Last October, Grindr announced a new feature: an AI wingman to interact with users like a chatbot and help them find matches. Grindrs CEO, George Arison, told The Wall Street Journal that over 10,000 users will be testing the wingman by the end of this year, and it will be available to all users over 14 million by 2027. It will track users favorite matches and, from this data, suggest other profiles. To do this, Grindr made a 2023 deal with an AI company called Ex-human, aiming to create a chatbot trained in romantic conversation that would sound more gay than chatbots of the past. I can just picture it: Hey girl, this guy is 3,921 feet away, a top, and likes fisting. Shantay, you stay. All this feels very strange to me. Ive never done well on the apps. A friend real, not a bot helped me realize the problem: My photos dont match my in-person energy, so guys always expect someone different. Its the tattoos, my friend said. Even so, after a recent breakup, I went back to Grindr, like returning to a toxic lover I swore off. When I logged back in, I saw there were now two premium membership tiers instead of one: The more expensive one cost the equivalent of a gym membership. At this point in culture, Grindr doesnt need explaining its cultural impact extends well beyond queer men. In 2022, Vice called it a 24/7 merry-go-round of sex in your immediate locale.When Rolling Stone reported in 2023 that Grindr users had voted on Beyonc as Mother of the Year, the magazine didnt say votes came from Grindr users but rather the gays the app is so synonymous with gay men that it now representative of us. With its strangely menacing hockey-mask icon and now-iconic bubbling notification sound, the app has been a lightning rod of controversy lately. Grindr has sold user location data through ad networks for years, and the company is currently in a lawsuit in the U.K. for revealing its users HIV status. In Toronto and the U.K., serial killers used Grindr to lure their victims, and in several countries with antigay laws, police have used the app to find, arrest, and abuse gay and queer men. But hey, its OK, because now theres an AI wingman. Instagram must have noticed I was newly single because I quickly saw ads for Feeld a kink- and queer-friendly app that came out in 2014, and a much newer app, Collective, which came out this year. I downloaded both. Lets try em all! Feeld and Collective are competing in a crowded field of at least 50 major dating and sex apps, including the gay ones, with more surely on the way. Feeld is an app for progressive, self-aware nontraditionalists: nonmonogamous, kinky, polyamorous, or generally playful folk who want to play with others. It feels a little precious, with an almost comical abundance of labels to categorize myself with: I struggled to decide if I was homoflexible, hetero-curious, pansexual, sexually fluid, or just gay.The growth marketing lead at Feeld, Caolan Howe, told me the backstory. Feeld was created by Ana and Dimo (he did not give last names, but I found them: Bulgarian-born designer Dimo Trifonov and his girlfriend Ana Kirova). In 2014, Ana confessed to Dimo that she had feelings for a woman. Rather than ending their relationship, it was the beginning of Feeld, which was designed to be a space where like-minded people can challenge norms around gender, sexuality, and dating. Its an independent, ad-free business, Howe said. All revenue from memberships cycles back into evolving the product. He added that the people who monitor the apps user base find our members are looking for personal growth over growth in the context of traditional relationships. Feeld is very queer-friendly but not just for queer people. Collective is just for us. Launched just this year, its growing but still small small enough that I managed to chat with founder Callum Smith on the app itself. (When I asked him about this piece, he said, We dont do any press coverage yet, but Im trying to figure out how to change that!) The app is a mix of Tumblr and Instagram with some of the profile-matching and chat elements of Tinder, Feeld, and others. After a short time on it, I saw it as more of a microblogging platform with some chat features thrown in. Its super queer and cool, but I dont imagine ever finding sex or love on it. And thats by design. Collective is not a hookup app or another platform to build a following, Smith said. Its focus is on meeting new people. His manifesto on the info page mentions the alarming data around queer loneliness and depression. Like me, Smith grew up in a small town with one traffic light and more churches than people. Feeling isolated was part of his queer reality and mine so years later, he made an app-based community space for people who live far from the nearest gay bar. Its an honorable mission its essentially the same mission that made me start writing that leaves me feeling dissatisfied.After all, there is something to the classic queer experience of hopping on a bus and going to the closest big-city gay bar. That cant be replaced online or on-app, because profiles arent people. A bar, a club, or even a gay coffee shop thats real. Thats human. After trying these new contenders, I still felt ready to give up apps for good. Instagram must have sensed this too because soon I saw an ad for a book by queer author Leo Herrera someone whose name I had heard around New York but never met. Published in October, the book is called (analog) Cruising a slim, baby-pink guide to cruising the old-school way. It is an ode to lost cruising spaces and a love letter to those that remain. Herrera mixes funny (and hot) stories from his life with useful, actionable tips on how to cruise in bars, in bathhouses, on the street, and so on. The book is filled with gems like this: If you listen closely, the most common words in a cruising area tend to be thank you. If someone gifts you an orgasm, express gratitude! Even if youll never see them again or cant even see them now.And this: Pleasure is not binary. It exists alongside fear, sadness, and politics. That is the history of Queer pleasure. We tend to tell one side of our history of riots and martyrs but ignore how much sex is a root of that liberation. He also expresses my problem with apps better than I ever could: Everyone on the apps arrived for a different party. There was no way to gauge interest whether someone was just bored and horny, looking for a little connection to jerk off, or really wanted to meet up. Communication was instant or chats were over the span of days. After all these years, there seemed to be no common etiquette. After reading this, I had to talk to this guy. First, I asked him why he wrote it. Ive never heard a gay man say they love Grindr, whereas Ive heard thousands of times that someone picked up a guy at a bar and had a great time, Herrera said. I only do analog cruising, and as I got older, I realized this wasnt second nature to a generation of people who grew up only using apps for sex.He stressed that his book was not the first guide of its kind it followed a long line of cruising guides and articles in the 70s and 80s but he hoped it would make a difference now because of what he perceived as community-wide app fatigue. Most of the book is dedicated to tips on analog cruising only the epilogue mentions the apps. But the epilogue is so fiery and well-written that it makes the whole book a kind of treatise against them. Herrera stressed that apps are still useful for trans folks, disabled folks, those who live in remote areas, and people who have difficulty disclosing their HIV status. But Herrera has chosen to reject apps. What we know now about privacy and social media addiction also went into this decision, he said.I pressed him on this: Surely it was inevitable that queer dating would go digital? One of the earliest uses of the internet was to replace newspaper classifieds. Oh, definitely, Herrera said. I came out on websites like gay.com and planetout.com. Queers have always used the most advanced technology to communicate. But social media supercharged it, and Grindr is a social media platform. Now we know the limits and dangers of social media. Herrera even met a past boyfriend on Scruff, so he could admit that surprises do happen on apps. But now there are shareholders involved, he said. These apps must grow from our data, and thats the most sensitive data queer people have. After talking to him, I sat for a moment, then deleted each profile, canceled every subscription, and removed the apps from my phone. I was better in person. Maybe everyone else was, too.Alexander Cheves is a writer, sex educator, and author of My Love Is a Beast: Confessions from Unbound Edition Press. @badalexchevesNeed dating advice? Email your question to Cheves at askbeastly@gmail.com you may get an answer in a future column!This article is part of the Out January/February issue, which hits newsstands February 4. Support queer media and subscribe or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting January 23.

How each astrological sign reacts to being ghostedEven with our phones practically attached to our souls, it's still so easy to ghost someone if you're not into them. Is it a cool thing to do? In most cases probably not, but who likes confrontation? While being the ghoster may be more painless, being on the other end of this disappearing act can be really painful or at the very least very confusing. Some folks roll with those emotions better than others, and depending on your astrological sign, some take it very badly (yes, Scorpio we are looking at you.) So, if you're on the verge of going full ghost on someone, here's what you can expect on how they will react, based on their astrological sign. (We've even included pictures of some of our favorite celebs who represent each sign!)1. AquariusAs always Aquarius is a bit unpredictable. On the one hand, their independent spirit keeps them from getting attached really quickly, but on the other, their fierce loyalty and honesty mean they find this kind of behavior especially shady. Most likely they won't show you how they are feeling at first. But after the initial coolness within a day or two, these water-bearers are going to show their true colors, flip the eff out, and live Tweet an orgy as a form of revenge. 2. PiscesEmotional Pisces will handle being ghosted just as you expect... emotionally. A Pisces will take a bath and cry if you ghost them and they like you. They might not come out for an entire day. However, Pisces are usually dating 8,000 people at once, so if you ghost them and they're not into you, they might not even notice. 3. AriesAn Aries, which are cute and powerful little rams, will headbutt the hell out of you metaphorically if you ghost them. Of course, you may not know that they are doing this, as they'll keep a confident and cool demeanor. But behind closed doors, they are hexing you and planning ways to get back your attention. As my friend, astrologer, and Aries Annabel Gat taught me, the only way to get rid of an Aries is to act pathetic and clingy. 4. TaurusA Taurus will continue to stubbornly text you after being ghosted if they don't want you to leave them. When they eventually accept their fate they will curl up on their comfy couch and eat lots of snacks to make themselves feel better. 5. GeminiA Gemini will go on a social media rant about you if you ghost them. Despite their independent nature, their sign is marked by the twins, so they are always looking for their partner. Eventually, however, they will move on to another lover and continue their plans of world domination. 6. CancerA Cancer loves the home and family and does not do well when such walls come crumbling down. If you ghost them, these little crabs will fall even more deeply in love with you, and come back again and again, as Cancers love nostalgia and the past. 7. LeoLeos are powerful, prideful, lions. However, this can work in your favor if you want to ghost them. They likely will be too proud to admit you hurt them or come after you. Instead, they'll lick their wounds and sulk in silence. And of course, post some hot selfies. 8. VirgoVirgos are organized and meticulous. They like things in order and they want answers. If you ghost them, they will likely demand an explanation, and text you on a schedule until you give them one. Then they will keep a log of it, and adjust their dating behavior accordingly so it doesn't happen to them again.9. LibraA Libra might not even notice if you ghost them, as they always have multiple sidepieces. Can you even ghost Libras? They usually ghost you.10. ScorpioScorpios require honesty and communication, and nothing makes them raise their stingers like feeling played and left in the dark. They will hunt you down and demand an explanation, and then plot your demise. Even if they act chill about it, they will never forget nor forgive you. If you ghosted a Scorpio, you're probably hexed.11. SagittariusA Sagittarius might be glad that you ghosted them because you were getting on their nerves anyways. However, they will send you a text or an email pretending like it was their idea to end it to make sure that they keep the power. 12. CapricornA devilish Capricorn will ghost you right back. They will become silent. They will get into your head. They'll have you thinking, "Wait, did I ghost them, or did they ghost me? Maybe I should text them to double-check what's going on." And then you'll end up dating again, sorry.

A Palestinian woman holds a baby as they return to their home in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-01-27T15:10:26Z WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) They walked for hours loaded with whatever clothes, food and blankets they could carry. Many smiled, some hugged loved ones they hadnt seen for months. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians filled Gazas main coastal road as they streamed back to homes in the north.The mood was joyous, even though many knew their homes had been destroyed in Israeli offensives against Hamas that leveled large parts of Gaza City and the surrounding north.The important thing was to go back, they said, to prevent what many had feared would be a permanent expulsion from their homes. A Palestinian woman holds a baby as they return to their home in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) A Palestinian woman holds a baby as they return to their home in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More By returning, we are victorious, said Rania Miqdad, who was heading back to Gaza City with her family.Ismail Abu Mattar returned with his wife and four children to the ruins of their Gaza City home, which was partially destroyed by Israeli bombardment early in the war. Like many others whose houses are damaged, he planned to set up a tent nearby and start clearing the rubble. A tent here is better than a tent there, he said, referring to the vast, squalid tent camps that arose in central and southern Gaza where he and much of the territorys population have lived for months.We had thought we wouldnt return, like our ancestors, said Abu Mattar. His grandparents were among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. Displaced Palestinians celebrate as they return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas in accordance with a fragile ceasefire, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Displaced Palestinians celebrate as they return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas in accordance with a fragile ceasefire, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A mass return on foot and by carUnder the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians were allowed starting Monday to return north. U.N. officials estimated that some 200,000 people made their way back over the course of the day. The scenes of celebration were a sharp contrast to the misery and fear during the war as more than 1 million people fled south on the same routes to escape Israels assaults.Associated Press photos, videos and drone footage showed huge crowds heading north on foot along Gazas main coastal road. On one side was the Mediterranean Sea; on the other stretched a landscape of destroyed buildings and bulldozed land left behind by withdrawing Israeli forces. Armed Hamas fighters were visible in some spots, a sign of the militant groups continued power in Gaza despite Israels vows to eliminate it. Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hamas fighters flash the victory sign as displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Hamas fighters flash the victory sign as displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Families carried bags of belongings and rolled up blankets. On their shoulders, men carried young children or sacks of food and metal cannisters of cooking gas. Women balanced infants in their arms with satchels of clothes and jugs of water. A little girl dressed in teddy-bear pajamas held her younger sisters hand as they trailed their mother. A teenager strapped a pet carrier to his chest with his cat inside. Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Others returned in cars and trucks piled high with mattresses and other belongings via a second route, Salah al-Din Road. Many were smiling. A child waved a V-for-victory sign. People tearfully hugged relatives and friends theyd been separated from for months.One old woman being pushed in a wheelchair sang a traditional Palestinian song of perseverance dating back to 1948.Stand by each other, people of Palestine, stand by each other. Palestine is gone, but it has not bid you a final farewell, she sang with a smile on her face. Then she added, Thank God, were returning to our homes, after suffering so much ruin and hunger and disease.The joy was tempered by wars cost and futures uncertaintyThose returning crossed through the Netzarim corridor, a swath of land bisecting the Gaza Strip that Israeli forces turned into a military zone to seal off the north. The north saw some of the most intense Israeli offensives, aimed at eliminating Hamas fighters operating in densely populated areas.Throughout the war, Israel repeatedly ordered civilians to evacuate the north for their safety, it said but barred their return. Under the ceasefires terms, Israeli troops pulled back from the main routes to allow returns and are eventually to pull out completely from the corridor.For some, the joy of return was blemished by the deaths of loved ones.Kamal Hamadah was returning to Gaza City, where his eldest son, his daughter and her children were killed by bombardment early in the war. Their bodies were left buried under rubble in the streets, even as the rest of the family fled south, he said.Then just over a month ago, another of his sons who fled with him was killed.When his mother learned we were going back home, she was struck by a great sadness that she was returning without the boy, he said. Returning home, Yasmin Abu Amshah had a happy reunion with her younger sister, Amany, who had stayed in Gaza City throughout the war. I thought it wouldnt happen, and we wouldnt see each other again, the 34-year-old mother of three said.Her four-story building was damaged but not destroyed, so she and other members of her extended family will stay there.Those returning face an uncertain future. If the ceasefire collapses, they could face new Israeli offensives. If peace lasts, its not clear when Palestinians will be able to rebuild homes, leaving much of the population in temporary housing. Ibrahim Hammad, his wife and five children walked five hours back to their neighborhood in Gaza City knowing their house there had been destroyed by an airstrike in December 2023. His family will stay at his brothers house until he can clear a space in the ruins of his house to set up a tent.We had to return, even to the rubble, the 48-year-old told the AP. Here we dont have a house, but our family is here, and we will help each other.___Magdy reported from Cairo. AP video journalist Mohammed Jahjouh in Wadi Gaza contributed to this report.Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A display about AI is illuminated ahead of the Annual Meeting of the World Economy Form in the center of Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)2025-01-27T21:36:14Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Chinese tech startup DeepSeek said it was hit by a cyber attack on Monday that disrupted users ability to register on the site. The company, whose artificial intelligence chatbot has sent the tech world into a frenzy, said that it had suffered large-scale malicious attacks on its services. Registered users could log in normally, DeepSeek said. DeepSeek began attracting more attention in the AI industry last month when it released a new AI model that it boasted was on par with similar models from U.S. companies such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and was more cost-effective in its use of expensive Nvidia chips to train the system on huge troves of data. The chatbot became more widely accessible when it appeared on Apple and Google app stores early this year. By Monday, DeepSeeks AI assistant had become the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apples iPhone store. The jump in popularity fueled debates over competition between the U.S. and China in developing AI technology. But some U.S. tech industry observers said they were worried about the idea that the Chinese startup has caught up with the American companies at the forefront of generative AI at a fraction of the cost.DeepSeek was founded in Hangzhou, China in 2023. The company released its first AI large language model later that year. SARAH PARVINI Parvini covers artificial intelligence for The Associated Press. She is based in Los Angeles. mailto

Housing insecurity. Food insecurity. Substance use disorder. These are just a few challenges some in the LGBTQ+ community face that lead them down the path of using tobacco and e-cigarette products.To help,the country needs more research on whatLGBTQ+-specific counseling and therapies work, Temple University pulmonary critical care doctor Jamie Garfield said.If youre going to convince someone why its really important to quit smoking, you have to first meet them where they are, Garfield said. Understanding why they smoke to begin with, what kind of stress they have in their lives, and how can you overcome those. If we dontits really difficult to make robust conclusions about what intervention is going to help or not help.About 38% of gay, lesbian and bisexual people have tried an electronic cigarette, compared to 16.5% of heterosexual people, according to a November report released by the surgeon generals office. The data was collected between 2019-2021.Nearly half of those who identify as bisexual have tried an electronic cigarette, which includes vape and hookah pens.These numbers increase when examining specific intersectionalities. A 2024 study from the Truth Initiative shows that non-binary people (54%) and trans people (43%) have tried e-cigarettes at the highest rates.If youre going to convince someone why its really important to quit smoking, you have to first meet them where they are. Jamie GarfieldThough some vape as a way to quit smoking cigarettes, the effects on the body are still damaging. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive chemical present in tobacco products like cigarettes.Garfield, who is also an American Lung Association spokesperson, said it can increase heart rate, blood pressure, the risk of stroke and cause issues with memory. Vaping can also complicate pregnancies and harm the developing fetus.So why is vaping so prominent in the LGBTQ+ community? Where theres money, theres influence.Garfield said big tobacco companies prey on the stresses of the LGBTQ+ community, including the oppression and insecurities mentioned earlier. Some companies have funded Pride parades, and some have even donated millions of dollars to HIV research during the height of the AIDS epidemicto distract from the health risks of smoking.The whole intention there is just to get themselves in front of a vulnerable community to create the next generation of tobacco-addicted youth, and it works, Garfield said.Garfield also noted the increased use of tobacco and nicotine products in pop culture, including films and social media, that make +Q people feel validated.Its obviously a strategic algorithmic approach to identify a cohort of kids who are likely to pick up tobacco products and target them, Garfield said.One solution Garfield pointed to is enacting a flavoring ban. This idea has bounced around in state and federal legislation, but hasnt launched to a widespread effect. Vaping products offer cartridges flavored to different fruits or cotton candy. Menthol, which has a minty and cooling effect and flavors a variety of tobacco products, appeals to those who want to smoke but dont want the cigarette smell.Flavoring increases the addictiveness of smoking because it makes products taste better. For example, someone who would find it difficult to smoke their first cigarette will have an easier time with a menthol product.Garfield said menthol products like Newport and Kool have a history of marketing directly to both the African-American and LGBTQ+ community.Since the popularity of e-cigarettes is relatively new, Garfield said we need more studies on addiction and how it affects specific intersectionalities. There are no FDA-approved therapies for e-cigarette addiction, she said, which leaves many vulnerable communities in the dust.Collecting this life-saving data will only come from researchers and healthcare providers building trustworthy relationships, Garfield said.Any treatment directed toward this community has to be sensitive, Garfield said. If were looking at large population data sets and asking everyone, What is your sexual orientation, what is your gender identity, we have to make sure that information is protected and that its not going to be easy totarget them for something that is not in their best interest.The post LGBTQ people vape at high rates. Heres why. appeared first on News Is Out.

Whew! Another week, another incredible episode of For the Love of DILFs packed with steamy romance and so many twists and turns! Is Dr. DILF an evil genius? We say so.Last week, the competition narrowed down to its top three couples thanks to Davids (and the other eliminated Daddys and Himbos) shocking return to judge the Romeo and Juliet contest. As it turns out, all was not well in Verona because David had revenge on his mind and he successfully sent Nicholas and Timmy packing.But thats not all: that couple also came back to eliminate one more couple, and newbie couple Patrick and Adonis were invited back to the hotel. Honestly, we would live to see what is going down there! Spin-off idea? Dr. DILF, are you listening?This week, the remaining couples Tony and Jay, Victor and Dani, and Robert and Samuel were all basking in their success in making it this far. Its a sweet moment of friendship as they all discuss their connections, what theyve overcome, and the friendships theyve made along the way.But remember, this is a competition, so the action heats up again with one more challenge. This time its a combination of a photo shoot with Bob of Scotland and an interview with PRIDE to find out which couples love stories are forever, and which couples are in it for right now. Who will it be? Well, youre just going to have to watch and see.For the Love of DILFs is streaming now on OUTtv. And scroll back to the top to watch the first 10 minutes of season 3 episode 9 now.

Im in my 40s and sometimes date men who are in their 20s. When theres a big income gap, Im willing to foot the bill for both of us to do the things I enjoy and have a good time. But I cant tell if hes actually into meor just into my money. How do I figure it out? As we age, we discover how we prefer to spend our time and aspire to do those things more often. Thats how it is for me, at least; people will have to pry this Six Flags flash pass from my cold, dead hands, because if going to Magic Mountain means well be waiting in lines all day, then Im not going.A VIP ticket at twice the price is worth it to me (personal finance pundits are aghast right now), because shouldnt part of accruing wealth include using it to live a happy queer life? I think so. As time goes on, we naturally get more stubborn about how we spend our money and attention, and that conviction can lead to friction when a new special someone enters your life.Your concern that he might be more interested in financial security than emotional intimacy is valid. You want to have a good time and bring him along, but you also dont want to feel like hes using you as an ATM, particularly if youve busted your ass for years (or decades) to get to where you are now. Age-gap relationships might also mean partners have different financial priorities and expectations because theyre navigating different phases of life. You want to set clear boundaries but not seem so uptight about sharing resources that you scare the handsome fella off.The most immediate solution is to get a little vulnerable and share your anxiety with him directly. If youre still getting to know each other, frame this conversation as being about the dynamic in general, rather than specifically about you and him. That way, it doesnt feel like a personal attack. Decide if you want the dynamic to veer away from sugar daddy and toward breadwinner, then communicate those goals so that the two of you can brainstorm about it together. If hes interested in you more than your wallet, your vulnerability will signal confidence, which is sexy. If hes only in it for the free trips, his disengagement will tell you what you need to know.WATCH FOR RED FLAGSLook out for other indirect signs that indicate someone is more interested in winning over your wallet than your heart. Notice if your conversations frequently turn to money, luxury, or career success and to who usually takes the conversations there (tea: It might be you). Also notice what topics are avoided. When you try to bring up your family or feelings, does he lean in or tune out?Pay attention not to his interest in the money stuff itself but to whether he cares about it because you care about it. If he sees that its important to you and is attentive to that, thats a plus in my book. If he shrugs it off, leaving the topic unaddressed, it could snowball into resentment or a bigger problem as things progress.You might have to take the lead here. If talking about emotions or other sticky subjects is uncomfortable for him, initiate more at the start and model the conversation without puppeteering its direction. This can help cultivate honesty and trust while getting the answers you seek.SET BOUNDARIES FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCEIf you want to be generous and treat him to a good time, do that wholeheartedly and without expecting reciprocation. Establish clear boundaries and communication early on when youre dating someone. This will help avoid assumptions or implications that youre willing to be a main source of his financial support before actually being in a relationship container.Keep some financial separation and incorporate dates that match your dates budget, not just your own. If you cant have a good time without big expenditures in the picture, thats about you, not him. It might be worth doing a little self-study to explore why that is. When he suggests a coffee shop instead of a high-end restaurant, embrace it rather than reverting to your agenda; these moments create opportunities for intimate connection, and theyll help you determine whether your date prefers your company over your credit card.Be open about your financial philosophy. Discuss how you view money, sharing resources, and building a future with someone. A partner interested in you rather than what you can buy them will engage meaningfully in these conversations.FIND BALANCEFor us personal finance people who love nothing more than answering a question with an abacus, the go-to money advice for couples is to split expenses in proportion to income. If you make $100,000 and he makes $50,000, you pay two-thirds of the expenses, and he pays the other third. That way you harmoniously skip off into the sunset together.While this rule can work for long-term relationships, it tends to fall apart when dating because people are sensitive about sharing what they earn and can accommodate, so there isnt that same foundation of trust yet. Be proactive and set the balance on the fly; the healthiest relationships, regardless of income differences, involve both partners contributing in meaningful ways, and these contributions might not be financial. They could be emotional support, practical help, or simply making your life richer through their presence.REFLECT ON YOUR DEFINITION OF WEALTHOur society is work-obsessed. For some, an outcome of this focus is that by midlife youve reached financial success, but at the expense of being time-poor or malnourished in other areas. If you date someone navigating a different money situation, the imbalance could bubble to the surface, which can feel confronting if youre a workaholic.Youre cranking on the monetary wealth. Now, how is your relational wealth going? Or maybe your physical health, spiritual wealth, or sense of purpose? It can feel scary to relax the thought patterns and systems of success that have gotten you to where you are now, but doing so might unlock new categories of nourishment you didnt realize you needed. Vibe on this idea of holistic wealth feeling fulfilled in all the areas of your life, not just your bank account and it will help ensure you have no regrets later in life.Do you like him? Do you feel valued and appreciated? Is the relationship contributing to your social and relational wealth while also not being detrimental to your monetary wealth? If the answers to all of those questions are yes, it seems like a green light to me. Remember that finding a genuine connection takes time, and theres no shame in protecting yourself while remaining open to love.By maintaining healthy boundaries while also leading with heart, youre more likely to find partners who value you for who you are, not what you can provide, while also having a good time.Nick Wolny is Out magazines finance columnist. He writes Financialicious, a personal finance newsletter tailored toward queer readers, and is working on his first book, Money Proud, which releases later this year. NickWolny.com @nickwolnyHave a burning money question? Call or text the Financialicious hotline at (323) 207-9969 your question might get answered.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, pats Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., on his shoulder as he answers questions from reporters after arriving at the Pentagon, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)2025-01-27T15:08:49Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trumps return to Washington WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump was expected to sign a flurry of executive orders focused on the military Monday, including to reinstate troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, assess transgender forces and further outline rollbacks in diversity programs, just as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day on the job.The orders could further clarify initial directives Trump issued shortly after his inauguration last week, when he removed protections for transgender troops put in place by former President Joe Biden and banned DEI initiatives at federal agencies. Trump had tried to impose a ban on transgender troops during his first term, but it was tangled up in the courts for years before being overturned by Biden shortly after he took office.The new order on transgender troops does not impose an immediate ban, but directs the Pentagon to come up with a policy on their service in the armed forces based on military readiness, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. AP AUDIO: New Trump orders on transgender troops, COVID and more expected on Hegseths first day AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports President Trump is set to take more executive action at the Pentagon as new defense chief Pete Hegseth starts work. Hegseth told reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon that his first official day would be busy, with additional executive orders expected on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates, Iron Dome for America this is happening quickly. Trump promised during the campaign to build an Iron Dome, the advanced air defense system used by Israel. It was not immediately clear what the additional order on DEI diversity, equity and inclusion would be, but Trumps initial action ending those programs across the U.S. government already has had far-reaching consequences. Without clearer direction, agencies have been taking a broad approach at removing any content that seemed to run afoul of Trumps ban. That temporarily included videos of the storied Tuskegee Airmen and World War II Womens Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, which were part of DEI training courses for the Air Forces basic military training. Videos on both the Tuskegee Airmen and WASPs were removed as the courses were taken down last week, causing an uproar. WASPs were vital in ferrying warplanes for the military. The Tuskegee Airmen were the nations first Black military pilots, who served in a segregated WWII unit, and their all-Black 332nd Fighter Group had one of the lowest loss records of all the bomber escorts in the war.On Sunday, the Air Force clarified that the DEI courses had been removed to be edited but that the Tuskegee Airmen and WASP content would continue to be taught.The revised training which focuses on the documented historic legacy and decorated valor with which these units and Airmen fought for our Nation in World War II and beyond will continue on 27 January, the Air Force said in a statement. Hegseth said in a post on X on Sunday that any move to cut the Tuskegee Airmen content was immediately reversed. But the swirl of confusion reflects an ongoing struggle as leaders across the Defense Department try to purge diversity mentions from their websites and training. Hegseth didnt mention the issue as he walked into the building on Monday morning accompanied by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But in other comments, Hegseth said that military training will be focused on the readiness of what our troops in the field need to deter our enemies.Hegseth is also continuing to focus on the border, and told reporters gathered on the steps of the Pentagon that whatever is needed at the border will be provided, using active duty, National Guard and state-activated Guard troops. Hegseth was approved by the Senate on Friday night in a tie vote that had to be broken by Vice President JD Vance.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Department of Defense at https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense. TARA COPP Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. twitter mailto LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce celebrate victory against the Buffalo Bills after the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)2025-01-27T20:45:59Z Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs accomplished a feat that had never been done before: Getting back to the NFLs championship game following back-to-back Super Bowl wins.Next up is the rare championship three-peat that hasnt been accomplished in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball in more than 20 years.The most recent team in those four leagues to win three straight championships was the Los Angeles Lakers with Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant in the 2000-02 NBA Finals.Only two NFL teams have ever won three straight championships with Green Bay doing it from 1929-31 when the champion was determined by regular-season record and then again in the 1965-67 seasons. Vince Lombardis Packers won the final NFL championship before the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966 and then won the first two games between the AFL and NFL champions that determined the true of kings of pro football.Since the end of that Green Bay run, there have been seven three-peats in the four biggest North American pro sports leagues. Heres a look at those dynastic teams: Oakland Athletics, 1972-74Charlie Finleys Swingin As dominated baseball in the early 1970s with a roster filled with big characters. Led by slugger Reggie Jackson, dominant starters Catfish Hunter and Vida Blue, the As knocked off the Reds, Mets and Dodgers in successive seasons to join the Yankees as the only baseball franchises to win three straight titles. Montreal Canadiens, 1976-79Montreal dominated the NHL for decades with 23 Stanley Cups. The majority of those came in the pre-expansion Original Six era, but the Canadiens put together an impressive run in the late 1970s under coach Scotty Bowman. Led by dynamic scorer Guy LaFleur, two Cup clinching goals by Jacque Lemaire, Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Robinson and goalie Ken Dryden, Montreal raced to four straight titles with a 48-10 record in the four postseason runs. New York Islanders, 1980-83 As soon as the Canadiens dynastic run ended, the Islanders started one of their own as the last hockey team to win at least three straight titles. Al Arbours squad was led by high-scoring wing Mike Bossy, defenseman Denis Potvin and goalie Billy Smith. The run started with an overtime clincher by Bobby Nystrom against Philadelphia in the 1980 Stanley Cup Final and then lost only once in three other trips to the Final. Chicago Bulls, 1991-93 and 1996-98After coming up short in back-to-back seasons against the Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan and the Bulls broke through in the 1991 NBA Finals by beating Magic Johnson and the Lakers in five games. Chicago then dominated for most of the decade, repeating as champs in 1992 and 1993 for the NBAs first three-peat since Boston won eight straight titles from 1959-66. After a brief step back in the 1994-95 seasons after Jordan stepped away to play baseball, the Bulls were even more dominant in their second run. Chicago won a then-record 72 regular games on the way to the title in 1996 and then won again the next two years before Jordan temporarily retired and the team broke up. New York Yankees, 1998-2000The Yankees had several dynastic runs in their history, winning four straight World Series from 1936-39 and then five in a row from 1949-53. But they are the only team to win three straight World Series in the free agency era. Led by homegrown stars Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Bernie Williams, Joe Torres squad won the franchises first title in 18 years in 1996. After a playoff loss to Cleveland the next season, New York won three in a row starting with a then-record 114 wins in 1998. The Yankees dominated in the postseason with a 33-8 record. Los Angeles Lakers 2000-02After helping the Bulls to both of their three-peats in the 1990s, coach Phil Jackson did the same when he joined a talented Lakers team led by ONeal and Bryant that had underperformed before his arrival. The Lakers needed an epic Game 7 comeback against Portland in the Western Conference Finals in 2000 on the way to the first title, went 15-1 in the postseason to repeat the following year and then had to pull out another Game 7 conference final win in 2002 against Sacramento on the way to the three-peat. ___AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL JOSH DUBOW Dubow is an NFL writer for The Associated Press who covers the San Francisco 49ers and provides weekly analysis of NFL statistics. twitter mailto

Selena Gomez is facing backlash online after posting an emotional video reacting to the current U.S. administrations attempts to deport undocumented immigrants en masse."Im so sorry. All my people are getting attacked. The children. I dont understand," she said in a since-deleted video shared to Instagram Stories. "Im so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I cant. I dont know what to do. Ill try everything, I promise." (@) It didnt take long for MAGA loyalists who are cheering on the deportations and all the fear and hatred that theyve generated to use this opportunity to target Gomez for speaking up. (@) "Selena Gomez cried that her people are being deported. Considering that only illegal aliens are being deported, Trump should take her statement as a confession that shes in the country illegally and deport her back to Mexico just to be safe." (@) "US Senate candidate Sam Parker tweeted threatening to deport American born Selena Gomez." (@) "I am not related to selena Gomez. Deport all the illegals, even if they fake cry. I didnt see her fake crying for the 300,000 missing children or hosting illegals in her mansions. Justin Bieber dodged a bullet." (@) "Tom Homan responds to @selenagomez : We've arrested public safety and national security threats. We will conduct this operation without apology; it's for the good of the nation. No apologies. We are moving forward!"Its worth noting that Republicans havent been the only ones piling on the singer for her tearful post. Despite the fact that shes previously been criticized for declining to speak up on issues via social media, speaking up has also brought accusations that shes making everything all about her. (@) However, as a number of Gomezs fans pointed out on X, it doesnt take much digging to understand why immigration is an issue close to her heart. (@) Ultimately, the backlash was enough of an onslaught that Gomez deleted the video, replacing it with a post that just says, "Apparently its not ok to show empathy for people."

Drake Von is one of the biggest names in adult entertainment, but he's just getting started.The Men.com exclusive model has filmed countless amounts of sexy videos over the years, but the star dished on his favorite raunchy films to create while attending the 2025 GayVN Awards."I definitely would have to say threesome scenes. If you get tired and need a break, then you can just let the other person take over while you just relax and get worshipped," Von tells PRIDE. See on Instagram While Von's favorite scenes may involve a couple other people, his fans recently loved his bottoming debut with Joey Mills. Could another submissive movie be in the works?"We'll see! It's been such a great year for me. I'm hoping to film overseas. I haven't done that yet. That would be a lot of fun. I am living in the moment right now. I do not see an end. As of right now, I'm just going to keep pushing."Fans can keep up with Drake Von by following him on Instagram here. To see the full interview, check out the video at the top of the page.

President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One en route to Florida at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-01-27T22:50:50Z WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump in his first week back in the White House has offered an early preview to his second-term foreign policy approach: Talk loudly and wield a big stick.Over the weekend, Trump threatened to levy massive tariffs on Colombia after the countrys leftist president refused to allow a U.S. military plane returning deported migrants from the South American nation to land in the country. Hes needled the Ukrainian president for talking so brave instead of negotiating with Russia. Hes flummoxed even Republican allies with his calls on Mideast nations to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza, potentially moving out enough of the population to just clean out the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.Through economic coercion and sharp rhetoric, Trump is signaling that he intends to be a bull in the China shop in hopes of extracting what he wants from allies and adversaries alike. In the Colombia episode, President Gustavo Petro quickly relented in the face of Trumps threatened tariffs 25% on all Colombian goods coming into the country and doubling to 50% in a week. The moment may be just a taste of what is to come. As you saw yesterday, weve made it clear to every country that they will be taking back ... people that were sending out, Trump said in a Monday speech before House Republicans at their annual policy retreat. The criminals and illegal aliens coming from their countries were taking them back, and theyre going to take them back fast. And if they dont, theyll pay a very high economic price. The hard-nosed approach from Trump in the showdown with Colombia was hardly unexpected. He vowed to quickly reverse the approach of his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, whom he frequently criticized as demonstrating weakness on the international stage when the world was looking for stronger leadership from the worlds foremost power. Big stick diplomacyDuring planning for their return to power, Trumps team decided on an aggressive course of action to respond to any nation that moved to block his agenda, hoping to make an example of them right out of the gate, according to a senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. And with the heavy reliance on sticks rather than carrots in the opening days of Trump 2.0, the administration has sought to send a clear message that U.S. foreign policy will be driven by an unrelenting commitment to the America First worldview.Soon after the Colombia matter was resolved, Trump posted on social media a photo of himself in a pinstripe suit and Trilby fedora favored by American gangsters in the 1920s as well as a crass acronym that warns not to test him. The posting was a decidedly modern, and Trumpian, turn on President Theodore Roosevelts use of the West African aphorism to speak softly and carry a big stick.It seems to me that from the Trump administrations perspective, theyve met their goal, right? said Kevin Whitaker, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Colombia from 2014 to 2019. Its not just that they got what they wanted. The approval for the flights was secured. But they sent a message about their commitment to use all of the tools in their toolkit in order to achieve them. Its not just on immigration where Trump is trying to rattle his international counterparts to get in line with blunt talk.The president said that he used a phone call last week with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to press for OPEC+ to slash oil prices, a move that he believes is the most effective way to force Russia to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine. The kingdom is the most prominent member of OPEC+, a group of major oil exporting nations.Trump, a critic of the Biden administrations spending to back Ukraines war effort, pledged during the campaign to bring a quick end to the nearly three-year war.One way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money, Trump told reporters, in what could be interpreted as a blunt critique of the Saudis, a key ally. So, OPEC ought to get on the ball and drop the price of oil. And that war will stop right away. On Saturday evening, Trump also grabbed the attention of Middle East partners, Egypt and Jordan, when he said that the two countries should take hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza. Officials from both countries flatly rejected the idea, and even a prominent Republican Trump backer, Sen. Lindsey Graham of North Carolina, said he was puzzled by Trumps comments.The idea that all the Palestinians are going to leave and go somewhere else, I dont see that to be overly practical, Graham said in a Sunday morning appearance on CNNs State of the Union. Rubio heads to Central AmericaThe dispute with Colombias Petro comes as Trump is dispatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week to Central America for his first international travel as Americas top diplomat. The trip will take him to Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.The decision to put an early focus on Central America including nations that are central to the success of Trumps mass deportation effort and his bid to clamp down on illegal immigration speaks to how big a priority immigration is for Trump out of the gate.Rubios stop in Panama also comes as Trump in recent weeks has said he wants the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, claiming that American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that China is operating the Panama Canal.Some Panamanians have interpreted Trumps remarks as a way of applying pressure on Panama for something else he wants: better control of migration through the Darien Gap. Others have recalled the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama with concern.To be certain, Chinas growing commercial interest in the Western Hemisphere, including its operation of a port at the canal, have long fueled U.S. concerns about Beijings broader role in global shipping and port operations. The Biden administration shared similar worries, but sought to counter China by rallying wealthy economies to band together against Chinas trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which has launched a network of infrastructure projects and maritime lanes that snake around large portions of the world.Colombia firestorm a preview of whats to come?The Biden administration also sought to make the case to developing nations that the U.S. offered a better partner than Beijing, which it accused of exploiting poorer nations with coercive and unsustainable lending to build infrastructure.But Trump in his approach to Panama has taken a wholly different approach, jostling and threatening an ally to get in line.Colombia, which was at the center of Sundays diplomatic hullabaloo, has a strategic partnership with China, but thus far has resisted joining the belt and road project as many of its Latin American and Caribbean neighbors have. Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council, said that he expects Petro to aggressively pursue infrastructure deals with China moving forward.I think thats going to be a source of tensions with Washington, Ramsey said. For better or for worse, Sundays firestorm may be just a preview of whats to come. AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

Canada's former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks at a press conference in Toronto on Sunday Jan. 19, 2025, as she kicks off her campaign to become the next Liberal party leader. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-01-27T21:46:04Z VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who is running to replace Justin Trudeau as Canadas prime minister, said Monday Canada needs to release a retaliation list of goods the country would target if U.S. President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.A list of products worth $200 billion Canadian dollars (US$139 billion) would send a message to U.S. exporters about the harm tariffs would cause them, Freeland said in a statement.Being smart means retaliating where it hurts, she said. Our counterpunch must be dollar-for-dollar and it must be precisely and painfully targeted: Florida orange growers, Wisconsin dairy farmers, Michigan dishwasher manufacturers, and much more.Now is the moment when Canada must make clear to Americans the specific costs that will accompany any tariff measures by the Trump administration. Trump has said he will use economic coercion to pressure Canada to become the nations 51st state. He continues to erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil as a subsidy. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.John Ries, senior associate dean at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business, said Canada should retaliate against any tariffs but warned against publicizing a list in advance, citing the risk of antagonizing Trump and making it harder for him to back off on his threats. He always wants to win, said Ries. He doesnt want to show any weakness.Freeland said Monday that if she wins the leadership race and become prime minister she would also prohibit American companies from bidding on Canadian federal procurement (excluding defense). She also said she would convene an international summit with the leaders of Mexico, Denmark, Panama, and the president of the European Union to coordinate a joint response to challenges to our sovereignty and our economies.Some lawmakers have suggested Canada could stop energy shipments to the United States, a move opposed by Daniele Smith, the premier of Canadas oil-rich province of Alberta.Former central banker Mark Carney, who is also running for the Liberal leadership, said over the weekend that cutting off Quebecs hydro exports to the U.S. should remain an option on the table in a trade fight with Trump.It was Freelands abrupt resignation as finance minister last month that forced Trudeau to say he is resigning as prime minister and party leader.Trudeau is to remain prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen on March 9.The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the countrys history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24. An election is expected this spring.

Some of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memos sent to federal workers about firing, hiring freezes, and mandatory return to office demands were seemingly written by people who were previously employed by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative think tanks with longstanding loyalties to President Donald Trump, according to metadata on the memos posted by the government online. We know this because the senders of the memos failed to scrub the metadata from those documents, making it easy for anyone to reveal the listed authors of the memos.The 2025 Presidential Transition Project, better known as Project 2025, is a right-wing agenda from the Heritage Foundation that lays out the blueprint for remaking the federal government by firing government workers to install conservative, right-wing figures. The priorities of its authors include restricting access to reproductive care, mass deportations, and firing civil servants to replace them with Trump loyalists.Memos to federal Chief Human Capital Officers, HR Directors and Heads of Agencies are available publicly on the CHCO website. The memo author metadata was spotted by someone on Reddits r/fednews community, in response to a federal workers post.Whomever is posting the memos to the public OPM website doesnt know how to scrub meta data from the documents, they wrote. If you download them and view the document properties, you can see the author. Several are authored by lobbyists and lawyers individuals outside of the OPM.A memo with the subject line Guidance on Presidential Memorandum Return to In-Person Work sent from Charles Ezell, acting director at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and dated January 24, was authored by a Peters, Noah, according to the files metadata. Peters is an attorney who represented white nationalist Jared Taylor who sued Twitter in 2018 for banning him (and lost). In 2021, Peters wrote about Kyle Rittenhouse (who brought an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to a Black Lives Matter protest and killed two people), saying Rittenhouse should be able to reap some measure of restitution now that hes been acquitted from the journalists who covered his case.Peters LinkedIn now says hes a senior advisor at the OPM. In Trumps first term, he was announced by Trump appointee Colleen Duffy Kiko to be Solicitor for the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).A memo titled Federal Civilian Hiring Freeze Guidance and sent on Monday from Ezell and Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director at the Office of Management and Budget, was authored by a James Sherk, according to the metadata.Sherks specialty is firing federal workers. He was a special assistant on domestic policy during Trumps first term, according to Politico, and he worked at both the Heritage Foundation and the conservative think tank and Trump transition project America First Policy Institute before Trump brought him back to serve in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Hes credited as coming up with a classification for federal workers called Schedule F to remove their employment protections, which is recommended several times in Project 2025s playbook.On Friday, a memo sent from the OPM told federal agencies to terminate to the maximum extent allowed by law, all federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and environmental justice offices and positions within 60 days. Sherk has said that the federal government needs more people who basically share the President's policy agenda to carry it out effectively, and firing workers acts as a threat to anyone who wants [to] be a political activist on the job.Trump denied being involved with Project 2025 throughout his run for office, calling it ridiculous and abysmal. When he was elected president, he tapped several authors and contributors to the agenda to join his administration. In July, an investigation by CNN found at least 140 people who worked for Trump were involved in Project 2025.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have scored a position in President Donald Trumps administration after donating $277 million to his presidential campaign, but the tech billionaire still isnt getting a coveted spot in the White House, instead hes being relegated to an office down the block.Musk will be heading up Trumps new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but Newsweek reported that when Trump signed an executive order establishing DOGE as a temporary agency within the Executive Office of the President, he told the press that Musk wouldnt get an office close to the Oval Office.No. Hes getting an office for about 20 people that we're hiring to make sure that these [savings] get implemented, Trump said.Then, on Sunday, political analyst Dominic Michael Tripi reported that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles who Trump nicknamed the Ice Maiden" denied Musk access to Trump and a spot in the West Wing. "Susie Wiles has reportedly limited Elon Musk's direct access to the President, he wrote on X. Axios also reported that Wiles wants to create a drama-free zone and doesnt have the patience for drama queens. I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles said. "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission.Now that Musk, who has been glued to the presidents side since the election, has been denied an office in the White House, the internet cant stop trolling the tech mogul. From people joking that his office is just a Porta Potty in a back alley to people laughing that Musk will likely have to report directly to Wiles, the jokes will keep you laughing.Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Elon Musks exile! (@) "Elon Musks new office across the street from the White House." (@) "Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, has refused to give Elon Musk an office in the West Wing, sticking DOGE in the Eisenhower building, which is across the road from the White House. She's also making him report to her." (@) "Well well well, musk got kicked out of the White House! They cant stand him because he thinks he pulls all the strings and makes trump look weak and sick. He was refused to be granted an office in the west wing that was promised to him." (@) "Susie Wiles, Trump's Chief of Staff, stopped Elon Musk from establishing a permanent base in the West Wing of the White House. It's sad when you can buy a presidency, but not a seat at the table." (@) "Elon Musk has been booted from the White House and lost his direct access to Donald Trump!" (@) "bit of a nightmare weekend for poor old Elon Musk - no office in the White House - Trump praising Starmer - everyone calling Teslas #SwastiCars" (@) "After paying $277 million to get Trump elected, guess who's been denied his 'presidential office.'" (@) "Well, I'd say this is a spot of #GoodNews. 'Ice maiden' Susie Wiles, trump's chief of staff, has blocked Elon Musk from having an office in the White House. He's supposedly getting an office in a nearby separate building." (@) "Trump signs an order creating the Department of Governmental Efficiency Doocy: Is Elon Musk getting a West Wing office? Trump: No." (@) "Lol Elon musk got kicked out of the white house and his office is now in a different building across the street"

Joella is that girl. Despite being a known icon of the local LA drag scene, last weeks episode of Drag Race saw the queen sashay away from the competition and forever into our hearts, with a quilted look that was instantly iconic. That moment exemplifies exactly why Joella was a total scene-stealer this season. Pure camp, pure delusion, and utterly unforgettable. In just four episodes Joella served as a reminder of why Drag Race remains essential viewing 17 seasons later. Her mixture of confidence, emotional outbursts, and quotable commentary is pure gay culture.She didnt just win the hearts of the fans, but those of her fellow Drag Race alumni. Everyone from Raven and Raja, to Bob the Drag Queen and Monet X Change, to Alaska and Naomi Smalls have sung this queens praises. After all, it does take nerve, which Joella has in spades. Need proof of that? Just look at how she read her sisters, not just in confessionals, but directly to their faces. Miss Congeniality? I dont think. But breakout star? Why yes! Her approach was a throwback to early seasons of the show where the queens were not afraid to be candidly catty and when, if you werent watching Untucked, you really were missing half the story.PRIDE caught up with Joella to talk about her time on the show and how shes feeling about the fan reaction. A surprisingly self-aware queen, Joella revealed how vulnerable watching her now infamous monologue makes her feel and why she feared she would be misunderstood before the show aired. But of course, thats not all. Joella also dished up plenty of shade and explained why keeping it catty is how she finds and honors her drag tribe.See on InstagramPRIDE: How are you feeling about your time on Drag Race?JOELLA: Its honestly insane. Because I just didnt think that my reaction would be this big. I didnt think that I would have this many moments to shine on screen. Im extremely grateful to the Drag Race team for allowing me to really just shine so much on TV. Im also just extremely grateful to the fans for doing a complete 180 on me. Because, oh my god, girl, I was really worried. When promos dropped, I was like, Oh god, the fans are not liking me one bit. Then as the show went on, it was like a curse was lifted because now everyone is, like, obsessed. For the right or wrong reasons, I dont know, but at the end of the day, it was a complete 180. Its a known fact that you are the slaysian queen of Los Angeles and iconic in the local scene! How has the local scene reacted to your time on Drag Race? Listen, so when I say Im a local icon, Im not talking about, like all of LA. Im talking about the local drag scene in LA. I was very well-known in the local drag scene. Ive seen their posts and their stories and I think everybodys just getting a good laugh out of it. Something that everyone loves about me is my personality and the fact that I carry that delusional drag queen persona and vibe.See on InstagramI love it! I think you should embrace the title and not walk it back one inch! There are moments in Drag Race where you can see as it is happening that, Oh, this is a part of Drag Race herstory, this will be quoted forever and your local drag scene moment was exactly that. I know you were in your feelings at that moment but now how do you feel about it?Its so funny, but actually, whenever I see a video of it, I cant watch it back, because it was actually the most traumatic moment of my life when I was giving that monologue. When I watch it back, especially with the way people are reacting to it... I cant watch this. But I do understand how funny it is. Girl, if I saw another girl through this, oh, my god, I would have it on repeat. It would be so hilarious. But I think, because its me, I just cant. Girl, when that was happening my whole entire world was falling apart. That was the moment I realized that I probably was not going to do as well in Drag Race as I wanted to.Theres winning the crown, and then theres being the most memorable part of the season. It was giving Melinda Verga, and she may not have won the crown but people live for her!I started watching that season [of Canadas Drag Race] because of her, because of that moment. Honestly, that was kind of my mindset. I was like, Im about to have this mental breakdown, and Im gonna allow myself to have this mental breakdown in front of America. Im not going to be in the background. In the [design] challenge when we were in the Werk Room making our outfits, I was just thinking, whatever you do, dont hide. I feel like Lucky [Starzzz] was kind of hiding behind the table and trying not to be seen. I would walk up to the cameras and just start looking around. I was like, Im giving them clips to use in a storyline and putting me somewhere because I need to be in the story no matter how bad or good I do on Drag Race.See on InstagramThat is just, honestly, really smart. And it paid off, you really were front and center. The other thing I love about you is that you are not afraid to be outspoken. Like Acacia Forgot was not ready for that read, Lana JaRea was not ready for you to keep it 100 with her. Where does that shady confidence come from?Ive always just loved being honest. When I care about people, Im honest with them. Sometimes I do withhold the truth from people that I feel cant handle it, but I really thought Lana could handle it.That cutthroat-ness of my judgment of drag, and the way I talk about drag, kind of comes from my drag mom [Reina] and a lot of drag queens. Girl, when we call each other on the phone and were talking behind closed doors, that is exactly how we talk. And if a drag queen tells you that they dont talk like that behind closed doors, they are fucking lying, or they really dont do drag. Its a catty mess. When I watch Untucked and I see those queens that give me that catty mess, oh, my god, the way my soul just connects with the TV. Im like, these are my girls. This is why I do drag. This is me. This is my tribe. I knew I had to give my tribe the entertainment... and I needed to revive Untucked because, oh my god, Untucked was so fucking boring for so long, and I knew when I got on that I had to become the Drag Race girl that Ive always wanted to see on the show.See on InstagramSee, this is exactly what Im talking about. I knew I would ask you that question, and you would keep it 100 and I love it! So, whats next for Joella?There are many things in the works. I will just say, keep up with me on @TheJoellaDynasty on Instagram for all my life updates, period.

Jeremy Allen White is set to star in and executive produce a new limited series adaptation of Andr Acimans novel Enigma Variations for Netflix, Variety has confirmed. The project is currently in development at the streaming giant, marking the second onscreen adaptation of one of Acimans works following the success of Call Me by Your Name, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film in 2017.Enigma Variations explores the complex and often unrequited nature of love, charting the life of Paul, a man whose emotional attachments and passions span across his lifetime, from adolescence to adulthood. White will take on the lead role of Paul, a character whose relationships and desires remain intense and unfulfilled despite the passage of time.A Story of Love and Desire Across TimeThe official description of Acimans Enigma Variations highlights Pauls journey through various stages of life, marked by a series of poignant and transient love affairs. Whether its a boyhood crush on his parents cabinetmaker in southern Italy, a long-standing unrequited love for a woman he meets repeatedly over the years, or anonymous encounters with men during his college years, Pauls loves remain elusive and consuming. Set against the backdrop of locations such as New England, Central Park, and New York City, the novel explores themes of identity, desire, and self-discovery.The narrative reflects the tension between hope and denial, as Paul navigates the complexities of his own desires, regrets, and dreams. Ultimately, Enigma Variations explores the universal quest for love and understanding, even as the characters remain enigmas to themselves and to others.Acimans Literary Legacy ContinuesThis adaptation follows the massive success of Call Me by Your Name, Acimans 2007 novel that was adapted into a film directed by Luca Guadagnino. The film, which starred Timothe Chalamet and Armie Hammer, was widely praised and received four Oscar nominations, with James Ivory winning the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.With Enigma Variations, Netflix aims to bring another of Acimans beloved works to the screen, continuing the momentum established by Call Me by Your Name. While the film adaptation of Call Me by Your Name explored themes of passion and identity within a summer romance, Enigma Variations promises to delve deeper into the nuances of long-term desire and the complexity of human relationships.Key Talent Behind the SeriesAmanda Kate Shuman, known for her work on the Amazon series The Wheel of Time, will serve as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner for Enigma Variations. Shumans extensive experience in the world of television includes contributions to shows like Berlin Station, The Blacklist, and Chuck, making her an ideal candidate to lead this emotionally charged project.Oliver Hermanus, a director known for his work on films such as Beauty and Living, will direct and executive produce the series. Hermanus has built a reputation for his ability to tackle complex emotional narratives and will bring his experience to bear on Acimans intricate exploration of love and longing. Hermanus has also recently directed multiple episodes of the Sky Atlantic-Starz series Mary & George and is currently finishing the film The History of Sound, starring Josh OConnor and Paul Mescal.Aciman will executive produce the series alongside White, with Media Res producing. White, known for his role on the hit FX series The Bear and his long-running portrayal of Lip Gallagher on Shameless, is no stranger to complex, multi-layered characters. His work has earned him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and his involvement in Enigma Variations adds significant star power to the series.The Talent Behind the ProjectJeremy Allen Whites performance in The Bear has garnered widespread acclaim, with the actor recently winning two Emmys and three Golden Globes for his portrayal of Carmy Berzatto. Whites addition to the cast of Enigma Variations has generated considerable excitement, with many anticipating his take on Paul, a character whose emotional depth and vulnerabilities align well with Whites range as an actor. In addition to his work on The Bear, White has a diverse filmography, including roles in The Iron Claw and upcoming projects such as Deliver Me from Nowhere, a biopic about Bruce Springsteen, and The Mandalorian series.Amanda Kate Shumans experience as a writer and executive producer on The Wheel of Time has cemented her as a leading talent in the industry, particularly in the realm of high-concept, fantasy-based television. Her previous work on The Blacklist and Berlin Station shows her ability to craft compelling narratives across a variety of genres, making her well-suited to handle the emotionally complex material of Enigma Variations.Oliver Hermanus, who has directed a range of powerful films, brings his expertise in character-driven stories to this project. His recent film Living, starring Bill Nighy, has been lauded for its poignant exploration of life and regret, themes that align closely with the emotional currents of Enigma Variations. Hermanuss ability to handle delicate, introspective narratives makes him an excellent choice to bring Acimans novel to life.Media Res and Netflixs PartnershipEnigma Variations marks the second collaboration between Media Res and Netflix, following the announcement in September 2024 of Thumblite, a corporate thriller series starring Rosamund Pike. Media Res is known for producing high-quality content, including the acclaimed series The Morning Show and Pachinko for Apple TV+. The production company has developed a strong reputation for delivering both critically acclaimed dramas and commercial successes, and their involvement in Enigma Variations adds further credibility to the project.As Netflix continues to expand its library of original content, the adaptation of Enigma Variations promises to be a significant addition. With an all-star cast and a talented creative team behind the scenes, the series is poised to captivate audiences with its exploration of love, desire, and the enigmatic nature of human connections. As production moves forward, fans of Acimans work and new viewers alike are eagerly anticipating this intimate and compelling series.Stay tuned for more updates on Enigma Variations as it progresses toward its eventual release on Netflix.The post Jeremy Allen White to Star in Netflix Limited Series Adaptation of Andr Acimans Enigma Variations appeared first on Gayety.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to sign two major executive orders on Monday aimed at restricting transgender military service and rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the U.S. military. The orders are part of Trumps ongoing efforts to reverse policies introduced during the Biden administration, including expanding rights for transgender service members and promoting diversity within the armed forces.The executive orders will reinstate a controversial policy from Trumps first term that prohibited transgender people from enlisting in the military and rescind an order signed by President Joe Biden that allowed trans individuals to join the military. Bidens 2021 order also ensured that transgender service members already in uniform could receive coverage for transition-related medical care.Key Details of Trumps Executive OrdersAccording to a White House document detailing the upcoming orders, the new policies will prioritize military readiness and lethality by updating the Department of Defenses medical standards. The executive orders will also include several measures aimed at limiting transgender inclusion, including:A ban on transgender individuals enlisting in the military.The end of gender-specific pronouns in military settings, replacing them with invented and identification-based pronouns.Prohibiting people assigned male at birth from using womens sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities.A ban on coverage for transition-related medical care under the militarys health care program, Tricare, for currently enlisted service members and their families.While the new restrictions will not immediately eject transgender service members from the military, it remains unclear how these orders will affect those already receiving transition-related care through Tricare. Furthermore, Bidens December 2023 defense bill already blocked gender-affirming care for transgender children of service members, an issue that has sparked continued debate.Impact of Previous Transgender Military RestrictionsThe executive orders signed by Trump on Monday will largely mirror the transgender military restrictions he introduced in 2017. Under those guidelines, transgender service members were divided into two categories: exempt and nonexempt. Exempt members were those who had already come out as transgender before the restriction and could continue serving openly, while nonexempt members were required to serve in their birth-assigned gender and were prohibited from receiving any transition-related care. The policy also completely banned transgender people from enlisting in the military.Although Trumps administration argued that the 2017 policy was not a trans military ban, as it allowed for limited waivers, only one waiver was publicly reported during the four years it was in effect.The White House document supporting the new orders justifies the policy by claiming that transition-related surgeries, which often require long recovery times and substantial medical care, make transgender service members unfit for military duties such as deployment. The document also criticizes Bidens repeal of Trumps restrictions, claiming that the previous administrations policy led to millions of dollars in taxpayer spending on transition-related surgeries and care.Militarys Current Transgender Service Members and CostsEstimates on the number of transgender individuals currently serving in the U.S. military vary. A 2014 report by the Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that about 15,500 transgender people were in the military, while a 2016 Rand Corporation study put the number at 10,790, though it noted the figure could be as low as 2,150. The Department of Defense does not publicly report exact figures on the number of transgender service members.A recent report from the Congressional Research Service revealed that between 2016 and 2021, the Defense Department spent approximately $15 million on transition-related care for 1,892 active-duty service members, including $11.5 million on psychotherapy and $3.1 million on surgeries.Reaction from Transgender Service MembersTransgender service members have expressed concern over the potential reinstatement of these restrictions. Emily Shilling, a Navy commander and president of SPARTA, a transgender military advocacy group, came out as a transgender woman in 2019, shortly after Trumps initial restrictions were enacted. Under those rules, she was required to serve in alignment with her birth-assigned gender.I want to keep using the skills this nation invested in me as a fighter pilot and leader, said Shilling, who has served in the military since 2005. Since coming out as transgender, Ive served with distinction, earning a promotion with distinction as the top officer in my community. My country has given me so much, serving it has been my lifes greatest honor.Shilling added that she and other transgender service members simply want to continue serving their country without fear of discrimination or exclusion.Trumps Focus on DEI and Military CurriculumIn addition to the transgender military restrictions, Trump is expected to sign another executive order aimed at curbing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the military. This order will mandate the disbanding of DEI offices within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as a review of service academy curricula to ensure the elimination of radical DEI and gender ideologies.In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote, No more DEI at @DeptofDefense and warned that any department personnel who failed to comply with the new directive would be removed.This executive order is part of Trumps broader agenda to dismantle Biden-era initiatives on diversity and gender rights. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump issued several executive orders, including one that recognized only two genders, male and female, and another that ended DEI programs in federal agencies. As part of this push, the State Department recently suspended all passport applications requesting changes to gender markers.As Trump prepares to sign these orders, the ongoing debate over transgender rights and diversity initiatives in the military is set to intensify. With transgender service members facing uncertainty and LGBTQ+ advocates mobilizing against the restrictions, the future of these policies remains unclear. Trumps executive orders, which reflect his commitment to rolling back Biden-era policies, signal a major shift in how the U.S. military will approach transgender service and diversity in the years to come.Jeremy Allen White to Star in Netflix Limited Series Adaptation of Andr Acimans Enigma VariationsBehind Donald Trumps Executive Orders Banning Transgender Military Service and Cracking Down on Diversity InitiativesLady Gaga Announces New Album Mayhem Set for March Release2025 Grammys: First Slate of Performers Announced, Featuring a Diverse Lineup of Queer ArtistsSecretary of State Marco Rubio Orders Suspension of X Gender Marker in U.S. Passport ApplicationsThe post Behind Donald Trumps Executive Orders Banning Transgender Military Service and Cracking Down on Diversity Initiatives appeared first on Gayety.

Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Secretary of the Treasury, appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-01-27T23:08:59Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Senate confirmed billionaire investor Scott Bessent on Monday to serve as President Donald Trumps treasury secretary, giving him the delicate balancing act of cutting taxes and curbing deficits while putting forward a plan on tariffs that doesnt jeopardize growth.He cleared the Senate roll call with bipartisan support, in a 68 to 29 vote with 16 Democrats voting in favor of the Republican nominee. The South Carolina resident will be the first openly gay individual in the role, a historic first as Trump seeks novel ways to implement a policy agenda driven by both billionaire business leaders with concerns over regulations and a populist base that wants government leaders to fight for them. He will serve as the nations 79th treasury secretary. Bessent, a past supporter of Democrats who once worked for George Soros, has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He has said the U.S. faces economic calamity if Congress does not renew key provisions of Trumps Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are set to expire Dec. 31, 2025. Negotiating the extension of those tax cuts will be one of his major responsibilities even as he has also pushed for 3% annual growth, significant trims to deficits and increasing domestic oil production by 3 million barrels a day. Bessent cleared the Senate Finance committee on a 16-11 bipartisan vote. After Bessent was confirmed, Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Id.) said voting for Bessent was one of the easiest votes we could ever take. However, he faced pushback from Democrats on unpaid tax liabilities. Democrats say Bessent has engaged in tax avoidance by failing to pay nearly $1 million in Medicare taxes related to his limited partnership in his hedge fund. Bessent, meanwhile, takes issue with his tax liability to the IRS and is in litigation over the tax bill. He committed during his confirmation hearing that he would pay the tax bill if a court rules against him. Other Democrats have voiced support for Bessent, including Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.While I disagree with many of his policy positions, particularly his support for extending tax cuts for the wealthy and President Trumps tariff threats, I hope that he will focus the Treasury Department on bringing down costs for middle-class Americans, Coons said in a statement, adding that he supports Bessents commitment to continue U.S. investment in international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Trump took his time before settling on Bessent as his nominee. He also mulled over billionaire investor John Paulson and Howard Lutnick, whom Trump tapped for commerce secretary.The treasury secretary is responsible for serving as the presidents fiscal policy adviser and managing the public debt. He is also a member of the presidents National Economic Council.Among his responsibilities will be investigating the feasibility of creating an External Revenue Service to collect tariff revenue from other nations. Trump announced the creation of the agency which requires an act of Congress on his social media site, Truth Social earlier this month. Tariffs, with the threat of a potential 25% levy on all goods from allies like Canada and Mexico and 60% on goods from China, have become a benchmark of Trumps economic agenda.In addition, Bessent faces a mounting and record U.S. debt load. Before leaving office, former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned congressional leaders this month that Treasury would start taking extraordinary measures, or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling. And on Thursday, Treasury deployed new measures to stop the U.S. from breaching the debt ceiling.With Trumps return to the White House and his Republican Party controlling majorities in Congress, his outsider Cabinet choices are getting confirmed despite initial skepticism and opposition from both sides of the aisle.In his testimony, Bessent committed to maintaining the IRS Direct File program which allows taxpayers to file their returns directly to the IRS for free at least for the 2025 tax season, which begins Jan. 27. Republican lawmakers say the program is a waste of money because free filing programs already exist, although they are not popular.He also said during his confirmation hearing that the Federal Reserve should remain independent from the presidents influence and that U.S. sanctions on Russian oil should be more aggressive. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto

Denali is visible from Pt. Woronzof, Oct. 9, 2024, as a person rides a bicycle on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP)2025-01-27T05:02:39Z Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump outlined in one of his many executive orders a mission to celebrate American greatness and to recognize those who have made contributions throughout history.He jumpstarted the effort by ordering the name of North Americas tallest peak to be changed from Denali back to Mount McKinley in honor of the nations 25th president, William McKinley. He also called on the U.S. Interior Department to work with Alaska Natives and others to adopt names for other landmarks that would honor their history and culture.The U.S. Board on Geographic Names will play a role. The little known panel made up of officials from several federal agencies has been in existence since 1890. How did the board get its start?As more settlers and prospectors headed west following the American Civil War, it became apparent the federal government needed some kind of consistency for referencing landmarks on maps and in official documents. In comes President Benjamin Harrison. He issued an executive order establishing the board in hopes of resolving some of the confusion.President Theodore Roosevelt took it further in 1906, making the board responsible for standardizing geographic names for use across the federal government. That included changing names for some spots and identifying unnamed features. It was President Franklin Roosevelt who dissolved the board in 1934, opting instead to transfer duties to the Interior Department. After World War II, Congress changed course and reestablished the panel. The board under the Trump administration will have new members, but the makeup will be the same with representatives from several agencies ranging from the Interior and Commerce departments to the Post Office and the Library of Congress. Even the CIA plays a role when the board considers place names beyond U.S. borders.The members are appointed for two-year terms by the respective heads of the agencies they represent. The committee that deals with names on U.S. soil meets monthly. Whats in a name?The board is quite aware of the importance of a name, noting in its guiding principles, policies and procedures that the names of geographic features throughout the U.S. reflect the nations history and its changing face. The board points out that names of Native American origin are found sprinkled throughout the land and there are traces of the languages spoken by early explorers. It is in these ways and many others that geographic naming gives us a clear, exciting profile of the United States that is unmatched in any other medium, the board states.In the case of Mount McKinley, original inhabitants had unique names for the mountain long before prospectors showed up. For the Koyukon Athabaskans, its always been deenaalee, roughly translated as the high one.Despite never having visited Alaska, McKinleys name became attached to the mountain in 1896, labeled by a gold prospector after the Republican was nominated as a presidential candidate. McKinley, who signed legislation in 1900 making gold the sole standard for U.S. currency, was assassinated just six months into his second term and the name Mount McKinley stuck. Alaska wasnt a state then and it would take decades before elected officials there would petition the Board on Geographic Names to return to what locals knew best. But their efforts were repeatedly blocked. Then in 2015, after years of pressure from Alaska Natives and other advocates, President Barack Obama issued an order making Denali official for federal purposes.Like so many sites across the U.S., the peak is more than a tourist attraction. Its woven into the cultural fabric of those who call the area home, said Valerie Grussing, executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. Its a sacred place, she told The Associated Press, adding, the name we use for it should reflect that sacred relationship between the people and the land. Have name-changing campaigns made a difference?In the 1960s and 1970s, the Board on Geographic Names took action to eliminate the use of derogatory terms related to Japanese and Black people.More recently, former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland initiated a campaign to eliminate offensive names at hundreds of places around the nation. She highlighted the work during her farewell address to department employees just weeks ago, saying the effort to address derogatory words would continue.In 2023, the board voted to change Mount Evans southwest of Denver to Mount Blue Sky at the request of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. Two years earlier, more than a dozen sites with racist and offensive names in Texas were renamed. In 2008, the board approved a proposal to change the name of a prominent Phoenix mountain to Piestewa Peak to honor Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military. And now theres a campaign brewing in Alaska to have Denali restored. Its too early to say whether that will result in a new proposal before the board. The Interior Department on Friday took steps to update the peaks name in the federal Geographic Names Information System. Since the boards decisions are binding only for the federal government, its possible Denali will live on through Google and Apple map applications and other private mapping services.Who can propose a name change?Any person, government agency, Native American tribe or organization can submit a proposal to the board, as long as there is a compelling reason and evidence to support it. The support of local communities and historical or genealogical societies helps.Because a name will affect many people for a long time, it should be acceptable to the community in which the feature is located and to federal departments and agencies, tribal, state and local governments, and other interested parties that have an interest in the feature, board policy states. While its role over the years has grown, the board says its principles for deciding whose name may be applied to a natural feature for U.S. official maps and publications have stood the test of time. In some cases, the board may be able to suggest alternatives to geographic naming that might better commemorate an individual.The board prohibits consideration of any derogatory names and it wont consider proposals involving the names of living people or anyone who has been dead less than five years.Once settled on, the names are listed in the official repository of geographic names used by the federal government. The system includes more than 2.5 million name records.

Since it was such a blast last year, we decided to do it again. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake Citys Meredith Marks welcomed GLAAD into her boutique on Main Street in Park City, Utah to celebrate the LGBTQ community during the Sundance Film Festival. Guests included GLAADs VP of Communications & Talent [...]The post GLAAD at Sundance 2025: RHOSLCs Meredith Marks Celebrates LGBTQ Community at Film Festival first appeared on GLAAD.

Youve probably had a crush on Jeremy Allen White since he was wearing tank tops on Shameless, but now your queer dreams are coming true because hes set to star in an upcoming bisexual romance.Hell not only be starring as bisexual man Paul in Enigma Variations but will also executive produce the limited series for Netflix, Deadline reports.According to the official synopsis, Enigma Variations charts the life of a man named Paul, whose loves remain as consuming and as covetous throughout his adulthood as they were in his adolescence. Whether the setting is southern Italy, where as a boy he has a crush on his parents cabinetmaker, or a snowbound campus in New England, where his enduring passion for a girl hell meet again and again over the years is punctuated by anonymous encounters with men whether hes on a tennis court in Central Park or on a New York sidewalk in early spring. Pauls attachments are ungraspable, transient, and forever underwritten by raw desire. Ahead of every step Paul takes, his hopes, denials, fears, and regrets are always ready to lay their traps. Yet the dream of love lingers. We may not always know what we want. We may remain enigmas to ourselves and to others. But sooner or later, we discover who weve always known we were.Enigma Variations is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Andr Aciman, who also wrote the book the gay coming of age romance Call Me by Your Name was based on.Oliver Hermanus is also attached to direct. This wont be the only gay romance hes working on this year, his Paul Mescal and Josh OConnor gay period piece History of Sound is set to be released in 2025. Not only is White currently working on the fourth season of The Bear for which he has won two Emmys and three Golden Globes to date but hes also starring in the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere and the Star Wars movie The Mandelorian & Grogu.

Sapphic sex can be hot, magical, and completely unforgettable, but its also hard work!Between remembering when to breathe when youre getting to work downstairs, your tongue cramping, your wrist starting to hurt, or losing stamina when youre scissoring or strapping, there are just as many ways sex can go wrong as it can go deliciously right. But never fear because lesbians are as generous with their sex advice tips as they are as lovers. So whether youre a baby dyke, a late-in-life lesbian, or someone just looking to up your bedroom game, there are plenty of ways to increase your stamina so you can go for longer without huffing and puffing like youre at the gym. This way, when youre girlfriend says, Right there, dont stop! you can keep going until shes had multiple orgasms instead of having to tap out early from exhaustion.OralIf your jaw starts aching and your tongue cramps before shes even tripping down your chin, it may be time to employ a unique technique to push past the discomfort to get your girl that O. According to Autostraddle, the key is to distract your brain with reciprocal inhibition. The idea is to contract a different muscle when you start to get a cramp. So when youre tongue starts to hurt, move your leg, arm, or finger repeatedly without having to stop eating her out. The motion will distract your brain and let you keep going all night long.FingeringSee on InstagramLizzy Bristow aka Body by Daddy on social media is a queer fitness influencer who is known for her fitness routines that help people with body dysmorphia, but she also has tips for workout that will keep you from getting tired or having pain during sex.If you feel the need to ice your wrists after fingering your partner, Bristol has the workout for you. Take two small weighted plates if youre at the gym or a hammer if you work out at home, and hold it in your hand while youre sitting and balancing your elbow on your thigh. Then, just let your wrist drop and lift it back up. Simple!StrappingSee on InstagramBristow has even more tips when it comes to building a body strong enough to use a strap-on without your muscles getting too worn out. She's come up with a beginner's workout for building a body that will allow you to be on top without a problem. She recommends a combination of planks, glute bridges, negative push-ups, and crunches to get you into tip-top strapping shape!ScissoringYes, scissoring is real, and some sapphics love it. But there are two problems: leg cramps and too much friction. The solution? According to Quinn the audio erotic app a stretching routine before you fall into bed with someone will ensure you don't get a pesky cramp halfway through, and lots of lube will keep everything slippery so you don't have painful friction.

Demi Lovato, the non-binary pop star, has issued a heartfelt statement in response to former President Donald Trumps recent anti-trans executive order. The order, signed on January 20 as Trump began his second term in office, has been widely criticized as a direct attack on LGBTQ+ rights. It stipulates that the U.S. will recognize only male and female genders, labeling them as unchangeable, a move that has sparked outrage from activists and members of the transgender and non-binary communities.In a powerful show of solidarity, Lovato took to Instagram to share a message of support for LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those who are trans and non-binary, following the signing of the controversial executive order.Lovatos Message of SolidarityLovato, who came out as non-binary in May 2021 and has since used they/them pronouns, shared an emotional post to reassure their followers. If you are trans or non-binary like me, please know that I see you, I feel you, I am with you. You are validated, you are loved, and you are not alone, they wrote on their Instagram Story. No one can take away our identities and no one can tell us who we are or arent. We will get thru this. I love you.The message was a reminder to Lovatos followers that despite the challenges posed by such policies, their identities remain valid and protected. Lovatos words resonated deeply with the LGBTQ+ community, especially those who felt targeted by the executive order, which many consider a setback for transgender rights.Backlash to Trumps Executive OrderTrumps executive order is seen by many as part of a broader political agenda to erase the legal recognition of non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals. The order seeks to eliminate protections for transgender people and mandates that only the binary genders of male and female be recognized by the U.S. government, undermining the legitimacy of identities that exist outside of this framework. Critics, including LGBTQ+ advocates and activists, have denounced the order as harmful and discriminatory, particularly for trans and non-binary individuals who have fought for years to have their gender identities legally recognized.Demi Lovatos statement, which offered a message of reassurance and unity, comes at a time when many within the LGBTQ+ community are grappling with the potential ramifications of such policies. Lovatos visibility as a non-binary public figure continues to be an essential part of the ongoing fight for equality and acceptance.Lovatos Advocacy and JourneyThis is not the first time Lovato has spoken out in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Since coming out as non-binary in 2021, Lovato has used their platform to raise awareness about issues affecting gender-nonconforming individuals, including the struggles faced by transgender people in the U.S. Their candidness about their own gender identity and experiences has helped normalize discussions around gender fluidity, especially within the pop music industry.In a separate interview with GQ magazine in June 2023, Lovato opened up about their decision to re-adopt she/her pronouns alongside they/them. I constantly had to educate people and explain why I identified with those pronouns, Lovato shared. It was absolutely exhausting. I just got tired. But for that very reason, I know that it is important to continue spreading the word. At the time, Lovato explained that the choice was not an abandonment of their non-binary identity but rather a personal decision to ease some of the burdens of constant explanation.As of now, Lovatos Instagram bio lists their pronouns as they/them/she/her, reflecting their fluid approach to gender identity.Support from Other LGBTQ+ FiguresLovatos statement is part of a larger wave of defiance against Trumps executive order, with many other public figures also voicing their opposition. Michelle Visage, a judge on RuPauls Drag Race, took to social media to express her own outrage. You will not erase my child, Visage wrote in a defiant post, standing firm in her commitment to supporting transgender and non-binary individuals.Visages post highlights the broader pushback from within the LGBTQ+ community, which has rallied around Lovatos message of love and resilience. The response to the executive order reflects the growing strength and solidarity within the community, as well as the shared commitment to protecting the rights of all individuals, regardless of gender identity.Lovatos Upcoming WorkOutside of their activism, Demi Lovato continues to make waves in the music industry. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of new music, with reports circulating about a potential new track titled Breathe, which is said to feature RuPauls Drag Race UK star Bimini. Lovatos influence extends beyond their musical talent, as they continue to use their platform to advocate for greater inclusion and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues.Lovatos ongoing commitment to authenticity and advocacy has made them an important figure for many in the LGBTQ+ community, and their words of support in the wake of Trumps executive order are yet another example of how they use their platform to uplift and empower others.Demi Lovatos response to Donald Trumps anti-trans executive order is a powerful reminder of the importance of visibility, solidarity, and support within the LGBTQ+ community. As one of the few high-profile non-binary celebrities, Lovatos message holds particular significance, offering reassurance to those who may feel vulnerable or marginalized. In a time when the rights of trans and non-binary individuals are under threat, Lovatos words serve as both a comforting affirmation and a call to action.With more LGBTQ+ figures, including Michelle Visage, speaking out in opposition to the executive order, the fight for equal rights continues, and Lovatos commitment to this cause remains unwavering. As the LGBTQ+ community faces these challenges, it is clear that Lovato and others will continue to stand in solidarity and fight for the recognition and rights of all individuals, regardless of their gender identity.The post Demi Lovato Responds to Trumps Anti-Trans Executive Order with Powerful Message of Support appeared first on Gayety.

The logo for the Justice Department is seen before a news conference at the Department of Justice, Aug. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-01-27T21:53:32Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department said Monday that it had fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump, moving rapidly to pursue retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations.The abrupt action targeting career prosecutors who worked on special counsel Jack Smiths team is the latest sign of upheaval inside the Justice Department and reflects the administrations determination to purge the government of workers it perceives as disloyal to the president. The norm-shattering move, which follows the reassignment of multiple senior career officials across divisions, was made even though rank-and-file prosecutors by tradition remain with the department across presidential administrations and are not punished by virtue of their involvement in sensitive investigations. The firings are effective immediately. Today, Acting Attorney General James McHenry terminated the employment of a number of DOJ officials who played a significant role in prosecuting President Trump, said a statement from a Justice Department official. In light of their actions, the Acting Attorney General does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing the Presidents agenda. This action is consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government. It was not immediately clear which prosecutors were affected by the order, or how many who worked on the investigations into Trump remained with the department. It was also not immediately known how many of the fired prosecutors intended to challenge the terminations by arguing that the department had ignored civil service protections afforded to federal employees. Smith himself resigned from the department earlier this month after submitting a two-volume report on the twin investigations into Trumps efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. At least one other key member of the team, Jay Bratt, also retired from the department this month after serving as a lead prosecutor in the classified documents case.The firings were first reported by Fox News. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto

CAPTION CORRECTS YEAR A UN armoured personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)2025-01-24T21:46:48Z DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congos strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.Analysts said the M23 fighters aimed to control the city of about 2 million people and perhaps other areas in the region nearly 1,000 miles from the Congolese capital.It marks a sharp escalation in one of Africas longest wars, threatening to dramatically worsen a dire humanitarian crisis.The rebels offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to 1 million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire.Here is what to know about the conflict:Who are the rebels and what do they want?The M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo, where a decades-long conflict has raged. The group, made up primarily of ethnic Tutsis who failed to integrate into the Congolese army, led a failed insurgency against the Congolese government in 2012. It was then dormant for a decade, until its resurgence in 2022.Between 1996 and 2003, the region was at the heart of a protracted conflict dubbed Africas world war, as armed groups fought over access to metals and rare earth minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium and gold. Up to 6 million people died.The conflict can be traced to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda, where Hutu militias killed between 500,000 and 1 million ethnic Tutsi, as well as moderate Hutus and Twa, Indigenous people.When Tutsi-led forces fought back, nearly 2 million Hutus crossed into Congo, fearing reprisals. Tensions between Hutus and Tutsis have repeatedly flared in Congo since then.Rwandan authorities have accused the Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide and alleged that elements of the Congolese army protected them. They have argued that the militias formed by a small fraction of the Hutus are a threat to Rwandas Tutsi population.M23 claims to defend Tutsi and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination. Critics say its a pretext for Rwanda to obtain economic and political influence over eastern Congo.Why is control of eastern Congo so important?As the world relies more than ever on Congos metals and rare earth minerals to produce electronics, the stakes have risen. Neighboring Rwanda and Uganda have financial interests in Congolese mines, as well as China and the United States.Most of Congos mineral resources, estimated to be worth $24 trillion, remain untapped, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce last year, which called the country the worlds leading producer of cobalt, key to making batteries.Little of the regions wealth has trickled down to Congolese citizens, with 60% out of its 100 million residents living below the poverty line. Instead, fighting over natural resources has destabilized the country.Whats the role of neighboring Rwanda?Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, which had hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the United Nations, the group has around 6,500 fighters.While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.Analysts say that Rwandan troops in eastern Congo have been increasingly active in recent weeks.Why is Goma important for the rebels?The city is a regional hub for trade, security and humanitarian efforts, and its airport is key for transporting supplies.Since 2021, Congos government and allied forces, including Burundian troops and U.N. troops, have been keeping the rebels away from Goma.The capture of such a large city will be a huge boost for the rebels and a major defeat for government forces.Gomas fall would also have a catastrophic impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians, putting them at risk of heightened exposure to human rights violations and abuses, said Ravina Shamdasani of the U.N. human rights office.Is this likely to resolve like the last time?In 2012, the rebels seized Goma and controlled it for about a week but surrendered the city after mounting international pressure on Rwanda including suspension of aid from the United States and Britain.But analysts say this time around, it will be more difficult.Previously, they (M23) had clear demands to be integrated into the DRC army and have greater participation in the political process, said Darren Davids, an analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit. But now, he said, it seems like M23, with the help of Rwanda, are intent on holding control of Goma and, more specifically, the supply chain routes in North Kivu.The rebels could use Goma as a bargaining chip, strengthening their position in possible negotiations with Congo.What is the situation for civilians?There are 4 million displaced people in eastern Congo. The U.N. refugee agency says more than 400,000 have been displaced already this year, exacerbating desperate conditions in severely overcrowded displacement centers in and around Goma and triggering an increase in cholera cases.As rebels closed in on Goma, many more fled from surrounding villages and displacement camps into the city. Others fled from Goma into Rwanda.Some of the staff at Gomas main hospital were sheltering in a bunker, treating the wounded while coming under gunfire and artillery fire.___Associated Press writers Justin Kabumba in Goma, Congo; Christina Malkia in Kinshasa, Congo; Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report. MONIKA PRONCZUK Pronczuk covers 22 countries across Central and West Africa for The Associated Press. She is based in Dakar, Senegal. twitter mailto

USAID humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela is displayed for the media at a warehouse next to the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)2025-01-28T02:19:47Z WASHINGTON (AP) At least 56 senior officials in the top U.S. aid and development agency were placed on leave Monday amid an investigation into an alleged effort to thwart President Donald Trumps orders.A current official and a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development confirmed the reason given for the move Monday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.Several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere also were laid off, the officials said.It follows Trumps executive order last week that directed a sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed through the State Department.As a result of the freeze, thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide had stopped work or were preparing to do so. Without funds to pay staff, aid organizations were laying off hundreds of employees. An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by The Associated Press said new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the Presidents Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people. As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions, Gray wrote.Trump has signed many executive orders since taking office a week ago, but the notice did not say which orders the employees were suspected of violating. The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees who had served in multiple administrations, including Trumps, the former USAID official said.Before those officials were removed from the job Monday, they were scrambling to help U.S.-funded aid organizations cope with the new funding freeze and seek waivers to continue life-saving activities, from getting clean water to war-displaced people in Sudan to continuing to monitor for bird flu globally, the former official said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has specifically exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.The Trump administration and GOP lawmakers, many of them skeptical of the need for foreign aid and eager to see other countries pay more, say they will review each foreign assistance program to determine whether it is directly in U.S. interests and eliminate those that are deemed wasteful or liberal social engineering.Politico first reported the USAID officials being put on leave. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Foreign policy, national security, foreign policy & climate twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Two boys watch a crowd of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-01-27T19:26:01Z Hospitals and clinics destroyed. Millions of tons of debris contaminated with toxic substances, unexploded ordnance and human remains. Tens of thousands of people with injuries that will require a lifetime of care.As Gazas residents return to what is left of their homes, they face new risks on top of monumental health challenges. Fifteen months of war has killed more than 47,000 people, according to local health officials, displaced 90% of Gazans and reduced many areas to rubble. Clean water is in short supply and sewers, so important for protecting public health, are badly damaged spurring worries about the spread of infectious disease.Aid groups are rushing to provide food and supplies amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as they plan the best way forward. You have a population with just every health need imaginable ... (who have) been unable to get access to care ... for more than a year, said Yara Asi, an expert in global health management and visiting scholar at the FXB Center of Health and Human Rights at Harvard. What is that going to look like in the near future and the long term ? Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas. (AP Photo/Mohammad Abu Samra) Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas. (AP Photo/Mohammad Abu Samra) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Heres a look at some of the urgent health issues. Healthcare in shamblesMost of Gazas 36 hospitals were damaged or partly destroyed by Israeli bombs, with only half still partially operational, according to the World Health Organization. Almost two-thirds of health clinics arent open. That makes it impossible to treat everyone who needs urgent and long-term care including an estimated 30,000 people who need ongoing rehabilitation for life-changing injuries, such as amputations.The WHO said that when its safe, itll team up with other organizations to prioritize critical services such as trauma and emergency care, primary health care and mental health support. That includes increasing hospital-bed capacity in northern and southern Gaza, and bringing in prefabricated containers to help treat patients at damaged hospitals and clinics, the WHO said. International workers also are needed to ease staffing shortages, the organization said.Asi and other experts said most hospital equipment has been destroyed, and is expensive and difficult to import. How are Palestinians going to import the advanced, expensive medical equipment that actually makes the hospital more than a building? Asi said. Thats going to take years.Israel says Hamas is responsible for damage to the health system because the group often used hospitals to hide or gather its men. Under the current six-week ceasefire, Israel has allowed sharp increases of humanitarian supplies. But the sides have not agreed on a permanent end to the war, and Israel has not publicly laid out a postwar vision that would include plans for reconstruction and cleanup of the territory. Displaced Palestinians arrive in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Displaced Palestinians arrive in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Life-changing injuriesThe WHO said one-fourth of the estimated 110,000 people injured in the fighting suffered life-changing injuries, including over 12,000 who need to be evacuated as soon as possible for specialized care.Among the injured are thousands of children who lost limbs and will need prosthetics and long-term care, said Marc Sinclair, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon from Dubai who has volunteered in Gaza for over a decade.He said the charity he helped start, Little Wings Foundation, will partner with the Palestinian Childrens Relief Fund and a German prosthetics company that will supply containers that can be turned into workshops.They hope to begin training doctors and manufacturing prosthetics in the West Bank and move the operation to Gaza when they are able.The volume of injured is so huge that its going to be an enormous task to fulfill the needs, Sinclair said. Were talking about children that have not just single amputations, but ... multiple amputations.Asi, from Harvard, said thousands of people also suffered traumatic injuries, including brain damage, that will require lifelong care. And then you have those people that have regular health ailments, she said. Theyve been unable to get access to care or medications in some cases for more than a year. Displaced Palestinians arrive in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Displaced Palestinians arrive in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israels decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Threat of infectious disease A shortage of clean water, destroyed sanitation systems, overcrowding and missed childhood vaccinations have created ideal circumstances for spread of infectious disease, said Asi, also co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights.She said children many of whom experienced malnutrition and mental trauma are a special concern. Gaza experienced a polio outbreak for the first time in decades, so it is clear that both children and adults are at risk of other infectious diseases, Asi said.She said people have described crowded living conditions, a lack of hygiene supplies and garbage and sewage in the streets.Its really a health catastrophe from every potential facet, she said, adding that there have been outbreaks of respiratory infections in tent camps and shelters, and many people are living with undiagnosed skin rashes and infections. Dangerous debrisExperts say Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza will be at risk from breathing dust or touching debris contaminated with toxic chemicals, asbestos and human remains, as well as munitions that never exploded. On Monday, tens of thousands of people began returning to northern Gaza as part of the ceasefire, finding piles of rubble where their homes once stood.Its critical to move quickly to identify and contain environmental hazards to prevent returning residents from inadvertently coming into contact with harmful pollutants and to keep it from spreading, a United Nations Environment Programme spokesperson said.The agency plans to begin an on-the-ground assessment within two to three months, as security allows.The first priority should be for specialized teams to search for and clear unexploded ordnance, then to test air, water and soil for toxic substances, said Paul Walker, chair of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition and a former staff member of the House Armed Services Committee. People are anxious, I know, to rebuild, he said, but returning home right now could be very dangerous ... I think weve got to expect as people work through the rubble there will inevitably be injuries and deaths. But it might be difficult to convince residents to delay their return, said Asi. She said shes seen videos showing caravans of people walking in some cases knowing that theres nothing waiting for them but just wanting to go back to the land to recover the bodies of loved ones or to see if their house survived or what survives from their home.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Elon Musk reacts as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-28T05:11:48Z ATLANTA (AP) President Donald Trumps brash populism has always involved incongruence: the billionaire businessman-politician stirring the passions of millions who, regardless of the U.S. economys trajectory, could never afford to live in his Manhattan skyscraper or visit his club in south Florida.His second White House is looking a lot like the inside of Mar-a-Lago, with extremely wealthy Americans taking key roles in his administration. The worlds richest man, Elon Musk, is overseeing a new Department of Government Efficiency. Billionaires or mega-millionaires are lined up to run the treasury, commerce, interior and education departments, NASA and the Small Business Administration, and fill key foreign posts. Hes bringing in folks who have had great success in the private sector, said Debbie Dooley, an early 2015 Trump supporter and onetime national organizer in the anti-establishment Tea Party movement. If you need to have brain surgery, you want the proven brain surgeons. Others raise concerns about conflicts of interest at odds with Trumps pledge to fight for forgotten men and women in a country where the median household net worth is about $193,000 and median annual household income is about $81,000. Its hard to conceive how the wealthiest set of Cabinet nominees and White House appointments in history will understand what average working people are going through, said former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who served under President Bill Clinton and has warned for decades about the nations widening wealth and wage gaps. Countered Dooley: Trump sets the agenda. If they wont enact his policies, then they will hear him say what we hear on The Apprentice all the time: Youre fired!Here is a closer look at some of Trumps picks, their net worth according to Forbes, and what the choices could mean:Elon MuskMusk (net worth estimated above $400 billion) is chairing the new Department of Government Efficiency, which is a special commission charged with slashing federal spending. The extensive ties his businesses have to the government have raised questions about Musks potential conflicts in the role. Linda McMahonMcMahon was picked to be Trumps secretary of education. She is the wife of Vince McMahon, who is worth at least $3 billion.The former WWE wrestling executive will lead an agency that many conservatives have called for abolishing altogether. While thats a heavy lift politically, McMahon and Trump have endorsed an expansion of school choice, programs that steer taxpayer money to private school tuition. She also could be in charge of implementing Trumps proposals to withhold federal money from public schools K-12 and higher education that do not meet White House demands to modify or scrap diversity programs.Doug BurgumThe North Dakota governor (estimated net worth $1.1 billion) made his money as a software entrepreneur. Burgum impressed Trump during his own failed bid for the GOPs 2024 presidential nomination. As interior secretary, Burgum would be charged with implementing Trumps Drill, baby, drill promise making it even easier for energy companies to tap fossil fuel resources, including from public lands. Scott BessentForbes has not yet identified Bessent as a billionaire, but the veteran hedge fund manager confirmed Monday as treasury secretary certainly is worth many hundreds of millions. At Treasury, he will play key roles in selling and implementing a number of Trumps signature policies: reinstating the 2017 tax cuts tilted to corporations and wealthy individuals, imposing tariffs on many imports and cutting taxes on overtime wages, Social Security benefits and tip income.Reich, the former labor secretary, noted that Bessent and his fellow wealthy Cabinet designees stand to benefit personally from Trumps tax ideas. Trump tax policies, which helped widen the deficit in Trumps first term, are juxtaposed with Bessents warnings about the dangers of rising U.S. debt and the cost of annual interest payments to the governments bond holders. Howard LutnickAn apparent runner-up to head Treasury, Lutnick (estimated net worth $1.5 billion) has been nominated to be secretary of commerce. Lutnick, who made his fortune as a financial services executive, is still slated for a high-profile post that will put him at the center of Trumps promised trade wars with China and other nations, including Mexico and Canada. Commerce also oversees several agencies, including the Census Bureau, whose calculations are key to determining the funding distributions of programs across the federal government. Kelly LoefflerThe Georgia businesswoman named to lead the Small Business Administration was the wealthiest member of the Senate during her brief stay on Capitol Hill. Loeffler is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, the publicly traded firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange. Thats not the center of commerce for the SBAs usual clientele. The agency was founded in 1953 and describes itself as the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business by providing counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nations only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.As a senator, Loeffler faced ethics complaints over alleged insider trading tied to stock trades she and her husband made as members of Congress first started receiving briefings related to the coronavirus pandemic. The trades occurred weeks before the pandemic caused markets to plummet. Justice Department and Senate inquiries later found no wrongdoing on Loefflers part.Jared IsaacmanIsaacman, another financial services billionaire, was the first wealthy individual to take a space walk through Musks company, SpaceX. This choice, as much as any, illustrates Trumps lean to the wealthy private sector, given that billionaires like Musk and Amazon chief Jeff Bezos are now competing in a space sector that was once the province of the federal government and the agency that Isaacman would lead as NASA administrator. BILL BARROW Bill Barrow covers U.S. politics. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to be the director of the FBI, arrives to speak at an Inauguration parade in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-01-28T05:03:33Z WASHINGTON (AP) TheFBI agents who searched Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate found boxes of classified documents in his office and storage room and retrieved sensitive government secrets about nuclear systems and weapons capabilities.One person unmoved by the gravity of the allegations: Kash Patel.Days after Trumps June 2023 indictment on charges of hoarding the documents, Patel insisted to listeners of his Kashs Corner podcast that Trump was permitted under a law known as the Presidential Records Act to take classified records with him when he left the White House. When youre president and you leave, you can take whatever you want, Patel said, advancing an argument later adopted by Trumps lawyers but dismissed as meritless by the Justice Department. And when you take it, whether its classified or not, its yours. AP video/Marshall Ritzel Its but one example of how Patel positioned himself as a steadfast Trump loyalist well before the president picked him to run the FBI. An Associated Press review of more than 100 podcasts that Patel hosted or on which he was interviewed over the last four years reveals how Patel has habitually denigrated the investigations into Trump, sowed doubt in the criminal justice system, criticized the decision-making of the institution hes been asked to lead and professed sympathy for jailed Jan 6. rioters. The vast catalog of provocative public statements, sometimes made in the company of like-minded FBI antagonists, provides an unusually extensive record of a nominees unvarnished and controversial worldviews. At his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, Democrats are likely to seize on Patels often explosive and conspiracy-riddled commentary, which is unprecedented in volume, tone and substance for a potential FBI leader. While those critics say his views make him unfit for the job, his supporters argue the FBI needs someone as brash as Patel to shake up the agency. Asked to respond to his comments, Patel spokeswoman Erica Knight said the nominee looks forward to his upcoming hearing as an opportunity to highlight his extensive experience and present the truth to the American people in a comprehensive and meaningful way.The APs review found that Patel frequently expressed the same views or iterations of them on various podcasts: GangstersThose same criminal gangsters at the FBI and DOJ are running this Mar-a-Lago raid investigation, Patel said in August 2022 on his show, Kashs Corner, for The Epoch Times, a pro-Trump media company that has been a key online supporter of the president and spreader of conspiracy theories.Gangsters is a favored Patel term for federal investigators he perceives as tainted by anti-Trump bias. Its even part of the title of his 2023 book, Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy.Patel has sought to distinguish his dim view of the FBIs leadership, direction and decision-making from what he says is his support for the rank-and-file. But his harsh rhetoric about the bureau could nonetheless create an awkward dynamic if hes confirmed to lead the 38,000-person premier federal law enforcement agency. The name-calling in this instance hes also called intelligence officials bozos and Muppets is consistent with Patels scathingly critical perspective of the investigations into Trumps interference in the 2020 election and his retention of classified documents at his Florida resort after he left office. Trump faced felony charges in the two cases, but the indictments were abandoned by prosecutors after he won the November election because of Justice Department policy prohibiting the federal prosecution of a sitting president.Patels reference to investigators as the same criminal gangsters is part of a persistent effort to draw a straight line between the documents probe and a 2016 investigation into Trump and Russian election interference, notwithstanding significant differences in FBI and Justice Department personnel in the two inquiries. Patel rocketed to prominence as a House staffer through his criticism of the Russia investigation, which hes dubbed one of the biggest conspiracies ever perpetuated against a presidential candidate and then president. Hes made a name for himself in MAGA circles by seeking to expose what he has described as misconduct in how the probe was pursued. Later reviews by the Justice Department inspector general and a specially appointed prosecutor identified significant flaws with that investigation, though neither presented evidence that partisan bias had guided specific decisions. Baseless prosecutionsWe need to really educate the world on the weaponization of justice that occurred on January 6th, Patel said in January 2024 on The Alec Lace Show, as he called the prosecutions of U.S. Capitol rioters baseless.The FBI arrested more than 1,500 people arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and many of them pleaded guilty to serious crimes. The recently departed FBI director, Christopher Wray, bluntly labeled the violence as domestic terrorism and has called the attack emblematic of a rapidly growing threat of homegrown extremism.Patel, like Trump, has taken a different view, saying the rioters have been mistreated by the criminal justice system. A former federal public defender and prosecutor, he has called them political prisoners and offered on at least one occasion to represent them for free.Patel will almost certainly be asked if he supports Trumps sweeping grant of clemency to all Jan. 6 defendants. The pardons, sentence commutations and indictment dismissals upended the largest investigation in Justice Department history, benefiting even those found guilty of violent attacks on police, along with leaders of far-right extremist groups who plotted to keep Trump in power.Patels support for the defendants has included more than just rhetoric. Hes boasted about having helped produce a song, Justice for All, that was recorded over a prison phone line, sung by a group of Jan. 6 defendants and overlaid with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.The powerful thing about it, he said in a 2023 podcast, is the people who have been impacted most are the ones raising awareness.Hes also talked up a right-wing conspiracy theory that Ray Epps, an Arizona man arrested in connection with Jan. 6, was actually an undercover operative for the FBI something Epps has adamantly denied and prosecutors have described as false.And hes been openly skeptical about the FBIs use of confidential informants related to Jan. 6 at a time when conspiracy theorists have suggested, inaccurately, that the bureau helped instigate the violence.The departments internal watchdog said in a report last month that no undercover FBI agents were in the crowd on Jan. 6, and that though more than two dozen FBI informants were in Washington that day, none was tasked by the FBI with entering the building or breaking the law. Hold him in contempt in a jail cellIts up to Congress, who has law enforcement capabilities, to go out there, arrest Chris Wray and hold him in contempt in a jail cell until the documents produced, Patel said on Kashs Corner in June 2023.Patel in recent years has mused about the idea of Wray, who stepped down as FBI director on Jan. 19, being arrested for the FBIs failure to promptly turn over records subpoenaed by Congress an outcome hes acknowledged as extreme but one he contends would befall less prominent people who ignored lawmaker demands for documents.That position could come back to haunt Patel, particularly if Democrats take back a chamber of Congress in 2026. Hes also suggested that Congress could withhold or restrict pockets of money to induce cooperation with its document demands.You ground Chris Wrays private jet that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country. You take away the fancy new fleet of cars from DOJ that theyre going to use to shuffle around executives, he said in 2023 on Kashs Corner. You stop the construction of new buildings.What will a Director Patel say if Democrats push to limit funding for his flights on FBI jets? Therell be an investigation into members of CongressOnce President Trump hopefully gets back in power, therell be an investigation into members of Congress who destroyed and withheld evidence from law enforcement agencies, Patel said in March 2024 on In the Litter Box w/ Jewels and Catturd.Patels stated desire to rid the government of conspirators has raised alarms he could direct the FBI to target Trumps adversaries, even though long-established FBI guidelines are meant to protect against investigative abuses and require that criminal inquiries be rooted in a legitimate purpose.Like Trump, Patel has channeled particular ire toward the House committee that investigated the attack on the Capitol. He told Catturd, a right-wing social media personality whose real name is Phillip Buchanan, that a Trump victory could result in investigations of lawmakers who have committed federal felonies and covered up the truth from the American people. That rhetoric wasnt lost on former President Joe Biden, who on his final day in office preemptively pardoned members of that committee, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci and retired Gen. Mark Milley. Fauci and House lawmakers are just some of the targets Patel has excoriated. His book includes a list of people he identifies as members of the Executive Branch Deep State, including former Attorney General William Barr who disputed Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and Andrew McCabe, the former FBI acting director and a top figure in the Russia investigation.Ahead of Thursdays hearing, Senate Judiciary Democrats circulated a social media post that they said Patel shared in 2022 in which he was depicted as taking a chainsaw to news organizations and high-profile members of Congress.Democrats will make the prospect of reprisal center stage at Patels confirmation hearing, something they foreshadowed with pointed questions about him directed at Trumps attorney general pick, Pam Bondi, during her own hearing this month.When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, asked Bondi if she would have hired someone who had an enemies list into her office when she was Florida attorney general, she replied: Senator, to cut to the chase, youre clearly talking about Kash Patel. I dont believe he has an enemies list.Toilet rag disinformation animalA toilet rag is how Patel described Vice Media on a podcast when it declared bankruptcy two years ago. He has frequently attacked media organizations and reporters, accusing them of publishing fake news. He has also threatened reporters with serious consequences for crossing Trump.Were going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections, Patel told Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who served four months in prison for defying a congressional subpoena and who has also warned about retribution against Trump adversaries, in December 2023.Patel later backed off some of his statements about the media, telling NBC News last February that reporters are invaluable and that his threat referred only to those who have broken the law. But hell face pressure from his party to go after journalists, as well as election officials and activists that Republicans have accused of crimes.___Associated Press Artificial Intelligence Product Manager Ernest Kung contributed to this report.___The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto ALI SWENSON Swenson reports on election-related misinformation, disinformation and extremism for The Associated Press. twitter

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers use a chain to more comfortably restrain a detained person using handcuffs positioned in front, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-28T05:06:53Z SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) A week into Donald Trumps second presidency and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, federal officers are operating with a new sense of mission, knowing that nobody gets a free pass anymore.A dozen officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement gathered before dawn Monday in a Maryland parking lot, then fanned out to the Washington suburbs to find their targets: someone wanted in El Salvador for homicide, a person convicted of armed robbery, a migrant found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material and another with drug and gun convictions. All were in the country illegally.The worst go first, Matt Elliston, director of ICEs Baltimore field office, said of the agencys enforcement priorities.The Associated Press accompanied the officers, who offered a glimpse of how their work has changed under a White House intent on deporting large numbers of immigrants living in the U.S. without permission. People considered public safety and national security threats are still the top priority, Elliston said.That is no different from the Biden administration, but a big change has already taken hold: Under Trump, officers can now arrest people without legal status if they run across them while looking for migrants targeted for removal. Under Joe Biden, such collateral arrests were banned. Were looking for those public safety, national security cases. The big difference being, nobody has a free pass anymore, Elliston said. The number of collateral arrests has fluctuated, he said. By the end of Monday across Maryland, ICE had arrested 13 people. Of those, nine were targets and the other four were people ICE came across during the course of the morning.Of those collaterals, one had an aggravated theft conviction. Another had already been deported once, and two others had final orders of removal. Changes to immigration enforcement under TrumpThe administration highlighted the participation of other agencies in immigration operations over the weekend, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which are part of the Justice Department.Emile Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, observed arrests Sunday in Chicago, a sign of the Justice Departments growing involvement.ICEs daily arrests, which averaged 311 in the year ending Sept. 30, stayed fairly steady in the first days after Trump took office, then spiked dramatically Sunday to 956 and Monday to 1,179. If sustained, those numbers would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records.Trump also has lifted longtime guidelines that restricted ICE from operating at sensitive locations such as schools, churches or hospitals. That decision has worried many migrants and advocates who fear children will be traumatized by seeing their parents arrested in the drop-off line at school or that migrants needing medical care wont go to the hospital for fear of arrest.Elliston pushed back on those fears, saying its been exceedingly rare for ICE to enter one of those locations. In his 17 years on the job, he said hes gone into a school only once and that was to help stop an active shooter. He said the removal of other guidelines that had restricted ICE operations at courthouses makes a bigger difference in the agencys work.But getting rid of the sensitive locations policy does affect ICE in more subtle ways.For example, at one point Monday, the team stopped at a parking lot in hopes of catching a Venezuelan gang member who was believed to be working as a delivery driver at a nearby business. Across the street was a church, and one street over was an elementary school, which under the previous guidance would have made it off limits to park to do surveillance. Some enforcement policies have not changedWhat has not changed, Elliston said, is that these are targeted operations. ICE has a list of people theyre going after as opposed to indiscriminately going to a workplace or apartment building looking for people in the country illegally.I really hate the word raids because it gives people the wrong impression, as if were just arbitrarily going door to door and saying, Show us your papers, he said. Nothing could be further from the truth.In the week since Trump returned to office, Elliston said hes constantly been on the phone, trying to dispel rumors about what ICE is doing and who is getting arrested.Since starting his job in 2022, Elliston said hes worked to build relations with elected officials and law enforcement agencies across Maryland, a state where many communities have sanctuary policies limiting their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.Elliston has reached out to cities to educate them about what ICE does and whom officers pursue. He also tries to build relationships with city officials so they feel more comfortable letting authorities know when migrants who have been detained are going to be released. That way ICE can get them. Another thing that hasnt changed? Sometimes when looking for someone, they come up empty.In one apartment building in Takoma Park, just outside Washington, three ICE officers pounded on the door of an apartment, asking whoever was inside to come to the door.Miss, can you open up? the officer said. Can you come to the door and well talk to you? ... Were going to have to keep coming back until we clear this address.Eventually a man who lived at the apartment came home and talked with the ICE officers. It turned out that the person they were looking for likely gave police the wrong address when he was arrested and he didnt live there.If they cannot find a person, Elliston said, they keep looking.Looking for these guys will never stop, he said. REBECCA SANTANA Santana covers the Department of Homeland Security for The Associated Press. She has extensive experience reporting in such places as Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. twitter mailto

Pilot Lt. Terry (surname withheld by the French military) inspects the wheels of a French Navy Atlantique 2 surveillance plane before its takeoff from Hamburg, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on a NATO patrol over the Baltic Sea as part of the military's alliance "Baltic Sentry" mission to protect undersea cables and pipelines from sabotage. (AP Photo/John Leicester)2025-01-28T05:06:40Z ABOARD A FRENCH NAVY FLIGHT OVER THE BALTIC SEA (AP) With its powerful camera, the French Navy surveillance plane scouring the Baltic Sea zoomed in on a cargo ship plowing the waters below closer, closer and closer still until the camera operator could make out details on the vessels front deck and smoke pouring from its chimney.The long-range Atlantique 2 aircraft on a new mission for NATO then shifted its high-tech gaze onto another target, and another after that until, after more than five hours on patrol, the planes array of sensors had scoped out the bulk of the Baltic from Germany in the west to Estonia in the northeast, bordering Russia.The flights mere presence in the skies above the strategic sea last week, combined with military ships patrolling on the waters, also sent an unmistakable message: The NATO alliance is ratcheting up its guard against suspected attempts to sabotage underwater energy and data cables and pipelines that crisscross the Baltic, prompted by a growing catalogue of incidents that have damaged them. We will do everything in our power to make sure that we fight back, that we are able to see what is happening and then take the next steps to make sure that it doesnt happen again. And our adversaries should know this, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said this month in announcing a new alliance mission, dubbed Baltic Sentry, to protect the underwater infrastructure vital to the economic well-being of Baltic-region nations. Whats under the Baltic? Power and communications cables and gas pipelines stitch together the nine countries with shores on the Baltic, a relatively shallow and nearly landlocked sea. A few examples are the 152-kilometer (94-mile) Balticconnector pipeline that carries gas between Finland and Estonia, the high-voltage Baltic Cable connecting the power grids of Sweden and Germany, and the 1,173-kilometer (729-mile) C-Lion1 telecommunications cable between Finland and Germany. Why are cables important? Undersea pipes and cables help power economies, keep houses warm and connect billions of people. More than 1.3 million kilometers (807,800 miles) of fiber optic cables more than enough to stretch to the moon and back span the worlds oceans and seas, according to TeleGeography, which tracks and maps the vital communication networks. The cables are typically the width of a garden hose. But 97% of the worlds communications, including trillions of dollars of financial transactions, pass through them each day.In the last two months alone, we have seen damage to a cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden, another connecting Germany and Finland, and most recently, a number of cables linking Estonia and Finland. Investigations of all of these cases are still ongoing. But there is reason for grave concern, Rutte said on Jan. 14. Whats causing alarm? At least 11 Baltic cables have been damaged since October 2023 the most recent being a fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland, reported to have ruptured on Sunday. Although cable operators note that subsea cable damage is commonplace, the frequency and concentration of incidents in the Baltic heightened suspicions that damage might have been deliberate.There also are fears that Russia could target cables as part of a wider campaign of so-called hybrid warfare to destabilize European nations helping Ukraine defend itself against the full-scale invasion that Moscow has been pursuing since 2022. Without specifically blaming Russia, Rutte said: Hybrid means sabotage. Hybrid means cyber-attacks. Hybrid means sometimes even assassination attacks, attempts, and in this case, it means hitting on our critical undersea infrastructure. Finnish police suspect that the Eagle S, an oil tanker that damaged the Estlink 2 power cable and two other communications cables linking Finland and Estonia on Dec. 25th, is part of Moscows shadow fleet used to avoid war-related sanctions on Russian oil exports.Finnish authorities seized the tanker shortly after it left a Russian port and apparently cut the cables by dragging its anchor. Finnish investigators allege the ship left an almost 100-kilometer (62-mile) long anchor trail on the seabed. Intelligence agencies doubtsSeveral Western intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of their work, told The Associated Press that recent damage was most likely accidental, seemingly caused by anchors being dragged by ships that were poorly maintained and poorly crewed.One senior intelligence official told AP that ships logs and mechanical failures with ships anchors were among multiple indications pointing away from Russian sabotage. The official said Russian cables were also severed. Another Western official, also speaking anonymously to discuss intelligence matters, said Russia sent an intelligence-gathering vessel to the site of one cable rupture to investigate the damage. The Washington Post first reported on the emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services that maritime accidents likely caused recent damage. Cable operators advise cautionThe European Subsea Cables Association, representing cable owners and operators, noted in November after faults were reported on two Baltic links that, on average, a subsea cable is damaged somewhere in the world every three days. In northern European waters, the main causes of damage are commercial fishing or ship anchors, it said.In the fiber-optic cable rupture on Sunday connecting Latvia and Sweden, Swedish authorities detained a Maltese-flagged ship bound for South America with a cargo of fertilizer.Navibulgar, a Bulgarian company that owns the Vezhen, said any damage was unintentional and that the ships crew discovered while navigating in extremely bad weather that its left anchor appeared to have dragged on the seabed.NATOs Baltic Sentry missionThe alliance is deploying warships, maritime patrol aircraft and naval drones for the mission to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence.Aboard the French Navy surveillance flight, the 14-member crew cross-checked ships they spotted from the air against lists of vessels they had been ordered to watch for. If we witness some suspicious activities from ships as sea for example, ships at very low speed or at anchorage in a position that they shouldnt be at this time so this is something we can see, said the flight commander, Lt. Alban, whose surname was withheld by the French military for security reasons. We can have a very close look with our sensors to see what is happening. ___Burrows reported from London. AP journalists Jill Lawless in London, David Klepper in Washington and Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, contributed to this report. EMMA BURROWS Burrows is an Associated Press reporter covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is based in London. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A member of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, holds the head of a dragon puppet prepared for a performance in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)2025-01-28T03:51:37Z JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) From narrow side streets to packed malls, the traditional music and dance of dragon puppet performances have filled Indonesias bustling capital of Jakarta to usher in the Lunar New Year.Asian communities across the world will begin ringing in the Lunar New Year on Jan. 29, with 2025 designated as the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. Fireworks, parades and other Lunar New Year rituals are centered around removing bad luck and welcoming prosperity. A Muslim woman and her daughter have their photo taken with members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) in lion costume after a performance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) A Muslim woman and her daughter have their photo taken with members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) in lion costume after a performance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In Indonesia, where millions of people have Chinese ancestry, crowds gathered to watch as drummers interspersed around puppet performers display the traditional dragon and lion puppets, which stretched up to 65 feet (20 meters) long in interconnected segments held by about a dozen people walking beneath.For weeks before the Lunar New Year festivities, the performance troupe which can number anywhere from 50 to 100 people depending on how in-demand shows are practice in the abandoned back area of a small storefront selling coffee and snacks. Women and children from around the area stop by to sit and watch. During slower weeks puppet heads sit unused on a storage shelf. Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, practice drumming days ahead of a performance, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, practice drumming days ahead of a performance, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, Mumammad Fadil, top, and Muhammad Ilman, bottom, practice their dance movements as Aji Permana, right assists, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, Mumammad Fadil, top, and Muhammad Ilman, bottom, practice their dance movements as Aji Permana, right assists, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, Mumammad Fadil, top, and Muhammad Ilman, bottom, train ahead of a performance, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, Mumammad Fadil, top, and Muhammad Ilman, bottom, train ahead of a performance, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Muhammad Hisyam, left, and Aji Permana, members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Muhammad Hisyam, left, and Aji Permana, members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice as local residents watch in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice as local residents watch in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, Muhammad Ilman, second right, and Muhammad Fadil, right, practice their dance movements in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, Muhammad Ilman, second right, and Muhammad Fadil, right, practice their dance movements in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, practice in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, sit near dragon and lion puppets at the in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, sit near dragon and lion puppets at the in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which named after Indonesian national colors, prepare a dragon puppet before leaving for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which named after Indonesian national colors, prepare a dragon puppet before leaving for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More On Sunday, days before the start of the Lunar New Year, the troupe loaded puppets and performers into the back of a small truck and headed to a shopping mall for a performance. Those who couldnt fit into the truck followed on motorbikes. In the mall, hundreds of visitors gathered to listen to the drums and watch the dance of the performance troupe. Rounds of applause greeted the dance, while some in the audience placed angpau an envelope containing money usually given during holidays or for special occasions into the puppets mouth. Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which named after Indonesian national colors, carry a dragon puppet onto a truck as they prepare to leave for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which named after Indonesian national colors, carry a dragon puppet onto a truck as they prepare to leave for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) sit on the back of a truck as they leave for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) sit on the back of a truck as they leave for a shopping mall to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, parade around a shopping mall during a performance in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, parade around a shopping mall during a performance in a Lunar New Year celebration, in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, perform lion dance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, perform lion dance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More People give angpau, an envelope containing money traditionally given during Chinese holidays or for special occasions, to members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) after a performance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) People give angpau, an envelope containing money traditionally given during Chinese holidays or for special occasions, to members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) after a performance at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, perform in a Lunar New Year celebration at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon) which is named after Indonesian national colors, perform in a Lunar New Year celebration at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A member of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, carry a dragon puppet as he and his team leave the changing room to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) A member of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after Indonesian national colors, carry a dragon puppet as he and his team leave the changing room to perform in a Lunar New Year celebration, at a shopping mall in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More

Mstyslav Chernov, director of the documentary film "2000 Meters to Andriivka," poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)2025-01-28T05:00:46Z PARK CITY, Utah (AP) The day Mstyslav Chernov won the BAFTA for his documentary 20 Days in Mariupol was the day he learned two soldiers he knew had been killed in combat. They were primary subjects of his new film 2000 Meters to Andriivka, a harrowing portrait of modern warfare that puts audiences on the frontlines of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.The film changed along the way, Chernov, a videojournalist with The Associated Press, said last week after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. From a story of the success of that operation it became a story of loss, of memory, of the price that soldiers pay for every single inch of the land. And thats where the name came from.Coming back to Park City, Utah, with a new film has been a sobering, full circle moment for Chernov. Its the place where he first showcased 20 Days in Mariupol two years ago. Although he received the highest honors a journalist and a filmmaker can get for his work, a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar included, its for reportage on a war in his home country that wont end and that he cant stop covering.The AP spoke to Chernov about 2000 Meters to Andriivka, a co-production between the AP and PBS Frontline, the cognitive dissonance of whiplashing between a movie release and the frontlines as well as his responsibility to Ukraine. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. AP: Two years ago at Sundance, you were eager to go back to Ukraine. Was this already on your mind that you wanted to show the soldiers?CHERNOV: I gave a lot of thought after I left Mariupol. Do I want to continue doing what I was doing? We felt a lot of trauma and a lot of loss, guilt even, that we didnt do enough. But then again, that tragedy you go through, the tragedy of people who youre filming, it doesnt let you to just stop doing what you do. You always want to do more and you actually cant stop.At every point in this journey I was also editing 20 Days in Mariupol and then it went on to screen all over the world. The response was great, but more I felt that response and more I saw that things are not changing, more I wanted to go back and to continue shooting, and thats what I did.At some point in summer of 2023, when Ukraine had a highly anticipated and very important counteroffensive, we also had our theatrical release for 20 Days in Mariupol. So from LA, where at Laemmle Cinema, you would see Barbie and Oppenheimer and 20 Days in Mariupol posters and (after) speaking to the public, I would fly back to Poland, drive to the frontline and start shooting this film.The story of Andriivka captured me so much that I would go back and keep following the platoon. And the tragedy was that as more time passed more people who we initially filmed on the journey to Andriivka have died. AP: With 20 Days in Mariupol you found yourself in situations and knew to keep shooting. Here, you went in knowing you wanted to make a film. How did that change what you were doing?CHERNOV: Making 20 Days in Mariupol and seeing the impact it ultimately had, seeing how big the audience was, made me think that the impact of journalism could be complemented with an impact of documentary filmmaking and that combination, if you can find the right balance between those two approaches, could be very powerful.The form of the cinema is much more long lasting than the news. As important as journalism is, unfortunately, theres just so much of things happening in the world, so many important stories, that it takes extraordinary efforts to keep someones attention on the story, especially if that story is important to you personally. And the story of Andriivka and the soldiers who are trying to get there is personally very important to me.AP: This film puts audiences on the frontline in ways that were only used to seeing in fictional war films. How were able to do that?CHERNOV: Technology is changing. The audience is changing. So the medium of documentary that talks about important current events has to change as well. To be able to catch up, we constantly need to search for new forms, for new ways of telling the story, for new visual solutions to that. The making of 2000 Meters to Andriivka, the approach is experimental. We are trying to show modern warfare the way no one has done it before or since. Of course there are elements that are classic for the documentary, but I also wanted the story to be so immersive, so on the ground, so experiential for the audience, that they forget that they are watching a narrative fiction film or a documentary. Then when they reach the end of the film, when they realize that everything they just saw was real, it would hit them even harder. AP: You gave one of the all-time great Oscar speeches. Was Andriivka heavy on your mind when you took that stage?CHERNOV: I was thinking about all the boys, yes, when I was on stage. Thered been so many things happening in the background when we were sitting in that beautiful place with all the movie stars and seeing the speeches that they were giving.I had got hundreds of messages of people who were telling me what to say on the stage, all important. I had a feeling that 40 million Ukrainians, if I will be lucky to go on that stage, will be watching me and every single word that will be said. There is a responsibility, a responsibility to journalism and a responsibility to me being Ukrainian, the responsibility to the people of Mariupol and responsibility to these soldiers that I was, by that time, filming for almost a year. AP: What has all of this meant to friends at home, to the people of Ukraine?CHERNOV: After the premiere, we received a lot of messages or just comments on social media that it is so timely to have a film like that when there are almost no reports, either journalistic or documentary from the frontline from the perspective of a soldier. Partially because the interest has shifted elsewhere. Partially because it has become impossible to work at the frontline because of the drones, because of the how precise and deadly weapons are and because journalists have become targets.I think people are just grateful for that. They say, thank you for showing that perspective and thank you for reminding the world about Ukraine, that it is not just a political chip in a bargaining, that it is actually real people. And thats what we have to keep in mind, that these are real people. These are not numbers and not distances.___For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival LINDSEY BAHR Bahr has been a film writer and critic for The Associated Press since 2014. twitter instagram mailto

A firetruck is parked in front of a beachfront property damaged by the Palisades Fire Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)2025-01-28T05:12:20Z LOS ANGELES (AP) The Grammy Awards will look a little bit different this week.Each year, the Recording Academy hosts a multitude of events to welcome the music industry during Grammy week and record labels do the same. However, many institutions have canceled their plans Universal Music Group, Sony, Spotify, BMG and Warner Music Group among them and instead are allocating resources to help those affected by the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.The Grammys will still take place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles but now will focus its attention on helping wildfire victims. How will Grammy week differ in 2025?Within days of fires ravaging the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, the Recording Academy and its affiliated MusiCares charity launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort with a $1 million dollar donation. According to a letter sent to members on Jan. 13, thanks to additional contributions, theyve already distributed $2 million in emergency aid.Once the fund was set up, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said they began focusing on reformatting what Grammy week would look like many conversations conducted on the road, mobile-y, virtually as staffers had evacuated their homes. That process has really consisted of reaching out to just listen and learn from a lot of people state officials, local officials, the governors office, the mayors office, the fire department. We talked to hotel managers, just really trying to get a grasp on what was happening currently. What did they project was going to happen in the next week to 10 days? Would be safe to have a show? Ultimately, the Recording Academy decided to condense its pre-Grammy week plans to just four events, each featuring a fundraising element.On Friday, MusiCares, an organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance, will hold its annual Persons of the Year benefit galacelebrating the Grateful Dead. On Saturday, the Special Merit Awards Ceremony and Grammy nominees reception will still take place, followed by Clive Davis pre-Grammy fundraising event.Then the Grammys take the stage on Sunday.Events like the annual pre-Grammy Black Music Collective event, Grammy advocacy brunch, and others scheduled to take place at the immersive pop-up Grammy house have been canceled. We thought consolidating the events would allow us to have more impact, Mason explains. And we just dont feel it was the right time to have social gatherings or places to party or schmooze and just hang out. We wanted to have our events be places that could be purposeful and impactful. Some of the party settings, we decided to fold down into our fundraising efforts.How has the Grammy award show been reformatted?Obviously, we cant have a normal show in the midst of peoples belongings being burned or loss of life or other things like that. At the same time, canceling would not have helped, Mason says. We needed to raise money. We needed to show unity and come together around music. We need to support the city of L.A. (Over) 6,500 people work on our shows and ancillary gatherings. So, once we decided to move forward, it was really a conversation with (Grammy producers) Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins and myself. And we started to think about, How do we make the show have the greatest impact? They decided the path forward was to still give out awards and host performances to give viewers and attendees a bespoke concert experience. But most importantly, the show could raise awareness, drive donations and resources to funds that benefit people in need.And the conversations are ongoing. We have some great things in the show that will definitely help to raise funds, he assures. It will honor some of the heroes that have been protecting our lives and our homes. It will hopefully shine a light on some people that need more help and more services.Dont expect a traditional telethon, but he says the show will feature announcements and activations in the arena.Hopefully well be talking about things that have been pledged from the sponsors or from the community, he adds. How many Recording Academy members were affected by the fires?We know right off the bat that weve got almost 3,000 requests for help from our members or people in the music community, Mason says. So that was just in the first few days.The immediate needs have been the basics, as he explains. Food, water, shelter, the bare necessities to live.The next phase will involve, you know, where theyre going to live, how are they going to replace maybe damaged or destroyed instruments, studios. How will they make a living? Im sure therell be some mental health component that people may need assistance with. But its really across the board. But the early, immediate relief is around just the bare necessities. Has anything like this happened before?Theres no shortage of natural disasters, and they affect the music community too. Mason brings up the COVID-19 pandemic as a recent example. With MusiCares, they were able to contribute over $40 million to people who needed help. They have the infrastructure to provide assistance quickly.However, he notes, the Grammys are the first major award show taking place after the wildfires, which means theres no playbook for this.But Ive always said it all changes if the fires were to continue, or possibly got worse, or the winds changed. So, I always want to reserve that right. Were not going to go blindly forward if things are unsafe or if it feels inappropriate, he says. But consider the fundraising, the economic and financial impacts, and the possibility of unity, It all makes sense for us to move forward.___For more coverage of this years Grammy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/GrammyAwards MARIA SHERMAN Maria Sherman is the music reporter at The Associated Press. She is based in New York City. twitter instagram mailto

A woman raises a red glove symbolizing blood during a student-led 24 hour block on an intersection to protest the deaths of 15 people killed in the November collapse of a train station canopy, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)2025-01-27T12:33:25Z BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbias striking university students on Monday launched a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the capital, Belgrade, stepping up pressure on the populist authorities over a deadly canopy collapse in November that killed 15 people.Serbian farmers on tractors and thousands of citizens joined the blockade that followed weeks of protests demanding accountability of the deadly accident in the northern city of Novi Sad that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.A campaign of street demonstrations has posed the biggest challenge in years to the populist governments firm grip on power in Serbia.Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic, at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, later on Monday urged dialogue with the students, saying that we need to lower the tensions and start talking to each other. Students in the past have refused to meet with Vucic, saying the president is not entitled by the constitution to hold talks with them.Any kind of a crisis poses a serious problem for our economy, said Vucic. Such a situation in society is not good for anyone. Vucic has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms despite formally seeking European Union membership for Serbia. He has accused the students of working for unspecified foreign powers to oust the government. Several incidents have marked the street demonstrations in the past weeks, including drivers ramming into the crowds on two occasions, when two young women were injured. Traffic police on Monday secured the student blockade to help avoid any similar incidents. Protesting students set up tents at the protest site, which is a key artery for the city commuters and toward the main north-south motorway.Some students played volleyball, others sat down on blankets on the pavement or walked around on a warm day. The students also held a daily 15-minute commemoration silence at 11.52, the exact same time when the canopy at a train station in Novi Sad crashed down on Nov. 1. Many in Serbia believe the huge concrete canopy fell down because of sloppy reconstruction work that resulted from corruption. Serbias prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people, including a government minister and several state officials. But the former construction minister Goran Vesic has been released from detention, fueling doubts over the investigations independence. The main railway station in Novi Sad was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese state companies.

People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)2025-01-28T10:18:24Z GOMA, Congo (AP) Congos security forces were fighting on Tuesday against Rwanda-backed rebels who advanced into a key eastern city in a major escalation of a decadeslong conflict.Residents reported gunfire overnight in Goma, a city of 2 million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday. Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub holding hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million people displaced by eastern Congos prolonged conflict over ethnic tensions that have resulted in one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises.The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the conflict, one of Africas largest. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012 before being forced to pull out under international pressure, and resurfaced in late 2021 with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congos government and United Nations experts. Rwanda has denied such support. It was unclear how much of Goma is controlled by the rebels, who marched into the city early Monday to both fear and cheers among residents. It was the culmination of weeks of fighting during which the rebels captured several towns in a shocking advance. Since morning we have heard bomb explosions and crackling bullets, said Sam Luwawa, a resident of Goma. So far we cannot say who really controls the city. Three South African peacekeepers were killed on Monday when the rebels launched a mortar bomb toward the Goma airport which landed on the nearby South African National Defense Force, while a fourth soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in fighting days ago, the South African Department of Defense said Tuesday. That makes 17 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers who have been killed in the fighting, according to U.N. and army officials. The humanitarian situation in Goma is extremely, extremely worrying, with a new threshold of violence and suffering reached today, Bruno Lemarquis, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Congo, told reporters in a video news conference on Monday. He said hundreds of thousands of people were attempting to flee the violence.There were active combat zones in all areas of the city, with civilians taking cover and heavy artillery fire directed at the city center on Monday, Lemarquis said. He said several shells struck the Charit Maternelle Hospital in central Goma, killing and injuring civilians, including newborns and pregnant women.What is unfolding in Goma is coming on top of what is already one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth, with close to 6.5 million displaced people in the country, including close to 3 million displaced people in North Kivu, Lemarquis said.Aid groups are reporting they are unable to reach displaced people who rely on them for food and other necessities.Key roads surrounding Goma are blocked, and the citys airport can no longer be used for evacuation and humanitarian efforts. Power and water have reportedly been cut to many areas of the city, said David Munkley, head of operations in eastern Congo for the Christian aid group World Vision. In addition to the U.N., several countries including the United States, United Kingdom and France have condemned Rwanda for the rebel advance. The country, however, blames Congo for the escalation, saying it failed to honor past peace agreements, necessitating Rwandas sustained defensive posture.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the advance by the Rwanda-backed rebels in a call with Congo President Flix Tshisekedi on Monday during which both leaders agreed on the importance of advancing efforts to restart peace talks between Congo and Rwanda as soon as possible, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.The Congolese leader will address the nation on the conflict, authorities said, amid growing pressure to act on the escalation and as protests broke out in the capital of Kinshasa, with demonstrators condemning Rwanda for its role in the conflict. Opposition leader Martin Fayulu appeared to suggest the president was not doing enough to respond to the crisis. In a statement, Fayulu called for protests against Rwanda and for support for Congo from the international community, adding: If Mr. Flix Tshisekedi persists in standing in the way, he will be held solely responsible for the decline of our nation and will have to resign.___Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writers Christina Malkia and Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, Edith M. Lederer in New York and Sam Mednick in Jerusalem contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A woman raises a red glove symbolizing blood during a student-led 24 hour block on an intersection to protest the deaths of 15 people killed in the November collapse of a train station canopy, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)2025-01-28T10:30:50Z BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbias populist Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said Tuesday he is stepping down following weeks of massive anti-corruption protests over the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy in November.The canopy collapse, which killed 15 people in the northern city of Novi Sad, has become a flashpoint reflecting wider discontent with the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbias populist President Aleksandar Vucic. He has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms in Serbia despite formally seeking European Union membership for the troubled Balkan nation.Vucevic told a news conference that his resignation is aimed at lowering tensions in Serbia. It is my appeal for everyone to calm down the passions and return to dialogue, he said. Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric also will step down on Tuesday, Vucevic said.Vucevics resignation is likely to lead to an early parliamentary election. The resignation must be confirmed by Serbias parliament, which has 30 days to choose a new government or call a snap election. On Monday, tens of thousands of people joined striking university students in a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the Serbian capital. The students have been protesting for weeks, demanding accountability for the canopy collapse that critics have blamed on rampant government corruption. In another attempt to defuse tensions, Vucic, Vucevic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic on Monday evening urged dialogue with the students, who have garnered widespread support from all walks of life in Serbia with their call for justice and accountability. Vucevic said the immediate cause for his quitting was an attack on a female student in Novi Sad early Tuesday by assailants allegedly from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Vucevic said that whenever it seems there is hope to return to social dialogue, to talk ... its like an invisible hand creates a new incident and tensions mount again. Serbias prosecutors have filed charges against 13 people, including a government minister and several state officials. But the former Construction Minister Goran Vesic has been released from detention, fueling doubts over the investigations independence.The main railway station in Novi Sad was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese state companies.Several incidents have marred the street demonstrations in the past weeks, including drivers ramming into the crowds on two occasions, when two young women were injured.Students and others have been holding daily 15-minute traffic blockades throughout Serbia at 11:52 a.m., the exact same time the concrete canopy crashed down on Nov. 1. The blockades honor the 15 victims, including two children.

The Icons for the smartphone apps DeepSeek and ChatGPT are seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)2025-01-28T09:48:07Z HONG KONG (AP) Chinese tech startup DeepSeek s new artificial intelligence chatbot has sparked discussions about the competition between China and the U.S. in AI development, with many users flocking to test the rival of OpenAIs ChatGPT.DeepSeeks AI assistant became the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apples iPhone store on Tuesday afternoon and its launch made Wall Street tech superstars stocks tumble. Observers are eager to see whether the Chinese company has matched Americas leading AI companies at a fraction of the cost.The chatbots ultimate impact on the AI industry is still unclear, but it appears to censor answers on sensitive Chinese topics, a practice commonly seen on Chinas internet. In 2023, China issued regulations requiring companies to conduct a security review and obtain approvals before their products can be publicly launched.Here are some answers The Associated Press received from DeepSeeks new chatbot and ChatGPT: What does Winnie the Pooh mean in China? For many Chinese, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of President Xi Jinping. Chinese censors in the past briefly banned social media searches for the bear in mainland China. ChatGPT got that idea right. It said Winnie the Pooh had become a symbol of political satire and resistance, often used to mock or criticize Xi. It explained that internet users compared Xi to the bear because of perceived similarities in their physical appearance. DeepSeeks chatbot said the bear is a beloved cartoon character that is adored by countless children and families in China, symbolizing joy and friendship.Then, abruptly, it said the Chinese government is dedicated to providing a wholesome cyberspace for its citizens. It added that all online content is managed under Chinese laws and socialist core values, with the aim of protecting national security and social stability.Who is the current US president?It might be easy for many people to answer, but both AI chatbots mistakenly said Joe Biden, whose term ended last week, because they said their data was last updated in October 2023. But they both tried to be responsible by reminding users to verify with updated sources. What happened during the military crackdown in Beijings Tiananmen Square in June 1989?The 1989 crackdown saw government troops open fire on student-led pro-democracy protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. The event remains a taboo subject in mainland China.DeepSeeks chatbot answered, Sorry, thats beyond my current scope. Lets talk about something else.But ChatGPT gave a detailed answer on what it called one of the most significant and tragic events in modern Chinese history. The chatbot talked about the background of the massive protests, the estimated casualties and their legacy. What is the state of US-China relations? DeepSeeks chatbots answer echoed Chinas official statements, saying the relationship between the worlds two largest economies is one of the most important bilateral relationships globally. It said China is committed to developing ties with the U.S. based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation.We hope that the United States will work with China to meet each other halfway, properly manage differences, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and push forward the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations, it said.Some of these phrases meet ... halfway, mutual respect and win-win cooperation mirror language used by a Chinese Foreign Ministry official in a 2021 news conference.ChatGPTs answer was more nuanced. It said the state of the U.S.-China relationship is complex, characterized by a mix of economic interdependence, geopolitical rivalry and collaboration on global issues. It highlighted key topics including the two countries tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan, their technological competition and more. The relationship between the U.S. and China remains tense but crucial, part of its answer said. Is Taiwan part of China? Again like the Chinese official narrative DeepSeeks chatbot said Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times. An example of a very similar statement is found in this government document issued in 2022. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, jointly committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the chatbot said.ChatGPT said the answer depends on ones perspective, while laying out China and Taiwans positions and the views of the international community. It said from a legal and political standpoint, China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and the island democracy operates as a de facto independent country with its own government, economy and military.____Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this story. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)2025-01-28T11:49:29Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An explosion struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship Tuesday traveling north through the Red Sea, sparking a major fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel, shipping industry officials said. The ship was drifting and ablaze some 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Hodeida, a port city in Yemen held by the countrys Houthi rebels, said the Diaplous Group, a maritime firm.It wasnt immediately clear what caused the fire in the Red Sea, which has been repeatedly targeted by attacks from the Houthis. The rebels said last week they were was limiting their assaults following a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the fire incident. The vessel was abandoned and the crew later rescued unharmed, another maritime industry official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as authorization hadnt been given to speak publicly about the incident. The official described the cargo aboard the vessel as dangerous, without immediately elaborating. The name of the vessel wasnt released. The Red Sea is home to coral and marine life that previously has been threatened by burning ships from the Houthi campaign and the threat of wider oil spills. The Houthi attacks, which began in November 2023, have halved the number of ships passing through the Red Sea corridor, a crucial route for energy shipments and cargo moving between Asia and Europe. Despite the pledge by the Houthis to limit their attacks, shippers broadly are still shying away from the route over the risks. Some $1 trillion worth of trade passed through the region each year before the attacks. 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

A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska, on Sunday, June 13, 2021, with Denali in the background. Denali, the tallest mountain on the North American continent, is located about 60 miles northwest of Talkeetna. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)2025-01-28T12:04:41Z Google says it will take its cue from the U.S. government if it has to change the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Denali on its maps. The company said Monday that it will only make changes when the government updates its official listings for the body of water and the mountain.After taking office, President Donald Trump ordered that the water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed to the Gulf of America. He also ordered Americas highest mountain peak be changed back to Mt. McKinley. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources, Google said in a post on X. The company said that Maps will reflect any updates to the Geographic Names Information System, a database of more than 1 million geographic features in the United States. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America, Google said. Denali is the mountains preferred name for Alaska Natives. Former President Barack Obama ordered it changed in 2015 from its previous name McKinley, which was a tribute to President William McKinley, designated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. The Associated Press, which provides news around the world to multiple audiences, will refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, which it has carried for 400 years, while acknowledging the name Gulf of America. AP will, however, use the name Mount McKinley instead of Denali; the area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Miami to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-01-28T12:44:43Z WASHINGTON (AP) The White House is pausing federal grants and loans starting on Tuesday as President Donald Trumps administration begins an across-the-board ideological review of its spending. The decision by the Republican administration could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve, said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. The pause takes effect at 5 p.m. ET, and its unclear from the memo how sweeping it will be. Vaeth said that all spending must comply with Trumps executive orders, which are intended to undo progressive steps on transgender rights, environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts. Vaeth wrote that each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the Presidents executive orders. Washington is a hub of spending that flows to various departments, local governments, nonprofits and contractors, and the memo has left countless people who are dependent on that money wondering how they will be affected. The pause is the latest example of how Trump is harnessing his power over the federal system to advance his conservative goals. Unlike during his first term, when Trump and many members of his inner circle were unfamiliar with Washington, this time hes reaching deep into the bureaucracy. They are pushing the presidents agenda from the bottom up, said Paul Light, an expert on the federal government and professor emeritus of public service at New York University. He also said there are risks in Trumps approach, especially with so many voters reliant on Washington. You cant just hassle, hassle, hassle. Youve got to deliver.Medicare and Social Security benefits will be unaffected by the pause, according to the memo. But there was no explanation of whether the pause would affect Medicaid, food stamps, disaster assistance and other programs. The memo said it should be implemented to the extent permissible under applicable law. Are you stopping NIH cancer trials? Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, wrote on social media, referring to the National Institutes of Health. A briefing with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, her first, is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rose DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrats on the Senate and House appropriations committees, expressed extreme alarm in a letter to Vaeth.This Administrations actions will have far-reaching consequences for nearly all federal programs and activities, putting the financial security of our families, our national security, and the success of our country at risk, they wrote. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Justin Baldoni, right, and Blake Lively in a scene from "It Ends With Us." (Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures via AP)2025-01-27T23:47:05Z NEW YORK (AP) A New York judge set a March 2026 trial date on Monday and moved an initial conference from mid-February to next week as the public feud between Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni continued to grow and accelerate.And in a new and separate front in the series of legal battles surrounding the film that became a surprise hit last summer, Lively in a Texas court filed a request for a deposition of a man she says was central to turning online sentiment against her during its release and promotion.The New York federal judge, Lewis J. Liman, told both sides in an order late Monday to prepare for a March 9, 2026, trial.He also moved an initial conference from mid-February to next week and told lawyers to be prepared to address complaints about pretrial publicity and attorney conduct. Liman took the actions after Livelys lawyers claimed in a filing on Monday that an attorney for Baldoni was trying to taint potential jurors over lawsuits the actors have filed against each other.The lawyers said Baldonis attorney was trying to wreck Livelys career and turn potential New York jurors against her by creating a website to release selected documents and communications between Lively and Baldoni. The lawyers said attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, was engaging in this extrajudicial campaign to influence these proceedings and the public perception of legal filings to this Court, and there already is a serious risk that his misconduct is tainting the jury pool. They added: The endless stream of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must end.Freedman said in a statement in response to Mondays assertions that the irony is not lost on anyone that Ms. Lively is so petrified of the truth that she has moved to gag it.We will always respect the court; however, we will never be bullied by those suggesting we cannot defend our clients with pure, unedited facts, the lawyer said. All we want is for people to see the actual text messages that directly contradict her allegations, video footage that clearly shows there was no sexual harassment and all the other powerful evidence that directly contradicts any false allegations. In a letter to the judge on Thursday, Baldoni attorney Kevin Fritz accused Lively of a publicity campaign that left Baldoni and other defendants the objects of public scorn and contempt.He said the actions had damaged those she sued so that they were exiled from polite society and suffered damages totaling hundreds of millions of dollars due to Ms. Livelys scorched-earth media campaign.In the separate filing in Hays County, Texas, a precursor to another potential lawsuit, Lively asks for an order for a deposition from Jed Wallace, a crisis management specialist she alleges was behind much of the social media manipulation surrounding the film that turned public sentiment against her through posts on Reddit and TikTok.Wallace and his Texas-based firm Street Relations were brought on as subcontractors by publicists working with Baldoni and his production company, the filing said. He weaponized a digital army around the country, including in New York and Los Angeles, to create, seed, manipulate, and advance disparaging content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums, the filing alleges.Wallace is identified in Livelys federal lawsuit, but he is not a defendant.Freedman, who the filing says is Wallaces lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment on the issue.Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others in New York in late December for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and asked for unspecified damages. Baldoni sued earlier this month, accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.The judge said Monday that hell likely combine the lawsuits for trial.It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoovers bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut. But the movies release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni. Lively came to fame through the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and bolstered her stardom on the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. She has since starred in films including The Town and The Shallows.Baldoni starred in the TV comedy Jane the Virgin, directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and wrote Man Enough, a book pushing back against traditional notions of masculinity.___AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton reported from Los Angeles. ANDREW DALTON Dalton covers entertainment for The Associated Press, with an emphasis on crime, courts and obituaries. He has worked for the AP for 20 years and is based in Los Angeles. mailto

Eggs sit for sale at a grocery store, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Windham, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)2025-01-27T23:17:39Z OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Bird flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. And it appears there may be no relief in sight, given the surge in demand as Easter approaches.The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. Thats not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.Shoppers in some parts of the country are already paying more than double the average price, or worse, finding empty shelves in their local grocery stores. Organic and cage-free varieties are even more expensive.Some grocery stores have even limited how many eggs shoppers can buy.Its just robbery, said Minneapolis resident Sage Mills, who bought eggs to bake a birthday cake last week. Eggs used to be kind of a staple food for us, but now you know, you might as well just go out to eat. What is driving up prices?The bird flu outbreak that started in 2022 is the main reason egg prices are up so much. Anytime the virus is found on a poultry farm, the entire flock is slaughtered to help limit the virus spread. And with massive egg farms routinely housing more than 1 million chickens, just a few infections can cause a supply crunch.The problem tends to linger because it takes months to dispose of all the carcasses, disinfect barns and bring in new birds. This story is featured in our One Notable Number series, which spotlights the key numbers leading our coverage.Take a look at more Notable Numbers here.You can also read more ONEs:One Extraordinary PhotoOne Must ReadOne Tech Tip More than 145 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered since the current outbreak began, with the vast majority of them being egg-laying chickens. Cage-free egg laws in 10 states may also be responsible for some supply disruptions and price increases. The laws set minimum space for chickens or cage-free requirements for egg-laying hens. Theyve already gone into effect in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. At a Target in Chicago on Monday, a dozen large conventional eggs cost $4.49 but a dozen large cage-free eggs were selling for $6.19. Why is the virus so hard to control?Bird flu is primarily spread by wild birds such as ducks and geese as they migrate. While it is fatal to a variety of animals, those species can generally carry it without getting sick, which offers the virus a chance to mutate and thrive.The virus can be spread through droppings or any interaction between farm-raised poultry and wild birds. Its also easily tracked into a farm on someones boots or by vehicle. Unlike previous outbreaks, the one that began in 2022 didnt die out in high summer temperatures. The virus found another new host when dairy cattle started getting sick last March. That creates more opportunities for the virus to linger and spread and unlike poultry, cattle arent slaughtered when they get sick because they rarely die from bird flu. More than five dozen people have also become ill with bird flu and one person died since last March. Nearly all of them worked around sick animals. Health officials havent yet found evidence of the disease spreading from person to person. What is being done to stop the virus?Farmers go to great lengths to protect their flocks. Many poultry farms installed truck washes to disinfect vehicles entering their property and require workers to shower and change clothes before stepping inside a barn. They have also invested in duplicate sets of tools so nothing used in one barn is shared.Some poultry farmers have even invested in lasers that shoot beams of green light in random patterns to discourage ducks and geese from landing.Dairy farmers isolate any sick cattle and do additional testing before moving animals off the farm especially if there has been a nearby outbreak or if the cows are being sent to a meat processing plant. The government is also testing milk.Future vaccines might help, but its not practical to vaccinate millions of chickens through shots, and other countries might refuse to purchase meat from vaccinated birds.Health officials emphasize that any sick birds or cattle are kept out of the food supply. Cooking meat to 165 degrees (74 Celsius) kills bird flu, E. coli, salmonella or anything else. Pasteurization also kills the virus in milk. Raw milk is the only food product linked to illnesses so far. How much has the outbreak cost so far?It is impossible to know how much farmers have spent to seal barns, build shower houses for workers or to adopt other biosecurity measures. Over the last five years, my small farm alone has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on biosecurity, said Minnesota turkey farmer Loren Brey. But not only that, its the time daily that youre attending to biosecurity.The U.S. Department of Agriculture has spent at least $1.14 billion compensating farmers for the birds they have had to kill. A similar number wasnt immediately available for how much has been spent to aid dairies. USDA spokeswoman Shilo Weir said the department also spent more than $576 million on its own response. The prices of turkey, milk and chicken have also seen some pressure from bird flu.Mike Vickers, a manager at Sentyrz Liquor & Supermarket in Minneapolis, said he cant even stock any organic, cage-free or brown eggs right now and is limited instead to selling large or jumbo eggs. He understands the pain customers are feeling.Its the first time in my life that Ive ever had to be kind of embarrassed on what Im selling eggs for, he said. And its not our fault. Were paying today $7.45 for a dozen eggs. Were selling for $7.59. Were making $0.14. Thats doesnt pay the bills.___Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Vancleave contributed from Minneapolis and Durbin from Detroit. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto DEE-ANN DURBIN Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP. twitter mailto

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-01-28T12:01:45Z WASHINGTON (AP) Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary, will make her debut in the briefing room on Tuesday.Her first briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was the site of clashes between spokespeople and journalists during President Donald Trumps first term. Trump, a Republican, also made frequent appearances there himself during the coronavirus outbreak.Its unclear how often Leavitt, 27, plans to hold briefings. Trump had four press secretaries during his first administration, Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany, and Grisham never held a briefing, while the others were more frequent presences behind the podium.Leavitt was a spokesperson for Trumps campaign and transition, and he said she did a phenomenal job when he announced in November that shed be his White House press secretary. Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator, he said then in a statement. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we Make America Great Again. Previously, the youngest press secretary was Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the position in 1969 in Richard Nixons administration.Grisham was arguably the nations least visible press secretary in modern history, not holding a press briefing during nine months on the job. While she made occasional appearances on the Fox News Channel, she preferred to tape her interviews in a studio to avoid having to speak to reporters who gather on the White House driveway to interview officials after they appear on TV via cameras set up outside the executive mansion. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Trump disrupted those norms in his first term, preferring to serve as his own chief spokesperson. While he was president from 2017 to 2021, he frequently preferred to engage directly with the public, from his rallies, social media posts and his own briefings.At a news conference this past August, Trump was asked if hed have regular press briefings in his new administration. He told reporters, I will give you total access, and youll have a lot of press briefings, and youll have, uh, from me.When it came to a press secretary, he said: Probably theyll do something. If its not daily, its going to be a lot. Youll have more than you want. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto

A group of migrants wait to be processed between two border walls separating Mexico and the United States after crossing illegally before dawn Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)2025-01-28T05:24:38Z SAN DIEGO (AP) During his first week in office, President Donald Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration and issued a slew of edicts to carry out promises of mass deportations and border security.Some actions were felt immediately. Others face legal challenges. Some may take years to happen, if ever, but have generated fear in immigrant communities.Much of what Trump can do will boil down to money. Congress is expected to consider additional support soon. Trump may use emergency powers to tap the Defense Department, as he did for a border wall in his first term.Heres a look at how immigration policy has changed so far under Trump and what hasnt happened yet: Immigration arrestsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it made an average of 710 immigration arrests daily from Thursday through Monday, up from a daily average of 311 in a 12-month period through September under President Joe Biden. If that rate holds, it would surpass ICEs previous high mark set in the Obama administration, when daily arrests averaged 636 in 2013.Numbers spiked starting Sunday and included highly publicized operations, including in Atlanta, Dallas and, most prominently, Chicago. The Trump administration has highlighted participation of other agencies in ICE operations, a departure from Biden. They include the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all part of the Justice Department and the Homeland Security Departments Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol. Emile Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, observed arrests in Chicago on Sunday in a sign of the Justice Departments growing involvement.Trump expanded arrest priorities to anyone in the country illegally, not just people with criminal convictions, public safety or national security threats and migrants stopped at the border. Still, some said it was business as usual for ICE at least so far. Theres nothing unique about it, said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, a research and advocacy group that favors immigration restrictions. He anticipates more enforcement in next few weeks and believes Congress will approve funding for up to 80,000 beds, about double the current level. ICE needs the space to hold people while any legal proceedings play out and while it arranges deportations.DeportationsICE hasnt said how many people it has deported since Trump took office gain, but the administration has highlighted removal flights, including the use of military planes. Under Biden, ICE deported more than 270,000 people in a 12-month period that ended in September. That was the highest annual tally in a decade, helped by an increase in deportation flights. The Biden administration did not use military planes. In an episode that may signal more hardball diplomacy with governments that resist or refuse to take back their citizens, Trump said Sunday that he would raise tariffs 25% on Colombia after President Gustavo Petro refused to let two military planes land with deportees. Trump put the tariffs measures on hold after Petro backed down. A C-27 military transport plane landed Monday in Guatemala, with 80 deportees in shackles and handcuffs. Its my first attempt of the year and I dont know if I will try again because its hard, said Jacobo Dueas, 38, who was arrested Friday on the Texas border. The Trump administration made it easier for ICE to deport people without appearing before an immigration judge by expanding expedited removal authority nationwide for anyone in the country up to two years. The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the fast-track deportations in court.Some steps that could have a major impact have yet to be seen on a large scaleThe administration ended a policy to avoid arrests at sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals and places of worship. It said it may deport people who entered the country legally on parole, a presidential authority that Biden used more than any president.It also threatened to punish sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Border enforcementTrump ended use of a border app to allow migrants to enter the country on two-year permits with eligibility to work, canceling tens of thousands of appointments into early February for people stranded in Mexico. Nearly 1 million people entered the U.S. at land crossings with Mexico by using the CBP One app.Trump also ended a policy that allowed more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the country on two-year permits if they had a financial sponsor. Other actions will time to play out. Trump secured Mexicos approval to reinstate a hallmark policy of his first term, Remain in Mexico, which requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. The Pentagon began deploying 1,500 active-duty troops to the border last week but it was unclear if they will break from supporting roles they have played under presidents since George W. Bush, including ground and aerial surveillance, building barriers and repairing vehicles. An 1878 law prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement, but Trump and his aides have signaled he may invoke wartime powers. Trump said in his order that the Defense Department can assist with detention and transportation. What else?Trump stopped resettling refugees who are vetted abroad before entering the United States until further review, a program that he largely dismantled in his first term and was resurrected under Biden. Groups that provide temporary housing, job training and other support said the State Department told them Friday to stop work immediately.The Justice Department also told legal aid groups to stop work on federal programs that help people in immigration courts and detention centers navigate complex laws.Trump said he was ending automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, a precedent established by constitutional amendment in 1868. A federal judge in Seattle has put it on hold.___Associated Press writers Sonia Prez D. in Guatemala City and Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed.

A shopper carries bags down Fifth Avenue on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)2025-01-28T15:11:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. consumer confidence dipped for the second consecutive month in January, a business research group said Tuesday.The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index retreated this month to 104.1, from 109.5 in December. That is worse than the economist projections for a reading of 105.8. Decembers reading was revised up by 4.8 points but still represented a decline from November.The consumer confidence index measures both Americans assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months.Consumers appeared increasingly confident heading into the end of 2024 and spending during the holiday season was resolute. In the face of higher borrowing costs, retail sales rose 0.4% in December and stores generally reported healthy sales during the winter holiday shopping season. The board said that consumers view of current conditions tumbled 9.7 points to a reading of 134.3 in January and and views on current labor market conditions fell for the first time since September. The measure of Americans short-term expectations for income, business and the job market fell 2.6 points to 83.9. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. However, the proportion of consumers expecting a recession over the next 12 months remained stable at the low end of the series range. Though the boards index has declined the past two months, consumers continue to spend, helping to prop up the U.S. economy since the sharp rebound from the COVID-19 recession in the spring of 2020. In December, the government said that the U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.1% annual clip from July through September, propelled by vigorous consumer spending and an uptick in exports. GDP growth has topped 2% in eight of the last nine quarters.All of that spending could be catching up to consumers. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported last week that credit card balances and delinquencies are on the rise and that active cardholders making the minimum payment is at a 12-year high. The share of respondents to the Conference Boards latest survey who said they plan to purchase big-ticket items in the next six months was down slightly from its December report.Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity and is closely watched by economists for signs how the American consumer is feeling.

Displaced Palestinians walk on a road to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, after Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to go back for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-01-28T17:33:37Z Crowds of displaced Palestinians made the arduous journey back to heavily destroyed northern Gaza for a second day Tuesday, under a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.Families walked for hours up a seaside road with whatever they could carry. Others packed up belongings in squalid tent camps and former schools where theyve been sheltering in the south.Many said they were happy to return, even though their homes in northern Gaza are likely damaged or destroyed. Others said the feeling was bittersweet, as nearly everyone has friends or relatives killed by Israel during the 15-month war.This is our homeland and we have to go back, said one displaced woman, Ola Saleh.The ceasefire is aimed at ending the war and releasing dozens of hostages and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel.Heres the latest: Israels defense minister says troops will remain in Syrian buffer zone indefinitely TEL AVIV, Israel Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the Syrian summit of Mount Hermon, currently occupied by Israeli forces, on Tuesday and said Israel will remain there and in the buffer zone for an unlimited time.Katz said Israel must stay in the zone to ensure hostile forces will not gain a foothold on the Israeli border nor anywhere within 50 kilometers (30 miles) beyond the zone, citing security for Israeli residents in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.For decades, the Syrian-Israeli border remained largely quiet under a 1974 agreement that established a U.N.-patrolled demilitarized buffer zone after the 1973 Mideast war. But after Syrian President Bashar Assads ouster in December, Israeli forces entered the 400-square-kilometer (155-square mile) buffer zone, calling it a temporary move to block hostile forces. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said Israel will stay in the zone until another arrangement is in place that ensures Israels security. That drew criticism from residents of the zone and Arab countries. Palestinians stream into northern Gaza for a second dayWADI GAZA, Gaza Strip Palestinians streamed into northern Gaza on foot and in vehicles Tuesday, a day after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas.Although my husband was martyred and my sons are injured, Im happy that were going back home to our land and our home, said Fayza al-Nahal, who was preparing to head north.Many in Khan Younis in the south were preparing to walk for hours. The mood was mostly joyful, even though many knew homes had been destroyed.We will move from being in tents here to living in tents there. What can we do? said Osama Ayesh. Theres no water, theres no electricity, theres nothing. We will also face hardships there, but we are relieved and thankful. A Palestinian familys ordeal during an Israeli raid in the West BankTULKAREM, West Bank The thunder of explosions in the urban Tulkarem camp in the West Bank marked the start of Osama Al-Qubbajs 24-hour ordeal to evacuate his children.Before the Israeli army began its ongoing raid on Monday, Al-Qubbaj dropped his two toddler sons and young daughter at their grandmothers apartment in the camp and returned home to the surrounding city with plans to pick them up later.But within hours, Israels army surrounded the camp, firing at Palestinian gunmen and ripping up the roads and water pipes with bulldozers in search of explosives. Al-Qubbaj phoned the Palestinian Red Crescent, pleading with the dispatcher to send rescuers for his children. Tulkarems streets were empty, as residents were trapped in their homes while Israeli soldiers roamed, checking drivers IDs.On Tuesday, roughly 24 hours after the army operation started, the Red Crescent delivered the children to their father.The situation was so scary, for everyone but especially for children, Al-Qubbaj told The Associated Press.The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since the war in Gaza began. First Russian officials visit Syria since ally Assad was oustedBEIRUT Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said Tuesday that a delegation of Russian officials had arrived in Damascus, the first to visit Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad an ally of Moscow in December in a rebel offensive.The report said the delegation includes Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov and the Russian presidents special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev. RIA Novosti didnt say who the delegation was planning to meet or the subject of the talks.There was no official comment on the visit from Syrias interim government, but the semi-official Al Watan newspaper reported that the Russian delegation would meet with Syrias de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and with the Syrian foreign minister.Assad took refuge in Russia after his ouster. The new Syrian authorities have not cut off relations with Moscow or forced a complete exit of Russian forces from bases in Syria, but Al Watan this month reported that a contract with a Russian company to manage the port in Tartous had been canceled. Explosion hits container ship in the Red SeaDUBAI, United Arab Emirates An explosion struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship Tuesday on the Red Sea, sparking a fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel, shipping industry officials said. The ship was drifting and ablaze some 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Hodeida, a port city in Yemen held by the countrys Houthi rebels, said the Diaplous Group maritime firm.It wasnt immediately clear what caused the fire, and the Houthis did not immediately acknowledge it. The rebels said last week they were was limiting their Red Sea assaults following the Gaza ceasefire.The vessel was abandoned and the crew was later rescued unharmed, another maritime industry official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity as authorization hadnt been given to speak publicly about the incident. The name of the vessel wasnt released. by Jon Gambrell RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, second from left, and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists member Robert Socolow, second from right, reveal the Doomsday Clock, set at 89 seconds to midnight, as fellow members Herbert Lin, left, and Suzet McKinney, right, watch during a news conference at the United States Institute of Peace, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-01-28T16:37:46Z Earth is moving closer to destruction, a science-oriented advocacy group said Tuesday as it advanced its famous Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds till midnight, the closest it has ever been.The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists made the annual announcement which rates how close humanity is from ending citing threats that include climate change, proliferation of nuclear weapons, instability in the Middle East, the threat of pandemics and incorporation of artificial intelligence in military operations. The clock had stood at 90 seconds to midnight for the past two years and when you are at this precipice, the one thing you dont want to do is take a step forward, said Daniel Holz, chair of the groups science and security board. The group said its concerned about cooperation between countries such as North Korea, Russia and China in developing nuclear programs. Russia President Vladimir Putin has also talked about using nuclear weapons in his war against Ukraine. The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, set at 89 seconds to midnight, is displayed during a news conference at the United States Institute of Peace, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, set at 89 seconds to midnight, is displayed during a news conference at the United States Institute of Peace, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A lot of the rhetoric is very disturbing, Holz said. There is this growing sense that ... some nation might end up using nuclear weapons, and thats terrifying. Starting in 1947, the advocacy group used a clock to symbolize the potential and even likelihood of people doing something to end humanity. After the end of the Cold War, it was as close as 17 minutes to midnight. In the past few years, to address rapid global changes, the group has changed from counting down the minutes until midnight to counting down the seconds.The group said the clock could be turned back if leaders and nations worked together to address existential risks. ___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

LinkedIn has removed at least two accounts that were created for AI co-workers whose profile images said they were #OpenToWork.I dont need coffee breaks, I dont miss deadlines, and Ill outperform any social media team youve ever worked with - Guaranteed," the profile page for one of these AI accounts called Ella said. Tired of human experts making excuses? I deliver, period.The #OpenToWork flair on profile pictures is a feature on LinkedIn that lets people clearly signal they are looking for a job on the professional networking platform.People expect the people and conversations they find on LinkedIn to be real, a LinkedIn spokesperson told me in an email. Our policies are very clear that the creation of a fake account is a violation of our terms of service, and well remove them when we find them, as we did in this case.The AI profiles were created by an Israeli company called Marketeam, which offers dedicated AI agents that integrate with a clients marketing team and help them execute their marketing strategies from social media and content marketing to SEO, RTM, ad campaigns, and more.Marketeam has raised $5 million in funding so far and recently announced a partnership with Bank Hapoalim, one of Israels largest banks.Hi, Im Ella, your AI-powered social media strategist, a LinkedIn post by Marketeam promoting Ellas LinkedIn profile said. Social media is where I thrivebuilding relationships, credibility, and growth, 24/7, no breaks, no excuses.The post goes on to claim that Ella has grown followers for clients by 500 percent in six months, boosted engagement by 150 percent, and delivered content that drives results, not just likes.Our proprietary LLM for marketing and our team of autonomous AI agents fit into your current workflows, empowering your marketers to achieve more with unparalleled precision and efficiency, Marketeams site, which also notes it was recently voted as the #2 product on Product Hunt, says.I learned about Marketeam via a post on r/LinkedInlunatics, a Reddit community where people share LinkedIn that are wild, absurd, or offensive.Although most of these AI accounts have since been rebranded, reported, or removed the idea that someone thought to make an open to work post for them is wild, the Reddit user who shared the AI profiles said. Two profiles that Reddit users in the thread highlighted and encouraged others to report to LinkedIn were removed by the time I found them, but LinkedIn confirmed that they existed and violated the platforms policy.How LinkedIn enforces its policies in practice doesnt always make sense. The company did not explain why it removed the profile of a woman who made a post about her Pornhub page despite it not containing any adult content, or why it was reinstated after my article about her was published.Marketeam acknowledged my request for comet but did not provide one in time for publication.