the form. Instead, use Signal to contact reporter Jennifer Smith Richards at jsmithrichards.93 or reporter Jodi Cohen at jodireporter.88. We take your privacy seriously and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story. Were gathering these stories for our reporting, which can take several weeks or months. We may not be able to follow up with everyone, but we will read everything you submit and it will help guide our reporting. As journalists, our role is to write about issues. We cannot provide legal advice or other support. However, there are resources available. We know these cases can stem from painful experiences, and mental health support is available if you need it: The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available online or by calling 800-656-4673. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available online or by calling or texting 988. The Trevor Project provides support to LGBTQ+ youth. You can connect online, by calling 866-488-7386 or by texting 678678. You can share your experience using our form.If you would prefer to connect using the encrypted messaging app Signal, our number is 917-512-0201. You can also contact ocr@propublica.org with any questions. If you would like to connect with ProPublica reporters about other topics, you can reach out to a reporter or send a tip to our newsroom.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of Chicago, has spent the bulk of his career outside the United States. Supporters say he represents a dignified middle of the road.

Plus, a Friday news quiz.

Cardinals walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, at the beginning of the conclave, April 18, 2005. (Osservatore Romano via AP, File)2025-05-02T05:26:47Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Conclave, the movie, may have introduced movie-goers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for centuries and created a whole genre of historical trivia.Here are some fun facts about conclaves past, derived from historical studies including Miles Pattendens Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 14501700 and interviews with experts including Elena Cangiano, an archeologist at Viterbos Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of the Popes).The longest conclave in history In the 13th century, it took almost three years 1,006 days to be exact to choose Pope Clement IVs successor, making it the longest conclave in the Catholic Churchs history. Its also where the term conclave comes from under lock and key, because the cardinals who were meeting in Viterbo, north of Rome, took so long the towns frustrated citizens locked them in the room.The secret vote that elected Pope Gregory X lasted from November 1268 to September 1271. It was the first example of a papal election by compromise, after a long struggle between supporters of two main geopolitical medieval factions those faithful to the papacy and those supporting the Holy Roman Empire. One meal a day ruleGregory X was elected only after Viterbo residents tore the roof off the building where the prelates were staying and restricted their meals to bread and water to pressure them to come to a conclusion. Hoping to avoid a repeat, Gregory X decreed in 1274 that cardinals would only get one meal a day if the conclave stretched beyond three days, and only bread, water and wine if it went beyond eight. That restriction has been dropped. The shortest conclave everBefore 1274, there were times when a pope was elected the same day as the death of his predecessor. After that, however, the church decided to wait at least 10 days before the first vote. Later that was extended to 15 days to give all cardinals time to get to Rome. The quickest conclave observing the 10-day wait rule appears to have been the 1503 election of Pope Julius II, who was elected in just a few hours, according to Vatican historian Ambrogio Piazzoni. In more recent times, Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot, Benedict XVI won in 2005 on the fourth and Pope Pius XII won on the third in 1939. The first conclave in the Sistine Chapel The first conclave held under Michelangelos frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel was in 1492. Since 1878, the world-renowned chapel has become the venue of all conclaves. Everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged, St. John Paul II wrote in his 1996 document regulating the conclave, Universi Dominici Gregis. The cardinals sleep a short distance away in the nearby Domus Santa Marta hotel or a nearby residence.The alternative locationsMost conclaves were held in Rome, with some taking place outside the Vatican walls. Four were held in the Pauline Chapel of the papal residence at the Quirinale Palace, while some 30 others were held in St. John Lateran Basilica, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva or other places in Rome. On 15 occasions they took place outside Rome and the Vatican altogether, including in Viterbo, Perugia, Arezzo and Venice in Italy, and Konstanz, Germany, and Lyon, France. The alternative popes, or antipopesBetween 1378-1417, referred to by historians as the Western Schism, there were rival claimants to the title of pope. The schism produced multiple papal contenders, the so-called antipopes, splitting the Catholic Church for nearly 40 years. The most prominent antipopes during the Western Schism were Clement VII, Benedict XIII, Alexander V, and John XXIII. The schism was ultimately resolved by the Council of Constance in 1417, which led to the election of Martin V, a universally accepted pontiff.A challenge to personal hygieneThe cloistered nature of the conclave posed another challenge for cardinals: staying healthy. Before the Domus Santa Marta guest house was built in 1996, cardinal electors slept on cots in rooms connected to the Sistine Chapel. Conclaves in the 16th and 17th centuries were described as disgusting and badly smelling, with concern about disease outbreaks, particularly in summer, according to historian Miles Pattenden. The cardinals simply had to have a more regular and comfortable way of living because they were old men, many of them with quite advanced disease, Pattenden wrote. The enclosed space and lack of ventilation further aggravated these issues. Some of the electors left the conclave sick, often seriously. Vow of secrecyInitially, papal elections werent as secretive, but concerns about political interference soared during the longest conclave in Viterbo. Gregory X decreed that cardinal electors should be locked in seclusion, cum clave (with a key), until a new pope was chosen. The purpose was to create a totally secluded environment where the cardinals could focus on their task, guided by Gods will, without any political interference or distractions. Over the centuries, various popes have modified and reinforced the rules surrounding the conclave, emphasizing the importance of secrecy. Youngest pope, oldest popePope John XII was just 18 when he was elected in 955. The oldest popes were Pope Celestine III (elected in 1191) and Celestine V (elected in 1294) who were both nearly 85. Benedict XVI was 78 when he was elected in 2005.A non-cardinal pope and non-Italian popeThere is no requirement that a pope be a cardinal, but that has been the case for centuries. The last time a pope was elected who wasnt a cardinal was Urban VI in 1378. He was a monk and archbishop of Bari. While the Italians have had a stranglehold on the papacy over centuries, there have been many exceptions aside from John Paul II (Polish in 1978) and Benedict XVI (German in 2005) and Francis (Argentine in 2013). Alexander VI, elected in 1492, was Spanish; Gregory III, elected in 731, was Syrian; Adrian VI, elected in 1522, was from the Netherlands.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arrives to participate in ASEAN-China summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)2025-05-02T01:11:03Z SINGAPORE (AP) Singaporeans will vote Saturday in a general election that is set to return to power the city-states long ruling party, and it will be closely watched as a gauge of public confidence in Prime Minister Lawrence Wongs leadership. The Peoples Action Party has won every election since the Asian financial hub gained independence in 1965. Wong, who took office last year, hopes to clinch a stronger mandate after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters rising discontent with the government. Heres what to know about the Singapore election. How does the vote work?Singapore holds a general election every five years and voting is compulsory. Its electoral system involves single-member wards along with group representation constituencies (GRCs) where voters pick a team of up to six members rather than individual candidates. The team includes at least one member from a minority ethnic group.The GRCs ensure minority representation in Parliament, but critics say they entrench the PAP and make it harder for the opposition to contest. Ethnic Chinese are the majority in Singapore, while Malays and Indians are in the minority. Nearly 2.76 million voters are registered to elect 97 members of Parliament, but five seats have already been won uncontested by the PAP after the opposition failed to nominate candidates in a GRC. There are 33 constituencies, comprising 15 single-member wards and 18 GRCs. Voting opens at 8 a.m. (OOOO GMT), runs for 12 hours, and results are expected the same night. Whats at stake?The election is the first test for Wong, 52, since he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down last year after two decades at the helm. Lees departure marked the end of a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapores first leader, who built the former colonial backwater into one of the worlds richest nations during 31 years in office.Known for its clean and effective governance, the PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity. While it is assured of victory, its support is being chipped away by unhappiness over government control and a high cost of living. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding caused by immigration and restrictions on free speech have also loosened the PAPs grip on power.In 2020 polls, the PAPs share of popular support slipped to a near-record low of 61%, down from nearly 70% in 2015. The PAP kept 83 out of 93 parliamentary seats, but it ceded more seats to the opposition, which won 10 seats, the most ever. The opposition has acknowledged it cannot unseat the PAP but is appealing to voters for a stronger voice in Parliament.Wong, a U.S.-trained economist and former finance minister, warned this would only weaken the government as it navigates economic turbulence following U.S. President Donald Trumps tariff hikes. The government has lowered its growth forecast, and warned of a possible recession.If the PAP has a weakened mandate, you can be sure there will be people tempted to push us around. It will be harder for us to advance Singapores interest. But with a clear mandate from you, my team and I can speak up for Singapore confidently, Wong said while campaigning this week. The PAP has fielded many new faces to refresh the party. Wong offered cash handouts, vouchers and other goodies in this years national budget, and sought to engage younger voters in developing a more balanced and inclusive Singapore. A strong PAP performance would help seal Wongs leadership and determine whether the one-party dominance in Singapore could endure over the next decade.The ruling party has portrayed the ongoing tariffs war as a crisis for trade-reliant Singapore, said Eugene Tan, a law professor at Singapore Management University. Will voters rally behind the PAP, or will they come to view the political system ... as being robust enough and can accommodate more political diversity and competition? Who are the PAPs rivals?The Workers Party, led by lawyer Pritam Singh, is the biggest opposition party and the only one with a presence in Parliament. Singh was named as Singapores first opposition leader after the WP won 10 seats in the 2020 polls. But despite gaining ground over the years, the opposition still struggles with limited resources and talent, and fragmented support.The WP is fielding only 26 candidates in this election. Singh has said even if the WP won all 26 seats, it wouldnt hamper the PAP but lead to a more balanced political system and greater accountability. The remaining seats are contested by nine smaller opposition parties and coalitions, as well as two independent candidates.The WP threat is taken seriously by the PAP and it will be a keener contest than in 2020. It remains to be seen how many more seats it will win. But even an additional seat won will add to the WPs standing and builds on the momentum to erode the one-party dominant system, said law professor Tan.

Nature, Published online: 30 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08832-3A life cycle assessment study is used to examine the impacts of advanced cooling technologies on cloud infrastructure, from virtual machines to server architecture, data centre buildings and the grid.

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The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) is seen in Washington, April 15, 2013. AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)2025-05-02T03:25:35Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR as he alleged bias in the broadcasters reporting.The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations. The White House, in a social media posting announcing the signing, said the outlets receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as news.Its the latest move by Trump and his administration to utilize federal powers to control or hamstring institutions whose actions or viewpoints he disagrees with. Since taking office, Trump has ousted leaders, placed staff on administrative leave and cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to artists, libraries, museums, theaters and others, through takeovers of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also pushed to withhold federal research and education funds from universities and punish law firms unless they agreed to eliminate diversity programs and other measures Trump has found objectionable. The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and have been preparing for the possibility of stiff cuts since Trumps election, as Republicans have long complained about them. Paula Kerger, PBS CEO and president, said in a statement last month that the Trump administrations effort to rescind funding for public media would disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people. Theres nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress, she said. This public-private partnership allows us to help prepare millions of children for success in school and in life and also supports enriching and inspiring programs of the highest quality. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued Trump earlier this week over his move to fire three members of its five-person board, contending that the president was exceeding his authority and that the move would deprive the board of a quorum needed to conduct business.Just two weeks ago, the White House said it would be asking Congress to rescind funding for the CPB as part of a $9.1 billion package of cuts. That package, however, which budget director Russell Vought said would likely be the first of several, has not yet been sent to Capitol Hill.The move against PBS and NPR comes as his administration has been working to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies that restrict the press. Those efforts have faced pushback from federal courts, who have ruled in some cases that the Trump administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.

Nature, Published online: 01 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01400-9Marvel at the months best science images. Plus, how a high-fibre diet was able to fix a disrupted mouse gut microbiome and an Indigenous American tribe whove forged an unprecedented collaboration with a genomics lab.

Nature, Published online: 30 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01273-yLithium that pooled in a volcanic caldera in the western United States had no way out, thanks to a lack of rivers.

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President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission, during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-05-02T11:04:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) As President Donald Trump faces significant pushback from federal judges, a new poll shows U.S. adults are more likely to believe the president is the one overstepping his power rather than the courts -- although Republicans largely think the opposite.According to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about half of Americans say the president has too much power in the way government operates these days. On the other hand, Americans are more likely to believe the federal courts have an appropriate amount of authority. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults say that federal judges have too much power. Republicans see it the other way: Roughly half say the federal judiciary has too much power, and only about 2 in 10 say the president does.The survey comes as Trump has issued a record number of executive orders and pushed the boundaries of presidential power, wresting from Congress its constitutional authority to determine spending levels and defying court orders on immigration. The Republican president has directed the Department of Justice to go after his enemies, pressured law firms he sees as antagonistic and used the threat of federal prosecution to coerce officials and others to support his agenda. The courts have generally been the only branch of government to push back on Trumps plans, while the GOP-controlled Congress has mostly deferred to him. Only about 3 in 10 Americans say Congress has too much power, and just 17% of Democrats say federal courts have excessive power. On the other hand, the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court fares better with Republicans only about one-quarter think it has too much power, while one-third of Democrats believe that. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump has gone too far in using presidential power to achieve his goals, the survey found, but concerns over his power are centered among Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, only about one-quarter say Trump has gone too far, while about 6 in 10 feel his use of power has been about right. About 14% of Republicans feel Trump hasnt gone far enough. Hes been able to do unprecedented things, said Brie Horshaw, a 35-year-old Los Angeles esthetician and Democrat. Hes got too much power. It goes beyond what a president would normally do. Democrats are largely united in their sense that Trump has gone too far in using presidential power, with about 9 in 10 saying this. About 6 in 10 independents feel that way. The AP-NORC poll is only the latest of several surveys showing that Trumps actions have sparked widespread anxiety.A Pew Research Center poll found that about half of U.S. adults say Trump is setting too much policy by executive order, while about 3 in 10 say hes doing about the right amount. A CNN-SSRS poll found that 46% of Americans have a lot or some confidence in Trumps ability to use the power of the presidency responsibly, which is down from 54% in December.The findings indicate a rising sense of panic among Democrats as Trump takes aggressive actions to implement his agenda. According to the AP-NORC poll, the share of U.S. adults who say the president has too much power in the way the U.S. government operates has jumped significantly since last year, when Democrat Joe Biden was in his final year in office. It has risen from 32% in a March 2024 AP-NORC poll. Democrats are almost 70 percentage points more likely to say the president has too much power than they were last year, while independents are about 20 percentage points more likely.Republicans, meanwhile, are less likely to say the president has too much power than they were in March 2024, when 46% believed it, double the 23% who do now. Linda Seck, a retired nurse, said Trump has the same tools Biden had.They both had the same power. They might choose to use it differently, said Seck, 76, a Republican who feels Trump has been using the right amount of power.The Michigan resident, who once worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, has cheered Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk cutting deeply into the federal workforce without waiting for Congress approval. Overall, Seck compared Trumps behavior to driving on a two-lane road: I dont think hes going over the yellow line, but hes right there beside it. Seck says shes a believer in the constitutional system of checks and balances and thinks Trumps power is not unlimited.He cant declare war without consulting Congress. He cant bully the Federal Reserve, Seck said.Seck, however, joins fellow Republicans in fearing individual federal judges have too much power. I dont think a district judge should be able to overrule the federal government, she said. Thats the job of the Supreme Court.Other polls show that Americans are broadly more concerned about presidential than judicial overreach. A Fox News poll, for example, found that about half of Americans are more concerned about the president ignoring rulings from the judicial branch, while about 3 in 10 say theyre more worried about the judicial branch going beyond its authority. And few think the president has the power to override the courts. The Fox News poll found that about two-thirds of Americans say the president cant ignore the Supreme Court if the president thinks the justices are overstepping their constitutional authority, while about 2 in 10 say the president can and another 16% are uncertain.The Pew Research Center poll found that most Americans including two-thirds of Republicans think if a federal court rules that a Trump administration action is illegal, the Republican administration would need to follow the courts ruling.Lynn Cohee, a 48-year-old database administrator and Democrat who lives south of Austin, Texas, is distressed in what he sees as the other branches of government not adequately checking Trumps actions.Theres decisions hes making where other branches should step in and say, Hey, this isnt the wisest choice, Cohee said. Lets get rid of all these people well, lets talk about it first. The mass deportations, the foreign policy, the whole idea were going to take over the Gaza Strip.Cohee said he doesnt follow politics closely, but hes worried that the intense partisanship stops one part of the government from checking the other.With our political parties, it doesnt become whats best, but it becomes like sports and I want to see my team win, he said.___Riccardi reported from Denver.___The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter

Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)2025-05-02T06:43:21Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis.Vatican firefighters were seen on the roof of the Sistine Chapel installing the chimney, a key moment in the preparation for the May 7 conclave.After every two rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel, the ballots of the cardinals are burned in a special furnace to indicate the outcome to the outside world.If no pope is chosen, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar) and sulfur to produce black smoke. But if there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke.The white smoke came out of the chimney on the fifth ballot on March 13, 2013, and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world as Pope Francis a short time later from the loggia of St. Peters Basilica. Francis, historys first Latin American pope, died April 21 at age 88. The chimney installation took place as cardinals arrived in the Vatican for another day of pre-conclave discussions about the needs of the Catholic Church going forward and the type of pope needed to run it. These consultations include all cardinals, including those over age 80 who are ineligible to vote in the conclave itself. In recent days, they have heard reports about the Vaticans dire financial situation, and have had the chance to speak individually about priorities going forward and problems they identified in Francis pontificate.Francis was a somewhat divisive pope, beloved by some for his focus on the poor and marginalized, but criticized by others who accused him of sowing confusion among the faithful on issues of morality and church law. These conservatives and traditionalists, who are not believed to have a majority among the 135 cardinal electors, are hoping a new pope will reassert core church teachings and act as a stabilizing figure in the Vatican bureaucracy. Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who headed the Vatican office for clergy under Francis until his retirement in 2021, has been among the older, non-voting cardinals who has spoken during the pre-conclave sessions. According to America, the magazine of the U.S. Jesuits, Stella this week strongly criticized Francis reform of the Vatican bureaucracy that allowed women and lay people to head Holy See offices rather than clergy.That reform, contained in a 2022 constitution, overhauled the Vatican bureaucracy and fulfilled a key mandate Francis received from cardinals going into the 2013 conclave that elected him pope. But some have criticized the reform, which was nine years in the works and sought to make the Holy See more service-oriented and efficient.Francis named two laymen to head the Vatican communications operation and the economy ministry. More significantly, he named two nuns to head two of the most important Vatican offices: Sister Simona Brambilla as head of the Vatican office responsible for all the worlds Catholic religious orders, and Sister Raffaella Petrini as head of the Vatican City State administration. In that position, Petrini runs the city state and is responsible for everything from the Vatican Museums that provide the Holy See with most of its revenue, to the firefighters who installed the chimney on the Sistine Chapel Friday. Their appointments were tangible evidence of Francis belief that women should have a greater decision-making role in church governance. But Stella, according to unnamed cardinals cited by America, objected to Francis decision to separate the power of governance in the church from the priesthood.It is unclear what influence older cardinals such as Stella, who at age 83 will not actually cast a vote, will have on the younger cardinal electors. In general, cardinals of the more conservative old guard have stresesed the need for unity over pursuing Francis more radical legacy. The pope has to ensure the unity of all of the church, said Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the retired head of the Vaticans evangelization office. This is first and foremost. Everything else comes after, the 79-year-old cardinal said as he arrived Friday for the pre-conclave discussions.Cardinal Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, the 68-year-old archbishop of Santiago, Chile, said the variety of points of view was useful in the pre-conclave meetings. Francis made Chomali a cardinal in December after appointing him to head the Chilean church through the continued fallout of the clergy sexual abuse scandal.For me, that I come from Chile, a far away country, hearing such different experiences is an enrichment, not only for me but for all of the church, he said as he entered Friday. NICOLE WINFIELD Winfield has been on the Vatican beat since 2001, covering the papacies of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the Francis pontificate and traveling the world with them.

Nature, Published online: 30 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01356-wIf scaled up, a method for extracting nickel without using carbon-rich coke could reduce emissions considerably.

Nature, Published online: 30 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08945-9Inhibition of a cardiac stroma-enriched mechanosensor, SRCin concert with suppression of the TGF pathwaypotentiates the reversal of fibroblast activation and alleviates contractile dysfunction in fibrotic hearts.

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WASHINGTONClaiming the fantastical creatures were way too cool to leave their investigation to a handful of so-called experts, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement Friday encouraging Americans to do their own research about dragons. People, especially new parents looking for awesome bedtime stories, need to be reading everything they can possibly find about these ancient and powerful beings instead of blindly accepting the narrow range of depictions put forth by the mainstream media, Kennedy wrote in a statement published on his departments website, adding that too many Americans only believed what they had heard about dragons on Game Of Thrones while dismissing less conventional sources like Earthsea and the Dark Souls trilogy. Theres a lot of misinformation out there claiming that something with two legs and wings is a dragon, but Ive read enough to know thats a wyvern and not a true dragon, which has four legs. There are some great subreddits on them. Just yesterday I read a romantasy fan fiction suggesting that dragons are capable of forming emotional and even sexual relationships with humans, but the establishment wants to bury anything that challenges the official narrative that dragons are big, evil lizards who hoard gold. Take it from me: Anyone who tells you dragons only breathe fire is lying to your face. They can breathe ice or acid or curses, be good or evil, and speak any number of languages, but its up to you to come to your own conclusions about how much dragons rule. The statement went on to say that while Americans should approach dragons with an open mind, they should remain skeptical of Chinese propaganda depicting them as lame floating snakes with mustaches.The post RFK Jr. Encourages Americans To Do Their Own Research About Dragons appeared first on The Onion.

WASHINGTONAcknowledging that his tariff hikes could result in a frozen supply chain this holiday season, President Donald Trump claimed Friday that any toy shortages Americans experienced could be easily overcome by making the familys servants dance for their childrens enjoyment. Maybe instead of 30 dolls this Christmas, children play with the life-size human figurines they already have, said the commander-in-chief, noting that when he and his siblings were growing up, they often kept themselves entertained with nothing more than a couple of old, beat-up chambermaids whom they berated into acting foolish for their amusement. Why do children even need dolls when they can play dress-up with the undocumented help, make the day laborers kisswhatever fun act of humiliation they can imagine. For generations, kids were perfectly content just demanding their housekeepers perform for them under threat of being fired. I guess it was a simpler time. Trump went on to state that he had even set aside one of his favorite childhood maids for his grandchildren to debase.The post Trump Argues Toy Shortages Easily Overcome By Making Servants Dance appeared first on The Onion.

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Vehicle assembly technician Kevin Zepernick works on a 2025 Ford Expedition during a media tour to launch the 2025 Ford Expedition at the Ford Motor Company Kentucky Truck Plant, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)2025-05-02T04:01:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trumps trade wars.Hiring was down slightly from a revised 185,000 in March and came in above economists expectations for a modest 135,000. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.President Donald Trumps aggressive and unpredictable policies including massive import taxes have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market and raised fears that the American economy is headed toward recession.But Fridays report showed the damage isnt showing up in the labor market yet. The labor market refuses to buckle in the face of trade war uncertainty, Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, a financial markets research firm. Politicians can count their lucky stars that companies are holding on to their workers despite the storm clouds forming that could slow the economy further in the second half of the year. Transportation and warehousing companies added 29,000 jobs last month, suggesting that companies have been stocking up before essential, imported goods are hit with a wave of new tariffs, driving prices higher. Healthcare companies added nearly 51,000 jobs and bars, restaurants almost 17,000 and construction firms 11,000. Factories lost 1,000 jobs. Labor Department revisions shaved 58,000 jobs from February and March payrolls. Average hourly earnings ticked up 0.2% from March and 3.8% from a year ago, nearing the 3.5% that economists view as consistent with the 2% inflation the Federal Reserve wants to see. The report showed that 518,000 people entered the labor force, and the percentage of those working or looking for work ticked up slightly.We are not seeing right now any really adverse effects on the employment market, Boston College economist Brian Bethune said before the report came out. Yet many economists fear that the U.S. job market will deteriorate if economic growth takes a hit from trade wars.Trumps massive taxes on imports to the U.S. are likely to raise costs for Americans and American businesses that depend on supplies from overseas. They also threaten to slow economic growth. His immigration crackdown threatens to make it more difficult for hotels, restaurants and construction firms to fill job openings. By purging federal workers and cancelling federal contracts, Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency risks wiping out jobs inside the government and out.Looking ahead, we expect the steep tariff increases and the surge in uncertainty and financial market volatility will result in a more pronounced labor market downshift than previously anticipated, Lydia Boussour, senior economist at the accounting and consulting giant EY, wrote this week. Large cuts to the federal workforce and the cancellations of many government contracts will also be a drag on payroll growth in coming months.A slowdown in immigration will weigh on labor supply dynamics, further constraining job growth. We foresee the unemployment rate rising toward 5% in 2025. Trumps policies have shaken financial markets and frightened consumers. The Conference Board, a business group, reported Tuesday that Americans confidence in the economy fell for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.American workers have at least one thing going for them. Despite the uncertainty about fallout from Trumps policies, many employers dont want to risk letting employees go not after seeing how hard it was to bring people back from the massive but short-lived layoffs of the 2020 COVID-19 recession.They laid millions of these people off, and they had a hell of a time getting them back to work, Boston Colleges Bethune said. So for now, the unemployment rate and the number of people filing claims for jobless benefits every week remain low by historical standards.The federal governments workforce fell by 9,000 on top of 17,000 job losses in February and March, Still, the full effect of Musks DOGE cuts may not be showing up yet. For one thing, Bethune noted, job cuts orders by the billionaires DOGE are still being challenged in court. For another, some of those leaving federal agencies were forced into early retirement and dont show up in the Labor Departments count of the unemployed. Solid hiring and low unemployment will likely keep the Federal Reserve on the sidelines as it takes time to evaluate the impact of tariffs on the economy. Fed chair Jerome Powell has underscored that the duties are likely to push up prices in the coming months, making the central bank wary of the potential for higher inflation.The Fed typically fights inflation with higher interest rates, so it is unlikely to cut its key short-term rate anytime soon. It might change course and reduce rates if layoffs spiked and unemployment rose, but Fridays report suggests that isnt happening yet.____AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this story.

The New York Stock Exchange is seen in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)2025-05-02T04:48:02Z Wall Street was poised to open with gains Friday after Chinas Commerce Ministry said Beijing is evaluating overtures from the U.S. regarding President Donald Trumps tariffs.Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% before the bell and were on track for a ninth straight day of gains. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4% and Nasdaq futures ticked up 0.2%.Exxon Mobils reported its lowest first-quarter profit in years, stung by weaker crude prices and higher costs. Its shares ticked up less than 1% before markets opened Friday.Shares in rival Chevron fell more than 2% after it also reported its smallest first quarter profit in years.A barrel of U.S. benchmark crude fell below $60 this week, a level at which many producers can no longer turn a profit. On Friday, a barrel of U.S. crude fell another 66 cents to $58.58. Brent crude, the European standard, declined 64 cents to $61.49 per barrel. Energy prices mostly have been in decline since Trumps inauguration in January, with the cost of a barrel of oil sliding as much as $20. At this time last year, a barrel of U.S. crude cost $78. Uncertainty about the impact of Trumps on-again-off-again tariff announcements has consumers and businesses feeling anxious about the future. Rapidly falling oil prices signal pessimism about economic growth and can be a harbinger of a recession as manufacturers cut production, businesses cut travel costs and families rethink vacation plans. Late Thursday, technology behemoths Amazon and Apple reported their latest results. Shares of Apple fell about 3% overnight after the iPhone company beat Wall Street expectations but forecast an additional $900 million to its costs in the current quarter as a result of the tariffs, if they remain in place as announced.Amazon shares fell close to 1% after the online retailer reported better-than-expected results but also said that tariffs were clouding its near-term forecast. Friday the government released its April jobs report showing that American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs.Economists expected the U.S. Labor Department to report that employers added 135,000 jobs last month. Thats a healthy number, but it would be down sharply from the surprisingly strong 228,000 jobs added in March. Many economists worry the job market could deteriorate with Trumps massive taxes on imports to the U.S. likely to raise costs for Americans and American businesses, which could result in slower economic growth.However, hopes that Trump may eventually roll back some of his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries has helped to support markets this week. On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% for an eighth straight gain, its longest winning streak since August. In Europe at midday, Germanys DAX advanced 1.5%, the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 1.3% and Britains FTSE 100 was 0.7%.In Asian trading, Hong Kongs Hang Seng surged 1.7% to 22,504.68 while markets in Shanghai were closed for a public holiday. Taiwans benchmark jumped 2.7%. An unnamed Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson was cited as saying that Beijing had taken note of various statements by senior U.S. officials indicating a willingness to negotiate over tariffs.At the same time, the U.S. has recently taken the initiative to convey information to the Chinese side on a number of occasions through relevant parties, hoping to talk with the Chinese side. In this regard, the Chinese side is making an assessment, it said. Tokyos Nikkei 225 picked up 1% to 36,830.69. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention by mentioning that the countrys more than $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds could potentially be a card on the table in negotiations with Washington over Trumps steep tariffs on autos and other imports. Elsewhere in Asia, South Koreas Kospi rose 0.1% to 2,558.84 and Australias S&P/ASX 200 added 1.1%, closing at 8,238.00.

Nature, Published online: 02 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01363-xA report into Thomas Crowthers conduct at ETH Zurich finds that the professor breached some internal rules, but cleared him of misusing funds.

Nature, Published online: 02 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01395-3Scientists working on disrupted national climate and nature assessments arent giving up.

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