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This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)2025-12-24T18:50:23Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a few more weeks to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Fridays congressionally mandated deadline.The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen U.S. senators called on the Justice Departments watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a Republican, told Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume in a letter that victims deserve full disclosure and the peace of mind of an independent audit.The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI have uncovered over a million more documents that could be related to the Epstein case a stunning 11th hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials. In March, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a truckload of evidence had been delivered to her after she ordered the Justice Department to deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office a directive she said she made after learning from an unidentified source that the FBI in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents. In July, the FBI and Justice Department indicated in an unsigned memo that they had undertaken an exhaustive review and had determined that no additional evidence should be released an extraordinary about face from the Trump administration, which for months had pledged maximum transparency. The memo did not raise the possibility that additional evidence existed that officials were unaware of or had not reviewed. Wednesdays post did not say when the Justice Department was informed of the newly uncovered files. In a letter last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors already had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, though many were copies of material already turned over by the FBI.The Justice Department said its lawyers are working around the clock to review the documents and remove victims names and other identifying information as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that requires the government to open its files on Epstein and Maxwell.We will release the documents as soon as possible, the department said. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.The announcement came amid increasing scrutiny on the Justice Departments staggered release of Epstein-related records, including from Epstein victims and members of Congress.Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, one of the chief authors of the law mandating the document release, posted Wednesday on X: DOJ did break the law by making illegal redactions and by missing the deadline. Another architect of the law, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said he and Massie will continue to keep the pressure on and noted that the Justice Department was releasing more documents after lawmakers threatened contempt. A Christmas Eve news dump of a million more files only proves what we already know: Trump is engaged in a massive coverup, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after DOJs announcement. The question Americans deserve answered is simple: WHAT are they hiding -- and WHY?The White House on Wednesday defended the Justice Departments handling of the Epstein records. President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history, which includes Attorney General Bondi and her team like Deputy Attorney General Blanche who are doing a great job implementing the Presidents agenda, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.After releasing an initial wave of records on Friday, the Justice Department posted more batches to its website over the weekend and on Tuesday. The Justice Department has not given any notice when more records might arrive. Records that have been released, including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents, were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context. Records that hadnt been seen before include transcripts of grand jury testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. Other records made public in recent days include a note from a federal prosecutor from January 2020 that said Trump had flown on the financiers private plane more often than had been previously known and emails between Maxwell and someone who signs off with the initial A. They contain other references that suggest the writer was Britains former Prince Andrew. In one, A writes: Hows LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends? The senators call Wednesday for an inspector general audit comes days after Schumer introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the Justice Department to comply with the disclosure and deadline requirements. In a statement, he called the staggered, heavily redacted release a blatant cover-up.Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in leading the call for an inspector general audit. Others signing the letter were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota., Adam Schiff of California, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of New Jersey, Gary Peters of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.Given the (Trump) Administrations historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential, the senators wrote. Full transparency, they said, is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epsteins crimes.___Sisak reported from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement, courts and prisons. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

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Pope Leo XIV waves after delivering the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for 'to the city and to the world' ) Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)2025-12-25T11:10:51Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Leo XIV during his first Christmas Day message on Thursday urged the faithful to shed indifference in the face of those who have lost everything, like in Gaza, those who are in impoverished, like in Yemen, and the many migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent for a better future. The first U.S. pontiff addressed some 26,000 people from the loggia overlooking St. Peters Square for the traditional papal Urbi et Orbi address, Latin for To the City and to the World,' which serves as a summary of the woes facing the world. While the crowd gathered under a steady downpour during the papal Mass inside St. Peters basilica, the rain had subsided by the time Leo took a brief tour of the square in the popemobile, then spoke to the crowd from the loggia. Leo revived the tradition of offering Christmas greetings in multiple languages abandoned by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He received especially warm cheers when he made his greetings in his native English and Spanish, the language of his adopted country of Peru where he served first as a missionary and then as archbishop.Someone in the crowd shouted out Viva il papa!' or Long live the pope!' before he retreated into the basilica. Leo took off his glasses for a final wave. Leo surveys the worlds distressDuring the traditional address, the pope emphasized that everyone could contribute to peace by acting with humility and responsibility. If he would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,' the pope said. Leo called for justice, peace and stability in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Syria, prayers for the tormented people of Ukraine,' and peace and consolation for victims of wars, injustice, political stability, religious persecution and terrorism, citing Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Congo. The pope also urged dialogue to address numerous challenges in Latin America, reconciliation in Myanmar, the restoration of the ancient friendship between Thailand and Cambodia,' and assistance for the suffering of those hit by natural disasters in South Asia and Oceania. In becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identifying with each one of us: with those who have nothing left and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza; with those who are prey to hunger and poverty, like the Yemeni people; with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent,' the pontiff said. He also remembered those who have lost their jobs or are seeking work, especially young people, underpaid workers and those in prison. Peace through dialogueEarlier, Leo led the Christmas Day Mass from the central altar beneath the balustrade of St. Peters Basilica, adorned with floral garlands and clusters of red poinsettias. White flowers were set at the feet of a statue of Mary, mother of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day. In his homily, Leo underlined that peace can emerge only through dialogue.There will be peace when our monologues are interrupted and, enriched by listening, we fall to our knees before the humanity of the other, he said. He remembered the people of Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold and the fragility of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, and of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them, and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths.Thousands of people packed the basilica for the popes first Christmas Day Mass, holding aloft their smartphones to capture images of the opening procession. This Christmas season marks the winding down of the Holy Year celebrations, which will close on Jan. 6, the Catholic Epiphany holiday marking the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.___Barry reported from Milan. SILVIA STELLACCI Stellacci covers events throughout Southern Europe, Italy, and the Vatican for The Associated Press based in Rome. COLLEEN BARRY Barry covers all things Italy for The Associated Press. Her focus includes fashion and design, overtourism and the environment, politics and sometimes the Vatican. twitter instagram mailto

This undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Ghislaine Maxwell. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)2025-12-25T05:06:03Z NEW YORK (AP) Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars.The disclosure of the transcripts as part of the Justice Departments ongoing release of its investigative files on Maxwell and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exposed how an FBI agent told grand jurors about Maxwells critical role in Epsteins decades-long sexual abuse of girls and young women.Maxwell, a British socialite and publishing heir, was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 after four women told a federal jury in New York City about how she and Epstein abused them in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein never went to trial. He was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and killed himself a month later in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail. Two weeks ago, as the Justice Department prepared to begin releasing what are commonly known as the Epstein files, Maxwell filed a habeas petition, asking a federal judge to free her on grounds that substantial new evidence has emerged proving that constitutional violations spoiled her trial. Maxwell claimed exonerating information was withheld and that witnesses lied in their testimony. She filed the petition on her own, without the assistance of a lawyer.This week, the judge, Paul A. Engelmayer, scolded Maxwell for failing to remove victim names and other identifying information from her court papers. He said future filings must be kept sealed and out of public view until they have been reviewed and redacted to protect victims identities. Victims fear Maxwell will be pardonedEpstein accuser Danielle Bensky said the release of records has only sharpened the focus on Maxwells crimes among their victims. Bensky said shes been involved in daily discussions with about two dozen other victims that make clear Maxwell is a criminal who was 1,000% engaged in sexual acts.Ive heard things that would make your blood curdle. I just had a conversation with a survivor last night who said she was the puppeteer, Bensky said.Bensky said she was sexually abused by Epstein two decades ago. She said she was never personally abused by Maxwell.Delayed and heavily redacted filesThe transcripts of grand jury proceedings that resulted in Maxwells indictment were released this week in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law enacted last month after months of public and political pressure.The Justice Department has been periodically posting records after acknowledging it would miss last Fridays congressionally mandated deadline to release all records. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring victims names and other identifying information.On Wednesday, the department said it may need a few more weeks to release the full trove after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents. It was a stunning development after department officials suggested months ago that theyd already accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.Some of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury records were initially released with heavy redactions A 119-page document marked Grand Jury-NY was entirely blacked out. Updated versions were posted over the weekend. FBI agent testifies Maxwell manipulated young girlAn FBI agents grand jury testimony, describing interviews conducted with Epstein victims, foreshadowed trial testimony a year later from four women who described Maxwells role in their sexual abuse from 1994 to 2004.The agent told of a woman who described meeting Maxwell and Epstein as a 14-year-old attending a Michigan summer arts camp in 1994. Flight logs showed Epstein and Maxwell went to the school sponsoring the camp because Epstein was a donor.According to the agent, whose name was redacted from the transcript, the girl had a chance encounter with Epstein and Maxwell one day. After learning that the girl was from Palm Beach, Florida, Epstein mentioned that he sometimes gave scholarships to students and they requested her phone number, the agent said. Once home, the girl visited Epsteins estate with her mother for tea and the mother was impressed when Epstein said he provided scholarships, enough so that the mother said Epstein was like a godfather, the agent said.The agent said the girl began regularly going to the estate as Epstein and Maxwell groomed her with gifts and trips to the movies, and Epstein began paying for voice lessons and giving her money that he said she should give to her struggling mother.The agent said the girl thought her relationship with Epstein and Maxwell was strange, but Maxwell normalized it for her. She was like a cool, older sister and made comments like, This is what grownups do.Eventually, the agent testified, the girl saw Maxwell topless at the pool. After she revealed that she hoped to be an actor and a model, Epstein told her he was best friends with the owner of Victorias Secret and that shell have to learn to be comfortable in her underwear and not be a prude, the agent said. Then, the agent said, the girl asked Epstein what he meant by that and the financier pulled her into his lap and masturbated. After that, the agent added, the girls encounters with Epstein began to include sexual contact, particularly in his massage room.Maxwell was sometimes there with other girls, the agent said. One of the girls would begin massaging Epstein and Maxwell would tease the girls, the agent said.Shed grab the girls breasts, and she would direct the girls on what to do, the agent said, relaying the girls account. Maxwells attitude during the encounters was very casual; she acted like this was normal, the agent said.The released testimony appeared to reflect the testimony at Maxwells 2021 trial by a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.At trial, Jane said Maxwell also participated in group sessions between multiple females and Epstein that usually began with Epstein or Maxwell leading them all into a bedroom or a massage room at the Palm Beach residence. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement, courts and prisons. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Jon Super)2025-12-25T05:00:21Z LONDON (AP) King Charles III led his family to church on foot Thursday, hours before his annual Christmas Day speech to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was expected to focus on the theme of pilgrimage.Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, and their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, and extended family walked to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the kings private Sandringham Estate.The location is about 100 miles north of London, where Charles recorded the address from Westminster Abbey, the landmark known for the lavish coronations and royal weddings it has hosted for more than 1,000 years. The abbey is also the focus of an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Edward the Confessor, which lies at the heart of the church. Edward, a monk-like monarch, was canonized as a saint in 1161. The monarchs annual holiday message is watched by millions of people in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent nations, most of which have historic ties to Britain. The prerecorded speech is broadcast at 3 p.m., when many families are enjoying their traditional Christmas lunch. The speech is one of the rare occasions when Charles, 77, is able to voice his own views and doesnt seek guidance from the government. It usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and sometimes draws on the monarchs personal experiences. This years address comes just two weeks after Charles made a deeply personal television appearance in which he said good news from his doctors meant that he would be able to reduce his treatment for cancer in the new year. The king was diagnosed with a still undisclosed form of cancer in early 2024. Buckingham Palace says his treatment is now moving to a precautionary phase and his condition will be monitored to ensure his continued recovery. Charles recorded last years speech at Fitzrovia Chapel, which was once part of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital. During that address, he honored care workers around the country and gave a special thanks to the doctors and nurses who supported him after his cancer diagnosis. This years Christmas speech will be the fourth since Charles ascended to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.

A car sits buried in mud after flooding Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Wrightwood, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)2025-12-25T05:02:12Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Rain from a powerful winter storm that swept across Southern California has begun to taper off, but another storm system was on the horizon for Christmas Day with showers and possible thunderstorms.Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned of flash flooding and mudslides. Areas scorched by wildfires in January saw evacuation warnings as heavy rains and gusty winds brought mudslides and debris flows.Many flood areas were in burn scar zones, which were stripped of vegetation by fire and are less able to absorb water.San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars Wednesday when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear how many were rescued. Firefighters also went door to door to check homes, and the area was under a shelter-in-place order, officials said. An evacuation order was issued for Lytle Creek, also in the San Gabriel Mountains.Travis Guenther and his family were trapped in Lytle Creek after roaring waters washed out the only bridge in or out of their neighborhood. More than a dozen neighbors took shelter at a community center or found hotel rooms. Everybody that left to go to work this morning is stuck, he said. Half the families are here, and half the families are on the other side of the creek. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Guenther said he had plenty of supplies and was coordinating with other in the community of about 280 people. Two nurses who live on his street offered to help anyone who may need medical attention. Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a resident of the mountain town for 45 years, said a wildfire in 2024 left much of the terrain without tree coverage.The storm also stranded Dillan Brown, his wife and 14-month-old daughter at a rented cabin in Wrightwood with almost no food and only enough diapers for about another day. Roads leading off the mountain and to a grocery store became blocked by rocks and debris, Brown said. A resident learned of his situation and posted a call for help in a Facebook group. In less than an hour, neighbors showed up with more than enough supplies to ride out the storm, including bread, vegetables, milk, diapers and wipes.I think were a little sad and upset that were not going to be home with our families, Brown said, but the kindness shown is definitely an overwhelming feeling.Heavy rainResidents around burn scar zones from the Airport Fire in Orange County were also ordered to evacuate.Areas along the coast including Malibu were under flood warnings until Wednesday evening, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.Several roads including a part of Interstate 5 near the Burbank Airport closed due to flooding.The storms were the result of multiple atmospheric rivers carrying massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said. Snow at higher elevationsHeavy snow and gusts created near white-out conditions in parts of the Sierra Nevada and made mountain pass trave treacherous. Officials said there was a considerable avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, and a winter storm warning was in effect until Friday morning.Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance in storm response.The state deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.The California Highway Patrol reported a seemingly weather-related crash south of Sacramento in which a Sacramento sheriffs deputy died. James Caravallo, who was with the agency for 19 years, was apparently traveling at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and crashed into a power pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said via email.___Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Jessica Hill in Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed. JAIMIE DING Ding covers California breaking news for The Associated Press. She focuses on law enforcement and the courts, and is based in Los Angeles. twitter mailto DORANY PINEDA Pineda writes about water, climate and the environment in Latino communities across the U.S. twitter TRN NGUYN Nguyn is an Associated Press reporter covering California government and politics. mailto

Houthi supporters carry the coffins of 5 leaders, who they said were killed during previous Israeli airstrikes, during a funeral at the people's mosque in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)2025-12-25T05:30:08Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabia on Thursday formally called on Emirati-backed separatists in Yemen to withdraw from two governorates their forces now control in the country, a move that threatens sparking a confrontation within a fragile coalition battling the Houthi rebels. The statement from Saudi Arabias Foreign Ministry on Christmas morning appeared aimed at putting public pressure on the Southern Transitional Council, a force long backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has backed other fighters within Yemen, including the National Shield Forces, in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis the kingdom launched in 2015.The separatists actions have resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of all segments of Yemeni people, as well as the southern cause and the coalitions efforts, the Saudi Foreign Ministry warned.It added: The kingdom stresses the importance of cooperation among all Yemeni factions and components to exercise restraint and avoid any measures that could destabilize security and stability, which may result in undesirable consequences. Saudi Arabia says negotiations ongoingThe Council has moved into Yemens governorates of Hadramout and Mahra. The Saudi statement said meditation efforts were aimed at having the Councils forces return to their previous positions outside of the two governorates and hand over the camps in those areas to the National Shield Forces. These efforts remain in progress to restore the situation to its previous statement, the ministry added. The local Hadramout governorates authority said it supported the Saudi announcement and welcomed the arrival of a joint Saudi-UAE delegation to Hadramout. It called for the Emirati-backed separatists to withdraw back to positions outside the governorates. Those aligned with the Council have increasingly flown the flag of the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967 to 1990. There were calls for demonstrations Thursday in Aden to support political forces wanting South Yemen to again secede from Yemen, but it wasnt immediately clear if they would go ahead given Saudi Arabias announcement. Aden has been the seat of power in Yemen for forces aligned against the Houthis. The confrontation also has put pressure on the relationship between neighboring Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which maintain close relations and are members of the OPEC oil cartel but also have vied for influence and international business in recent years. The Councils moves in Yemen follow an escalation of violence in Sudan, another nation on the Red Sea where the kingdom and the Emirates back opposing forces in an ongoing war. Its the latest chaos to grip war-torn YemenThe Houthis seized Yemens capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Tehran denies arming the rebels, although Iranian-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen despite a United Nations arms embargo.A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemens exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting have pushed the Arab worlds poorest nation to the brink of famine.The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.The Houthis launched attacks on hundreds of ships in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war, greatly disrupting regional shipping. While traffic has inched up recently in the lull in attacks, many shippers continue to go around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.Further chaos in Yemen could again draw in the United States. The U.S. launched an intense bombing campaign targeting the rebels earlier this year that President Donald Trump halted just before his trip to the Mideast. The Biden administration also conducted strikes against the Houthis, including using Americas B-2 bombers to target what it described as underground bunkers used by the Houthis. The Houthis meanwhile announced plans for a funeral Thursday for several of its fighters, including Maj. Gen. Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar, whom analysts identified as the groups drone and missile chief. U.S. forces reportedly targeted Hajar, who allegedly received training from the expeditionary Quds Force of Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in a strike in March in Sanaa. The Houthis provided no information on how or when he died in the funeral announcement. Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken dozens of workers at U.N. agencies and other aid groups as prisoners, alleging without evidence that they were spies something fiercely denied by the U.N. and others. 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

I am starting to think I will never receive my personalized, likely AI-generated horny Shrek Christmas ornaments I purchased from Wear and Decor. I had hoped the indecent and probably unauthorized Shrek ornament depicting the green ogre getting a blowjob would arrive before Christmas and, ideally, before I traveled home for the holidays. I doubt thats going to happen. I think Ive been rooked.The ornament depicts Shrek, his eyes wide and a smile on his ogre lips, as a long haired Fiona descends upon his crotch. Lets get Shrekxy and save Santa the trip, reads a caption above the scene on the online retailer Wear and Decor read. There was space at the bottom where I could personalize the ornament with the name of myself and a loved one, as if to indicate that I was Shrek and that Fiona was my wife.When I showed it to my wife weeks ago, after we first put up our Christmas tree, she simply said No. Dont you think its funny? I said.Youre supposed to be shopping for a tree topper, she said.Its only $43.99 for two, I said. Thats a bargain.She stared.I had been shopping for a tree topper online when I stumbled into the strange world of AI generated pornographic custom ornaments starring popular cartoon characters listed on sites of dubious repute. I do not know what it says about my algorithms that attempting to find a nice, normal, and classy tree topper for Christmas led me to a horrifying world of hornyand seemingly AI generated knock off novelty Christmas ornaments. I dont want to reflect on that. I just want to show you what Ive stumbled upon.There is a whole underground world of erotic Christmas ornaments starring famous cartoon characters. Some of them are on Etsy, but most are dubious looking sites with names like Homacus and Pop Art. There are themes that repeat. Spanking. Butts. In flagrante delicto bedroom scenes. The promise that the purchaser can personalize these gifts with the name of their loved one and the logo of their favorite football team. I am sure the Baltimore Ravens love that you can buy an ornament depicting a nude Grinch gripping the ass of a female Grinch (notably not that of his canonical wife Martha May Whovier) emblazoned with their logo.Image via Homacus.My butt would be so lonely without you touching it all the time, reads the inscription above Zootopias Nick Wilde with Judy Hopps bent over his knee. You can purchase this same scene with Belle and Beast, Rey and Ben from Star Wars, a pair of Grinches, or Jack Skellington and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. In another variant, a male cartoon character is bent over the ass of a presenting female. Shrek is nose deep in Fionas ass. I adore and love every part of youEspecially your butt. Merry Grinchmas, the caption reads.Image via Homacus.The ornaments rarely carry the name of the actual characters theyre depicting. They are Funny Fairytale Ornament and Funny Green Monsters and Personalized Funny Lion Couple Christmas Ornament, Custom Name Animal Lovers Decoration, Cute Romantic Holiday Gift. These titles feel like hold overs from the prompt that was, I assumed, used in an AI image generator to create the ornaments. There are other signs.Some of the Shrek ornaments refer to the green ogre as Grinches. Shrek often looks correct but Fiona is sometimes Yassified, her ogre features smoothed and made more feminine. In an ornament with Belle draped over Beasts leg, the smiling prince has seven fingers on his left hand. The lighting in the photos of the objects is never quite right.Image via Homacus.Time Magazine declared the Architects of AI as its Person of the Year in 2025 and there is something about flipping through these listings for cheap and horny ornaments that feels like living in the future. This is the world the architects have built, one where some anonymous person out there in the online ether can quickly generate a lewd cartoon drawing of something from your childhood in an attempt to swindle you for a few bucks while youre shopping for a Christmas tree topper.I clicked purchase on the $40 Shrek blowjob ornament on November 28. The money was deducted from my account but I have not received confirmation of shipping.

Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week. Scientists have discovered a hotspot of weird marine life more than two miles underwater in the Arctic, making it the deepest known example of an environment called a gas hydrate cold seep, according to a new study in Nature Communications.Researchers found the thriving ecosystem some 2.2 miles under the Greenland Sea using a remote operated vehicle during the Ocean Census Arctic Deep EXTREME24expedition in 2024. Gas hydrate seeps are patches of seafloor that releases large amounts of gasses, such as methane; the newly discovered site is more than a mile deeper than any previously documented gas hydrate.The discovery sheds new light on these influential seeps, which play a role in the climate and carbon cycle and support chemosynthetic ecosystems that feed on seafloor gasses instead of sunlight.Giuliana Panieri, the chief scientist of the expedition and lead author of the new study, recalled yelling out with excitement when the team received the first visuals of the seafloor hotspot, which the researchers named the Freya gas hydrate mounds.It was crazy because we saw several of these mounds, which are filled with gas hydrates, and all the organisms living there, said Panieri, who is a professor at University of Troms The Arctic University of Norway and the director of the Italian National Research Council's Institute of Polar Sciences, in a call with 404 Media.What is fascinating when we have this kind of expedition is the organisms that are living down there, she added. At a water depth of almost 4,000 meters, you have these dense oases of organisms. I know that there are many new species. I have to admit, it was very exciting.Some of the lifeforms found at Freya mounds: Image: UiT / Ocean Census / REV OceanPanieri and her colleagues decided to explore this region after previous detections of massive plumes of gassy bubbles rising up from the seafloor. One of these plumes measured two miles in height, making it the tallest plume of this kind ever found in the oceans. While the team expected to find geological activity, it was still a surprise to see this wealth of gas-stuffed mounds, leaking crude oil and methane, as well as the ecosystem of tubeworms, snails, crustaceans, and microbes that are fueled by chemicals from the seep.In addition to discovering this biological hub at the Freya mounds, the team also explored ecosystems living on hydrothermal vents in the nearby seafloor in the Fram Strait. Hydrothermal vents form at fissures in the seafloor where hot mineral-rich water erupts into the ocean, and they are also known for supporting rich chemosynthetic ecosystems.The expedition revealed that the organisms living in the hydrate seeps and the vent systems are related, suggesting an ecological connectivity in the Arctic that is absent in other parts of the ocean.The Fram Strait of the Arctic is a rare place where deep-sea vents and seeps occur close to each other, said study co-author Jon Copley, a professor of ocean exploration and science communication at the University of Southampton, in an email to 404 Media.The deep Arctic is also a part of the world where there aren't as many deep-sea species overall as other regions, because deep-sea life is still recovering from when a thick ice sheet covered much of the ocean around 20,000 years ago, he continued. But hydrothermal vents and cold seeps are an important part of deep-sea biodiversity there today, because life carried on in those chemosynthetic oases beneath that ice-capped ocean.Freya gas hydrate mounds with different morphologies. Image: UiT / Ocean Census / REV OceanGas hydrates also store huge volumes of greenhouse gases, like methane, which could potentially be released as ocean temperatures rise, making these environments a bit of a wild card for climate predictions. While the Freya mounds are too deep to be affected by ocean warming, its discovery helps to fill in the map of these oily, gas-rich sites in the ocean.To that point, these seeps are also potential sites for resource extraction through offshore oil drilling and deep sea mining. A central goal of the Ocean Census Arctic Deep expedition is to explore these remote regions to document their ecological activity and assess their vulnerability to future industrial activities.Research has already established that hydrothermal vents must be protected from deep-sea mining anywhere in the world, because of the unique colonies of species that live around them, Copley said. Our study indicates that deep cold seeps in the Arctic will need similar protection, because they are part of the same web of life with hydrothermal vents in that region. And there are undoubtedly more deep methane hydrate seeps like the Freya Mounds out there in the Arctic, as other deep bubble plumes have been detected nearby.So our discovery shows how much there still is to explore and understand about Arctic deep-sea lifeand the need for caution and protection if the Norwegian government resumes plans for deep-sea mining there, he added, noting that Norways parliament has put these plans temporarily on hold, but they could reverse that decision in the future.This is why Panieri and her colleagues believe that it is critical to secure more funding and support for Arctic exploration, and ocean research more broadly. These expeditions not only reveal new and exotic organisms, they have also been inspired novel biomolecules used in medicines, among other applications.The sea floor and the ocean is almost unknown, Panieri said. There is so much to be investigated. I think this is also the take-home message here: Every time that we have the possibility to see the seafloor, we discover something new.Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week.

Leo XIVs Christmas address was his first since being elected pontiff and was scrutinized for comparisons with those of his predecessor, Francis.