Options trader Joseph D'Arrigo works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-12-05T05:38:03Z NEW YORK (AP) The U.S. stock market is ticking toward the edge of its all-time high on Friday as Wall Street drifts toward the finish of a quiet week.The S&P 500 rose 0.3% and is just 0.2% below its record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 46 points, or 0.1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher. The Russell 2000 index of small stocks edged back 0.2% from its record set the day before. Netflix offered some splash and fell 2.1% after the streaming company said it would buy Warner Bros. following its split from Discovery Global. Netflix will pay $72 billion in cash and stock for the company behind HBO Max, Casablanca and Harry Potter, and Warner Bros. Discovery rose 2.6%.Ulta Beauty jumped 11% after the retailer reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Kecia Steelman said its customers are broadly feeling pressure, but Ulta saw growth across its categories, particularly in e-commerce. It raised its forecast for revenue over the full year. Another encouraging signal for the crucial holiday shopping season came from Victorias Secret & Co. It reported a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected, and it likewise raised its forecast for sales over the full year. Its stock jumped 14.4%. They worked against a 3.9% drop for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which reported weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts forecast, though its profit topped expectations. The U.S. stock market broadly has been much quieter this week. Its a respite following earlier weeks of sharp and scary swings driven by worries that too many dollars may be flowing into artificial-intelligence technology, along with concerns about what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates.After some back and forth, the widespread expectation among traders is that the Fed will cut its main interest rate next week in hopes of shoring up the slowing U.S. job market. If it does, that would be the third cut of the year. Investors love lower interest rates because they boost prices for investments and can juice the economy. The downside is that they can worsen inflation, which is stubbornly remaining above the Feds 2% target. The S&P 500 has run back toward its all-time high, which was set in late October, in large part because of expectations for a coming cut to interest rates. That leaves the question of what Fed officials will do next year on rates, with traders waiting for any clues that may come out of next weeks Fed meeting.In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady amid the wait. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.11%, where it was late Thursday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Fed will do, edged up to 3.54% from 3.52%. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia. Germanys DAX returned 0.9%, and South Koreas Kospi jumped 1.8% for two of the worlds bigger gains.Tokyos Nikkei 225 fell 1.1% after data showed household spending in Japan fell 3.0% in October from a year earlier. It was the sharpest drop since January 2024. Japanese markets have been shaky recently after the Bank of Japan hinted that hikes to interest rates may be coming. ___AP Writer Teresa Cerojano contributed.

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seated left and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, seated left. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-12-05T13:59:12Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps administration set forth a new national security strategy that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert Americas dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The document released Friday by the White House is sure to roil long-standing U.S. allies in Europe for its scathing critiques of their migration and free speech policies, suggesting they face the prospect of civilizational erasure and raising doubts about their long-term reliability as American partners.It reinforces, in sometimes chilly and bellicose terms, Trumps America First philosophy, which favors nonintervention overseas, questions decades of strategic relationships and prioritizes U.S. interests above all. The U.S. strategy is motivated above all by what works for America or, in two words, America First, the document said. This is the first national security strategy, a document the administration is required by law to release, since the Republican presidents return to office in January. It is a stark break from the course set by Democratic President Joe Bidens administration, which sought to reinvigorate alliances after many were rattled in Trumps first term and to check a more assertive Russia. The United States is seeking to broker an end Russias nearly 4-year war in Ukraine, a goal that the national security strategy says is in Americas vital interests. But the document makes clear the U.S. wants to improve its relationship with Russia after years of Moscow being treated as a global pariah and that ending that war is a core U.S. interest in order to reestablish strategic stability with Russia. The document also is critical of Americas European allies. They have found themselves sometimes at odds this year with Trumps shifting approaches to the Russia-Ukraine war, and are facing domestic economic challenges as well an existential crisis, according to the U.S. Economic stagnation in Europe is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure, the strategy document said. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/monroe-doctrineThe U.S. suggests that Europe is being enfeebled by its immigration policies, declining birthrates, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition and a loss of national identities and self-confidence. Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies, the document said. Many of these nations are currently doubling down on their present path. We want Europe to remain European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence.Despite Trumps America First maxim, his administration has carried out a series of military strikes on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean while weighing possible military action in Venezuela to pressure President Nicols Maduro. The moves are part of what the national security strategy lays out as a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The 1823 Monroe Doctrine, formulated by President James Monroe, was originally aimed at opposing any European meddling in the Western Hemisphere and was used to justify U.S. military interventions in Latin America.Trumps strategy document says the U.S. is reimagining its military footprint in the region even after building up the largest military presence there in generations.That means, for instance, targeted deployments to secure the border and defeat cartels, including where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy of the last several decades, it says. MICHELLE L. PRICE Price covers the White House. She previously covered the 2024 presidential campaign and politics, government and other news in New York, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. She is based in Washington. twitter mailto

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Committee member Vicky Pebsworth, speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC, Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)2025-12-05T15:34:29Z NEW YORK (AP) A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day theyre born.A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a leading anti-vaccine activist before this year becoming the nations top health official.This is the group that cant shoot straight, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert who for decades has been involved with ACIP and its workgroups.For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses. But Kennedys Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, and in cases where the mom wasnt tested.For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate. The committee voted to suggest that when a family decides not to get a birth dose, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old. The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim ONeill, is expected to decide later whether to accept the committees recommendation. The decision marks a return to a public health strategy that was abandoned more than three decades ago. Asked why the newly-appointed committee moved quickly to reexamine the recommendation, committee member Vicky Pebsworth on Thursday cited pressure from stakeholder groups wanting the policy to be revisited. She did not say who was pressuring the committee, and a spokesman for Kennedy did not respond to a question about it. Committee members said the risk of infection for most babies is very low and that earlier research that found the shots were safe for infants was inadequate.They also worried that in many cases, doctors and nurses dont have full conversations with parents about the pros and cons of the birth-dose vaccination. The committee members voiced interest in hearing the input from public health and medical professionals, but chose to ignore the experts repeated pleas to leave the recommendations alone.Dr. Peter Hotez of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development in Houston declined to present before the group because ACIP appears to have shifted its mission away from science and evidence-based medicine, he said in an email to The Associated Press.The committee gives advice to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how approved vaccines should be used. CDC directors almost always adopted the committees recommendations, which were widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs. But the agency currently has no director, leaving acting director ONeill to decide.In June, Kennedy fired the entire 17-member panel earlier this year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices. Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that, for most people, lasts less than six months. But for some, especially infants and children, it can become a long-lasting problem that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and scarring called cirrhosis.In adults, the virus is spread through sex or through sharing needles during injection drug use. But it can also be passed from an infected mother to a baby. In 1991, the committee recommended an initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Experts say quick immunization is crucial to prevent infection from taking root. And, indeed, cases in children have plummeted.Still, several members of Kennedys committee voiced discomfort with vaccinating all newborns. They argued that past safety studies of the vaccine in newborns was limited and its possible that larger, long-term studies could uncover a problem with the birth dose. But two members said they saw no documented evidence of harm from the birth doses and suggested concern was based on speculation.The panel was to vote Thursday, but voted to postpone after some members said they had just received the densely-worded vote proposals and wanted clarification and more time to consider it.Three panel members asked about the scientific basis for saying that the first dose should be delayed for two months for many babies.This is unconscionable, said committee member Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who repeatedly voiced opposition to the proposal during the sometimes-heated two-day meeting.The committees chair, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, said two months was chosen as a point where infants had matured beyond the neonatal stage. Hibbeln countered that there was no data presented that two months is an appropriate cut-off. Some observers criticized the meeting, noting recent changes in how they are conducted. CDC scientists no longer present vaccine safety and effectiveness data to the committee. Instead, people who have been prominent voices in anti-vaccine circles were given those slots.The committee is no longer a legitimate scientific body, said Elizabeth Jacobs, a member of Defend Public Health, an advocacy group of researchers and others that has opposed Trump administration health policies.In a statement, she described the meeting this week as an epidemiological crime scene a slaughter of how disease control professionals usually examine and act on evidence.___AP writer Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. MIKE STOBBE Stobbe mainly covers public health for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-12-05T14:16:24Z NEW YORK (AP) President Donald Trumps White House is taking on the role of media critic and asking for help from everyday Americans.Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the White House launched a web portal it says will spotlight bias on the part of news outlets, targeting the Boston Globe, CBS News and The Independent as its inaugural media offender of the week.Its the latest wrinkle in the fight against what Trump, back in his first term, labeled fake news. The Republican president has taken outlets like CBS News and The Wall Street Journal to court over their coverage, is fighting The Associated Press in court over media access and has moved to dismantle government-run outlets like Voice of America.Trump has also engaged in personal attacks, last month alone saying quiet, piggy, to a female reporter who was questioning him on Air Force One, calling a reporter from The New York Times ugly, both inside and out and publicly telling an ABC News journalist she was a terrible reporter. Its honestly overwhelming to keep up with it all and to constantly have to defend against this fake news and these attacks, said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who called the new web portal an attempt to hold journalists accountable.After its debut, the White House asked for volunteers to submit their own examples of media bias. So-called journalists have made it impossible to identify every false or misleading story, which is why help from the American people is essential, Trumps press office said. Devouring the media like hot french friesDespite the attacks, Axios wrote this week that the mainstream media is ending the year as dominant as ever in capturing the presidents attention and setting Washingtons agenda, citing as one example The Washington Posts reporting on military strikes against boats with alleged drug smugglers.The irony is that Trump engages with reporters at a level he hasnt seen with any other president in his lifetime, said Axios CEO Jim VandeHei, co-author of the report with Mike Allen.Hes always bitched about the media and the press, VandeHei told The Associated Press. He gobbles this stuff up like hot McDonalds french fries. Hes a mass consumer of this. He watches it, he calls reporters, he takes calls from reporters. ... Thats always been the contradiction with him.The first media honorees were criticized for stories about Trumps reaction to Democratic lawmakers who recorded a video reminding military members they were not required to follow unlawful orders. Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition punishable by death.The White House said it was a misrepresentation to say Trump had called for their executions. The portal also said news outlets subversively implied that the president had issued illegal orders. The news articles they cited did not specifically say whether Trump had or had not ordered illegal activities.The new portal also contains an Offender Hall of Shame of articles it deems unfair and a leaderboard ranking outlets with the most pieces they object to. Twenty-one outlets are represented, led by The Washington Posts five stories. CBS News and MS NOW, the network formerly known as MSNBC, had four apiece. No news outlets that appeal to conservatives were cited for bias.Responded a Post spokeswoman: The Washington Post is proud of its accurate, rigorous journalism. Media watchdog welcomes the companyThe conservative media watchdog Media Research Center, which has accused news outlets of having a liberal bias since 1987, welcomes the company.Were pleased, said Tim Graham, MRCs director of media analysis. Its a stronger effort than Republican presidents have done before. I think all Republicans realize today that the media is on the other side and need to be identified as on the other side.VandeHei said about the portal, I cant think of anything I care less about. If they want to set up a site and point out bias, great. Its called free speech. Do it. I dont think it makes a damned bit of difference.What is damaging is a constant drumbeat of claims that what people read in the media is false. It makes people suspicious of the truth and the country suffers when were not operating from some semblance of a common truth, VandeHei said.___David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-12-05T15:15:23Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Federal Reserves preferred measure of inflation slowed a bit in September, likely easing the way to a widely expected interest rate cut by the central bank next week.Prices rose 0.3% in September from August, the Commerce Department said Friday, the same as the previous month. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 0.2% in September from August, the same as the previous month and a pace that if it continued for a year would bring inflation closer to the Feds 2% target.Compared with a year ago, overall prices rose 2.8%, up slightly from 2.7% in August. Core prices also rose 2.8% from a year earlier, a small decline from the previous months figure of 2.9%.The data, which was delayed for five weeks by the government shutdown, show that inflation was muted in September and will bolster the case for a cut to the Feds key interest rate at its next meeting Dec. 9-10. Inflation remains above the central banks 2% target, partly because of President Donald Trumps tariffs, but many Fed officials argue that weak hiring, modest economic growth, and slowing wage gains will steadily reduce price gains in the coming months.The Fed is facing a tricky decision next week: It would typically keep rates high to fight inflation. At the same time, it is worried about weak hiring and a slowly rising unemployment rate. It hopes that reducing rates will spur more borrowing and boost the economy. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

The most recent Personal Consumption Expenditures index was delayed because of the government shutdown.

A federal panel voted on Friday to recommend halting the at-birth shots for all infants, in a step toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s goal of upending the nations vaccine policy.

ARLINGTON, VADescribing the incident as a split-second operational judgment made under rapidly evolving conditions, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked the fog of war Thursday to explain why he urinated inside a Pentagon break room refrigerator. In the heat of the moment, youve got to make a decision, and sometimes that decision is imperfect, said Hegseth, arguing that under the intense pressure of warfare it can be nearly impossible to distinguish between a porcelain urinal and a white refrigerator. Civilians can never understand what its like to be in the thick of it. On the ground, you dont have time to dilly-dally. You just unzip and go. When youre back home, its easy to have all these high-minded ideals about the rules of combat, but the truth is, when you find yourself totally blasted and face-to-face with a brightly lit shelf of individually wrapped string cheeses, you dont have the luxury of calculating whether theres time to run to the bathroom or even open a window. Throw around terms like war criminal or coworkers insulin-ruiner all you want, but I acted with significant restraint by urinating in the vegetable crisper when, by all accounts, I would have been totally justified in fully dousing every inch of the fridge in my piss. Asked for comment, President Donald Trump defended Hegseths actions and appeared to imply that the Pentagon custodian who filed the initial complaint should be investigated for treason.The post Pete Hegseth Invokes Fog Of War After Pissing In Break Room Refrigerator appeared first on The Onion.

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An FBI truck departs the street where the FBI made an arrest and are investigating a house in Woodbridge, Va., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)2025-12-05T16:44:03Z WASHINGTON (AP) The man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack confessed to the act in interviews with investigators, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.Brian Cole Jr. also indicated that he believed the 2020 election was stolen and expressed views supportive of President Donald Trump, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss by name an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.The details add to a still-emerging portrait of the 30-year-old suspect from Woodbridge, Virginia, and it was not immediately clear what other information or perspectives he may have shared while cooperating with law enforcement following his arrest on Thursday. Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed any information about a possible motive or whether there is any connection to the attack on the Capitol the following day by Trump supporters. A spokesperson for the federal public defenders office, which will be representing Cole at a Friday court appearance in Washington, declined to comment. Calls to relatives of Cole listed in public records were not immediately returned Thursday. Cole faces explosives charges in connection with the Jan. 5, 2021 placement of the pipe bombs near the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees. Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on An FBI affidavit made public Thursday indicated that investigators zeroed in on Cole through analysis of credit card charges related to the purchase of pipe bomb components, cellphone towers and a license plate reader.The arrest marks the first time investigators have publicly identified a suspect in an act that has been an enduring mystery for nearly five years in the shadow of the violent Capitol attack. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter

People arrive for the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)2025-12-05T15:42:05Z Follow live updates on the 2025 FIFA World Cup draw WASHINGTON (AP) The 2026 World Cup draw will begin Friday with a wintry feel as snow fell outside the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with 189 days to go before the expanded 48-nation tournament.There were long lines outside the complex even at 7 a.m. as workers and media filed through with Secret Service agents securing the area. Presidents Donald Trump of the U.S. and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico were expected to attend along with Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.Frustrated he hasnt been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, Trump was likely to be given FIFAs first peace prize during the ceremony to determine matches for the first round of the 104-game tournament, to be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.A red carpet was laid outside the arts center, taken over this year by Trump and his supporters. Retired stars Tom Brady of the NFL, Shaquille ONeal of the NBA and Wayne Gretzky of the NHL along with three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge were to assist in a ceremony run by former England captain Rio Ferdinand. All 11 of the highest-ranked teams were in the draw, with No. 12 Italy among 22 nations competing in playoffs for the final six berths to be decided March 31. The tournament opens June 11 in Mexico City. The U.S., which reached the semifinals at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and has gotten as far as the quarterfinals only one other time in 2002, starts the next day in Inglewood, California. Canada kicks off in Toronto.All games from the quarterfinals on will be in the U.S., which is using 11 NFL stadiums. Sites for most games and kickoff times are to be announced Saturday.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer HOWARD FENDRICH Fendrich is an Associated Press national writer based in Washington, D.C. He reports on tennis and other sports. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app that lets local cops use facial recognition to hunt immigrants on behalf of the federal government has been removed from the Google Play Store, 404 Media has learned.It is unclear if the removal is temporary or not, what the exact reason is for the removal, or if Google or CBP removed the app. Neither Google nor CBP immediately responded to a request for comment. Its removal comes after 404 Media documented multiple instances of CBP and ICE officials using their own facial recognition app to identify people and verify their immigration status, including people who said they were U.S. citizens.The removal also comes after hundreds of Google employees took issue with the app, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.Google's a very big place, and most people at the company haven't heard anything about this, yet hundreds signaled their displeasure with the app approval, either directly in the internal report about the app, or in memes about it, the source said. 404 Media granted multiple sources in this story anonymity to protect them from retaliation.Do you know anything else about this removal or app? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server, the apps Play Store page says at the time of writing.CBP launched the app, called Mobile Identify, in November. It lets a police officer point their smartphone camera at a person, perform a face scan, and the app will tell the agency to contact ICE about the person or not. The app is designed to identify and process individuals who may be in the country unlawfully, according to the apps Play Store page before it was removed.As 404 Media reported at the time of the apps launch, the Play Store page itself makes no mention of facial recognition. But 404 Media downloaded a copy of the app, compiled its code, and found clear references to scanning faces, such as a package called facescanner.A source with knowledge of the app previously told 404 Media the app doesnt return names after a face search. Instead it tells users to contact ICE and provides a reference number, or to not detain the person depending on the result.The app is specifically for local and state agencies that are part of the 287(g) program, in which ICE delegates certain immigration-related powers to local and state agencies. Members of the 287(g) Task Force Model (TFM) are allowed to enforce immigration authorities during their ordinary police duties, and essentially turns police officers into ICE agents, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.Google previously told 404 Media in a statement This app is only usable with an official government login and does not publicly broadcast specific user data or location. Play has robust policies and when we find a violation, we take action. Critics saw a disconnect between Google hosting a CBP app for hunting immigrants, while at the same time removing apps that let local communities report sightings of ICE officials. Google previously described ICE officials as a vulnerable group in need of protection.Mobile Identify is essentially a watered-down version of Mobile Fortify, a more powerful facial recognition app CBP and ICE are using in the field. That app, based on leaked emails and other material obtained by 404 Media, uses CBP systems usually reserved for identifying travellers entering the U.S., and turns that technology inwards. It queries a database of more than 200 million images when an ICE official scans a subjects face, according to the material. It then returns a subjects name, date of birth, alien number, and whether theyve been given an order of deportation. That app is not publicly available, and instead can only be downloaded onto DHS-issued work devices.An internal DHS document 404 Media obtained said ICE does not let people decline to be scanned by the app.Before it was removed, the app had been downloaded more than a hundred times, according to 404 Medias earlier review of the Play Store page.

The former agent, Paul Campo, laundered money for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday.

Mario Nawfal has a knack for getting Mr. Musks attention online, and for turning that into big business.

Several senior Venezuelan officials and opposition politicians would have a claim to power in a transition, but all would face difficulties.

Complaints about the calls have risen, and some older Americans have discovered that their Medicare accounts were already compromised.

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Carmela Diaz speaks inside her closed restaurant in the midst of a Customs and Border Protection immigration crackdown in Kenner, La., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)2025-12-05T05:03:34Z KENNER, La. (AP) The doors of Carmela Diazs taco joint are locked, the tables are devoid of customers and no one is working in the kitchen. Its one of many once-thriving Hispanic businesses, from Nicaraguan eateries to Honduran restaurants, emptied out in recent weeks in neighborhoods with lots of signs in Spanish but increasingly fewer people on the streets.In the city of Kenner, which has the highest concentration of Hispanic residents in Louisiana, a federal immigration crackdown aiming for 5,000 arrests has devastated an economy already struggling from ramped-up enforcement efforts this year, some business owners say, and had far-reaching impacts on both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. Fewer and fewer people came, said a crying Diaz, whose Taqueria La Conquistadora has been closed for several weeks now with both customers and workers afraid to leave home. There were days we didnt sell anything. Thats why I made the decision to close the business because there was no business. On Wednesday, convoys of federal vehicles began rumbling back and forth down Kenners main commercial streets as the Department of Homeland Security commenced the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations that have included surges in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. Bystanders have posted videos of federal agents detaining people outside Kenner businesses and at construction sites.Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino also made an appearance in the city, surrounded by agents in tactical gear, to tout to reporters the launch of the operation dubbed Catahoula Crunch, a name derived from the big game hound that is the Louisiana state dog. A community on edgeThe states Hispanic population has boomed in the last two decades, with many of them arriving in the aftermath of 2005s Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild. In Kenner, just west of New Orleans between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, Hispanics make up about 30% of residents. Diaz, who is from El Salvador, arrived in 2006 after years of doing farm work in Texas. She opened food trucks, earning enough to buy a home in Kenner, and her business has since expanded to a fleet of trucks and two brick-and-mortar restaurants. Nearly all that is shuttered at the moment due to the crackdown, and Diaz is scraping by through making home deliveries to people fearful of being swept up by agents. They dont respect anyone, Diaz said. They dont ask for documents. They dont investigate. They slap the handcuffs on them and take them away.DHS says operations target violent offendersSpokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Thursday that federal agents have already made dozens of arrests, though the agency has not released a full list of people detained.Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens harming them, their families, or their neighbors, McLaughlin said in a statement. In just 24 hours on the ground, our law enforcement officers have arrested violent criminals with rap sheets that include homicide, kidnapping, child abuse, robbery, theft, and assault. The office of Mayor Michael Glaser, a former police chief, declined to comment on his stance on the operation. But it said the crackdown falls under federal jurisdiction and the mayor expects all agencies operating in the city to conduct themselves professionally, lawfully and with respect for our community. It also said the city is not participating in or advising on the operation. However, the citys police are among the hundreds of local and state law enforcement agencies nationwide that have signed agreements to be part of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that authorizes them to hold detainees for potential deportation. Fearing for vulnerable relativesSergio Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant and U.S. citizen who has lived in Kenner since 2010, said he has loved ones there who lack legal permission to be in the country risk and being detained or deported. He also worries that anyone who is Hispanic is at risk of abuse by federal agents, regardless of their immigration status.While Perez considers Kenner home a place where its easy to find favorite dishes like caldo de res, a hearty beef and vegetable stew hes prepared to leave the country if family members are deported.They dont want us here, Perez said. Its like you are in someones house and you dont feel welcome. Theyre just killing our spirit.___Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed. ___Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. JACK BROOK Brook covers Louisiana government, infrastructure and environmental issues from New Orleans. He is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss PC woes, voice deepfakes, and mutual aid.JOSEPH: Today Im speaking at the Digital Vulnerabilities in the Age of AI Summit (DIVAS) (good name) on a panel about the financial risks of AI. The way I see it, that applies to the scams and are being powered by AI.As soon as a new technology is launched, I typically think of ways it might be abused. Sometimes I cover this, sometimes not, but the thought always crosses my mind. One example that did lead to coverage was back at Motherboard in 2023 with an article called How I Broke Into a Bank Account With an AI-Generated Voice.At the time, ElevenLabs had just launched. This company focuses on audio and AI and cloning voices. Basically you upload audio (originally that could be of anyone before ElevenLabs introduced some guardrails) and the company then lets you say anything as that voice. I spoke to voice actors at the time who were obviously very concerned.

Nature, Published online: 05 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03973-xA region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week. The world needs to ask why this happened, not look away.

The prospect of Paramount buying Warner Bros. Discovery had led CNN journalists to wonder if the channel might be combined with CBS News. Instead, CNN will remain in a separate corporate entity.

After one hit collection, the designer Dario Vitale will be leaving the brand. Whats going on?

A Japanese tech firm has developed a capsule-style human washing machine, which is able to automatically wash and dry a person. What do you think?Its nice to see real innovation in drowning.Joshua Gibson, Salami SlicerThanks, but my dishwasher already gets me spotless.Astrid Thackorie, Junior RefereeAnd fire the servants who sponge my body down?Maurice Hissom, Button ReplacerThe post Japanese Company Unveils Human Washing Machine appeared first on The Onion.

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An FBI truck departs the street where the FBI made an arrest and are investigating a house in Woodbridge, Va., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)2025-12-05T18:25:03Z WASHINGTON (AP) A Virginia man on Friday made his first court appearance on charges that he planted a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of a mobs attack on U.S. Capitol.U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya ordered Brian Cole Jr. to remain in jail a day after his arrest on explosives charges. He is due back in court Dec. 15 for a detention hearing. He did not enter a plea.An FBI affidavit says investigators identified Cole as a suspect through analysis of credit card charges related to the purchase of pipe bomb components, cellphone towers and a license plate reader.Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, confessed to the Jan. 5, 2021, act in interviews with investigators, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cole also indicated that he believed the 2020 election was stolen and expressed views supportive of President Donald Trump, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss by name an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal. Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed any information about a possible motive or whether there is any connection to the attack on the Capitol the following day by Trump supporters.The arrest marks the first time investigators have publicly identified a suspect in an act that has been an enduring mystery for nearly five years in the shadow of the violent Capitol attack.

A lone tree stands in the debris from structures that were wiped out after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)2025-12-05T18:36:26Z KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) Texas residents caught up catastrophic flooding in July pleaded for water rescues and staffers at Camp Mystic requested help in newly released recordings of 911 calls during the floods that killed more than 100 people in July.Texas authorities on Friday released hundreds of 911 calls. Emergency dispatchers in rural Kerr County fielded more than 400 calls during the six hours when floods began to overwhelm the region during the July Fourth holiday. Kerrville Police Chief Chris McCall said the calls were distressing and difficult to hear. JIM VERTUNO Vertuno has been covering news, sports and politics from Texas for The AP since 1998. He won a National Headliner Award for sports writing in 2013. twitter mailto

FILE Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, July 2, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)2025-12-05T18:15:55Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) A federal judge in Florida on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said a recently-passed federal law ordering the release of records related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury.

President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-12-05T17:35:26Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump was awarded the new FIFA peace prize on Friday at the 2026 World Cup draw giving the spectacle to set matchups for the quadrennial soccer tournament even more of a Trumpian flair.Trump, who has openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Price, had been heavily favored to win the newly created FIFA prize. He and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are close allies, and Infantino had made clear that he thought Trump should have won the Nobel for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. president was awarded the prize that Infantino said was a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go. Trump promptly placed the medal around his neck. The certificate that Infantino handed Trump recognizes the U.S. president for his actions to promote peace and unity around the world. This is what we want from a leader a leader that cares about the people, Infantino said about Trump, who was also presented with a gold trophy with his name on it that depicts hands holding up the world. The FIFA leader said to Trump this is your prize, this is your peace prize. Trump thanked his family, including his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and praised the leaders of the other two host nations Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in his brief remarks, saying the coordination with the countries has been outstanding. This is truly one of the great honors of my life, Trump said.Infantino has often spoken about soccer as a unifier for the world, but the prize is a departure from the federations traditional focus on sport.The FIFA president was also on hand Thursday at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, where Trump and the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a deal aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo. FIFA has described the prize as one that rewards individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.The award to Trump came during a week in which his administration has been engaged in shuttle diplomacy to try to end the war in Ukraine, while also under scrutiny for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and as Trump hardens his rhetoric against immigrants.The Nobel this year was eventually awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who said shortly after receiving the prize that she was dedicating it in part to Trump for his decisive support of our cause. SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The streaming giant has changed its strategy many times over the years. But the decision to get deeply into theatrical releases may be the most startling yet.

He burst onto the scene with an attention-getting renovation of his Southern California home before going on to design some of the worlds most recognizable buildings.

The administration asked the justices to uphold an executive order ending birthright citizenship after lower courts ruled it violated the Constitution.

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FILE -An American flag flies at half-staff outside the Supreme Court Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-12-05T19:02:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to take up the constitutionality of President Donald Trumps order on birthright citizenship declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.The justices will hear Trumps appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down the citizenship restrictions. They have not taken effect anywhere in the country.The case will be argued in the spring. A definitive ruling is expected by early summer. The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed Jan. 20, the first day of his second term, is part of his Republican administrations broad immigration crackdown. Other actions include immigration enforcement surges in several cities and the first peacetime invocation of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. The administration is facing multiple court challenges, and the high court has sent mixed signals in emergency orders it has issued. The justices effectively stopped the use of the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without court hearings. But the Supreme Court allowed the resumption of sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after a lower court blocked the practice of stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location. The justices also are weighing the administrations emergency appeal to be allowed to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area for immigration enforcement actions. A lower court has indefinitely prevented the deployment. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. His order would upend more than 125 years of understanding that the Constitutions 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force. In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as unconstitutional, or likely so, even after a Supreme Court ruling in late June that limited judges use of nationwide injunctions. The Supreme Court, however, did not rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class action lawsuits and those brought by states. The justices did not decide at that time whether the underlying citizenship order was constitutional. Every lower court that has looked at the issue has concluded that Trumps order violates or likely violates the 14th Amendment, which was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers who are in the country illegally, under longstanding rules.The case under review comes from New Hampshire. A federal judge in July blocked the citizenship order in a class action lawsuit including all children who would be affected.The administration had also asked the justices to review a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. That court, also in July, ruled that a group of Democratic-led states that sued over Trumps order needed a nationwide injunction to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship being in effect in some states and not others. The justices took no action in the 9th Circuit case. The administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.The Fourteenth Amendments Citizenship Clause was adopted to grant citizenship to newly freed slaves and their children not ... to the children of aliens illegally or temporarily in the United States, top administration top Supreme Court lawyer, D. John Sauer, wrote in urging the high courts review. Twenty-four Republican-led states and 27 Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are backing the administration.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court. MARK SHERMAN Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta. twitter mailto

A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of previously sealed testimony, after legislation passed last month authorizing the disclosure.

A singular genius, Gehry redefined architecture with joyful buildings like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

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Architect Frank Gehry describes his concert hall design at the Colburn School during an unveiling in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)2025-12-05T19:53:08Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Frank Gehry, who designed some of most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. He was 96.Gehry died Friday in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP.Gehrys fascination with modern pop art led to the creation of some of the most striking buildings ever constructed and brought him a measure of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect.Among his many masterpieces are the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Berlins DZ Bank Building.He also designed an expansion of Facebooks Northern California headquarters at the insistence of the companys CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.Gehry was awarded every major prize architecture has to offer, including the fields top honor, the Pritzker Prize, for what has been described as refreshingly original and totally American work. Other honors include the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal, the Americans for the Arts lifetime achievement award, and his native countrys highest honor, the Companion of the Order of Canada.Years after he stopped designing ordinary looking buildings, word surfaced in 2006 that the pedestrian Santa Monica mall project that had led to his career epiphany might be headed for the wrecking ball. Gehry admirers were aghast, but the man himself was amused. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Theyre going to tear it down now and build the kind of original idea I had, he said with a laugh. Eventually the mall was remodeled, giving it a more contemporary, airy outdoor look. Still, its no Gehry masterpiece.Gehry, meanwhile, continued to work well into his 80s, turning out heralded buildings that remade skylines around the world.The headquarters of the InterActiveCorp, known as the IAC Building, took the shape of a shimmering beehive when it was completed in New York Citys Chelsea district in 2007. The 76-story New York By Gehry building, once one of the worlds tallest residential structures, was a stunning addition to the lower Manhattan skyline when it opened in 2011. That same year, Gehry joined the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Southern California, as a professor of architecture. He also taught at Yale and Columbia University.Not everyone was a fan of Gehrys work. Some naysayers dismissed it as not much more than gigantic, lopsided reincarnations of the little scrap-wood cities he said he spent hours building when he was growing up in the mining town of Timmins, Ontario.Princeton art critic Hal Foster dismissed many of his later efforts as oppressive, arguing they were designed primarily to be tourist attractions. Some denounced the Disney Hall as looking like a collection of cardboard boxes that had been left out in the rain.Still other critics included Dwight D. Eisenhowers family, who objected to Gehrys bold proposal for a memorial to honor the nations 34th president. Although the family said it wanted a simple memorial and not the one Gehry had proposed, with its multiple statues and billowing metal tapestries depicting Eisenhowers life, the architect declined to change his design significantly. If the words of his critics annoyed Gehry, he rarely let on. Indeed, he even sometimes played along. He appeared as himself in a 2005 episode of The Simpsons cartoon show, in which he agreed to design a concert hall that was later converted into a prison.He came up with the idea for the design, which looked a lot like the Disney Hall, after crumpling Marge Simpsons letter to him and throwing it on the ground. After taking a look at it, he declared, Frank Gehry, youve done it again!Some people think I actually do that, he would later tell the AP.Ephraim Owen Goldberg was born in Toronto on Feb. 28, 1929, and moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1947, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen. As an adult, he changed his name at the suggestion of his first wife, who told him antisemitism might be holding back his career. Although he had enjoyed drawing and building model cities as a child, Gehry said it wasnt until he was 20 that he pondered the possibility of pursuing a career in architecture, after a college ceramics teacher recognized his talent.It was like the first thing in my life that Id done well in, he said.He went on to earn a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954. After serving in the Army, he studied urban planning at Harvard University.His survivors include his wife, Berta; daughter, Brina; sons Alejandro and Samuel; and the buildings he created.Another daughter, Leslie Gehry Brenner, died of cancer in 2008.