Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Leo XIV wave to journalists during their meeting in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-12-10T10:51:17Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukrainian officials were expected to hand their latest peace proposals to United States negotiators Wednesday, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also said Ukraine would be ready for elections within three months if partners can guarantee a safe vote during wartime and if its electoral law can be altered.Zelenskyy was responding to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he questioned Ukraines democracy and suggested the Ukrainian leader was using the war as an excuse not to hold an election.Zelenskyy told reporters late Tuesday that he is ready for an election but would need help from the U.S. and possibly Europe to ensure security for a vote to happen. He suggested that Ukraine could be ready to hold balloting in 60 to 90 days if that proviso is met.To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security how to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks; and a question regarding our military how they would vote, Zelenskyy said. And the second issue is the legislative framework required to ensure the legitimacy of elections, he said.Previously, Zelenskyy had pointed out that a ballot cant legally take place while martial law imposed due to Russias invasion nearly four years ago is in place. He has also asked how a vote could happen when civilian areas of Ukraine are being bombarded by Russia and almost 20% of the country is under Russian occupation. Read More Zelenskyy turns to WhatsApp for a midflight Q&A with reporters on his Europe trip Zelenskyy said he has asked lawmakers from his party in Parliament to draw up legislative proposals that would allow elections while Ukraine is under martial law.Ukrainians have on the whole supported Zelenskyys arguments, and there has been no clamor in Ukraine for an election. Under the Ukrainian law that is in force, Zelenskyys rule is legitimate.But with Trump pressing hard for a deal between Kyiv and Moscow, Zelenskyy is walking a tightrope between defending Ukrainian interests and showing the American president that he is willing to make some compromises. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly complained that Zelenskyy cant legitimately negotiate a peace settlement because his five-year term in office that began in 2019 has expired.I think its an important time to hold an election. Theyre using war not to hold an election, Trump said in an interview with Politico, echoing Moscows stance.US, Russia seek closer tiesA new U.S. national security strategy released last Friday made it clear that Trump wants to improve Americas relationship with Moscow and reestablish strategic stability with Russia.The document also portrays European allies as weak. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britains Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britains Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) 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 Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday praised Trumps role in the Ukraine peace effort, saying in a speech at the Federation Council, the upper house of Russias Parliament, that Moscow appreciates his commitment to dialogue. Trump, Lavrov said, is the only Western leader who shows an understanding of the reasons that made war in Ukraine inevitable.While Trumps decisions are likely to be pivotal for Ukraine, Washingtons peace efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv. Trumps initial peace proposal was heavily slanted toward Russias demands. To counter that, Zelenskyy has turned to his European supporters.In recent days, Zelenskyy met the leaders of Britain, Germany and France in London, and the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels, before traveling on to Rome for talks with the Italian prime minister and Pope Leo XIV.Zelenskyy said three documents were being discussed with American and European partners a 20-point framework document that is constantly changing, a document on security guarantees, and a document about Ukraines recovery. Military aid for Ukraine declinesEuropes support is uneven, however, and that has meant a drop-off in military aid since the Trump administration this year cut off supplies to Kyiv unless they were paid for by other NATO countries.Foreign military help for Ukraine fell sharply over the summer, and that trend continued through September and October, a German body that tracks international help for Ukraine said Wednesday.Average annual aid, mostly provided by the U.S. and Europe, was around 41.6 euros billion ($48.4 billion) between 20222024. But so far this year Ukraine has received just 32.5 billion euros ($37.8 billion), the Kiel Institute said. If this slower pace continues in the remaining months (of the year), 2025 will become the year with the lowest level of new aid allocations since the war began, it said.This year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have substantially increased their help for Ukraine, while Germany nearly tripled its average monthly allocations and France and the U.K. both more than doubled their contributions, according to the Kiel Institute.On the other hand, it said, Spain recorded no new military aid for Kyiv in 2025 while Italy reduced its low contributions by 15% compared with 20222024.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine ILLIA NOVIKOV Novikov is an Associated Press reporter covering news in Ukraine since 2022. He is based in Kyiv. instagram mailto DEREK GATOPOULOS Gatopoulos is an Associated Press reporter covering Greece. He is based in Athens. twitter mailto

Rescue workers and residents search for survivors amid the wreckage of two collapsed buildings in Fez, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahmed Alaoui Mrani)2025-12-10T10:17:24Z FEZ, Morocco (AP) Two four-story buildings collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of Fez, killing 19 people in the second fatal collapse there this year, authorities said on Wednesday.Moroccos state news agency reported the two residential buildings housed eight families. Sixteen people were injured in the collapse and sent for treatment at a nearby hospital. Authorities said the neighborhood had been evacuated and search and rescue efforts were ongoing. It was unclear what caused the collapse or how many people were unaccounted for on Wednesday morning.Fez is Moroccos third-largest city and one of the hosts of this months Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It is best known for its walled city packed with medieval souks and tanneries. But beyond tourism, its also one of the countrys poorest urban centers, where aging infrastructure is common in many neighborhoods. Another collapse in May killed 10 people and injured seven in a building that had already been slated for evacuation, according to Moroccan outlet Le360.Building codes are often not enforced in Morocco, especially in ancient cities where aging multifamily homes are common. Gaps in basic services were a focal point of protests that swept the country earlier this year, with demonstrators criticizing the government for investing in new stadiums instead of addressing inequality in health care, education and other public services.__ A previous version of this story called Fez Moroccos second-largest city. It is Moroccos third most populous city.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03972-yThe nations regulators are attempting to match the rapid pace at which AI is evolving. That needs to become a global initiative.

The move by Representative Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat who is running for Senate, does not have the support of her partys leaders and is all but certain to fail.

We look at climate solutions across the country.

Caught between Beijing and the Trump administration, the International Monetary Fund offered mild criticism of China for relying too heavily on exports.

Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, will run for a House seat in Brooklyn and Manhattan, challenging Representative Daniel Goldman in the Democratic primary.

The central bank is poised to lower interest rates on Wednesday even as a growing chorus of officials urge caution.

FILE _ Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a news conference after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Oct. 29, 2025, at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)2025-12-10T11:00:39Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Federal Reserve will almost certainly reduce its key interest rate Wednesday, but the bigger question for financial markets and the economy is what signals Chair Jerome Powell may send regarding the central banks next steps. It would be the third cut in a row and bring the Feds key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years. For Americans struggling with high borrowing costs for homes, cars, and other large purchases, this years rate cuts could reduce those costs over time though its not guaranteed. Mortgage rates in particular are also influenced by financial markets. This weeks meeting could presage a much cloudier path for the Fed in 2026. The government shutdown has delayed two months of jobs and inflation data, leaving the Fed with much less information on hiring and inflation than it is used to. Powells term as chair ends in May and President Donald Trump will nominate a replacement, possibly as soon as this month, who will almost certainly push for lower borrowing costs. Yet the new chair could face resistance from other Fed officials. In addition to a likely rate cut, the Fed could signal that the bar for another reduction when they next meet in late January will be higher than it has been this fall. A year ago, after implementing a third rate cut at its December meeting, the Fed indicated it would likely keep rates unchanged in the coming months. It didnt cut again until September. They would love to take a pass (in January), push it off to March, and just wait for a couple of more inflation reports to come in, Tom Porcelli, chief economist at Wells Fargo, said. The Feds 19-member rate-setting committee is deeply divided between those who support reducing rates to bolster hiring and those whod prefer to keep rates unchanged because inflation remains above the central banks 2% target. Higher borrowing costs can slow spending and the economy and reduce price increases. The government said last week in a delayed report that the Feds preferred inflation gauge remained elevated in September, with both overall and core prices rising 2.8% from a year earlier.The lack of economic data has contributed to the divisions. But by their January meeting, theyll have up to three months of backlogged reports to consider. If those figures show that hiring has remained weak, or that layoffs have spiked, the Fed could reduce rates again in January. By contrast, if they show hiring has stabilized while inflation remains elevated, they may hold off on additional cuts for several months. On Wednesday, the Fed will also issue their quarterly set of economic projections, which include forecasts for where they will set rates at the end of this year and next. Economists expect just one rate reduction next year, as they did in September. Yet the projections will likely carry much less weight this year, since a new chair will probably push for more reductions. And if the economy weakens, more officials will support reductions. In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, Trump said yes when asked if reducing rates immediately was a litmus test for his new Fed chair. Trump has hinted that he will likely pick Kevin Hassett, his top economic adviser. Hassett has often called for lower borrowing costs, but this week has been more circumspect. In an interview Tuesday on CNBC, when asked how many more rate cuts he would support, Hassett did not give a specific answer and said, What you need to do is watch the data. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Rabbi Jonathan Aaron plays guitar while Cantor Lizzie Weiss helps during the Havdalah candle ceremony at the conclusion of a sound bath at Temple Emanuel, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner)2025-12-10T12:01:08Z LOS ANGELES (AP) With eyes closed and a small mallet in hand, the Rev. Kyohei Mikawa gently struck the bronze Himalayan singing bowl resting in his palm and bathed the Buddhist sanctuary in a resonant hum.Mikawa spent the next 45 minutes skimming bowls, playing a tongue drum and chanting to create an immersive experience called a sound bath as he sat facing a dozen people relaxing or meditating on yoga mats.Sometimes known as sound healing or sound meditation, sound baths have surged in popularity over the past decade, driven by growing public interest in mental health and wellness. But sound baths are no longer confined to yoga centers, crystal healing studios or other new age spaces. They have crossed over to mainstream worship spaces, including churches, temples and synagogues.Faith leaders like Mikawa, who oversees Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Center in Los Angeles largely Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights, are increasingly embracing sound baths. They see it as a way to reach out to their neighbors who may not be affiliated with a religion, but still want to be in community with others seeking spiritual experiences. They have also found ways to make this practice mesh with their respective faith traditions. Adding religious practice to sound bathsThe sounds that punctuated Mikawas session emanated from centuries of Buddhist tradition and practice, energizing and calming the mind at once, he said. A chant at the end of the sound bath, he said, means: Seek refuge in the true spirit of who you are.The goal is not to become a Buddhist, but a Buddha the best version of who we are, he said.Rabbi Jonathan Aaron, who leads Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills, a Reform synagogue, performs a sound bath the first Saturday of each month at the end of the Shabbat service, during a ceremony called the Havdalah. As part of this ritual, blessings are offered over wine, sweet spices and a multi-wicked candle while participants reflect on the difference between the sacred and the ordinary. Aaron says a rejuvenating sound bath fits perfectly with the sensory nature of the Havdalah, preparing attendees for the week ahead. The rabbi works with a practitioner who uses crystal bowls, gongs, rain sticks and an ocean drum, which mimics the sound of waves, to create a relaxing, meditative atmosphere. He believes that while a sound bath might not be inherently Jewish, it lends itself well to Jewish heritage, thought and prayer. Aaron points out that the first chapter of Genesis describes God creating the world through sound by speaking the words: Let there be light. Hearing, listening, and sacred sounds, including the call of the shofar that heralds the Jewish new year, are all important aspects of the faith, he said.Im not trying to make the sound bath Jewish, he said. But Im trying to bring Jewish energy and an experience by creating this environment that has a sound bath as part of it.Anna Reyner, a member who attended the sound bath, said the synagogue is a perfect space for it because it builds community often a main purpose of a house of worship.When you are in this intricate sound wave experience with others, you feel a sense of community and a connection to the source of holiness, she said. Connecting with neighbors through sound bathsThe Rev. Paul Capetz, pastor of Christ Church by the Sea, a United Methodist congregation in Newport Beach, California, said their monthly sound bath sessions, performed by a local practitioner, are drawing people who would never otherwise darken the door of a church.I find the sound bath brings you to another level of existence, Capetz said. Its almost hypnotic, but its not a drug. Youre experiencing it in real time that leaves you with a feeling of such serenity.The goal of having practices like sound bath and meditation in the church is not to convert, but to relate to others in the community who may be spiritual but not religious, the pastor said.Churches are naturally conducive to sound baths because of their sense of history, sanctity, reverence and, often, pristine acoustics, said Lynda Arnold, a longtime sound healer who has performed at Episcopal churches in Los Angeles. We talk about wanting to bring people into a state of deep listening, contemplation, prayer and intention, she said. In this church environment, there is an endless amount of creativity that can happen with sound and music.While sound baths are a more recent phenomenon, the power of sound has been harnessed for healing and spirituality for millennia. Alexandre Tannous, a New York-based sound researcher and sound therapist who has done these sessions around the U.S. and abroad, said many religions and cultures believe in the primordial nature of sound.In Eastern religions, aum is believed to be the primordial sound or vibration from which the entire universe was created and is sustained. In Egyptian mythology and the Hermetic tradition, the universe is believed to have been created through the power of the spoken word, also known as Logos. The concept of the universe being sung into existence or created by sound is a common motif found in several ancient and Indigenous traditions and mythologies. In Western science, how do we believe the universe started? Tannous said. With a Big Bang, right?The instruments used in a sound bath such as gongs, singing bowls, bells, chimes, didgeridoos all provide vibrations and grounding harmony that help a person quiet the mind and become focused, he said.Those notes between the notes have the power to quiet the multitasking monkey mind, said Tannous, referring to the unadulterated harmonics produced by these instruments.The science of sound Ramesh Balasubramaniam, professor of cognitive science at the University of California, Merced, has looked into how the brain resonates with and responds to sounds particularly in some frequencies that could induce a deep, meditative state. A sound bath, he says, is one of the routes to get there.When you hear a sound wave that oscillates four times a second, youre going to facilitate brain waves in the same frequency range by a process known as entrainment, Balasubramaniam said. We have 100 billion neurons and they all sing in concert in the same frequency, producing this collective effect like a crowd chanting in a football game.Jazmin Morales, who lives near the Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Center, has been attending Mikawas weekly sound baths for several weeks. She doesnt know the science behind it. She just knows it works for her.Ive always had trouble focusing when I meditate, she said. But a sound bath helps me focus. Its helped me sleep when I was unable to sleep. Its helped me let go of emotion. Its even sparked my creativity.For Ridge Gonzalez, who practices yoga and meditation, it was her first time in a sound bath.It was amazing, she said. I could visualize the sound as if it were being sprinkled. I could see and feel it. When youre meditating, you feel a sense of clarity. The sound bath feels like just another way of extending that practice.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. DEEPA BHARATH Bharath is a reporter with APs Global Religion team. She is based in Los Angeles. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson, center right, holds up her MVP trophy after Game 4 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Phoenix Mercury, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)2025-12-10T12:01:10Z Aja Wilson stood atop the WNBA again in 2025, winning an unprecedented fourth MVP as her Las Vegas Aces earned a third championship in four seasons.For that, she earned The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year on Wednesday for the first time in her career. Its the second consecutive year a basketball player won the award after Caitlin Clark was honored in 2024.Its an honor when you think about the group of women who have won before, Wilson said in a phone interview. Just to have my name be a part of it, Im blessed.Wilson is only the fifth basketball player to be honored as the Female Athlete of the Year since it was first presented in 1931, joining Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), Candace Parker (2008, 2021) and Clark.A group of 47 sports journalists from the AP and its members voted. Wilson received 17 votes, tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was second with nine and Paige Bueckers was third with five. The things shes done on the court have never been done. To me, shes in a category all her own, Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson. People always ask whos on your Mount Rushmore? Im saying shes on Everest theres nobody up there with her. Shohei Ohtani won the AP Male Athlete of the Year on Tuesday for the fourth time.Hammon has been impressed with everything about Wilson in her four years coaching in Las Vegas.Her relatability, her being down to earth makes her a great superstar, Hammon said. Her skill set is unmatched, but shes also the easiest player to coach. To have that mixture of humility, grace and skill, theres a reason why shes doing things that have never been done. This season was different for Wilson and the Aces, who had cruised to their previous two titles as a heavy favorite. This year, with a month to go, the Aces were sitting at .500 and were in danger of missing the playoffs after coming off a record 53-point loss against Minnesota. Wilson rallied her team to wins in the final 16 regular-season games to secure the No. 2 seed, and Las Vegas went on to win the championship.This season I found myself through the adversity and mud we went through, she said.Despite her numbers being on par with her unanimous MVP season the year before, Wilson heard the chatter that she wasnt playing as well and that she wasnt the front-runner to repeat as the leagues top player. The 29-year-old used that as fuel on the court. She led the league with 23.4 points and 2.3 blocks per game.The way they talk about us, the way they talk about me, Im ready for that, Im ready for the noise, Wilson said. Its always going to be something. If we sit here and try to please everybody, were going to go insane. Im just going to continue to prove why Im one of the greatest and why my team is part of a dynamic dynasty.Wilson raised her game even further in the playoffs, helping the Aces survive decisive winner-take-all games in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She then helped Las Vegas sweep Phoenix in the WNBA Finals, hitting the winning shot in Game 3. Its fair to say the expectations for her are so sky high now, shell be compared to a degree to the unanimous MVP she was the year before, ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. Even though she wasnt unanimous MVP this year, the journey she had this season was different and she was playing the best basketball of her career in the playoffs.Every year, you wonder how shell get better, and she always does.Wilson became the first player in either the WNBA or NBA to win the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and lead the league in scoring in the same season.Wilson broke a tie with Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson, who all won the WNBA MVP three times. She plans to have another relaxing offseason as she wont play overseas or in Unrivaled, the domestic 3-on-3 league. Shes already crossed one thing off her bucket list, meeting her idol Beyonce at the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas last month.It was super cool, Beyonce is someone that Ive always wanted to meet because I just admired her work, Wilson said. The Aces great is that way herself for so many. She launched a shoe and clothing line with Nike. Her shoe sold out minutes after it went on sale.Its amazing, something that I think about every day when I look around and see people just wearing my shoe. Every day its a gentle reminder that you know its a special moment that were living in and Im so grateful when I look back on it.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Democrat Eric Gisler talks to supporters about his election victory in a Georgia state House race on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 at the Trappeze Pub in Athens, Ga.. (Christopher Dowd/Athens Political Nerd via AP)2025-12-10T04:07:00Z ATLANTA (AP) Democrat Eric Gisler claimed an upset victory Tuesday in a special election in a historically Republican Georgia state House district.Gisler said he was the winner of the contest, in which he was leading Republican Mack Dutch Guest by about 200 votes out of more than 11,000 in final unofficial returns.Robert Sinners, a spokesperson with the secretary of states office, said there could be a few provisional ballots left before the tally is finalized.I think we had the right message for the time, Gisler told The Associated Press in a phone interview. He credited his win to Democratic enthusiasm but also said some Republicans were looking for a change.A lot of what I would call traditional conservatives held their nose and voted Republican last year on the promise of low prices and whatever else they were selling, Gisler said. But they hadnt received that. Guest did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment late Tuesday.Democrats have seen a number of electoral successes in 2025 as the partys voters have been eager to express dissatisfaction with Republican President Donald Trump. In Georgia in November, they romped to two blowouts in statewide special elections for the Public Service Commission, unseating two incumbent Republicans in campaigns driven by discontent over rising electricity costs. Nationwide, Democrats won governors races by broad margins in Virginia and New Jersey. On Tuesday a Democrat defeated a Trump-endorsed Republican in the officially nonpartisan race for Miami mayor, becoming the first from his party to win the post in nearly 30 years. Democrats have also performed strongly in some races they lost, such as a Tennessee U.S. House race last week and a Georgia state Senate race in September.Republicans remain firmly in control of the Georgia House, but their majority is likely fall to 99-81 when lawmakers return in January. Also Tuesday, voters in a second, heavily Republican district in Atlantas northwest suburbs sent Republican Bill Fincher and Democrat Scott Sanders to a Jan. 6 runoff to fill a vacancy created when Rep. Mandi Ballinger died. The GOP majority is down from 119 Republicans in 2015. It would be the first time the GOP holds fewer than 100 seats in the lower chamber since 2005, when they won control for the first time since Reconstruction.The race between Gisler and Guest in House District 121 in the Athens area northeast of Atlanta was held to replace Republican Marcus Wiedower, who was in the seat since 2018 but resigned in the middle of this term to focus on business interests. Most of the district is in Oconee County, a Republican suburb of Athens, reaching into heavily Democratic Athens-Clarke County. Republicans gerrymandered Athens-Clarke to include one strongly Democratic district, parceling out the rest of the county into three seats intended to be Republican.Gisler ran against Wiedower in 2024, losing 61% to 39%. This year was Guests first time running for office.A Democrat briefly won control of the district in a 2017 special election but lost to Wiedower in 2018. Gisler, a 49-year-old Watkinsville resident, works for an insurance technology company and owns a gourmet olive oil store. He campaigned on improving health care, increasing affordability and reinvesting Georgias surplus fundsGuest is the president of a trucking company and touted his community ties, promising to improve public safety and cut taxes. He was endorsed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, an Athens native, and raised far more in campaign contributions than Gisler. JEFF AMY Amy covers Georgia politics and state government for The Associated Press. He began work with the AP in 2011 and covered Mississippi for eight years before transferring to the Atlanta bureau in 2019. twitter

The central bank is widely expected to lower its benchmark lending rate on Wednesday. But investors are worried about what comes afterward.

On a video that went viral, the worker, who is white, can be seen calling two Black customers an epithet. The campaign to give her money echoes the reaction to a similar incident this year.

Europeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the United States, with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.

Some Republicans in the Indiana Senate have resisted a new congressional map despite lobbying from the White House and threats of political consequences.

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The Supreme Court facade is seen in Washington, Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2025-12-10T05:06:08Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could make it harder for convicted murderers to show their lives should be spared because they are intellectually disabled.The justices are taking up an appeal from Alabama, which wants to put to death a man who lower federal courts found is intellectually disabled and shielded from execution.The Supreme Court prohibited execution of intellectually disabled people in a landmark ruling in 2002.Joseph Clifton Smith, 55, has been on death row roughly half his life after his conviction for beating a man to death in 1997. The issue in Smiths case is what happens when a person has multiple IQ scores that are slightly above 70, which has been widely accepted as a marker of intellectual disability. Smiths five IQ tests produced scores ranging from 72 to 78. Smith had been placed in learning-disabled classes and dropped out of school after seventh grade, his lawyers said. At the time of the crime, he performed math at a kindergarten level, spelled at a third-grade level and read at a fourth-grade level. The Supreme Court has held in cases in 2014 and 2017 that states should consider other evidence of disability in borderline cases because of the margin of error in IQ tests. Alabama appealed to the Supreme Court after lower courts ruled that Smith is intellectually disabled. The justices had previously sent his case back to the federal appeals court in Atlanta, where the judges affirmed that they had taken a holistic approach to Smiths case, seemingly in line with the high court ruling. But the justices said in June they would take a new look at the case.Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Smith hasnt met his burden of showing an IQ of 70 or below, and the state wrote in its brief that the discussion of a holistic approach is an unjustified expansion of the Supreme Court rulings. He has multiple scores in the 70s, Marshall said in a phone interview. He said the question is about how to address a continuum of scores. I dont think picking and choosing those at the bottom are the way that the court will ultimately go, Marshall said.President Donald Trumps administration and 20 states are supporting Alabama in the case. Smith did not meet his burden of proving his IQ was likely 70 or below, Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on behalf of the Republican administration.Smiths lawyers argue the lower courts followed the law in conducting a holistic assessment of all relevant evidence in a case with borderline IQ scores.Rights groups focused on disabilities wrote in a brief supporting Smith that intellectual disability diagnoses based solely on IQ test scores are faulty and invalid.Smith was convicted and sentenced to death for the beating death of Durk Van Dam in Mobile County. Van Dam was found dead in his pickup truck. Prosecutors said he had been beaten to death with a hammer and robbed of $150, his boots and tools.A federal judge in 2021 vacated Smiths death sentence, though she acknowledged this is a close case. Alabama law defines intellectual disability as an IQ of 70 or below, along with significant or substantial deficits in adaptive behavior and the onset of those issues before the age of 18.___Chandler reported from Montgomery, Ala.___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

We start this week with news of our zine! Were printing it very soon, and walk you through the process. Independent media is turning back to physical zines as a way to subvert algorithms. After the break, Emanuel tells us about some very weird Instagram changes. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains ICEBlocks lawsuit against the U.S. government.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Timestamps:1:37 - 1st Story -404 Media Is Making a Zine;buy the zine here.23:35 - 2nd Story -Instagram Is Generating Inaccurate SEO Bait for Your Posts36:09 - 3rd Story -ICEBlock Creator Sues U.S. Government Over Apps Removal

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04022-3Making scents of things.

Their dams cause floods, and that gets them in trouble with humans. But in the right place, more water can be a big help.

Writing under a pseudonym, Madeleine Wickham cultivated an international following for her series centered on a young woman addicted to shopping.

Lip-Bu Tan, who was appointed chief executive of Intel in March, is also a longtime venture capitalist. His dual roles have caused some consternation.

A prolonged slowdown in traffic enforcement by New Jersey troopers coincided with an uptick in fatal crashes. The pattern remains under investigation as Mikie Sherrill prepares to take office.

The tug of war for Warner Bros. Discovery echoes an earlier clash of media titans.

Guests spent the evening wondering why, if Chases family is so loaded, theres only one guy working behind the bar.The post Harris Thompson and Brad Chase appeared first on The Onion.

The actual house where Illinois State University sophomores Andy Webber and Tina Gomez shot their 19-minute student film, Rest In Pete.Reference #90835The post As Featured In Film appeared first on The Onion.

Well, this is super embarrassing. It looks like I must have gotten myself pretty turned around back there and totally missed My destination. I hate to ask, but I was hoping I could catch a ride back to Earth with you guys, because I somehow wound up returning to Mars by accident.I know, I know, I am a freaking moron.Man, this sucks. I really thought it was just a straight shot from My seat at the right hand of the Father down to His earthly kingdom, but obviously I was mistaken. Which is extra humiliating considering Im supposed to be all-seeing and all-knowing, and everything. Apparently not! Apparently, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is a total bonehead with zero sense of direction. So, yeah, if you could come grab Me, Id super appreciate it.Maybe I took a wrong turn at Cloud 18 or something? I dont know, they all kinda look the same: huge, majestic, riddled with angels playing their stupid harps at all hours of the day. And its true I havent been back in almost 2,000 yearsbut come on. How could I be so stupid?At first I looked around at all the red soil and sunbaked cliffs, assumed I was in Arizona, and was like, Okay, looks like the Rapture is starting in Phoenix! Then I started feeling really short of breath and realized there was basically no atmosphere at all. Like, none. And I thought, hmm, thats odd, Ive never been to the American Southwest, but Im pretty sure there should at least be some oxygen. It wasnt until I turned around to get My bearings and saw two huge-ass moons floating in the sky that I realized, shit, You are on the completely wrong planet.Fuck My life.Im supposed to be riding in on the back of a great white stallion, wearing a robe dipped in blood, and tossing sinners into a lake of fire, but instead Im sitting here in some gigantic crater freezing My ass off with no fish to multiply, no water to turn into wine, and no sign of public transportation at all. Okay, Im looking at Google Maps, and it says its gonna take a whole millennium to get back. Great. All I brought are these stupid sandals. This is gonna be murder on My plantar fasciitis.Hello? Can anyone hear Me? Nope. Not even a freaking echo. This is creepy as hell.Guys. Im serious. Come pick Me up. I get that its out of the way, but Ill owe you big time. Im over by the big mountain thats in the shape of a face. You know that one? Im right past that in a little ravine. Just look for the long-haired dumbshit in a bright white robe waving His hands around like an asshole.Just hurry. And please dont tell My Dad or He will fucking kill Me. Again.The post Can You Guys Come Pick Me Up? I Accidentally Returned To Mars appeared first on The Onion.

NEW YORKAs part of what the telecommunications giant characterizes as an ongoing commitment to transparency, Verizons customer service line began informing users this week that their calls would be monitored for the companys sadistic amusement. By staying on the line, you consent to being roundly mocked by a boardroom of executives who cackle maniacally over 26-year-old single malt scotch every time you beg to speak to a human like a pathetic, shit-sniffing dog, a pleasant automated voice now says, assuring submissive customers that their call is important because every torturous minute theyre forced to wait while listening to tinny Michael Bubl Christmas music fills the Verizon C-suite with unspeakable satisfaction. As you wince in mounting discomfort, please know your suffering helps us better understand the limits of the human tolerance for pain. Each whimper, sigh, and expletive-laden tirade is carefully reviewed by senior management for its unparalleled erotic potency. We particularly savor your agonized reaction when, 90 minutes in, we inform you that youll need to call a different number, so please remember to scream that delicious scream of yours directly into the microphoneyes, just like that. Remember, at Verizon, your squirming, wormlike humiliation isnt just data to us. Its pure ecstasy. Sources confirmed each call to Verizon customer service concludes with a brief survey to help the system refine its ability to degrade future callers into total, prostrating submission.The post Customer Service Discloses Call Will Be Monitored For Sadistic Amusement appeared first on The Onion.

LOS ANGELESIn a groundbreaking finding that reveals a major shift in media consumption habits, a new study published Wednesday found that young people now watch more YouTube content than zoetropes of galloping horses. It may be hard for older generations to understand, but todays young consumers are much more interested in watching videos on their phones than peering into a spinning cylinder, said study co-author Jeremy Hernandez, who shared that his marketing firm had found that the average member of Generation Z spent less than two hours a week sitting in front of one of the motion illusion machines. These days, practically the only population watching zoetropes are baby boomers. And when you look at the numbers for phenakistoscopes, it only gets bleaker. If the pre-cinema animation device industry wants to survive, theyre going to have to adapt. At press time, Charli DAmelio had reportedly signed a deal to star in three zoetropes in which she will appear to juggle bowling pins.The post Study Finds Young People Now Watch More YouTube Content Than Zoetropes Of Galloping Horses appeared first on The Onion.

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Author Sophie Kinsella poses on Wimbledon Village high street, London, Sept. 9, 2004. (AP Photo/Adam Butle, File)2025-12-10T13:30:47Z LONDON (AP) Sophie Kinsella, the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic and a series of millions-selling rom-com sequels, died Monday, her family said. She was 55 and had been diagnosed with brain cancer.The family said in a statement on Kinsellas Instagram account: We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie (aka Maddy, aka Mummy). She died peacefully, with her final days filled with her true loves: family and music and warmth and Christmas and joy.We cant imagine what life will be like without her radiance and love of life.Kinsella, who also published under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, announced in April 2024 that she had been diagnosed in late 2022 with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.I did not share this before because I wanted to make sure that my children were able to hear and process the news in privacy and adapt to our new normal, she said at the time. Starting in 2000 with The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, titled Confessions of a Shopaholic in the United States, Kinsella published 10 Shopaholic novels, along with other fiction. Her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into dozens of languages.The first two Shopaholic books were adapted into the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. From journalism to fictionKinsella did not grow up intending to be a writer. One of three girls born to teachers in London, she played piano and violin as a child and also composed music.She told author-publisher Zibby Owens on her podcast, Moms Dont Have Time to Read Books, that the idea of writing never crossed her mind. It wasnt my childhood ambition. I wasnt the child walking around saying, Im going to write a novel one day.Kinsella enrolled at Oxford University to study music but switched to the politics, philosophy and economics program after one year. While at college, she met local musician Henry Wickham and fell in love. The couple had four sons and a daughter.After graduating, Kinsella began working as a financial journalist and spent her commute reading. The idea to write fiction herself began to take shape on the train.She published her debut novel, The Tennis Party, in 1995 when she was 24, as Madeleine Wickham. Soon after, she left her journalism job to focus on writing. Six other books, including The Gatecrasher and Sleeping Arrangements, followed.Shopaholic successAn otherwise normal shopping excursion sparked the idea for writing her first Shopaholic novelI remember looking around me and thinking... We all shop... We talk about it. We do it. We rejoice in it. We make bad decisions. Why hasnt anybody written about this? Kinsella said in 2019 on The Sunday Salon with Alice-Azania Jarvis podcast.Kinsella created a story about Becy Bloomwood, a 20-something financial journalist in debt from a shopping habit she cant (or wont) kick. The novel contained hilarious back-and-forth correspondence with bill collectors and banks, where she would make excuses for late payments. Kinsella told The Associated Press in an interview that the letters were one of the most fun bits of writing. There was also a love story with a handsome businessman whom Becky met while on assignment. She went on to marry and have a mini-shopaholic daughter in future books. Confessions of a Shopaholic had a different tone and style than her earlier books, so she decided to submit it to her publishers under the pen name Sophie Kinsella. Her middle name was Sophie and Kinsella was her mothers maiden name.The publishers said yes, and Shopaholic was published in 2000 under her pseudonym. The novel, blending humor with a cautionary tale about getting in over your head with debt, was an immediate success.Becky was kind of like a pioneer in realizing that all this easy credit can lead to problems, Kinsella told The AP.Kinsella also wrote The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me? and Twenties Girl. A young adult novel, Finding Audrey, was released in 2015, followed by the childrens book series My Mummy Fairy and Me.Her novel Can You Keep a Secret? was adapted into a film starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin in 2019. Her last novel was The Burnout, released in 2023. Illness and hopeIn November 2022, after experiencing symptoms like memory loss, headaches and balance troubles, Kinsella was diagnosed with glioblastoma, for which there is no cure. She kept the news private until April 2024. In an interview with TV personality Robin Roberts aired a few months later, Kinsella said she was focused on living in the moment. Ive already lasted more than the average. Thats how we get through. We hope, she said.After her diagnosis, she wrote a novella, What Does It Feel Like, about a woman with five children who has brain cancer.I thought people might be curious to know what its like to go through this, Kinsella told Roberts. I hope its full of optimism and love most of all.___Rancilio reported from Detroit. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto ALICIA RANCILIO Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press using video and text. She primarily focuses on television. twitter instagram facebook mailto

Google suspended a mobile app developers accounts after he uploaded AI training data to his Google Drive. Unbeknownst to him, the widely used dataset, which is cited in a number of academic papers and distributed via an academic file sharing site, contained child sexual abuse material. The developer reported the dataset to a child safety organization, which eventually resulted in the datasets removal, but he claims Googles has been "devastating.A message from Google said his account has content that involves a child being sexually abused or exploited. This is a severe violation of Google's policies and might be illegal.The incident shows how AI training data, which is collected by indiscriminately scraping the internet, can impact people who use it without realizing it contains illegal images. The incident also shows how hard it is to identify harmful images in training data composed of millions of images, which in this case were only discovered accidentally by a lone developer who tripped Googles automated moderation tools.Have you discovered harmful materials in AI training data ? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at @emanuel.404. Otherwise, send me an email at emanuel@404media.co.In October, I wrote about the NudeNet dataset, which contains more than 700,000 images scraped from the internet, and which is used to train AI image classifiers to automatically detect nudity. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) said it found more than 120 images of identified or known victims of CSAM in the dataset, including nearly 70 images focused on the genital or anal area of children who are confirmed or appear to be pre-pubescent. In some cases, images depicting sexual or abusive acts involving children and teenagers such as fellatio or penile-vaginal penetration, C3P said.In October, Lloyd Richardson, C3P's director of technology, told me that the organization decided to investigate the NudeNet training data after getting a tip from an individual via its cyber tipline that it might contain CSAM. After I published that story, a developer named Mark Russo contacted me to say that hes the individual who tipped C3P, but that hes still suffering the consequences of his discovery.Russo, an independent developer, told me he was working on an on-device NSFW image detector. The app runs locally and can detect images locally so the content stays private. To benchmark his tool, Russo used NudeNet, a publicly available dataset thats cited in a number of academic papers about content moderation. Russo unzipped the dataset into his Google Drive. Shortly after, his Google account was suspended for inappropriate material.On July 31, Russo lost access to all the services associated with his Google account, including his Gmail of 14 years, Firebase, the platform that serves as the backend for his apps, AdMob, the mobile app monetization platform, and Google Cloud.This wasnt just disruptive it was devastating. I rely on these tools to develop, monitor, and maintain my apps, Russo wrote on his personal blog. With no access, Im flying blind.Russo filed an appeal of Googles decision the same day, explaining that the images came from NudeNet, which he believed was a reputable research dataset with only adult content. Google acknowledged the appeal, but upheld its suspension, and rejected a second appeal as well. He is still locked out of his Google account and the Google services associated with it.Russo also contacted the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and C3P. C3P investigated the dataset, found CSAM, and notified Academic Torrents, where the NudeNet dataset was hosted, which removed it.As C3P noted at the time, NudeNet was cited or used by more than 250 academic works. A non-exhaustive review of 50 of those academic projects found 134 made use of the NudeNet dataset, and 29 relied on the NudeNet classifier or model. But Russo is the only developer we know about who was banned for using it, and the only one who reported it to an organization that investigated that dataset and led to its removal.After I reached out for comment, Google investigated Russos account again and reinstated it.Google is committed to fighting the spread of CSAM and we have robust protections against the dissemination of this type of content, a Google spokesperson told me in an email. In this case, while CSAM was detected in the user account, the review should have determined that the user's upload was non-malicious. The account in question has been reinstated, and we are committed to continuously improving our processes.I understand Im just an independent developerthe kind of person Google doesnt care about, Russo told me. But thats exactly why this story matters. Its not just about me losing access; its about how the same systems that claim to fight abuse are silencing legitimate research and innovation through opaque automation [...]I tried to do the right thing and I was punished.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03942-4Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, and it is increasingly occurring in young people especially women. An uptick in research funding is a welcome development in the push to transform treatment.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03944-2Cellular, animal and computational models of the disease are providing fresh insights into biology and treatment.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03946-0Surgeon George Hanna is developing a non-invasive test to catch one of the deadliest cancers before its too late.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03948-yUnpacking risk factors, disease aggressiveness and other key work.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03943-3A growing body of research suggests tumours rely on proteins and genes that are unique to the nervous system to persist in the body.

The ruling could lead to the most expansive look yet at the federal investigation of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He replaces John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois in one of the most high-profile decisions of Bari Weisss early tenure as the networks editor in chief.

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Members of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines guard a federal building on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)2025-12-10T15:14:42Z The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction sought by California officials who opposed President Donald Trumps extraordinary move to use state Guard troops without the governors approval to further his immigration enforcement efforts. But he also put the decision on hold until Monday.California argued that conditions in Los Angeles had changed since Trump first took command of the troops and deployed them in June. The administration initially called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops but that number had dropped to several hundred by late October. Only a 100 or so troops remain in the Los Angeles area.The Republican administration extended the deployment until February while also trying to use California Guard members in Portland, Oregon as part of its effort to send the military into Democratic-run cities over the objections of mayors and governors. U.S. Justice Department lawyers said the administration still needed Guard members in the Los Angeles area to help protect federal personnel and property. An email to the White House seeking comment on Wednesdays ruling was not immediately returned. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Trump took command of the California National Guard following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The call up was the first time in decades that a states national guard was activated without a request from its governor and marked a significant escalation in the administrations efforts to carry out its mass deportation policy. The troops were stationed outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where protesters gathered and later sent on the streets to protect immigration officers as they made arrests. California sued, and Breyer issued a temporary restraining order that required the administration to return control of the Guard members to California. An appeals court panel, however, put that decision on hold. California argued that the president was using Guard members as his personal police force in violation of a law limiting the use of the military in domestic affairs.The administration said courts could not second-guess the presidents decision that violence during the protests made it impossible for him to execute U.S. laws with regular forces and reflected a rebellion, or danger of rebellion. In September, Breyer ruled after a trial that the deployment violated the law. Other judges have blocked the administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago.

This photo provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)2025-12-10T14:58:28Z NEW YORK (AP) Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epsteins 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Departments requests to unseal material from investigations into the late financiers sexual abuse.U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman reversed his earlier decision to keep the material under wraps, citing a new law that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. The judge previously cautioned that the 70 or so pages of grand jury materials slated for release are hardly revelatory.On Tuesday, a different Manhattan federal judge ordered the release of records from Maxwells 2021 sex trafficking case. Last week, a judge in Florida approved the unsealing of transcripts from an abandoned Epstein federal grand jury investigation in the 2000s. The Justice Department asked the judges to lift secrecy orders after the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, created a narrow exception to rules that normally keep grand jury proceedings confidential. The law requires that the Justice Department disclose Epstein-related records to the public by Dec. 19. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Questions about the governments Epstein files have dominated the first year of Trumps second term, with pressure on the Republican intensifying after he reneged on a campaign promise to release the files. His administration released some material, most of it already public, disappointing critics and some allies. Epstein, a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite, killed himself in jail a month after his 2019 arrest. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 by a federal jury of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of Epsteins underage victims and participating in some of the abuse. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence. In court filings, the Justice Department informed Berman that the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury was an FBI agent who, the judge noted, had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.The agent testified over two days, on June 18, 2019, and July 2, 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow and a call log. The July 2 session, which ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein. Both of those will also remain sealed, Berman ruled.___Follow the APs coverage of Jeffrey Epstein at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement, courts and prisons. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03950-4From lectures by avatars to entire qualifications, higher education centred around AI is just around the corner.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03951-3Nimble, responsive and collaborative, these institutions stand out in the Nature Index.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03941-5New models, efforts for early detection and better therapies may help change pancreatic cancers aggressive course.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03949-xWhy some institutions are betting on technology to stay relevant.

Nature, Published online: 10 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03952-2A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at natureindex.com.

The end of Jerome Powells term as Fed chair will give President Trump his biggest opportunity yet to reshape the central bank.