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APNEWS.COMThreats pile up as Indiana Republicans confront pressure from Trump on redistrictingAnnette Groos holds a sign before the start of a rally featuring former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 for Indiana Democrats amid pressure from President Donald Trump on Republicans who control the state's legislature to redistrict congressional seats. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)2025-12-06T14:36:28Z Spencer Deerys son was getting ready for school when someone tried to provoke police into swarming his home by reporting a fake emergency. Linda Rogers said there were threats at her home and the golf course that her family has run for generations. Jean Leising faced a pipe bomb scare that was emailed to local law enforcement. The three are among roughly a dozen Republicans in the Indiana Senate who have seen their lives turned upside down while President Donald Trump pushes to redraw the states congressional map to expand the partys power in the 2026 midterm elections. Its a bewildering and frightening experience for lawmakers who consider themselves loyal party members and never imagined they would be doing their jobs under the same shadow of violence that has darkened American political life in recent years. Leising described it as a very dangerous and intimidating process. Redistricting is normally done once a decade after a new national census. Trump wants to accelerate the process in hopes of protecting the Republicans thin majority in the U.S. House next year. His allies in Texas, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina have already gone along with his plans for new political lines. Now Trumps campaign faces its greatest test yet in a stubborn pocket of Midwestern conservatism. Although Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and the House of Representatives are on board, the proposal may fall short with senators who value their civic traditions and independence over what they fear would be short-term partisan gain. When you have the president of the United States and your governor sending signals, you want to listen to them, said Rogers, who has not declared her position on the redistricting push. But it doesnt mean youll compromise your values.On Friday, Trump posted a list of senators who need encouragement to make the right decision, and the conservative campaign organization Turning Point Action said it would spend heavily to unseat anyone who voted no. Senators are scheduled to convene Monday to consider the proposal after months of turmoil. Resistance could signal the limits of Trumps otherwise undisputed dominance of the Republican Party. Threats shadow redistricting sessionDeery considers himself lucky. The police in his hometown of West Lafayette knew the senator was a potential target for swatting, a dangerous type of hoax when someone reports a fake emergency to provoke an aggressive response from law enforcement. So when Deery was targeted last month while his son and others were waiting for their daily bus ride to school, officers did not rush to the scene. You could have had SWAT teams driving in with guns out while there were kids in the area, he said. Deery was one of the first senators to publicly oppose the mid-decade redistricting, arguing it interferes with voters right to hold lawmakers accountable through elections. The country would be an uglier place for it, he said just days after Vice President JD Vance visited the state in August, the first of two trips to talk with lawmakers about approving new maps. Republican leaders in the Indiana Senate said in mid-November that they would not hold a vote on the matter because there was not enough support for it. Trump lashed out on social media, calling the senators weak and pathetic. Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED, he wrote. The threats against senators began shortly after that.Sen. Sue Glick, a Republican who was first elected in 2010 and previously served as a local prosecutor, said she has never seen this kind of rancor in politics in her lifetime. She opposes redistricting, saying it has the taint of cheating.Not even the plans supporters are immune to threats. Republican Sen. Andy Zay said his vehicle-leasing business was targeted with a pipe bomb scare on the same day he learned that he would face a primary challenger who accuses Zay of being insufficiently conservative. Zay, who has spent a decade in the Senate, believes the threat was related to his criticism of Trumps effort to pressure lawmakers. But the White House has not heeded his suggestions to build public support for redistricting through a media campaign. When you push us around and into a corner, were not going to change because you hound us and threaten us, Zay said. For those who have made a decision to stand up for history and tradition, the tactics of persuasion do not embolden them to change their viewpoint.The White House did not respond to messages seeking a reaction to Zays comments. Trump sees mixed support from IndianaTrump easily won Indiana in all his presidential campaigns, and its leaders are unquestionably conservative. For example, the state was the first to restrict abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But Indianas political culture never became saturated with the sensibilities of Trumps Make America Great Again movement. Some 21% of Republican voters backed Nikki Haley over Trump in last years presidential primary, even though the former South Carolina governor had already suspended her campaign two months earlier. Trump also holds a grudge against Indianas Mike Pence, who served the state as a congressman and governor before becoming Trumps first vice president. A devout evangelical, Pence loyally accommodated Trumps indiscretions and scandals but refused to go along with Trumps attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens victory.Mike Pence didnt have the courage to do what was necessary, Trump posted online after an angry crowd of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol.Pence has not taken a public stance on his home states redistricting effort. But the governor before him, Republican Mitch Daniels, recently said it was clearly wrong.The proposed map, which was released Monday and approved by the state House on Friday, attempts to dilute the influence of Democratic voters in Indianapolis by splitting up the city. Parts of the capital would be grafted onto four different Republican-leaning districts, one of which would stretch all the way south to the border with Kentucky. Rogers, the senator whose family owns the golf course, declined to discuss her feelings about the redistricting. A soft-spoken business leader from the suburbs of South Bend, she said she was very disappointed about the threats. On Monday, Rogers will be front and center as a member of the Senate Elections Committee, the first one in that chamber to consider the redistricting bill.We need to do things in a civil manner and have polite discourse, she said. __Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa, and Volmert from Lansing, Mich. THOMAS BEAUMONT Beaumont covers national politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa. twitter mailto ISABELLA VOLMERT Volmert covers Michigan government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Lansing. twitter mailto0 Comments 0 Shares 178 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMKidney Recipient Dies After Transplant From Organ Donor Who Had RabiesOnly four donors have transmitted rabies to organ transplant recipients since 1978, according to federal officials.0 Comments 0 Shares 192 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMIsraels Plan to Back Gaza Militias Proves a Risky GambleOfficials said Israel helped arm and back Yasser Abu Shababs Popular Forces, part of a strategy against Hamas, before a local clan killed him this week.0 Comments 0 Shares 200 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMHeres How Trump Has Made It Harder for Migrants Seeking Asylum and CitizenshipIn the wake of the National Guard shooting, the Trump administration has temporarily frozen major pathways for many migrants to obtain legal status in the United States.0 Comments 0 Shares 194 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.APARTMENTTHERAPY.COMAldi Is Selling Mini Retro Speakers for Only $8Theyre so cute!READ MORE...0 Comments 0 Shares 189 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMOvernight exchange of fire along the Afghan-Pakistan border kills 5 and wounds 8, officials sayAfghans pray during the funeral of a man killed during an overnight exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Sibghatullah)2025-12-06T10:13:50Z JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) An overnight exchange of fire between Afghan forces and Pakistani troops along the two countries tense border killed five Afghan civilians and wounded five others, while three civilians were also wounded on the Pakistani side, officials from the two countries said Saturday.Each side has blamed the other for triggering the clash in violation of a tenuous two-month ceasefire.Those killed in the border area near the Afghan city of Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistans Kandahar province, included three children and one woman, said Ali Mohammad Haqmal, the head of information of Spin Boldak District.Pakistani police and a hospital official in the Pakistani city of Chaman, Mohammad Awais, said three people, including a woman, were wounded in the shooting and shelling that came from the Afghan side. The clashes lasted until dawn Saturday, police said. Tension between the two countries has been high since October, when deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounded hundreds on both sides. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Oct. 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The fighting has been the worst between the neighbors in recent years. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire began in October and has largely held, but peace talks have so far failed to produce an agreement. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Pakistan has suffered several militant attacks inside its country, and has blamed most of them on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. Though separate from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is closely allied with it, and many of its fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power there in 2021, further straining relations. Pakistan and Afghanistan have both blamed each other for the cross-border exchange of fire that broke out Friday night. Haqmal said the Afghan side didnt respond for 10-15 minutes after Pakistani forces began shooting, and that once the Afghan side responded, it stopped firing within an hour. The shooting by the Pakistani side continued until Saturday morning, he said.However, Mohammad Sadiq, a local Pakistani police official, claimed the shooting started from the Afghan side and that Pakistani troops returned fire near the Chaman border crossing, a key transit route. The exchange came a day after Pakistan said it would allow the United Nations to send relief supplies into Afghanistan through the Chaman and Torkham border crossings, which have been mostly closed for nearly two months amid escalating tensions. Abidullah Farooqi, a spokesman for the Afghan border police, said Friday night that Pakistani forces first threw a hand grenade into the Spin Boldak border area on the Afghan side, prompting a response. He said Afghanistan remains committed to the ceasefire. Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said on X that earlier in the evening, the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the Chaman border. He added that Pakistani forces remain fully alert and committed to ensuring the countrys territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens. Separately, Pakistans military said Saturday that its security forces had killed nine Pakistani Taliban militants during two intelligence-based operations Friday in Pakistans northwestern districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.___Ahmed reported from Islamabad, Pakistan. Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.0 Comments 0 Shares 193 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMPete Hegseth Is Ordering Executions at SeaDid Pete Hegseth break the law after authorizing Venezuelan boat strikes? The Times Opinion editor, Kathleen Kingsbury, argues that there are multiple reasons the strikes were legally dubious.0 Comments 0 Shares 192 Views 0 Reviews -
How Has Congestion Pricing Changed Your Year?The tolling program, decades in the making, has shown signs of being effective after a rocky rollout.0 Comments 0 Shares 194 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMSan Diego considers $30 million settlement in police-involved shooting death of Black teenThis photo, taken from a body-worn camera video, shows the moment before a San Diego Police Officer fatally shot 16-year-old Konoa Wilson as he ran away from gunfire on Jan. 28, 2025. (San Diego Police Department via AP)2025-12-06T15:30:47Z SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego city attorneys office has agreed to pay $30 million to the family of a 16-year-old youth who was fatally shot by police last January in what would be one of the largest settlements of a police-involved killing case in U.S. history.A resolution authorizing the proposed settlement with the family of Konoa Wilson has been added to the city councils agenda for Tuesday morning.What happened to Konoa was a catastrophic failure of policing, family attorney Nick Rowley said in a statement to City News Service. A 16-year-old boy was running for his life. He was not a threat and not a suspect, yet he was shot in the back by a police officer who only saw him for one second before deciding to pull the trigger.If approved, the settlement would exceed the $27 million the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay the family of George Floyd, whose May 2020 murder by a police officer who kneeled on his neck sparked a nationwide racial reckoning. Surveillance and body-worn camera footage from Jan. 28 showed Wilson running away from someone who pulled a gun and fired at him in a downtown train station. As he exited the station, Wilson encountered San Diego Police Officer Daniel Gold. In a lawsuit against the city and Gold, the family alleged the officer instantly, without any warning, fired two shots at Wilson, who was Black, as he ran by, striking him in the upper body. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Only after shooting DECEDENT and watching him fall to the ground did Defendant GOLD finally announce San Diego Police, said the suit, which was filed in June. Defendants committed acts of racial violence against DECEDENT, a teenager, by shooting him in his back as he ran past Defendant GOLD, in an attempt to get to a place of safety.Wilson was pronounced dead at UC San Diego Health Medical Center less than an hour later.An agenda item posted Friday said the settlement would be paid from the Public Liability Fund.0 Comments 0 Shares 217 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMDetroit reflects on Mike Duggans tenure as his final days in the mayoral office nearDetroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks to city employees in Detroit, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)2025-12-06T15:47:04Z DETROIT (AP) When Mayor Mike Duggan announced his plan to run for Michigan governor, he did so from a tower in the iconic but aging Renaissance Center overlooking Detroit.Its not the same city that Duggan inherited in January 2014.No longer defined by blocks of vacant houses, empty downtown storefronts, rampant crime and scores of broken streetlights, many believe Detroit is finally experiencing its renaissance.I wish he would stay, 40-year-old plumber Thomas Millender said of Duggan, who will step down in January after serving three terms as mayor.Duggan did a good job from what the city was to how it has been revamped, Millender said from his fathers porch in a neighborhood where many homes are dilapidated. Private renovation crews buzzed in and out of once-vacant houses, preparing them for sale.There is not any neighborhood in this city that hasnt had blight reduced, that hasnt had street lights on, that hasnt had parks renovated, Duggan told The Associated Press.We have it going in the right direction, but the next mayors gonna have to go build on what I do and the following mayor is gonna have to build on that mayor, Duggan said. Its going to take decades to bring the city all the way back. A once broken cityDuggan, a former prosecutor and health center chief, ran for mayor in 2013, when Detroit was broke and saddled with billions of dollars in long-term debt.It was tough to keep basic services running. City employees were forced to work fewer hours and take pay cuts. More than a third of Detroit residents lived in poverty.Weve hit bottom, then-Mayor Dave Bing said flatly.Bing, a successful business owner and basketball Hall of Famer, was elected in 2009 after a scandal involving once-popular Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick roiled City Hall and forced Detroits financial straits into the spotlight.By early 2013, the state had taken over city finances and installed an emergency manager who filed for bankruptcy that summer. Because of the depths of the citys debt, there was no way to get any relief on that without bankruptcy, Bing said. He didnt seek reelection and the city, looking for new leadership, found it in Duggan. Rebuilding Detroit after bankruptcyDetroit exited bankruptcy in December 2014, after wiping away $7 billion in long-term debt. For several years after, a state review team monitored the citys finances and made sure its bills were paid. Detroit has since recorded more than a decade of consecutive balanced budgets.Violent crime, including murders, is trending down.There were more than 40,000 vacant houses and other empty buildings in Detroit when Duggan took office. Using mostly federal funds, his administration spearheaded the demolition of more than 24,000. Thousands of others that were teetering and unlivable have been saved.Some neighborhoods are in better shape than others, said Wayne State University Urban Studies and Planning Professor Jeff Horner. There are still blocks of terrible destitution and poverty.But the biggest hurdle overcome during Duggans tenure is the citys massive population loss. Detroits population reached 1.8 million people in the 1950s. By 2010, it had plunged below 700,000. The city lost a million people since 1957, Duggan said. That is a lot of years of decline. Its going to take decades of growth to get all the way back.A census estimate placed Detroits population at 645,705 in 2024, showing an increase of about 12,000 people since 2021, according to the city.When he ran in 2012-13, he said, Judge me by one thing and one thing only: whether Detroit can gain population, Horner said of Duggan. He kept that promise. Focusing on the entire cityJay Williams, 36, acknowledges there is less blight, but he would like to see alternatives to tearing down houses and leaving lots vacant.There is a lot of open space, he said. You can do new developments. A majority of the money is focused downtown.Detroit megachurch pastor the Rev. Solomon Kinloch argued during his unsuccessful mayoral campaign this year that every neighborhood should share in Detroits revival.You cant make all of the investments downtown, Kinloch said. It has to reach the whole town.City Council President Mary Sheffield, who was elected this month to succeed Duggan and will take office in January, says she will build on his success and ensure Detroits progress reaches every block and every family.Any mayors first responsibility is to attend to the entirety of the civic fabric, said Rip Rapson, chief executive of the private Kresge Foundation, which provides grants and invests in cities nationwide.Its not like you can just fix roads or improve police response time or build 25 units of affordable housing, Rapson said. As mayor, you have to attend to the need for complete vitality of neighborhoods ... making sure neighborhoods have adequate housing, safe housing stock, small business cultures, educational opportunities that anchor a neighborhood.People will have quarrels with bits and pieces, but hes done all of those things, Rapson said of Duggan. He leaves quite a powerful and positive legacy.0 Comments 0 Shares 220 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.APARTMENTTHERAPY.COMMeghan Markle Revealed a Go-To Gifting Tip That Involves a Genius Thrift FindIt all has to do with wrapping paper.READ MORE...0 Comments 0 Shares 188 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.APARTMENTTHERAPY.COMSam's Club Is Selling a 2-in-1 Kitchen Storage Gift SetIts brilliant.READ MORE...0 Comments 0 Shares 192 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMTrump administration plays up pipe bomb suspects arrest. Jan. 6 violence goes unmentionedAttorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel look at each other during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-12-06T16:59:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) After the arrest of a man charged with placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on Jan. 5, 2021, the warning from the Trump administration was clear: If you come to the nations capital to attack citizens and institutions of democracy, you will be held accountable.Yet Justice Department leaders who announced the arrest were silent about the violence that had taken place when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol and clashed with police one day after those bombs were discovered.It was the latest example of the Trumps administrations to rewrite the history of the riot, through pardons and the firings of lawyers who prosecuted the participants of the siege, and of the disconnect for a government that prides itself for cracking down on violent crime and supporting law enforcement but has papered over the brutality of the Jan. 6 attacks on police officers. The administration has ignored and attempted to whitewash the violence committed by rioters on Jan. 6 because they were the presidents supporters. They were trying to install him a second time against the will of the voters in 2020, said Michael Romano, who prosecuted the rioters before leaving the Justice Department this year. And it feels like the effort to ignore that is purely transactional. The White House referred comment to the Justice Department, which referred comment to the FBI. The bureau did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Friday. Bongino once suggested pipe bomb incident was inside job FBI Director Kash Patel, as a conservative podcast host during the Biden administration, had called the Jan. 6 rioters political prisoners and offered to represent them for free. But on Thursday, he said the arrest of the pipe bomb suspect, 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr., was in keeping with Trumps commitment to secure our nations capital.When you attack American citizens, when you attack our institutions of legislation, when you attack the nations capital, you attack the very being of our way of life, Patel said. And this FBI and this Department of Justice stand here to tell you that we will always combat it.Patels deputy, Dan Bongino, had suggested before joining the FBI that federal law enforcement had wasted time investigating Jan. 6 rioters and anti-abortion activists.These are threats to the United States? he said on a podcast last year. Grandma is in the gulag for a trespassing charge on January 6th.Bongino indicated last year he believed the pipe bomb incident was an inside job that involved a massive cover-up. After joining the FBI, Bongino repeatedly described t the investigation as a top priority that was receiving significant resources and attention.We were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away, he said Thursday.No public link has emerged between the pipe bombs and the riot, and Coles arrest was a significant development in a long-running investigation that had confounded authorities, who are now are assembling a portrait of Cole. People familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that among the statements Cole made to investigators is that he believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which Trump has insisted was stolen from him in favor of Democrat Joe Biden. The people were not authorized to discuss ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. There was no widespread fraud in that election, which a range of election officials across the country, including Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Republican governors in key states crucial to Bidens victory have also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies were dismissed by the courts. Administration has played down Jan. 6 and aftermathThe tough-on-crime words heard during Thursdays announcement about Coles arrest were at odds with the Republican administrations repeated efforts to play down the violence of Jan. 6, absolve those charged in the insurrection and target those who investigated and prosecuted the rioters.Trumps clemency action on his first day back in the White House in January applied to all 1,500-plus people charged with participating in the attack on the foundations of American democracy. That included defendants seen on camera violently attacking police with makeshift weapons such as flagpoles, a crutch and a hockey stick. More than 100 police officers were injured, including some who have described being scared for their lives as they were dragged into the crowd and beaten. Earlier this year, the Justice Department asked the FBI for the names of agents who participated in Jan. 6 investigations, a demand feared within the bureau for as a possible precursor to mass firings. In August, Patel fired Brian Driscoll, who as the FBIs acting director in the early days of the Trump administration resisted handing over those names. Trumps administration, meanwhile, has fired or demoted numerous prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, including more than two dozen lawyers who had been hired for temporary assignments to support the investigation but were moved into permanent roles after Trump won the 2024 election.In October, two federal prosecutors were locked out of their government devices and told they were being put on leave after filing court papers that described those who attacked the Capitol as a mob of rioters. The Justice Department later submitted a new court filing that stripped mentions of the Jan. 6 riot.One man whose case was dismissed because of Trumps pardons was accused of hurling an explosive device and a large piece of wood at a group of officers who trying to defend an entrance to the Capitol. Some officers later said they had believed they were going to die, prosecutors wrote in court papers, and several reported suffering temporary hearing loss. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto0 Comments 0 Shares 213 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMTrumps Security Doctrine Leaves Europe at a Strategic CrossroadsA new White House policy document formalizes President Trumps long-held contempt for Europes leaders. It made clear that the continent now stands at a strategic crossroads.0 Comments 0 Shares 185 Views 0 Reviews -
Savings Accounts for Disabled People Are Expanding. Do You Qualify?Starting next year, people who became disabled by age 46 will be eligible to open ABLE accounts. The accounts have been slow to catch on, partly because the current age limit is 26.0 Comments 0 Shares 190 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMSheriff hunting for the last of 3 inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jailThis photo provided by St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office shows Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, one of three inmates who escaped from a southwestern Louisiana jail, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office via AP)2025-12-06T18:36:33Z OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) Authorities hunted Saturday for the last of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail after removing concrete blocks from a deteriorating wall.We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz said in a statement, but we will not rest until he is captured.Detectives and SWAT officers were following leads Saturday in pursuit of 24-year-old Keith Eli, who remained at large three days after he and two other inmates escaped the parish jail in southwestern Louisiana, said Maj. Mark LeBlanc, a spokesman for the sheriff. Eli had been jailed on a charge of second-degree murder.One of the escapees, 24-year-old Johnathan Jevon Joseph, was captured Friday following a brief chase. LeBlanc said investigators following a tip found Joseph, who was jailed on charges of rape and other crimes, hiding out at a home. Joseph ran to a nearby storage shed, where he surrendered after being cornered, LeBlanc said. The third escapee, 26-year-old Joseph Allen Harrington, killed himself with a hunting rifle Thursday after police found him at a home and used a loudspeaker to urge him to come out, said Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux. Before his escape, Harrington had faced several felony charges, including home invasion. It wasnt the first bold jail escape in Louisiana this year. In May, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail after crawling through a hole behind a toilet and leaving a message that read To Easy LoL. Authorities searched across multiple states for the escapees as local officials pointed fingers over who was to blame for the jailbreak. It took five moths before all 10 inmates were recaptured. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on As sheriff, Guidroz oversees the St, Landry Parish jail in Opelousas, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans. He has said the inmates escaped after discovering a degrading part of an upper wall area and over time managed to remove the mortar holding the walls concrete blocks together. That enabled them to remove enough blocks to slip through the wall.The inmates then used sheets to scale the jails outer wall, drop onto a first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground, Guidroz said in a news release Wednesday.The sheriff said the breakout will be investigated internally.0 Comments 0 Shares 228 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMCalifornia officials warn against foraging wild mushrooms after deadly poisoning outbreakThis undated photo provided by California Department of Health shows a Death Cap Mushroom. (California Department of Health via AP)2025-12-06T18:26:43Z California officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children.The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste.Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure, Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season.One adult has died and several patients have required intensive care, including at least one who might need a liver transplant. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Officials advise against wild mushroom foragingWet weather fuels the growth of death cap mushrooms, and officials warn against any wild mushroom foraging to avoid confusion. Residents in central Californias Monterey County became ill after eating mushrooms found in a local park, according to county health officials. Another cluster of cases were in the San Francisco Bay Area, but state health officials warned that the risk is everywhere.There were more than 4,500 cases of exposure to unidentified mushrooms logged at Americas Poison Centers in 2023, according to their National Poison Data System annual report. Roughly half were in young children, who experts warn may pick and eat a mushroom while playing outside.Californias poison control system sees hundreds of cases of wild mushroom poisonings each year. The death cap mushroom and the destroying angel mushroom look and taste similar to edible mushrooms, so experts warn that a mushrooms color is not a reliable way of detecting its toxicity. And whether it is eaten raw or cooked does not matter. Symptom improvement is not an all-clearPeople can have stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting within 24 hours after ingesting a toxic mushroom. Though gastrointestinal symptoms may improve, health officials warn that patients can still develop serious complications, including liver damage, that surface later.People looking for guidance on diagnosing or treating mushroom poisoning can contact the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222.0 Comments 0 Shares 222 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMTrump is hosting the Kennedy Center Honorees in the Oval Office for a medal presentation ceremonyPresident Donald Trump speaks before a concert by Andrea Bocelli in the East Room of the White House walking towards the East Room, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)2025-12-06T18:51:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Saturday was hosting the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees in the Oval Office for what the White House described as a medal presentation ceremony. This years recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford. Trump ignored the Kennedy Center and its marquis awards program during his first term as president. But the Republican president instituted a series of changes since returning to office in January, most notably ousting its board of trustees and replacing them with GOP supporters who voted him in as chairman. Trump also has criticized the centers programming and its physical appearance, and vowed to overhaul both.The president said in August that he was about 98% involved in choosing the 2025 honorees when he personally announced them at the Kennedy Center, the first slate chosen under his leadership. The honorees traditionally had been announced by press release. It was unclear how they were chosen. Before Trump, it fell to a bipartisan selection committee. Later Saturday, after the Oval Office event, Trump was scheduled to attend an annual State Department dinner for the honorees. In years past, the honorees would receive their medallions at the dinner but it appeared that Trump has moved the ceremony to the White House. Meanwhile, the glitzy Kennedy Center Honors program and its series of tribute performances for each recipient is set to be taped on Sunday at the performing arts center for broadcast later in December on CBS and Paramount+. Trump is to attend the program for the first time as president, accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump. The president said in August that he would host the show, but the White House has not characterized his level of participation. Presidents traditionally attend the program and sit with the honorees in the audience. None has ever served as host. Ive been asked to host. I said, Im the president of the United States. Are you fools asking me to do that? Trump said back then. And then Susie Wiles said to me, Sir, Id like you to host. I said, OK, Susie, Ill do it, Trump said, referring to his White House chief of staff. Trump spent several hours at the Kennedy Center on Friday. He participated in the FIFA World Cup draw for 2026 and accepted its inaugural peace prize. Trump also met in a group with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. DARLENE SUPERVILLE Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families.0 Comments 0 Shares 237 Views 0 Reviews
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Donate This Holiday Season: Hungry Kids Need Your HelpShare Our Strength takes on what both parties leave behind.0 Comments 0 Shares 232 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.APARTMENTTHERAPY.COMI Painted Every Room in My House The Same Shade, and I Love ItPantone said neutral white was in, and I agree.READ MORE...0 Comments 0 Shares 217 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMFlorida Man Charged in Murder of Woman and Child Found Near Gilgo BeachThe man who was charged was the father of the 2-year-old, whose body was found near her mothers, the authorities said. The case did not appear to be linked to the Long Island serial killings.0 Comments 0 Shares 203 Views 0 Reviews -
APNEWS.COMHegseth defends strikes on alleged cartel boats, says Trump can order use of force as he sees fitDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)2025-12-06T21:57:46Z WASHINGTON (AP) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended strikes on alleged drug cartel boats during remarks Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, saying President Donald Trump has the power to take military action as he sees fit to defend the nation.Hegseth dismissed criticism of the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people and now face intense scrutiny over concerns that they violated international law. Saying the strikes are justified to protect Americans, Hegseth likened the fight to the war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. If youre working for a designated terrorist organization and you bring drugs to this country in a boat, we will find you and we will sink you. Let there be no doubt about it, Hegseth said during his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum. President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nations interests. Let no country on earth doubt that for a moment. The most recent strike brings the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. Lawmakers have sought more answers about the attacks and their legal justification, and whether U.S. forces were ordered to launch a follow-up strike following a September attack even after the Pentagon knew of survivors. Though Hegseth compared the alleged drug smugglers to Al-Qaida terrorists, experts have noted significant differences between the two foes and the efforts to combat them. Hegseths remarks came after the Trump administration released its new national security strategy, one that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert Americas dominance in the Western Hemisphere.During the speech Hegseth also discussed the need to check Chinas rise through strength instead of conflict. He repeated Trumps vow to resume nuclear testing on an equal basis as China and Russia a goal that has perplexed many nuclear arms experts. The speech was delivered at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in California, an event which brings together top national security experts from around the country. Hegseth used the visit to argue that Trump is Reagans true and rightful heir when it comes to muscular foreign policy.By contrast, Hegseth criticized Republican leaders in the years since Reagan for supporting wars in the Middle East and democracy-building efforts that didnt work. He also blasted those who have argued that climate change poses serious challenges to military readiness.The war department will not be distracted by democracy building, interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, climate change, woke moralizing and feckless nation building, he said. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site0 Comments 0 Shares 227 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMAt Least 17 Migrants Die in Greeces Worst Shipwreck in Two YearsTwo people were rescued from a half-sunken boat off the island of Crete on Saturday evening, but 17 others died in the wreck.0 Comments 0 Shares 222 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMCould President Trump Bring Japans Tiny Cars to America? Not So Fast.Mr. Trump is pushing to approve their production in the United States.0 Comments 0 Shares 221 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMWhy Is Christianity So Hard to Find in the Trump Administration?Not too much religious moralism in the administration, but too little.0 Comments 0 Shares 222 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMIn Honduras, Some Voters Were Swayed by Trump, Others AngeredPresident Trump backed Nasry Asfura days before the Nov. 30 election and denounced his opponents. In a close race, that has potentially tipped the scales.0 Comments 0 Shares 211 Views 0 Reviews -
Francis Ford Coppolas F.P. Journe Sells for $11 Million at AuctionFrenzied bidding pushed the polarizing F.P. Journe timepiece into near-record territory despite one dealer calling the design goofy.0 Comments 0 Shares 212 Views 0 Reviews
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A fire at a popular nightclub in Indias Goa state kills at least 23, officials say2025-12-07T02:38:28Z NEW DELHI (AP) At least 23 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in Indias Goa state, the states chief minister said Sunday.The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora in North Goa, a party hub.Goas chief minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the clubs kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists.The fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. All the bodies have been recovered.Sawant said the state government will conduct an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and whether fire safety norms and building regulations were followed.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the incident deeply saddening and said he spoke with Sawant about the situation. He said the state government is providing all possible assistance to those affected while offering condolences with the victims families. Accidents involving gas cylinders arent uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols and regulatory oversight.Western coastal state of Goa is one of Indias most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site0 Comments 0 Shares 219 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMJudge Halts Justice Dept. Effort to Seek New Comey IndictmentThe judges decision prevented the government until at least next Friday from having access to much of the evidence it used to secure its original indictment against Mr. Comey.0 Comments 0 Shares 233 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMAustralias Social Media Ban for Under-16s Is Coming. The Teenagers Are Skeptical.The country is trying to wean children under 16 off the likes of TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram with a new law. The teenagers are skeptical.0 Comments 0 Shares 223 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMHow Australias Social Media Ban for Children Will WorkThe country is barring children under 16 from social media, with a sweeping federal law that is one of the first attempts at a nationwide regulation.0 Comments 0 Shares 199 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMFire in Goa, India, Kills at Least 25Officials told the Indian news media that the fire tore through a nightclub in the southwestern state of Goa, a popular tourist destination.0 Comments 0 Shares 205 Views 0 Reviews -
Everyone Wants High-Quality Clothes. Thats Become Its Own Trend.Being a smart consumer has never been easier. Influencers and the fashion industry are all taking advantage of that.0 Comments 0 Shares 192 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMSoon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive. People turn to other ways to learn about the bombingPearl Harbor survivor Archie Odom, of Federal Way, Wash., salutes during a moment of silence in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1991, in remembrance of those killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Odom was a signalman on the bridge of the USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked. (AP Photo/John Gaps III, File)2025-12-07T05:30:39Z HONOLULU (AP) Survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor have long been the center of a remembrance ceremony held each year on the military bases waterfront. But today only 12 are still alive all centenarians and this year none is able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event, scheduled for Sunday.That means no one attending will have firsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the U.S. into World War 2. The development is not a surprise and is an evolution of an ongoing trend. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing. The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time I just, I dont know it hurt my heart in a way I cant describe, said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-year-old father Ira Ike Schab had to cancel plans to fly in from Oregon after falling ill. Survivors have been present every year in recent memory except for 2020, when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on I can still see what was happening.The ceremony begins with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the attack began on Dec. 7, 1941. Solemn rituals follow. Fighter jets fly overhead in missing man formation, in which one jet peels off to symbolize those lost. Survivors present wreaths to honor the dead, though active duty troops have assumed this job in recent years. Survivors rise to salute active duty sailors who themselves salute as their ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above submerged hull of the battleship sunk in the attack. About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. Last year, only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day. Many survivors were jovial despite the occasion, happy to catch up with old friends and pose for photographs. Even so, harrowing recollections were seldom far from their minds. In 2023, Harry Chandler gazed across the water while telling an Associated Press reporter how he was raising the flag at a mobile hospital in the hills above the base when he saw Japanese planes fly in and drop bombs. Chandler and his fellow Navy hospital corpsmen jumped in trucks to help the injured. He spoke of seeing the Arizona explode, and of hearing sailors trapped on the capsized USS Oklahoma desperately tapping on their ships hull to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after crews cut holes in the battleship.I can still see what was happening, Chandler said. He died the next year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.Lessons from the pastThe bombing has long held different meanings for different people, the historian Emily S. Rosenberg wrote in her book A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory. Some say it highlights the need for a well-prepared military and a vigilant foreign policy. To some it evokes then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt administrations ineptitude or deceit and the unfair scapegoating of the military. Others focus on the treachery of Japan or the heroic acts of individual troops, she wrote. Asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: Be prepared.We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better, he said.Lou Conter, who was the Arizonas last living survivor when he died last year at 102, told the AP in 2019 he liked to attend to remember those who lost their lives. Its always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve, Conter said.Heinrichs father has been six times since 2016. The former tuba player on the USS Dobbin likes to go not only to remember those killed but also in place of his late band mates; his three brothers who fought in World War II; and the now-deceased Pearl Harbor survivors he has met. Recording the remembrances before the survivors are goneRetired National Park Service Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez said the circumstances resemble the early 20th century when Civil War veterans were dying in increasing numbers. Awareness grew that soon they wouldnt be able to share their stories of Gettysburg and other battles, he said.Martinez knew something similar could happen with Pearl Harbor survivors and recorded their oral histories. During a 1998 convention, he conducted interviews 12 hours a day for three days. The Park Service today has nearly 800 interviews, most on video. They remain as a part of the national memory of a day that changed America and changed the world, Martinez said.The Park Service shows some in its Pearl Harbor museum and aims to include more after renovations, said David Kilton, the agencys Pearl Harbor interpretation, education and visitor services lead. The Library of Congress has collections from 535 Pearl Harbor survivors, including interviews, letters, photos and diaries. Over 80% are online. They are part of the librarys Veterans History Project of firsthand recollections of veterans who served in World War I onward. Many were recorded by relatives, Eagle Scouts and other amateurs interested in documenting history. The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors gives presentations in schools and marches in parades to share the stories of their families. The California chapter has added six new members this year, including two great-grandchildren of survivors.When theyre all gone, were still going to be here, said Deidre Kelley, the groups president. And its our intent to keep the memory alive as long as were alive. AUDREY McAVOY McAvoy is a Honolulu-based reporter who covers news in Hawaii and beyond. twitter mailto0 Comments 0 Shares 228 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMAs Russias Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheadings to rapesA mother holds the clenched hand of her daughter, who has not unclenched it in the eight months since fleeing mercenaries in Mali and finding refuge in Douankara, Mauritania, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly)2025-12-07T05:21:32Z DOUANKARA, Mauritania (AP) A new Russian military unit that replaced the Wagner mercenary group is carrying out abuses including rapes and beheadings as it teams up with Mali s military to hunt down extremists, dozens of civilians who fled the fighting have told The Associated Press.The Africa Corps is using the same tactics as Wagner, the refugees said, in accounts not reported by international media until now. Two refugees showed videos of villages burned by the white men. Two others said they found bodies of loved ones with liver and kidneys missing, an abuse the AP previously reported around Wagner. Its a scorched-earth policy, said a Malian village chief who fled. The soldiers speak to no one. Anyone they see, they shoot. No questions, no warning. People dont even know why they are being killed. Fulani community members who have recently fled violence in Mali, take refuge in Makhal Oulad Zeid, Mauritania, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Fulani community members who have recently fled violence in Mali, take refuge in Makhal Oulad Zeid, Mauritania, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A village chief who fled northern Malis scorched earth policy of Africa Corps, sits in Douankara, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A village chief who fled northern Malis scorched earth policy of Africa Corps, sits in Douankara, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More West Africas vast Sahel region has become the deadliest place in the world for extremism, with thousands of people killed. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating the fighters affiliated with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group.When the Africa Corps replaced Wagner six months ago, weary civilians hoped for less brutality. The United Nations says they have been abused by all sides in the conflict. RELATED COVERAGE Takeaways from APs investigation into Russias Africa Corps in Mali But refugees described a new reign of terror by Africa Corps in the vast and largely lawless territory, and legal analysts said Moscow is directly responsible. The AP gained rare access to the Mauritanian border, where thousands of Malians have fled in recent months as fighting intensified. It spoke with 34 refugees who described indiscriminate killings, abductions and sexual abuse. Most spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.They are the same men, paid by the government, and continue the massacres. There is no difference between Wagner and Africa Corps, said the village chief. Malian authorities have never publicly acknowledged the presence of Wagner or Africa Corps. But Russian state media in recent weeks have published reports from Mali, praising Africa Corps for defending the country from terrorists, and Russias Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the unit is active at the request of the Malian authorities, providing ground escorts, search-and-rescue operations and other work.Russias Defense Ministry did not respond to AP questions. Calling locals dogs in RussianIt was early morning and Mougaloa was preparing sweet black tea when she heard gunshots. Seconds later, two cars pulled up in front of her tent, filled with masked white men shouting in a foreign language.A herder from northern Mali, she has witnessed her share of horrors over the last decade of violence but she said no one had been as ferocious as these men. A herder moves livestock through the refugee camp in Mbera, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A herder moves livestock through the refugee camp in Mbera, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Armed men had come before, Mougaloa said. Usually the family would flee when they heard them coming. But three months ago, they were caught.She said the men arrived with Malian soldiers and grabbed her 20-year-old son, Koubadi. The Malians asked him whether he had seen militants. When he said no, they beat him until he fainted.Then the men slit his throat as Mougaloa watched, powerless. She said the family fled but the armed men found them again in late October.This time, they didnt ask questions. They wore masks and military uniforms. They took everything the family had, from animals to jewelry.And they kept repeating one word, pes a derogatory term for dog in Russian.They dragged Mougaloas 16-year-old daughter, Akhadya, as she tried to resist. Then they spotted Mougaloas older daughter, Fatma, and lost interest in Akhadya.They took Fatma into her tent. Without thinking, Mougaloa took Akhadyas hand and started running, leaving Fatma behind. They have not heard from her since.We were so scared, Mougaloa said, trembling. We are hoping she will get here at some point. Moyme, who fled Mali in fear of the Malian Army and its Russian allies, poses for a portrait Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in a camp in Mbera, Mauritania where she has found refuge. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Moyme, who fled Mali in fear of the Malian Army and its Russian allies, poses for a portrait Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in a camp in Mbera, Mauritania where she has found refuge. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A Fulani woman who fled violence in Mali sits at a camp in Fassala, Mauritania, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, where she has found refuge. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A Fulani woman who fled violence in Mali sits at a camp in Fassala, Mauritania, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, where she has found refuge. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A woman is helped outside a treatment room of a health clinic in Douankara, Mauritania, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A woman is helped outside a treatment room of a health clinic in Douankara, Mauritania, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Experts say its impossible to know how many people are being killed and assaulted in Mali, especially in remote areas, while journalists and aid workers have increasingly limited access to the country. There is a lot of people raped, attacked, killed. Families are separated, there is no doubt about that, said Sukru Cansizoglu, the representative in Mauritania for the U.N. refugee agency. But it is sometimes difficult to really pinpoint who are the perpetrators. Civilians, under pressure from both the militants and the Africa Corps and Malian fighters, are between a rock and a hard place, said Heni Nsaibia from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED.If people dont follow JNIM evacuation orders, they face reprisals, Nsaibia said. But if they flee, Malis army and Africa Corps consider them JNIM accomplices.Mougaloas family experienced it firsthand.If you dont tell the army you saw jihadists, the army will kill you, she said. But if you do tell them, the jihadists will find you and kill you.Questions around the Africa CorpsReported abuses against civilians intensified when Wagner joined the underfunded Malian army in 2021. According to private security analysts, Mali paid Russia about $10 million a month for Wagners assistance. While the group was never officially under the Kremlins command, it had close ties to Russias intelligence and military.Moscow began developing the Africa Corps as a rival to Wagner after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in 2023 following his brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule of President Vladimir Putin.It is unclear whether the terms of Malis agreement remain the same for Africa Corps. Much is unknown about its operations, including the number of fighters, which analysts estimate at around 2,000. A four-year-old girl who was injured during a drone strike in Mali, is treated in a health clinic in Douankara, Mauritania, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A four-year-old girl who was injured during a drone strike in Mali, is treated in a health clinic in Douankara, Mauritania, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Not all Africa Corps fighters are Russian. Several refugees told the AP they saw Black men speaking foreign languages. The European Council on Foreign Relations in a recent report said the unit recruits from Russia, Belarus and African states.Africa Corps and Malian forces have increased their joint offensives in northern Mali, home to substantial gold reserves, according to the Critical Threats project by the American Enterprise Institute.While civilian deaths blamed on the Russians have dropped this year 447 so far compared with 911 last year the numbers might not reflect the full scale, Nsaibia said: People are more scared to report, in order to avoid putting their own safety on the line.Fewer outsiders are watching. A U.N. peacekeeping mission withdrew from Mali in 2023 under government pressure. Malis withdrawal this year from the International Criminal Court has further complicated efforts to track abuses. The ICC has been investigating serious crimes committed in Mali since 2012, when fighting with armed groups began.Eduardo Gonzalez Cueva, a U.N. independent expert on human rights in Mali, told the AP he asked the countrys military authorities twice this year for permission to visit, and sent them a questionnaire. They did not respond.Malis government considers investigations into alleged abuses inconvenient and harmful to the morale of the troops, Cueva said in his latest report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in March, noting that the escalation of serious human rights violations and abuses by all actors is accelerating due to impunity. Only the name has changedWhen Wagner announced its departure from Mali, some refugees decided to return home. Many found that nothing had changed.It was the same thing, said one, Bocar, who spoke with resignation as he cradled his youngest son. He said he had seen bodies with organs missing.He said he had counted all the men killed or abducted by Wagner and Malis army in his hometown of Lere before he first fled in 2023. He said the list reached 214 people.Only the name was changed, he said of Africa Corps. The clothes, the vehicles, the people stayed the same. The methods stayed the same, and even became worse. So we left home again. Afay, a Malian refugee, shows images of her burned village after Africa Corps razed the marketplace to the ground, she said while sitting at a camp in Douankara, Mauritania, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Afay, a Malian refugee, shows images of her burned village after Africa Corps razed the marketplace to the ground, she said while sitting at a camp in Douankara, Mauritania, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Bakary Bah, who fled Mali in 2023 when more than a dozen people including his brother where killed in his village, sits for a portrait in a camp in Mbera, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Bakary Bah, who fled Mali in 2023 when more than a dozen people including his brother where killed in his village, sits for a portrait in a camp in Mbera, Mauritania, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Other refugees described being so terrified of the Russians that at any noise resembling an engine, they would run or climb the nearest tree.One woman said she was so frantic to flee Wagner fighters that she once left her 3-month-old baby at home. When she returned hours later, her daughter was laying in front of the house, her tiny hands clenched into fists.I was so scared, I forgot I had a baby, the woman said, clutching her daughter.Legal experts said the shift from Wagner to Africa Corps makes the Russian government directly accountable for fighters actions.Despite the rebranding, there is striking continuity in personnel, commanders, tactics and even insignia between Wagner and Africa Corps, said Lindsay Freeman, senior director of international accountability at the UC Berkeley School of Laws Human Rights Center, which has monitored the conflict in Mali.Because Africa Corps is directly embedded in Russias Ministry of Defense, it can be treated as an organ of the Russian state under international law, Freeman said. That means any war crimes committed by Africa Corps in Mali are, in principle, attributable to the Russian government under the rules on state responsibility.Life has lost its meaningWhen white men came to the village of Kurmare less than a month ago, Fatma said everyone fled but her.At the sound of gunshots, her 18-year-old daughter had a seizure and fell, unconscious. Fatma stayed with her as the men looted the village and shot at people running away.The men went from house to house, taking womens jewelry and killing men. When they entered Fatmas house, they thought her daughter was dead and left her alone. Men from northern Mali who fled attacks by the Malian Army and Africa Corps sit in a tent at a makeshift camp in Douankara, Mauritania, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Men from northern Mali who fled attacks by the Malian Army and Africa Corps sit in a tent at a makeshift camp in Douankara, Mauritania, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More A Fulani woman weaves in the traditional style of her community at her new home in Makhal Oulad Zeid, Mauritania, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) A Fulani woman weaves in the traditional style of her community at her new home in Makhal Oulad Zeid, Mauritania, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Fatma did not want to talk about what the white men did to her.It stays between God and me, she muttered, trembling.When they left her village hours later, she found the body of her son, who was shot at his shop. Then she found her injured brother. As she set off for Mauritania, her daughter, who continued having seizures, died as well.Before the conflict erupted, I had strength, I had courage, Fatma said faintly. Now, life has lost its meaning.Her family is with the Fulani ethnic group, which Malis government accuses of being affiliated with the militants. Some Fulani, long neglected by the central government, have joined the fighters. Civilians are often targeted by both sides.But Fatma said no one killed or injured in her village belonged to any armed group. I dont know what we did to deserve it, she said.Now, in Mauritania, the memories haunt her. She has trouble sleeping and breathing, and clutched repeatedly at her chest. She spends her time looking at the only photograph she has of her daughter.I am just someone who is alive and appears as a person that I was but is not, in fact, living, she said. MONIKA PRONCZUK Pronczuk covers 22 countries across Central and West Africa for The Associated Press. She is based in Dakar, Senegal. twitter mailto0 Comments 0 Shares 227 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMJapan protests after a Chinese military aircraft locks its radar on Japanese jetsFILE -The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, sails into Hong Kong for a port call to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison's presence in the semi-autonomous Chinese city and former British colony on July 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)2025-12-07T02:17:52Z TOKYO (AP) Japan said early Sunday that it has protested to China after a military jet that took off from the Chinese carrier Liaoning locked its radar on Japanese fighter jets near the southern island of Okinawa, the latest spat between the two countries whose ties have plunged recently over the Japanese leaders Taiwan remarks.Japans Defense Ministry said Chinas military aircraft J-15 intermittently targeted its radar at Japanese F-15 fighter jets on two occasions Saturday for about three minutes in the late afternoon and for about 30 minutes in the evening.The radar lock by the Chinese aircraft was detected by different Japanese fighters that had scrambled against a possible airspace violation by China, according to the ministry. There was no breach of Japanese airspace, and no injury or damage was reported from the incident. It was not known whether the radar lock incident involved the same Chinese J-15 both times.Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, briefing reporters in the early hours of Sunday, said Japan protested to China over the radar lock, calling it a dangerous act that exceeded the scope necessary for safe aircraft operations. The occurrence of such an incident is extremely regrettable, Koizumi said. We have lodged a strong protest with the Chinese side and demanded strict preventive measures. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government or military. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese navy operates in accordance with international law and that others shouldnt hype up its activities. The latest incident comes as relations between the two countries have worsened in recent weeks. China was angered by a statement by Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule. The aircraft carrier Liaoning on Saturday passed between the main island of Okinawa and nearby Miyako island as it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises in the Pacific.Japanese F-15 fighter jets, scrambled in case of an airspace violation, were pursuing the Chinese aircraft at a safe distance and did not involve actions that could be interpreted as provocation, Kyodo News agency said, quoting defense officials.Fighter jets can use radars for search, or as fire control ahead of a missile launch. It is believed to be the first instance of a radar lock involving Japanese and Chinese military aircraft. In 2013, a Chinese warship targeted a radar on a Japanese destroyer, Kyodo said. Elsewhere in the Pacific, the Philippine coast guard said China fired three flares toward a fisheries bureau plane on patrol in the South China Sea on Saturday. Chinese forces fire flares to warn planes to move away from what they consider their airspace over the disputed waters. ___Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report. MARI YAMAGUCHI Yamaguchi is based in Tokyo and covers Japanese politics, security, nuclear energy and social issues for The Associated Press. twitter mailto0 Comments 0 Shares 239 Views 0 Reviews
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APNEWS.COMDuke beats No. 16 Virginia 27-20 in overtime for first outright ACC championship since 1962Duke head coach Manny Diaz, left, celebrates with defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) after Virginia missed a field goal in the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)2025-12-07T05:21:46Z Get the AP Top 25 college football poll delivered straight to your inbox every week with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Duke won its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1962 and threw the College Football Playoff into chaos on Saturday night when Darian Mensah connected with Jeremiah Hasley for a 1-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play in overtime, and the unranked Blue Devils held on to beat No. 16 Virginia 27-20.The Blue Devils (8-5) are unlikely to make the playoff field, opening the door for a second Group of Five team likely James Madison to make it.Duke last won a share of the ACC regular-season title in 1989, sharing it with Virginia in Steve Spurriers final season as the Blue Devils coach. The conference championship game was created in 2005, and Duke got there this year thanks to a five-team tiebreaker.Virginia (10-3), the ACC regular-season champion, would have reached the CFP for the first time in school history with a victory but fell short when Chandler Morris was intercepted by Luke Mergott on the Cavaliers first offensive play of OT. Mensah threw for 196 yards and two scores both to Hasley while Nate Sheppard ran for 97 yards and a score for Duke. Virginia trailed by 10 with 5:02 left in regulation, but got a field goal from Will Bettridge before Morris capped a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 18-yard strike to Eli Wood in the left corner of the end zone with 22 seconds left to tie it at 20-all. Think you know who belongs in the Top 25? Now its your turn to vote with the AP Top 25 fan poll. In the extra period, Sheppard got the Blue Devils to the Virginia 2 with three runs. Duke was stuffed twice before Mensah rolled out and found Hasley for the go-ahead score. Virginia was flagged for roughing passer on the throw, meaning it had to start its overtime possession at the 40 instead of the 25. Morris fired downfield on first down and was picked off by Mergott, setting off a raucuous celebration.Morris, who finished 21 of 40 for 216 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, was in tears after the game. JMari Taylor, the ACCs leading rusher, was limited to 65 yards on 15 carries and scored on an 11-yard reception. Duke established control of the line of scrimmage early.The Blue Devils controlled the clock in the first half, putting together the two longest drives in ACC championship game history 9:38 and 8:02 culminating with a 12-yard touchdown catch by Hasley and a 16-yard run by Sheppard to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.Duke coach Manny Diaz, who ran a fake field goal that led to the Blue Devils dramatic win over rival North Carolina, called a fake punt on Dukes go-ahead drive in the second quarter. It worked, with Kevin OConnor taking the direct snap and running up the middle for 6 yards.The takeawayDuke: The Blue Devils punt team was big. Along with the fake punt, Duke pulled Virginia offsides on a hard count on fourth-and-7, and then Diaz sent the offense back on the field to get the first down on fourth-and-2. Duke punter Kade Reynoldson also pinned Virginia at the 1, leading to Morris interception three plays later.Virginia: Taylor fumbled on the Virginias first play from scrimmage it was negated by a penalty and could never get on track against the Duke defense, which played its best game recent weeks.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football0 Comments 0 Shares 195 Views 0 Reviews
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WWW.NYTIMES.COMHong Kong Man Arrested After Posting Online About Deadly FireThe arrest was part of a crackdown on speech that the authorities say is inciting hatred of the government. Critics say officials are silencing calls for accountability.0 Comments 0 Shares 210 Views 0 Reviews -
WWW.NYTIMES.COMHong Kong Holds Vote as Officials Move Against Anti-China ElementsThe government is pushing hard to raise turnout in an election overshadowed by a deadly fire and public anger over safety lapses and official accountability.0 Comments 0 Shares 200 Views 0 Reviews -
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