The Food and Drug Administration rarely uses its authority to pull dangerous medical devices off the market and is so poorly staffed that its sometimes unable to make sure companies are taking critical steps to protect patients during health emergencies, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.The inquiry by the congressional watchdog was requested nearly two years ago by top members of the Senate in the wake of an investigation about the 2021 recall of breathing machines that threatened the health of millions of Americans.ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that the FDA had received hundreds of complaints over many years about the machines and never ordered a recall. Philips Respironics eventually recalled the devices, which were fitted with an industrial foam that could break down and release toxic material into the lungs of patients, including the elderly, veterans and infants.Philips had fielded thousands more complaints before initiating a recall and didnt notify FDA, the news organizations found. Customers who relied on the continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines and other devices reported respiratory illnesses, kidney and liver conditions, and cancer.In 2023, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the GAO to investigate the agencys practices amid one of the most tumultuous medical device recalls in recent history.In a statement, Durbin called the GAO report long overdue, saying it details the harms caused by drastic staffing cuts and how weakened enforcement authority has made it even more difficult for FDA to carry out critical oversight activities.The probe, which began last year, found the FDA doesnt use its authority to force manufacturers to pull defective devices from the market. The agency has been empowered under federal law for decades to take such action, but it has only done so four times, the last in 1992.In the vast number of cases, device makers voluntarily initiated recalls about 900 in each of the past five years, the GAO said.Even when companies start the process, FDA staff which has weathered significant cuts under the Trump administration cant always properly ensure that there are no delays or missteps in removing defective devices and communicating with consumers, the report said.The agency currently regulates more than 190,000 medical devices in the United States, an increase of about 15,000 since 2016, according to the GAO.FDA needs additional resources and staff to adequately protect Americans from unsafe medical devices, Blumenthal said in a statement. Current and future staffing cuts at FDA will only further undermine the agencys ability to protect people from unnecessary harm.The investigation by ProPublica and the Post-Gazette found some patients didnt learn about the 2021 recall of their breathing machines for months or years and continued to use them even as company tests showed that foam in the machines were releasing dangerous compounds.The FDA has received more than 500 reports of deaths associated with the devices since 2021, according to the agencys last update.Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist and expert on medical device safety, called the FDAs recall notification system primitive by todays standards and said improvements have been badly needed for years.I mean, recall notices are still faxed because the FDA lacks a modern comprehensive data infrastructure for recalls, she said. Its really shocking.One former FDA official said he fears the agencys handling of recalls could become less efficient in the wake of recent staffing cuts. FDA employees told the GAO they often cant carry out basic tasks, such as reading status reports submitted by companies while recalls are underway. Those reports detail how many people have been notified about defective devices, the number of products fixed and the estimated time frame to complete the recall.I would be worried that the circumstances at FDA are now even worse than portrayed in the report, said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA associate commissioner who left the agency in 2017.In response to the GAOs findings, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, said it would assess the need for additional staff and greater legislative authority to better manage recalls. The FDA previously defended its handling of the Philips recall, saying it acted as soon as it learned of safety concerns.Philips, which manufactured the devices at two plants outside Pittsburgh, has said the original foam caused no appreciable harm to patients. Last year, the company reached an agreement with the Justice Department, promising to hire an independent safety monitor and undergo regular facility inspections.The company also agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of people who say they were injured by the devices. Under the terms of the settlement, Philips did not admit fault or liability.This week, Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced legislation that would require the FDA to address some of the GAOs most pressing concerns.The bill, among other things, would require the FDA to establish an electronic format for recall alerts so that critical information can more easily be shared between companies, the FDA, hospitals and doctors.Millions of Americans rely on a medical device to stay healthy, Durbin said. But if their medical device is recalled, patients have the right to know as soon as possible so that they can understand the risks.The post The FDA Rarely Forces Manufacturers to Recall Dangerous Medical Devices, Watchdog Report Finds appeared first on ProPublica.

Today we look at the state of American inertia.

Alexandra Jacobs, Jennifer Szalai and Dwight Garner look back at the books that, as Jacobs writes, bonked me on the head this year.

Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma oil tycoon, has played a central role in reshaping energy policy by allying himself with President Trump.

When teachers do assign whole books, they often choose from a stagnant list of classics.

Zohran Mamdani isnt just a superfan. Until recently, he was a key player on the Talking Headers, a rec-league team where he was known as Z.

Shoppers browse through Kohl's department store for Black Friday deals, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner, File)2025-12-12T12:00:43Z WASHINGTON (AP) This holiday season isnt quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds.The vast majority of U.S. adults say theyve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Roughly half of Americans say its harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts, and similar numbers are delaying big purchases or cutting back on nonessential purchases more than they would normally.Its a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices, only to find that inflation remains a threat to his popularity just as it did for Democrat Joe Bidens presidency. The polls findings look very similar to an AP-NORC poll from December 2022, when Biden was president and the country was grappling with higher rates of inflation. Trumps series of tariffs have added to inflationary pressures and generated anxiety about the stability of the U.S. economy, keeping prices at levels that many Americans find frustrating. The president has insisted there is no inflation and the U.S. economy is booming, as he expressed frustration that the public feels differently. When will people understand what is happening? Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?Most U.S. adults, 68%, continue to say the countrys economy is poor, which is unchanged from December 2024, before Trump returned to the presidency. Americans are feeling strained as they continue to see high pricesWhite House officials plan to send Trump barnstorming across the country in hopes of bucking up peoples faith in the economy before next years midterm elections. But the president this week in Pennsylvania defended the price increases tied to his tariffs by suggesting that Americans should buy fewer dolls and pencils for children. His message is a jarring contrast with what respondents expressed in the poll, even among people who backed him in the 2024 election.Sergio Ruiz, 44, of Tucson, Arizona, said he is using more buy now, pay later programs to spread out over time the expense of gifts for his children. He doesnt put a huge emphasis on politics, but he voted for Trump last year and would like to see lower interest rates to help boost his real estate business. He believes that more Americans having higher incomes would help to manage any affordability issues.Prices are up. What can you do? You need to make more money, Ruiz said.The poll found that when they do shop, about half of Americans are finding the lowest price more than they would normally. About 4 in 10 are dipping into their savings more than at other times.Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say theyre cutting back on expenses or looking for low prices, but many Republicans are budgeting more than usual as well. About 4 in 10 Republicans are looking for low prices more than they usually would, while a similar share are shopping for nonessential items less than usual. Views are largely similar to when Biden was presidentPeople felt similarly dismal about holiday shopping and the economy when Biden was president in 2022. Inflation had spiked to a four-decade high that summer. Three years later, inflation has eased substantially, but its still running at 3%, a full percentage point above the Federal Reserves target as the job market appears to have entered a deep freeze. The survey indicates that its the level of prices and not just the rate of inflation that is the point of pain for many families. Roughly 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 87%, say theyve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries in the past few months, while about two-thirds say theyve experienced higher prices than usual for electricity and holiday gifts. About half say theyve seen higher than normal prices for gas recently. The findings on groceries and holiday gifts are only slightly lower than in the 2022 poll, despite the slowdown from an inflation rate that hit a four-decade peak in the middle of that year.Consumer spending has stayed resilient despite the negative sentiments about the economy, yet Trumps tariffs have caused changes for shoppers such as Andrew Russell. The 33-year-old adjunct professor in Arlington Heights, Illinois, said he used to shop for unique gifts from around the globe and buy online. But with the tariffs, he got his gifts locally and this year, I only bought things that I can pick up in person, he said.Russell, who voted Democratic in last years election, said he worries about the economy for next year. He thinks the investment in artificial intelligence has become a bubble that could burst, taking down the stock market. Little optimism about an economic rebound in 2026Few people expect the situation to meaningfully improve next year a sign that Trump has done little to instill much confidence from his mix of tariffs, income tax cuts and foreign trips to attract investments. Trump has maintained that the benefits from his policies will begin to snowball in 2026.About 4 in 10 U.S. adults expect next year will be economically worse for the country. Roughly 3 in 10 say conditions wont change much. Only about 2 in 10 think things will get better, with Republicans being more optimistic. The belief that things will get better has slipped from last year, when about 4 in 10 said that 2025 would be better than 2024.Millicent Simpson, 56, of Cleveland, Ohio, said she expects the economy to be worse for people like her who rely on Medicaid for health care and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Simpson voted Democratic last year and blames Trump for the greater economic pressures that she faces going into the winter.Hes making it rough for us, she said. Hes messing with the government assistance for everybody, young and old.___The AP-NORC poll of 1,146 adults was conducted Dec. 4-8 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Thomson-DeVeaux is the APs editor for polling and surveys.

Nature, Published online: 12 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04048-7The United States tops the remaining areas in an assessment of 74 technologies.

The tanker was headed eastward and had recently carried Iranian oil. The seizure is an escalation in President Trumps military pressure campaign against Venezuelas leader, Nicols Maduro.

His two-character work won a Pulitzer Prize and had a long Broadway run, but he never replicated its success and struggled to get his later work staged.

Nature, Published online: 12 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03981-xUpdated estimates of the worldwide sources and sinks of anthropogenic carbon dioxide provide a firmer basis for monitoring climate action.

The lawsuit was a warning to European officials who are racing to agree to a plan to use Russian government assets in Europe to lend money to Ukraine.

A Ukrainian peace plan, sent this week to Washington, pushes back against President Trumps proposal that Ukraine give up more land for peace.

Many understand the dance their leaders must perform to appease President Trump. But that doesnt make them any less weary of the rounds and rounds of talks.

Russia has been targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine, leaving multiple cities without electricity. Kim Barker, whos been covering the war, gives us a glimpse into the daily life of Ukrainians living with power cuts.

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The post Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford Wordlessly Grunt In Tense New Actors On Actors appeared first on The Onion.

Researchers discovered 400,000-year-old hearth remains in what is now England, indicating early humans practiced deliberate fire-setting far earlier than previously thought. What do you think?Amazing that humans were able to control fire before the Earth even existed.Connor Stacey, Sand BleacherDid they have a permit?Heidi Meeks, Ticket PerforatorThe real achievement was when humanity made the George Foreman grill.Ezra Cole, Signal ScramblerThe post Study Finds Humans Made Fire 400,000 Years Ago appeared first on The Onion.

The happy couple were married by a City Hall clerk Saturday due to a nationwide pastor strike entering its sixth crippling month.The post Heidi Moyer and Ted Chun appeared first on The Onion.

The post How Screen Time Affects Childhood Brain Development appeared first on The Onion.

Its the real dill. READ MORE...

The no-bin storage method.READ MORE...

Jonathan Escalante stands over the broken window of his mother's car, which was shattered by federal immigration agents who took her away, during a federal immigration crackdown in Kenner, La., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)2025-12-12T05:05:39Z KENNER, La. (AP) Vilma Cruz, a mother of two, had just arrived at her newly leased Louisiana home this week when federal agents surrounded her vehicle in the driveway. She had just enough time to call her oldest son before they smashed the passenger window and detained her.The 38-year-old Honduran house painter was swept up in an immigration crackdown that has largely targeted Kenner, a Hispanic enclave just outside New Orleans, where some parents at risk of deportation had rushed to arrange emergency custody plans for their children in case they were arrested.Federal agents have made more than 250 arrests this month across southeast Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security, the latest in a series of enforcement operations that have also unfolded in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. In some homes, the arrests have taken away parents who were caretakers and breadwinners, leaving some teenagers to grow up fast and fill in at home for absent mothers and fathers. Cruzs detention forced her son, Jonathan Escalante, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who recently finished high school, to care for his 9-year-old sister, who has a physical disability. Escalante is now trying to access his mothers bank account, locate his sisters medical records and doctors, and figure out how to pay bills in his mothers name.Honestly Im not ready, having to take care of all of these responsibilities, Escalante told The Associated Press. But Im willing to take them on if I have to. And Im just praying that I get my mom back. Fearful families made emergency custody plansThe crackdown dubbed Catahoula Crunch has a goal of 5,000 arrests. DHS has said it is targeting violent offenders but has released few details on who it is arresting. Records reviewed by AP found that the majority of those detained in the first two days of the effort had no criminal histories.This week, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, a Republican, became the first state official to break with his party over the operations. He criticized them for undermining the regional economy by triggering labor shortages because even immigrants with valid work permits have stayed home out of fear. So I think there needs to be some clarity of whats the plan, Nungesser said. Are they going to take every person, regardless if they got kids, and theyre going to leave the kids behind?DHS said Cruz locked herself in the car and refused to lower the window and exit the vehicle as ordered, which forced agents to break the window to unlock the door. She is being held in federal custody pending removal proceedings, officials said.Immigrant rights groups say the operation is applying a dragnet approach to racially profile Hispanic communities.In the weeks before the crackdown began, dozens of families without legal status sought to make emergency custody arrangements with relatives, aided by pro bono legal professionals at events organized by advocacy groups in Kenner and throughout the New Orleans region.Children are going to school unsure whether their parents will be home at the end of the day, Raiza Pitre, a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, told a city council meeting Wednesday in Jefferson Parish, which includes Kenner. Juan Proao, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he receives dozens of calls daily from Louisiana families worried about being separated from their children. His organization is helping Escalante navigate life without his mother, and he wants to prepare her son for the worst.He thinks shell be home in a couple of days, but it could be weeks or months, or she could be deported, Proao said.Police chief praises enforcement crackdownCruzs family was supposed to move into their new home next month. She leased it so that her son could finally sleep in his own room.Kenner resident Kristi Rogers watched masked agents detain Cruz, a soon-to-be neighbor whom she had not yet met. Rogers said her heart went out to Cruz, and she wondered why she was targeted.Im for them trying to clean up the criminals in our area, but Im hoping thats all they are detaining and deporting the criminals, Rogers said. Jefferson and Orleans Parish court records did not reveal any criminal history for Cruz, and her son said she had a clean record.In conservative Kenner, where Hispanics make up about a third of residents and Donald Trump won the last three presidential elections, Police Chief Keith Conley said last week that the federal immigration operation is a prayer answered.As evidence of violence committed by immigrants in his city, Conley shared around a dozen press releases issued since 2022 documenting crimes in which the suspect was identified as being in the U.S. illegally, including sex offenses, a killing, gang activity and shootings. He said residents were also at risk from immigrant drivers who are unlicensed and uninsured.I think that missions like this, by the government, are welcome because its going to change the landscape of the city and make improvements, Conley said. Teenagers try to protect younger siblingsJose Reyes, a Honduran construction worker and landscaper whose family says he has lived in the U.S. for 16 years, stayed home for weeks to avoid federal agents. But the father of four had to pay rent, so last week he drove to the bank around the corner.Unmarked vehicles began following Reyes and pulled up alongside his car as he parked in front of his house in Kenner. A video reviewed by AP showed several agents leaping out and removing Reyes from his car as his sobbing daughters screamed for mercy. We were begging that they let him go, said his eldest daughter, 19-year-old Heylin Leonor Reyes. Hes the one who provides for food, pays bills, pays the rent. We were begging them because theyre leaving a family totally in the dark, trying to figure out what to do, figuring out where to get money to get by.Asked about the arrest, DHS said Jose Reyes committed an unspecified felony and had previously been deported from the U.S. The agency did not elaborate.His daughter, who works at a local restaurant, said her salary is not enough to keep a roof over the heads of her three younger siblings, two of whom she says were born in the U.S. and are American citizens. Her mother is caring for the youngest, a 4-year-old, who watched agents grab her father from the doorway.Reyes said she is also seeking a lawyer for her fathers case. But they need to locate him first.We were not given that information, Reyes said. We were given absolutely nothing.Reyes has tried to shield her siblings from the stress surrounding their fathers detention.Escalante has not yet told his sister about their mothers arrest, hoping Cruz can be released before he has to explain her absence.Im technically the adult of the house now, he said. I have to make these hard choices.___Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.___Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. JACK BROOK Brook covers Louisiana government, infrastructure and environmental issues from New Orleans. He is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-12-12T05:41:56Z Artificial-intelligence stocks are falling again on Friday, but smaller U.S. stocks and other areas of the market that used to get left behind by Big Tech are picking up the slack. Thats keeping Wall Street indexes near their record heights.The S&P 500 edged down by less than 0.1% in early trading, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was adding 91 points, or 0.2%, to its own record, while the weakness for tech had the Nasdaq composite down 0.2%, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time.Broadcom fell 7.7% even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Analysts called the performance from the AI heavyweight solid, and CEO Hock Tan said strong 74% growth in AI semiconductor revenue helped lead the way. But investors may have been concerned with some of Broadcoms financial forecasts, including how much profit it can squeeze out of each $1 of revenue. The chip company may also have simply run out of momentum after its stock came into the day with a surge of 75.3% for the year so far, more than quadruple the S&P 500s gain. Broadcoms stumble came a day after Oracle plunged nearly 11% despite likewise reporting a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Doubts remain about whether all the spending that Oracle is doing on AI technology will end up being worth it. Such questions are weighing on the AI industry broadly, even as many billions of dollars continue to flow in. Its a return toward Earth for AI superstars, which earlier had been the main engine sending Wall Street higher and appeared to be nearly unstoppable. Other stocks that used to struggle with uncertainty about the U.S. economys strength and what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates, meanwhile, are climbing.The smallest U.S. stocks in the Russell 2000 index have leaped 2.8% so far this week, much better than the 0.2% dip for the Nasdaq composite, which is packed with tech stocks. The blue chip stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has much less of an emphasis on tech, have also been beating the rest of the market. Visa, which rose 0.7%, was again one of the strongest forces lifting the Dow. Now, investors are feeling more optimistic about interest rates. The Fed earlier this week cut its main interest rate for the third time this year and indicated another cut may be ahead in 2026. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they can boost the economy and send prices for investments higher, even if they potentially make inflation worse.The Feds chair, Jerome Powell, did hint on Wednesday that interest rates may be on hold for a while. But he helped soothe nerves when his comments appeared less harsh than some investors expected in shutting off the possibility of more cuts in 2026.Strong profit reports from companies have also helped to support their stock prices. Lululemon Athletica jumped 12% to for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the three months through Nov. 2 than analysts expected. It also said its CEO, Calvin McDonald, plans to step down at the end of January following pressure to boost revenue. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across most of Europe and Asia.Stocks jumped 1.7% in Hong Kong and rose 1.4% in Tokyo for two of the worlds bigger gains. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.18% from 4.14% late Thursday.___AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a call with military leaders on the Ukraine battlefield situation at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)2025-12-12T13:20:48Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A senior Kremlin official says that the Russian police and National Guard will remain in eastern Ukraines Donbas to oversee the prized industrial region, even if a peace settlement ends the nearly four-year war a possibility that is likely to be rejected by Ukrainian officials as U.S.-led negotiations drag on.Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraines forces have withdrawn from the front line, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said in comments published Friday in Russian business daily Kommersant.Ushakov told Kommersant its entirely possible that there wont be any troops (in the Donbas), either Russian or Ukrainian in a postwar scenario.But he said that there will be the National Guard, our police, everything necessary to maintain order and organize life.For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russias war and grows increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory that Russian forces have occupied so far. Since Moscows 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and the seizure of territory in the east by Russia-backed separatists later that year, as well as land taken after the full-blown invasion was launched on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia has captured about 20% of its neighbor. Ukraine says its constitution doesnt allow it to surrender land. Russia, which illegally annexed Donetsk and three other regions illegally in 2022, says the same. Ushakov said that no matter what the outcome (of peace talks), this territory (the Donbas) is Russian Federation territory. On Thursday, Trump compared the negotiations to a very complex real estate deal. He said that he wants to see more progress in talks before sending envoys to possible meetings with European leaders over the weekend.In October Trump said the Donbas region will have to be cut up to end the war. Ukrainian counterattacksIn recent months, Russias army has made a determined push to gain control of all parts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together make up the valuable Donbas region.Its slow slog across the Ukrainian countryside, using its significant advantage in troop numbers in a corrosive war of attrition, has been costly in terms of casualties and losses of armor. Although outnumbered, Ukrainian defenders have held firm in many areas and counterattacked in others.Ukrainian forces said Friday that they had recaptured several settlements and neighborhoods near the city of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region, following a monthslong operation aimed at reversing Russian advances.Kupiansk has in recent months been one of the most closely contested sectors of the around 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.Ukrainian units gradually cut off Russian supply routes into Kupiansk starting on Sept. 22, and regained control of the villages of Kindrashivka and Radkivka, as well as several northern districts of the city, according to a statement by the National Guards Khartia Corps posted on Facebook. Fighting is ongoing in central Kupiansk now, where more than 200 Russian soldiers are encircled, the statement said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video of himself standing on the road into Kupiansk on Friday. Explosions could be heard in the background as he spoke.Today, it is critically important to achieve results on the battlefield so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy, Zelenskyy said in the video, praising his troops on Ukraines Ground Forces Day.Russian officials made no immediate comment, and the Ukrainians statements couldnt be independently verified.At the end of October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian troops in Kupiansk were surrounded and offered to negotiate their surrender. He said that a media visit to the area would prove it.Ukraine also has developed its long-range strike capabilities using domestically produced weapons to disrupt Russias war machine. Its Special Operations Forces, or SSO, said Friday that an operation in the Caspian Sea struck two Russian vessels carrying military equipment and arms.The ships named Kompozitor Rakhmaninov and Askar-Saridzha are under U.S. sanctions for transporting arms between Russia and Iran, the SSO said in a statement on social media. It didnt say what weapons it used in its attack.Cross-border drone strikesA Ukrainian drone attack wounded seven people, including a child, in the Russian city of Tver, acting Gov. Vitaly Korolev said Friday. Falling drone debris struck an apartment bulding in the city, which lies northwest of Moscow, Korolev said.Russias air defenses destroyed 90 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russias Defense Ministry said.Russian drones struck a residential area of Pavlohrad, in Ukraines central Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding four others, the head of the local military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, wrote on Telegram Friday. Ukraines southern Odesa region came under a large-scale drone attack overnight, according to regional chief Oleh Kiper. The attack damaged energy infrastructure, he said. More than 90,000 people were without electricity on Friday morning, Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak said.Ukraines air force said that Russia launched 80 drones across the country during the night.___Dasha Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine DASHA LITVINOVA Litvinova is an Associated Press correspondent covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. She has covered Russia and the region for over a decade. twitter mailto ILLIA NOVIKOV Novikov is an Associated Press reporter covering news in Ukraine since 2022. He is based in Kyiv. instagram mailto

Prominent Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi is seen in a meeting on women's rights in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)2025-12-12T13:44:50Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her supporters said Friday.A foundation in her name said she was detained at a memorial for a human rights lawyer recently found dead under disputed circumstances.There was no immediate comment from Iran over its detention of Mohammadi, 53. It wasnt clear if authorities would immediately return her to prison to serve the rest of her term. Activist detained at ceremony for dead lawyer Her supporters on Friday described her as having been violently detained earlier today by security and police forces. They said other activists had been arrested as well at a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate who had been based in Mashhad. The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity, a statement read. Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms.Alikordi was found dead earlier this month in his office, with officials in Razavi Khorasan describing his death as a heart attack. However, a tightening security crackdown coincided with his death, raising questions. Over 80 lawyers signed a statement demanding more information. Alikordi was a prominent figure among Irans community of human rights defenders, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said Thursday. Over the past several years, he had been repeatedly arrested, harassed and threatened by security and judicial forces.Footage purportedly of the ceremony showed Mohammadi on a microphone, calling out to the crowd gathered without wearing a hijab, or headscarf. She started the crowd chanting the name Majidreza Rahnavard, a man whom authorities hanged from a crane in a public execution in 2022. Mohammadi had been on furlough for monthsSupporters had warned for months that Mohammadi was at risk of being put back into prison after she received a furlough in December 2024 over medical concerns.While that was to be only three weeks, Mohammadis time out of prison lengthened, possibly as activists and Western powers pushed Iran to keep her free. She remained out even during the 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel.Mohammadi still kept up her activism with public protests and international media appearances, including even demonstrating at one point in front of Tehrans notorious Evin prison, where she had been held.Mohammadi had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Irans government. She also had backed the nationwide protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which have seen women openly defy the government by not wearing the hijab.Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say. Her lawyer in late 2024 revealed doctors had found a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous that later was removed.Mohammadis doctors recently prescribed an extension of her medical leave for at least six more months to conduct thorough and regular medical examinations, including monitoring the bone lesion which was removed from her leg in November, physiotherapy sessions to recover from the surgery and specialized cardiac care, the Free Narges Coalition said in late February 2025. The medical team overseeing Mohammadis health has warned that her return to prison especially under stressful conditions of detention and without adequate medical facilities could severely worsen her physical well-being.An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five. In total, she has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison. Her last incarceration began when she was detained in 2021 after attending a memorial for a person killed in nationwide protests. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

Backed by White House officials, the tech billionaire has lashed out at the European Union after his social media platform X was fined last week.

The post Tinsel Draped Over Urn appeared first on The Onion.

TORONTOAssuring the 82-year-old filmmaker they could fall asleep perfectly fine without one, David Cronenbergs grandchildren politely declined their grandfathers offer to tell them a bedtime story, sources confirmed Monday.Oh, thats okay, Pop-Popwere so sleepy already, said 7-year-old Liam Cronenberg, who forced a yawn and rubbed his eyes as his 4-year-old brother, Mason Cronenberg, nodded vigorously in agreement from the adjacent twin-sized bed. Yes, of course we want to find out what happened to Rapunzel after she had a panic attack in the bathtub and her hair started falling out in bloody clumps. Just not tonight. Well, okay. One story, if you really want. But just read from the book. You dont have to add any of your own stuff.At press time, the Cronenberg grandchildren were feigning sleep to no avail as their grandfather told the tale of Goldilocks And The Three Centipedes.The post Grandchildren Politely Decline David Cronenbergs Bedtime Story Offer appeared first on The Onion.

Hamnet, based on the 2020 novel by Maggie OFarrell, is an awards season frontrunner with six Golden Globe nominations. Here is everything you need to know about the film.Q: Who stars in it?A: Paul Mescal plays fuckable Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley plays his fuckable wife.Q: Who is the target audience?A: High schoolers trying to get English extra credit.Q: Why did Chlo Zhao choose to make this film?A: To push Eternals further down her IMDb page.Q: Will Hamnet make me cry?A: Only if you find things like dead kids sad.Q: Whats the bodice count in this bad boy?A: Trust us, you wont be disappointed.Q: What is Hamnets message?A: Its way easier to get writing done when you dont have a kid bugging you.The post What To Know About Hamnet appeared first on The Onion.

WASHINGTONIn response to criticism over his failure to alleviate the affordability crisis facing many Americans, President Donald Trump vehemently blamed high prices Friday on the price. Prices are pricesthats how much it costs, said Trump, calling out Democrats as well as disloyal Republicans for spreading rumors that his 2024 campaign rhetoric about lowering costs had anything to do with the price. Democrats want to accuse me of all sorts of things, but Ive got nothing to do with these so-called prices. If you want lower prices, youll have to find the man who puts the price stickers on with the price gun. Thats the price guy. But once the price is on there, thats the price, and you cant change that. The president went on to express doubt that things even cost money to begin with.The post Trump Blames High Prices On The Price appeared first on The Onion.

WASHINGTONAs they nodded their heads in approval and echoed the sentiment that you really knocked it out of the park, all 130 million of the nations sycophants expressed their firm belief that this was your best one yet, sources confirmed Friday. We just want to say were really impressed with what youre doing lately, and wed simply love to congratulate you, said the millions of grinning toadies, their voices reverberating in unison as they lined up to take turns shaking hands with the genius who came up with this. It was a high bar, but you cleared it with ease. What youve been doing is fantastic, really, anddare we saysomething very special. Theres no one in the world who does it quite like you, and you did it so tremendously well! At press time, the nations sycophants were reportedly suggesting that now would be the perfect time for sex.The post This Your Best One Yet, Report Nations Sycophants appeared first on The Onion.

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)2025-12-12T15:41:09Z WASHINGTON (AP) House Democrats released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, including some of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew.The 19 photos released by Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee were a small part of more than 95,000 they received from the estate of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges. The photos released Friday were separate from the case files that the Department of Justice is now compelled to release.The photos were released without captions or context and included a black-and-white image of Trump alongside six women whose faces were blacked out. The committee did not say why their faces were blacked out. Several of the photos have already circulated in the public. Democrats pledged to continue to release photos in the days and weeks ahead, as they look to pressure Trump over his Republican administrations earlier refusal to release documents in the Epstein probe. It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends, said Rep. Robert Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, in a statement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the photos.Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, has said that he parted ways with him long before he faced the sex trafficking charges. Clinton, too, has minimized his relationship with Epstein, acknowledging that he traveled on Epsteins private jet but saying through a spokesperson that he had no knowledge of the late financiers crimes. Clinton also has never been accused of misconduct by Epsteins known victims.Andrew lost his royal titles and privileges this year amid new revelations of his ties to Epstein, though he has denied wrongdoing.___Follow the APs coverage of Jeffrey Epstein at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to the media about the impact of the government shutdown on the aviation industry, outside of the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)2025-12-12T15:44:40Z New York routinely issues licenses to immigrants that may be valid long after they are legally authorized to be in the country, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday and he threatened to withhold $73 million in highway funds unless the system is fixed.New York is the latest state Duffy has targeted in his effort to make sure truck and bus drivers are qualified to get licenses that he launched after a truck driver who was not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. The Transportation Department has said it is auditing these non-domiciled licenses nationwide, but so far the only states he has threatened to sanction are all led by Democratic governors.Duffy said federal investigators found that more than half of the 200 licenses they reviewed in New York were issued improperly with many of them defaulting to be valid for eight years regardless of when an immigrants work permit expires. And he said the state couldnt prove it had verified these drivers immigration status for the 32,000 active non-domiciled commercial licenses it has issued. When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isnt just a mistake it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. Gov. (Kathy) Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses, Duffy said. New York has 30 days to respond to these concerns. Hochuls office did not immediately comment Friday. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers, but these non-domiciled licenses only represent about 5% of all commercial drivers licenses. The Transportation Department also proposed new restrictions that would severely limit which noncitizens could get a license but a court put the new rules on hold. Duffy has threatened to withhold millions from California, Pennsylvania and Minnesota after the audits found significant problems under the existing rules like commercial licenses being valid long after an immigrant truck drivers work permit expired. That pressure prompted California to revoke 17,000 licenses. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers transportation including aviation safety and airlines along with all the major freight railroads. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway, the impact of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, agriculture and other news out of the Midwest. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 12 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03870-3Prominent bioengineer Ali Khademhosseini has so far corrected more than 40 of the papers in question, but critics say some should have been retracted.

The U.S. seizure of a vessel off Venezuela is likely to squeeze the countrys government, but do little to counter the tankers that secretively move oil from sanctioned countries.

For more than a decade, the Supreme Courts conservative majority has chipped away at Congresss power to insulate independent agencies from politics. Now, the court has signaled its willingness to expand presidential power once again.

A retired lawyer lost the money in a tech support scam, a type of online fraud that is surging. Citibank said it couldnt recover the funds, which criminals wired from inside his account.

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Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Dec., 9, 2025, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)2025-12-12T16:22:51Z President Donald Trump was sued on Friday by preservationists seeking an architecture review and congressional approval over his White House ballroom project.The National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking a federal court to stop Trumps White House ballroom project until it goes through comprehensive design reviews and public comments and wins approval from Congress.The National Trust argues that Trump, by fast-tracking the project, has committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while also exceeding his constitutional authority by not seeking congressional approval for a project of this scale.Trump, a Republican, already has bypassed the federal governments usual building practices and historical reviews when he razed the East Wing of the White House. He recently added another architectural firm for a ballroom that itself would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the East Wings demolition. Trump has said a ballroom is overdue for the White House, previously complaining that events were held outside under a tent and guests would get their feet wet if it rained. The White House is expected to submit plans for Trumps new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the year ends, about three months after construction began.Will Scharf, who was named by Trump as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, said at the panels monthly meeting last week that he was told by colleagues at the White House that the long-awaited plans would be filed in December.Once plans are submitted, thats really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin, said Scharf, who also is one of the Republican presidents top White House aides.He said the review process would happen at a normal and deliberative pace. BILL BARROW Barrow covers U.S. politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss conversational AI, a behind the scenes of the zine, and more.EMANUEL: I made the terrible mistake of looking at some Hacker News comments this week for my story about a developer whose Google accounts were banned after he uploaded training data to Google Drive. Unbeknownst to him, the training data contained CSAM.As weve explained in previous stories, CSAM is a subject we dread covering not only because its one of the most awful things one could think about, but because its extremely difficult and legally risky. For understandable reasons, the laws around viewing, let alone possessing CSAM, are strict and punishing, which makes verification for reporting reasons challenging. For similar reasons, its something we need to write about very carefully, making sure we dont wrongfully associate or whitewash someone when it comes to such horrible behavior.

Corporate tax revenue has quickly dipped since Republicans passed tax cuts this summer. But economists think these tax breaks might be worth it.

A major river in the region was set to crest on Friday morning, with more rain on the way.

The images, released without context by Democrats on the Oversight Committee, reveal little new about the deceased sex offenders ties to prominent men in politics, entertainment and finance.

David Gentile spent just days in prison for his conviction in what prosecutors described as a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of investors.

Matt Dinniman introduced his series about an alien reality TV show free on the web. But readers ate up the goofy humor, now to the tune of 6 million books sold.

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