Far from despondent, the Thunder said Saturday's 111-109 loss to the Spurs was an "exciting" test and a chance for the team to grow from its mistakes.

Real Madrid are interested in a deal for Manchester United full back Diogo Dalot. Transfer Talk has the latest news and rumors.

The first rule of dark money is to quit blabbing about it. Did they think people would thank them for it?

The attacks further complicate President Ahmed al-Sharaas efforts to unify the country and rebuild relationships with the international community, analysts say.

The rainstorm that battered the enclave this week has left many shivering in tent camps. Despite a cease-fire, rebuilding is still a long way off.

The Treasury Department unveiled new coins celebrating Americas 250th anniversary. They failed to include planned designs featuring abolition, womens suffrage and the civil rights movement.

Jeannette Jara and Jos Antonio Kast are facing off on Sunday in a deeply polarized election marked by concerns over security and immigration.

This Feb. 2, 2015 photo shows rocking chairs in front of the massive stone fireplace in the lobby of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz, File)2025-12-14T11:02:06Z The warm spices in gingerbread, the woodsy aroma of pine and fir trees, and the fruity tang of mulled wine are smells synonymous with the holiday season. Many people enjoy lighting candles, incense and fireplaces in their homes to evoke the moods associated with these festive fragrances.Burning scented products may create a cozy ambiance, and in the case of fireplaces, provide light and heat, but some experts want people to consider how doing so contributes to the quality of the air indoors. All flames release chemicals that may cause allergy-like symptoms or contribute to long-term respiratory problems if they are inhaled in sufficient quantities.However, people dont have to stop sitting by the hearth or get rid of products like perfumed candles and essential oil diffusers, said Dr. Meredith McCormack, director of the pulmonary and critical care medicine division at John Hopkins Universitys medical school. Instead, she recommends taking precautions to control the pollutants in their homes.Clean air is fragrance free, said McCormack, who has studied air quality and lung health for more than 20 years. If having seasonal scents is part of your tradition or evokes feelings of nostalgia, maybe think about it in moderation. This article is part of APs Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well. What to know about indoor air qualityPeople in the Northern Hemisphere tend to spend more time indoors during the end-of-year holidays, when temperatures are colder. Indoor air can be significantly more polluted than outdoor air because pollutants get trapped inside and concentrated without proper ventilation or filtration, according to the American Lung Association.For example, active fireplaces and gas appliances release tiny airborne particles that can get into the lungs and chemicals like nitrogen dioxide, a major component of smog, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cleaning products, air fresheners and candles also emit air pollutants at varying concentrations. The risk fragrances and other air pollutants may pose to respiratory health depends on the source, the length and intensity of a persons exposure, and individual health, McCormack said.It is also important to note that some pollutants have no smell, so unscented products still can affect indoor air quality, experts say. Some people are more vulnerablePolluted air affects everyone but not equally. Children, older adults, minority populations and people of low socioeconomic status are more likely to be affected by poor air quality because of either physiological vulnerabilities or higher exposure, according to the environmental agency.Children are more susceptible to air pollution because of their lung size, which means they get a greater dose of exposure relative to their body size, McCormack said. Pollutants inside the home also post a greater hazard to people with heart or lung conditions, including asthma, she said.Signs of respiratory irritation include coughing, shortness of breath, headaches, a runny nose and sneezing. Experts advise stopping use of pollutant-releasing products or immediately ventilating rooms if symptoms occur.The more risk factors you have, the more harmful air pollution or poor air quality indoors can be, McCormack said. Practical precautions to take Ellen Wilkowe burns candles with scents like vanilla and cinnamon when she does yoga, writes or when she is showering at her home in New Jersey. Her teenage daughter, on the other hand, likes more seasonally scented candles like gingerbread.The candle has a calming presence. They are also very symbolic and used in rituals and many religions, she said.Wilkowe said she leans toward candles made with soy-based waxes instead of petroleum-based paraffin. Experts note that all lit candles give off air pollutants regardless of what they are made of.Buying products with fewer ingredients, opening windows if the temperatures allow, and using air purifiers with HEPA filters are ways to reduce exposure to any pollutants from indoor fireplaces, appliances and candle displays, McCormack said. She also recommends switching on kitchen exhaust fans before starting a gas-powered stovetop and using the back burners so the vent can more easily suck up pollutants. Setting polite boundaries with guests who smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products is also a good idea, she said.Small improvements in air quality can have measurable health benefits, McCormack said. Similarly to if we exercise and eat a little better, we can be healthier.Rachael Lewis-Abbott, a member of the Indoor Air Quality Association, an organization for professionals who identify and address air quality problems, said people dont usually notice what they are breathing in until problems like gas leaks or mold develop.It is out of sight, out of mind, she said. CHEYANNE MUMPHREY Mumphrey reports on wellness trends and topics for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Switzerland's Loic Meillard speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Sunday Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)2025-12-14T09:26:12Z VAL DISERE, France (AP) Swiss skier Loic Meillard led the opening run of a World Cup slalom on Sunday and was in position to claim his second victory of the Olympic season in two days.Meillard, the world champion in slalom, led a Swiss sweep of the podium in a giant slalom on Saturday.Norwegians stood second, third and fourth: Timon Haugan was a slim 0.05 seconds behind in second, Atle Lie McGrath was 0.14 behind in third, and Henrik Kristoffersen was 0.43 behind in fourth.Brazils Lucas Pinheiro Braathen stood fifth, 0.51 behind.British skier Laurie Taylor raced into seventh with the No. 27 bib.Paco Rassat, the French racer who won a slalom in Gurgle, Austria, last month, straddled a gate midway down.The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will be held Feb. 6-22, with mens Alpine skiing to be held in Bormio.___AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the United States, arrives for talks between representatives of the U.S. and Ukraine, at the Hotel Adlon, in Berlin, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)2025-12-14T09:38:34Z BERLIN (AP) U.S. envoys arrived in Berlin Sunday morning for another round of talks intended to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine.U.S. President Donald Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner were spotted in downtown Berlin by a photographer for German news agency dpa.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian, U.S. and European officials will hold a series of meetings in Berlin in the coming days.Most importantly, I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders, concerning the foundation of peace a political agreement to end the war, Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation late Saturday.Washington has tried for months to navigate the demands of each side as Trump presses for a swift end to Russias war and grows increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into major obstacles, including control of Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, which is mostly occupied by Russian forces, and security guarantees for Ukraine. The chance is considerable at this moment, and it matters for our every city, for our every Ukrainian community, Zelenskyy said. We are working to ensure that peace for Ukraine is dignified, and to secure a guarantee a guarantee, above all that Russia will not return to Ukraine for a third invasion. Tough obstacles remain Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the part of the Donetsk region still under its control and abandon its bid to join NATO among the key conditions for peace demands Kyiv has rejected.Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told the business daily Kommersant that Russian police and national guard troops would stay in parts of eastern Ukraines Donbas even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan a demand likely to be rejected by Ukraine as U.S.-led negotiations drag on. Ushakov warned that a search for compromise could take a long time, noting that the U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been worsened by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies.Speaking to Russian state TV in remarks broadcast Sunday, Ushakov said that the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive, warning that Moscow will have very strong objections.Ushakov added that the territorial issue was actively discussed in Moscow when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. The Americans know and understand our position, he said.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has spearheaded European efforts to support Ukraine alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Saturday that the decades of the Pax Americana are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.He warned that Putins aim is a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders. If Ukraine falls, he wont stop, Merz warned on Saturday during a party conference in Munich.Putin has denied plans to restore the Soviet Union or attack any European allies. Russia and Ukraine exchange aerial attacksAs peace efforts continued, Russia and Ukraine exchanged another round of aerial attacks.Ukraines air force said overnight Russia launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones at Ukraine. In its daily report, the air force said 110 had been intercepted or downed but missile and drone hits were recorded at six locations.Zelenskyy said Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families were still without power in the south, east and north-east regions and work was continuing to restore electricity, heat and water to multiple regions following a large-scale attack the previous night.The Ukrainian president said that in the past week, Russia had launched over 1,500 strike drones, nearly 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine.Ukraine needs peace on decent terms, and we are ready to work as constructively as possible. These days will be filled with diplomacy. Its very important that it brings results, Zelenskyy said. Russias Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.In the Belgorod region, a drone injured a man and set his house ablaze in the village of Yasnye Zori, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, triggering a fire, according to the regional governor, Andrei Bocharov.In the Krasnodar region, the Ukrainian drones attacked the town of Afipsky, where an oil refinery is located. The authorities said that explosions shattered windows in residential buildings but didnt report any damage to the refinery.__Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland. STEFANIE DAZIO Dazio covers Northern Europe from Berlin for The Associated Press. She previously covered crime and criminal justice from Los Angeles.

Emergency workers standby at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)2025-12-14T09:32:01Z SYDNEY (AP) Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday at a Jewish event being held at Sydneys Bondi Beach, Australian authorities said. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested.The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. A massive emergency response was underway, with injured people loaded into ambulances. At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, said Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located. Two of those hurt were police officers. This attack was designed to target Sydneys Jewish community, the states Premier Chris Minns said. The massacre was declared a terrorist attack by officials due to the event targeted and weapons used, Lanyon said.Hundreds had gathered for an event at Bondi Beach called Chanukah by the Sea, which was celebrating the start of the Hanukkah Jewish festival. Dramatic footage apparently filmed by a member of the public and broadcast on Australian television channels showed someone appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen, before pointing the mans weapon at him. Lachlan Moran, 32, from Melbourne, was waiting for his family nearby when he heard shots, he told The Associated Press. He dropped the beer he was carrying for his brother and ran. You heard a few pops, and I freaked out and ran away. ... I started sprinting. I just had that intuition. I sprinted as quickly as I could, Moran said. He said he heard shooting off and on for about five minutes. Everyone just dropped all their possessions and everything and were running and people were crying and it was just horrible, Moran said. Police said their operation was ongoing and that a number of suspicious items located in the vicinity were being examined by specialist officers, including an improvised explosive device found in one of the suspects cars. Emergency services were called to Campbell Parade about 6.45 p.m. responding to reports of shots being fired. Local news outlets spoke to distressed and bloody bystanders. Lanyon said the death toll from the shooting was fluid and that injured people were still arriving at hospitals. Our heart bleeds for Australias Jewish community tonight, Minns told reporters in Sydney. I can only imagine the pain that theyre feeling right now to see their loved ones killed as they celebrate this ancient holiday.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that his thoughts were with all those affected.The scenes in Bondi are shocking and distressing, he said. Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives.Mass shooting deaths in Australia are extremely rare. A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws and made it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms.Significant mass shootings this century included two murder-suicides with death tolls of five people in 2014, and seven in 2018, in which gunmen killed their own families and themselves. In 2022, two police officers were shot and killed by Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland state. The three shooters in that incident, conspiracy theorists who hated the police, were also shot and killed by officers after a six-hour siege in the region of Wieambilla, along with one of their neighbors.___ McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia, and Graham-McLay from Wellington, New Zealand. KRISTEN GELINEAU Gelineau is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Sydney. She covers human rights issues across the Asia-Pacific. twitter mailto 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 ROD MCGUIRK McGuirk covers Australian and South Pacific news for The Associated Press. He is based in Melbourne. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A house is seen damaged following a Thai soldier said was a Cambodian artillery strike in Sisaket province, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)2025-12-14T09:10:20Z KANTHARALAK, Thailand (AP) Thailands government said a rocket attack from Cambodia on Sunday killed a 63-year-old villager, its first civilian death reported as a direct result of combat over the past week along the border of the two Southeast Asian nations.Both countries confirmed that large-scale fighting, which was set off by a skirmish on Dec. 7 that wounded two Thai soldiers, continued Sunday. The two sides are battling over longstanding competing claims to patches of frontier land, some of which contain centuries-old temple ruins.More than two dozen people on both sides of the border have officially been reported killed in the past weeks fighting, while more than half a million have been displaced.Reporters from The Associated Press arrived at the scene of Sundays rocket impact in Sisaket provinces Kantharalak District about 10 minutes after it hit. They witnessed the body of a man totally wrapped in bandages being put on a stretcher that was taken to an ambulance. A house a couple of hundred meters (yards) away was in flames, with village volunteers attempting to put out the fire with buckets of water. A piece of shrapnel believed to be from the same rocket was embedded nearby in the road. The victim, identified as Don Patchapan, was killed in the heart of a residential area near a school, according to a Thai Army statement. Thai Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat condemned Cambodia for deliberately firing into civilian areas, saying that such an action was cruel and inhumane. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Thailand earlier reported civilian deaths during the renewed conflict, but most of them already had underlying health issues and died during an evacuation. Cambodia has deployed truck-mounted BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40 kilometers (19-25 miles). Each can fire up to 40 rockets at a time but cannot be precisely targeted. They have landed largely in areas from where most people have already been evacuated. Thai authorities say Cambodia has launched thousands of the rockets on virtually a daily basis. Thailand, meanwhile, has been carrying out airstrikes with its fighter planes, with Cambodia saying the bombing continued on Sunday. Both sides have employed drones for surveillance and delivering bombs.Residents in another village in Kantharalak said several houses there were damaged by a rocket attack Saturday. Kanbancha Charoensri, who was in the village during the attack, said several rockets landed nearby and injured a few people.Houses that were hit directly were totally destroyed, he said. The ground was shaking so much. It was so scary.The Thai military has acknowledged 16 of its troops have died during the fighting, and estimated Sunday that there have been at least 221 fatalities among Cambodian soldiers. Cambodia denounced the Thai count of its dead as disinformation but has not yet acknowledged any military casualties. It has said at least 11 civilians have been killed and more than six dozen wounded.Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet delivered a morale-boosting message to his countrymen on Sunday, writing on social media that he is proud to see this nations strength in this situation where our country is facing difficulties due to aggression from neighboring countries. The new fighting derailed a ceasefire promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump that ended five days of earlier combat in July. It had been brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.Trump announced this past Friday that the two countries had agreed at his urging to renew the ceasefire, but Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul denied making any commitment and Cambodia announced it was continuing to fight in what it said is self-defense.A Thai Navy warship in the Gulf of Thailand joined the fighting on Saturday morning, trading fire with guns based in Cambodias southwestern province of Koh Kong. Each side blamed the other for initiating the exchange on a new front.Jintamas reported from Surin, Thailand. Sopheng Cheang contributed from Preah Netr Preah, Cambodia.

Gunshots ripped through a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 12 people.

After heavy rains swelled rivers and flooded neighborhoods in northern Washington, residents returned to soggy homes caked in mud. Many tried to salvage what they could.

The New York Times set out to understand and quantify just how much things had changed within the agency after President Trump resumed office.

An investigation by The Times found the administrations change in enforcement benefited the industry, including companies that had ties to the president.

Eve was one of dozens of Thai women who traveled 4,000 miles to become surrogates, on the promise of generous fees. It turned into a nightmare.

This combination photo shows Brian Jack, left, speaking at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome, Ga. and Lauren Underwood speaking with reporters, Aug. 9, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, Nathan Howard)2025-12-14T12:33:40Z ATLANTA (AP) Even though Republican Brian Jack is only a first-term congressman, he has become a regular in the Oval Office these days. As the top recruiter for his partys House campaign team, the Georgia native is often reviewing polling and biographies of potential candidates with President Donald Trump. Lauren Underwood, an Illinois congresswoman who does similar work for Democrats, has no such West Wing invitation. She is at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue working the phones to identify and counsel candidates she hopes can erase Republicans slim House majority in Novembers midterm elections.Although they have little in common, both lawmakers were forged by the lessons of 2018, when Democrats flipped dozens of Republican-held seats to turn the rest of Trumps first term into a political crucible. Underwood won her race that year, and Jack became responsible for dealing with the fallout when he became White House political director a few months later. Underwood wants a repeat in 2026, and Jack is trying to stand in her way. For Republicans, that means going all-in on Trump and his Make American Great Again agenda, gambling that durable enthusiasm from his base will overcome broader dissatisfaction with his leadership. Youre seeing a lot of people very inspired by President Trump, Jack said about his partys House candidates. Theyre excited to serve in this body alongside him and the White House. Thats been a tool and a motivating factor for so many people who want to run. Underwood said she is looking for candidates with community involvement and public service beyond Washington politics. A registered nurse, she was a health care advocate before she ran in 2018, joining a cadre of Democratic newcomers that included military veterans, educators, activists and business owners. Its about having ordinary Americans step up in a way that draws a sharp contrast with the actions of these MAGA extremists, she said. Trumps involvement is more direct than in 2018Its routine for a presidents party to lose ground in Congress during the first midterms after winning the White House. Trump, however, is in the rare position to test that historical trend with a second, nonconsecutive presidency. Neither party has released its list of favored candidates in targeted seats. But Jack said Oval Office discussions with Trump focus on who can align with the White House in a way that can win.Jack highlighted former Maine Gov. Paul LePage as an example. LePage is running in a GOP-leaning district where Democrats face the challenge of replacing Rep. Jared Golden, another member of the partys 2018 class who recently announced he would not seek reelection. Trumps involvement contrasts with 2017, when he was not as tied to House leadership, including then-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on details of the midterm campaign as he is now. Jack, who got his start with Trump by managing delegate outreach before the 2016 convention, was White House deputy political director during that span. He was promoted to political director after the 2018 losses. Jack continued advising the president, especially on his endorsements, between Trumps 2021 departure for the White House and Jacks own congressional campaign in 2024. He described Trump as intimately involved in recruitment decisions and open to advice on his endorsements since those 2018 defeats.Trump loyalty will not always be easy to measure, especially in first-time candidates. But Jack said Republicans have quality options. He pointed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Republicans could have a competitive primary that includes Jose Orozco, a former Drug Enforcement Administration contractor, and Greg Cunningham, a former Marine and police officer.They both have very inspirational stories, Jack said.Orozco has asked voters to give President Trump an ally in Congress. Cunningham did not focus on Trump in his campaign launch.Democrats describe a district-by-district approach Underwood said Democrats are replicating a district-by-district approach of 2018. Recruiting in the Trump era, she said, is more often about talking with prospective candidates who raised their hands to run than about coaxing them into politics.The notable numbers of women and combat veterans in her first-term class, Underwood said, was not a top-down strategy but the result of candidates who saw Trump and Republicans as threats to functional government and democracy. Underwood, who at age 32 became the youngest Black woman ever to serve in Congress after her 2018 election, recalled that Republicans efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act spurred her to run because of her training as a nurse. She shares those experiences with recruits, sharpening how they can connect their ideas and background to the job of a congressperson.Underwood said she also regularly fields questions about serving in an era of political violence and about the day-to-day balance of being a candidate or congressperson, especially from recruits who have children. National security is again a draw for Democrat. Former Marine JoAnna Mendoza is running in a largely rural southern Arizona seat and former Rep. Elaine Luria, another Underwood classmate and former naval officer, is running again in Virginia after losing her seat in 2022. Luria was among the lead House investigators of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.Underwood said there are clear parallels to 2018, when successful congressional candidates included Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot who is now New Jersey governor-elect; Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who is one of her recruiting co-chairs; and Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA case officer.Democrats also noted the need to find candidates who reflect a districts cultural sensibilities, meaning a candidate who can withstand Republican accusations that national Democrats are out of touch with many voters. For instance, in a South Texas district, the top potential Democratic challenger is Tejano music star Bobby Pulido. The five-time Latin Grammy nominee has criticized progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for using the term Latinx rather than Latino or Latina.Trumps gerrymandering fight causes uncertaintyMid-decade gerrymandering, mostly in Republican-led states at Trumps behest, leaves the state of the 435 House districts in flux. Even with the changes, Democrats identify more than three dozen Republican-held seats they believe will be competitive. Republicans counter with about two dozen Democratic-held seats they think can flip.In the Southwest, Democrats are targeting all three Republican seats in Arizona. The GOP is aiming at three Democratic seats in Nevada. From the Midwest across to the Philadelphia suburbs, Democrats want to flip two Iowa seats, two in Wisconsin three in Michigan, three in Ohio and four in Pennsylvania. Republicans are targeting four Democratic seats in New York.Nearly all Democratic targets were within a 15-percentage point margin in 2024, many of them much closer than that. Democratic candidates in 2025 special elections typically managed double-digit gains compared with Trumps margins in 2024, including a recent special House election in Tennessee, when Democrats came within 9 points in a district Trump won by 22 points.Its the same kind of shifts that we saw in 2017 before the 2018 wins, said Meredith Kelly, a top official at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during Trumps first presidency. So, it becomes a mix of that national environment and finding the right candidates who fit a district and can take advantage. BILL BARROW Barrow covers U.S. politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

Signage is displayed at the office of Hong Kong's Democratic Party in Hong Kong on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)2025-12-14T09:57:40Z HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kongs biggest pro-democracy party voted Sunday to dissolve after more than 30 years of activism, marking the end of an era of the Chinese semiautonomous city s once-diverse political landscape. Democratic Party chairperson Lo Kin-hei said the political environment was one important point among the factors they considered, and about 97% of members ballots were in support of its liquidation. He said it is the best way forward for its members. Yet as the times have shifted, we now, with deep regret, must bring this chapter to a close, he said. Party veterans had earlier told The Associated Press that some members were warned of consequences if the party didnt shut down. Its demise reflects the dwindling freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinas rule in 1997. Arrests and shutdowns during Beijings crackdown China imposed a national security law in June 2020, following massive anti-government protests the year before, saying it was necessary for the citys stability. Under the law, many leading activists, including the Democratic Partys former chairs Albert Ho and Wu Chi-wai and other former lawmakers, were arrested.Jimmy Lai, founder of the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, was also charged under the law. Lai will hear his verdict on Monday. Apple Daily was one of the vocal independent outlets shut down over the past five years. Dozens of civil society groups have also closed, including the second-largest pro-democracy party, Civic Party and a group that organized annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. In June, the League of Social Democrats, which had remained active in holding tiny street protests in recent years, announced its closure, citing immense political pressure. A moderate opposition party filled with political starsThe Democratic Party, founded in 1994, was a moderate opposition party that pushed for universal suffrage in electing the citys leader for decades. Prominent party members include Martin Lee, nicknamed the citys father of democracy, Ho, former leader of the group that organized Tiananmen vigils, and journalist-turned-activist Emily Lau. It once held multiple legislative seats and amassed dozens of directly elected district councillors who helped residents with issues in their households and municipal matters. Some of its former members joined the government as senior officials. Its willingness to negotiate with Beijing led to its proposal being included in a 2010 political reform package a move that drew harsh criticism from some members and other democracy advocates who wanted more sweeping changes. As new pro-democracy groups grew, the partys influence declined. But when the 2019 protests swept Hong Kong, the partys activism won widespread support again. During Beijings crackdown, the Democratic Party has turned into more like a pressure group. Electoral overhauls that were designed to ensure only patriots administer the city effectively shut out all pro-democracy politicians in the legislature and district councils. The party pressed on by holding news conferences on livelihood issues. It even submitted opinions on a homegrown national security legislation before it was enacted in March 2024.Earlier this year, the party decided to set up a task force to look into the procedures involved in dissolving itself, and its leadership secured members mandate to move closer to this goal. Regression of freedomsFormer chairperson Yeung Sum in Sundays news conference said the partys disbandment indicated the regression of Hong Kong from being a free and liberal society. He said the route to implementing democracy after the 1997 handover wasnt a total failure, saying the city had just gone halfway through that path.Yeung said if one day, there could be a review of the one country, two systems principle, which Beijing uses to govern Hong Kong, and it could move back toward being more open, the city would have a better future. Now, its a low point, but we havent lost all hope, he said. On whether Hong Kong will still have a democracy movement, Lo said it depends on every Hong Konger, highlighting that universal suffrage is promised under the citys mini-constitution. If Hong Kong people believe that democracy is the way to go, I believe that they will keep on striving for democracy. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter

New Zealand's Alice Robinson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G event, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Sunday Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)2025-12-14T11:11:42Z ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) New Zealands Alice Robinson was already leading the Olympic seasons giant slalom standings. Now shes a threat in super-G, too.Robinson was leading a World Cup super-G on Sunday and in position for her first career victory in the discipline.Robinson stood 0.08 seconds ahead of Romane Miradoli of France and 0.19 ahead of Sofia Goggia of Italy.The 41-year-old American standout Lindsey Vonn was fourth, 0.27 behind. In a downhill on Friday, Vonn became the oldest winner in the circuits history. Vonn then finished second in another downhill on Saturday.Mikaela Shiffrin, the holder of a record 104 World Cup victories, missed the final gate of her first speed race in nearly two years.Emma Aicher, the German skier who won Saturdays downhill, lost control coming over a jump early in her run and fell. But she got right back up and appeared uninjured. Lower-ranked skiers were still coming down the course.Robinson has won two of the four giant slaloms this season but had never finished better than fourth in a super-G.Now shes shaping up as a two-discipline threat for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Womens Alpine skiing at the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games will be held in Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy.All six of Robinsons World Cup victories have come in giant slalom.The circuit now shifts to Val dIsere, France, for more speed racing next weekend.___AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The Tigers have agreed to a 1-year contract with veteran closer Kenley Jansen, sources told ESPN.

Updated inactives and analysis based on the latest reports and official announcements leading up to kickoff.

Two gunman opened fire at dozens of people who were at a Jewish holiday event. At least 11 people were killed in the attack, and so was one of the shooters, the police said.

For more than a century, this Black soldier from Virginia was remembered by nearly no one. Then this year, someone at the Pentagon found a use for him.

The killing of three Americans during what was said to be a counterterrorism operation in central Syria served as a reminder that U.S. troops are still operating in the country.

We cover shootings at Bondi Beach, in Australia, and at Brown University.

Not once, in the four and a half years I learned at home, did anyone from the state come to assess what sort of education I was receiving, or even just check on me.

The most-loved bathroom storage upgrades of 2025, all in one place!READ MORE...

Opponents of Missouri's Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan display a banner in protest at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)2025-12-14T13:10:53Z When Indiana adopted new U.S. House districts four years ago, Republican legislative leaders lauded them as fair maps that reflected the states communities. But when Gov. Mike Braun recently tried to redraw the lines to help Republicans gain more power, he implored lawmakers to vote for fair maps.What changed? The definition of fair.As states undertake mid-decade redistricting instigated by President Donald Trump, Republicans and Democrats are using a tit-for-tat definition of fairness to justify districts that split communities in an attempt to send politically lopsided delegations to Congress. It is fair, they argue, because other states have done the same. And it is necessary, they claim, to maintain a partisan balance in the House of Representatives that resembles the national political divide.This new vision for drawing congressional maps is creating a winner-take-all scenario that treats the House, traditionally a more diverse patchwork of politicians, like the Senate, where members reflect a states majority party. The result could be reduced power for minority communities, less attention to certain issues and fewer distinct voices heard in Washington. Although Indiana state senators rejected a new map backed by Trump and Braun that could have helped Republicans win all nine of the states congressional seats, districts have already been redrawn in Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Other states could consider changes before the 2026 midterms that will determine control of Congress. Its a fundamental undermining of a key democratic condition, said Wayne Fields, a retired English professor from Washington University in St. Louis who is an expert on political rhetoric.The House is supposed to represent the people, Fields added. We gain an awful lot by having particular parts of the population heard. Redistricting is diluting community representationUnder the Constitution, the Senate has two members from each state. The House has 435 seats divided among states based on population, with each state guaranteed at least one representative. In the current Congress, California has the most at 52, followed by Texas with 38. Because senators are elected statewide, they are almost always political pairs of one party or another. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are the only states now with both a Democrat and Republican in the Senate. Maine and Vermont each have one independent and one senator affiliated with a political party.By contrast, most states elect a mixture of Democrats and Republicans to the House. That is because House districts, with an average of 761,000 residents, based on the 2020 census, are more likely to reflect the varying partisan preferences of urban or rural voters, as well as different racial, ethnic and economic groups.This years redistricting is diminishing those locally unique districts. In California, voters in several rural counties that backed Trump were separated from similar rural areas and attached to a reshaped congressional district containing liberal coastal communities. In Missouri, Democratic-leaning voters in Kansas City were split from one main congressional district into three, with each revised district stretching deep into rural Republican areas. Some residents complained their voices are getting drowned out. But Govs. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and Mike Kehoe, R-Mo., defended the gerrymandering as a means of countering other states and amplifying the voices of those aligned with the states majority. All is `fair in redistrictingIndianas delegation in the U.S. House consists of seven Republicans and two Democrats one representing Indianapolis and the other a suburban Chicago district in the states northwestern corner. Dueling definitions of fairness were on display at the Indiana Capitol as lawmakers considered a Trump-backed redistricting plan that would have split Indianapolis among four Republican-leaning districts and merged the Chicago suburbs with rural Republican areas. Opponents walked the halls in protest, carrying signs such as I stand for fair maps! Ethan Hatcher, a talk radio host who said he votes for Republicans and Libertarians, denounced the redistricting plan as a blatant power grab that compromises the principles of our Founding Fathers by fracturing Democratic strongholds to dilute the voices of urban voters. Its a calculated assault on fair representation, Hatcher told a state Senate committee. But others asserted it would be fair for Indiana Republicans to hold all of those House seats, because Trump won the solidly Republican state by nearly three-fifths of the vote.Our current 7-2 congressional delegation doesnt fully capture that strength, resident Tracy Kissel said at a committee hearing. We can create fairer, more competitive districts that align with how Hoosiers vote. When senators defeated a map designed to deliver a 9-0 congressional delegation for Republicans, Braun bemoaned that they had missed an opportunity to protect Hoosiers with fair maps. Disrupting an equilibriumBy some national measurements, the U.S. House already is politically fair. The 220-215 majority that Republicans won over Democrats in the 2024 elections almost perfectly aligns with the share of the vote the two parties received in districts across the country, according to an Associated Press analysis. But that overall balance belies an imbalance that exists in many states. Even before this years redistricting, the number of states with congressional districts tilted toward one party or another was higher than at any point in at least a decade, the AP analysis found.The partisan divisions have contributed to a cutthroat political environment that drives the parties to extreme measures, said Kent Syler, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University. He noted that Republicans hold 88% of congressional seats in Tennessee, and Democrats have an equivalent in Maryland. Fairer redistricting would give people more of a feeling that they have a voice, Syler said.Rebekah Caruthers, who leads the Fair Elections Center, a nonprofit voting rights group, said there should be compact districts that allow communities of interest to elect the representatives of their choice, regardless of how that affects the national political balance. Gerrymandering districts to be dominated by a single party results in an unfair disenfranchisement of some voters, she said.Ultimately, this isnt going to be good for democracy, Caruthers said. We need some type of dtente. DAVID A. LIEB Lieb covers issues and trends in state governments across the U.S. Hes reported about government and politics for The Associated Press for 30 years. twitter mailto

Merrill Kelly, after being dealt by Diamondbacks to the Rangers at the trade deadline last season, is returning to Arizona on a two-year, $40M deal, according to reports.

Security has become a top concern for voters across the region who are calling for iron-fisted measures. In Chile, the issue is pushing the country to the right.

The Patriots can clinch the division title Sunday, but they need to beat the Bills to get there.

Odds, game bets, prop plays, daily fantasy advice and analysis to help you bet the Vikings-Cowboys game on Sunday.

These ideas just might spark your next makeover.READ MORE...

Retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Sue Wicks rides her boat to check on her oysters in Moriches Bay in New York, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)2025-12-14T14:10:15Z After seven days of wind, the morning is finally calm enough on New Yorks East Moriches Bay for Sue Wicks to jetty her boat to check on her oysters. Hundreds of cages pop out at odd angles from their lines, and a few float away.The retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer admits that the aquaculture farm she started at age 50 can be anxiety-inducing and compares it to her time playing basketball. Retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Sue Wicks throws an anchor from her boat in Moriches Bay in New York, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Sue Wicks throws an anchor from her boat in Moriches Bay in New York, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Some days youre like, Why am I doing this? Youre injured, youre hurt, you are losing, things are going bad. And then the next day you go back and do it again because you love it, she said. Wicks, 59, has worked as a commentator, college basketball coach and at a fitness start-up since retiring from the WNBA in 2002, and says she feels lucky to again find a career that works for my soul. But the reality is that even a successful run as one of the worlds best basketball players didnt earn her enough to fully retire. Retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Sue Wicks rides her boat to check on her oysters in Moriches Bay in New York, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Retired WNBA star and Hall of Famer Sue Wicks rides her boat to check on her oysters in Moriches Bay in New York, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Although the WNBA is bringing in more than ever from sponsors and ticket sales, many players still find themselves financially unsteady when the final whistle blows. The choice is what they do as their second career, not whether they have a second career, said Risa Isard, director of research and insights at womens sports marketing platform Parity. Since women athletes get paid a fraction of what men do while theyre playing, Isard said their next acts tend to look more like traditional career paths rather than managing substantial investment portfolios. The average NBA salary is around $11.9 million, according to data reviewed by The Associated Press. Thats nearly 100 times what the WNBA says is the average salary of $120,000 for its players although major differences in league size, age, profit margins and media contracts account for part of that gap. For 2009 second overall draft pick and 2015 WNBA All-Star Marissa Coleman, the main difference between post-playing careers between WNBA and NBA players is that most NBA guys are sitting on tens, sometimes hundreds of million dollars. And for those who are financially savvy, working after the game is more so curing boredom versus a necessity. Retired WNBA All-Star Marissa Coleman poses for a photo in Mitchellville, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) Retired WNBA All-Star Marissa Coleman poses for a photo in Mitchellville, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Most women athletes across the board have to find a career after basketball out of necessity, Coleman said.All this is happening against a backdrop of unresolved questions about the future of WNBA player compensation. Tensions have run high in the ongoing labor battle between the WNBA and the players union, although it is unclear how far apart the sides are in terms of compensation. Both parties agreed on Nov. 30 to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement to Jan. 9 while negotiations continue. A major sticking point has been revenue sharing: As the WNBA booms, players are looking for a larger share in that growth. They currently earn a significantly smaller fraction of the leagues revenue compared with NBA players.When former Minnesota Lynx forward Devereaux Peters transitioned from basketball to real estate development in 2019, she said the hardest lesson was learning that working hard in her new career may not be enough to yield results quickly, or at all. After a tough game during her playing days, she could go in the gym and shoot and work on my shot. And youre going to see a result if youre putting in the work. That is not necessarily true in the real world, said the 36-year-old. You can put in a ton of work and do a lot right and not get anywhere. Former Minnesota Lynx forward Devereaux Peters, transitioned from basketball to real estate development, poses for a photo at her office in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Former Minnesota Lynx forward Devereaux Peters, transitioned from basketball to real estate development, poses for a photo at her office in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The shift away from basketball also came as a financial shock: That transition was a little bit difficult in that I had to cut back significantly, she said. There was a lot of learning very quickly given the big gap in what I was making then and what I make now.For the last six years, Peters has shepherded an affordable housing project in South Bend, Indiana home to her alma mater, Notre Dame. Red tape, politics, and myriad other logistical challenges have made the project the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life, Peters said.But she says its also the best: Helping people that truly, genuinely need it makes it all worth it. Her affordable apartment building is slated to break ground next month, and open its doors in August 2027.For 38-year-old Coleman, the next phase of her career also unfolded far outside the paint. Alongside former teammate Alana Beard, Coleman franchised a Mellow Mushroom a psychedelic-themed pizza chain in Roanoke, Virginia. She also chaired a campaign to legalize sports betting in Maryland, and now leads strategy and growth for the VIP team at fantasy sports platform Underdog, with the aim of carving space for more women and people of color to access the industry.I knew from a very early age entrepreneurship and business were something that I was really, really passionate about, Coleman said. She added that she feels grateful to her parents for emphasizing the importance of education and long-term career planning. Thanks to their wisdom, she made sure to seek out mentors and explore industries that interested her throughout her basketball career. I knew I didnt want to be one of those players that retired, and it was like, Oh gosh, what now? Coleman said.Many former athletes land in sports-related roles, such as coaching or sports broadcasting. But not all are surefooted in finding their next calling. Jayne Appel Marinelli, SVP of player relations for the leagues union and a former center for the San Antonio Stars, counsels players on their post-basketball career path. She explained the transition remains challenging for many, even with the WNBA and unions joint tuition assistance and internship program, and semester-long opportunity with Harvard Business School, which Coleman completed.The players union has worked to further expand opportunities by adding player internship slots to licensee contracts, partnering with universities and more, according to Appel Marinelli. Athletes sometimes need help recognizing that the skills that they have built are so easily transferable over to any role that theyre going to take on next, she said.That kind of support didnt exist for Wicks generation at the leagues inception in 1997. There was no stability in womens sports, she said. Our victory was, we got our next paycheck, and that the lights were on and that the bus was waiting there still.Back then, my dream was that the league would exist, Wicks said. Almost 30 years later, her new dream is that players are compensated in a way that gives them freedom to do what they want in life.Despite her own post-WNBA success, Peters says players could use more guidance to help them understand how to plan, save and prepare for the future. The general lifespan of a basketball player is not long, she said. You have to be prepared to not be here tomorrow or the next year.________AP Sports Writers Doug Feinberg in New York and Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.The Associated Press women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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. CLAIRE SAVAGE Savage is a national reporter for the APs Business team. She covers women in the workforce and is based in Chicago. twitter instagram mailto BRITTANY PETERSON Peterson is an Associated Press video journalist based in Denver. She covers water in the western U.S. for APs global climate team. twitter mailto

ESPN fantasy football expert Eric Moody is here to answer your pressing questions.

The top fashion looks around the NFL from "Thursday Night Football" to Monday night.

Ukraines president is meeting with U.S. negotiators on the latest plans to try end the war with Russia. He said he would give up hopes of joining NATO, at least for now, if he got strong security guarantees.

The city has not seen this much snow this early in the season since 2019, the National Weather Service said.

Rodney Brooks, famous for the Roomba, argues the humanoid robot craze in Silicon Valley is doomed to fail.

The killing of three Americans during what was said to be a counterterrorism operation in central Syria served as a reminder that U.S. troops are still operating in the country.

It's so useful, and makes your kitchen so much more practical.READ MORE...

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, one of the Belarusian prisoners released on Saturday, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)2025-12-14T17:27:41Z VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski arrived for an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, direct from a dentist appointment. The 63-year-old veteran human rights advocate was experiencing a return to daily life after more than four years behind bars in Belarus. He was suddenly released on Saturday. Medical assistance in the penal colony where he served his 10-year sentence was very limited, he said in his first sit-down interview after release. There was only one option of treating dental problems behind bars pulling teeth out, he said. Bialiatski recalled how in the early hours of Saturday he was in an overcrowded prison cell in the Penal Colony no. 9 in eastern Belarus when suddenly he was ordered to pack his things. Blindfolded, he was driven somewhere: They put a blindfold over my eyes. I was looking occasionally where we were headed, but only understood that were heading toward west. In Vilnius, he hugged his wife for the first time in years. When I crossed the border, it was as if I emerged from the bottom of the sea and onto the surface of the water. You have lots of air, sun, and back there you were in a completely different situation under pressure, he told the AP. Bialiatski was one of 123 prisoners released by Belarus in exchange for the U.S. lifting sanctions imposed on the Belarusian potash sector, crucial for the countrys economy. A close ally of Russia, Belarus has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Its authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by the West for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In an effort at a rapprochement with the West, Belarus has released hundreds of prisoners since July 2024. Bialiatski won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 along with the prominent Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraines Center for Civil Liberties. Awarded the prize while in jail awaiting trial, he was later convicted of smuggling and financing actions that violated the public order charges widely denounced as politically motivated and sentenced to 10 years in prison.The veteran advocate, who founded Belarus oldest and most prominent human rights group, Viasna, was imprisoned at a penal colony in Gorki in a facility notorious for beatings and hard labor. He told AP that he wasnt beaten behind bars his status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, perhaps, protected him from physical violence, he said. But he said he went through much of what all political prisoners in Belarus go through: solitary confinement, arbitrary punishment for minor infractions, not being able to see your loved ones, rarely being able to receive letters. We can definitely talk about inhumane treatment, about creating conditions that violate your integrity and some kind of human dignity, he said. Bialiatski is concerned about two of his Viasna colleagues, Marfa Rabkova and Valiantsin Stefanovic, who remain imprisoned, and about all 1,110 political prisoners still behind bars, according to Viasna. Despite the fact that prisoners are being freed right now, new people regularly end up behind bars. Some kind of schizofrenia is taking place: with one hand, the authorities release Belarusian political prisoners, and with the other they take in more prisoners to trade, to maintain this abnormal situation in Belarus, he said. The advocate vows to continue to fight for the release of all political prisoners, adding: There is no point in freeing old ones if youre taking in new ones. He intends to use his status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate of which he learned in prison and couldnt initially believe it to help Belarusians who chose freedom. This prize was given not to me as a person, but to me as a representative of the Belarusian civil society, of the millions of Belarusians who expressed will and desire for democracy, for freedom, for human rights, for changing this stale situation in Belarus, he told AP. And it was a signal to the Belarusian authorities, too, that its time to change something in the life of the Belarusians. YURAS KARMANAU Karmanau is an Associated Press journalist covering Belarus and the CIS countries. He has worked in Belarus and Ukraine, as well as other countries in the region, for more than 20 years. He is part of the team that covers the Russia-Ukraine war. mailto

U.S. forces patrol oil fields in Syria, Oct. 28, 2019 . (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)2025-12-14T17:28:45Z BEIRUT (AP) A man who carried out an attack in Syria that killed three U.S. citizens had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months earlier and was recently reassigned amid suspicions that he might be affiliated with the Islamic State group, a Syrian official told The Associated Press Sunday.The attack Saturday in the Syrian desert near the historic city of Palmyra killed two U.S. service members and one American civilian and wounded three others. It also wounded three members of the Syrian security forces who clashed with the gunman, interior ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said.Al-Baba said that Syrias new authorities had faced shortages in security personnel and had to recruit rapidly after the unexpected success of a rebel offensive last year that intended to capture the northern city of Aleppo but ended up overthrowing the government of former President Bashar Assad. We were shocked that in 11 days we took all of Syria and that put a huge responsibility in front of us from the security and administration sides, he said.The attacker was among 5,000 members who recently joined a new division in the internal security forces formed in the desert region known as the Badiya, one of the places where remnants of the Islamic State extremist group have remained active. Attacker had raised suspicionsAl-Baba said the internal security forces leadership had recently become suspicious that there was an infiltrator leaking information to IS and began evaluating all members in the Badiya area.The probe raised suspicions last week about the man who later carried out the attack, but officials decided to continue monitoring him for a few days to try to determine if he was an active member of IS and to identify the network he was communicating with if so, al-Baba said. He did not name the attacker.At the same time, as a precautionary measure, he said, the man was reassigned to guard equipment at the base at a location where he would be farther from the leadership and from any patrols by U.S.-led coalition forces. On Saturday, the man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards, al-Baba said. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene.Al-Baba acknowledged that the incident was a major security breach but said that in the year since Assads fall there have been many more successes than failures by security forces.In the wake of the shooting, he said, the Syrian army and internal security forces launched wide-ranging sweeps of the Badiya region and broke up a number of alleged IS cells.A delicate partnershipThe incident comes at a delicate time as the U.S. military is expanding its cooperation with Syrian security forces.The U.S. has had forces on the ground in Syria for over a decade, with a stated mission of fighting IS, with about 900 troops present there today.Before Assads ouster, Washington had no diplomatic relations with Damascus and the U.S. military did not work directly with the Syrian army. Its main partner at the time was the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the countrys northeast. That has changed over the past year. Ties have warmed between the administrations of U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former leader of an Islamist insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that used to be listed by Washington as a terrorist organization.In November, al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president to visit Washington since the countrys independence in 1946. During his visit, Syria announced its entry into the global coalition against the Islamic State, joining 89 other countries that have committed to combating the group.U.S. officials have vowed retaliation against IS for the attack but have not publicly commented on the fact that the shooter was a member of the Syrian security forces. Critics of the new Syrian authorities have pointed to Saturdays attack as evidence that the security forces are deeply infiltrated by IS and are an unreliable partner. Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, an advocacy group that seeks to build closer relations between Washington and Damascus, said that is unfair.Despite both having Islamist roots, HTS and IS were enemies and often clashed over the past decade.Among former members of HTS and allied groups, Moustafa, said, Its a fact that even those who carry the most fundamentalist of beliefs, the most conservative within the fighters, have a vehement hatred of ISIS.The coalition between the United States and Syria is the most important partnership in the global fight against ISIS because only Syria has the expertise and experience to deal with this, he said. ABBY SEWELL Sewell is the Associated Press news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She joined the AP in 2022 but has been based in the region since 2016, reporting and guiding coverage on some of its most significant news stories. twitter mailto

Palestinians pray during the funeral of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades operatives, whose bodies are draped in the group's flag, killed in an Israeli strike Saturday, in Gaza City, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-12-14T15:23:32Z JERUSALEM (AP) Hamas on Sunday confirmed the death of a top commander in Gaza, a day after Israel said it had killed Raed Saad in a strike outside Gaza City.The Hamas statement described Saad as the commander of its military manufacturing unit. Israel had described him as an architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza, and asserted that he had been engaged in rebuilding the terrorist organization in a violation of the ceasefire that took effect two months ago.Israel said it killed Saad after an explosive device detonated and wounded two soldiers in the territorys south.Hamas also said it had named a new commander but did not give details.Saturdays strike west of Gaza City killed four people, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw their bodies arrive at Shifa Hospital. Another three were wounded, according to Al-Awda hospital. Hamas in its initial statement described the vehicle struck as a civilian one. Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of truce violations.Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 391 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has said recent strikes are in retaliation for militant attacks against its soldiers, and that troops have fired on Palestinians who approached the Yellow Line between the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza and the rest of the territory. Israel has demanded that Palestinian militants return the remains of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, from Gaza and called it a condition of moving to the second and more complicated phase of the ceasefire. That lays out a vision for ending Hamas rule and seeing the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision. The initial Hamas-led 2023 attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Almost all hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals. Israels two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,660 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to the territorys Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.___Find more of APs Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze will not play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday after aggravating his foot injury during pregame warmups.

The video, verified by The New York Times, shows a man sneaking up on one of the shooters who targeted a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney on Sunday.

A look at the top moments from Week 15's games.

People gather on Washington Street in front of Manhattan Bridge during a snowfall, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in the Brooklyn Borough of New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)2025-12-14T18:46:33Z A weekend storm sent temperatures plunging well below zero in the Midwest and dumped heavy snow on parts of the Northeast on Sunday, creating many airport delays and slick roads as the Pacific Northwest braced for more rain after days of flooding and mudslides. The storm began Saturday and brought up to several inches of snow in the New York-New Jersey metro area, the regions first significant snowfall of the season. Light snow fell over parts of New England.The storm was expected to weaken by Sunday night, followed by arctic conditions with overnight windchill temperatures at or plummeting below zero degrees (-18 Celsius). Crews and contractors were out plowing and treating roads in New Jersey, where the state Department of Transportation advised people to avoid unnecessary travel. Salt spreaders and plows worked overnight to clear snow from roads and bike lanes, the New York City Department of Sanitation posted online. The state of Pennsylvania temporarily reduced speed limits on interstates to 45 mph (72 kph). There were over 1,000 flights delayed and more than 100 cancellations at U.S. airports due to the weather, according the flight tracking site FlightAware. Meanwhile, a blastic of arctic air swept south from Canada and into parts of the northern U.S. The National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota, said Sunday was the coldest morning of the season so far. It was -10 degrees (-23 C) at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, with temperatures as low as -22 (-30 C) in some communities. In the Pacific Northwest, which has seen catastrophic flooding that has forced thousands of people to evacuate, more rain and wind was expected in the region as early as late Sunday, forecasters said. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who is the team's second-leading tackler, was knocked out of Sunday's game against the Bengals with a knee injury.