Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks to journalists during a press conference at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 6, 2023. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP, File)2025-02-03T06:00:06Z GENEVA (AP) The World Health Organization chief asked global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the U.N. health agency, insisting in a closed-door meeting with diplomats last week that the U.S. will miss out on critical information about global disease outbreaks. But countries also pressed WHO at a key budget meeting last Wednesday about how it might cope with the exit of its biggest donor, according to internal meeting materials obtained by The Associated Press. A German envoy, Bjorn Kummel, warned: The roof is on fire, and we need to stop the fire as soon as possible.For 2024-2025, the U.S. is WHOs biggest donor by far, putting in an estimated $988 million, roughly 14% of WHOs $6.9 billion budget. A budget document presented at the meeting showed WHOs health emergencies program has a heavy reliance on American cash. Readiness functions in WHOs Europe office were more than 80% reliant on the $154 million the U.S. contributes. The document said U.S. funding provides the backbone of many of WHOs large-scale emergency operations, covering up to 40%. It said responses in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan were at risk, in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars lost by polio-eradication and HIV programs. The U.S. also covers 95% of WHOs tuberculosis work in Europe and more than 60% of TB efforts in Africa, the Western Pacific and at the agency headquarters in Geneva, the document said. At a separate private meeting on the impact of the U.S. exit last Wednesday, WHO finance director George Kyriacou said if the agency spends at its current rate, the organization would be very much in a hand-to-mouth type situation when it comes to our cash flows in the first half of 2026. He added the current rate of spending is something were not going to do, according to a recording obtained by the AP. Since Trumps executive order, WHO has attempted to withdraw funds from the U.S. for past expenses, Kyriacou said, but most of those have not been accepted. The U.S. also has yet to settle its owed contributions to WHO for 2024, pushing the agency into a deficit, he added. WHOs leader wants to bring back the USLast week, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were instructed to stop working with WHO immediately. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the attendees at the budget meeting that the agency is still providing U.S. scientists with some data though it isnt known what data.We continue to give them information because they need it, Tedros said, urging member countries to contact U.S officials. We would appreciate it if you continue to push and reach out to them to reconsider.Among other health crises, WHO is currently working to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus in Tanzania, Ebola in Uganda and mpox in Congo. Tedros rebutted Trumps three stated reasons for leaving the agency in the executive order signed on Jan. 20 Trumps first day back in office. In the order, the president said WHO mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic that began in China, failed to adopt needed reforms and that U.S. membership required unfairly onerous payments. Tedros said WHO alerted the world in January 2020 about the potential dangers of the coronavirus and has made dozens of reforms since including efforts to expand its donor base.Tedros also said he believed the U.S. departure was not about the money but more about the void in outbreak details and other critical health information that the United States would face in the future. Bringing the U.S. back will be very important, he told meeting attendees. And on that, I think all of you can play a role.Kummel, a senior advisor on global health in Germanys health ministry, described the U.S. exit as the most extensive crisis WHO has been facing in the past decades. He also asked: What concrete functions of WHO will collapse if the funding of the U.S. is not existent anymore?Officials from countries including Bangladesh and France asked what specific plans WHO had to deal with the loss of U.S. funding and wondered which health programs would be cut as a result. The AP obtained a document shared among some WHO senior managers that laid out several options, including a proposal that each major department or office might be slashed in half by the end of the year.WHO declined to comment on whether Tedros had privately asked countries to lobby on the agencys behalf. Experts say US benefits from WHOSome experts said that while the departure of the U.S. was a major crisis, it might also serve as an opportunity to reshape global public health.Less than 1% of the U.S. health budget goes to WHO, said Matthew Kavanagh, director of Georgetown Universitys Center for Global Health Policy and Politics. In exchange, the U.S. gets a wide variety of benefits to Americans that matter quite a bit, he said. That includes intelligence about disease epidemics globally and virus samples for vaccines. Kavanagh also said the WHO is massively underfunded, describing the contributions from rich countries as peanuts. WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said at the meeting on the impact of the U.S. withdrawal last week that losing the U.S. was terrible, but member states had tremendous capacity to fill in those gaps. Ryan told WHO member countries: The U.S. is leaving a community of nations. Its essentially breaking up with you.Kavanagh doubted the U.S. would be able to match WHOs ability to gather details about emerging health threats globally, and said its exit from the agency will absolutely lead to worse health outcomes for Americans.How much worse remains to be seen, Kavanagh said.___Cheng reported from Toronto. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. He previously was posted in Paris and has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, North Africa and across Europe. twitter

Ukrainian servicemen of 148th artillery brigade fire by a M777 howitzer towards Russian positions at the frontline on Velyka Novosilka direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)2025-02-03T07:55:45Z POKROVSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) A dire shortage of infantry troops and supply routes coming under Russian drone attacks are conspiring against Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk, where decisive battles in the nearly three-year war are playing out and time is running short. Ukrainian troops are losing ground around the crucial supply hub, which lies at the confluence of multiple highways leading to key cities in the eastern Donetsk region as well as an important railway station.Moscow is set on capturing as much territory as possible as the Trump administration is pushing for negotiations to end the war and recently froze foreign aid to Ukraine, a move that has shocked Ukrainian officials already apprehensive about the intentions of the new U.S. president, their most important ally. Military aid has not stopped, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Ukrainian soldiers in Pokrovsk said that Russian forces switched tactics in recent weeks, attacking their flanks instead of going head-on to form a pincer movement around the city. With Russians in control of dominant heights, Ukrainian supply routes are now within their range. Heavy fog in recent days prevented Ukrainian soldiers from effectively using surveillance drones, allowing Russians to consolidate and take more territory. Meanwhile, Ukrainian commanders say they do not have enough reserves to sustain defense lines and that new infantry units are failing to execute operations. Many pin hopes on Mykhailo Drapatyi, a respected commander recently appointed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as ground forces chief, to shift the dynamic and counterattack. The war is won by logistics. If there is no logistics, there is no infantry, because there is no way to supply it, said the deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, known by the call sign Afer. (Russians) have learned this and are doing it quite well. Poor weather at the worst time A combination of factors led Kyiv to effectively lose the settlement of Velyka Novosilka this past week, their most significant gain since seizing the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region in January. Scattered groups of Ukrainian soldiers are still present in Velyka Novosilkas southern sector, Ukrainian commanders said, prompting criticism from some military experts who questioned why the higher command did not order a full withdrawal.The road-junction village is 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, where authorities have begun digging fortifications for the first time since Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, anticipating further Russian advances.Russia amassed a large number of infantry around Velyka Novosilka, soldiers there said. As heavy fog set in in recent days, Ukrainian drones barely worked to conduct surveillance, one commander near Pokrovsk told The Associated Press. Long-range and medium-range surveillance was impossible, he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely about sensitive military matters. Because of this, the enemy was amassing forces taking up positions, digging in. They were very good at it, he said.It was at that fateful moment that Russian forces launched a massive attack: Up to 10 columns of armoured vehicles, each with up to 10 units, moved out from various directions.Ukrainian logistics in peril Key logistics routes along asphalted roads and highways are under direct threat from Russian drones as a result of Moscows recent gains, further straining Ukrainian troops.Russian forces now occupy key dominant heights around the Pokrovsk region, which allows them to use drones up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) deep into Ukrainian front lines.The Pokrovsk-Pavlohrad-Dnipro highway is already under the control of Russian drones, said the commander at Pokrovsks flanks. Russian forces are less than 4 kilometers ( 2 1/2 miles) away and are affecting Ukrainian traffic, he said. Now the road is only 10% of its former capacity, he said. Another paved highway, the Myrnohrad-Kostyantynivka road, is also under Russian fire, he said. This also means that in poor weather, military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, tanks and pickup trucks, have to trudge through the open fields to deliver fuel, food and ammunition, as well as evacuate the wounded.In a first-aid station near Pokrovsk, a paramedic with the call sign Marik said evacuating wounded soldiers once took hours, now it takes days.Everything is visible (by enemy drones) and it is very difficult, he said. New recruits are unprepared Ukrainian soldiers in Pokrovsk said shortages of fighting troops are catastrophic and challenges are compounded by newly created infantry units that are poorly trained and inexperienced, putting more pressure on battle-hardened brigades having to step in to stabilize the front line.Afer, the deputy commander, complained that new recruits are constantly extending the front line because they leave their positions, they do not hold them, they do not control them, they do not monitor them. We do almost all the work for them. Because of this, having initially a 2-kilometer area of responsibility, you end up with 8-9 kilometers per battalion, which is a lot and we dont have enough resources, Afer said. Drones are especially hard to come by for his battalion, he said, adding they only have half of what they need. Its not because they have lower quality infantry, but because they are completely unprepared for modern warfare, he said of the new recruits. His battalion has almost no reserves, forcing infantry units to hold front-line positions for weeks at a time. For every one of his soldiers, Russians have 20, he said, emphasizing how outnumbered they are. Back at the first-aid station, a wounded soldier with the call sign Fish was recovering from a leg wound sustained after he tried to evacuate a fallen comrade. He had moved him from a dugout to load him into a vehicle when the Russian mortar shell exploded nearby. We are fighting back as much as we can, as best as we can, he said.Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed to this report. ___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine SAMYA KULLAB Kullab is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine since June 2023. Before that, she covered Iraq and the wider Middle East from her base in Baghdad since joining the AP in 2019. twitter instagram mailto

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are on sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)2025-02-03T07:38:27Z TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) U.S. President Donald Trumps trade war with Canada, Mexico and China is ramping up over the production and importation of the opiate fentanyl, along with trade surpluses and illegal border crossings by migrants from across the globe. Here is what Beijing says about it:What has been Chinas reaction so far? China has reiterated its threat to take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests following Trumps decision to impose 10% tariffs on China for allegedly doing too little to stem the production of precursor chemicals for fentanyl. The Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday did not mention any specific retaliatory measures, but said China calls on the United States to correct its wrongdoings, maintain the hard-won positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation, and promote a steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relationship. China says the U.S. action violates World Trade Organization rules and has vowed to bring a case before the body that governs global commerce.The Ministry of Public Security on Sunday made near identical charges and the Commerce Ministry also issued a closely worded statement. Who does China say is to blame?Trump accuses China of allowing the production of fentanyl, which is then made into tablets in Mexico and smuggled into and distributed throughout the U.S., which records some 70,000 overdose deaths from the drug annually. China says the U.S. must hold itself to account instead of threatening other countries with arbitrary tariff hikes, the Foreign Ministry said. The United States needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue in an objective and rational way ... (China is) one of the worlds toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation.Experts say China executes an unknown number of people each year for smuggling drugs, but domestic drug use is relatively low.The Ministry of Public Security statement said the U.S. has not reported any fentanyl precursor seizures originating in China since Beijing began to take legal action. What other issues may be having an impact on the dispute?Chinas enormous trade deficit with the U.S., which reached nearly $1 trillion last year, has been a constant target of Trumps complaints. Tariffs would make Chinese goods more expensive for U.S. consumers, who will ultimately have to pay a significant part of the cost of importing everything from toys to clothing.Chinas vital export market could be impacted if U.S. consumers decide to buy American. The Chinese domestic economy has failed to respond to a range of government-backed stimuli, while foreign infrastructure projects and other major government initiatives that add to the countrys already high public debt threaten more economic stagnation. That is already starting to derail Chinese President Xi Jinpings push to overtake the U.S. in key economic and political indicators, threatening his ultimate ambition to conquer the island republic of Taiwan and assert Chinese primacy in the Indo-Pacific region. Stopping illegal immigration has also been one of Trumps core political messages, and was named in tariff actions against U.S. neighbors Mexico and Canada. Illegal arrivals from China are considered a fraction of such numbers, but Trump has put virtually every country on notice that he will hold them accountable for their nationals who enter the U.S. outside the law.

Medics treat a man wounded during fighting between Congolese government troops and M23 rebel forces in Goma's Kyeshero hospital Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)2025-02-03T06:32:29Z GOMA, Congo (AP) Hundreds of wounded people have poured into overcrowded hospitals in Goma, a major city in eastern Congo, as fighting rages on between government forces and the Rwanda-backed rebels who seized the city of around 2 million people.They will get infected before we can treat them all, said Florence Douet, an operating room nurse at Bethesda Hospital, as she attended to patients with varying degrees of injuries. Since the start of the M23 rebels offensive on Goma on Jan. 26, more than 700 people have been killed and nearly 3,000 have been wounded in the city and its vicinity, officials say. Bethesda Hospital alone said it receives more than 100 new patients each day, overstretching its capacity of 250 beds.Bethesda is one of several hospitals in Goma that The Associated Press visited that has inadequate personnel and supplies. The city hosts many of the close to 6.5 million people displaced by the conflict, which is one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises. As more people arrived at the hospitals with gunshot or shrapnel wounds, many were forced to share beds while others lay on the floor, writhing in pain as they waited for medical attention. This is the first time Im experiencing this, said Patrick Bagamuhunda, who was wounded in the fighting. This war has caused a lot of damage, but at least we are still breathing.The M23 rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, far more than in 2012, when they first captured Goma before withdrawing under international pressure. They are the most potent of the more than 100 armed groups vying for control in Congos mineral-rich east, which holds vast deposits critical to much of the worlds technology. Unlike in 2012, the rebels say they now plan to march to Congos capital, Kinshasa, 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) away, describing the country as a failed state under President Flix Tshisekedi. The fighting in Congo has connections with a decadeslong ethnic conflict. M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo. Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and others in Rwanda. Many Hutus fled to Congo after the genocide and founded the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia group. Rwanda said the group is fully integrated into the Congolese military, which denies the charges.Hospitals are running out of suppliesMedical workers at Kyeshero Hospital in Goma say they are treating an increasing number of patients with bullet wounds.We removed 48 bullets yesterday, Johnny Kasangati, a surgeonl, said Friday as he examined a patient under a tent.Kyeshero is also severely overcrowded, hitting more than 200% of its capacity on some days, according to Joseph Amadomon Sagara, a project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, which runs the hospital.In the past, hospitals in Goma could transport wounded patients by boat to South Kivus main Bukavu city, 180 kilometers (111 miles) to the south, but transport across Lake Kivu was suspended during the rebellion and roads have been mostly cut. The fighting in and around Goma has also disrupted supply chains, leading to shortages in medical supplies that aid groups rely on. Some of it previously entered the city through its international airport, which is now under rebel control.Goma was cut off from the world. It was a total blackout, said Virginie Napolitano, Gomas emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.The aid groups stockpiles, along with those of other groups, have been looted. Were getting by with what we had in the cabinets, but I dont know for how long, Napolitano said.How many have died in the conflict?Congos government has confirmed 773 deaths and 2,880 injured persons at morgues and hospitals. The toll could be higher, it said, citing fears of finding mass graves and more bodies.The Maternit de la Charit Hospital in Goma was among those struggling to find space for the dead.We had 66 bodies here. Fifty-six were transferred to the provincial hospital, where the morgue has more space than ours, said Jules Kafitiye, the hospitals medical director.We need to avoid decomposition due to disease, he added, pointing to a tent where bodies were being stored. Fears of disease spread as morgues overflowScores of bodies lay on streets and in hospitals in Goma after the citys capture, raising fears of disease outbreaks in the region, which is also facing mpox and cholera outbreaks.The U.N. health body warned last week that repeated mass displacement in Congo has created ideal conditions for the spread of endemic diseases in displacement camps and surrounding communities, including cholera, which saw more than 22,000 infections last year, and measles, which affected close to 12,000 people. The region also battles with chronic child malnutrition. Theres a fear for the disease to be spreading widely in communities, said Dr. Boureima Hama Sambo, the World Health Organizations representative in Congo. But at this point, we cannot say because we have not been able to get there. ___Associated Press journalist Justin Kabumba contributed to this report.___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Doechii, center, performs a medley during the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)2025-02-03T09:01:00Z All eyes at the Grammy Awards were on whether the most-nominated artist in the history of the telecast would finally walk away with the coveted album of the year trophy. She did. We finally saw it happen, host Trevor Noah said, almost in relief.Beyonc winning for Cowboy Carter capped a night that turned into a tribute to a suffering Los Angeles, with city firefighters chosen to reveal the winner of the last award and speeches offering words of encouragement for communities devastated. The Grammys almost veered into a telethon; $7 million was pledged from viewers of the show.It was also a telecast where the best new artist nominees like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter were given plenty of time to show why theres a deep well of talent coming up. And there was a shock return for The Weeknd, who had been boycotting the Grammys.Here are some of the nights notable moments: Kicking it off with some local boys Beyonc and Lady Gaga were right there, as were Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, but the honor of opening the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles was given to two local brothers deeply affected by the wildfires: Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of the band Dawes.They lost one brothers home along with their childhood home, instruments and much else. Theyve advocated for victims, raised money and were included in the FireAid benefit concert on Thursday.They truly epitomize the unique spirit that we are seeing in LA right now, host Trevor Noah said. What better way to start the Grammy Awards? Dawes then played Randy Newmans I Love L.A. surrounded by an all-star backing band: John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.Look at these firefighters, aint nothin like em nowhere, Taylor Goldsmith sang, altering the line: Look at these women/There aint nothing like em nowhere. All hail the Swamp PrincessDoechii won the Grammy for best rap album, only the third woman to win in that category. And, with her mother by her side, she had a strong message for young Black girls.I know that theres some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there, that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible. Anything is possible, she said.Dont allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, to tell you that you cant be here, that youre too dark, or that youre not smart enough, or that youre too dramatic, or youre too loud. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are, and I am a testimony right now. Good night!The win caps an astounding few years for the 26-year-old Floridian who mixes R&B, hip-hop, jazz, boundary-pushing sounds and samples, and adds theatricality. She playfully calls herself the swamp princess.Her 2024 mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal went to No. 33 on the Billboard 200, No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 8 on the Top Rap Album chart.Her Grammy performance of Catfish and Denial Is a River was electric, with the singer-songwriter backed by over a dozen dancers in matching Thom Browne suits and she eventually stripped down to a white two-piece set. Chappell Roan advocates from the stageChappell Roan was crowned best new artist and then used her speech to demand change in the music business.I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists, she said.Roan began her music career in 2015 when she signed with Atlantic Records, releasing several singles including Pink Pony Club. In 2020, the label dropped her. She moved back to her hometown to work as a barista before releasing her debut full-length album.It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized, Roan said in her speech. Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.Earlier, Roan performed a rocking version of her Pink Pony Club, joined by a posse of dancing clown cowboys as she sang from atop a giant pink horse. Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys get politicalLady Gaga, accepting the trophy for best pop duo or group alongside Bruno Mars for their chart-topping collab, Die with a Smile, gave a shout-out to the trans community, targets of President Donald Trump.Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love, Lady Gaga said.Not long after, Alicia Keys, being honored with The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, also backed diversity and inclusion programs, another Trump target.This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices, said Keys. Weve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, its a gift. The Weeknd returns to the GrammysThe Grammy Awards had a powerful way to prove that theyve changed. They got a surprise endorsement by The Weeknd, who was last on the Grammy stage in 2017.The pop superstar in 2020 slammed the Grammys, calling them corrupt after he landed zero nominations despite a megahit album. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency, he wrote on social media. Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr., who started in his post in 2020, on Sunday said he understood the criticism and listed all the things the Academy has done to fix it.We have completely re-made our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation, he said. Over the past few years, we have listened, weve acted and weve changed.Mason then introduced The Weeknd, who performed two tunes from his just-released album Hurry Up Tomorrow Cry For Me and Timeless with special guest Playboi Carti. He wore a long druids robe and the stage was smoky.Will Smith returns to the award stageWill Smith, hosting a tribute to the late Quincy Jones, marked his first appearance at a major awards show since since he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars in 2022.In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say, he changed mine forever. You probably wouldnt even know who Will Smith was if it wasnt for Quincy Jones, Smith said.Smith has been banned from film academy ceremonies for 10 years but the Grammys are a different beast. He made no mention of the infamous Slap.Smith has previously nabbed Grammy wins in the short form music video (Will 2K), best rap solo performance (Getting Jiggy Wit It, Men in Black), and best rap performance by a duo or group (Summertime as the Fresh Prince with DJ Jazzy Jeff).___For more coverage of the 2025 Grammys, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards MARK KENNEDY Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food and obit writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies and music. He is based in New York City. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ruins of a settlement, including a former Catholic monastery, lie on the rocky promontory of Skaros on the Greek island of Santorini, on June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)2025-02-03T06:42:46Z SANTORINI, Greece (AP) Schools were closed and emergency crews deployed on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Monday after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake.Precautions were also ordered on several nearby Aegean Sea islands all popular summer vacation destinations after more than 200 undersea earthquakes were recorded in the area over the past three days.These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant, Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late Sunday following an emergency government meeting in Athens. We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimize risk.While Greek experts say the quakes, measuring up to magnitude 4.8, are not linked to Santorinis volcano, they acknowledge that the pattern of seismic activity is cause for concern. The frequency of the quakes, which continued throughout Sunday night and into Monday, has worried residents.I have never felt anything like this and with such frequency an earthquake every 10 or 20 minutes. Everyone is anxious even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried, said local resident Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra. We came out yesterday and performed. Despite the earthquakes, the Philharmonic performed for a religious occasion, Gerontakis said. When you are playing, you cannot feel the quakes but there were earthquakes when we were at the church. No one can knows what will happen. People can say whatever they like, but that has no value. You cannot contend with nature. Government officials met with scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were also ordered shut on the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios.On Santorini, residents and visitors were advised to avoid large indoor gatherings and areas where rock slides could occur, while hotels were instructed to drain swimming pools to reduce potential building damage from an earthquake. Fire Service rescuers who arrived on the island on Sunday set up yellow tents as a staging area inside a basketball court next to the islands main hospital. We arrived last night, a 26-member team of rescuers and one rescue dog, said fire brigadier Ioannis Billias.Quakes continued rattling the island through the night and on Monday morning, many over magnitude 4.0, and Billias said many residents, including entire families, spent the night in their cars.Crescent-shaped Santorini is a premier tourism destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries, and cruise ships. The island draws more than 3 million visitors annually to its whitewashed villages, built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago.Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi could indicate a larger impending event. All scenarios remain open, Papadopoulos wrote in an online post. The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicenters have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated.In Santorinis main town of Fira, local authorities designated gathering points for residents in preparation for a potential evacuation, though Mayor Nikos Zorzos emphasized the preventive nature of the measures.We are obliged to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean it will happen, he said during a weekend briefing. Sometimes, the way the situation is reported, those reports may contain exaggerations... so people should stay calm. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This is a locator map for Syria with its capital, Damascus. (AP Photo)2025-02-03T07:31:34Z DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded Monday when a car bomb exploded on the outskirts of a northern Syrian city, local civil defense and a war monitor reported.The car on the outskirts of the city of Manbij detonated next to a vehicle carrying agricultural workers, killing 14 women and one man, the local Syrian civil defense reported. Another 15 women were wounded, some of them in critical condition. However, Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 women were killed as well as one man.It was the seventh car bomb explosion in Manbij in just over a month, said Munir Mustafa, the deputy director of civil defense, known as The White Helmets. He warned that the ongoing attacks in Aleppo province near Syrias second city will halt Syrias progress to bring about post-war security and economic recovery. The continued attacks on Syrian civilian areas and targeting civilians while they are trying to recover from the effects of the war of the defunct Assad regime that lasted for about 14 years threatens their lives, deepens their humanitarian tragedy, undermines educational and agricultural activities and livelihoods, and worsens the humanitarian situation in Syria, Mustafa said. Manbij in northeastern Aleppo province continues to witness violence even after the downfall of President Bashar Assad in December, where Turkish-backed factions known as the Syrian National Army continue to clash with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. A car bombing in Manbij on Saturday killed four civilians and wounded nine, SANA reported, citing civil defense officials.___Chehayeb reported from Beirut. KAREEM CHEHAYEB Chehayeb is an Associated Press reporter in Beirut. twitter instagram 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)2025-02-03T11:29:28Z WASHINGTON (AP) Staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development were instructed to stay out of the agencys Washington headquarters on Monday, according to a notice distributed to them, after billionaire Elon Musk announced President Donald Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency.USAID staffers said they also tracked more than 600 employees who reported being locked out of the agencys computer systems overnight. Those still in the system received emails saying that at the direction of Agency leadership the headquarters building will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.The developments come after Musk, whos leading an extraordinary civilian review of the federal government with the Republican presidents agreement, said early Monday that he had spoken with Trump about the six-decade U.S. aid and development agency and he agreed we should shut it down. It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in, Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday. What we have is just a ball of worms. Youve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. Its beyond repair. Were shutting it down, he said.Musk, Trump and some Republican lawmakers have targeted the U.S. aid and development agency, which oversees humanitarian, development and security programs in some 120 countries, in increasingly strident terms, accusing it of promoting liberal causes. Over the weekend, the Trump administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musks government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.Musks Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, earlier carried out a similar operation at the Treasury Department, gaining access to sensitive information including the Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems. The Washington Post reported that a senior Treasury official had resigned over Musks team accessing sensitive information. Democratic lawmakers have protested the moves, saying Trump lacks constitutional authority to shut down USAID without congressional approval and decrying Musks accessing sensitive government-held information through his Trump-sanctioned inspections of federal government agencies and programs.USAID, whose website vanished Saturday without explanation, has been one of the federal agencies most targeted by the Trump administration in an escalating crackdown on the federal government and many of its programs.Its been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And were getting them out, Trump said to reporters about USAID on Sunday night. Musks and Trumps comments came with Secretary of State Marco Rubio out of the country, in Central America, on his first trip abroad in office. Rubio has not spoken publicly about any plans to shut down USAID.The Trump administration and Rubio have imposed an unprecedented freeze on foreign assistance that has shut down much of USAIDs aid programs worldwide compelling thousands of layoffs by aid organizations and ordered furloughs and leaves that have gutted the agencys leadership and staff in Washington.. Peter Marocco, a returning political appointee from Trumps first term, was a leader in enforcing the shutdown. USAID staffers say they believe that agency outsiders with visitors badges asking questions of employees inside the Washington headquarters are members of Musks DOGE team.Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a post on Sunday that Trump was allowing Musk to access peoples personal information and shut down government funding. We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm, the Massachusetts senator said, without giving details. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for the Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter 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

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to Air Force One after arriving back at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-03T11:53:12Z WASHINGTON (AP) A planned Trump administration freeze on federal funding is heading back to a Washington courtroom on Monday.A judge is expected to consider extending her temporary block on President Donald Trumps plan to halt federal grants and loans, which originally targeted a wide range of funding totaling potentially trillions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan in Washington blocked the funding freeze minutes before it was scheduled to take effect, but her short stay lasts only until Monday afternoon, unless she decides to extend it.A second judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary order on Friday blocking Trumps Republican administration from halting federal funding in a separate lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen Democratic states. The Trump administration memo targeting across-the-board funding was quickly rescinded, but the White House press secretary has said that a funding freeze is still planned in line with Trumps blitz of executive orders. The president wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people and end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Washington lawsuit was filed by nonprofit groups that stand to lose federal funding. The groups say Trumps plan is illegal and its ideological bent violates their freedom of speech.The Trump administration argues the groups havent shown theyll be harmed by the plan, which could be a brief pause in line with federal law. The administration had said it wouldnt affect payments to individuals like Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

2025-02-03T13:33:53Z TORONTO (AP) The leader of Canadas most populous province of Ontario said Monday hes ripping up a contract with Elon Musks Starlink internet services in response to U.S. President Donald Trumps sweeping tariffs on Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said he is also banning American companies from provincial contracts, signed a $100-million Canadian (US$68 million) with Musks company in November to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario.Well be ripping up the provinces contract with Starlink. Ontario wont do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy, Ford said in a post on X. Ford said starting Tuesday and until U.S. tariffs are removed, Ontario will ban American companies from provincial contracts.Canada didnt start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe were ready to win it, said Ford, who called an election for his province last week.

The sun rises above a wreckage site in the Potomac River across from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)2025-02-03T13:27:33Z ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Crews were on the scene on the Potomac River on Monday to retrieve the submerged wreckage of an airliner and an Army helicopter that collided midair in the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.Authorities have recovered and identified 55 of the 67 people killed in the crash and Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly has said they are confident all will be found. Crews were expected to begin the work of lifting the wreckage on Monday and at daybreak they could be seen aboard a vessel with a crane. More than 300 responders were taking part in the recovery effort at a given time, officials said. Two Navy barges were also deployed to lift heavy wreckage. Divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found, Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday. The dignified recovery of remains takes precedence over all else, he said. Portions of the two aircraft that collided over the river Wednesday night near Reagan Washington National Airport an American Airlines jet with 64 people aboard and an Army Black Hawk helicopter with 3 aboard will be loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken to a hangar for investigation. The crash occurred when the jet, en route from Wichita, Kansas, was about to land. The Black Hawk was on a training mission. There were no survivors. On Sunday, family members were taken in buses with a police escort to the Potomac River bank near where the two aircraft came to rest after colliding.The planes passengers included figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita and a group of hunters returning from a guided trip. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin OHara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, were in the helicopter. Federal investigators were working to piece together the events that led to the collision. Full investigations typically take a year or more. Investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.Wednesdays crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground.Experts stress that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around Reagan Airport can challenge even experienced pilots. ___Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed reporting. MICHAEL R. SISAK Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement and courts in New York City, including former President Donald Trumps criminal and civil cases and problems plaguing the federal prison system. twitter mailto

This article was primarily reported using public records requests. We are making it available to all readers as a public service. FOIA reporting can be expensive, please consider subscribing to 404 Media to support this work. Or send us a one time donation via our tip jar here.The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), whose tagline is Win the Fight, has paid more than a hundred thousand dollars to a company that is providing generative AI services to other parts of the Department of Defense. But the AFRL refused to say what exactly the point of the research was, and provided page after page of entirely blacked out, redacted documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from 404 Media related to the contract.The news shows that while AI continues to proliferate across essentially every industry and increasingly government departments, some parts of the military can be tight-lipped about its intentions around generative AI, even when the models used are sometimes the same as what everyone else has access to or are open source, and when the work is unclassified. 404 Media previously reported that the Air Force tested a surveillance-focused AI chatbot.Ask Sage: Generative AI Acquisition Accelerator, a December 2023 procurement record reads, with no additional information on the intended use case. The Air Force paid $109,490 to Ask Sage, the record says.Ask Sage is a company focused on providing generative AI to the government. In September the company announced that the Army was implementing Ask Sages tools. In October it achieved IL5 authorization, a DoD term for the necessary steps to protect unclassified information to a certain standard.Image: A screenshot of Ask Sage.404 Media made an account on the Ask Sage website. After logging in, the site presents a list of the models available through Ask Sage. Essentially, they include every major model made by well-known AI companies and open source ones. Open AIs GPT-4o and DALL-E-3; Anthropics Claude 3.5; and Googles Gemini are all included.The company also recently added the Chinese-developed DeepSeek R1, but includes a disclaimer. WARNING. DO NOT USE THIS MODEL WITH SENSITIVE DATA. THIS MODEL IS BIASED, WITH TIES TO THE CCP [Chinese Communist Party], it reads. Ask Sage is a way for government employees to access and use AI models in a more secure way. But only some of the models in the tool are listed by Ask Sage as being compliant" with or capable of handling sensitive data.Do you know anything else about government use of AI? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. Otherwise, send me an email at joseph@404media.co.In an associated Ask Sage Discord, apparent customers ask the company for support or make other comments. Thanks for all the hard work and great enhancements that make our work lives so much easier, one message posted this month reads. The username matches that of someone who lists their job as AI Implementation, Information WarfareAir Combat Command, on LinkedIn.Image: A screenshot of one of the redactions.But the Air Force declined to provide any real specifics on what it paid Ask Sage for. 404 Media requested all procurement records related to the Ask Sage contract. Instead, the Air Force provided a 19 page presentation which seemingly would have explained the purpose of the test, while redacting 18 of the pages. The only available page said Ask Sage, Inc. will explore the utilization of Ask Sage by acquisition Airmen with the DAF for Innovative Defense-Related Dual Purpose Technologies relating to the mission of exploring LLMs for DAF use while exploring anticipated benefits, clearly define needed solution adaptations, and define clear milestones and acceptance criteria for Phase II efforts.Nicolas Chaillan, founder of Ask Sage and former chief software officer for the Air Force and Space Force told 404 Media in an email that This was a research contract for feasibility.This did not include any license of the product or any use of the product. He added the only deliverable was a report and the work was not classified.The AFRL did not respond to a request for comment.

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig), File)2025-02-03T03:38:46Z Worries about President Donald Trumps tariffs are hurting U.S. stocks Monday as financial markets worldwide drop on concerns about a potential trade war.The S&P 500 was down 1.4% in early trading following similar losses for stock markets across Asia and Europe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 435 points, or 1%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.8% lower.Everything from bitcoin to the Mexican peso fell, not just the stocks of U.S. companies expected to be the first to feel pain from Trumps tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico and China. On Wall Street, some of the sharpest losses hit Big Tech and other companies that could be hit hardest by higher interest rates.The fear is that Trumps tariffs will push up prices for groceries, electronics and all kinds of other bills for U.S. households, putting upward pressure on a U.S. inflation rate thats largely been slowing since its peak three summers ago. Stubbornly high or accelerating inflation could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates, which it began doing in September to give the U.S. economy a boost. To be sure, U.S. stock prices remain close to their all-time high, which was set less than two weeks ago. And Mondays losses werent as bad as some other recent drops, such as one in December when the Fed hinted fewer rate cuts may arrive in 2025 than expected. But much of Wall Street had been hoping Trumps talk of tariffs through the presidential campaign was just that, talk, and an opening point for negotiations with U.S. trading partners. Now that Trump has followed through, the fear is about how much retaliation will occur in what could be an escalating trade war that damages economies worldwide, including the United States. The uncertainty at this stage is tremendous - not only of how these eventual negotiations will play out, but worries about how this is only the tip of the iceberg and more tariffs are on the horizon, said Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment officer at BMO Wealth Management. Traders on Wall Street are already paring expectations for how many cuts to interest rates the Federal Reserve may deliver this year, if any. Lower interest rates can encourage U.S. employers to hire more workers, while also goosing prices for investment, but the downside is they can give inflation more fuel.Living in the Midwest, I might feel the trade war soonest and most, said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management, because of how much crude oil flows over the northern U.S. border to make gasoline. Our refiners cant easily switch away from Canadian crude.Crude oil prices rose, suggesting inflationary pressure may already be starting. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.3% to $73.45. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 0.8% to $76.29. Trump himself warned Americans they may feel some pain from the tariffs, which he said would be worth the price to make America great again. He also said Sunday night that import taxes will definitely happen with the European Union and possibly with the United Kingdom as well. Among all the uncertainties upsetting Wall Street was the basic question of how Trump would decide whether and when Canada, China and Mexico are doing enough to lift the tariffs.Its hard to map out how long this could last, Jacobsen said.Wall Street famously hates uncertainty, and prices fell nearly across the board. Nearly 90% of all the stocks in the S&P 500 dropped.Constellation Brands, the company that sells Modelo and Corona beers and also sells alcohol in Canada, fell 5.6%. Automakers, which import heavily from Mexico, also sank. General Motors dropped 5%. Instead of stocks and crypto, investors moved instead into U.S. government bonds, which are seen as some of the safest possible investments. The resulting rally in their prices drove longer-term Treasury yields down.The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.50% from 4.55% late Friday.Its a reprieve, at least temporarily, from a rise in longer-term Treasury yields that has shaken Wall Street in recent months. Yields have climbed in part on expectations for just such tariffs from Trump, and the possible result of higher interest rates they could entail. Short-term Treasury yields rose Monday as expectations waned for cuts to rates from the Fed. The yield on the two-year Treasury rose to 4.24% from 4.21% Higher yields put pressure on all kinds of investments, but theyre particularly burdensome on stocks seen as the most expensive.That puts the spotlight on companies like Nvidia and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom. Nvidia fell 5.3% and was the heaviest single weight on the S&P 500.Theyd already come under pressure last week, after a Chinese upstart said it had developed a large language model that could perform as well as big U.S. rivals, but without having to use the most expensive, top-flight chips. That raised doubt about whether all the investment Wall Street had assumed would occur for chips, large data centers and electricity would really have to occur. Such assumptions had driven stocks like Nvidia, Constellation Energy and others to record after record.The tariffs took center stage in a week where other events would typically take center stage, including a report on Friday showing how many workers U.S. employers hired last month.In stock markets abroad, indexes fell 1.5% in London, 1.7% in Paris and 1.8% in Frankfurt. In Asia, South Koreas Kospi sank 2.5%, and Japans Nikkei 225 fell 2.7%.___AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed. YURI KAGEYAMA Kageyama covers Japan news for The Associated Press. Her topics include social issues, the environment, businesses, entertainment and technology. twitter instagram facebook mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, left, talks with Saints President Dennis Lauscha, right, next to VP Greg Bensel, center, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans, Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)2025-02-03T11:46:52Z NEW ORLEANS (AP) As New Orleans church leaders braced for the fallout from publishing a list of predatory Catholic priests, they turned to an unlikely ally: the front office of the citys NFL franchise.What followed was a months-long, crisis-communications blitz orchestrated by the New Orleans Saints president and other top team officials, according to hundreds of internal emails obtained by The Associated Press. The records, which the Saints and church had long sought to keep out of public view, reveal team executives played a more extensive role than previously known in a public relations campaign to mitigate fallout from the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The emails shed new light on the Saints foray into a fraught topic far from the gridiron, a behind-the-scenes effort driven by the teams devoutly Catholic owner who has long enjoyed a close relationship with the citys embattled archbishop. They also showed how various New Orleans institutions from a sitting federal judge to the local media rallied around church leaders at a critical moment. Among the key moments, as revealed in the Saints own emails: Saints executives were so involved in the churchs damage control that a team spokesman briefed his boss on a 2018 call with the citys top prosecutor hours before the church released a list of clergymen accused of abuse. The call, the spokesman said, allowed us to take certain people off the list. Team officials were among the first people outside the church to view that list, a carefully curated, yet undercounted roster of suspected pedophiles. The disclosure of those names invited civil claims against the church and drew attention from federal and state law enforcement. The teams president, Dennis Lauscha, drafted more than a dozen questions that Archbishop Gregory Aymond should be prepared to answer as he faced reporters. The Saints senior vice president of communications, Greg Bensel, provided fly-on-the-wall updates to Lauscha about local media interviews, suggesting church and team leaders were all on the same team. He is doing well, Bensel wrote as the archbishop told reporters the church was committed to addressing the crisis. That is our message, Bensel added, that we will not stop here today. The emails obtained by AP sharply undercut assurances the Saints gave fans about the public relations guidance five years ago when they asserted they had provided only minimal assistance to the church. The team went to court to keep its internal emails secret.This is disgusting, said state Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans. As a New Orleans resident, taxpayer and Catholic, it doesnt make any sense to me why the Saints would go to these lengths to protect grown men who raped children. All of them should have been just as horrified at the allegations.The Saints told AP last week that the partnership is a thing of the past. The emails cover a yearlong period ending in July 2019, when they were subpoenaed by attorneys for victims of a priest later charged with raping an 8-year-old boy. In a lengthy statement, the team criticized the media for using leaked emails for the purpose of misconstruing a well-intended effort.No member of the Saints organization condones or wants to cover up the abuse that occurred in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the team said. That abuse occurred is a terrible fact.The teams response did little to quell the anger of survivors of clergy sexual abuse. We felt betrayed by the organization, said Kevin Bourgeois, a former Saints season ticket holder who was abused by a priest in the 1980s. It forces me to question what other secrets are being withheld. Im angry, hurt and re-traumatized again. Emails reveal extent of helpAfter the AP first reported on the alliance in early 2020, Saints owner Gayle Benson denied that anyone associated with our organizations made recommendations or had input on the list of pedophile priests.The Saints reiterated that denial in its statement Saturday, saying no Saints employees had any responsibility for adding or removing any names from that list. The team said that no employees offered any input, suggestions or opinions as to who should be included or omitted from the list.Leon Cannizzaro, the district attorney at the time, last week denied any role in shaping the credibly accused clergy list, echoing statements he made in 2020. He told AP he absolutely had no involvement in removing any names from any list. Cannizzaro said he did not know why the Saints spokesman would have reported he had been on a call related to the list. The emails, sent from Saints accounts, dont specify which clergymen were removed from the list or why. They raise fresh questions, however, about the Saints role in a scandal that has taken on much larger legal and financial stakes since the team waded into it, potentially in violation of the NFLs policy against conduct detrimental to the league. A coalescing of New Orleans institutions The outsized role of Saints executives could draw new attention from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is scheduled to address reporters Monday as New Orleans prepares to host its 11th Super Bowl. Messages requesting comment were sent to the NFL. Taken together, the emails portray a coalescing of several New Orleans institutions. U.S. District Court Judge Jay Zainey, who was copied by the Saints on the public relations efforts, cheered Bensel on from his personal email account, thanking the teams spokesman for the wonderful advice. A newspaper editor similarly thanked Bensel for getting involved. You have hit all the points, Zainey, a fellow Catholic, wrote in another email to Bensel, praising a lengthy note the Saints spokesman sent to local newspaper editors. By his example and leadership, Archbishop Aymond, our shepherd, will continue to lead our Church in the right direction helping us to learn and to rebuild from the mistakes of the past.Zainey later struck down a Louisiana law, vigorously opposed by the church, that would have allowed victims to bring civil claims irrespective of how long ago the alleged sex abuse took place. He declined to comment. A watershed moment for the Catholic ChurchThe list marked a watershed in heavily Catholic New Orleans a long-awaited mea culpa to parishioners intended to usher in healing and local accountability. It came at a time when church leaders were seeking to retain public trust and financial support as they reckoned with generations of abuse and mounting litigation that eventually drove the Archdiocese of New Orleans into bankruptcy.That litigation, filed in 2020, involves more than 600 people who say they were abused by clergy. The case has produced a trove of still-secret church records said to document years of abuse claims and a pattern of church leaders transferring clergy without reporting their crimes to law enforcement.While it has since expanded, the list of accused priests was missing a number of clergy when it was originally released, an earlier AP investigation found. The AP identified 20 clergymen who had been accused in lawsuits or charged by law enforcement with child sexual abuse who were inexplicably omitted from the New Orleans list including two who were charged and convicted of crimes. Still, the list has served as a roadmap for both the FBI and Louisiana State Police, which launched sweeping investigations into New Orleans church leaders shielding of predatory priests.Last spring, state police carried out a wide-ranging search warrant at the Archdiocese of New Orleans, seizing records that include communications with the Vatican. Since the Saints began assisting the archdiocese, at least seven current and former members of the local clergy have been charged with crimes ranging from rape to possession of child pornography.Public relations campaignThe extent of the abuse remained largely unknown in 2018, a year the Saints won nine consecutive games on the way to an NFC Championship appearance. As the church prepped for a media onslaught, Bensel carried out an aggressive public relations campaign in which he called in favors, prepared talking points and leaned on long-time media contacts to support the church through a soon-to-be-messy time. Far from freelancing, Bensel had the Saints backing and blessing through what he called a Galileo moment, suggesting Aymond would be a trailblazer in releasing a credibly accused clergy list at a critical time for the church. In emails to editorial boards, he warned against casting a critical eye on the archbishop is neither beneficial nor right. He urged the citys newspapers to work with the church, reminding them the Saints and New Orleans Pelicans the citys NBA team, also owned by Benson had been successful thanks, in part, to their support. We did this because we had buy-in from YOU, Bensel wrote to the editors of The Times-Picayune and New Orleans Advocate, supporting our mission to be the best, to make New Orleans and everything within her bounds the best.We are sitting on that opportunity now with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, he added. We need to tell the story of how this Archbishop is leading us out of this mess. Close relationship between Saints and the Catholic ChurchBenson and Aymond, the archbishop, have been confidants for years. It was the archbishop who introduced Benson to her late husband, Tom Benson, who died in 2018, leaving his widow in control of New Orleans NFL and NBA franchises. The Bensons foundation has given tens of millions of dollars to the archdiocese and other Catholic causes. Along the way, Aymond has flown on the owners private jet and become almost a part of the team, frequently celebrating pregame Masses. When the clergy abuse allegations came to a head, Bensel, the Saints spokesman, worked his contacts in the local media to help shape the story. He had friendly email exchanges with a Times-Picayune columnist who praised the archbishop for releasing the clergy list. He also asked the newspapers leadership to keep their communications confidential, not for publication nor to share with others.His emails revealed that The Advocate after Aymond privately complained to the publisher removed a notice from one online article that had called for clergy abuse victims to reach out.Kevin Hall, president and publisher of Georges Media, which owns the newspaper, said the publication welcomes engagement from community leaders but that outreach does not dilute our journalistic standards or keep us from pursuing the truth. No one gets preferential treatment in our coverage of the news, he said in a statement. Over the past six years, we have consistently published in-depth stories highlighting the ongoing serious issues surrounding the archdiocese sex abuse crisis, as well as investigative reports on this matter by WWL-TV and by The Associated Press. It was The Advocates reporting that prompted Bensel to help the church, the emails show. He first offered to chat crisis communications with church leaders after the newspaper exposed a scandal involving a disgraced deacon, George Brignac, who remained a lay minister even after the archdiocese settled claims he raped an 8-year-old altar boy.We have been through enough at Saints to be a help or sounding board, Bensel wrote, but I dont want to overstep! JIM MUSTIAN Mustian is an Associated Press investigative reporter for breaking news. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to Air Force One after arriving back at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-03T14:58:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that their planned tariffs were on hold for a month to give time for further negotiations, and Mexico said it planned to deploy 10,000 members of its national guard to address drug trafficking.The two leaders announced the move after what Trump described on social media as a very friendly conversation, and he said he looked forward to the upcoming talks.Trump said the talks would be headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and high-level representatives of Mexico.I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a deal between our two Countries, the president said.As a condition ahead of the talks, Sheinbaum laid out changes in border policies, and Trump confirmed Mexicos deployment of troops. Mexico will reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the National Guard immediately, to stop drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, in particular fentanyl, Sheinbaum posted on X. The United States commits to work to stop the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico. The pause added to the drama as Trumps tariffs against Canada and China were still slated to go into effect Tuesday. Uncertainty remains about the durability of any deals and whether the tariffs are a harbinger of a broader trade war as Trump has promised more import taxes to come. Trump posted on social media that he spoke Monday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would speak with him again at 3 p.m. Both Canada and Mexico had plans to levy their own tariffs in response to U.S. actions, but Mexico is holding off for the moment.Trump used his social media post to repeat his complaints that Canada has been uncooperative, despite decades of friendship and partnerships that range from World War II to the response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Canada doesnt even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there, Trump posted. Whats that all about? Many such things, but its also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada. AP AUDIO: Trump and Trudeau speak and plan to do so again before tariffs start on Tuesday AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports President Trump admits Americans will be impacted by tariffs. Financial markets, businesses and consumers are trying to prepare for the possibility of the new tariffs. Stock markets opened with a modest selloff, suggesting some hope that the import taxes that could push up inflation and disrupt global trade and growth would be short-lived.But the outlook reflected a deep uncertainty about a Republican president who has talked with adoration about tariffs, even saying the U.S. government made a mistake in 1913 by switching to income taxes as its primary revenue source.Trump said Sunday the tariffs would lift if Canada and Mexico did more to crack down on illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling, though there are no clear benchmarks. Trump also said the U.S. can no longer run a trade imbalance with its two largest trade partners. Mexico is facing a 25% tariff, while Canada would be charged 25% on its imports to the United States and 10% on its energy products. China is facing a 10% additional tariff due to its role in the making and selling of fentanyl, the Trump White House said.Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Monday that it was misleading to characterize the showdown as a trade war despite the planned retaliations and risk of escalation.Read the executive order where President Trump was absolutely, 100% clear that this is not a trade war, Hassett said. This is a drug war.But even if the orders are focused on illegal drugs, Trumps own remarks have often been more about his perceived sense that foreign countries are ripping off the United States by running trade surpluses. On Sunday, Trump said that tariffs would be coming soon on countries in the European Union. He has discussed tariffs as both a diplomatic tool on national security issues, a way to raise revenues and a vehicle for renegotiating existing trade pacts. Multiple economists outside the administration have warned that the tariffs would push up prices and hamper growth, with Trump himself saying there would be some short term pain after having campaigned last year on the promise that he could tame inflation.Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM, said the United States was unlikely to fall into a recession this year, but the tariffs would hurt growth and push up the cost of government borrowing, which would potentially keep the interest rates charged on mortgages and auto loans elevated.If there is no resolution, the impact on the U.S. economy will be significant, he said. Growth will slow notably from the 2.9% average over the past three years as inflation and interest rates rise. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, currently around 4.5%, could climb to a range between 4.75% and 5%.__Sherman reported from Mexico City. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-03T13:22:55Z NEW YORK (AP) For Elon Musk fans, its the half a trillion-dollar bet.That is how much the stock market value of Tesla has rocketed since the presidential election, a vertiginous climb uninterrupted in recent days despite a disappointing financial report that would have sunk the stock of nearly any other company.Investors are wagering that President Donald Trump will help Musks company more than hurt it with his plans to take an axe to reams of Washington regulations and wield tariffs to get his way with key trading partners.Less regulation? Fantastic. Trade war? No biggie.Its going to be a golden age for Tesla and Musk, said Wedbush Securities financial analyst Dan Ives, adding after an investor conference call Wednesday, This is the bullish Ive ever heard Musk.Investing in Tesla has long been a gamble. Odds were against Musk creating a successful electric car company, never mind growing it to become the worlds most valuable automaker and in the process making himself the worlds richest man. But this latest bet seems particularly risky. Musk says the true value of company lays in a future of Tesla robots, thousands of them possibly by the end of the year, and in unsupervised, driverless vehicles. He promised in Teslas investor conference call to start offering such robotaxis in June in Austin, Texas, and across the country by the end of next year. Speeding all that along will be Trump, or so the story goes, who has given Musk an office in the White House and made him the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency tasked with shrinking the size of the government. Trumps new transportation secretary, who can have a big impact on Tesla, is mostly sticking to the script. Sean Duffy has promised to cut excessive regulation on automakers as well as to come up with a single set of federal rules on self-driving technology to replace a patchwork of state-by-state ones that Musk has blasted for holding back development. Perhaps more importantly, Trump has softened his stance toward China, a big market for Tesla, hitting the country with an additional 10% tariffs starting Saturday, and not the 60% he threatened on the campaign trail. Still, Trumps decision to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as China, sent the stock down more than 5% in early trading Monday, in line with other automakers. Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said last week the company should feel an impact to its business because it sources parts from around the globe. Trump has also vowed to do other things that will hurt Musks business.Trump said he wants to eliminate a $7,500 federal tax rebate designed to get people to buy electric vehicles. He also plans to lower emission standards, a potential blow to Teslas business of selling regulatory credits to car makers that pollute more and fall short of the requirements. Tesla sold $692 million of these credits i n the last three months of 2024, a 60% jump from a year ago, revenue that nearly all flows straight to Teslas bottom line. Its also unclear whether the Trump administration will hold off on investigations into Tesla, in particular a technology the company calls Full Self-Driving, a misnomer because the vehicles could require human intervention at any moment. In October, the transportation departments auto safety regulator, the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration, launched the latest of several probes into the technology after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.Transportation Secretary Duffy promised senators at a hearing earlier this month that he would let the Tesla investigations follow the facts specifically vowing to buck any political pressure to go easy on the self-described first buddy of the president. Musk will need all the regulatory relief and other goodies from Trump that he can get.In early January, Tesla said sales dropped in 2024, a first in more than a dozen years, as rivals such as BMW, Volkswagen and Chinas BYD come out with competitive EVs and steal market share. Then on Wednesday, Tesla reported revenue, profits and other key measures of financial health for the last quarter of 2024 all fell short of what analysts had expected. The stock climbed higher anyway. Things that would hurt other automakers, marvels Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein, dont seem to impact Tesla.Besides the business, Tesla shareholders must always keep one eye on the CEO himself. Lately, thats meant weighing Musks foray into politics.In Europe, a major market for his cars, Musk has endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany and called British Prime Minister Keir Starmer an evil tyrant who is running a tyrannical police state.On Inauguration Day in the U.S., Musk made a straight-arm gesture during a speech that many interpreted as Nazi salute. He scoffed at the criticism, but the backlash was fierce nonetheless. In Germany, an image of Musk making the salute was projected onto his massive Tesla factory outside Berlin in protest. In Italy, a communist youth group hung an effigy of Musk upside down in the same square in Milan where the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was strung upside down, too. How many of these Tesla buyers agree with Musk? said Felipe Munoz, a senior analyst at auto researcher Jato Dynamics. I dont see the point of alienating potential customers.Musk also risks turning off regulators in Europe, who he hopes will soon approve the use of Full Self-Driving there.If investors start losing faith in Musk, its a long way down.The run-up in Tesla stock alone since the election amounts to more than the annual economic output of 160 countries. Teslas total market value has grown to about $1.3 trillion, more than the worth of General Motors, BMW, Ford, Ferrari, Porsche and a dozen other top car makers combined.Musk thinks that, if anything, the stock should be higher. I see a path for Tesla being the most valuable company in the world by far, not even close, he said Wednesday, before doubling down on that statement. There is a path where Tesla is worth more than the next five companies combined.That would mean surpassing the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Nvidia. Tesla is currently the seventh-most valuable company in the S&P 500.Wedbushs Ives, the golden age analyst, agrees the stock can only go up from here.The bet for the ages that Musk made was on Trump, he said. Musk is going to have massive impact on deregulation in the beltway and that is worth a trillion dollars. BERNARD CONDON Condon is an Associated Press investigative reporter covering breaking news. He has written about the Maui fire, the Afghanistan withdrawal, gun laws, Chinese loans in Africa and Trumps business. twitter facebook mailto

Anthropic, the company that made one of the most popular AI writing assistants in the world, requires job applicants to agree that they wont use an AI assistant to help write their application.While we encourage people to use AI systems during their role to help them work faster and more effectively, please do not use AI assistants during the application process, the applications say. We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills. Please indicate 'Yes' if you have read and agree.Anthropic released Claude, an AI assistant thats especially good at conversational writing, in 2023.This question is in almost all of Anthropics nearly 150 currently-listed roles, but is not in some technical roles, like mobile product designer. Its included in everything from software engineer roles to finance, communications, and sales jobs at the company.The field was spotted by Simon Willison, an open source developer. The question shows Anthropic trying to get around a problem its helping create: people relying so heavily on AI assistants that they struggle to form opinions of their own. Its also a moot question, as Anthropic and its competitors have created AI models so indistinguishable from human speech as to be nearly undetectable.These AI models are also replacing the kinds of roles Anthropic is hiring for, leaving people in communications and coding fields searching for employment.Last month, after Chinese AI company DeepSeek released a model so good it threw U.S. AI companies into a tailspin, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that the race to make more, better, and faster AI models is existentially important.And last year, Anthropics data scraper, which it uses to feed its AI assistant models the kind of human-produced work the company requires applicants to demonstrate, systematically ignored instructions to not scrape websites and hit some sites millions of times a day.Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is pictured Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)2025-02-03T17:33:33Z WASHINGTON (AP) Dozens of senior officials put on leave. Thousands of contractors laid off. A freeze put on billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to other countries.Over the last two weeks, President Donald Trumps administration has made significant changes to the U.S. agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas that has left aid organizations agonizing over whether they can continue with programs such as nutritional assistance for malnourished infants and children.Then-President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, during the Cold War. In the decades since, Republicans and Democrats have fought over the agency and its funding. Heres a look at USAID, its history and the changes made since Trump took office. What is USAID?Kennedy created USAID at the height of the United States Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union. He wanted a more efficient way to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance and saw the State Department as frustratingly bureaucratic at doing that. Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act and Kennedy set up USAID as an independent agency in 1961.USAID has outlived the Soviet Union, which fell in 1991. Today, supporters of USAID argue that U.S. assistance in countries counters Russian and Chinese influence. China has its own belt and road foreign aid program worldwide operating in many countries that the U.S. also wants as partners. Critics say the programs are wasteful and promote a liberal agenda. Whats going on with USAID?On his first day in office Jan. 20, Trump implemented a 90-day freeze on foreign assistance. Four days later, Peter Marocco a returning political appointee from Trumps first term drafted a tougher than expected interpretation of that order, a move that shut down thousands of programs around the world and forced furloughs and layoffs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since moved to keep more kinds of strictly life-saving emergency programs going during the freeze. But confusion over what programs are exempted from the Trump administrations stop-work orders and fear of losing U.S. aid permanently is still freezing aid and development work globally.Dozens of senior officials have been put on leave, thousands of contractors laid off, and employees were told Monday not to enter its Washington headquarters. And USAIDs website and its account on the X platform have been taken down.Its part of a Trump administration crackdown thats hitting across the federal government and its programs. But USAID and foreign aid are among those hit the hardest.Rubio said the administrations aim was a program-by-program review of which projects make America safer, stronger or more prosperous.The decision to shut down U.S.-funded programs during the 90-day review meant the U.S. was getting a lot more cooperation from recipients of humanitarian, development and security assistance, Rubio said. What do critics of USAID say?Republicans typically push to give the State Department which provides overall foreign policy guidance to USAID more control of its policy and funds. Democrats typically promote USAID autonomy and authority.Funding for United Nations agencies, including peacekeeping, human rights and refugee agencies, have been traditional targets for Republican administrations to cut. The first Trump administration moved to reduce foreign aid spending, suspending payments to various U.N. agencies, including the U.N. Population Fund and funding to the Palestinian Authority.In Trumps first term, the U.S. pulled out of the U.N. Human Rights Council and its financial obligations to that body. The U.S. is also barred from funding the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, under a bill signed by then-President Joe Biden last March.Why is Elon Musk going after USAID?Musks Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, has launched a sweeping effort empowered by Trump to fire government workers and cut trillions in government spending. USAID is one of his prime targets. Musk alleges USAID funding been used to launch deadly programs and called it a criminal organization. What is being affected by the USAID freeze?Sub-Saharan Africa could suffer more than any other region during the aid pause. The U.S. gave the region more than $6.5 billion in humanitarian assistance last year. HIV patients in Africa arriving at clinics funded by an acclaimed U.S. program that helped rein in the global AIDS epidemic of the 1980s found locked doors. There are also already ramifications in Latin America. In Mexico, a busy shelter for migrants in southern Mexico has been left without a doctor. A program to provide mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth fleeing Venezuela was disbanded. In Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala, so-called Safe Mobility Offices where migrants can apply to enter the U.S. legally have shuttered.The aid community is struggling to get the full picturehow many thousands of programs have shut down and how many thousands of workers were furloughed and laid off under the freeze? How much does the U.S. spend on foreign aid? In all, the U.S. spent about roughly $40 billion in foreign aid in the 2023 fiscal year, according to a report published last month by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The U.S. is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance globally, although some other countries spend a bigger share of their budget on it. Foreign assistance overall amounts to less than 1% of the U.S. budget.Could Trump dissolve USAID on his own?Democrats say presidents lack the constitutional authority to eliminate USAID. But its not clear what would stop him from trying.A mini-version of that legal battle played out in Trumps first term, when he tried to cut the budget for foreign operations by a third.When Congress refused, the Trump administration used freezes and other tactics to cut the flow of funds already appropriated by Congress for the foreign programs. The General Accounting Office later ruled that violated a law known as the Impoundment Control Act. Its a law we may be hearing more of.Live by executive order, die by executive order, Musk said on X Saturday in reference to USAID.___Kinnard reported from Houston. Knickmeyer can be reached at https://x.com/EllenKnickmeyer and Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter MEG KINNARD Kinnard covers national politics for The Associated Press. She lives in South Carolina. twitter instagram mailto

Maka Indigenous people march to protest for the recovery of ancestral lands in Asuncion, Paraguay, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)2025-02-03T13:03:04Z ASUNCIN, Paraguay (AP) Many Mak traditions have slowly faded. Yet a few elders among these Paraguayan Indigenous people recall how their songs imitated birds. Men used to say that, as they sang, they travelled to Iguazu Falls or to the mountains, said Gustavo Torres, a Mak teacher based near Paraguays capital, Asuncin. Their songs imitated nature.Next to him smiled Elodia Servn, who only speaks the Mak language but had Torres help as a translator. Her skin is covered in wrinkles and she has forgotten her age, but a memory sticks: A long time ago, when she was healthy and strong, she loved dancing in Fray Bartolom de las Casas, a territory her people are now fighting to get back. The land in dispute is an 828-acre (335 hectare) terrain that the Mak claim ownership over. Paraguays government has rejected most of their arguments, designating part of it to build a bridge connecting two cities across the Paraguay River. Fray Bartolom, as the Mak call it, was offered to them through a decree issued in 1944 by strongman Higinio Mornigo, then Paraguays president. It was meant as a present, the Mak have said, to acknowledge their courage and the role they played during the Chaco War against Bolivia in the 1930s. That place is sacred for us, said Mak leader Mateo Martnez, 65. It was a gift we thanked God for because it was given through people that loved us. His ancestors, Martnez said, guided soldiers through the mountains and quenched their hunger and thirst during the war.Only the Indigenous people knew where to find water, he said. If a Paraguayan soldier had gotten lost there alone, he would have died.Aside from the decree, details of the gift were never put on paper. The ownership titles were issued in the 2000s, and once they were, less than half of the promised acres were granted to the Mak.Officials have said that a piece of land was indeed given to the community by Mornigo, but its size was never determined nor were its coordinates precise. Both sides meet on a regular basis to discuss a potential new agreement, though no consensus has been reached yet. We are open to talking, Martnez said. But the government wont listen to us or tries to deceive us.The Mak are one of the 19 Indigenous communities of Paraguay. In the South American country of 6.8 million, more than 140,000 are Indigenous people. The latest census from 2022 estimates that around 2,600 Mak are distributed in both urban and rural areas.Mariano Roque Alonso, where Servn and 1,600 other Mak live, is located across the Paraguay River, not too far from Fray Bartolom. Floods forced them to relocate in the 1980s, and they havent been able to move back since.Younger generations have learned Spanish, but their native language remains predominant. A few steps from the Baptist church most of the community attends, the prayers painted on a wall are in Mak.Our elders had other beliefs, Martnez said. They used to believe in the forces of nature. They prayed to the Venus star. To the moon for good health and crops. Among their most treasured traditions, the Mak still make a feast when a young woman transitions from puberty to adulthood. Men drink chicha, made of fermented corn, or fight as part of the celebrations. Women like Servn sing.Our songs come from our ancestors, she said. I now want to bequeath them to younger generations. To my daughters and granddaughters.Many like her who sell bags and other embroidered products make a living from craftsmanship. Patricio Colman, 63, produces necklaces, bracelets, arrows and bows. He, too, grew up in Fray Bartolom and recalls his peoples long-gone traditions. When hunters were still alive, they gathered to go hunting and stayed up to three months in the mountains, Colman said. But no one does that anymore.Back in the day, he said, the Mak had various leaders. One for hunting, one for fishing, one for youth and one for dancing. Now Martnez is the only one left.Even then, when officials used to visit, the distribution of the territory was unclear, Colman said. There had always been a threat of invasion. The Mak not only weep for the loss of the land itself, but the distance keeping them from their loved ones buried in Fray Bartolom. Among them is Juan Belaieff, a Russian soldier and cartographer who mapped the region during the Chaco War. According to Martnez, then-elders thought of him as a white deity who served as a link between the community and God. They loved him deeply, and he was venerated by our grandparents, the leader said.Non-Mak people might find it hard to spot their cemetery. With no tombstones or crosses on-site, officials have doubted their claims.We are a different culture, though, Martnez said. When a Mak perishes, we dont use a cross. The community does dig graves for loved ones who have recently died. Relatives cover the bodies with a cloak and the persons belongings, but no other rituals are performed and graves are not marked.Relatives feel the absence so profoundly that we dont do any ceremonies or console each other, Martnez said. Its a moment of respect.The Mak now bury their people in Quemkuket, about 11 miles (18 kilometers) from their current settlement, but they hope to eventually get their ancestors remains back in one place. The Mak are warriors, courageous warriors, Martnez said. We have been fighting for this for five or six years and have no intention of ever giving up.____Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. MARA TERESA HERNNDEZ Hernndez is a reporter on the APs Global Religion team. She is based in Mexico City and covers Latin America. twitter mailto

Border patrol agents use a drug sniffing dog to check vehicles at California's Pine Valley checkpoint, on the main route from Arizona to San Diego, Dec. 14, 2017 (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat, File)2025-02-03T18:38:37Z President Donald Trumps plan to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China is partly aimed at combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 overdose deaths annually. Mexico agreed Monday to send 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a deal with Trump to pause the tariffs for a month and hold off levying its own. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to Air Force One after arriving back at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) President Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to Air Force One after arriving back at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Neither Canada nor China has signaled major changes to tackle the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., and each has said it would retaliate for any U.S. tariffs.What role do Mexico, Canada and China play in fentanyl reaching the U.S.? And how much can their governments do? California Highway Patrol commercial vehicle inspector Ruben Montanez inspects the undercarriage of a truck entering the U.S. from Mexico at the CHPs Otay Mesa Inspection Station Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy) California Highway Patrol commercial vehicle inspector Ruben Montanez inspects the undercarriage of a truck entering the U.S. from Mexico at the CHPs Otay Mesa Inspection Station Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Where does fentanyl come from? The ingredients in fentanyl are largely produced by companies in China and used by pharmaceutical companies to make legal painkillers. But a portion of those chemicals is purchased by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico. Cartels make the synthetic opioid in labs and then smuggle it into the U.S., largely at official land crossings in California and Arizona. The small amounts of fentanyl in any shipment the drug is 50 times more potent than heroin and its lack of odor, make detection and seizures extremely challenging. Fentanyl is also made in Canada and smuggled into the U.S., but to a much lesser extent. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms) of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds (9,570 kilograms) at the Mexican border. Seizures of fentanyl jumped by as much as tenfold under President Joe Biden, an increase that may reflect improved detection. Small vials of fentanyl are shown in the inpatient pharmacy at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) Small vials of fentanyl are shown in the inpatient pharmacy at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What changed after Trump threatened tariffs? Mexico announced in December the seizure of more than a ton of fentanyl pills in what it described as the largest bust of synthetic opioids in the countrys history. The haul was striking because fentanyl seizures in Mexico had fallen dramatically in the first half of 2024.Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October, Mexicos security forces appear to be far more aggressive than they were under her predecessor. Former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador denied that fentanyl was even produced in Mexico, contradicting officials in his own administration.To pause the tit-for-tat tariffs, Mexico agreed to immediately deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the border to battle drug-trafficking, while the U.S. committed to do more to stop the trafficking of guns into Mexico, said Trump and Sheinbaum on social media.Facing tariff threats, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has highlighted his countrys recent $1.3 billion investment in border enforcement, including chemical detection tools at entry ports and a new unit focused on the oversight of precursor chemicals.Once Trump ordered the tariffs, Trudeau rebuked the move.We, too, are devastated by the scourge that is fentanyl, Trudeau said at a press conference Sunday. As neighbors, we must work collaboratively to fix this. Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together.China defended its efforts to combat fentanyl in what has been years of touch-and-go cooperation with the U.S. China doesnt have the same fentanyl crisis among its own population, and doesnt view it as a priority, said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses media members after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, in Ottawa, Canada, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses media members after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order to impose stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, in Ottawa, Canada, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More How much can Mexico, Canada and China do? Combating the production and movement of illicit fentanyl is particularly challenging. Unlike heroin and cocaine, which are produced from plants, fentanyl is made with ingredients used for legal pharmaceutical drugs, and can be made in cheap labs that can be erected relatively quickly. And despite the dangers, demand in the U.S. for the highly addictive drug remains strong.Even if Mexico, Canada and these other countries snap their fingers and did away with the drug trade, as long as we have that demand, there will be another country that will satisfy that demand, said Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.Vigil said trade frictions could impede the fight. If we dont work together and share information, the only ones who are going to benefit from that are drug cartels, he said. ___Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. JESSE BEDAYN Bedayn is a statehouse reporter for The Associated Press based in Denver. He is a Report for America corps member. mailto

Code updates to a government database that helps track whether a federal program to get children ready for school at age five is actually working show software engineers are purging it of references to "forbidden words" related to DEI.The updates, shown in Github commits, are to a database for the Department of Health and Human Services Head Start program. They show a project called Remove-DEI, which reveal some of the back-and-forth that is happening behind the scenes to align federal agencies with Donald Trumps executive orders that forbid almost anything having to do with race or gender within federal agencies. The Github pages show software engineers discussing amongst themselves how to best remove all instances of forbidden words from a specific database, and the code updates they used to do it. The changes also show that, while thousands of government datasets are disappearing from the internet, even ones that remain are having parts of their utility deprecated or broken in a way that may not be visible to those outside the government.The Office of Head Start is a government agency that spends roughly $12 billion per year to get families and children between birth and age five ready to succeed in schools, with a special focus on providing and administering grants to groups that provide assistance for Americas most vulnerable young children. Head Start centers were briefly impacted by Trumps spending freeze, leading centers to worry about making payroll.Are you a federal worker or contractor? Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.The changes show that the U.S. government or people working on its behalf are not just manually deleting references to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) but are also writing and tweaking code to remove references to DEI in a more blunt-force way. The HHS change is emblematic of hundreds that 404 Media has reviewed in recent days. At HHS, a recent GitHub commit details a project called Remove-DEI which removes the ability to search or filter in this HeadStart for information on how well programs that target families affected by systemic discrimination/bias/exclusion are actually working.The changeswhich are among at least hundreds across the federal governmentcome to a database operated by the HHS Office of Head Starts Training and Technical Assistance Centers.This specific database is behind a government login wall, but allows government employees to search for information about grants and programs that had a focus on Equity and had a target population of Children/Families affected by systematic discrimination/bias/exclusion.Code in the database was tweaked to remove the ability to search or filter according to these terms. A description of the change explained on Github reads Review the option for equity: Removal of the equity topic from the topic drop down, removal of the equity topic from all filters, Removal of the DEIA standard goal, Families affected by systemic discrimination/bias/exclusion removes as a target population.The coder also explains that they tweaked how topics are filtered in the database as a way of making sure that when we mark a topic as deleted, it is removed from all the relevant places.The coder asked their colleagues to confirm equity has been removed from the places above. I ask also that you scan the website for other places where we need to remove the forbidden words. The code was written by employees at a company called Ad Hoc LLC, a government contractor that works with HHS on the database. Ad Hoc is being paid $7.2 million to manage the database, according to federal records.Ad Hoc was created in the aftermath of the HealthCare.gov launch debacle, and describes itself as a digital services company that helps the federal government better serve people. Ad Hoc declined to comment. HHS told 404 Media that it is not allowed to comment: "HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health. This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.govMore than 2,000 datasets have disappeared from data.gov since Trump was inaugurated. But analyzing exactly what happened and where it went is going to take some time.404 MediaJason KoeblerThe tweak is one of hundreds that have been revealed across government via Githubs commit tracking, which shows version changes to code, websites, and other projects managed on the site. It also gives insight into how the hundreds of websites and datasets being deleted are actually being purged. WIRED reported earlier Monday that the federal government is now using scripts to forcibly remove gender pronouns from federal employee email signatures.

The Republican Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley has introduced a new bill that would make it illegal to import or export artificial intelligence products to and from China, meaning someone who knowingly downloads a Chinese developed AI model like the now immensely popular DeepSeek could face up to 20 years in jail, a million dollar fine, or both, should such a law pass.Kevin Bankston, a senior advisor on AI governance at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told 404 Media it is a broad attack on the very idea of scientific dialogue and technology exchange with China around AI, with potentially ruinous penalties for AI researchers and users alike and deeply troubling implications for the future of online speech and freedom of scientific inquiry.Hawley introduced the legislation, titled the Decoupling Americas Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act, on Wednesday of last year.Every dollar and gig of data that flows into Chinese AI are dollars and data that will ultimately be used against the United States, Senator Hawley said in a statement. America cannot afford to empower our greatest adversary at the expense of our own strength. Ensuring American economic superiority means cutting China off from American ingenuity and halting the subsidization of CCP innovation.Hawleys statement explicitly says that he introduced the legislation because of the release of DeepSeek, an advanced AI model thats competitive with its American counterparts, and which its developers claimed was made for a fraction of the cost and without access to as many and as advanced of chips, though these claims are unverified. Hawleys statement called DeepSeek a data-harvesting, low-cost AI model that sparked international concern and sent American technology stocks plummeting.Hawleys statement says the goal of the bill is to prohibit the import from or export to China of artificial intelligence technology, prohibit American companies from conducting AI research in China or in cooperation with Chinese companies, and Prohibit U.S. companies from investing money in Chinese AI development.Hawleys bill and its aims were covered credulously on Fox News, but even if you think the bills goals are worth pursuing the actual language of the bill is broad and dystopian. Unlike legislators who fearmongered about TikTok and wanted to ban it, Hawleys bill would criminalize the activity of average users, millions of whom downloaded DeepSeek recently, making it one of the most popular apps on the Apple App store.Specifically, the bill prohibits the importation into the United States of artificial intelligence or generative artificial intelligence technology or intellectual proprietary developed or produced in the Peoples Republic of China. Those who violate this Shall be subject to the criminal penalties set forth in subsection (b) of section 1760 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U. S.C, 4819).That law states that A person who willfully commits, willfully attempts to commit, or willfully conspires to commit, or aids and abets in the commission of, an unlawful act described in subsection (a) (1) shall be fined not more than $1,000,000; and (2) in the case of the individual, shall be imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both.the Center for Democracy & Technologys Bankston told me that hes skeptical that there would be strong criminal cases against someone who unintentionally downloaded an app like DeepSeek because the legislation specifies a persons conduct must be willful for the imposition of criminal penalties, the bill is still worrisomely broad.It appears that it *could* apply to someone who downloaded DeepSeek knowing that it was from China, and yes, the criminal penalty for that under this proposal would be up to one million dollars or 20 years in prison (and also potentially civil penalties as well, which may require less proof of state of mind and may potentially even reach a mere accidental importer of a Chinese model), Bankston said.The bill, which also prohibits the transfer of research, could create an unworkable environment for computer scientists who make their research public, and regularly read AI papers published by Chinese researchers.Beyond just impacting people downloading models from China, the bill's penalties for the import to or export from China of AI technology and intellectual property could also potentially extend to anyone who publishes AI models or research papers on the open internet knowing they will be downloaded by people in China, Bankston said. Researchers are also threatened by the second half of the bill, which would directly outlaw American collaboration with researchers at basically any Chinese university or companywith a fine of up to 100 million dollars for any company that violates the prohibition, amongst other penalties.On its face, the bill seems mostly like hawkish posturing from Hawley, and the language of the bill seems unworkable given the current state of computer science, the AI industry, and the culture of researchers sharing their work. However, there is bipartisan support for legislation that targets China wherever it appears able to topple American dominance. Banning TikTok also seemed like a ludicrous notion at first given its popularity among Americans, and while the app is still live, a bill banning it did pass both the house and the Senate and was signed by the president.Hawleys office did not respond to a request for comment.

A sign is placed in front of the American whiskey section at a B.C. liquor store after top selling American made products have been removed from shelves in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-03T20:57:16Z TORONTO (AP) As Canadians absorb U.S. President Donald Trumps trade war and his threats to make Canada the 51st state, one thing has become abundantly clear: One of the worlds most durable and amicable alliances born of geography, heritage and centuries of common interests is broken. Canadians are feeling an undeniable sense of betrayal after Trump declared a trade war against Americas northern neighbor and longtime ally. Trump keeps threatening Canadas sovereignty and and vowing to put sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian products, though Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday afternoon the tariffs will be postponed by at least 30 days after he promised more cooperation on the border.In Canada, discussion and disapproval are everywhere. Canadian hockey fans have even been booing the American national anthem at recent National Hockey League games. Addressing the nation this past weekend, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau channeled the betrayal that many Canadians are feeling, reminding Americans that Canadian troops fought alongside them in Afghanistan and helped respond to myriad crises from wildfires in California to Hurricane Katrina. We were always there standing with you, grieving with you, the American people, he said. The Canadian jitters, some worry, could go beyond the moment. The damage is going to be long-lasting, said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. The Americans wont be trusted anymore. The 51st state stuff is just contemptuous. It treats Canada like we dont even exist. How, they ask, is Canada the problem? The ties between the two countries are without parallel. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.5 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states and 77% of Canadas exports go to the United States. Each day, about 400,000 people cross the worlds longest international border. There is close cooperation on defense, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes.He wants to come after us? said Doug Ford, the leader of Canadas most populous province of Ontario. He has said that it feels like being stabbed in the heart by a family member. Says Ford: Ive yet to hear one American citizen say Canada is the problem.Some Canadians are circulating lists of Canadian products they can buy instead of American items and others are canceling vacation plans to the United States. The U.S. Travel Association said the tariffs on Canada could impact Canadian visitation to and spending in the United States, noting that Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, with 20.4 million visits last year. What he is doing now is unprecedented and highly damaging for the relationship. ... He is eroding Canadians trust towards the U.S. in ways that will make it hard to repair the relationship, said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. He says many Canadians feel betrayed by Trumps threats and attitude, especially because the two countries have long enjoyed strong economic, cultural and geographic ties. Its certainly one of the worst moments in Canada-U.S. relations since the creation of Canada in 1867, Beland said. His talk about making Canada the 51st state is a direct attack against the countrys sovereignty. Even if we exclude that threat, he shows no respect for Canadas sovereignty and institutions.Canadian officials said they are applying 25% retaliatory tariffs to American imports including beverages, cosmetics and paper products. A second phase will be even more punishing.Trudeau did hold out hope that Trump wouldnt punish Canada. Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum put their planned tariffs on hold Monday for a month to give time for further negotiations, and Mexico said it planned to deploy 10,000 members of its national guard to address drug trafficking.Trudeau noted that the United States and Canada have built the most successful economic, military and security partnership the world has ever seen a relationship that, he says, has been the envy of the world.As President John F. Kennedy said many years ago, geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends, economics has made us partners and necessity has made us allies, he said. The closer the allies, the bumpier the ride? Trump also plans to put a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. Underscoring the potential effects, Canada provides more than 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the United States. The U.S. tends to consume about 20 million barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It has been producing domestically about 13.2 million barrels. Yet Trump keeps saying the United States doesnt need Canada for anything and said again Monday that hed like to see Canada become the 51st state. And his vice president dismisses Canada, too. Spare me the sob story about how Canada is our best friend. I love Canada and have many Canadian friends. But is the government meeting their NATO target for military spending? Are they stopping the flow of drugs into our country?, U.S. Vice President JD Vance posted on X.Canada announced a billion-dollar plan to secure the border even though far fewer migrants and less drugs enter the U.S. through Canada than Mexico. Their argument on why we have tariffs doesnt hold, Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, said. Canadians are galvanized to do the right thing and to suffer a little bit of pain to make sure we make the right steps for the future.As with most intimate relationships, there have been rough spots before. Limited trade wars over lumber, pulp and paper, and other products have flared on and off for decades. In the early 1960s, there was a bitter rift because of personal enmity between President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who balked at U.S. pressure to be more aggressive in Cold War maneuverings.Later the Vietnam War caused some divisions, as Canadians including Justin Trudeaus father, then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau welcomed American draft evaders who crossed the border. And some Canadians, notably the Ontario intelligentsia, tend to regard Americans as more crass and gun-happy than people north of the border.Trump himself attacked Canadas trade and prime minister during his first term. But nothing like now. Trump posted that Canada would cease to exist as a viable country if there werent a massive subsidy from the U.S. Canada should become our Cherished 51st State, Trump posted on social media. Retorted respected Globe and Mail reporter Steve Chase: Asking Canada to submit to annexation is the conduct of a hostile foreign power.The booing continued at an NBA game in Toronto where the Raptors played the Los Angeles Clippers. One fan at the Raptors game chose to sit during the anthem while wearing a Canada hat. Joseph Chua, who works as an importer, said he expects to feel the tariffs pretty directly.Ive always stood during both anthems. Ive taken my hat off to show respect to the American national anthem, he said. But today were feeling a little bitter about things.

Elon Musk arrives on stage to speak at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)2025-02-03T17:36:30Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trumps return to Washington WASHINGTON (AP) Elon Musk is working for President Donald Trump as a special government employee, according to a White House official, solidifying his controversial role in the administration but sidestepping some disclosure rules that are typical of federal workers. The official, speaking Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Musk has a government email address and office space in the White House complex. Musk, the worlds richest man, has been granted broad latitude by Trump to reduce the size of the federal government. On Monday morning, the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development was abruptly shut down. Musks team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, also has received access to sensitive payment systems at the U.S. Treasury Department. Democrats fear that Musk is consolidating power within the federal government, acting without accountability and potentially against the law. Special government employees are usually appointed to their position for up to 130 days. Its unclear how standard rules on ethics agreements and financial disclosures will apply to Musk, who has billions of dollars in federal contracts with SpaceX, his rocket company. Musk does not receive a paycheck for his work, the White House official said. Under federal guidelines, its unlikely that he will need to file a public financial disclosure report. The official did not provide additional details apart from saying that Musk is following the law. Trump signaled his approval of Musks work on Sunday evening after returning to Washington from his weekend in Florida.I think Elon is doing a good job. Hes a big cost-cutter, the Republican president said. Sometimes we wont agree with it and well not go where he wants to go. But I think hes doing a great job. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)2025-02-03T08:10:24Z BRUSSELS (AP) After three years spent trying to deter Russia from destroying Ukraine, European Union leaders grappled on Monday with how to respond to a major ally who appears determined to start a trade war or even seize part of their territory.It would be a cruel paradox if, during the time of this direct Russian threat and Chinese expansion, the EU and the United States might end up in a conflict among allies, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country currently holds the EUs rotating presidency.Since taking office last month, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on EU imports and refused to rule out military force to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.Trump has also mystified Europeans by showing little sign of how he intends to end the war in Ukraine within six months as promised, let alone in a day, as he boasted while campaigning last year. We have to do everything to avoid this totally unnecessary and stupid tariff war or trade war, the Polish prime minister told reporters in Brussels, where EU leaders met for talks on boosting and improving military spending and ramping up Europes defense industry. Tusk said Trumps threats amount to a serious test of European unity, and in a very strange context, because its the first time where we have such a problem among allies. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU is a power that stands its ground and that if hit with tariffs, the 27-nation bloc would have to make itself respected. He said Trumps threats are pushing Europeans to be more united, more active in addressing their collective security challenges.Trump slapped tariffs on European steel and aluminum during his first term, and EU leaders have already been in contact with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since Canada imposed retaliatory duties on U.S. goods in response to a 25% tariff levied by Trump. The U.S. president later on Monday agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threat as Americas two largest trading partners took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined that ties between the bloc and the United States are part of our most consequential relationship. It is fundamental to promoting peace, security and prosperity.But she warned that there are clearly new challenges and growing uncertainty and the EU stands ready to defend itself. When targeted unfairly or arbitrarily, the European Union will respond firmly, von der Leyen told reporters after the meeting.Meanwhile, Denmarks prime minister again insisted on Monday that Greenland isnt for sale and called for a robust response from the EU should U.S. Trump press ahead with his threat to take control of the island.I will never support the idea of fighting allies. But of course, if the U.S. puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters. Last month, Trump left open the possibility that the American military might be used to secure Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. We need Greenland for national security purposes, he said.Frederiksen said she has great support from her EU partners on the fact that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its part of our territory and its not for sale.European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland: Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.Frederiksen acknowledged U.S. concerns about security in the Arctic Region, where Russia and China have been increasingly active.I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence, Frederiksen said, adding that the U.S. and Denmark could have stronger footprints in Greenland, in security terms. They are already there and they can have more possibilities, she said, underlining that Denmark itself can also scale up its security presence. If this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward, Frederiksen said.Last week, her government announced a roughly 14.6 billion kroner (nearly $2 billion) agreement with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands to improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.

Google logos are shown when searched on Google in New York, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)2025-02-03T22:50:04Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Google went to appeals court Monday in an attempt to convince a three-judge panel to overturn a jurys verdict declaring its app store for Android smartphones as an illegal monopoly and block the penalties imposed by a federal judge to stop the misbehavior. Video game maker Epic Games, which brought the case alleging Googles Play Store has been abusing its stranglehold over the Android app market, countered with arguments outlining why both the verdict and punishment should be affirmed to foster more innovation and lower prices.In a nearly hour-long presentation in San Franciscos Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Google lawyer Jessica Ellsworth explained why the company believes the judge overseeing a month-long trial in 2023 improperly allowed the market in its case to be defined differently than it had in a similar antitrust trial revolving around Apples antitrust trial in 2021. Ellsworth also asserted the trial shouldnt have been decided by a jury in the first place because Google exercised its consent to that process and demanded the case be decided by a judge instead, as had the trial by Apple. Epic, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game, filed separate antitrust cases against Apple and Google on the same day in August 2020 and culminated in dramatically different outcomes. Unlike the jury in Googles trial in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers largely sided with Apple in an 185-decision that defined the Play Store and Apples iPhone app store as part of a broader competitive market. Ellsworth told the appeals court that U.S. District Judge James Donato improperly allowed Epic to turn the Google trial into a do-over that excluded the Apple app store as a rival in the market definition that led to the jurys verdict in its case.You cant just lose an issue that was fully litigated the first time (in the Apple case) and then pretend it didnt happen, Ellsworth said. She said the competition that Google and Apple engage in while making the two operating systems that power virtually all of the worlds smartphones sufficiently disciplines their actions in the app market. But the appeals judges indicated they believed the market definitions could differ in the separate app store cases because Apple bundles all its software and the iPhone together creating what has become known as a walled garden while Google licenses the Android software that includes its Play Store a wide variety of smartphone makers.There are clearly some factual differences between the Android world and Apple world, Judge Danielle J. Forrest told Ellsworth.Judge Gabriel Sanchez also sounded skeptical about Googles claims about being lumped with an improper market definition in its trial.Even if Google vigorously competes with Apple (in smartphone operating systems), that doesnt mean it cant create a different ecosystem where its a monopolist, Sanchez interjected during Ellsworths presentation. Epic attorney Gary Bornstein painted Googles arguments as a desperate and unfounded effort to preserve the system that boosts Googles profits with price-gouging commissions ranging from 15% to 30% on in-app purchases flowing from software downloaded through the Play Store. The penalties that Donato imposed in October and subsequently postponed while Google pursues its appeal would impose a series of sweeping changes that include making the Play Stores entire library of 2 million apps available to potential competitors a move expected to result in lower commission rates. The appeals court hasnt set a timeline for issuing a ruling in the Play Store case, but it typically takes several months before a decision is reached. Google is also currently facing other potential penalties that could include being forced to sell its Chrome web browser after a judge in another antitrust trial ruled its ubiquitous search engine is an illegal monopoly, too.In Mondays two-hour hearing Bornstein contended that Google never tried to define the Android app market during the trial the way it presented it during its appeal and reminded the three-judge panel that the bar should be set high before reversing a jurys verdict and the ensuing punishment ordered by a lower court judge. The benefit of the doubt does not go to the wrongdoer, Bornstein said.The judges seemed more troubled by Donatos decision to stick with a jury trial after the case changed shortly before the Epic trial when Google settled lawsuits brought by attorneys general across the U.S. and another prominent app developer, Match Group. An agreement for a jury trial had been reached when the attorneys general and Match cases were going to be combined with Epics, but Google wanted to revert to having a judge decide the outcome after settling some of the claims only to be rebuffed by Donato. At one point during Bornsteins presentation, Forrest openly mused about the possibility of declaring the verdict as a decision rendered by the equivalent of an advisory jury and sending the case back to Donato for a more lengthy ruling.That is an approach favored by Ellsworth, who pointed out that the judges ruling in the Apple app store case spanned nearly 200 pages while the jury in the Google trial were asked eight questions and they offered 14 words defining a relevant market.But Bornstein urged the appeals court to resort to giving Donato a homework assignment that would give Google more time to profit from its illegal conduct. MICHAEL LIEDTKE Liedtke has been covering technology and wide range of other business topics for The Associated Press since the turn of the century. twitter mailto

A closed sign is displayed at a local business in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago to stand with immigrants in Chicago, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)2025-02-04T00:23:09Z Several businesses from day cares to grocery stores and hair salons closed Monday across the U.S. in a loosely organized day of protest against President Donald Trumps immigration policies.But participation in the day without immigrants faced headwinds from employees and business owners who said they need the income especially as rumors of widespread raids, often false, are leaving many migrant communities afraid to venture outside, affecting even some schools. Mondays event also came on the heels of street protests Sunday in California and elsewhere.Noel Xavier, organizing director for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said that while its important to remind the country of the value migrant workers bring to the communities they toil in, many workers couldnt afford to take a day off.If I dont go to work today, thats one day less that I have, you know, to be able to pay for my next rent, Xavier said of the prevailing sentiment among the workers he organizes. I didnt see this big rallying around being able to do that, or having the luxury to be able to do that. Jaime di Paulo, president of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, noted that small restaurants and retailers in Chicagos biggest Latino neighborhoods closed, but most major employers as well as those in construction and other industries were operating normally. This is only hurting our own community, he said. Andrea Toro decided to close her hair salon in Chicagos Pilsen neighborhood. She added that many of her clients are teachers and have seen children missing school since Trump took office last month because they fear it may not be safe to go. In Chicago, as in San Diego, school districts said some students and families were participating in Mondays protest.If we dont have immigrants, we dont have anything work around here, said Toro, who is from Puerto Rico. If were mute, were in silence, then theyre going to do whatever they want. El Burrito Mercado, which boomed from a small Latino market in the 1970s to one of the most widely recognized restaurant, catering and grocery businesses in St. Paul, Minnesota, shut for the whole day in 2017 when the latest major such event was held at the beginning of the first Trump administration. But on Monday, it stayed open for a few hours with a skeleton crew, said co-owner Milissa Silva.Her parents emigrated from Mexico, and most of the 90 employees have Mexican roots. But many staffers expressed concern about losing a work day and about depriving people in the neighborhood of access to groceries.Similarly, the Spanish-immersion day care provider Tierra Encantada kept its 14 locations open. But many parents decided to keep their children home Monday in solidarity with the mostly first and second-generation immigrant workforce, said CEO Kristen Denzer. Families most of them not immigrants pulled some 450 children from day care and preschool, about 70% of those enrolled in Minnesota alone, where most of the organizations centers are, Denzer said. Several staffers who had been on the fence decided to take the day after the show of support. In Utah, several Latino-owned stores, restaurants and supermarkets closed their doors.The movement today, its more about being compassionate, said state Sen. Luz Escamilla, a Democrat and Senate minority leader. A lot of companies and communities are coming together in the state just to raise awareness of how much this has created a fear.Asked about the day of protest at his Monday media availability, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican, defended Trumps immigration policies and said law-abiding immigrants should have nothing to worry about.The only people that are being talked about being deported (are) those that are criminals, those that are on probation, those bad people who have committed difficult crimes, Adams said.While immigration enforcement officers continue to target for deportation migrants considered public safety and national security threats, a big change from the Biden administration is that officers can now arrest people without legal status if they run across them during operations. ___DellOrto reported from Minneapolis and Perez Winder from Chicago. Contributing to this story were AP reporters Cedar Attanasio in New York, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Julie Watson in San Diego.

Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Energy, testifies during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing for his pending confirmation, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2025-02-03T23:37:23Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate on Monday confirmed fossil fuel executive Chris Wright to serve as energy secretary, a key post to promote President Donald Trumps efforts to achieve U.S. energy dominance in the global market.Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, has been one of the industrys loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He says more fossil fuel production can lift people out of poverty around the globe and has promised to help Trump unleash energy security and prosperity.The Senate approved his nomination, 59-38. Eight Democrats including both senators from Wrights home state of Colorado voted in favor. The centerpiece of Trumps energy policy is drill, baby, drill, and he has pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats green new scam in favor of boosting production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal that emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. President Trump shares my passion for energy, Wright said at his confirmation hearing last month, promising that if confirmed, he would work tirelessly to implement (Trumps) bold agenda as an unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy. That includes oil and natural gas, coal, nuclear power and hydropower, along with wind and solar power and geothermal energy, Wright said.Trumps energy wishes are likely to run into real-world limits, including the fact that U.S. oil production is already at record levels. The federal government cannot force companies to drill for more oil, and production increases could lower prices and reduce profits. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the second-ranking Republican, called Wright an innovator who tells the truth about energy production.While Wright acknowledges that climate change is real, he knows more American energy is the solution not the problem,' Barrasso said, calling Wrights energy realism welcome news. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Wright understands that energy policies should focus on making energy abundant and affordable for families and businesses.Our nation deserves a champion for American energy and innovation, and weve got the Wright guy for the job,' Lee posted on X.Colorados two Democratic senators both supported their home-state nominee.Chris Wright is a scientist who has dedicated his life to the study and use of energy. He believes in science and supports the research that will deliver the affordable, reliable and clean energy that will lower costs and make the country more secure, Sen. John Hickenlooper said.While we dont always agree, we will work together because none of us have four years to wait to act, Hickenlooper said.Sen. Michael Bennet called Wright a successful Colorado entrepreneur with deep expertise in energy innovation and technology. He pledged to work with Wright to ensure Colorado continues to lead the country in energy production and innovation. While acknowledging that climate change is real, Wright said at his hearing that he believes there isnt dirty energy or clean energy. Rather, he said, there are different sources of energy with different tradeoffs. Wright, 60, has been chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy since 2011 and has no prior experience in government. He grew up in Colorado, earned an undergraduate degree at MIT and did graduate work in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and MIT. In 1992, he founded Pinnacle Technologies, which helped launch commercial shale gas production through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.He later served as chairman of Stroud Energy, an early shale gas producer, before founding Liberty Resources in 2010. As energy secretary, Wright will join Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as a key player on energy policy. Both will serve on a new National Energy Council that Burgum will chair. The panel will include all executive branch agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, with a focus on cutting red tape and boosting domestic energy production, Trump said. The councils mission represents a near-complete reversal from actions pursued by Democratic President Joe Biden, who made fighting climate change a top priority. Wright said he would sever all ties across the energy industry if confirmed.Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group, said Democrats should have unanimously opposed Wright.Senate Republicans just handed Trumps Big Oil allies the keys to the Department of Energy,' she said in a statement. Chris Wright built his career expanding fossil fuels and denying climate science. Now, hell be in a position to help Trump stall clean energy investments, hike energy prices and keep Americans addicted to expensive, volatile fossil fuels.Now is the time, she added, for Democrats to stand united and fight back against Trumps relentless push to rig the system for Big Oil. MATTHEW DALY Daly covers climate, environment and energy policy for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets people as he arrives to speak to State Department staff followed by his family, at the State Department, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-03T22:44:09Z SAN SALVADOR (AP) The Trump administration has hired a Make America Great Again ideologue to run the State Departments worldwide public diplomacy efforts, according to the man put forward for the post and three current department officials. Darren Beattie confirmed in a message to readers of the conservative website Revolver for which he worked that he would be taking up the post of acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. It was not clear if he would be formally nominated to take the job on a more permanent basis, which would require Senate confirmation.Beattie, an academic, has espoused controversial ideas about race and U.S. foreign policy priorities. He gained notoriety when he was fired as a White House speechwriter during President Donald Trumps first term after it was revealed he spoke at a conference attended by white nationalists. Thanks to President Trumps miraculous victory, we have entered the beginning of a new Golden Age of success, prosperity, legitimacy, and accountability. I have been given the great honor of serving once again in Trumps administration, this time in the Department of State, Beattie wrote in a message to readers of Revolver, from which he will be taking a leave of absence. The State Department had no comment, although word of his impending appointment to the post had circulated through the building since last week and was confirmed by three officials. Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an as-yet unannounced personnel decision. Apart from the incident that caused him to lose his White House speechwriting job, Beattie has made numerous inflammatory comments on X. Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work, he wrote on the site less than four months ago, on Oct. 4, 2024. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men. As undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, even in a temporary role, Beattie will exert great influence and oversight of the departments outward-facing messaging and outreach, including those that have been handled by embassies and consulates abroad.Previous occupants of the job have traditionally not had a high-profile role but have played a powerful behind-the-scenes role in the State Departments hierarchy.

President Donald Trump listens after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-03T21:19:55Z WASHINGTON (AP) Immigration advocacy groups on Monday sued the Trump administration over its ban on asylum access at the southern border, saying the sweeping restrictions illegally put people who are fleeing war and persecution in harms way.The decision outlined in one of President Donald Trumps immigration-related executive orders is as unlawful as it is unprecedented, the groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union said in the complaint, filed in a Washington federal court. The government is doing just what Congress by statute decreed that the United States must not do. It is returning asylum seekers not just single adults, but families too to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided, lawyers wrote.The ACLU filed the complaint on behalf of Arizona-based Florence Project, El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and Texas-based RAICES. In an executive order, Trump declared that the situation at the southern border constitutes an invasion of America and that he was suspending the physical entry of migrants until he decides its over. The executive order also suspended the ability of migrants to ask for asylum. It was the latest blow to asylum access that began under the Biden administration, which severely curtailed the ability of people who entered the country between the official border crossings to qualify for asylum. But they also had a system by which 1,450 people a day could schedule an appointment at an official crossing with Mexico to seek protection in America. Trump ended that program on his first day in office.Advocates say the right to request asylum is enshrined in the countrys immigration law and that denying migrants that right puts people fleeing war or persecution in grave danger.Critics have said relatively few people coming to America seeking asylum actually end up qualifying and that it takes years for overloaded immigration courts to come to a determination on such requests. 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

Medics treat a man wounded during fighting between Congolese government troops and M23 rebel forces in Goma's Kyeshero hospital Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)2025-02-03T17:40:20Z GOMA, Congo (AP) The Rwanda-backed rebels who seized eastern Congos key city of Goma announced Monday a unilateral ceasefire in the region for humanitarian reasons, following calls for a safe corridor for aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The M23 rebels said the ceasefire would start Tuesday. The announcement came shortly after the U.N. health agency said at least 900 people were killed in last weeks fighting in Goma between the rebels and Congolese forces. Government officials previously cited a toll of 776.The city of 2 million people is at the heart of a region home to trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, and after consolidating control of Goma last week, the rebels were reported to be gaining the upper hand in other areas of eastern Congo and advancing on another provincial capital, Bukavu.But the rebels said Monday they would halt fighting to allow humanitarian activities and that they did not intend to seize Bukavu, though they earlier have expressed ambition to march on the capital a thousand miles away. It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions, M23 rebel spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Congos government. The announcement came ahead of a joint summit this week by the regional blocs of southern and eastern Africa, which have called for a ceasefire. Kenyas President William Ruto said Monday the presidents of Congo and Rwanda would attend. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies, or G7, urged parties in the conflict to return to the negotiating table. In a statement on Monday, the group called for a rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians.Congolese authorities have said they are open to talks to resolve the conflict, but that such a dialogue must be done within the context of previous peace agreements. Rwanda and the rebels have accused the Congo government of defaulting on previous agreements. The M23 rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, far more than in 2012 when they first briefly captured Goma then withdrew after international pressure. They are the most potent of the more than 100 armed groups vying for control in Congos east, which holds vast deposits critical to much of the worlds technology.The latest fighting forced hundreds of thousands of people who had been displaced by years of conflict to carry what remained of their belongings and flee again. Thousands poured into nearby Rwanda.The fighting in Congo has connections with a decades-long ethnic conflict.M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo. Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and others in Rwanda.Many Hutus fled to Congo after the genocide and founded the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia group. Rwanda said the group is fully integrated into the Congolese military, which denies the charges. On Monday, families desperate to identify their loved ones besieged morgues as body bags were loaded onto trucks for burials in Goma.A weeping Chiza Nyenyezi recalled how her son died from a gunshot injury after a bullet went through his chest. His entire chest was open, Nyenyezi said.Louise Shalukoma said her sons body could not be immediately recovered from the streets because a bomb detonated as people tried to retrieve it.My God, my fourth child, when I saw that he was dead I said, Lord, what am I going to do? she lamented. This M23 war came for me in Goma.-Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press journalist Ruth Alonga in Goma and Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed.

Beyonce accepts the award for best country album for "COWBOY CARTER" during the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)2025-02-03T21:16:41Z LOS ANGELES (AP) The Grammy Awards have long been criticized over a lack of diversity, with a history of artists of color, women, and rap and R&B musicians being snubbed for top prizes. Sundays edition suggests something may have shifted.Beyonc, the most awarded and nominated artist in Grammys history, finally won album of the year for her country-and-then-some album, Cowboy Carter, furthering her dedication to recentering Black art in popular culture. Kendrick Lamar took home two of the top four prizes of the night, celebrating hip-hop on a show that has historically neglected the genre. The Grammys placed young pop performers in the spotlight at the moment of their ascent, meeting the contemporary music moment. The Recording Academy has made concerted efforts to diversify in recent years. Could it be those strides have already paid off in a course correction? Or were the 2025 Grammys simply a one-off? A feud squashedRecording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. appeared onstage to address some real criticism facing the organization behind the Grammys. Artists were pretty vocal with their complaints, he said, reaching back to 2020: The Weeknd called out the academy for lack of transparency in our awards. He went so far as to announce he was boycotting the Grammys. Five years can make a world of difference. At the end of his speech, Mason introduced The Weeknd as a surprise performer, making his first appearance at the Grammys since 2017. His return suggested approval of a new voting class several presenters took care to note that the awards were decided by more than 13,000 voting members. Peter A. Berry, a music journalist with work in XXL and Complex, believes that reading might be too pat, though. He performed to promote his new album, he said, referencing The Weeknds Hurry Up Tomorrow. That timing aligned with the Grammys need to highlight its reform.I cant remove my cynical music industry lens, he says. Time heals all wounds when you need promo. A more diverse voting bodyOf the Recording Academys current voting membership, 66% are men, 49% are white and 66% are over the age of 40. But the academy announced last year that 3,000 female voting members had been added since 2019. Two-thirds of the total voting body joined in the last five years. In that same time, the academy has increased the number of members who identify as people of color by 63%, with 100% growth in Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, 90% growth in Black voters and 43% growth in Latino voters.At the 2024 Grammys, women dominated the major categories and as a result, every televised competitive Grammy went to at least one woman. It appeared to reflect contemporary interest in female pop performers Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Victoria Mont and Karol G, among them. In 2025, that trend continued. Women received every single televised award on Sunday night with the exception of Lamars and one shared between Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.They got it right this year, Berry says. Maybe it is that the voting committee changed. Nominees and winners reflect contemporary interestThe nominations announced in November acknowledged the artists who led the conversation in 2024. Beyonc was celebrated with 11 nominations, what Kinitra D. Brooks an academic and author of The Lemonade Reader says was the result of voters finally recognizing this is clearly someone who deserves the respect of her peers.Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, experiencing breakout years, received six nods each. The ubiquitous, discourse-dominating Not Like Us from Lamar and Charli xcxs BRAT also received recognition.And that translated to awards. There were a number of first-time award winners, many women and people of color like Doechii, Carin Len and Sierra Ferrell. In the relatively new songwriter of the year, non-classical category, Amy Allen became the first woman to take home the trophy. A move in the right direction for hip-hopNot Like Us was an early winner at the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, receiving trophies for music video, rap song and rap performance. It marked his seventh time winning in that last category. But it was his presence during the main broadcast that really made a splash. One of the biggest global hits of 2024, his Drake diss track won song and record of the year only the second hip-hop single to ever win record of the year. By the end of the night, Not Like Us had won all five awards for which it was nominated.Lamars recognitions arrived the year after Jay-Z criticized the Grammys for ignoring the rap legends before him those who brought hip-hop to the preeminent music award show, only to have rap categories not make the official broadcast.We want you all to get it right, Jay-Z said last year. At least get it close to right.Berry describes Lamars wins as a layup, a celebration of one of the great rap records of recent history.And though Lamars wins meant more hip-hop on the broadcast, Berry says the Grammys hip-hop picks tend to be predictable. He says theres a cookie cutter formula for the kind of rappers the Recording Academy recognizes. The more esoteric and abstract rap, as well as the mid-level street rap, goes largely ignored, he says. Course-correcting the biggest blind spotBeyonc's album of the year victory was widely thought long overdue. The superstar had four of her albums nominated in the category before winning on her fifth. She seemingly alluded to it in her acceptance speech: Its been many, many years, she said.I Am... Sasha Fierce lost to Taylor Swift for Fearless in 2010. In 2015, her self-titled album Beyonc lost to Becks Morning Phase and Harry Styles Harrys House beat Renaissance in 2023. Perhaps most infamously, though, was the loss of Lemonade to Adeles 25.I cant possibly accept this award. And Im very humbled, and Im very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyonc, Adele said in her 2017 acceptance speech, holding back tears.In winning album of the year Sunday, Beyonc became the first Black woman to win the top prize in the 21st century. The last was Lauryn Hill with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 26 years ago. Before her were Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston, and the list ends there.Brooks believes Beyonc reflects that Black women can be excellent and still ignored in very particular ways because this is a top honor in her field. Emily Lordi, a Vanderbilt University professor whose focus is African American literature and Black popular music, describes Cowboy Carter as an album with a capital A one that explicitly aims to restore the Black roots and routes of country, a genre long coded as white. It is the kind of historic intervention the academy could not fail to recognize it was undeniable.Berry points to the fact that the records country influence may have aligned with the academys traditionalist voters but also appealed to those inspired by its break with convention.It is some cosmic justice being done, says Berry. It might not be the best Bey album, but it was the best of the category.Even Grammys host Trevor Noah couldnt help but acknowledge the milestone: We finally saw it happen, everyone, he said. That, we did.___For more on the 2025 Grammys, visit https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards MARIA SHERMAN Maria Sherman is the music reporter at The Associated Press. She is based in New York City. twitter instagram mailto

FILE - Umpire Pat Hoberg looks on during a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels, May 17, 2023, in Baltimore. Major League Baseball plans to discipline Hoberg following an investigation into a potential violation of sports gambling policies. In a statement Friday, June 14, 2024, the commissioners office said Hoberg has decided to appeal the penalty. MLB did not disclose the nature of the violation or the extent of the punishment. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)2025-02-03T21:06:25Z NEW YORK (AP) Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball on Monday for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the leagues investigation.MLB opened the investigation last February when it was brought to its attention by the sportsbook, and Hoberg did not umpire last season. While MLB said the investigation did not uncover evidence Hoberg personally bet on baseball or manipulated games, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill recommended on May 24 that Hoberg be fired.Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday he upheld Hills decision. Among the highest-rated umpires at judging the strike zone, Hoberg can apply for reinstatement no earlier than 2026 spring training.MLB said the friend made 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2021, and Nov. 1, 2023, totaling almost $214,000 with an overall win of nearly $35,000. The strict enforcement of Major League Baseballs rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans, Manfred said in a statement. An extensive investigation revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way. However, his extremely poor judgment in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe bet on baseball and who did, in fact, bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline. Therefore, there is just cause to uphold Mr. Hobergs termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball. Now 38, Hoberg made his big league debut in 2014. During Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, he had an unprecedented umpires perfect game by accurately calling balls and strikes on all 129 taken pitches, according to computer tracking. I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in todays statement, Hoberg said in a statement. Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me. Major League Baseball umpires are held to a high standard of personal conduct, and my own conduct fell short of that standard.That said, to be clear, I have never and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape, or form. I have never provided, and would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me. I apologize to Major League Baseball and the entire baseball community for my mistakes. I vow to learn from them and to be a better version of myself moving forward.Hoberg was notified of his termination on May 31. Under the umpires collective bargaining agreement, Hoberg had the right to appeal Hills decision, triggering the hiring by MLB of a neutral fact finder who made a report to Manfred. MLB said the sportsbook notified it that Hoberg opened an account in his name on Jan. 30 last year and an electronic device associated with the account had accessed an account in the name of another person, who had bet on baseball.Hobergs devices placed 417 direct bets with Sportsbook A between Dec. 30, 2020, and Jan. 15, 2024, on the friends accounts totaling $487,475.83, which lost $53,189.65 in the aggregate. The devices placed at least 112 bets with Sportsbook B totaling $222,130 that resulted in a loss of $21,686.96 in the aggregate. Most of the direct bets were on football, basketball, hockey and golf.Nineteen of the 141 baseball bets by the friend were made from Hobergs home and eight involved five games that Hoberg umpired or was a replay umpire. MLB detailed those games:On April 13, 2021, Hoberg had three close calls at third base that MLB said he ruled correctly on. There were money line bets of $2,000 and $1,000 on Cincinnati, which lost to San Francisco 7-6. On June 15, 2021, Hoberg was the lead replay umpire and there were no replay reviews in a Chicago Cubs 3-2 loss to the New York Mets. There was a $1,050 bet on a live runs line, a baseball equivalent of a points spread, and the bet won and paid $1,550.On Aug. 15, 2021, Hoberg was the plate umpire for the Los Angeles Dodgers 14-4 win over the Mets and had 98.89% accuracy, missing two pitches that MLB said were in low-leverage situations and benefited Los Angeles. Six calls were in a buffer zone and four went against the Dodgers and two against the Mets. A $3,200 money line bet for the Dodgers paid $5,200.On Oct. 8, 2021, Hoberg was the third base umpire for the Dodgers 4-0 loss to San Francisco in an NL Division Series opener and did not have any close calls. A $2,000 money line bet and $3,000 run line bet on the Giants both won and paid a combined $9,300. On Oct. 30, 2021, Hoberg was lead replay official for World Series Game 4. Houston challenged on a possible overslide by Atlantas Austin Riley at second base in the sixth inning of the Braves 3-2 win and Hoberg upheld the call by Alfonso Mrquez, a decision MLB said was supported by its replay operations center staff. Money line bets on Houston of $3,000 and $1,050 on the Astros both lost.Although the baseball bets were profitable, the data did not support a finding that baseball bets from Individual As accounts were connected to game-fixing or other efforts to manipulate any part of any baseball game or event, MLB said in its findings. The baseball betting activity did not focus on any particular club, pitcher or umpire, and there was no apparent correlation between bet success and bet size. The eight bets on games Hoberg worked similarly did not reveal any obvious pattern.After being contacted by MLB investigators, the friend deleted Telegram threads communicating the bets and tracking amounts owed and, after a phone conversation between Hoberg and the friend, the umpire deleted his Telegram account, according to MLB. MLB said Hoberg told it during the investigation and appeal that he had been unaware of his friends baseball bets.If our union believed that an umpire bet on baseball, we would never defend him, the Major League Umpires Association said in a statement. But as todays statement from the league makes clear, the neutral fact finder did not find that Pat placed bets on baseball. Yet we respect Pats unequivocal acceptance of responsibility for the mistakes that led to his termination.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Freed hostage Aviva Siegel, wife of hostage Keith Siegel, who was freed on Saturday from Hamas captivity in Gaza, arrives to speak to journalists at Ichilov Hospital, where he is recovering, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)2025-02-03T19:01:40Z The families of hostages freed from Gaza over the weekend, the latest release in the ceasefire deal, described difficult conditions including rarely seeing the sun during their captivity.The six-week first phase of the truce calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Israel and Hamas are beginning to negotiate a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.___Heres the latest: More than 545,000 Palestinians have crossed in northern Gaza, UN saysUNITED NATIONS More than 545,000 Palestinians are estimated to have crossed from southern Gaza to northern Gaza in the past week since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect, the United Nations says.U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday that the U.N. and its humanitarian partners also report that over 36,000 people have been observed moving from northern Gaza to the south during the same period.In North Gaza, U.N. partners said three temporary sites that have been established in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabalya, each capable of holding 5,000 people. As more humanitarian aid enters Gaza and the ceasefire continues to hold, Dujarric said U.N. partners report that prices have started to fall, though they remain about pre-conflict levels. One-third of households reportedly have better access to food, but consumption remains significantly below levels prior to the escalation of hostilities, he said. For most households, the primary obstacle is just lack of cash.Meanwhile, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher arrived Monday for a weeklong visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Dujarric said. He is expected to visit the West Bank and Gaza Strip and meet with senior officials to see first-hand and get a better understanding of the obstacles facing aid partners, and also look at how to best and improve our humanitarian operations. Hostage endured psychological torture, sister saysJERUSALEM The family of Yarden Bibas, a hostage who was released from captivity Saturday, said he was held in very difficult conditions and subject to ongoing psychological torture, according his sister said Monday from the hospital where he is recovering in Tel Aviv.He has lost significant weight and muscle mass because of the conditions, including rarely seeing the sun, Ofri Bibas-Levy said.Yarden Bibas was kidnapped separately from his wife, Shiri Bibas, and his two children, Ariel and Kfir, who were 4 years old and 9 months old when they were kidnapped. Kfir was the youngest of about 30 children taken hostage Oct. 7, and the infant with red hair and a toothless smile become a symbol across Israel. Since he was released, he has asked just one question: Where are Shiri and the children? said Dana Silberman-Sitton, the sister of Shiri Bibas. Bibas-Levy also pleaded for Israel and the US to continue the negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire. Weapons storage facilities hit in Lebanon, Israeli military saysJERUSALEM The Israeli military said it had located and destroyed several weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon on Monday, where troops are continuing to operate as a fragile ceasefire enters its third month.Israel said soldiers had found mortar shells, missiles, rockets, explosives, firearms and a large amount of military equipment belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, without providing evidence. The military said it also killed a number of Hezbollah militants located close to Israeli troops.The ceasefire deal for Lebanon gave both sides 60 days to remove their forces from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to move in and secure the area. Israel says Hezbollah and the Lebanese army havent met their obligations, while Lebanon accuses the Israeli army of hindering the Lebanese military from taking over.The 60-day deadline expired at the end of January. Israel said the agreement is progressing but, in some sectors, it has been delayed and will take slightly longer. American-Israeli hostage spent long periods in isolation, daughter saysJERUSALEM American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, who was released from captivity Saturday, spent long periods of time alone, rarely saw sunlight and was given very little food, causing him to lose a drastic amount of weight, his daughter said Monday night from the hospital in Tel Aviv where her father is recuperating.Shir Siegel added that her father insisted Monday on knowing what happened to Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack. We had to go over a cruel and long list of 64 people, dear to us and loved, and he could not understand that so many of his friends were murdered, Siegel said.Aviva Siegel, Keith Siegels wife, who was also kidnapped and released in the weeklong ceasefire in November 2023, thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for help negotiating the ceasefire and pleaded with him to ensure the next stage of the ceasefire will take place.The hardest part is ahead of us, and I trust you to see this deal through, because its the road to healing for all of us, she said, in a message to both the Israeli and American governments. Opposition leader says ceasefire wont bring down Netanyahu governmentJERUSALEM Israels opposition leader says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government will not fall over the continuation of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that brings about the return of more hostages.Yair Lapid spoke Monday, the day before Netanyahu was to meet with Trump at the White House to discuss the truce. His remarks aimed at preventing Netanyahu from citing domestic political pressure as a reason for resuming the war. Netanyahus far-right coalition partners have vowed to quit the government if he does not resume the war after the first phase ends in early March. Their departure would significantly raise the chances of early elections in which Netanyahu could be voted out.Lapid, speaking from an Israeli community near the border that was devastated in Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, said Netanyahu has a political safety net from the opposition for the deal, for every stage.The deal has the overwhelming support of the people of Israel, and the deal has the overwhelming support of the Knesset of Israel, he added, referring to Israels parliament. Russian diplomat meets with Hamas envoyMOSCOW A senior Russian diplomat met a visiting Hamas envoy Monday to discuss the ceasefire deal in Gaza.The Russian Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, President Vladimir Putins envoy for the Middle East and Africa, held talks with Hamas Musa Abu-Marzouq.The ministry said they discussed the progress of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza with an emphasis on the importance of increasing the volume of humanitarian aid to the affected Palestinian population.The ministrys statement noted that the Russian side once again particularly emphasized the need to fulfill the promises made by the Hamas leadership regarding the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.Syrias interim president to meet with Turkish officialsANKARA, Turkey Syrias interim president is set to visit Ankara on Tuesday, making his second international trip after his visit to Saudi Arabia, a top Turkish presidential aide has announced.Ahmad al-Sharaa, the newly installed former rebel leader who headed the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group, is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials.Talks would focus on steps that can be taken toward Syrias economic recovery as well as the countrys security and stability, Fahrettin Altun, the aide, announced on the X social media platform Monday.Discussions would also center on how various countries and international organizations can offer assistance to Syrias transitional administration and its people, he added.Turkey was a strong backer of groups opposed to ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad during the countrys civil war and is considered to be one of the new administrations key allies.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)2025-02-03T14:00:45Z SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Monday that El Salvadors president has offered to accept deportees from the U.S. of any nationality, including violent American criminals now imprisoned in the United States.President Nayib Bukele has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world, Rubio said after meeting with Bukele at his lakeside country house outside San Salvador for several hours.We can send them and he will put them in his jails, Rubio said of migrants of all nationalities detained in the United States. And, hes also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States even though theyre U.S. citizens or legal residents.Rubio was visiting El Salvador to press a friendly government to do more to meet President Donald Trumps demands for a major crackdown on immigration. Bukele confirmed the offer in a post on X, saying El Salvador has offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system. He said his country would accept only convicted criminals and would charge a fee that would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable. Elon Musk, the billionaire working with Trump to remake the federal government, responded on his X platform, Great idea!! After Rubio spoke, a U.S. official said the Trump administration had no current plans to try to deport American citizens, but said Bukeles offer was significant. The U.S. government cannot deport American citizens and such a move would be met with significant legal challenges.The State Department describes El Salvadors overcrowded prisons as harsh and dangerous. On its current country information webpage it says, In many facilities, provisions for sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting are inadequate or nonexistent. Rubio arrived in San Salvador shortly after watching a U.S.-funded deportation flight with 43 migrants leave from Panama for Colombia. That came a day after Rubio delivered a warning to Panama that unless the government moved immediately to eliminate Chinas presence at the Panama Canal, the U.S. would act to do so.Migration, though, was the main issue of the day, as it will be for the next stops on Rubios five-nation Central American tour of Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic after Panama and El Salvador. His tour is taking place at a time of turmoil in Washington over the status of the governments main foreign development agency. Trumps administration prioritizes stopping people from making the journey to the United States and has worked with regional countries to boost immigration enforcement on their borders as well as to accept deportees from the United States.The agreement Rubio described for El Salvador to accept foreign nationals arrested in the United States for violating U.S. immigration laws is known as a safe third country agreement. Officials have suggested this might be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted of crimes in the United States should Venezuela refuse to accept them, but Rubio said Bukeles offer was for detainees of any nationality. Rubio said Bukele then went further and said his country was willing to accept and to jail U.S. citizens or legal residents convicted of and imprisoned for violent crimes. Human rights activists have warned that El Salvador lacks a consistent policy for the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees and that such an agreement might not be limited to violent criminals.Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front, criticized the safe third country plan, saying it would signal that the region is Washingtons backyard to dump the garbage.After meeting with Bukele, Rubio signed a memorandum of understanding with his Salvadoran counterpart to advance U.S.-El Salvador civil nuclear cooperation. The document could lead to a more formal deal on cooperation in nuclear power and medicine that the U.S. has with numerous countries. The deportation flight Rubio watched being loaded in Panama City was carrying migrants detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department says such deportations send a message of deterrence. The U.S. has provided Panama with financial assistance to the tune of almost $2.7 million in flights and tickets since an agreement was signed to fund them.Rubio was on the tarmac for the departure of the flight, which was taking 32 men and 11 women back to Colombia. Its unusual for a secretary of state to personally witness such a law enforcement operation, especially in front of cameras. Mass migration is one of the great tragedies in the modern era, Rubio said, speaking afterward in a nearby building. It impacts countries throughout the world. We recognize that many of the people who seek mass migration are often victims and victimized along the way, and its not good for anyone.Mondays deportation flight came as Trump has been threatening action against nations that will not accept flights of their nationals from the United States, and he briefly hit Colombia with penalties last week for initially refusing to accept two flights. Panama has been more cooperative and has allowed flights of third-country deportees to land and sent migrants back before they reach the United States.His trip comes amid a sweeping freeze in U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders that have shut down U.S.-funded programs targeting illegal migration and crime in Central American countries. The State Department said Sunday that Rubio had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting, but details of those were not immediately available.While Rubio was out of the country, staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development were instructed Monday to stay out of the agencys Washington headquarters after Musk announced Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency. Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs shut down. Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting administrator of USAID but had delegated that authority so he would not be running its day-to-day operations.The change means that USAID is no longer an independent government agency as it had been for decades although its new status will likely be challenged in court and will be run out of the State Department by department officials. In his remarks, Rubio stressed that some and perhaps many USAID programs would continue in the new configuration but that the switch was necessary because the agency had become unaccountable to the executive branch and Congress.On his weekend discussion with Panamas president on the Panama Canal, Rubio said he was hopeful that the Panamanians would heed his and Trumps warnings on China. Panamanians have bristled at Trumps insistence on retaking control of the American-built canal, which the U.S. turned over in 1999, although they have agreed to pull out of a Chinese infrastructure and development initiative.I understand that its a delicate issue in Panama, Rubio told reporters in San Salvador. We dont want to have a hostile and negative relationship with Panama, he said. I dont believe we do. And we had a frank and respectful conversation, and I hope itll yield fruits and result in the days to come.But back in Washington, Trump was less diplomatic, saying: Chinas involved with the Panama Canal. They wont be for long and thats the way it has to be.We either want it back, or were going to get something very strong, or were going to take it back, Trump told reporters at the White House. And China will be dealt with.___Zamorano reported from Panama City.___Follow the APs coverage of Marco Rubio at https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio.

Bitcoin logos are displayed at the Inside Bitcoins conference and trade show on April 7, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)2025-02-03T17:06:24Z Cryptocurrency prices took a hit from the prospect of a trade war between the U.S. and its major trading partners, with some well-known digital assets and President Donald Trumps own meme coin taking big hits. The price of bitcoin started falling from about $105,000 shortly after Trump announced plans Saturday to start putting large tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.The worlds most popular cryptocurrency fell to about $92,000 Sunday night before rebounding back over $100,000 Monday afternoon following Trumps announcement of a pause on the tariffs on Mexican goods. He later announced a similar pause on tariffs against Canadian goods. Follow live updates on President Donald Trumps return to Washington Bitcoin proved more resilient than other cryptocurrencies. Ethereum, dogecoin, and other popular cryptocurrencies have seen significant price drops since Trumps weekend tariff announcement. Trumps meme coin was trading at about $19 Monday, which is about 75% below the all-time high it reached right after Trump launched the coin on the eve of his second inauguration. Those are riskier cryptos than bitcoin, said Garrick Hileman, an independent cryptocurrency analyst. But its a little surprising how big the gap is. The sell-off and partial rebound were part of a worldwide swing in financial markets on the eve of Trumps tariffs going into effect. Trump warned Americans they may feel some pain from the tariffs, which he said would be worth the price to make America great again. He also said Sunday night that import taxes will definitely happen with the European Union and possibly with the United Kingdom as well. U.S. stock markets pared early losses Monday after Mexicos president said she had negotiated a one-month reprieve for Trumps tariffs on goods from her country. Bitcoin was created in 2009 as a kind of electronic cash uncontrolled by banks or governments. It and newer forms of cryptocurrencies have moved from the financial fringes to the mainstream in recent years, with bitcoins price movements largely tracking that of tech stocks. The flip side of like this asset gaining respectability and finding a role in institutional portfolios is now all of a sudden youre exposed to the liquidity constraints that larger investors face, said Nic Carter, a partner at the crypto investment firm Castle Island Ventures. We wanted bitcoin to become this global macro asset class. Now it is.Meme coins are a highly volatile corner of the crypto industry that often start as a joke with no real value but can surge in price if enough people are willing to buy them. Several of them have seen large price drops in the last few days. First Lady Melania Trumps new meme coin, which she also launched just before Trump took office, is down nearly 90% from its all-time high. Trump is a former crypto skeptic who has since warmly embraced digital assets, both as a source of personal wealth and as a matter of government policy. Hes promised to make the U.S. the world capital of crypto and appointed several crypto-friendly officials to key government positions. Cryptocurrencies have enjoyed a surge in value since Trumps election and bitcoin is still trading near its all-time high of $109,000. ALAN SUDERMAN Suderman is an Associated Press investigative reporter interested in national security, cybersecurity and other related topics. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China's President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are on sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)2025-02-04T05:31:25Z BEIJING (AP) China countered President Donald Trumps tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs of its own on multiple U.S. imports Tuesday as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures.China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. The tariffs would take effect next Monday.The USs unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organization, the statement from a Ministry of Finance office said. It is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the US.In addition, Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation said Tuesday it is investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws. The announcement didnt mention the tariffs but came just minutes after Trumps 10% tariffs on China were to take effect. U.S. tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico also were to go into effect Tuesday, though Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his threats against Mexico and Canada as they acted to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. Trump planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next few days. In addition to the tariffs, China announced export controls on several elements critical to the production of modern high-tech products. They include tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, many of which are designated as critical minerals by the U.S. Geological Survey, meaning they are essential to U.S. economic or national security that have supply chains vulnerable to disruption. The export controls are in addition to ones China placed in December on key elements such as gallium used in manufacturing. The Commerce Ministry also placed two American companies on an unreliable entities list: PVH Group, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Illumina, which is a biotechnology company with offices in China. The listing bars them from engaging in China-related import or export activities and from making new investments in the country.___Wu reported from Bangkok. HUIZHONG WU Wu covers Chinese culture, society, and politics for The Associated Press, as well as the countrys growing overseas influence from Bangkok. She was previously based in Taiwan and China. twitter

FILE- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and President Donald Trump stand as they prepare to depart after the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Sept. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-04T05:02:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister faces competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary truce against Hamas militants in Gaza and from war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the 15-month conflict to end.Trump is guarded about the long-term prospects for the truce, even as he takes credit for pressuring Hamas and Israel into the hostage and ceasefire agreement that went into effect the day before he returned to office last month.I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold, Trump told reporters on Monday.The leaders talks are expected to touch on a long-sought Israel-Saudi Arabia normalization deal and concerns about Irans nuclear program, but hammering out the second phase of the hostage deal will be at the top of the agenda. Netanyahus arrival in Washington for the first foreign leader visit of Trumps second term comes as the prime ministers popular support is lagging. Netanyahu is in the middle of weekslong testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centers on allegations he exchanged favors with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has decried the accusations and said he is the victim of a witch hunt. Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract the public from the trial and boost Netanyahus standing. Its Netanyahus first travel outside Israel since the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for him, his former defense minister and Hamas slain military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza. The U.S. does not recognize the ICCs authority over its citizens or territory.Netanyahu and Trumps Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday began the daunting work of brokering the next phase of a ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu said in statement that the meeting with Witkoff and U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz was positive and friendly. The Israeli leader said he would send a delegation to Qatar to continue indirect talks with Hamas that are being mediated by the Gulf Arab country, the first confirmation that those negotiations would continue. Netanyahu also said he would convene his security Cabinet to discuss Israels demands for the next phase of the ceasefire when he returns to Israel at the end of the week.Netanyahu is under intense pressure from hard-right members of his governing coalition to abandon the ceasefire and resume fighting in Gaza to eliminate Hamas. Bezalel Smotrich, one of Netanyahus key partners, vows to topple the government if the war isnt relaunched, a step that could lead to early elections.Hamas, which has reasserted control over Gaza since the ceasefire began last month, has said it will not release hostages in the second phase without an end to the war and Israeli forces full withdrawal. Netanyahu, meanwhile, maintains that Israel is committed to victory over Hamas and the return of all hostages captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Mira Resnick, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli and Palestinian affairs, said Trump may have little patience for political woes of Netanyahu if it gets in the way of the broader goals of this administration.The president started his term by saying that he wanted the ceasefire to be in place by Jan. 20. Thats what he got, Resnick said. He is invested in this because he was able to take credit for it.Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among the hostages, called on Trump to use American leverage to keep Netanyahu committed to the agreement. Matan, 24, is among those who are expected to be included in the second phase of the deal, when all remaining living hostages including men under the age of 50 and male soldiers are to be exchanged for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian prisoners. The second phase is also expected to include the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.I want President Trump to know there are certain extreme elements from within Israel who are trying to torpedo his vision, said Zangauker, who traveled to Washington from Israel to join a planned Tuesday rally outside the White House. We are representative of the vast, vast majority of Israel. The ultra-extremists are blackmailing the prime minister to do their bidding. Since returning to office, Trump has called for relocating Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, even as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II have rejected it. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Yet Trump insists he can persuade Egypt and Jordan to come around to accept displaced Palestinians because of the significant aid that the U.S. provides Cairo and Amman. Hard-line right-wing members of Netanyahus government have embraced the call to move displaced Palestinians out of Gaza. Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, said the push by Trump to move Palestinians out of Gaza is helpful to Netanyahu. But he added that it undercuts Trump and Netanyahus desire to land a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.The Saudis, the biggest Arab power in the Middle East, have said they would only agree to such a deal if the war ends and there is a credible pathway to a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.This push by Trump doesnt square with the idea of a Palestinian state as we know it, Telhami said. Its hard to see the Saudis going along with it.Netanyahu on Monday met with Trumps pick to serve as ambassador to Israel, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and evangelical leaders. Huckabee has long rejected a Palestinian state in territory previously seized by Israel.The prime minister is also expected to press Trump to take decisive action on Iran. Tehran has faced a series of military setbacks, including Israeli forces significantly degrading Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon as well as an operation that decimated Irans air defenses. The moment, Netanyahu believes, has created a window to decisively address Tehrans nuclear program. This is one of the most important and critical meetings between an American president and an Israeli prime minister, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Whats at stake here is not just bilateral relations between Israel and the United States but the reshaping of the Middle East.___Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, foreground right, shakes hands with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before he left the the 57th Independence Celebration in Mulinu'u, Samoa, on June 1, 2019. At foreground left is Kennedy's wife, actress Cheryl Hines. Kennedy said the trip was arranged by Edwin Tamasese, a local anti-vaccine influencer. (Misiona Simo/Samoa Observer via AP, File)2025-02-03T19:22:33Z WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Samoas top health official on Monday denounced as a complete lie remarks that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made during his bid to become U.S. health secretary, rejecting his claim that some who died in the countrys 2019 measles epidemic didnt have the disease.We dont know what was killing them, Kennedy said during tense U.S. Senate hearings last week on whether he should oversee the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, suggesting that the cause of the 83 deaths mostly of children under age 5 was unclear.Its a total fabrication, Samoa Director-General of Health Dr. Alec Ekeroma told The Associated Press of Kennedys comments. U.S. senators grilled Kennedy last week over his 2019 Samoa trip, accusing him of downplaying his role in the epidemic. What happened in Samoa?The outbreak devastated the Pacific island nation in 2019, killing 83 people in a population of 200,000. Vaccination rates were historically low because of poor public health management and the 2018 deaths of two babies whose vaccines were incorrectly prepared, prompting fears that the MMR immunization was unsafe before the nature of the error was discovered.The government suspended vaccinations for 10 months before the outbreak the period when Kennedy visited. His trip was organized by a Samoan anti-vaccine influencer, according to a 2021 blog post by Kennedy.On Wednesday, Kennedy denied that his visit had fueled anti-vaccine sentiment. A spokesperson didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.Anti-vaxxers from New Zealand came to be with him here, Ekeroma said. Thats how I know that his influence can be far-reaching. What did Kennedy say about the deaths?When the tissue samples were sent to New Zealand, most of those people did not have measles, Kennedy told U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. Ekeroma, a medical doctor who also holds a doctorate in health, said that the claim was a huge denial of the fact that doctors from several countries traveled to Samoa to treat measles patients.The Samoan official wasnt the health chief during the outbreak, but confirmed key details with his predecessor, he said. Only one autopsy was carried out and no postmortem tissue samples were sent abroad, which was not unusual because measles is a simple disease to diagnose, said Ekeroma.Blood samples from living patients were sent to Australia and New Zealand, where the public health agency said Monday that testing had confirmed the same strain of measles circulating in New Zealand at the time.Why did Kennedy travel to Samoa?I went there nothing to do with vaccines, Kennedy said Wednesday. I went there to introduce a medical informatics system that would digitalize records in Samoa and make health delivery much more efficient.Ekeroma rejected that assertion, referring to social media posts by anti-vaccine advocates who posed for photos with Kennedy during his trip. One later wrote on the blog of Kennedys then nonprofit, Childrens Health Defense which has decried MMR vaccines as unsafe that during the outbreak he received advice from people assembled by Kennedy encouraging the alternative treatments he was supplying to Samoan families. In the same blog post, Kennedy recalled meeting Samoas then prime minister, who he said was curious to measure health outcomes following the natural experiment created by the national respite from vaccines.In late 2019, Kennedy wrote to the leader, saying that the deaths could have been caused by a measles vaccine statements he repeated in written responses to senators questions following the hearing. He urged the Samoan leader to approach a particular laboratory to investigate the source of the outbreak.Did Kennedys visit have any sway?My words had nothing to do with vaccine uptake in Samoa or with the 2019 epidemic, Kennedy said in his written responses. But Kennedy emboldened anti-vaccine contacts in Samoa, Ekeroma said, and the epidemic was fueled by disinformation in social media posts in the island nation and abroad. Moelagi Leilani Jackson, a Samoan nurse who worked on the vaccination campaign, told the AP in 2023 that anti-vaccine campaigners got louder after Kennedys visit. I feel like they felt they had the support of Kennedy, she said. However, Ekeroma said that Kennedys overtures werent heeded by the nations leaders. A vaccination campaign resumed in 2019 and measles vaccines are now compulsory for Samoan children.Would Kennedys appointment impact the Pacific?If Kennedy is affirmed as the top U.S. health official this week, it would be a danger to us, a danger to everyone, Ekeroma said. Kennedy would control U.S. funding for vaccination initiatives and could make affordable vaccines harder for small nations like Samoa to access, the official said. If hes going to be appointed, then we will have to actually discuss around the Pacific as to how were going to try to neutralize his influence in the region, he added.___Amanda Seitz contributed to this report from Washington. CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY Graham-McLay is an Associated Press reporter covering regional and national stories about New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands by putting them in a global context. She is based in Wellington. twitter mailto

In this image provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire following a Russian missile attack on the country's energy system in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Dec. 25, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP, File)2025-02-04T05:04:57Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Moscows renewed attacks on Ukraines electricity infrastructure this winter have heightened scrutiny over the Ukrainian Energy Ministrys failure to protect the countrys most critical energy facilities near nuclear power sites. Despite more than a year of warnings that the sites were vulnerable to potential Russian attacks, the Energy Ministry failed to act swiftly, current and former Ukrainian officials in Kyiv told The Associated Press.Two years of punishing Russian strikes on its power grid have left Ukraine reliant on nuclear power for more than half of its electricity generation. Especially vulnerable are the unprotected nuclear switchyards located outside the perimeters of its three functioning nuclear plants, which are crucial to transmitting power from the reactors to the rest of the country. The switchyards that handle electrical routing from nuclear power plants are a vital component of Ukraines nuclear energy infrastructure powering homes, schools, hospitals, and other critical civilian infrastructure. Given Ukraines heavy reliance on nuclear energy, military attacks on these switchyards would be devastating, severely impacting civilian life and undermining the resilience of the energy grid, said Marcy R. Fowler, head of the office for research and analysis at Open Nuclear Network, a program of the U.S.-based NGO PAX sapiens that focuses on reducing nuclear risk. Only in the fall, after Ukrainian intelligence agencies warned of potential Russian strikes targeting the nuclear switchyards, was action taken to begin building protection far too late in the event of an attack, analysts said. If two (nuclear switchyards) are hit, we are out of supply for a minimum of 30 to 36 hours, and there will be a huge limitation on energy supply for at least three weeks, best-case scenario, said Oleksandr Kharchenko, a Ukrainian energy industry expert. He said it would take three to five weeks to transport and install new equipment, a miserable scenario for Ukraines people during the bitterly cold winter months. Even more worrying, these nuclear switchyards also have a second critical function: delivering electricity to nuclear plants from the offsite grid that is essential to cooling their reactors and spent fuel. A disruption could potentially spell disaster, the U.N. nuclear agency has repeatedly warned since the Russian attacks began in August.And while Ukraines nuclear plants have backup emergency power systems, these are designed to provide temporary support, Fowler said. Without functioning switchyards, the backup systems alone would not be sufficient to sustain operations or prevent safety risks during an extended outage.Lawmakers cited failure to protect these sites in a resolution calling for the removal of Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko last month. The list of grievances, which also censured Haluschenko for alleged systematic corruption and inadequate oversight of the energy sector, must still be voted on by parliament. Delays in fortifying nuclear switchyardsRussian attacks in November and December came dangerously close to the countrys nuclear power plants, causing five out of its nine operating reactors to reduce power generation. The attacks did not strike the nuclear switchyards about a kilometer (half-mile) away from reactor sites but came alarmingly close. The task of building protections for energy transmission substations, both nuclear and non-nuclear, fell to state and private companies, with the Energy Ministry supervising. Three layers of fortifications were ordered: sandbags followed by cement barricades capable of withstanding drone attacks and the most costly and least complete iron-and-steel-fortified structures. Following a government decree in July 2023, many state energy companies began immediately contracting to build first- and second-layer fortifications for their most critical power facilities. In the spring of 2024, the government repeated the urgent call to get the work done.But nuclear switchyards, under the responsibility of Ukraines state nuclear company Energoatom, did not issue contracts to build second-layer concrete fortifications until this fall. By then, state energy company Ukrenergo, which manages the high-voltage substations that transmit power from the nuclear reactors to the grid, had already completed 90% of its 43 sites. The bidding process for two nuclear plants in Khmelnytskyi and Mykolaiv only started in early October, according to documents seen by the AP. The tender for the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant was even later, at the end of November. Construction is not expected to be completed until 2026, the contract documents said. A chorus of warnings is ignoredConcerns over the delays were raised repeatedly in closed-door meetings and letters sent to energy officials over the last year, three current and former government officials told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the foot-dragging by the Energy Ministry. We wrote officially to the Energy Ministry several times stating this problem over the last 12 to 14 months, said Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the former head of Ukrenergo, who was fired in September and blamed for the failures to protect the energy infrastructure a move widely criticized as politically motivated.Energy Minister Haluschenko gave reassurances the situation was under control and prioritized other projects, including lobbying for parliamentary approval for the construction of costly nuclear reactors that take up to a decade to build.Ukraines Western partners were also repeatedly told all critical infrastructure was protected, according to two Western diplomats with knowledge of Western financial assistance to the countrys energy sector, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.Haluschenko, the Energy Ministry and Energoatom did not respond to requests for comment from the AP about the delays, citing the sensitivity of the issue. Haluschenko also did not comment about the parliamentary resolution calling for his ouster.Over the summer and again in December, Ukraine raised the alarm internationally about potential Russian attacks targeting nuclear infrastructure and compromising nuclear safety. In mid-December it convened an extraordinary session of the International Atomic Energy Agency after attacks a month earlier damaged electrical substations deemed crucial to Ukraines nuclear safety, heightening the possibility of a nuclear emergency. The U.N. nuclear agency sent teams in December to electrical substations at Ukraines Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine nuclear power plants to document damage and gathered evidence highlighting the electricity grids vulnerabilities as a result of attacks, the agencys Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement in January. These attacks impact grid stability and jeopardize the reliability of the off-site power supply, creating risks to nuclear safety, Grossi said, warning of similar concerns at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia plant, Europes largest.The presence of the IAEA inspection teams led some in the Ukrainian government to believe the countrys nuclear sites were off-limits for Russian attacks, said a senior Ukrainian official who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the delays.But that has proven to be a major miscalculation.Why didnt they react? Kudrytskyi, the former Ukrenergo director, said of the Energy Ministrys failure to quickly respond to the series of warnings. I dont have an answer to that.___AP writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report. SAMYA KULLAB Kullab is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine since June 2023. Before that, she covered Iraq and the wider Middle East from her base in Baghdad since joining the AP in 2019. twitter instagram mailto HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto

Police officers stand guard during an anti-gang operation in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)2025-02-03T20:33:48Z PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Heavily armed gangs in Haiti have attacked a neighborhood thats home to most of the countrys elite and had been largely untouched by criminals, and police have demanded help repelling the assault that has killed at least 40 people.Its been eight days since Kenscoff has been under attack, Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press on Monday. He blamed the attack on the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, with gunmen going home to home and indiscriminately opening fire.As we speak, they have surrounded the area, Massillon said as he called for reinforcements.The dead include pastors, teachers and children, although the number is expected to be higher because authorities havent been able to reach certain parts of the neighborhood, which is home to many politicians and business leaders.Many victims are working-class people who tend crops on the outskirts of the neighborhood in the foothills of a mountain range. Gangs already control 85% of Port-au-Prince, and the United Nations secretary-general warned last month they could overrun the capital.The assault on Kenscoff occurred days after the government and police warned about imminent attacks in the capital, but the warnings did not say where they might occur. Jean Bertho Valmo, a 45-year-old farmer who fled Kenscoff, told the AP that 12 members of one family were among the dead. He said he woke to another round of gunfire before dawn Monday. He and his family sought shelter in the yard of the mayors office along with dozens of others.There is not enough water and food for everyone, he said, and lamented the loss of his crops including cabbage, carrots and broccoli.I invested everything I had in them, Valmo said. The police, the government need to put a stop to this.The attack on Kenscoff that began Jan. 27 has left more than 1,660 people homeless, according to the International Organization for Migration on Monday. Overall, gang violence has left more than 1 million people homeless across Haiti in recent years.On Friday, one police union said the attack on Kenscoff could have been avoided if police had good equipment including a helicopter and an all-terrain vehicle, as well as funds to gather intelligence.Despite these bad conditions, our policemen are making tireless sacrifices, but we cannot tolerate the negligence of the authorities on what must be done to protect their lives and the safety of the population, the union, SPNH-17, said in a statement.___Associated Press writer Dnica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed.

Neil Gaiman arrives at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala on Jan. 6, 2024, at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)2025-02-03T23:34:47Z MADISON, Wis. (AP) A woman from New Zealand has filed three civil lawsuits against best-selling British author Neil Gaiman and his wife, accusing Gaiman of repeatedly sexually assaulting her while she was working as the couples babysitter and nanny.Scarlett Pavlovich filed the lawsuits in federal court in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York on Monday. The Associated Press doesnt identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they publicly identify themselves. Pavlovich identified herself in an interview with New York Magazine, which published an article in January detailing allegations of assault, abuse and coercion leveled by eight women.Pavlovich alleges in the lawsuits that she was homeless and living on a beach when she met Palmer in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2020. Pavlovich was 22 years old at the time. According to the lawsuits, Gaimans wife, Amanda Palmer, invited Pavlovich to the couples home on Waiheke Island. Pavlovich began running errands for the couple, babysitting their son and helping with chores, eventually becoming the couples nanny.Gaiman first sexually assaulted her the night they met in February 2022, according to the lawsuits. The assaults continued but she kept working for the couple because she was broke and homeless and Gaiman had told her he would help her writing career, according to the lawsuits. When she told Palmer about the assaults, Palmer told her that more than a dozen women had told her in the past that Gaiman had sexually abused them, according to the lawsuits. The assaults didnt stop until Pavlovich told Palmer she was going to kill herself, the lawsuits said. She left the family and became homeless again, although the documents say Gaiman eventually paid her for her work caring for the couples child and helped cover her rent for a few months. Palmer knew of Gaimans sexual desires and presented Pavalovich to him knowing he would assault her, according the lawsuits. Pavlovich alleges Gaiman and Palmer violated federal human trafficking prohibitions and seeks at least $7 million in damages. After the New York Magazine article was published, Gaiman released a statement in January denying he had ever engaged in non-consensual sex. The allegations of four of the women were previously broadcast in July in a Tortoise Media podcast.Im far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever, Gaiman posted on the social media platform Tumblr.Representatives for Gaiman and Palmer did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday and online court records did not list attorneys representing them in the suits. Pavlovichs attorneys stated in the filings that Gaiman, author of such bestsellers as Coraline and The Sandman series, is a resident of Menomonie, Wisconsin. But theyre unsure if Palmer resides in Massachusetts or New York.Pavlovich told New York Magazine that she filed a police report in January 2023 accusing Gaiman of sexual assault. Police have not confirmed whether Gaiman was ever under investigation. Gaiman has worked with numerous publishers over the years. Two of them, HarperCollins and W.W. Norton, have said they have no plans to release his books in the future. Others, including Bloomsbury, have so far declined comment. Dark Horse Comics announced in January that it would no longer release its illustrated series based on Gaimans novel, Anansi Boys. The seventh of eight editions was released earlier that month. Disney has paused a planned adaptation of Gaimans The Graveyard Book, while Netflix is still scheduled to release a second season based on The Sandman. TODD RICHMOND Richmond is an Associated Press reporter covering Wisconsin politics and courts as well as environmental issues and breaking news across the Great Lakes region. He is based in Madison. twitter mailto

Protesters hold banners calling for the release of jailed journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli as they march through the streets in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)2025-02-04T05:11:24Z TBILISI, Georgia (AP) Jailed journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli gets weaker every day as her hunger strike has reached three weeks in Rustavi, a town near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, her lawyer says. Now the 49-year-old is having difficulty walking the short distance from her cell to the room where they usually meet, and human rights officials, colleagues and family fear for her life.Amaghlobeli was arrested Jan. 12 during an anti-government protest in the coastal city of Batumi, one of over 40 people in custody on criminal charges from a series of demonstrations that have hit the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million in recent months. The political turmoil follows a parliamentary election that was won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, although its opponents allege the vote was rigged. Its outcome pushed Georgia further into Russias orbit of influence. Georgia aspired to join the European Union, but the party suspended accession talks with the bloc after the election.As it sought to cement its grip on power, Georgian Dream has cracked down on freedom of assembly and expression in what the opposition says is similar to President Vladimir Putins actions in neighboring Russia, its former imperial ruler. Accusations of fomenting revolutionPrime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the actions of his government, accusing the protesters of seeking to inflict harm on the state and trying to stage a revolution akin to the uprising in Ukraine in 2014 that ousted a pro-Kremlin leader. Georgian Dream last year adopted a series of laws similar to ones in Russia imposing restrictions on rights groups and media outlets and severely curtailing LGBTQ+ rights. Those laws, condemned by the EU, also drew protests. Amaghlobeli, founder of two prominent independent media outlets in Georgia, faces charges of assaulting a police officer, with a possible prison sentence of up to seven years. Many of those detained by police have reported being abused physically and verbally by police or while in detention. International human rights groups are sounding the alarm.All of that paints a picture of an aggressive campaign to halt these demonstrations of which the large majority are reported to have been peaceful, Alice Jill Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, told The Associated Press.Allegations of abuse in custodyA video released by the media showed Amaghlobeli slapping Batumis police chief in the protest. Witnesses and her lawyers say police physically and verbally abused her beforehand, and the slap was her reaction to it.The abuse continued while in custody, when the police chief spat in Mzias face and denied her access to drinking water or using the toilet, her lawyer, Juba Sikharulidze, told AP.Authorities were investigating the accusations, the lawyer said. The Interior Ministry has not responded to an AP request for comment. Kobakhidze has said authorities would investigate any excessive use of force, but in Amaghlobelis case, her actions came in front of cameras. This crime is absolutely clear, the prime minister said.Amaghlobeli, who founded the independent media sites Batumelebi and Netgazeti, began a hunger strike in protest, and now Georgian and Western rights advocates say her life is in danger. Michael OFlaherty, the Council of Europes commissioner for human rights, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Amaghlobelis situation requires urgent action.This is not just a matter of freedom and imprisonment this is a matter of life and death. And I very much hope that the authorities will act with the necessary speed in this extremely difficult situation, OFlaherty was quoted by the outlet as saying.Amaghlobelis arrest has had a chilling effect on other journalists, said Nestan Tsetskhladze, editor of Netgazeti.If this is how they are treating the founder of the most prominent independent media, a director and media manager who is free from any political influences and influential groups, others can be treated the same way or even worse, Tsetskhladze told AP. Prominent actor sees a Kafkaesque scene Another prominent Georgian jailed for taking part in protests is Andro Chichinadze, a theater and film actor. Chichinazde, 28, actively participated in the protests that reignited in November.Police raided his home and arrested him Dec. 5, and he faces charges of participating in group violence, punishable by up to nine years in prison.His lawyers say prosecutors have videos of Chichinadze swinging a stick and throwing a bottle, which they allege was hurled at him by police. They also say there is no evidence he hit anyone and no one has come forward as a victim of his alleged violence.Chichinadze denied the accusations. At a pre-trial detention hearing, he compared himself to a Kafka character who is on trial and could not figure out what is happening to him.His mother, Lika Guntsadze, called the case against her son absurd, just absurd in an interview with AP. Plans for harsher penaltiesMore arrests so far on petty administrative charges punishable by fines or short stints in jail took place over the weekend, during continued demonstrations in Tbilisi. On Monday, police said a total of 31 people had been detained. According to media reports, some were released shortly afterward. Many reported physical abuse by police both during their arrest and after being taken into police vans, according to the office of Georgias Public Defender, a human rights ombudsman elected by parliament. Georgian Dream announced plans Monday to adopt harsher punishment for both criminal and administrative offenses that protesters can be accused of, including increased jail time, higher fines and prison terms. Eka Gigauri, executive director of Transparency International Georgia, told AP she believed the government was using the Russian and Belarusian playbook in targeting government opponents. There is nothing new in how they attack the civic activists, she said. This was happening in Russia years ago.The mother of Andro Chichinadze, the actor who was arrested, echoed this sentiment, in describing the crackdown that followed Georgias aspirations to join the EU.We chose Europe and were taken to Russia, Lika Guntsadze said.- Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. DASHA LITVINOVA Litvinova is an Associated Press correspondent covering Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. She is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. She has covered Russia and the region for over a decade. twitter mailto

Israeli soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint where the military said an attacker fired at an army base near the village of Tayasir in the northern West Bank, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. At least six soldiers were injured, and the attacker was killed by Israeli fire. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)2025-02-04T08:49:56Z At least six people were injured in a shooting attack at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Tuesday morning, according to the Israeli military and area hospitals. The Israeli military said an attacker fired at soldiers at a checkpoint in the village of Tayasir, which is in the northern West Bank. In a tense exchange, soldiers returned fire and the attacker was killed, the military added.Israeli hospitals said they had received a total of six people injured in the shooting attack. Israeli media reported the injured are soldiers and at least two of them were critically injured.Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but neither claimed responsibility for it.Israel has carried out an extensive operation in nearby Jenin over the past weeks to clamp down on what Israel said is militant activity in the city, as soldiers and armored bulldozers have caused widespread damage and destroyed scores of homes. Palestinian health officials have not released a total death toll, but say Israeli fire has killed at least 20 Palestinians since the start of the raid.The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. ___Heres the latest: Family members of Thai hostages released by Hamas visit them in Israeli hospitalJERUSALEM Family members of Thai hostages released by Hamas last week after over 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip have visited them at the Israeli hospital where they are recuperating.The Thai Embassy in Israel said the family members flew in on Tuesday and met with the freed hostages at the Shamir Medical Center.Hamas released five Thai hostages last week along with three Israeli captives who were freed as part of a ceasefire agreement in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners.Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals along with scores of Israelis and a few other foreigners during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war. Tens of thousands of Thai farmers work in Israel, where they can make higher wages than they can at home.Many lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli farming communities and towns that were overrun by Hamas-led militants.During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran.According to Thailands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including two Thai citizens who were killed on Oct. 7, 2023 and their bodies taken into Gaza. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters next to Air Force One after arriving back at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-04T05:08:00Z MIAMI (AP) When President Donald Trump froze foreign assistance for 90 days, he argued that such a drastic step was needed to eliminate waste and block what he derides as woke spending that doesnt align with American interests.Experts say the suspension has another, far more serious consequence: emboldening authoritarian strongmen. Wrapped into the billions the U.S. spends annually on foreign aid more than any other nation are hundreds of grants for grassroots groups dedicated to fighting for democracy in authoritarian countries around the world. Among the groups that wont be receiving critical funding is an organization that trained poll workers to detect fraud in Venezuelas recent presidential vote, pro-democracy activists in Cuba and China and a group of Belarusian exiles behind a campaign to block the countrys strongman from winning a sham election. Cutting funding to these essential efforts sends the wrong signal to dictatorships and undermines the brave individuals fighting for freedom, said Thor Halvorssen, founder of New York-based Human Rights Foundation, which does not receive U.S. government funding. These particular investments should not just be restored they should be prioritized. Congress budgeted at least $690 million on pro-democracy programs this year to counter authoritarian rule in eight countries considered by experts among the worlds least free: Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela. Much of the pro-democracy funding is channeled through the U.S. Agency for International Development, where hundreds of employees were laid off amid attempts by billionaire Elon Musk to shut down the decades-old agency as part of his campaign to slash spending.Trump, announcing the aid freeze on his first day in office, said all foreign assistance would be evaluated as to whether it makes the United States safer, stronger and more prosperous. To overhaul USAID, hes relying on Peter Marocco, a former U.S. marine and conservative activist from Dallas who briefly worked for the agency USAID during the first Trump administration. Marocco didnt respond to an AP request for comment and The White House pointed to Trumps comments Monday slamming USAID as being run by radical left lunatics. While funding for some of the programs aligned with Trumps America First foreign policy could resume, strongmen throughout the world are already celebrating and doubling down on attacks against opponents.In Venezuela, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the main enforcer of the ruling socialist partys security apparatus, boasted last week on state TV that the aid channeled by USAID to the opposition was a black box of corruption that he vowed to investigate. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on X that he hopes the notorious Deep State doesnt swallow Musk for pulling the plug on the agency. In Nicaragua, a TV network owned by President Daniel Ortegas sons declared that Trump turned off the faucet for the terrorists. Media outlets aligned with the Islamic leadership in Iran joked that the U.S. was treating its allies like disposable tissues. Meanwhile, in Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko crowed that Trumps decision to cut funding for the fugitive opposition was in response to his governments calls for a reset of bilateral relations.Lena Zhivoglod, head of Honest People, which was set up in 2020 to counter Lukashenkos official narrative and end three decades of his iron-fisted rule, said that she will soon have to lay off 15 staffers and terminate the lease on the groups office in Warsaw, Poland.This isnt about 15 Belarusian emigrants in Poland being forced to leave their jobs, said Zhivoglod. It means losing yet another battle to the propaganda machines of the Lukashenko regime and the Kremlin machines that bombard Belarusians daily.The outlook was similarly bleak in Venezuela. Among those impacted in the South American nation are journalists whove exposed corruption by top military and civilians officials, an organization that provides legal services to political prisoners and an election monitoring group that helped uncover credible evidence that President Nicols Maduro stole last summers election. All of the organizations asked The Associated Press not to be named for fear the government could activate a new law making it a criminal offense to receive international funding.Trump is doing the work that Maduro could never accomplish: suffocating civil society, said one of the activists impacted by the funding freeze and who on Monday started laying off dozens of contractors whove played a key role mobilizing opposition to Maduro. Halvorssen said that while there is merit in reevaluating programs to make sure taxpayer money is being wisely spent, pro-democracy programs are among the most effective tools for advancing U.S. interests. Still, opinion polls consistently show that Americans believe the U.S. is too generous in giving money away to foreign governments, even if other countries, such as Norway and Sweden, donate far more and foreign aid comprises less than 1% of the federal budget. Another casualty of the aid freeze is the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which has focused much of its recent work on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela all countries where institutions are stacked with ruling party loyalists. The watchdog group has been a linchpin of the U.S.-led Inter-American system since the 1950s and depends primarily on contributions from Washington, where it is based. In recent days, it has had to lay off about a third of its workforce. Roberta Clarke, president of the watchdog, referred to the foreign aid freeze as extraordinarily disruptive, extraordinarily cruel in a call with her staff Friday to discuss the stop-work order. One senior manager on the call described the funding crisis as unlike anything she had seen in 24 years working at the commission. Another veteran manager said the commission is facing collapse.I would say good afternoon, but its not a good afternoon, Clarke, a lawyer from Barbados, said at the start of the call, a recording of which was shared with AP on the condition of anonymity. Successive administrations, including the first Trump White House, have also been a stalwart supporter of democracy activists battling Chinas ruling Communist Party. These stop work orders have left the groups especially those working on issues in Tibet and Hong Kong, as well as among Uyghur minorities without financial support and vulnerable to Beijing targeting them with impunity.Some Republicans are also concerned that Trump could be damaging U.S. strategic and national security interests. Were glad President Trump is taking a hard look at how money is spent and how foreign assistance can be most useful. We just hope its an expeditious review, said Daniel Twining, president of the International Republican Institute, which manages programs on behalf of the State Department in some of the most dangerous countries for activists. Dictators and adversaries like China arent pausing.___AP writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. JOSHUA GOODMAN Goodman is a Miami-based investigative reporter who writes about the intersection of crime, corruption, drug trafficking and politics in Latin America. He previously spent two decades reporting from South America. twitter mailto

Google logos are shown when searched on Google in New York, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)2025-02-04T11:05:10Z HONG KONG (AP) China on Tuesday announced a flurry of retaliatory measures against the U.S., including tariffs on imports of products such as coal, liquefied natural gas products and crude oil, as well as an antitrust probe into Google. It also placed two other U.S. firms on an unreliable entity list that could bar them from investing in China.China and Google have had a long and entangled relationship going back to the early 2000s. Heres a look at Googles history in China and what the antitrust probe means for the company: What is Googles relationship with China?Google launched Chinese-language search engine google.cn in 2006. It was censored to comply with Beijings laws, and in 2009, was a major search engine in China with about 36% market share.In 2010, in response to a cyberattack and an increasing unwillingness to comply with censorship rules, Google said it was no longer willing to block search results and shut down its Chinese search engine, redirecting users to its Hong Kong site instead.Beijing later blocked Google services under its Great Firewall censorship system, including its email service Gmail, as well as its Chrome browser and search engine, making it inaccessible to users in mainland China.China typically blocks most Western internet platforms, such as Google, as well as social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Does Google still operate in China?Although Google services are not accessible in China, the company still maintains a presence in the country, primarily focused on sales and engineering for its advertising business. It also has employees working on services including Google Cloud and customer solutions.Google maintains offices in the major Chinese cities Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Why is China investigating Google?Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation said Tuesday it was investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws.While regulators did not provide further details, the announcement came minutes after the 10% tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect. What does this mean for Google?As there are few details on what exactly Google is being investigated for, the immediate impact on Google operations is unclear, although its current status is unlikely to be affected by the probe, which could takes months. Google did not immediately comment on the investigation.Some experts believe that the antitrust investigation is likely to center around Googles Android operating system for smartphones and used as a bargaining chip in the U.S.-China trade war.John Gong, a professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics, said that the investigation could be related to Googles dominance in the Android business, as virtually all smartphone brands apart from Apple and Huawei would have to pay licensing fees to Google to use the Android system on their devices.Now, this time, Google is put on the chopping board. But I think its still an investigation, right? It hasnt reached a decision yet, said Gong, adding, I think its very much negotiable.Huawei developed its own HarmonyOS operating system after it was placed on the U.S. entity list foreign individuals, companies and organizations deemed a national security concern in 2019, which prevented it from doing business with U.S. firms including Google.Google has been accused of violating antitrust law in other countries, including those in the European Union, South Korea, Russia, India and Turkey, for allegedly abusing its market dominance. ___Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report. ZEN SOO Soo reports on technology and business in China and across Asia for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter mailto

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2025-02-04T11:23:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial environmental lawyer turned public health critic, is set to find out on Tuesday if he has cleared the first hurdle to become the nations top health official when the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination.Democrats are still raising concerns about Kennedys potential to profit from anti-vaccine advocacy and lawsuits, but Republicans appear to be rallying behind President Donald Trumps health secretary nominee. On Monday, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican once viewed as a possible no vote, announced he would back Kennedy. Kennedy needs support from all but three Republicans if Democrats uniformly oppose him. What will doctor and Republican Bill Cassidy do? One key vote remains in question: Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician who sits on the finance committee that will vote on Kennedys confirmation. Last week, during Kennedys hearings, Cassidy repeatedly implored Kennedy to reject a disproven theory that vaccines cause autism, to no avail. He ended the hearing by saying he was struggling with the vote. Your past, undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments, concerns me, Cassidy told Kennedy.On Monday evening, Cassidy told reporters that he had very cordial conversations with Kennedy over the weekend but was still working through how to handle his vote.Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are all seen as potential no votes, too, because they voted against Trumps defense secretary nominee and have expressed concerns about Kennedys anti-vaccine work. In a CBS 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, McConnell declined to say how he would vote on Kennedys nomination but reiterated vaccines are critically important. Democrats still have questions for KennedyDemocrats, meanwhile, continue to raise alarms about Kennedys potential to financially benefit from changing vaccine guidelines or weakening federal lawsuit protections against vaccine makers if confirmed as health secretary. It seems possible that many different types of vaccine-related decisions and communications which you would be empowered to make and influence as Secretary could result in significant financial compensation for your family, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote in a letter sent over the weekend to Kennedy. Kennedy said hell give his son all of the referral fees in legal cases against vaccine makers, including the fees he gets from referring clients in a case against Merck. Kennedy told the committee hes referred hundreds of clients to a law firm thats suing Mercks Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Hes earned $2.5 million from the deal over the past three years. As secretary, Kennedy will oversee vaccine recommendations and public health campaigns for the $1.7 trillion agency, which is also responsible for food and hospital inspections, providing health insurance for millions of Americans and researching deadly diseases. Who are the wild card votes?Kennedys allies are still holding out hope that they could entice a Democrat or two to their side. A pressure campaign has been focused on Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has expressed support for Kennedys push to make American foods more healthy. Pennsylvanias Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has also been a focus, although he told Fox News Channel this weekend that the nomination was challenging. A Democratic-led opposition campaign, built around Kennedys anti-vaccine advocacy and influence in Samoa during a measles outbreak that left dozens of children and infants dead in 2019, has also narrowed in on Republican Sen. John Curtis, who represents Utah, home to one of the nations largest Samoan populations. Tuesdays vote is just the startThe Senate finance committee, made up of 25 senators, will vote on whether to recommend Kennedy for a vote on the Senate floor, where all 100 senators will have the chance to vote on the nomination.The committee vote will be a strong indicator of where things are headed for Kennedy, but its not necessarily the final word. Even if the committee votes against his confirmation seemingly unlikely Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could still push for a floor vote.If Kennedy gets the committees recommendation, he could still have work to do to win over Collins, Murkowski and McConnell. Cassidy also could potentially vote against Kennedys final confirmation even if he votes in favor of him Tuesday. What is MAHA?Kennedy, a longtime Democrat, ran for president but withdrew last year to throw his support to Trump in exchange for an influential job in his Republican administration. Together, they have forged a new and unusual coalition made up of conservatives who oppose vaccines and liberals who want to see the government promote healthier foods. Trump and Kennedy have branded the movement as Make America Healthy Again. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

People sit on beds after evacuation from the frontline at a center for displaced people in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)Maloletka)2025-02-04T11:37:34Z PAVLOHRAD, Ukraine (AP) In what used to be the concert hall in this town in eastern Ukraine, cots are arranged on stage. Instead of music, the room is filled with the muffled sobs of local people driven from their homes by fighting in the countrys almost three-year war with Russia.The Russian armys recent advances have engulfed towns and villages in the area. The Pavlohrad concert hall was requisitioned as a temporary center for local civilians fleeing the relentless Russian bombardment.Its good here. Theres food, warmth, and a place to wash, said 83-year-old Kateryna Odraha, who lived through the Nazi German occupation of her village during World War II.That refuge may now be in peril.The shelter costs the equivalent of $7,000 a month to run, and 60% of that was being covered by U.S. funds sent to help Ukraine.President Donald Trumps decision last week to freeze for 90 days the humanitarian aid that the United States provides to countries overseas was felt in places far from Washington, including here, a few kilometers (miles) from the front line in eastern Ukraine. Trumps decision immediately halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs. The consequences have rippled across the world. This news was abrupt and unexpected, said Illia Novikov, the coordinator of the Pavlohrad transit center, which is run by the charity organization Relief Coordination Center. At this moment, we have no idea what the future holds. The U.S. funding covered fuel for evacuation vehicles, salaries for aid workers, legal and psychological support, and tickets to help evacuees reach safer locations, he said.Usually about 60 people pass through the shelter each day, but when the Russian bombardment worsens, that can climb to more than 200, according to Novikov.Many people heading here have spent months living in their basement without electricity, running water or enough food. Vasyl Odraha, 58, remained in his local village for months, even as artillery fire and Russian guided bomb strikes became more frequent as the war moved closer.He said he initially believed that Trump would stop the war within 24 hours of taking office, as he had promised during his election campaign.We pinned our hopes on Trumps election, he said, sitting on a cot beside his 83-year-old mother.When the fighting didnt stop, and the front line moved to within less than 3 kilometers (2 miles) of where they lived, they fled at dawn.If we hadnt left, we would have died that very night, said Kateryna Odraha.Across Ukraine, many other sectors are reeling from the aid freeze, which places additional strain on Ukraines stretched wartime finances.Energy projects, veteran support programs, psychological helplines, cybersecurity, healthcare, independent media, and even border infrastructure projects have been affected. The aid was intended to help cushion the wars impact.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government expects $300-400 million in aid to be cut. Most of that was for the energy sector that has been targeted by Russia. Ukraine hopes to make up the shortfall from European sources of aid or internal ones, Zelenskyy said.U.S. military aid has not been frozen, according to Zelenskyy, but Ukraine has received only about 42% of the money approved by Congress.There is no clear sign the war might be close to ending, and that means Ukrainian civilians will need more help.Evacuations will continue for a long time, Novikov, the transit centers coordinator, said. There may be new front lines, new affected communities, so we must be prepared to keep providing assistance.___Associated Press journalists Samya Kullab and Susie Blann contributed. HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto