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The Chargers will rest quarterback Justin Herbert for Sunday's regular-season finale, with Trey Lance getting the start against the Broncos.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday he believes he'll still be Arizona's coach in a week when head coach firings tend to begin around the NFL.

A dance company withdrew from two performances next year, and the arts centers website says two New Years Eve jazz concerts have been canceled.

Mr. Elba received a knighthood and Ms. Erivo was also honored in an annual British tradition celebrating professional excellence and community service.

Two days after the season ended with a 22-10 loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced Monday that offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and safeties coach Mickey Conn will not return to the Tigers' program next season.

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A growing body of research shows how pressure from overbearing coaches and parents is stunting childrens emotional well-being and leading to injuries.

The technology Is ruining much of what makes life worth living.

The attack was the 30th announced by the U.S. military since early September. It came days after President Trump said the U.S. had struck a coastal site related to drugs and Venezuela.

On the fifth anniversary of the attack, which falls next Tuesday, Democrats plan to hold an informal hearing to review President Trumps clemency for the rioters and G.O.P attempts to sanitize the event.

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Denny Hamlin's father died and his mother was critically injured after a weekend fire heavily damaged the North Carolina home where they lived.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic limped off the court at halftime of Denver's game in Miami on Monday night after injuring his left knee with about three seconds left before the intermission.

A leader for three terms, she traded the countrys leadership with Sheikh Hasina, the head of another political dynasty, over decades. She was believed to be 80.

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This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)2025-12-30T02:15:36Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabia bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the strike.The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the separatist forces of the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemens decadelong war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, which it said came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAEs eastern coast.Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships at the port, it said. It wasnt immediately clear if there were any casualties from the strike. The Saudi military said it conducted the attack overnight to make sure no collateral damage occurred. The UAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. The attack likely targeted a ship identified by analysts as the Greenland, a roll-on, roll-off vessel flagged out of St. Kitts. Tracking data analyzed by the AP showed the vessel had been in Fujairah on Dec. 22 and arrived in Mukalla on Sunday. Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert and the founder of the Basha Report, a risk advisory firm, cited social media videos which purported to show new armored vehicles rolling through Mukalla after the ships arrival. The ships owners, based in Dubai, could not be immediately reached. Mukalla is in Yemens Hadramout governorate, which the Council had seized in recent days. The port city is some 480 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of Aden, which has been the seat of power for anti-Houthi forces in Yemen after the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, back in 2014. The strike in Mukalla comes after Saudi Arabia targeted the Council in airstrikes Friday that analysts described as a warning for the separatists to halt their advance and leave the governorates of Hadramout and Mahra. The Council had pushed out forces there affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, another group in the coalition fighting the Houthis.Those aligned with the Council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990. Demonstrators have been rallying for days to support political forces calling for South Yemen to secede again from Yemen. The actions by the separatists have put pressure on the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which maintain close relations and are members of the OPEC oil cartel, but also have competed for influence and international business in recent years.There has also been an escalation of violence in Sudan, another nation on the Red Sea, where the kingdom and the Emirates support opposing forces in that countrys ongoing war. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

FILE - Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia waves to supporters after she was arrested, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Pavel Rahman, File)2025-12-30T01:51:11Z DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, whose archrivalry with another former premier defined the countrys politics for a generation, has died, her Bangladesh Nationalist Party said in a statement Tuesday. She was 80.Zia was the first woman elected prime minister of Bangladesh.She had faced corruption cases she said were politically motivated, but in January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Zia in the last corruption case against her, which would have let her run in Februarys general election.The BNP said that after she was released from prison due to illness in 2020, her family requested the administration of her archrival, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at least 18 times to allow her to be treated abroad, but the requests were rejected.Following Hasinas ouster in 2024, an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus finally allowed her to go. She went to London in January and returned to Bangladesh in May. Zias fight against the military dictatorshipBangladeshs early years of independence, gained in a bloody 1971 war against Pakistan, were marked by assassinations, coups and countercoups as military figures and secular and Islamic leaders jockeyed for power. Zias husband, President Ziaur Rahman, had grabbed power as a military chief in 1977 and a year later formed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was credited with opening democracy in the country, but he was killed in a 1981 military coup. Zias uncompromising stance against the military dictatorship helped build a mass movement against it, culminating with the ousting of dictator and former army chief H.M. Ershad in 1990. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Zias opponent when she won her first term in 1991 and in several elections after that was Hasina, the daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1975 coup. Zia was criticized over an early 1996 election in which her party won 278 of the 300 parliamentary seats during a wide boycott by other leading parties including Hasinas Awami League, which demanded an election-time caretaker government. Zias government lasted only 12 days before a nonpartisan caretaker government was installed and the new election was held that June.Zia returned to power in 2001 in a government shared with the countrys main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, which had a dark past involving Bangladeshs independence war. Rivalry with HasinaZias Bangladesh Nationalist Party was previously closely allied with the party, and her government maintained the confidence of the business community by following pro-investment, open market policies. Zia was known to have a soft spot for Pakistan and used to deliver anti-Indian political speeches. India alleged insurgents were allowed to use Bangladeshs soil to destabilize Indias northeastern states under Zia, especially during her second term from 2001-2006. During that term, Zia was also tainted by allegations that her elder son, Tarique Rahman, was running a parallel government and was involved in widespread corruption. In 2004, Hasina blamed Zias government and Rahman for grenade attacks in Dhaka that killed 24 members of her Awami League party and wounded hundreds of people. Hasina narrowly escaped the attack, which she characterized as an assassination attempt, and subsequently won the 2008 general election.Zias party and its partners boycotted the 2014 election in a dispute over a caretaker government, giving a one-sided victory to the increasingly authoritarian regime of Hasina. Her party joined the national elections in 2018 but boycotted again in 2024, allowing Hasina to return to power for a fourth consecutive time through controversial elections.Zia was sentenced to 17 years in jail in two separate corruption cases for misuse of power in embezzling funds meant for a charity named after her late husband. Her party said the charges were politically motivated to weaken the opposition, but the Hasina government said it did not interfere and the case was a matter for the courts.Hasina was bitterly criticized by both her opponents and independent critics for sending Zia to jail. Health concerns trump politicsZia was released from jail by Hasinas government in 2020 and was moved to a rented home, from where she regularly visited a private hospital. Her family repeatedly requested Hasinas administration to allow Zia to travel abroad for medical treatment, but was refused. After 15 years in power, Hasina was ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024 and fled the country. Zia was given permission to travel abroad by an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Zia was silent about politics for years and did not attend political rallies, but she remained the BNP chairperson until her death. Rahman has been the partys acting chair since 2018.She was last seen at an annual function of the Bangladesh military in Dhaka Cantonment on Nov. 21, when Yunus and other political leaders met her. She was in a wheelchair and appeared pale and tired.She is survived by Rahman, her elder son and heir apparent in the political dynasty. Her younger son, Arafat, died in 2015.

Two days before Ohio State opens its College Football Playoff run with a quarterfinal bout against Miami, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes got a five-star commitment Monday from 2027 defensive end D.J. Jacobs, the No. 11 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior 300.

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy is listed as probable to play against No. 3 Georgia in Thursday's CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

The attack last week, on a dock purportedly used for shipping narcotics, did not kill anyone, people briefed on the operation said. But it was the first known U.S. operation inside Venezuela.

Tiger Woods turned 50 on Tuesday, making the 15-time major championship winner eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit once he recovers from his latest health setbacks.

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Yonaguni, a tiny Japanese island near Taiwan, is getting soldiers, radar and missiles. As Chinas dispute with Tokyo escalates, some residents are worried.

A Taiwan's Mirage 2000 fighter jet runs past an airplane fort at an airbase in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)2025-12-30T05:48:56Z HONG KONG (AP) Chinas Peoples Liberation Army staged a second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, unleashing a live-fire show of force as part of what it called Justice Mission 2025 to demonstrate its ability to deter any external armed support for the self-ruled island that it has long insisted is part of its sovereign territory. The PLAs Eastern Theater Command sent destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers to the waters to the north and south of the island to test its ability in sea-air coordination and blockading. Its ground forces carried out long-range, live-fire drills in the waters to the islands north, and achieved what command spokesperson Li Xi called desired effects.The maneuvers increased tension around the Taiwan Strait as 2025 drew to a close, but the impact extended beyond military pressure into everyday life. Taiwans Civil Aviation Administration was notified that seven temporary dangerous zones had been set up around the strait, affecting international and domestic air travelers. It was not immediately clear whether that involved flight cancellations as opposed to delays. Xinhua, Chinas official news agency, posted a commentary late Monday saying the drills sent an unequivocal message: That Beijing is always ready to prevent anything that tries to split Taiwan from China. Each escalation, it said, would be met with stronger countermeasures.By currying favor with the United States through obsequious loyalty gestures and promoting arms purchases, the DPP is binding the entire island of Taiwan to its catastrophic secessionist chariot, disregarding public opinion, it wrote, referring to Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party. 130 aircraft and a Chinese balloon detected Taiwans Defense Ministry said it had detected 130 aircraft, including fighters and bombers, 14 military ships and eight other official ships around the island between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday. Its forces kept monitoring the development and deployed aircraft, navy ships and coastal missile systems in response. Ninety of the Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the strait and entered Taiwans air defense identification zone. A Chinese balloon was also spotted, it said.It said the PLA long-range artillery unit in Fujian, a southeastern Chinese province, fired live rounds toward a target zone north of the island, with impact zones scattered around the line, 44 kilometers (27 miles) off its coast.Taiwans Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the Chinese troops actions were highly provocative, undermined regional stability and posed security threats and disruptions to passing ships, trade activities and flight routes.While Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a near-daily basis, the scale of these exercises escalated tensions between both sides. China claims the island off its southeastern coast as sovereign territory and has vowed to seize it, by force if necessary.Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said the drills served as a stern warning to Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces, without naming any countries. He criticized Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te s administration for what it called pandering to external forces and pursuing independence, saying that was the root cause of disrupting the status quo in the strait and escalating tensions.Last week, Beijing imposed sanctions against 20 defense-related U.S. companies and 10 executives, following a Washington announcement of large-scale arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion. Those sales still require approval by the U.S. Congress. Under U.S. law, Washington is obligated to assist Taipei with its defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China over the years. Trump not worriedOn Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that while he was not informed of the military exercise in advance, neither was he particularly worried about it. He touted his great relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggested he didnt think Xi was going to attack Taiwan.The Taiwan issue also heightened China-Japan tensions. Beijing has expressed anger at a statement by Japans prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, saying its military could get involved if China takes action against the democratically ruled island. There remains widespread overall suspicion in China about Japan that goes back generations to when imperial Japan brutally took over parts of China in the years before World War II.China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the Communist Party rose to power in Beijing following a civil war. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, which later transitioned from martial law to multiparty democracy. Facing the drills, Taiwan on Monday called the Chinese government the biggest destroyer of peace. It cautioned carrying live-fire exercises around the strait could bring more complex challenges to the international community and neighboring countries. Stoking the tensions, Chinas Eastern Theater Command posted a series of online images and videos carrying provocative language throughout the exercises. In one video titled So Near, So Beautiful Anytime to Taipei, it showed its footage of Taipei 101, a landmark of Taiwans capital city. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Veteran running back Bijan Robinson had a career-high 195 yards rushing on 22 carries, and another 34 yards receiving on five receptions on Monday night, as the Atlanta Falcons authored a 27-24 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The department said the states policy of granting unauthorized immigrants in-state financial aid at public colleges and universities violates federal law.

The American and Israeli leaders showed few signs of disagreement after meeting in Florida, giving no public indication of their growing strains over Gaza, Syria and other issues.

China flew bombers and fired long-range artillery during a second day of exercises designed to show its ability to claim the island-democracy by force.

The Saudi-led coalition said its strike, at a port in southern Yemen, targeted weapons bound for a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates.

When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ProPublicas reporters set out to cover how his second administration would reshape the government and the country.Our reporters detailed what happened when the Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by Elon Musk, slashed federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Social Security Administration. We wrote about the people caught up in the administrations immigration crackdown, including the more than 170 U.S. citizens who had been detained by immigration agents. We profiled key figures in the administration, including the 22-year-old picked to lead terrorism prevention and the man who has been described as Trumps shadow president.Our newsroom also focused beyond the White House. Ginger Thompson wrote a five-part series, with research by Doris Burke, that told the story of American health care through the only hospital in Albany, Georgia. Ellis Simani and Lexi Churchill uncovered a Texas charter school superintendent who makes $870,000. And David Armstrong sought to understand why a single pill of his cancer drug cost the same as a new iPhone.Those were all among the investigations that readers spent the most time with this year. In the new year, ProPublica will keep reporting on these storylines and new ones.In the meantime, revisit our most-read stories of 2025, as measured by the total amount of time spent reading them across several of our publishing platforms.1. The Militia and the MoleBy Joshua KaplanOutraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didnt tell police or the FBI. He didnt tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.2. Sick in a Hospital TownBy Ginger Thompson, with research by Doris BurkeWhy were the people in Albany, Georgia, so sick, when the towns most powerful institution was a hospital?3. Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is Only a Matter of TimeBy McKenzie FunkCurrent and former flight attendants for GlobalX, the private charter airline at the center of Trumps immigration crackdown, expressed concern about their inability to treat passengers humanely and to keep them safe.4. The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social SecurityBy Eli HagerDOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agency, who admits he sometimes made things worse.5. Trumps Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records RevealBy Justin Elliott, Robert Faturechi and Alex MierjeskiThe Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing he called deceitful and potentially criminal.6. Getting DOGED: DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.By Avi Asher-Schapiro and Christopher BingAfghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his familys lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U.S.-funded nonprofit.7. The Intern in Charge: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trumps Team Picked to Lead Terrorism PreventionBy Hannah AllamOne year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the governments main hub for combating violent extremism.8. The Price of RemissionBy David ArmstrongWhen Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer, he set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. He has covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What he discovered shocked him.9. Incalculable Damage: How a We Buy Ugly Houses Franchise Left a Trail of Financial Wreckage Across TexasBy Anjeanette Damon and Mollie SimonCharles Carrier is accused of orchestrating a yearslong Ponzi scheme, bilking tens of millions of dollars from both wealthy investors and older people with modest incomes. Despite signs of trouble, the houseflipping chain HomeVestors of America didnt step in.10. The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal InvestigationBy Robert Faturechi and Avi Asher-SchapiroFederal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.11. This County Was the Model for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations.By Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria. Co-published with Arizona Luminaria.Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County was one of the first testing grounds for ICEs 287(g) program, which lets local police enforce immigration laws. Many Arizonans say those abuses parallel whats playing out now under Trump.12. The H-2A Visa TrapBy Max Blau, ProPublica, and Zaydee Sanchez, for ProPublica, with illustrations by Dadu Shin for ProPublicaSofi left behind her child in Mexico for the promise of providing him a better life. She ended up a victim of an operation that is alleged to have exploited the H-2A visa program and the workers it brought to America.13. Ticking Time Bomb: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldnt Get an Abortion in Texas.By Kavitha Surana and Lizzie Presser, photography by Lexi Parra for ProPublicaProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldnt access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.14. To Pay for Trump Tax Cuts, House GOP Floats Plan to Slash Benefits for the Poor and Working ClassBy Robert Faturechi and Justin ElliottA menu of options being circulated by congressional Republicans also includes new tax cuts for corporations and the ultrawealthy.15. Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political DonationsBy Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex MierjeskiA dark money group paid $80,000 to Noems personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirements, experts say.16. We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. Theyve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.By Nicole Foy, photography by Sarahbeth ManeyThe government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally almost certainly incomplete includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.17. Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy, photography by Peter DiCampoBehind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a result.18. The President Wanted It and I Did It: Recording Reveals Head of Social Securitys Thoughts on DOGE and TrumpBy Eli HagerIn a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with the DOGE kids.19. This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students.By Ellis Simani, ProPublica, and Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Co-published with The Texas Tribune.On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely arent aware that in reality, his total pay makes him one of the countrys highest-earning superintendents.20. What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trumps Shadow PresidentBy Andy KrollVought is the architect of Trumps broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.21. Slow Pay, Low Pay or No PayBy T. Christian MillerBlue Cross authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay the full doctors bills. A jury called it fraud and awarded the practice $421 million.22. Were Broken: As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Are Leaving in Droves for ICEBy Keri BlakingerMany of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.23. He Spent Funds Meant for Native Hawaiians on Polo and Porsches. The Federal Government Failed to Stop Him.By Nick Grube, Honolulu Civil Beat. Co-published with Honolulu Civil Beat.A small business program allowed Christopher Dawson to win big contracts if he promised to uplift Native Hawaiians. Instead, federal prosecutors allege, he used the money to line his own pockets.24. Young Girls Were Sexually Abused by a Church Member. They Were Told to Forgive and Forget.By Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, and Andy Mannix, Minnesota Star Tribune, photography by Leila Navidi, Minnesota Star Tribune. Co-published with Minnesota Star Tribune.In Minnesota, leaders of an Old Apostolic Lutheran Church community enabled a child abuser by telling his victims that once the sins were washed away in the blood of reconciliation, they could never speak of them again.25. Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.By Lizzie Presser, Andrea Suozzo, Sophie Chou and Kavitha SuranaProPublicas first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas abortion ban.The post The Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 2025 appeared first on ProPublica.

Its Swedens longest criminal trial. I was there because of a different historic distinction.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)2025-12-10T10:18:46Z DOHA, Qatar (AP) Saudi Arabia bombed Yemens port city of Mukalla on Tuesday, targeting a shipment of weapons from the United Arab Emirates for separatist forces a significant move in a country located along a key international trade route that threatens to bring new risks to the Persian Gulf region.The secessionist Southern Transitional Council, STC, a group backed by the United Arab Emirates, this month seized most of the the provinces of Hadramout and Mahra, including oil facilities.Yemen has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves a complex interplay of sectarian grievances and the involvement of regional powers. The Iran-aligned Houthis control the most populous regions of the country, including the capital Sanaa. Meanwhile, a loose regional coalition of powers including Saudi Arabia and the UAE has backed the internationally recognized government in the south. The war has created a humanitarian crisis and shattered the economy. Still, since 2022, violence had gradually declined as the sides reached something of a stalemate in the war.The move by the UAE-backed separatists upends the political arrangement among the anti-Houthi partners. The origins of the crisisThe war in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthis marched from their northern stronghold of Saada. They took the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the war the following year in an attempt to restore the government. The new fighting pits the STC against the forces of the internationally recognized government and its allied tribes, even as they are both members of the camp fighting against the Houthi rebels in the countrys broader civil war.The STC is the most powerful group in southern Yemen, with crucial financial and military support from the UAE. It was established in April 2017 as an umbrella organization for groups that seek to restore South Yemen as an independent state, as it was between 1967 and 1990. The latest moves reinforced the STC positions across southern Yemen, which could give them leverage in any future talks to settle the Yemen conflict. The STC has long demanded that any settlement should give southern Yemen the right of self-determination.The STC enjoys loyalty through much of southern Yemen. It is chaired by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who is also vice president of the countrys Presidential Leadership Council, the ruling organ of the internationally recognized government. The STC and other UAE-supported groups now control most of the southern half of Yemen, including crucial port cities and islands.The other party in the latest fighting includes the Yemeni military, which reports to the internationally recognized government. They are allied with the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, a local tribal coalition supported by Saudi Arabia.These forces are centered in Yemens largest province of Hadramout, which stretches from the Gulf of Aden in the south to the border with Saudi Arabia in the north. The oil-rich province is a major source of fuel for the southern areas of Yemen. Secessionists advance this monthEarlier this month, STC forces marched to Hadramout and took control of the provinces major facilities, including PetroMasila, Yemens largest oil company, after brief clashes with government forces and their tribal allies.This took place after the Saudi-backed Hadramout Tribal Alliance seized the PetroMasila oil facility in late November to pressure the government to agree to its demands for a bigger share of oil revenues and the improvement of services for Hadramouts residents.The STC apparently seized on this move as a pretext for wrestling control of Hadramout and its oil facilities for itself and expanding areas under its control in Yemen.STC forces then marched to the province of Mahra on the borders with Oman and took control of a border crossing between the two countries. In Aden, the UAE-backed force also seized the presidential palace, which serves as the seat of the ruling Presidential Council.Saudi troops also withdrew earlier this month from bases in Aden, a Yemeni government official said. The withdrawal was part of a Saudi repositioning strategy, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.On Friday, Saudi Arabia targeted the Hadramout region in airstrikes that analysts described as a warning for the separatists to halt their advance and leave the governorates of Hadramout and Mahra. A fragile situation has been shatteredThe escalation shattered the relative quiet in Yemens war, which has been stalemated in recent years after the Houthis reached a deal with Saudi Arabia that stopped their attacks on the kingdom in return for ceasing the Saudi-led strikes on their territories.The escalation highlights strained ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemens decade long war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels amid a moment of unease across the wider Red Sea region. The two nations, while closely aligned on many issues in the wider Mideast, increasingly have competed with each other over economic issues and the regions politics.The United Arab Emirates said earlier this month that Yemens governance and territorial integrity is an issue that must be determined by the Yemeni parties themselves. SAMY MAGDY Magdy is a Middle East reporter for The Associated Press, based in Cairo. He focuses on conflict, migration and human rights abuses. twitter facebook mailto

France's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Pedro Pardo/Pool Photo via AP)2025-12-30T06:25:48Z BEIJING (AP) Chinas foreign minister on Tuesday slammed a record U.S. arms sale to Taiwan as Beijing conducted the second day of military drills around the island it has long claimed as its own.Wang Yi, the most senior Chinese official to comment on the sales so far, also blasted the pro-independence forces in Taiwan and Japans leaders during an end-of-the-year diplomatic event in Beijing.In response to the continuous provocations by pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the large-scale U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, we must resolutely oppose and strongly counter them, Wang said while reviewing a year of diplomacy by Asias largest and most influential nation.He reiterated Chinas aim for a complete reunification with Taiwan, a self-ruled island that split from China during a civil war in 1949 and evolved into a multiparty democracy. Taiwans government argues the island was never part of China in its current form under the Communist Party and Beijings sovereignty claims are illegitimate. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Military package rankles ChinaThe package valued at more than $11 billion that was announced earlier this month by the U.S. State Department amounts to the largest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. It includes missiles, drones, artillery systems and military software.The U.S. is obligated by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on the self-ruled island to buy more U.S. military equipment, even suggesting Taiwan should spend up to 10% of its GDP on defense.China responded to the sale by launching two days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday. The exercises also are largely seen as a rebuke to Sanae Takaichi, the new Japanese prime minister, who inflamed Beijing last month by implying Japan could militarily intervene over Taiwan. Japan, which launched the war of aggression against China, not only fails to deeply reflect on the numerous crimes it committed, but its current leaders also openly challenge Chinas territorial sovereignty, the historical conclusions of World War II and the postwar international order, Wang said, adding that China must be highly vigilant against the resurgence of Japanese militarism. Other diplomatic initiatives reviewedIn his speech reviewing Chinas diplomatic highlights for the year, Wang also mentioned Israels war in Gaza, welcoming international efforts to facilitate a ceasefire but insisting that more needs to be done.The world still owes Palestine justice, Wang said. The Palestinian question cannot be marginalized again, and the Palestinian peoples cause for democratic and legitimate rights cannot end in vain.China maintains strong relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority and backs the two-state solution, under which Israel and Palestine would exist as independent states.Wang also emphasized Chinas aim to facilitate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Beijing says it is impartial in the war but in practice signals support for Moscow through frequent state visits and joint military drills.Wang mediated talks between top diplomats from Thailand and Cambodia earlier this week, which the leaders said helped consolidate a ceasefire between the two neighbors after months of fighting. The meetings represented Chinas latest efforts to strengthen its role as an international mediator and particularly its influence in Asian regional crises. As China grows into an economic and political force globally, Beijing has spent the past decade and more working in various ways to increase its voice as a third party in diplomatic matters. SIMINA MISTREANU Mistreanu is a Greater China reporter for The Associated Press, based in Taipei, Taiwan. She has reported on China since 2015. twitter mailto

In this photo provided by the Federal Road Safety Corps, people gather at the accident scene of British boxer Anthony Joshua in Lagos, Nigeria, on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Federal Road Safety Corps via AP)2025-12-29T14:19:48Z LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Anthony Joshua, the two-time former world heavyweight champion from Britain, was in a stable condition in the hospital Monday after being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two people who were close friends and team members, his promoter said.Eddie Hearns Matchroom Boxing said on X that Joshua sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment and he will remain there for observation. It named Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele as the two passengers who had tragically passed away.Photos on social media showed Joshua being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain.Following thorough clinical evaluations, medical professionals have confirmed that both patients (hospitalized after the accident) are stable and do not require any emergency medical intervention at this time, a joint statement by Lagos and Ogun state governments said. The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the accident in a post on X, adding that the government had sent ambulances to the crash site. The crash occurred on a major thoroughfare the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which links Ogun state to Lagos, the countrys economic capital at about 11 a.m. local time. Nigeria is the homeland of Joshuas parents. Ogun State Police earlier said in a statement: The vehicle conveying Mr. Joshua, a Lexus SUV, was involved in the accident under circumstances that are currently being investigated. Joshua, seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical attention with another injured person. According to Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck, which was by the side of the road.The Ogun state government said that preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot. Life is much more important than boxingJoshua beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Dec. 19 in a bout in Miami, which he was using to regain sharpness in the ring. He lost the world heavyweight title in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk.Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by todays unfortunate accident, Paul said Monday.Nigerias president calls JoshuaNigerias president, Bola Tinubu, called Joshua in hospital.I spoke with AJ on the phone to personally convey my condolences over the death of his two associates, the president said on X. I wished him a full and speedy recovery, and prayed with him. AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care. I also spoke with his mother and prayed for her. She was deeply appreciative of the call.No further details on Joshuas condition were given.Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries, Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of police for Ogun state, told the AP. He said he has no further information on the injuries. Hearn had earlier told Daily Mail Sport that he was away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident.We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we dont want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images.Joshua briefly went to boarding school in Nigeria at the age of 11. He returned there for the first time in 17 years in 2019, ahead of a fight against Andy Ruiz Jr.Joshua has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.___AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing___AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Sundsvall, Sweden, contributed to this report. OPE ADETAYO Adetayo is a West Africa reporter for The Associated Press. He covers news and regional development across West and Central Africa. twitter facebook mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)2025-12-29T11:00:08Z Talk to any golfer who played against Tiger Woods and there is sure to be at least one story about one shot so sublime they were certain it could not be hit by them or anyone else.He was just different. Better.The 2-iron Woods hit into the par-5 10th hole at the TPC Sugarloaf led Stewart Cink to say, This is a skill set I dont have. Padraig Harrington once saw Woods hit an 8-iron so majestic at Firestone that it got in his head and led to the Irishman making triple bogey.Nick Price played the opening two rounds with Woods at St. Andrews in the 2000 British Open and felt the tournament already was over. Mark OMeara played a practice round with him at Pebble Beach before the 2000 U.S. Open and told his wife before the championship started, Tiger is going to win. And not only is he going to win, hes going to blow away the field. Woods won by 15. For all those years, so many greats in the game could never relate to Woods. And now, finally, they can.Not even Woods can beat time. He turns 50 on Tuesday.Its a milestone for anyone, but its different in golf because the sport can be played well after the age when athletes have long retired in other sports. Phil Mickelson won a major at 50. Jack Nicklaus made an early Sunday charge at the Masters when he was 58. With Woods, its complicated.He now is eligible for the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions. He also has had more surgeries than the 15 majors he won. This is the first year he didnt play a single tournament, the result of a ruptured Achilles tendon in March and a seventh back surgery in September. Im probably going to play 25 events on both tours and I think that should cover most of the year, right? Woods quipped in the Bahamas when asked about turning 50.He won the U.S. Open just eight days before reconstructive surgery on his left knee. He won the Masters two years after surgery to fuse his lower back. But he hasnt been the same since that 2021 car crash in Los Angeles. Woods has played 11 times the last five seasons, finished only four of those tournaments and hasnt been closer than 16 shots to the winner. Come back to what point? Woods said. Id like to come back to just playing golf again.And so this celebration is more about looking back than forward. Ernie Els was most prescient in 2000 at Kapalua when he was on the losing end again no one finished second to Woods more than the Big Easy. They matched eagles on the 18th in regulation, birdies on the 18th in a playoff and Woods got him with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Vintage Tiger.I think hes a legend in the making, Els said that day. Hes 24. Hes probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.Thats up for debate, of course. Undeniable is the impact Woods has left on golf. Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed. Woods made golf look different and he made it cool. And perhaps his greatest legacy is he unwittingly trained a generation of players who wanted to be like him. Scottie Scheffler said nothing inspired him more than watching the intensity of Woods when he was out of contention at the 2020 Masters. Woods made a 10 on the 12th hole and followed with five birdies over his last six holes. He tied for 38th. Tiger was just different in the way he approached each shot. It was like the last shot he was ever going to hit, Scheffler said. It was the only time they played together. Scheffler now is coming up on three years at No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch since Woods.But it started with that skill set unlike any other.Hes the only guy Ive ever known who continually exceeded expectations, Tom Lehman said. No matter how much you heaped on him, he found a way to exceed them.Lehman recalls one moment at the Memorial on the 17th hole, a green so rock-hard it felt impossible to get it close. Lehman hit 5-iron as high and far as he could and was pleased to see it roll out 25 feet from the cup.He hits this shot way up in the air and it was coming down like a parachute, Lehman said. Lands by the cup and bounces 2 feet and stops. I figure he must have hit a 7-iron. I said, Tiger, what club was that? He said, That was a little, three-finger 5-iron. He just filleted it in there. When I think of him, thats what I think of. Only one guy could hit that shot. And he did it often. Woods had the career Grand Slam at age 24, the youngest of anyone. He had 50 wins worldwide and 10 majors before he turned 30.It wasnt as easy as he could make it look. The late Dan Jenkins once said when Woods was in peak form, Only two things can stop Tiger injury or a bad marriage. Turns out it was both. His path was derailed at the end of 2009 by revelations of multiple extramarital affairs, and the injuries kept piling up. He still made it back to No. 1 in the world in 2013 and he ran his PGA Tour victory count to 82, tied with Sam Snead. If he never got injured, hed have 25 majors and 125 wins, Fred Couples said.Matt Kuchar saw it differently. He felt the injuries contributed to the legend of Woods, particularly that 2008 U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines.Woods was playing that week on shredded ligaments in his left knee and two stress fractures in his left leg. Often overlooked is that Woods had not walked 18 holes since the Masters until the opening round at Torrey Pines.The legacy is bigger because of the injuries, Kuchar said. What he did at Torrey Pines, what he did at the (2019) Masters is sort of Hoganesque. At some point I, like most everybody, counted him out. And then he wins again.Woods is keeping plenty busy outside the ropes. He was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board without a term limit in 2023 as the tour was in the midst of its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee charged with reshaping the tour model. The next question is when and where he plays. Woods is the only player to have won the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The U.S. Senior Open is at Scioto, the Ohio course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.April at Augusta isnt the same without Woods. He set the Masters record in 2024 by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. How much more? How much longer?People want to see him, Kuchar said. And if he shoots 76, people still want to see him. Hes unique in our sport.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf DOUG FERGUSON Ferguson has been The APs golf writer since 1998. He is a recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, A Russia's Oreshnik missile system is seen during a training in an undisclosed location in Belarus. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)2025-12-30T08:53:55Z Russias nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service, Russias Ministry of Defense said Tuesday, as negotiators continue to search for a breakthrough in peace talks to end Moscows war in Ukraine.Troops held a brief ceremony to mark the occasion in neighboring Belarus where the missiles have been deployed, the ministry said. It did not say how many missiles had been deployed or give any other details.Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier in December that the Oreshnik would enter combat duty this month. He made the statement at a meeting with top Russian military officers, where he warned that Moscow will seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlins demands in peace talks.The announcement comes at a critical time for Russia-Ukraine peace talks. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy at his Florida resort Sunday and insisted that Kyiv and Moscow were closer than ever before to a peace settlement. However, negotiators are still searching for a breakthrough on key issues, including whose forces withdraw from where in Ukraine and the fate of Ukraines Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the 10 biggest in the world. Trump noted that the monthslong U.S.-led negotiations could still collapse. Putin has sought to portray himself as negotiating from a position of strength as Ukrainian forces strain to keep back the bigger Russian army. At a meeting with senior military officers Monday, Putin emphasized the need to create military buffer zones along the Russian border. He also claimed that Russian troops were advancing in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine and pressing their offensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.Moscow first used the Oreshnik, which is Russian for hazelnut tree, against Ukraine in November 2024, when it fired the experimental weapon at a factory in Dnipro that built missiles when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Putin has praised the Oreshniks capabilities, saying that its multiple warheads, which plunge toward a target at speeds up to Mach 10, are immune to being intercepted.He warned the West that Moscow could use it against Ukraines NATO allies whove allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia.Russias missile forces chief has also declared that the Oreshnik, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, has a range allowing it to reach all of Europe.Intermediate-range missiles can fly between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). Such weapons were banned under a Soviet-era treaty that Washington and Moscow abandoned in 2019.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Nature, Published online: 30 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04103-3A challenging exhibition asks why we are so fascinated with the preserved bodies of our ancestors, and how we should treat them.

Nature, Published online: 30 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04100-6Nuclear fusion. People on Mars. Artificial general intelligence. These are just some of the advances that could come by the mid-century mark.

A few months ago, Oregons green energy outlook was bleak.The state Legislature and Gov. Tina Kotek had repeatedly failed to address a huge obstacle that has held back wind and solar projects in the Northwest for years: aging electrical lines too jammed up to handle more renewable power.A series of articles by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica identified barriers in the federal and state bureaucracies that delayed improvements to the beef up the grid. The failure to complete upgrades is the main reason Oregon, like its fellow progressive state and neighbor Washington, has lagged most of the nation in the growth of clean energy despite an internal mandate to go green.Bills to tackle the transmission problem continued to languish and die in the Oregon Legislature as recently as this spring.But there has been a groundswell of urgency since the stories were published.Kotek, a Democrat, has now issued two executive orders mandating that state agencies speed up renewable energy development by any available means, including fast-tracking permits and directly paying for new transmission lines.Those efforts could eventually be backed up by money. The states energy department, in a first, recommended lawmakers consider creating a state entity to finance, plan and build transmission lines. A lawmaker whose bill to create such an authority failed this year suddenly has hope for getting it done, and he said the governors office is working with him to make it happen.What was essentially an unacknowledged problem among many Oregon policymakers now has the full attention of the governor and the key agencies that report to her. There has been new attention on electrical transmission in Washington state, as well.The shift comes as President Donald Trump has created new obstacles to ramping up renewable energy. This year, he removed tax credits that made wind and solar cheaper to build, blocked new wind permits and fired employees of the federal agency that reviews them.This was the year where youve seen all these factors coming together we know that our outdated grid is choking our ability to grow across the state, and were already paying more for electricity, Kotek said in an interview last week.Kotek acknowledged the role of OPB and ProPublicas reporting when asked what prompted the changes.Youve been doing some great stories, she said.In May, OPB and ProPublica showed that the state ranked 47th in renewable energy growth over the past decade. Washington is 50th.An analysis by the news organizations found that Northwest wind and solar farms face the longest odds in the country for successfully connecting to the power grid, under a process heavily controlled by the Bonneville Power Administration. The federal agencys transmission lines and substations constitute 75% of the regions electrical network.Out of 469 large renewables projects that have sought access to Bonnevilles system since 2015, only one was successful. Backers of the other projects either abandoned their requests or were still waiting on studies and necessary upgrades to power lines and substations.Northwest utilities fear rolling blackouts within the decade unless transmission capacity is expanded to meet surging energy demand, particularly from data centers that support artificial intelligence.Kotek said she hadnt seen the numbers on Oregons stagnant renewable energy growth before OPB and ProPublica reported them.I hope and we will be planning to make our numbers look better and better in the coming years, she said.In 2021, when lawmakers enacted Oregons plan to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in electrical generation by 2040, they failed to account for transmission and the glacial pace set by Bonneville for improvements. (The agency has said previously its project approval decisions are guided by financial prudence.)Oregon leaders also did not address the states slow process for evaluating energy projects, with appeals that can prolong permit decisions on new power lines or wind and solar farms for years. The rules originated with the 1970s antinuclear movement. Foes say rural transmission and wind projects blight the landscape, and they have used the permitting system as a means of delay.Bills to smooth out the state permitting process, even those supported by rural interests, went nowhere. Efforts to bypass Bonneville also withered. Advocates proposed a state financing authority for new transmission lines and substations as recently as this year. The legislation, which lacked the endorsement of either Kotek or the Oregon Department of Energy, died.Emily Moore, director of climate and energy for the Seattle-based think tank Sightline Institute, called OPB and ProPublicas reporting invaluable in prompting change.It has motivated policymakers and advocates alike to try to find solutions to get Oregon and Washington unstuck and is recruiting new people to the effort, Moore said.Koteks latest executive order calls for a wide array of state agencies to recommend ways to overcome obstacles to clean energy development. This followed her October order for state agencies to take any and all steps necessary to fast-track solar and wind permits.Separately, the energy department recommended lawmakers look into creating a new entity like state authorities in Colorado and New Mexico, which plan transmission routes, partner with transmission developers and issue bonds to finance construction. The agencys strategic plan, finalized in November, said the state must streamline clean energy development and take a more active role in getting regional transmission lines built.Similar findings emerged in a Dec. 1 report by a state working group created by Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, which called for a dedicated state entity focused on increasing transmission capacity. The authors cited OPB and ProPublicas 2025 coverage in stating that Washington is falling behind on infrastructure needed to hit its green energy goals. (Ferguson requested the report following reporting by The Seattle Times and ProPublica last year on the energy consumed by data centers, which receive generous state tax breaks.)This would be something that could potentially really help move the needle, said Joni Sliger, a senior policy analyst with the Oregon energy department.The governor has also ordered the department and Oregon utilities regulators to designate physical paths through the state in which permitting for transmission lines can be streamlined and to gather financial support for projects that serve the public interest.A proposed Eastern Oregon transmission line was stuck in the permitting process for nearly two decades. The line is expected to run through this stretch of La Grande, Oregon. Steve Lenz for ProPublicaKotek cited the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line in Eastern Oregon that got caught in permitting limbo for nearly 20 years, an episode highlighted in OPB and ProPublicas reporting. The governor called the states handling of the project a red flag.We have to get out of our own way, she said.Koteks executive orders drew praise from a range of organizations who appeared with the governor when she announced her most recent moves in November.It makes our energy system stronger and more reliable, enhancing grid resilience, expanding storage and bolstering transmission to keep electricity affordable and dependable for every Oregonian, Nora Apter, Oregon director for the clean energy advocacy group Climate Solutions, said at the time.The head of Oregon Business for Climate, which represents interests including real estate developers, wineries and coffee roasters, also spoke at the event.Tim Miller, the groups director, said that although Oregon has put in place an energy permitting system to ensure siting is done right, Koteks order reminds the state that we also have to get things done.Lawmakers now are working on a plan to enact a state transmission financing authority during the next full legislative session, in early 2027.Rep. Mark Gamba, the Portland-area Democrat whose effort to create such an agency last year failed, said the governors office is in discussions with him about the new legislation and that he expects it to pass thanks to her involvement.Her leaning in the way she has is what we needed, he said.Gamba said hes seeing newfound support for expanding transmission from across the political spectrum.Ive gotten calls from interests that typically Im on the other side of the fight with, Gamba said, because they recognize that this is an economic development issue as well.The post Oregon Faced a Huge Obstacle in Adding Green Energy. Heres What Changed This Year. appeared first on ProPublica.

Over the past year, ProPublica has published hundreds of investigations.In January, Kyle Hopkins of the Anchorage Daily News examined why a sexual assault case took seven years to go to trial in Alaska. In March, our video journalists told the stories of three mothers fighting to address Americas stillbirth crisis. In August, a team across the newsroom calculated how deeply President Donald Trumps administration cut federal health agencies. And in December, Megan Rose and Debbie Cenziper reported how the Food and Drug Administrations lax generic drug rules put a lung transplant patients life at risk.Here are 25 long-reads to add to your end-of-year reading list. You can also explore our most-read stories of the year.1. Anchorage Police Say They Witnessed a Sexual Assault in Public. It Took Seven Years for the Case to Go to Trial.By Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News. Co-published with Anchorage Daily News.Published Jan. 7.In Alaska, where the time to resolve most serious felony cases has nearly tripled over the past decade, one case was delayed so long that both victims died. A former prosecutor called it a travesty of justice.2. Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud ResponseBy Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, and Hannah Bassett, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Co-published with Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.Published Jan. 27.Arizona officials acknowledged that a fraud scheme targeting Indigenous people with addictions cost taxpayers $2.5 billion. But they havent accounted publicly for the number of deaths tied to the scheme.3. What a $2 Million Per Dose Gene Therapy Reveals About Drug PricingBy Robin FieldsPublished Feb. 12.Video by Jose Sepulveda/ProPublicaTaxpayers and charities helped develop Zolgensma. Then it debuted at a record price, ushering in a new class of wildly expensive drugs. Its story upends the widely held conception that high prices reflect huge industry investments in innovation.4. How a Global Online Network of White Supremacists Groomed a Teen to KillBy A.C. Thompson and James Bandler, ProPublica, and Luk Diko, Investigative Center of Jan Kuciak. Co-published with FRONTLINE.Published March 8.The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and FRONTLINE investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated, international recruiting effort by online extremists.5. Before a Breath: Americas Stillbirth CrisisBy Nadia Sussman, Liz Moughon, Margaret Cheatham Williams and Lisa Riordan SevillePublished March 20.Video by ProPublicaMore than 20,000 stillbirths occur in the U.S. each year, but 1 in 4 may be preventable. Before a Breath sheds light on three mothers fighting to change those statistics.6. A Wholly Inaccurate Picture: Reality Cop Show The First 48 and the Wrongly Convicted Manby Jessica Lussenhop, photography by Sarahbeth ManeyPublished March 29.Video by Jose Sepulveda/ProPublicaEdgar Barrientos-Quintana spent 16 years behind bars wrongly convicted for a shooting featured on The First 48. The Minnesota attorney generals office effectively alleged that the show shaped the case instead of the case shaping the show.7. An Algorithm Deemed This Nearly Blind 70-Year-Old Prisoner a Moderate Risk. Now Hes No Longer Eligible for Parole.By Richard A. Webster, Verite News. Co-published with Verite News.Published April 10.A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm Black people and may even be unconstitutional.8. How a Chinese Prison Helped Fuel a Deadly Drug Crisis in the United StatesBy Sebastian RotellaPublished April 23.While China enforces strict laws against domestic drug trafficking, state-supported companies have openly shipped fentanyl to the U.S., investigators say. One prison-owned chemical company boasted online: 100% of our shipments will clear customs.9. Nike Says Its Factory Workers Earn Nearly Double the Minimum Wage. At This Cambodian Factory, 1% Made That Much.By Rob Davis, photography by Sarahbeth Maney. Co-published with The Oregonian/OregonLive.Published April 25.Nike has made an expansive effort to convince consumers, investors and others that it is improving the lives of factory workers who make its products, not exploiting them. A rare view of wages at one Cambodian factory tests this claim.10. Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDAs Gamble on Americas DrugsBy Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena HwangPublished June 17.A ProPublica investigation found that for more than a decade, the FDA gave substandard factories banned from the United States a special pass to keep sending drugs to an unsuspecting public.11. He Was Accused of Killing His Wife. Idahos Coroner System Let Clues Vanish After a Previous Wifes Death.By Audrey DuttonPublished July 16.Video by Jose Sepulveda/ProPublicaClayton Strong had a history of domestic unrest in two marriages. The womens families say a more thorough investigation of Betty Strongs death in Idaho might have saved the life of his next wife, Shirley Weatherley, in Texas.12. He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared.By Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica; Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune; Mica Rosenberg and Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica; Ronna Rsquez, Alianza Rebelde Investiga; and Adrin Gonzlez, Cazadores de Fake News. Co-published with Alianza Rebelde Investiga, Cazadores de Fake News and The Texas Tribune.Published July 18.Like most of the more than 230 Venezuelan men deported to a Salvadoran prison, Jos Manuel Ramos Bastidas had followed U.S. immigration rules. Then Trump rewrote them.13. The Drying PlanetBy Abrahm Lustgarten, graphics by Lucas Waldron, illustrations by Olivier Kugler for ProPublicaPublished July 25.A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid mega regions and causing sea levels to rise.14. Middle School Cheerleaders Made a TikTok Video Portraying a School Shooting. They Were Charged With a Crime.By Aliyya Swaby. Co-published with WPLN.Published July 28.Social videos, memes and retweets are becoming fodder for criminal charges in an era of heightened responses to student threats. Authorities say harsh punishment is necessary, but experts say the crackdown has unintended consequences.15. Well Smash the Fucking Window Out and Drag Him OutBy Nicole Foy and McKenzie FunkPublished July 31.Weve documented nearly 50 incidents of immigration officers shattering car windows to make arrests a tactic experts say was rarely used before Trump took office. ICE claims its officers use a minimum amount of force. You can judge for yourself.16. Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health AgenciesBy Brandon Roberts, Annie Waldman and Pratheek Rebala, illustrations by Sam Green for ProPublicaPublished Aug. 21.More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.17. Material Support and an Ohio Chaplain: How 9/11-Era Terror Rules Could Empower Trumps Immigration CrackdownBy Hannah AllamPublished Sept. 9.The U.S. government was trying to deport Ohio childrens hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman, alleging tenuous connections to terrorism. If DHS had succeeded, experts say it could have handed the Trump administration a sledgehammer to use on mass deportations. A few weeks after this investigation was published, Soliman was freed.18. Just Let Me DieBy Duaa Eldeib, photography by Sarah Blesener for ProPublicaPublished Sept. 10.After insurance repeatedly denied a couples claims, one psychiatrist was their last hope.19. These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.By Megan OMatz and Jennifer Smith RichardsPublished Oct. 8.Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars and the end of public schools as we know them.20. How Paul Newby Made North Carolina a Blueprint for Conservative CourtsBy Doug Bock ClarkPublished Oct. 30.Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolinas Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, hes driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.21. She Begged for Help. This States Probation Gap May Have Put Her in Danger.By Paige Pfleger, WPLN, and Mariam Elba, ProPublica. Co-published with MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, Tennessee Lookout and WPLN.Published Nov. 11.Tennessee probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months. Temptress Peebles was one of six mothers who died during this gap.22. What the U.S. Government Is Dismissing That Could Seed a Bird Flu PandemicBy Nat Lash, graphics by Chris AlcantaraPublished Nov. 18.Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air. After a disastrous Midwestern outbreak early this year, we tested that theory and found that where the wind blew, the virus followed. Vaccines could help, but the USDA hasnt approved them.Read MoreThe Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 202523. Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax FormsBy Ellis Simani, design by Zisiga MukuluPublished Dec. 17.As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate illegal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statements in their tax filings.24. Inside the Trump Administrations Man-Made Hunger CrisisBy Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester, photography by Brian Otieno for ProPublicaPublished Dec. 17.Brutal and traumatizing: Interviews and a trove of internal documents show government officials and aid workers desperately tried to warn Trump advisers about impending disaster and death.25. Fighting for BreathBy Megan Rose and Debbie Cenziper, photography by Hannah Yoon for ProPublicaPublished Dec. 19.Lung transplant patient Hannah Goetzs life depended on the generic version of a critical drug. It was supposed to be equivalent to the brand-name medication but the FDA doesnt always ensure thats the case.The post 25 Investigations You May Have Missed This Year appeared first on ProPublica.