Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, left, who work for a company doing contract work for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-12T05:07:52Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration will present an unforgiving argument for dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development to a federal judge Wednesday: USAID is rife with insubordination and must be shut down for the administration to decide what pieces of it to salvage. The argument, made in an affidavit by political appointee and deputy USAID administrator Pete Marocco, comes as the administration confronts a lawsuit by two groups representing federal employees.USAID staffers deny insubordination and call the accusation a pretext to break up the more than 60-year-old agency, one of the worlds biggest donors of humanitarian and development assistance.Accounts of USAID staffers filed Tuesday in support of the lawsuit revealed new details of the destruction of the agency. That includes a sworn statement from a USAID staffer describing a specific leader in billionaire Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency teams allegedly directing USAID staffers on Monday in the immediate termination of about 200 USAID programs without proper authorization or process. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump, dealt the administration a setback Friday in its dismantling of the agency, temporarily halting plans to pull all but a fraction of USAID staffers off the job worldwide. Nichols is due to hear arguments Wednesday on a request from the employee groups to keep blocking the move to put thousands of staffers on leave as well as broaden his order. They contend the government has already violated the judges order, which also reinstated USAID staffers already placed on leave but declined to suspend the administrations freeze on foreign assistance. Trump and Musks cost-cutting DOGE have hit USAID particularly hard as they look to shrink the size of the federal government, accusing its work of being wasteful and out of line with Trumps agenda. In the court case, a government motion shows the administration pressing arguments by Vice President JD Vance and others questioning if courts have the authority to check Trumps power. The Presidents powers in the realm of foreign affairs are generally vast and unreviewable, government lawyers argued.USAID staffers and supporters call the aid agencys humanitarian and development work abroad essential to national security.They argue each step of the administrations breakup of USAID has been unnecessarily cruel to its thousands of workers and devastating for people around the world who are being cut off from clean water, life-saving medical care, education, training and more since Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 freezing foreign assistance.This is a full-scale gutting of virtually all the personnel of an entire agency, Karla Gilbride, attorney for the employee associations, told the judge last week.The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees argue that Trump lacks the authority to shut down the agency without approval from Congress. Democratic lawmakers have made the same argument. In an affidavit ahead of Wednesdays hearing, Marocco, a returning USAID political appointee from Trumps first term, presents without evidence a description of agency workers stalling and resisting the administrations orders to abruptly cut off funds for programs worldwide and subject each one to a rigorous review.In the face of deceit, noncompliance and insubordination, USAIDs new leaders ultimately determined that the placement of a substantial number of USAID personnel on paid administrative leave was the only way to faithfully implement the pause and conduct a full and unimpeded audit of USAIDs operations and programs, Marocco stated.Staffers deny resisting the funding freeze. They argue that the cutoff of money and resulting collapse of U.S.-funded programs abroad, the shutdown of the agencys website and lockout of employees from systems made it impossible for those reviews to take place. Nichols also agreed last week to block an order giving thousands of overseas USAID workers who were being placed on administrative leave 30 days to move back to the U.S. on government expense.Both moves would have exposed the workers and their spouses and children to unwarranted risk and expense, the judge said. Nichols pointed to accounts that the Trump administration had cut off some workers from government emails and emergency alert systems they needed for their safety.Administrative leave in Syria is not the same as administrative leave in Bethesda, the judge said last week, referring to the Washington, D.C., suburb.Nichols cited statements from agency employees who had no home to go to in the U.S. after decades abroad, who faced pulling children with special needs out of school midyear and other difficulties. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

An autorickshaw driver covers his face to protect himself from the pollution in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)2025-02-12T04:14:20Z HANOI, Vietnam (AP) Everyone loves a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, too often our air is anything but fresh. While air quality varies dramatically from place to place and day to day, nearly the entire world about 99% of the global population is exposed to air at some point that doesnt meet the strict standards set by the World Health Organization, the agency has reported. Polluted air, laden noxious gasses or tiny, invisible particles that burrow into human bodies, kills 7 million people prematurely every year, the U.N. health agency estimates. And for the millions living in some of the worlds smoggiest cities many of them in Asia like New Delhi; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Bangkok and Jakarta, Indonesia bad air might seem inescapable. But there are things that people can do, starting with understanding that the air isnt only polluted when it looks smoggy, said Tanushree Ganguly of the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago in India.Blue skies cant guarantee you clean air, she said. What are the most dangerous kinds of air pollutants and their sources? Smoke rises from chimneys of brick kilns on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) Smoke rises from chimneys of brick kilns on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A farmer burns crop residue after harvest near Bundelkhand expressway some 330 kilometers (206 miles) from New Delhi, on Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) A farmer burns crop residue after harvest near Bundelkhand expressway some 330 kilometers (206 miles) from New Delhi, on Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Air pollutants often come from people burning things: Fuels such as coal, natural gas, diesel and gasoline for electricity and transportation; crops or trees for agricultural purposes or as a result of wildfires. Fine, inhalable particles, known as particulate matter, are among the most dangerous. The tiniest of these known as PM 2.5 because they are less than 2.5 microns in diameter can get deep into human lungs and are mostly created by burning fuels. Coarser particles, known as PM 10, are linked to agriculture, roadways, mining or the wind blowing eroded dust, according to the WHO. Motorists wait in a traffic jam in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Motorists wait in a traffic jam in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More This article is part of APs Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well. Other dangerous pollutants include gases like nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide, which are also produced from burning fuels, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi. The sources and intensity of air pollution varies in different cities and seasons. For instance, old motorbikes and industrial boilers are major contributors to bad air in Indonesian capital Jakarta while burning of agricultural waste is a major reason for air pollution spikes in cities in Thailand and India. Brick kilns that burn coal adds to pollution in Dhaka, Bangladeshs capital. And seasonal forest fires cause problems in Brazil and North America. What health problems can air pollution cause? People cover their faces to protect themselves from the pollution, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) People cover their faces to protect themselves from the pollution, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Air pollution is the second-largest risk factor for early death globally, behind high blood pressure, according to a recent report by the Health Effects Institute.Short-term exposure can trigger asthma attacks and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke, especially in the elderly or people with medical problems. Long-term exposure can cause serious heart and lung problems that can lead to death, including heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung infections. A recent analysis by the U.N. childrens agency found that more than 500 million children in East Asia and Pacific countries breathe unhealthy air and the pollution is linked to the deaths of 100 children under 5 every day. June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia, said the polluted air compromises growth, harms lungs and impacts their cognitive abilities.Every breath matters, but for too many children every breath can bring harm, she said. Whats the best way to tell if air is safe? A pedestrian wears a face mask in front of a sign displaying Air Quality Index in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) A pedestrian wears a face mask in front of a sign displaying Air Quality Index in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Over 6,000 cities in 117 countries now monitor air quality, and many weather mobile apps include air quality information. But trying to gauge how bad the air is by looking at these numbers can be confusing.To help people understand air quality levels more easily, many countries have adopted an air quality index or AQI a numerical scale where larger numbers mean worse air. They are also often assigned different colors to show whether the air is clean or not.But different countries have different air quality standards. For instance, Indias daily PM 2.5 limit is more than 1.5-times higher than Thailands limit and 4-times higher than WHO standards.This means that countries calculate AQIs differently and the numbers arent comparable with each other. This is also why sometimes AQI scores by private companies using stricter standards may be different from those calculated by national regulators. What are the best ways to protect yourself from air pollution? FILE- A child puts on a face mask inside a shop selling masks to fight air pollution in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) FILE- A child puts on a face mask inside a shop selling masks to fight air pollution in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The goal, of course, is to limit exposure when air quality is bad, by staying inside or wearing a mask. Staying inside however, isnt always possible, especially for people who must live or work outside, noted Danny Djarum, an air quality researcher at World Resources Institute, an environmental advocacy group. They cant really afford not going out, he said.Pakaphol Asavakomolnant, an office worker in Bangkok, said that he wears a mask every day and avoids riding to work on a motorbike. I get a sore throat when I come to work in the morning and I forget to wear a mask, he said.People also need to be aware of indoor air pollution which can often be caused by common household activities like cooking or even burning an incense stick. What are the benefits and limitations of air purifiers? A woman carries an infant outside a shop selling air purifiers at a market place in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) A woman carries an infant outside a shop selling air purifiers at a market place in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Air purifiers can help reduce indoor air pollution, but they have their limitations. They work by pulling air from a room, pushing it through a filter that traps pollutants before circulating it back. But theyre are most effective when used in small spaces and when people are nearby. Air purifiers can only clean a certain amount of air, said Rajasekhar Balasubramanian, who studies urban air quality at the National University of Singapore. If we have a tiny air purifier in a large room it wont be effective, he said.Air purifiers are also too expensive for people in many in developing countries.The majority of people who are affected by air pollution cant really afford air purifiers, said WRIs Djarum.___Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report. ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Ghosal covers the intersection of business and climate change in southeast Asia for The Associated Press. He is based out of Hanoi in Vietnam. twitter mailto

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media during a press conference in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)2025-02-12T08:12:19Z MANILA, Philippines (AP) Philippine government investigators filed criminal complaints, including sedition, against Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday over her public threat to have the president assassinated if she herself was killed in an escalating political storm.National Bureau of Investigation Director Jaime Santiago said at a news conference that the complaints of inciting to sedition and grave threats against Duterte were filed at the Department of Justice, which would decide whether to dismiss the complaints outright or elevate them to court.The vice president, a lawyer and daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, reacted briefly by saying that she had expected the move by the NBI. She has accused her political rivals of taking steps to prevent her from seeking the presidency when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s term ends in 2028. The vice presidents father himself, whose presidential term ended in 2022, is facing legal troubles. The International Criminal Court has been investigating the widespread killings under a brutal anti-drug crackdown he oversaw while in office as a possible crime against humanity. Sara Duterte ran as Marcos vice presidential running mate in 2022. Their whirlwind political alliance, however, quickly frayed and deteriorated into a bitter feud in an Asian democracy that has long been hamstrung by clashing political clans. Last week, the vice president was impeached by the House of Representatives on a range of accusations that included her threat to have Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she herself were fatally attacked in an unspecified plot that she brought up in an online news conference in November.The impeachment complaint, which was signed by majority of the more than 300 members of the House, which is dominated by Marcos allies, also included allegations of largescale corruption and misuse of her offices confidential funds. The 24-member Senate plans to tackle the impeachment complaint after Congress reopens in June. The vice president has vaguely denied that what she said amounted to a threat against Marcos, his wife and Romualdez, the presidents cousin, but her remarks still sparked a national security alarm at the time and investigations, including by the NBI.The vice president said at a news conference last week that her lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial, but she refused to say if resignation was an option so that she could preempt a possible conviction that would bar her from running for president in the future. JIM GOMEZ Gomez is The AP Chief Correspondent in the Philippines. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Family members, friends and colleagues of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, rally for his release outside of the White House, July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)2025-02-11T21:06:38Z Russia has released an American teacher imprisoned over what his family said was prescribed medical marijuana, but several other Americans remain in Russian custody.Teacher Marc Fogel was released in what the White House described Tuesday as a diplomatic thaw. Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and is serving a 14-year prison sentence on drug charges. He was designated by President Joe Bidens administration as wrongfully detained in December.Fogels release follows a massive prisoner swap last August that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, among others. Here is a look at other Americans who remain in Russian custody:Ksenia KhavanaThe U.S.-Russian dual national was arrested in Yekaterinburg in January 2024 on treason charges, accused of giving a donation to a charity aiding Ukraine. She was sentenced in August to 12 years in prison. She obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and was on a family visit from Los Angeles when arrested. Rights activists said the charges stem from a $51 donation to a U.S. charity that helps Ukraine. Stephen HubbardThe Michigan native was convicted of fighting alongside Ukraines military as a mercenary against Russia and sentenced to 6 years and 10 months in October 2024. Prosecutors said in the closed trial that Hubbard had signed a contract with Ukraines military shortly after Russian troops invaded in February 2022 and that he fought with the Ukrainian side until being captured two months later. Hubbard, who was 72 at the time of his conviction, was the first American known to have been convicted of fighting for Ukraine in the conflict. Travis LeakeThe musician was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to 13 years in prison in July 2024. An Instagram page described him as the singer for the band Lovi Noch (Seize the Night). News reports said he is a former paratrooper with the U.S. military and had lived in Moscow since 2010. Gordon BlackAn Army staff sergeant, Black was convicted in June 2024 in Vladivostok of stealing and making threats against his girlfriend, and was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He had flown to Russia from his post in South Korea without authorization and was arrested in May after she accused him of stealing from her, according to U.S. and Russian authorities. Robert WoodlandWoodland, a Russia-born U.S. citizen, was convicted of drug trafficking in July 2024 and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison. Russian media reported that his name matches a U.S. citizen interviewed in 2020 who said he was born in the Perm region in 1991 and adopted by an American couple at age 2. He said he traveled to Russia to find his mother and eventually met her on a TV show. David BarnesAn engineer from Texas, Barnes was arrested in 2022 while visiting his sons in Russia, where their mother had taken them. His supporters say the woman made baseless claims of sexual abuse that already had been discredited by Texas investigators but a Russian court in February 2024 convicted him on those claims anyway and sentenced him to 21 years in prison. Robert GilmanIdentified in the media as a former U.S. Marine, Gilman was arrested in 2022 for allegedly assaulting a police officer after a drunken disturbance on a train. He was initially handed a 3.5-year sentence, then allegedly attacked a prison inspector during a cell check and was sentenced in October 2024 to 7 years and 1 month in prison.Eugene SpectorA Russian-born U.S. citizen in prison on bribery charges, Spector was handed a second 15-year term for espionage in December 2024. Spector, formerly an executive at a medical equipment company in Russia, was previously sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in September 2022 for enabling bribes to a Russian government official.Joseph TaterTater was arrested in August 2024 at an upscale Moscow hotel after failing to provide documents showing that he entered the country legitimately. At a police station, he allegedly attacked an officer. He has been in custody awaiting trial on assaulting a law officer, which carries a sentence of up to five years. At a September court hearing, Tater claimed he came to Russia to seek political asylum and that he was being persecuted by the CIA. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, walks with Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey prior to a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-12T11:27:10Z BRUSSELS (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday made the first trip to NATO by a member of the new Trump administration, as the allies wait to learn how much military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraines government.Hegseth held talks with U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Hegseths predecessor, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, set up the forum for drumming up arms and ammunition for Ukraine in 2022.Over nearly three years, around 50 countries have collectively provided Ukraine more than $126 billion in weapons and military assistance. But the meeting this week was convened by another country for the first time: the United Kingdom. All previous gatherings of the forum were chaired by the United States. No decision has been made on who might chair the next meeting, if one is called.Hegseth wasnt expected to make any announcement on new weapons for Ukraine.His trip comes less than two weeks before the third anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Most U.S. allies fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin wont stop at Ukraines borders if he wins, and that Europes biggest land war in decades poses an existential threat to their security. U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to quickly end the war. Hes complained that its costing American taxpayers too much money. He has suggested that Ukraine should pay for U.S. support with access to its rare earth minerals, energy and other resources. Some U.S. allies worry that a hasty deal might be clinched on terms that arent favorable to Ukraine. On top of that, Trump appears to believe that European countries should take responsibility for Ukraines security going forward.Washingtons 31 NATO allies also want to hear what Trumps new administration has in store for the worlds biggest security organization. Trump traumatized his European partners during his first term in office by threatening not to defend any member that doesnt meet NATO guidelines for military spending. NATO is founded on the principle that an attack on any ally must be considered an attack on them all and met with a collective response. Membership is considered to be the ultimate security guarantee, and its one that Ukraine is trying to secure.Ukraines security needs and defense spending will be discussed on Thursday. European allies have hiked their military budgets since Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine, and 23 are estimated to have reached or exceeded last year the target of spending 2% of gross domestic product.However, a third of members still havent reached that threshold, and Trump is almost certain to target them again. Recently, Trump called for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, a level that no member has reached so far not even Poland, which is the closest, spending more than 4% and expected to approach 5% this year.Speaking to reporters in Germany on Tuesday, Hegseth wouldnt commit to having the U.S. increase its defense spending to 5% of GDP. Hegseth said that he believes that the U.S. should spend more than it did under the Biden administration and should not go lower than 3 percent. He said any final decision would be up to Trump, but added that we live in fiscally constrained times and need to be responsible with taxpayer money. The U.S. spends about 3.3% of GDP on defense. NATO leaders are expected to agree on new spending targets at their next planned summit, in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-26.___Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report from Washington. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Margelis Rodriguez, right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from her son Mickel during a birthday party at a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)2025-02-12T12:08:24Z Margelis Rodriguez, left, of Venezuela, pushes a stroller packed with laundry as her son Mickel steadies the load on their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, left, of Venezuela, pushes a stroller packed with laundry as her son Mickel steadies the load on their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) Many migrants have been left stranded in Mexican border cities after the Trump administration immediately canceled tens of thousands of appointments made through a government app called CBP One that offered a legal pathway to the U.S. Some have returned to their countries. Margelis Rodrguez fled Venezuela with her children. She says the family has no other option but to remain in Tijuana. The Trump administration has given no indication it plans to replace the Biden administration program. Rodrguez is applying for a Mexican visa and looking for work after relatives in the U.S. who came in on humanitarian parole say they now fear being deported. Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, watches her familys laundry spins in a machine at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where they are staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, watches her familys laundry spins in a machine at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where they are staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Donated silver slippers sit under Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where her family is staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Donated silver slippers sit under Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where her family is staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, second from right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from her son Mickel, 12, as her friend Ale combs her hair as they wait for their laundry at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where the family is staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, second from right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from her son Mickel, 12, as her friend Ale combs her hair as they wait for their laundry at a laundromat near the migrant shelter where the family is staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, right, cringes as her mother Margelis instructs her to eat breakfast at the migrant shelter they are staying at in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, right, cringes as her mother Margelis instructs her to eat breakfast at the migrant shelter they are staying at in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, leaves her tent at a migrant shelter on a chilly morning in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, leaves her tent at a migrant shelter on a chilly morning in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from a friend at a migrant shelter where she is staying with her two children in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, right, of Venezuela, gets a hug from a friend at a migrant shelter where she is staying with her two children in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, folds a towel alongside her 6-year-old daughter Maickeliys at their tent where the family is staying at a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, folds a towel alongside her 6-year-old daughter Maickeliys at their tent where the family is staying at a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Mickel Rodriguez, 12, of Venezuela, left, watches videos on a phone with a family friend who is traveling with his family as they rest in their tent at a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Mickel Rodriguez, 12, of Venezuela, left, watches videos on a phone with a family friend who is traveling with his family as they rest in their tent at a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, pushes a stroller packed with laundry as her family and others from a migrant shelter make their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, pushes a stroller packed with laundry as her family and others from a migrant shelter make their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, looks at her 6-year-old daughter Maickeliys holding a shirt with the flags of Venezuela and the United States, and the Spanish message: Yes it was possible, thank God. The wait was worth it. I made it! at the laundromat near the migrant shelter where they are staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, looks at her 6-year-old daughter Maickeliys holding a shirt with the flags of Venezuela and the United States, and the Spanish message: Yes it was possible, thank God. The wait was worth it. I made it! at the laundromat near the migrant shelter where they are staying in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, leaps into the air in her newly donated, silver slippers, at the migrant shelter where she lives with her family in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Maickeliys Rodriguez, 6, of Venezuela, leaps into the air in her newly donated, silver slippers, at the migrant shelter where she lives with her family in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, cleans up after dinner at the migrant shelter where she lives with her two children in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Margelis Rodriguez, of Venezuela, center, cleans up after dinner at the migrant shelter where she lives with her two children in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Maickeliys Rodriguez, of Venezuela, 6, wears her newly donated silver slippers as she stops to adjust her backpack under the watchful gaze of a family friend from Haiti, as her family and others from a migrant shelter make their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Maickeliys Rodriguez, of Venezuela, 6, wears her newly donated silver slippers as she stops to adjust her backpack under the watchful gaze of a family friend from Haiti, as her family and others from a migrant shelter make their way to a nearby laundromat in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More

Will Bowles jumps off a swing set during a winter snowstorm in Charlottesville, Va., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)2025-02-12T05:43:50Z Snow, sleet and freezing rain were expected to continue pummeling the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states Wednesday, while California readied for a storm that could flood areas ravaged by the recent wildfires.Especially heavy snowfall up to nearly 14 inches (25 centimeters) was expected in parts of Virginia and West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. Ice accumulations could reach more than a third of an inch (8.4 millimeters) in Stanleytown, Virginia, and a quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) in Glendale Springs, North Carolina. In California, an atmospheric river a long band of water vapor that can transport moisture from the tropics to more northern areas was expected to move in late Wednesday, likely flooding urban areas across central and Southern California, according to the weather service. The snowstorm that blew into the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday caused accidents on icy roads and prompted school closures. By Tuesday night, nearly 12,000 people in Virginia had lost power, according to PowerOutage.us.Stay home and off the roads tonight, Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation posted on social media Tuesday night, alongside a meme of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz saying, Theres no place like home. In parts of Baltimore and Washington, an inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow was falling each hour, according to the weather service. All Washington public schools were closed Wednesday due to the weather. Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said Tuesday it had 5,400 workers dedicated to restoring power.About 65 Virginia National Guard soldiers were at facilities along the Interstate 95 and state Route 29 corridors and in southwest Virginia to support the storm response, guard officials said. Another 20 soldiers and members of the Virginia Defense Force were in support roles. Winter storm warnings extended from northwest North Carolina to southern New Jersey, and the snow-and-ice mix was expected to become all rain by Wednesday afternoon as temperatures climb.Meanwhile a separate storm system was expected to dump heavy snow on an area stretching from Kansas to the Great Lakes starting Tuesday night, the weather service said. The Kansas Legislature canceled Wednesday meetings because of the weather, and Gov. Laura Kelly closed state offices in the capital, Topeka.Hundreds of accidentsIn Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency and schools and government offices were closed Tuesday, state police reported 700 accidents and dozens of injuries Tuesday. Although Matt Demlein, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, said they cant say definitively that all were weather related.In southern West Virginia, multiple crashes temporarily shut down several major highways Tuesday. Smiths Towing and Truck Repair responded to at least 15 calls, mostly from tractor-trailer drivers who got stuck on Interstate 64 in Greenbrier County near the Virginia border, dispatcher Kelly Pickles said.Basically they just get sucked over into the median or they go off of the interstate just a little bit on the right-hand side, she said. And they just dont have enough power in their vehicles to get back onto the road due to the icy conditions. Skating rinks instead of roadsPaige Williams, who owns Downtown Books in Lexington, Virginia, closed her store Tuesday because of the weather. She hoped to reopen Wednesday, noting that Lexington and surrounding Rockbridge County are dependable when it comes to clearing the roads.But with temperatures on either side of freezing Tuesday night and Wednesday, the rain that is supposed to follow could make the roads better or worse. Its just going to depend on where those temperatures go, Williams said. Rain can clear things off. And rain can also freeze. And then you have a lot of skating rinks instead of roads. Bitter cold temperaturesAn Arctic air mass stretched from Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.The temperature bottomed out Tuesday morning at minus 31 degrees (minus 35 Celsius) in Butte, Montana, where over the past two winters at least five people died from cold exposure, said Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte Rescue Mission. Advocates for homeless people in the city of about 35,000 were out on the streets distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens and other cold weather gear to anyone who needed them, according to Erickson. When it gets this cold, we kind of pull out all the stops, Erickson said.In Oregons Multnomah County, officials extended a state of emergency through at least Thursday. Five emergency shelters were set to open Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon. Midweek wind chill readings could dip to 10 degrees (minus 12 Celsius) in Portland, the weather service said.California rainsThe atmospheric river was expected to arrive in California starting late Wednesday and to peak Thursday, according to Miles Bliss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Along with flooding, heavy snowfall was expected in the Sierra Nevada.More than 700,000 sandbags have been arranged across central and Southern California, according to the California Department of Water Resources. ___Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, walks back to the clubhouse at the Dodgers baseball spring training facility after working out Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)2025-02-12T13:33:26Z Theres a new No. 2 in the New York Yankees rotation behind Gerrit Cole. A familiar face is getting a fresh start leading the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani and Co. already have their title defense underway.Theres plenty to see as baseball returns Wednesday for most MLB clubs, with pitchers and catchers officially reporting at sites across Arizona and Florida. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers got an early spring training start ahead of their season-opening series in Tokyo, and a few clubs dont get going until Thursday. But for most, Wednesday marks the start of a new season.That includes the Yankees, who are welcoming back Cole, the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, after he chose to remain with the Yankees rather than opt out of his contract. Hell be joined in the rotation by Max Fried, a key addition as they try to return to the World Series. New York lost to the Dodgers in five games, failed to bring back Juan Soto in free agency, then signed Fried to a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest ever for a left-handed pitcher. Fried went 54-25 with a 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons with the Braves and was instrumental in Atlantas 2021 World Series victory over the Astros. Wednesday will also be Day 1 for new Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona. Cincinnati went 77-85 last season but has some promising young talent, led by young ace Hunter Greene. Francona won two World Series titles with the Red Sox and took Cleveland to the playoffs six times in 11 years. That includes the 2016 World Series. Los Angeles added even more star power this winter with two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Japanese phenom pitcher Roki Sasaki. The rotation got another apparent boost Tuesday when Clayton Kershaw showed up for camp. Its been expected the 36-year-old would re-join the Dodgers for an 18th season, but he remained a free agent entering camp. Of course, the biggest boost to LAs rotation will be Shohei Ohtanis return from elbow surgery that kept him off the mound in 2024. He may provide an update to media Wednesday on his timeline to return.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace after giving a joint statement in New Delhi, India, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)2025-02-12T09:59:14Z NEW DELHI (AP) Prime Minister Narendra Modis longstanding bonhomie with President Donald Trump could be tested as the Indian leader kicks off a visit to Washington on Wednesday, eager to avoid tariffs that have been slapped on others and threats of further taxes and imports. India, a key strategic partner of the United States, has so far been spared any new tariffs, and the two leaders have cultivated a personal relationship. Modi a nationalist criticized over Indias democratic backsliding has welcomed Trumps return to the White House, seeking to reset Indias relationship with the West over his refusal to condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine. But Trump has repeatedly referred to India as a tariff king and pressed the South Asian country on the deportation of migrants. In response, New Delhi has shown a willingness to lower its own tariffs on U.S. products, accept Indian citizens back and buy American oil.But as tariff threats loom, the question remains how much a good rapport between two leaders matters and how far India will go to cut a deal. Body language will be closely watchedModi had established a good working relationship with Trump during his first term in office, and the two can build on the areas of convergence and minimize areas of friction without conceding on core areas of national interest, says Meera Shankar, Indias former ambassador to the U.S.Most other partners have their reciprocal lists ready from the word go, because its a point of leverage when you negotiate, Shankar added, expressing hope that India will find the right balance between firmness and flexibility on the tariffs issue.Modi boosted by his ruling Hindu nationalist partys victory in the high-stakes state legislature election last weekend in Indias federal territory, including New Delhi said before leaving for Washington that the visit was an opportunity to build upon collaboration during Trumps first term and deepen our partnership in areas such as technology, trade, defense and energy. What has Trump said? Speaking with Modi in January, Trump emphasized the importance of India buying more American-made military gear and weapons, as well as reducing the trade imbalance. Last year, the U.S. imported $50 billion more in goods than it sold to India.A readout from the White House at the time said Trump emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship. Earlier this month, India accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a U.S. military plane, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration. Also, Modis government lowered some high tariffs, including on some Harley-Davidson motorcycles, from 50% to 40%. In 2023, India had dropped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. almonds, apples, chickpeas, lentils, and walnuts.Another thing we can expect is that Modi would offer to purchase more American (natural) gas to narrow the U.S. trade deficit, said Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank. This will help a little bit. Concerns over China India is seen as integral to the U.S. strategy of containing China in the Indo-Pacific and is to host a summit of a group of countries known as the Quad made up of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia later this year. But India will likely have to recalibrate its stand in case of a Washington-Beijing thaw under Trump. Trumps outreach to China will complicate Indias ability to cultivate the American desire to use India as a proxy against China without actually ever becoming one, said Happymon Jacob, founder of the New Delhi-based Council for Strategic and Defense Research.India turned the page with China and in December agreed to work toward a solution to their long-running border dispute in the Himalayas after a military standoff that began with a deadly clash in 2020.Even a tactical accommodation between the U.S. and China has implications for India, Shankar said. Defense deals on the agenda?The U.S. is Indias largest trade partner, with a trade deficit of $50 billion in Indias favor. The Indo-U.S. goods and services trade totaled around $190.1 billion in 2023. According to Indias External Affairs Ministry, the U.S. exports to India were worth nearly $70 billion and imports $120 billion.India depends on Russia for nearly 60% of its defense equipment, but the war in Ukraine has added to doubts about future supplies, and New Delhi has been looking more toward the U.S., Israel, Britain, and others.A recently struck deal will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. Since 2008, India has contracted over $20 billion worth of U.S.-origin defense equipment. For India, that could also be an area where we see some synergies with the U.S., Shankar said, adding that Trump will likely seek to persuade India to buy more defense equipment.Raja Mohan, an analyst at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, said Modis visit will be a good time to advance Indo-U.S. ties.Indias diplomatic skills will be tested, so the general goodwill that exists between Trump and Modi should be translated into concrete outcomes, Mohan said.___Boak reported from Washington. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)2025-02-12T13:53:52Z Bearing cards, flowers, chocolates and poetry, lovers have always swooned on Valentines Day as cherubs circled overhead. Right?Or is the history darker, marked by Roman bacchanalia, martyrs and lies?Innumerable legends claim to explain the origins of Valentines Day, but as is the case with legends, they leave many questions unanswered. Here are a few:Where did Valentines Day originate?For years, the consensus among historians was that the holiday had something to do with an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia that fell in mid-February. Noel Lenski, a Yale University historian, pointed to the seasonal and thematic connections between Lupercalia and modern Valentines Day.Both are erotic festivals, in a sense, but the ancient one which included pairing off women and men by lottery also involved religious purification and atonement.Naked young men, drunk, would go running around Palatine Hill swatting virginal women with strips of dog fur and goat fur to make them fertile, Lenski said. According to one legend, Pope Gelasius wanted to put an end to the debauchery in the late fifth century. He declared Feb. 14 as the feast day of a St. Valentine, who had been martyred about 200 years before. But that theory emerged in an 1807 book without any evidence to support the connection, said Elizabeth White Nelson, a University of Nevada Las Vegas history professor.People who think thats the story havent read the letter that he actually wrote about Lupercalia, she said, referring to the pope. Is he pissed off about Lupercalia? Yeah. But does it have anything to do with St. Valentine? Its very, very hard to find any actual writing that says that. Was St. Valentine a real person? The most cited legend is about a priest named Valentine who was executed in third-century Rome for marrying couples against the will of the pagan Emperor Claudius II. (He also is said to have cured the blindness of his jailers daughter.) Another St. Valentine, the bishop of Terni, was martyred around the same time, but little is known about him.A couple centuries later, a prominent family named Valentine may have promoted themselves by exaggerating an ancestors story after Christianity had become the prevailing religion, Lenski said.They say, Oh, by the way, we have this famous ancestor who was a bishop, and he had been persecuted by the emperor for sanctifying marriages, he said.The story prevailed, but the lack of evidence prompted the Catholic Church in 1969 to remove St. Valentine as the primary saint celebrated on Feb. 14. Now, its officially the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the missionary brothers who spread the Cyrillic alphabet to Eastern Europe.Whats love got to do with it?To further confuse things, there were many St. Valentines. As many as 50 saints with some variation of the spelling have been recognized by the Catholic Church, said Henry Kelly, a research professor at University of California Los Angeles.According to Kelly, author of Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine, the English writer was the first to make the connection to love but he was talking about another St. Valentine whose feast day was May 3. To commemorate King Richard IIs engagement on that day in 1381, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a love poem. He had Italian friends who told him that it was the feast of St. Valentine, the first bishop of Genoa, Kelly said. And so he picked that day as the day on which all the birds returned to choose their mates for the year.Chaucer continued writing poems every May that associated love, the rites of spring and St. Valentine. Shakespeare and other poets followed suit. Because the Roman Valentine was the most famous one, people conflated the feast days and now celebrated it in February, Kelly said.It was the middle of winter, so there werent any birds around, there werent any flowers around, and so they started making up things about Valentine, he said. When did it become the Valentines Day we recognize today?By the late 18th century, the tradition had solidified in England and spread to the United States, with people writing poetry and hand-making cards, White Nelson said. Around the 1830s, companies began manufacturing Valentine kits that were assembled from lace paper and cutouts of birds and cupids.Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates would come a few decades later, as would the accusations that the holiday was created to sell cards, flowers and candy, White Nelson said. People were complaining in womens magazines in the late 19th century that Valentines Day was too commercial.Everybodys always expecting Valentines Day to die out, and it never does, she said. Its sort of like saying, Coney Islands too crowded. Nobody goes there anymore.To be fair, none of the myth-busting historians interviewed for this article resented that a day celebrating love ended up in February. In fact, they said the opposite.Winter is endless, Kelly said. The cold is never ending, and were grateful for something to rejoice over.Kelly just gives his wife another Valentine on May 3. ___EDITORS NOTE: Albert Stumm lives in Barcelona and writes about travel, food and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A man walks between tents for displaced Palestinians next to destroyed buildings following the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, file)2025-02-12T11:03:54Z CAIRO (AP) Behind U.S. President Donald Trumps vows to turn Gaza into a Riviera of the Middle East lies a plan to forcibly drive a population from its land, rights groups say, warning it could be a war crime under international law.Trump doubled down this week on his vows to empty Gaza permanently of its more than 2 million Palestinians, saying they would not be allowed to return and suggesting at one point he might force Egypt and Jordan to take them in by threatening to cut off U.S. aid. Whether its serious, a negotiating tactic or a distraction, Palestinians have roundly rejected the idea of leaving. Some say Trumps talk normalizes their erasure and dehumanization, amplifying the idea that they have no connection to their land or right to their homes.He is talking as if the Palestinians are cattle, you can move them from one place to another. They have no agency, they have no say, said Munir Nuseibah, a professor of international law at Jerusalems Al-Quds University. The planTrump has billed the plan as being for the Palestinians own benefit after Israels 16-month campaign demolished entire neighborhoods and left much of Gaza unlivable. In its place, Trump has promised them a beautiful new land elsewhere.The United States would then take over the territory and rebuild it as a Riviera for the worlds people.Palestinians have made clear they dont want to leave Gaza, one part of their homeland that remains for them, along with pockets of the West Bank, after the Mideasts 1948 and 1967 wars. Despite Gazas devastation, Palestinians have shown a determination to stay and rebuild with international help promised in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Israel. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in many ways is rooted in the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation during which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from or forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel and the 1967 war, when Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. Palestinians want those territories for a future state. The ambiguityTrump has left it ambiguous how Palestinians would be removed or what would happen if they refused to go. Asked by reporters at the White House on Monday if the U.S. would force Palestinians out, Trump replied: Youre going to see that theyre all going to want to leave.At one point, he said a rebuilt Gaza would be a place for anyone possibly including Palestinians to live, and administration officials have said Palestinians removal would be temporary.But Trump contradicted that in an interview with Fox News Channel that aired Monday. Asked whether Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, he replied: No, they wouldnt because theyre going to have much better housing. In other words, Im talking about building a permanent place for them.In a post Thursday on his Truth Social site, Trump said Israel would turn over Gaza to the U.S. at the conclusion of fighting. By that time, he wrote, all the Palestinians would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities. Resettled how? Trump hasnt said. Fighting in Gaza has been paused a ceasefire. There are fears Israel could renew its campaign to destroy Hamas if the two sides cant reach an agreement over a second phase of the deal, including the big question of how Gaza will be governed.The ceasefire is already precarious after Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce and said it would pause releases of hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then threatened to withdraw from the deal if the militant group does not release more hostages on Saturday.Forced displacement?With Palestinians refusing to go, Trumps ambiguity raises fears they would be forced to.Calls for a mass transfer of Palestinians were once relegated to the fringes of political discourse in Israel. But the idea has gained traction in the mainstream the result of frustration from years of failed peace efforts, recurring rounds of violence, and the painful images of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that triggered the current war. Israeli leaders have talked of voluntary migration. The Geneva Conventions forbid mass forcible transfers from occupied lands regardless of their motive. The International Criminal Court where the U.S and Israel are not members also holds that forcible transfer can be a war crime or, in some circumstances, a crime against humanity.Forcible transfer was among the crimes that Nazi leaders were charged with in the Nuremberg trials after World War II. It was also among the acts for which some Bosnian Serb leaders were convicted by a U.N. tribunal over atrocities during the 1990s Balkan wars.Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watchs Middle East & North Africa Division, said he didnt know if Trumps statements would turn into policy, but the statement of intent is very concerning. The moving out of the entire Palestinian population, any movement of a people in occupied territory out of that territory, is forced displacement, he said. If done with intent, he said, it could be a war crime.Amnesty International echoed that, saying forcibly expelling Palestinians is a war crime and could be a crime against humanity.Nuseibah pointed to rulings by the U.N. court for the former Yugoslavia and other international bodies saying that any type of pressure or duress to leave constitutes forcible transfer.It doesnt have to be at gunpoint, he said.Asked by a reporter Tuesday about criticism that moving Palestinians out of Gaza could be ethnic cleansing, Trump did not directly answer, repeating that they would go to a beautiful location, where they will have new homes and can live safely.The White House pointed to those comments when asked specifically about the potential that the permanent relocation of Palestinians is a war crime. The responseMany Palestinians have been staggered that Trump takes it on himself to speak on their behalf.Why dont they just ask us what we want? said Nuseibah. It is dehumanizing.Raji Sourani, a leading rights lawyer from Gaza, said Trumps stance was Kafkaesque.This is the first time ever in history that the president of the United States speaks publicly and frankly to commit one of the most serious crimes, said Sourani, who left Gaza for Egypt after Israeli airstrikes destroyed his home in the early days of the war.Sourani accused Trump of aiming to complete the genocide he said was begun by Israel. The International Court of Justice is considering arguments that Israels campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide. Israel denies the accusation, saying it is acting in self-defense to destroy Hamas.As proof of their commitment to stay, Palestinians point to the flood of hundreds of thousands of people returning to homes in Gaza under the ceasefire even to ones that were destroyed.On Monday, Hatem Mohammed set up a tarp to shelter his family from a cold rain on the ruins of their destroyed home. Their home lies in the so-called Netzarim corridor, a strip of land where troops leveled large areas to create a closed military zone during the war, before their withdrawal over the weekend. This is our land, this is our identity and that of our fathers and grandfathers, Mohammed said. Trump wants to deny our identity. No, our identity remains.___Associated Press journalists Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, and Mohammed Jahjouh in Mughraqa, Gaza Strip, contributed. LEE KEATH Keath is the chief editor for feature stories in the Middle East for The Associated Press. He has reported from Cairo since 2005. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Videos that use AI generated voices of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gaining a massive number of views on TikTok, showing that the platform is also suffering from the onslaught of AI-generated slop that has flooded every corner of the internet.According to Alexios Mantzarlis in his Faked Up newsletter, 400 videos from about two dozen accounts dedicated to posting AI-generated audio of Trump and Musk making quasi-motivational statements have gained more than 700 million views between them.The most popular of these accounts is Zack D Film (@zackdfilmusa), which has 838,800 followers.When you dont have money, people say, who are you, an AI-generated Trump voice says while inspirational music plays in the background in Zack D Films most popular TikTok, which has more than 24 million views. When you have money its, Hey how are you? Long time no see. You look so beautiful, handsome, and amazing. Thats the power of money. 0:00 /0:17 1 In another video posted by Mute-Elon (@mute.arsi), an account with 420,100 followers, an AI-generated voice of Musk talks about five things he wishes for in 2025 (health, strength, motivation, etc). I trust that god sees my struggles, collects my tears, and never abandons me, the AI voice of Musk says.While we dont know whether all the engagement with these videos is authentic, many of them have thousands of comments agreeing with or repeating the gist of the video, with only a handful of commenters pointing out that the voice is AI-generated.As Jason wrote in his investigation into where Facebook AI slop comes from, the primary reason this type of AI-generated content exists is that its profitable. In the case of these AI Trump and Musk channels, at least one avenue for monetization is TikToks own in-app store, TikTok Shop. For example, an account called @trumpsaying, which has 57,000 followers and some videos with millions of views, posted more than a dozen videos with an AI-generated Trump voice before pivoting to videos promoting Trump-themed or vaguely patriotic t-shirts. The videos lead viewers directly to the TikTok Shop, where they can purchase the shirt. The videos are also marked as eligible for commission, meaning other creators can get paid for promoting them as well.A different AI Trump account links to Amazon store pages selling Trump coins and a Trump picture book.Another TikTok account, in which an AI-generated Musk explains how he will colonize Mars and have his robots rule the world in the future, links to an Amazon store page for what appears to be an AI-generated book about Musk.TikToks community guidelines require users to label AIGC [AI-generated content] or edited media that shows realistic-appearing scenes or people. This can be done using the AIGC label, or by adding a clear caption, watermark, or sticker of your own. TikToks guidelines also dont allow content that falsely shows public figures in certain contexts. This includes being bullied, making an endorsement, or being endorsed. After I reached out for comment, TikTok removed two of the AI Musk accounts I flagged to the company that did not disclose they were AI-generated.Some of the videos from some of the accounts that use AI-generated voices of celebrities have a disclosure that says Creator labeled as AI-generated, but most do not. The accounts also dont explicitly endorse products in the videos, but AI Trump accounts promoted Trump-themed products and AI Musk accounts promoted Musk-themed products.TikTok did not immediately provide comment when we asked whether these accounts violate its policies. It also did not immediately provide comment when we asked whether these videos qualify as original content as outlined in its policy about requirements for accounts to qualify for TikTok Creator Rewards Program, which pays TikTok accounts for views.These AI Musk and Trump accounts and the 700 million views they garnered so far are likely just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI slop on TikTok. If youve spent any time on the platform youve probably noticed that the motivation genre is very popular there. These can come from financial and fitness influence themselves, but also from an endless number of accounts that take clips of motivational speakers, cut them up, and repost them under different accounts.Jason wrote about some of these accounts last year, which, at the time, were created by people buying packs of inspirational clips that had been compiled from podcasts and public appearances and were being sold on Discord. The idea with these packs of clips was to give people trying to make money on TikTok the raw material they needed to make a large number of edited and remixed videos for TikTok.These videos are trying to cash in on the motivational genre, but they dont even need original material to recycle anymore. They just AI-generate it.When I started viewing the Musk and Trump AI motivational videos, TikTok immediately began recommending other AI-generated motivational videos to me from other celebrities. I saw such videos featuring the AI-generated videos of Keanu Reeves, Cillian Murphy, Denzel Washington, Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma (which, weirdly was previously an Obama account and still has the username @obama.motivations), Sylvester Stallone, Sylvester Stallone en espaol, and Steve Harvey.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-12T15:06:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) Eight government watchdogs have sued over their mass firing that removed oversight of President Donald Trumps new administration. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington asks a judge to declare the firings unlawful and restore the inspectors general to their positions at the agencies.The watchdogs are charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at government agencies, playing a nonpartisan oversight role over trillions of dollars in federal spending and the conduct of millions of federal employees, according to the lawsuit.Presidents can remove inspectors general, but the Trump administration did not give Congress a legally required 30-day notice, something that even a top Republican decried.Trump has said he would put new good people in the jobs.The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the lawsuit. The administration dismissed more than a dozen inspectors general in a Friday-night sweep on the fourth full day of Trumps second term. Though inspectors general are presidential appointees, some serve presidents of both parties. All are expected to be nonpartisan. At the time of the firings, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said there may have been good reasons for the terminations but that Congress needed to know.The role of the modern-day inspector general dates to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Democrats and watchdog groups said the firings raise alarms that Trump is making it easier to take advantage of the government.Trump, said at the time the firings were a very common thing to do. But the lawsuit says that is not true and that mass firings have been considered improper since the 1980s. The dismissals came through similarly worded emails. The watchdogs computers, phones, and agency access badges were collected within days. The officials were escorted into their respective agencies to collect their personal belongings under supervision, they said in the lawsuit. The inspector general of the Agriculture Department, however, returned to work as normal the Monday after being informed of the firing, recognizing the email as not effective, the lawsuit said. The watchdog conducted several meetings before agency employees cut off her access to government systems and took her computer and phone. Trump in the past has challenged their authority. In 2020, in his first term, he replaced multiple inspectors general, including those leading the Defense Department and intelligence community, as well as the one tapped to chair a special oversight board for the $2.2 trillion pandemic economic relief package.The latest round of dismissals spared Michael Horowitz, the longtime Justice Department inspector general who has issued reports on assorted politically explosive criminal investigations over the past decade.In December 2019, for instance, Horowitz released a report faulting the FBI for surveillance warrant applications in the investigation into ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. But the report also found that the investigation had been opened for a legitimate purpose and did not find evidence that partisan bias had guided investigative decisions.The lawsuit was filed by the inspectors general of the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Education, Agriculture, and Labor, and the Small Business Administration. __AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)2025-02-12T03:23:05Z NEW YORK (AP) U.S. stocks are sinking Wednesday after a report said inflation is unexpectedly getting worse for Americans, before even the first of President Donald Trump s tariffs had a chance to raise prices for imports. The S&P 500 was 0.9% lower in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 418 points, or 0.9%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower. The pain on Wall Street was widespread, and everything from AI darling Nvidia to staid utilities like Duke Energy to bitcoin fell. Treasury yields also climbed in the bond market, cranking up the pressure on financial markets after a report said U.S. consumers had to pay prices for eggs, gasoline and other costs of living that were 3% higher overall in January than a year earlier. That was worse than the 2.9% inflation rate of December, which is what economists expected to see again. The inflation report suggests not only that pressure on U.S. households budgets is amplifying but also that traders on Wall Street were correct to forecast the Federal Reserve will deliver less relief for Americans through lower interest rates this year. The Fed had cut its main interest rate sharply from September through the end of last year, moves that try to make borrowing cheaper, help the economy and boost prices for stocks, bonds and other investments. But the Fed warned at the end of 2024 that it may not cut rates by as much in 2025 as it had earlier expected because of worries about inflation staying stubbornly high. Its goal is to keep inflation at 2%, and lower rates can give inflation more fuel. Some investors were betting on the Fed not cutting rates at all in 2025, even before Wednesdays report on the consumer price index, or CPI. The hotter than expected CPI confirms investors anxiety regarding too-hot inflation that will keep the Fed on the sidelines, said Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. And Januarys reading doesnt account for any of the tariffs that Trump has recently announced, which economists say should push up prices on imports from China and anything made with steel or aluminum. Those will make their impact felt later in the year, Samana said. Following Januarys discouraging inflation data, traders are betting on a 28% chance that the Fed will not cut rates at all this year, according to data from CME Group. Thats up from a less than 20% chance seen the day before. Such expectations sent the yield on the two-year Treasury up to 4.34% from 4.29% late Tuesday. The 10-year Treasury yield, which also takes longer-term economic growth and other factors into consideration, jumped even more sharply. It rose to 4.63% from 4.54%.When a 10-year Treasury, which is seen as one of the safest investments possible, is paying that much in interest, investors are less likely to pay high prices for stocks, which carry a higher risk of seeing their prices go to zero. That puts downward pressure on a stock market that critics say already looks to expensive after running to repeated records last year, with the latest coming late last month. One of the few ways companies have to counteract such pressure is to deliver stronger profits. CVS Health did just that, and its stock jumped 12.9% after topping Wall Streets modest sales and profit expectations for the latest quarter. But even doing that isnt always enough. Ride-hailing app Lyft tumbled to a 10% loss despite reporting stronger profits that Wall Street expected. Lyfts revenue fell short of forecasts as higher prices for rides weighed on bookings, the company said.Shares of Frontier Group Holdings, the parent company of Frontier Airlines, lost 1.6% after Spirit Airlines rejected a third takeover bid from the budget rival. Spirit said that it would focus on its own plan to emerge from bankruptcy and stabilize its finances.In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe after finishing mostly higher in Asia. ___AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.

This week we discuss a new Microsoft study that finds using generative AI is "atrophying" people's cognition and critical thinking skills, the right's war on Wikipedia, and, in the subscriber's section, the idea of posting against fascism.Articles discussed:Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition Atrophied and UnpreparedWikipedia Prepares for 'Increase in Threats' to US Editors From Musk and His AlliesYou Cant Post Your Way Out of FascismSubscribers-only video and embed below:

President Donald Trump holds up an executive order relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-11T23:10:17Z NEW YORK (AP) To its fans, its an undeniable force for good in a corrupt world, a groundbreaking anti-bribery statute that has brought powerful businessmen to heel for secretly paying off foreign government officials to win contracts abroad. To detractors, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unfairly hobbles American companies while foreign rivals not so encumbered swoop in.On Monday, President Donald Trump took a side. It sounds good on paper but in practicality, its a disaster, Trump said while signing an executive order freezing enforcement of the law. Its going to mean a lot more business for America.The consequences could be dramatic, depending on Trumps next move.If he halts many prosecutions, essentially defanging the law, it could help U.S. businesses win deals abroad. But it also could tarnish Americas image, allow corrupt autocrats ruling over impoverished people to get even richer and lead France, Britain, Japan and other wealthy countries to weaken their own anti-bribery laws so their companies can make payments, too.We are facing a Wild West situation, said Mark Pieth, a criminal law professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland and anti-bribery law expert. It will be everyone against everyone. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE LAW BAN?The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or FCPA, prohibits people or companies operating in the U.S. from giving money or gifts to foreign officials to win or retain deals in those countries. The law doesnt require that the bribe is actually paid, but only offered.Punishment for conviction is imprisonment of up to 20 years, and companies face fines double their profits from the illicit deal. That has often meant hundreds of millions of dollars, sometimes billions, in payments. HOW OFTEN HAS THE LAW BEEN USED?The law has been used hundreds of times in the past decade to stop bribes to win deals, leading to massive settlement payments from multinationals like Goldman Sachs, Germanys Siemens and the Swiss commodities trader Glencore. But its real impact, experts say, is arguably not in the headlines, but what happens behind the scenes as the fear of punishment deters businesses from even thinking about bribes in the first place. WHAT SPECIFICALLY DOES TRUMP THINK IS WRONG WITH THE LAW?In a nutshell, Trump is claiming that so many others are corrupt, were fools for playing by the rules.Specifically, Trump said the law is being enforced in excessive, unpredictable ways that U.S. companies are competing on an uneven playing field with foreign rivals. He also said the law was draining resources from law enforcement and harming U.S. national interests because companies were being held back from deals that would give the U.S. access to deep water ports, critical minerals and other assets.Trumps statements are reviving a criticism of the law that was common decades ago before other developed countries enacted their own bribery laws. More recently both Republican and Democratic administrations have embraced the FCPA not just as a way to stamp out U.S. corruption but to fight the kinds of conditions abroad that allow cartels and terrorist groups that act against U.S. interests to thrive. WHAT EXACTLY DID TRUMP DO UNDER HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER?Trump cant overturn the law, but as head of the executive branch he can change the way it is enforced and shift resources to other Justice Department priorities. His order puts in place a 180-day pause to all investigations under the FCPA while they are being reviewed. He also ordered no new ones be opened during that period. The order also says it will halt other Justice Department actions under the law, which might mean ongoing prosecutions though that is unclear. Trump said the pause is also necessary to give his administration time to come up with new reasonable guidelines on how to enforce the law that dont put U.S. companies at a disadvantage in striking foreign deals.Duncan Levin, a criminal defense attorney, said he expects Trump will essentially kill the law by neglect.He cant get rid of the law, but he can refuse to enforce it, said Levin, who has represented high profile defendants Harvey Weinstein and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. I dont think this is just a pause. WHAT KIND OF BRIBES WERE UNCOVERED UNDER THE LAW?The FCPA was enacted after investigators at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the 1970s found more than 400 American companies making questionable or illegal payments to foreign officials to win business.Since then the list of bribes brought to light by prosecutions is long and varied.Last year, the military contractor RTX, formerly Raytheon, paid more than $300 million to settle charges it had allegedly bribed officials in Qatar by using a sham contract and other devices to hide its tracks.In 2019, Walmart paid $282 million to settle charges from a seven-year investigation into allegations it won approval to open stores in Mexico, India and Brazil by bribing local officials, including one contact called the sorceress who had an uncanny ability to make permitting problems disappear. WHAT DO OTHER COUNTRIES DO TO STOP BRIBERY?Since the FCPA was enacted nearly 50 years ago, U.S. businesses have complained that it was hurting more than helping and unfair because bribes were commonplace in some countries. Then under U.S. pressure, allies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development started enacting their own laws, especially after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and African and Asian countries formerly in the communist orbit opened their borders to business.Eventually, 40 wealthy countries adopted anti-bribery laws based on the FCPA, according to University of Basels Pieth, including the ability to prosecute foreign companies operating in their countries for acts committed in a third country.Therein lies another danger of Trump weakening the FCPA.If a U.S. company bribes because Trump is giving them the green light, the French and the British will jump on that company, Pieth said. It will be a mess. BERNARD CONDON Condon is an Associated Press investigative reporter covering breaking news. He has written about the Maui fire, the Afghanistan withdrawal, gun laws, Chinese loans in Africa and Trumps business. twitter facebook mailto

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's choice to be the Director of National Intelligence, arrives to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)2025-02-12T15:05:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trumps director of national intelligence after Republicans who had initially questioned her experience and judgment fell in line behind her nomination.Gabbard was an unconventional pick to oversee and coordinate the countrys 18 different intelligence agencies, given her past comments sympathetic to Russia, a meeting she held with now-deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad and her previous support for government leaker Edward Snowden.Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was confirmed by a 52-48 vote, with Democrats opposed in the sharply divided Senate where Republicans hold a slim majority. The only no vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.She will take over the top intelligence post as Trump works to reshape vast portions of the federal government. Intelligence agencies including the CIA have issued voluntary resignation offers to staffers, while cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency gaining access to sensitive government databases containing information about intelligence operations. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to address intelligence failures exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001. Republicans have increasingly criticized the office, saying it has grown too large and politicized. Trump himself has long viewed the nations intelligence services with suspicion. GOP senators who had expressed concerns about Gabbards stance on Snowden, Syria and Russia said they were won over by her promise to refocus on the offices core missions: coordinating federal intelligence work and serving as the presidents chief intelligence adviser. While I continue to have concerns about certain positions she has previously taken, I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, adding that Gabbard will bring independent thinking to the job. Democrats noted that Gabbard had no experience working for an intelligence agency and said her past stances on Russia, Syria and Snowden made her a poor choice for the job. They also questioned whether she would stand up to Trump if necessary and could maintain vital intelligence sharing with American allies.It is an insult to people who have dedicated their lives and put themselves in harms way to have her confirmed into this position, said Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst,, D-Mich., about members of Americas intelligence service.Until GOP support fell into place, it was unclear whether Gabbards nomination would succeed. Given the 53-47 split in the Senate, Gabbard needed virtually all Republicans to vote yes.Trumps Make America Great Again base has pressured senators to support Trumps nominees, and Elon Musk, the presidents ally, took to social media recently to brand Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., as a deep-state puppet. Young had raised concerns about Gabbard but announced his support after speaking with Musk. The post was deleted after they spoke, and Musk later called Young an ally. Gabbard is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard who deployed twice to the Middle East and ran for president in 2020. She has no formal intelligence experience and has never run a government agency or department. Gabbards past praise of Snowden drew particularly harsh questions during her confirmation hearing. Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, fled to Russia after he was charged with revealing classified information about U.S. surveillance programs.Gabbard said that while Snowden disclosed important facts about such programs that she believes are unconstitutional, he violated rules about protecting classified secrets. Edward Snowden broke the law, she said.Gabbards 2017 visit with Assad was another flashpoint. He was recently deposed following a brutal civil war in which he was accused of using chemical weapons. Following her visit, Gabbard faced criticism that she was legitimizing a dictator, and then there were more questions when she said she was skeptical that Assad had used such weapons.Gabbard defended her meeting with Assad, saying she used the opportunity to press the Syrian leader on his human rights record.I asked him tough questions about his own regimes actions, Gabbard said.She also has repeatedly echoed Russian propaganda used to justify the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine. In the past, she opposed a key U.S. surveillance program known as Section 702, which allows authorities to collect the communications of suspected terrorists overseas.

A government website created by the Trump administration to track government waste has been left unupdated with a default WordPress sample page that includes language about an imaginary architecture firm.Waste.gov: Tracking government waste, the tagline for the website, archived here, says. The rest of the webpage, however, is about an imaginary architecture firm called tudes, pulled from a sample webpage for a default WordPress theme called Twenty Twenty-Four.This remains the case a day after Elon Musk, in the Oval Office, told reporters that all of DOGEs supposed waste-cutting actions are transparent and are available on government websites. Musk is currently in charge of finding and eliminating "waste."We actually are trying to be as transparent as possible. In fact, our actionswe post our actions to the DOGE handle on X, and to the DOGE website. So all of our actions, which are maximally transparent, Musk said. In fact, I dont think theres been I dont know the case that where [sic] an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization.The DOGE website contains the line An official website of the United States government, a single image of a dollar sign, the words Department of Government Efficiency. The people voted for major reform, and nothing else. The website for the US Digital Service, which has been renamed the US DOGE Service, has not been meaningfully updated since Trump was inaugurated.Waste.gov, meanwhile, says tudes is a pioneering firm that seamlessly merges creativity and functionality to redefine architectural excellence, and various default images and text from the Twenty Twenty-Four WordPress theme, which is also billed as a flexible default theme. The theme is suitable for everyone, from casual bloggers to creative photographers or small businesses, the themes page advertises. Seemingly, the inclusive nature of this theme extends its utility to those seeking to gut the federal government. Specifically, Waste.gov is an exact mirror of the Entrepreneur demo for that theme.Notably, Waste.gov does not comply with various executive orders issued by Donald Trump because it contains the word diverse in the line Our comprehensive suite of professional services caters to a diverse clientele, ranging from homeowners to commercial developers. The imaginary architecture firm also offers a commitment to innovation and sustainability. Research on climate change and sustainability has been purged by this administration.The White House registered both waste.gov and DEI.govwhich redirects to waste.govlast week, Reuters reported.

Palestinians stand next to tents surrounded by buildings that were destroyed by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-02-12T15:06:04Z JERUSALEM (AP) Three weeks into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the number of tents and temporary homes entering Gaza risks falling short of the goals set for the deals first phase.The looming deficit sits at the heart of a dispute between Israel and Hamas that could topple the tenuous truce.Hamas said it would delay the scheduled release of three hostages on Saturday if Israel did not ramp up delivery of tents, pre-fabricated homes and heavy machinery into the devastated territory, where the majority of people are displaced and many live beside the rubble of blasted-out buildings. Israel rejects the accusation, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire in Gaza and resume the war if Hamas does not release more hostages on schedule.Getting enough shelter into Gaza has been difficult because aid workers prioritized deliveries of food at the start of the ceasefire. Israeli inspections and restrictions on what can enter Gaza also complicate the process. The delivery of temporary shelters could soon ramp up, according to officials from Egypt and Hamas who signaled Wednesday that resolution of the dispute was within sight, paving the way for the hostages to be released as planned.Heres a look at where things stand with aid into Gaza: What does the ceasefire agreement say about aid to Gaza?The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas says that during the first 42-day phase, Israel must allow at least 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza. It also must allow entry of an agreed-upon amount of equipment for rubble removal.Repairs to Gazas badly damaged electricity, water, sewage and communications systems as well as its torn up roads are to begin during phase one. So is the planning process for rebuilding homes decimated by the war. All of the repairs and planning are being overseen by the U.N. and ceasefire mediators Egypt and Qatar. Simply removing the rubble let alone beginning reconstruction could take decades, according to the U.N. It may also be premature, especially if the ceasefire falls apart and Israel resumes its bombing campaign there. U.S. President Donald J. Trumps stated intention to rebuild Gaza as the Riviera of the Middle East adds uncertainty.In the deals first phase, Hamas is to release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas so far has released 16 of the hostages, in addition to five Thai hostages who were not part of the deal.Whether the exchanges continue, the agreement says, depends on how the parties adhere to its regulations on humanitarian aid, among other stipulations. How many tents and temporary homes are getting into Gaza?Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanou said Israel had so far permitted 20,000 tents into the territory since the ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. He said Israel hadnt let any temporary homes in and was not allowing entry of heavy machinery to remove rubble and recover dead bodies.COGAT, the Israeli defense body that coordinates the deliveries of humanitarian supplies, disputed part of Hamas claims, saying in a statement it had allowed entry of even more tents. A U.S. official, an Israeli official and aid worker involved in tracking deliveries into Gaza confirmed Hamas claim that as of Tuesday morning no prefabricated homes had been allowed in. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.But the aid worker estimated that between 25,000 and 50,000 tents had entered. The Israeli official said at least 30,000 tents had entered. Why has it been difficult to get shelter material inside?Aid workers say a number of factors are complicating the quick delivery of tents and other temporary shelters into Gaza. For one, the priority at the start of the ceasefire period was getting food and water into a territory on the brink of famine. Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said humanitarian groups prioritized bringing in food during the first couple of weeks of the ceasefire to address Gazas acute starvation crisis.Also, anticipating mass population movements, aid groups held back from sending tents in immediately because people would have a hard time carrying them along with all their belongings, she said. The latest report from the coalition of groups tracking population movement in Gaza says that at least 586,000 Palestinians have gone north since late January and over 56,000 have moved south. Ramping up shelter supplies so suddenly proved a tall order, said Tania Hary, the director of Gisha, an Israeli organization dedicated to protecting Palestinians right to freedom of movement. She added that the initial focus in the first days of the ceasefire was meeting the threshold of 600 trucks a day. Theyre scrambling to get in all the tents in their pipeline, she said. Getting in 60,000 caravans is a huge production.There is another factor slowing the pace of aid deliveries: Israel deems some items dual-use, meaning they could potentially be diverted for military means. According to a list circulated to humanitarian aid groups by COGAT, mobile homes and large tents require Israeli inspection, even though they are on the list for being fast-tracked. The same goes for cleaning materials, water trucks, generators, metal waste containers, sewer inspection devices and iron waste containers.Large storage tents, desalination facilities, toilets and showers with certain kinds of metal, x-ray machines and diesel generators require an even more intense approval process. What does this mean for the deal?Mediators were hopeful Wednesday they could resolve the dispute by Saturday and get the ceasefire back on track.An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, said Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza. An official with Hamas, Mahmoud Merdawi, cited positive signals that the hostages would be released on Saturday. But he cautioned that the group had yet to receive the guarantees it seeks from Israel regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid.-AP reporter Ellen Knickmeyer contributed reporting from Washington. JULIA FRANKEL Frankel is an Associated Press reporter in Jerusalem. twitter mailto

This photo provided by World Relief shows care group volunteers Neimate Mustafa and John Simon Mbiliwele, who provide community health education, visiting a homestead in January 2022, in Maridi, South Sudan. (Esther Mbabazi/World Relief via AP)2025-02-12T16:26:17Z WASHINGTON (AP) In a warehouse in Haiti, nearly four metric tons of seeds cannot be distributed. Soon the planting season will be gone and with it, the best chance for those seeds to produce emergency food.Across the world in South Sudan, a program treating severely malnourished children under age 5 has halted.Both projects are led by World Relief, an evangelical organization whose work has collapsed in certain countries after the Trump administration froze most foreign aid and sidelined the U.S. Agency for International Development.Faith-based organizations that partner with the U.S. government to deliver international aid are being hard-hit by the USAID shutdown, and are now facing their own layoffs, furloughs and severe funding shortages.Remaining staff are being forced to make difficult choices about which lifesaving programs can continue without government funding. Thats what keeps me up at night, said Matthew Soerens, World Reliefs vice president of advocacy and policy.Two of the 12 largest non-governmental recipients of USAID funds are faith-based: Catholic Relief Services and World Vision. These Christian nonprofits serve millions of people globally and provide food, water and health care in conflict zones. Catholic Relief Services founded by U.S. Catholic bishops in 1943 told staff to expect drastic reductions in their workforce this year, as much as 50 percent, due to cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. CRS receives more USAID support than any other non-governmental organization. The U.S. government funded nearly half of the 2023 CRS budget of $1.2 billion. The Vaticans global charity arm, Caritas, on Monday warned that millions of people will die as a result of the ruthless U.S. decision to recklessly stop USAID funding, and hundreds of millions more will be condemned to dehumanizing poverty.The State Department has offered select waivers for organizations to continue lifesaving humanitarian work. But many organizations that have received waivers say federal funding has not arrived for those exempted projects, and they have been unable to get meaningful guidance from the U.S. government. USAID headquarters staffers in affidavits filed this week as part of a court challenge to the Trump administrations dismantling of the agency say they know of no one in USAID who has been told what process will be followed in accepting and reviewing waiver requests, and no funding is getting through to aid partners and programs.World Relief received a waiver to continue its lifesaving work in one country civil-war-torn Sudan but it is still waiting on government payments for those programs and previously completed work.We cant afford to misunderstand the instructions and spend resources that we dont have, Soerens said. We have some cash reserves, but like most nonprofits, we dont sit on months and months worth of cash.Churches and private donors have helped World Relief raise $4.5 million in two weeks to support international aid and its work in the U.S. with refugees. But the organization has furloughed employees and still faces a funding gap of $3.5 million for immediate needs. Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader who prayed at both of Donald Trumps presidential inaugurations, runs Samaritans Purse, an evangelical humanitarian organization that has received USAID funds. Graham said in a statement that the details of the waiver process are not yet clear.Samaritans Purse has not stopped its emergency food and medical programs overseas, he noted, and less than 5% of the organizations 2024 funding came from government grants.I think its a good thing for the government to assess and reexamine the various programs that the U.S. is funding around the world, Graham said. We trust that the new leadership will analyze all of the information and make good decisions. A spokesperson for World Vision, a Christian aid group that is separate from World Relief, said the organization was working on securing waivers and resuming critical programs as soon as possible. Our commitment to serving vulnerable communities through humanitarian and development work remains strong, and we will continue to comply with all relevant regulations, its statement said. The first Trump administration did some incredible work at USAID, according to Adam Phillips, who led the USAID faith-based office during the Biden administration. Phillips continued some of the data-driven approaches to working with faith communities that the Trump team pioneered at the agency.Its so mystifying to see what the second Trump administration is doing, Phillips said, because theyre really going backwards on some extraordinary commitments when it comes to faith-based partners.Supporters of USAIDs work argue it not only alleviates global suffering and promotes stability but also functions as a form of soft power to create goodwill and counter rivals like China and Russia. Many conservatives have championed the type of public-private partnerships that USAID and religious groups traditionally have had. Indeed, when Trump again established a White House faith office, the Feb. 7 executive order said it wanted faith-based entities to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities.Faith-based groups hope their humanitarian work will pass muster with the second Trump administration after a 90-day review is completed.At World Relief, were also pro-life Christians. We believe in the value of human life, Soerens said. Our hope is that the president and the secretary of state examine this as quickly as possible and get things moving on that genuinely lifesaving humanitarian support.A USAID employee who works on lifesaving humanitarian assistance said she has been instructed not to communicate with grantees. She was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.She still finds common cause with faith-based organizations: She has long viewed her secular work of helping the vulnerable as an extension of her own Christian faith.I cant say that if I werent a person of faith, that I wouldnt be in this in this field, she said. But I do think my main motivation is that Christ calls us to be his hands and feet in this world. Thats what I want to be.___AP reporters Nicole Winfield in Rome, Giovanna DellOrto in Minneapolis, and Gary Fields and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. TIFFANY STANLEY Stanley is a reporter and editor on The Associated Press Global Religion team. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-02-12T17:59:48Z JERUSALEM (AP) Israels defense minister on Wednesday vowed that all hell will break loose on Hamas if it fails to free hostages this weekend as planned, stepping up threats against the militant group as mediators worked to salvage their ceasefire.There were signs that the gaps could be bridged. The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release on Saturday.Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi told The Associated Press there were positive signals the three hostages will be released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the two sides were close to an agreement. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, said Israel had committed to delivering more tents, shelters and heavy equipment to Gaza. Israeli officials had no immediate comment. Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the deal, which went into effect on Jan. 19 and has paused the 16-month war in Gaza, bringing respite to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. In the ceasefires current first stage, which is to last 42 days, Israel is to deliver large quantities of aid. Hamas is meant to free 33 hostages taken during its cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Eight of them are said to be dead. Twenty-one have been released so far, along with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody. Israel and Hamas trade threatsHamas threat to delay the hostage release sparked fury from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed to resume the fighting if Hamas didnt follow through and ordered troops to be strengthened around Gaza. They pulled back from the territorys populated areas during the ceasefire.On Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he was echoing U.S. President Donald Trump by threatening that all hell will break loose if there is no hostage release on Saturday as planned.If Hamas stops releasing the hostages, then there is no deal and there is war, he said during a visit to a military command center. He said the new Gaza war wouldnt end until Hamas was defeated, which would allow for Trumps vision on transferring Gazas population to neighboring countries to be realized.Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem rejected the language of U.S. and Israeli threats and called on Israel to implement the terms of the ceasefire deal. Among other claims, Hamas says Israel is not allowing an agreed-upon number of tents, prefabricated homes and heavy machinery into Gaza. Trumps remarks test the delicate truceThe ceasefires stability has also been rocked by Trump, who has proposed relocating Palestinians out of Gaza to neighboring Arab countries so the U.S. can own and rebuild the territory not necessarily for its current inhabitants.Jordan and Egypt, where Trump wants Palestinians moved, have repeatedly and vehemently rejected the proposal. Jordans King Abdullah II did so again after his meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.Trump has also suggested Hamas release all the hostages yet to be freed under the ceasefires first phase at once which emboldened Israel to call for more hostages to be freed on Saturday. The releases have been gradual and almost weekly so far.The latest ceasefire dispute came as Israel and Hamas were expected to begin negotiations on a second phase of the deal, which would extend the truce, bring about the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and see the remaining living hostages freed.But there appears to have been little progress on those talks.Netanyahu is under pressure from his political partners, on whom he relies to remain in power, to resume the war after the first phase. But he also faces surging outrage from many Israelis, who are stunned by the emaciated condition of the three hostages released last Saturday and want him to follow through with the deal.___Magdy reported from Cairo.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto

In this Sept. 17, 2019 file photo, R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)2025-02-12T17:48:22Z NEW YORK (AP) R. Kellys racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, along with a 30-year prison sentence, were upheld Wednesday by a federal appeals court that concluded the singer exploited his fame for over a quarter century to sexually abuse girls and young women.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled Wednesday after hearing arguments last March.The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling R&B songwriter was convicted in 2021 in Brooklyn federal court of multiple charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking.Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, representing R. Kelly, said in a statement that she believed the Supreme Court will agree to hear an appeal. She called the 2nd Circuit ruling unprecedented, saying it gives prosecutors limitless discretion to apply the racketeering law to situations absurdly remote from the statutes intent. Last year, the high court declined to hear an appeal of a 20-year sentence Kelly received after he was convicted in 2022 of child sex charges including charges of producing images of child sexual abuse in Chicago.The 2nd Circuit rejected Kellys arguments that the trial evidence was inadequate, the constitutionality of some state laws used against him were questionable, four jurors were biased, the trial judge made some improper rulings and a racketeering charge more commonly used in organized crime cases was improper. Enabled by a constellation of managers, assistants, and other staff for over twenty-five years, Kelly exploited his fame to lure girls and young women into his grasp, the appeals court said, noting members of his entourage helped introduce him to underage girls. Evidence at trial showed that he would isolate them from friends and family, control nearly every aspect of their lives, and abuse them verbally, physically, and sexually, the three-judge panel said. The appeals court said it was neither arbitrary nor irrational that several accusers were permitted to testify at trial that Kelly gave them herpes without disclosing he had an STD, and it was not unduly prejudicial or cumulative that seven witnesses who were not yet adults when Kelly began to abuse them were allowed to testify.None of the testimony was more inflammatory than the charged acts, the appeals court said.The 2nd Circuit also said it was not unfairly prejudicial for the trial judge to let jurors view graphic videos. The videos, the appeals court said, were properly admitted to show the means and methods of the enterprise, including the level of control and dominance Kelly had over his victims.Bonjean, in her statement on R. Kellys behalf, also cited a partial dissent in which one 2nd Circuit judge, Richard J. Sullivan, concurred with what he described as the majoritys excellent opinion, but dissented in part over a restitution award given one victim for a lifetime supply of a suppressive regime of herpes medication. The award was based on the cost of the brand-name drug when a generic drug is available.This was not restitution. This was an effort by the government to unfairly enrich government witnesses for their testimony, Bonjean said. Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is known for work including the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly and the cult classic Trapped in the Closet, a multipart tale of sexual betrayal and intrigue.Kelly sold millions of albums and remained in demand even after allegations about his abuse of young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s. He was acquitted of child sexual abuse image charges in Chicago in 2008, but a second trial in Chicago in 2022 ended with his conviction on charges of producing images of child sexual abuse and enticing girls for sex.Widespread outrage over Kellys sexual misconduct did not emerge until the #MeToo reckoning, reaching a crescendo after the release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-12T18:37:19Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) The White House said Wednesday that court rulings going against the Trump administration are coming from judicial activists on the bench whose decisions amount to a constitutional crisis.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the comments as she pushed back against critics of Republican President Donald Trumps expansive actions slashing the government workforce and federal spending.We believe these judges are acting as judicial activists rather than honest arbiters of the law, Leavitt said.Trumps moves in the first weeks of his second term to overhaul the federal government and fulfill his campaign promises have been met with more than 50 lawsuits, with judges blocking some of his administrations moves at least temporarily. Top administration officials have responded by attacking the legitimacy of judicial oversight, one of the foundations of Americas democracy which is based on the separation of powers. The focus on the courts has intensified as the other long-standing check on the presidency, the Congress, is Republican-controlled and has largely gone along with Trumps unilateral actions, including his firing of government watchdogs. When asked Wednesday if the White House believes the courts have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions to Trumps orders, Leavitt said the rulings have no basis in the law and have no grounds. She said the White House would comply with the courts but believed the administration would ultimately be vindicated. This is part of a larger, concerted effort by Democrat activists, and nothing more than the continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump, Leavitt said, referring to Trumps personal legal challenges, including the criminal trial in New York in which he was convicted last year.Judges have blocked, at least temporarily, his effort to end birthright citizenship, permit access to Treasury Department records by billionaire Elon Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency and roll out a mass deferred resignation plan for federal workers. Musk, the worlds richest man who has been given far-reaching powers by Trump to shrink the federal government, has posted on social media that judges who rule against the administration should be impeached.A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW! Musk wrote about the judge in the Treasury Department case. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday on X, If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, thats also illegal. Judges arent allowed to control the executives legitimate power.As court cases pile up, questions have arisen about whether Trump, pushing to expand the limits of presidential power, would comply with court rulings.Trump on Tuesday said he would, but suggested he would consider some kind of response to the judges and called their actions a violation. It seems hard to believe that a judge could say, We dont want you to do that. So maybe we have to look at the judges because thats very serious, I think its a very serious violation, Trump said. Leavitt made clear that Trumps team will also seek every legal remedy to ultimately overturn these radical injunctions and ensure President Trumps policies can be enacted, she said. ___Price reported from New York. MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP File)2025-02-12T19:39:08Z NEW YORK (AP) Sean Diddy Combs is suing NBC Universal over a documentary that he says falsely accuses him of being a serial murderer who had sex with underage girls as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court says the documentary, Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy, included statements that NBC Universal either knew were false or published with reckless disregard for the truth in order to defame the founder of Bad Boy Records.Indeed, the entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him, the complaint reads. It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a monster and an embodiment of Lucifer with a lot of similarities to Jeffrey Epstein. Spokespersons for NBC Universal and the entertainment company that produced the documentary, which is also named in the suit, didnt immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The documentary premiered last month on Peacock TV, the networks streaming service. From his childhood to becoming a mogul, this raw look at Sean Combs journey through exclusive footage and candid interviews explores his rise, controversies and the man behind the music, a description of the documentary on Peacocks website reads. Combs, who is seeking no less than $100 million in damages, has been in Brooklyn federal prison since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.Federal prosecutors say he used his wealth and influence to coerce female victims and male sex workers into drug-fueled, dayslong sexual performances known as Freak Offs. They say Combs used blackmail and violence to intimidate and threaten his victims in a pattern of abuse that goes back to the early 2000s. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is slated to start in May.Erica Wolff, an attorney for Combs, said NBC and the other entities named in the suit maliciously and recklessly broadcast outrageous lies in order to line their own pockets by driving viewership to the documentary. In making and broadcasting these falsehoods, among others, Defendants seek only to capitalize on the publics appetite for scandal without any regard for the truth and at the expense of Mr. Combss right to a fair trial, she said in a statement. Mr. Combs brings this lawsuit to hold Defendants accountable for the extraordinary damage their reckless statements have caused.Combs lawsuit says the documentary falsely, recklessly, and maliciously accuses him of murdering Kimberly Porter, Christopher Wallace and Dwight Arrington Myers, among other notable names.Porter, a model who had been Combs longtime girlfriend and the mother of some of his children, died in 2008 at the age of 47 from complications from pneumonia. Wallace, the rapper known as The Notorious B.I.G., was killed in 1997 in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at age 24. Myers, the rapper known as Heavy D, died from a pulmonary embolism in 2011 at the age of 44. It shamelessly advances conspiracy theories that lack any foundation in reality, repeatedly insinuating that Mr. Combs is a serial killer because it cannot be a coincidence that multiple people in Mr. Combss orbit have died, the complaint reads.Elsewhere, the complaint says the documentary delved into claims Combs had sex with underage girls, citing as evidence a civil complaint thats been thoroughly discredited. Combs lawyers say the women referenced in that complaint have since confirmed they were adults at the time.___Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. PHILIP MARCELO Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto

People attend a protest in support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at the CFPB headquarters in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-12T18:33:35Z NEW YORK (AP) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Congress established to monitor credit card companies, mortgage providers, debt collectors and other segments of the consumer finance industry, is the latest U.S. government agency to have its work halted by the Trump administration.Conservatives have long targeted the work of the CFPB. Critics complain the independent agency, funded by the Federal Reserve System, lacks sufficient supervision and regularly exceeds its regulatory authority. Defenders argue the bureaus watchdog mission has strong bipartisan support.Heres some background on the scope of the CFPBs activities and how the agencys tenuous status might affect consumers: What does the CFPB regulate?The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is charged with creating rules and taking enforcement actions to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices by a wide range of financial institutions and businesses. Its actions involve banks, mortgage servicers, credit card companies, student loan processors, payday lenders, money transfer providers, credit reporting agencies and debt collectors. During the Biden administration, the CFPB passed rules capping bank overdraft fees and removing medical debt from credit reports. The bureau sued financial services companies for misleading consumers and employers for misleading workers. It also focused on curbing junk fees and predatory lending practices. How long has the CFPB been around?Congress established the agency as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The legislation was intended to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. The CFPB says it has obtained nearly $20 billion for consumers since then in the form of monetary compensation, canceled debts, reduced loans and other financial relief. What has the Trump administration done to the CFPB?Russell Vought, the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget, told the CFPB last weekend to stop its investigations and work on proposed rules. He instructed the agency to suspend the enforcement dates of any rules that had been finalized but not yet put into effect, and closed the CFPBs offices for a week. Vought sent an email to employees on Monday morning saying they should not perform any work tasks. They were directed to contact the top lawyer for the Office of Management and Budget to get approval in writing before doing anything.Vought also said in a social media post that the agency would not withdraw its next round of funding from the Federal Reserve, which Congress assigned as the CFPBs funding source to avoid the political wrangling of the congressional appropriations process. Two top officials resigned Tuesday in protest. Also Tuesday, Trump named Jonathan McKernan, a former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation board member, as the agencys new director. What put the agency in the crosshairs? Before Trump took office, banks and industry groups sometimes sued to block some of the agencys rules. For example, when the CFPB issued a rule in 2017 to limit the number of payments the providers of payday loans, vehicle title loans, and high-cost installment loans could take from customer bank accounts, trade associations for payday lenders challenged the bureaus Federal Reserve funding as unconstitutional. In May 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected their argument and upheld the CFPBs funding and oversight model. Trump on Monday defended his administrations efforts to reform the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, saying the agency was set up to destroy people. What Biden-era rules and regulations are on hold?The overdraft fee rule was finalized and set to take effect in October, but Voughts directive puts it on hold. Banks had previously sued to get the rule thrown out. The rule would require the largest banks to pick one of three options: to reduce overdraft fees to $5, to reduce them to a rate that reflects how much an overdraft costs them, or to disclose, along with the fee, the fees Annual Percent Rate (APR) as they do with other short-term loans. Overdraft fees currently run about $35 on average. The CFPB finalized a rule in January that would remove medical debt from credit reports. The agency had said the change could potentially improve the credit scores of millions of people and make it easier for them to get mortgages and other loans. The rule was set to take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register but is now suspended. It also was the subject of a legal challenge.President Trump campaigned on lowering prices, and a lot of people voted for him because of high prices. and yet were seeing Republicans move to make them pay high overdraft fees and pay more for loans on their credit, said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. The public broadly thinks that overdraft fees are unfair and medical debt shouldnt be on credit reports. If you ask ordinary people, these are not partisan issues. How is industry responding?Lindsey Johnson, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, characterized the CFPBs work under Biden as aggressive. She said the agency took action in recent years without going through the appropriate procedures.We dont believe they had the proper oversight, she said.Miranda Margowsky, a spokesperson for the Financial Technology Association, an industry group that counts many financial technology companies as members, said her organization anticipates and hopes several CFPB rules, including those governing buy now, pay later plans and other fintech products, will be reversed with the stroke of a pen.She characterized the rules as overly broad, overreaching, and harmful.How are consumer advocates responding?Supporters of the CFPB protested outside the bureaus shuttered Washington headquarters this week. NAACP President Derrick Johnson and others have demanded the offices reopening.The CFPB has provided crucial protections against big banks and lenders, Johnson said in a statement. Without this critical oversight, consumers especially Black and Brown communities will be vulnerable to fraud, predatory lending, and discriminatory financial practices.Kitty Richards, senior strategic advisor at the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative, said consumers today are more vulnerable to data privacy violations, junk fees, and financial scams. Without the CFPB, corporations are freer to prey on the American people without fearing they might have to give back the money, she said.___The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. CORA LEWIS Lewis is an Associated Press business reporter based in New York. twitter mailto

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill, Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-12T17:12:57Z WASHINGTON (AP) Republican Sen. Katie Britt has been working to make sure the Trump administrations Department of Government Efficiency doesnt hit what she called life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions, including her states beloved University of Alabama.Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran is worried that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the U.S. Agency for International Development shutters.And Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson warns national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors.We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what theyve done here, said Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. Its a concern to all of us. One by one, in public statements and private conversations, Republican lawmakers are beginning to speak up to protect home-state interests, industries and jobs that are endangered by President Donald Trumps executive actions and the slash-and-burn tactics erupting across the federal government by billionaire Elon Musk s DOGE. While Democrats have been denouncing the impact of Trumps cuts on Americans, the stirrings from Republicans are less a collective action than targeted complaints. Almost none are openly questioning the purpose or legality of the DOGE effort, which the party has largely cheered. But taken together, the quiet concerns are the first glimmers of GOP pushback against Trumps upending of the federal government. The people voted for major government reform, and thats what the people are going to get, Musk said Tuesday in the Oval Office with Trump.The situation unfolding on a scale like nothing Washington has ever seen as Trump issues executive actions at a rapid clip and Musks team roams agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for what he calls waste, fraud and abuse. Dozens of lawsuits are piling up claiming Trump and DOGE are violating the law. While presidents have long taken liberty with their authority to issue executive orders, actions and proclamations toward their goals, the White House typically chooses a few signature priorities to make a mark rather than employ such vast power to sweep across the government. Former President Barack Obama, for example, used executive authority to protect from deportation an entire group of immigrants the young Dreamers who came to the U.S. as children without proper paperwork. Former President Joe Biden used his executive authority to cancel student loan debt for millions. Both actions have been in court and are still making their way through the legal system.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said DOGE is taking a meat ax to the federal government.If you want to make cuts, then you do it through a debate in Congress, said the New York senator, not lawlessly. It raises questions about what happens next as judges are quickly slapping on limits and halting many of the White House actions. Both Musk and Vice President JD Vance have questioned the legitimacy of judicial oversight, which is a mainstay of the U.S. democracy and its balance of power. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he met with Musk at the start of the week and has no concern that DOGE is going too far or treading on Congress authority to direct taxpayer dollars or provide oversight of the executive branch. To me, its very exciting what theyre able to do because what Elon and the DOGE is doing right now is what Congress has been unable to do in recent years, the Louisiana Republican said, referring to the spending reviews underway.Johnson said he agrees with Vance and suggested the courts should cool it.The courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out, he said. What were doing is good and right for the American people.Alabamas Britt was far from alone in speaking up about Trumps caps on the National Institutes of Health grant program that hit universities, medical centers and research institutions coast to coast. While the administration works to achieve this goal at NIH, a smart, targeted approach is needed, the senator said in a statement. North Carolina GOP Sen. Ted Budd said he has heard from constituents in his state, home to the Raleigh areas influential Research Triangle. And Sen. Susan Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, listed the ways scientists in Maine are conducting much-needed research on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, Alzheimers, diabetes, Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy, as well as other research as she decried the funding caps.There is no investment that pays greater dividends to American families than our investment in biomedical research, Collins said in a statement. As the U.S. Agency for International Development was being dismantled, Kansas Moran said on social media that U.S. food aid feeds the hungry, bolsters our national security & provides an important market for our farmers, especially when commodity prices are low.The senator said he spoke to the Department of Agriculture and the White House about the importance of resuming the procurement, shipping & distribution of American-grown food.Moran and others have been working on legislation that would move management of food aid program from USAID to USDA.On Saturday, Moran shared an update: GOOD NEWS: State Dept. has approved shipping to resume, allowing NGOs to distribute the $560 million of American-grown food aid sitting in US & global ports to those in need. He thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for helping make certain this life-saving aid gets to those in need before it spoils.Its unclear, however, if the aid work will have the funding to resume. And the gutting of global supply lines for aid shipments, thanks to the shuttering of USAID, also makes it uncertain that enough workers can be found to deliver stalled food aid, aid groups say.In Florida, GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez is trying to help Venezuelans, who fled their homeland and are now living in the Miami area under Temporary Protected Status, from being deported as Trump ends the program.Gimenez wrote last month to ask the administration to consider Venezuelans on a case-by-case basis.I support the president in the vast majority of things he does, Gimenez told the Associated Press. As a member of Congress, I also have to represent the interests of my constituents, he said. Asked if he felt he had the power to make a difference, he replied: Im not powerless. Im a member of Congress.

Cartons of eggs sit inside cooler at Norma's Sweets Bakery Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)2025-02-12T18:55:37Z OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didnt need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times because of an ongoing.The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023.The spike in egg prices was the biggest since the nations last bird flu outbreak in 2015 and accounted for roughly two-thirds of the total increase in food costs last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, that is only the nationwide average. A carton of eggs can cost $10 or more in some places. And specialized varieties, such as organic and cage-free eggs, are even more expensive.We do use eggs a little less often now. You know, because of the price, said Jon Florey as he surveyed his options in the egg case at Encinal Market in Alameda, California. I was going to make a quiche that I like to make and its about six eggs, so I figured Id do something else. When are egg prices expected to go down?Relief is not expected any time soon. Egg prices typically spike around Easter due to high holiday demand. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted last month that egg prices were likely to go up 20% this year.Even if shoppers can afford eggs, they may have difficulty finding them at times. Some grocers are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked, and customers are encountering surcharges and limits on how many cartons they can buy at a time. Encinal Market owner Joe Trimble said he has a hard time getting all the eggs he orders from his suppliers, so most of the time his shelves are only about 25% full.Its something you dont think about until you look at the shelf and its nearly empty, Trimble said. Eggs are just expected to be there in the same way you expect there to be milk. Its a key item to have in a grocery store because people dont go out looking for something else to eat on a Saturday morning. They want it. They want to have some scrambled eggs or over-easy eggs on a Saturday morning. How bad is the bird flu outbreak?The main reason that eggs are more expensive is the bird flu outbreak. When the virus is found on a farm, the entire flock is killed to limit the spread of disease. Because massive egg farms may have millions of birds, just one outbreak may put a dent in the egg supply. Nearly 158 million birds have been slaughtered overall since the outbreak began.The Agriculture Department says more than 23 million birds were slaughtered last month and more than 18 million were killed in December to limit the spread of the bird flu virus. Those numbers include turkeys and chickens raised for meat, but the vast majority of them were egg-laying chickens.And when there is an outbreak on a farm, it often takes several months to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize the barns and raise new birds until they are old enough to start producing eggs, so the effects linger. Bird flu cases often spike in the spring and fall when wild birds are migrating because they are the main source of the virus, but cases can pop up any time of year. The virus has also spread to cattle and other species, and dozens of people mostly farmworkers taking care of ill animals have been sickened.But health officials say the threat to human health remains low and eggs and poultry are safe to eat because sick animals arent allowed into the food supply. Plus, properly cooking meat and eggs to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills any virus, and pasteurization neutralizes bird flu in milk. What else is driving egg prices up?Egg farmers also face higher feed, fuel and labor costs these days because of inflation. Plus, farmers are investing more in biosecurity measures to try to protect their birds. Ten states have passed laws allowing the sale of eggs only from cage-free environments. The supply of those eggs is tighter and focused in certain regions, so the effect on prices can be magnified when outbreaks hit cage-free egg farms. Many of the egg farms with recent outbreaks were cage-free farms in California. Cage-free egg laws have already gone into effect in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan.Total demand for eggs is also up significantly in recent years. Consumers are buying more eggs, and the growth of all-day breakfast restaurants is adding to demand.CoBank analyst Brian Earnest said the current cost of eggs could discourage some buying, which would ease the demand pressure but might not have a noticeable effect. It will likely take months for egg producers to fill the gaps in supply.As consumers continue to stock up on eggs, supplies at the store level will remain tight, and with Easter right around the corner, that could prolong the tighter supplies, Earnest said.While prices remain elevated, producers of baked goods and other food items that rely on eggs as a main ingredient will have to decide how much to increase prices or reduce production, he said. ___Associated Press reporter Terry Chea contributed to this report from Alameda, California. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto

A community member holds a sign calling for a national boycott of Target stores during a news conference outside Target Corporation's headquarters Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt, File)2025-02-12T15:59:48Z A growing number of prominent companies have scaled back or set aside the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that much of corporate America endorsed following the protests that accompanied the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in 2020.The changes have come in response to a campaign by conservative activists to target workplace programs in the courts and social media, and more recently, President Donald Trumps executive orders aimed at upending DEI policies in both the federal government and private sector. DEI policies typically are intended to root out systemic barriers to the advancement of historically marginalized groups in certain fields or roles. Critics argue that some education, government and business programs are discriminatory because they single out participants based on factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation. They have targeted corporate sponsorships, employee-led affinity groups, programs aimed at steering contracts to minority or women-owned businesses, and goals that some companies established for increasing minority representation in leadership ranks. While hiring or promotion decisions based on race or gender is illegal under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in most circumstances, companies say they are not doing that. Instead, they say they aspire to diversify their workforce over time through policies like widening candidate pools for job openings.These are some of the companies that have retreated from DEI: Goldman SachsInvestment firm Goldman Sachs confirmed that it was dropping a requirement that forced IPO clients to include women and members of minority groups on their board of directors. As a result of legal developments related to board diversity requirements, we ended our formal board diversity policy, said a Goldman Sachs spokesman in an email to The Associated Press. We continue to believe that successful boards benefit from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and we will encourage them to take this approach. Goldman Sachs said that it will still have a placement service that connects its clients with diverse candidates to serve on their boards. GoogleGoogle rescinded a goal it had set in 2020 to increase representation of underrepresented groups among the companys leadership team by 30% within five years. In a memo to employees, the company also said it was considering other changes in response to Trumps executive order aimed at prohibiting federal contractors from conducting DEI practices that constitute illegal discrimination. Googles parent company Alphabet also signaled things were changing in its annual 10-K report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The report dropped a boilerplate sentence it has used since 2020 declaring that the company is committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve. TargetThe retailer said that changes to its Belonging at the Bullseye strategy would include ending a program it established to help Black employees build meaningful careers, improve the experience of Black shoppers and to promote Black-owned businesses following Floyds death in Minneapolis, where Target has its headquarters.Target, which operates nearly 2,000 stores nationwide and employs more than 400,000 people, said it also would conclude the diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, goals it previously set in three-year cycles.The goals included hiring and promoting more women and members of racial minority groups, and recruiting more diverse suppliers, including businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, veterans and people with disabilities.Target also will no longer participate in surveys designed to gauge the effectiveness of its actions, including an annual index compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ+ rights organization. Target also said it would further evaluate corporate partnerships to ensure theyre connected directly to business objectives, but declined to share details. Meta PlatformsThe parent company of Facebook and Instagram said it was getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program, which featured policies for hiring, training and picking vendors.Like other companies that announced similar changes before Meta, the social media giant said it had been reviewing the program since the Supreme Courts July 2023 ruling upending affirmative action in higher education.Citing an internal memo sent to employees, news website Axios reported the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said it would no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and will instead focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background. The change means the company will also end its diverse slate approach to hiring, which involved considering a diverse pool of candidates for every open position. AmazonAmazon said it was halting some of its DEI programs, although it did not specify which ones. In a Dec. 16 memo to employees, Candi Castleberry, a senior human resources executive, said the company has been winding down outdated programs and materials, and were aiming to complete that by the end of 2024.We also know there will always be individuals or teams who continue to do well-intentioned things that dont align with our company-wide approach, and we might not always see those right away. But well keep at it, she wrote.Rather than have individual groups build programs, Castleberry said, Amazon is focusing on programs with proven outcomes and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture.McDonaldsFour years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonalds said earlier this month that it is ending some of its diversity practices.McDonalds said on Jan. 6 that it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of minority group members represented within their own leadership ranks.McDonalds said it will also pause external surveys. The burger giant didnt elaborate, but several other companies have suspended their participation in an annual survey by the HRC.In an open letter to employees and franchisees, McDonalds senior leadership team said it remained committed to inclusion and believes that having a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage.WalmartThe worlds largest retailer confirmed in November that it would not be renewing a five-year commitment to a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd, and that it would stop participating in the HRCs Corporate Equality Index.Walmart also said it will better monitor its third-party marketplace to make sure items sold there do not include products aimed at LGBTQ+ minors, including chest binders intended for transgender youth.Additionally, the company will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts and it wont be gathering demographic data when determining financing eligibility for those grants.FordCEO Jim Farley sent a memo to the automakers employees in August outlining changes to the companys DEI policies, including a decision to stop taking part in HRCs Corporate Equality Index.Ford, he wrote, had been looking at its policies for a year. The company doesnt use hiring quotas or tie compensation to specific diversity goals but remains committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace, Farley said.We will continue to put our effort and resources into taking care of our customers, our team, and our communities versus publicly commenting on the many polarizing issues of the day, the memo said.LowesIn August, Lowes executive leadership said the company began reviewing its programs following the Supreme Courts affirmative action ruling and decided to combine its employee resource groups into one umbrella organization. Previously, the company had individual groups representing diverse sections of our associate population.The retailer also will no longer participate in the HRC index, and will stop sponsoring and participating in events, such as festivals and parades, that are outside of its business areas.Harley-DavidsonIn a post on X in August, Harley-Davidson said the company would review all sponsorships and organizations it was affiliated with, and that all would have to be centrally approved. It said the company would focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining its loyal riding community, in addition to supporting first responders, active military members and veterans.The motorcycle maker said it would no longer participate in the ranking of workplace equality compiled by the HRC, and that its trainings would be related to the needs of the business and absent of socially motivated content.Harley-Davidson also said it does not have hiring quotas and would no longer have supplier diversity spending goals.Brown-FormanThe parent company of Jack Daniels also pulled out from participating in the HRCs Corporate Equality Index, among other changes. Its leaders sent an email to employees in August saying the company launched its diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019, but since then the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically.The company said it would remove its quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions, ensure incentives and employee goals were tied to business performance, and review training programs for consistency with a revised strategy.Brown-Forman continues to foster an inclusive work environment where everyone is welcomed, respected, and able to bring their best self to work, spokeswoman Elizabeth Conway said in an email.John DeereThe farm equipment maker said in July that it would no longer sponsor social or cultural awareness events, and that it would audit all training materials to ensure the absence of socially-motivated messages in compliance with federal and local laws.Moline, Illinois-based John Deere added the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy. But it noted that it would still continue to track and advance the diversity of the company.Tractor SupplyThe retailer in June said it was ending an array of corporate diversity and climate efforts, a move that came after weeks of online conservative backlash against the rural retailer.Tractor Supply said it would be eliminating all of its DEI roles while retiring current DEI goals. The company added that it would stop sponsoring non-business activities such as Pride festivals or voting campaigns and no longer submit data for the HRC index.The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company, which sells products ranging from farming equipment to pet supplies, also said that it would withdraw from its carbon emission goals to instead focus on our land and water conservation efforts.The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supplys president and CEO to step down shortly after the companys announcement.

Marc Fogel listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-12T20:03:36Z The U.S. and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap involving Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who the Biden administration had deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, in a diplomatic move that the White House said could move forward negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Soon after, President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin working toward winding down the conflict in Ukraine.Here are some things to know about the prisoner swap:Who is Marc Fogel and why was he detained? Fogel, an American history teacher from just outside Pittsburgh, was traveling to Russia to work at a Moscow school in 2021 when he was detained. His family and supporters said he had been traveling with medically prescribed marijuana.Almost a year later, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The Interfax news agency said Fogel taught at the Anglo-American School in Moscow and had worked at the U.S. Embassy. Interfax cited court officials as saying Fogel admitted guilt. The State Department in December announced that Fogel had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. Who was involved in the hostage swap for Fogel?While not yet publicly announced, Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian criminal, was being freed in exchange for the release of Fogel, according to people familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic details.Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges. He was later brought to the U.S. and pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was being held in California before the swap was finalized, the officials said. Where did Fogel go when he returned? Fogel flew back to the U.S. late Tuesday after more than three years of detention and was welcomed at the White House by Trump. Standing next to Trump with an American flag draped around his shoulders, Fogel said he felt like the luckiest man on Earth.The White House on Wednesday declined to disclose Fogels whereabouts, saying that he had spoken with his wife, his two children and his 95-year-old mother. What is the significance of the prisoner swap? Following the prisoner exchange, Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a long phone call and agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine was the main focus of the call, during which Putin emphasized the need to remove the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks.___Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. JOHN SEEWER Seewer covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Toledo, Ohio. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Bubba Wallace talks with reporters during media day at the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)2025-02-12T21:12:08Z DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Bubba Wallace said he couldnt care less if Donald Trump attends the Daytona 500 on Sunday, nearly five years after the president accused the NASCAR Cup Series only Black full-time driver of perpetrating a hoax when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall.Trump suggested in July 2020 that Wallace should apologize after the sport rallied around him following the discovery of the noose in his assigned stall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Federal authorities ruled that the noose had been hanging since October and was not a hate crime. NASCAR and the FBI have referred exclusively to the rope which was used to pull the garage door closed as a noose.Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing team owned by Michael Jordan and driver Denny Hamlin, declined to say much about the possibility that Trump could return to NASCARs biggest race as a sitting president for the second time. Were here to race, Wallace said at the Daytona 500 media day. Not for the show.A notice from the Federal Aviation Administration posted Monday indicated that Trump was expected to attend the race, but NASCAR said Wednesday it had gotten no confirmation. Trump, who has chimed in through the years on several intertwined NASCAR and political issues, went after Wallace in 2020 on social media after the noose was found. Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?, he wrote in July 2020. Wallace responded on social media in 2020 to Trump calling him out, writing, Always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE!... Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when its HATE from the POTUS. Trump served as grand marshal for the 2020 Daytona 500 and gave the command for drivers to start their engines. He also took a parade lap around the 2 1/2-mile speedway in his armored limousine, leading the 40-car field before the green flag. The presidential motorcade remained on the apron in the corners instead of taking to the high-banked turns. Thousands cheered and a band played patriotic music when Air Force One flew over the famed track, a flyover that was simultaneously shown on big screens. Trumps presence energized fans and caused huge headaches because of logistical issues at entrance points.Trump, with first lady Melania Trump by his side, addressed the crowd before the race and called the Daytona 500 a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits and the American skill, speed and power that weve been hearing about for so many years.Trump made history last Sunday as the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs from a suite after flying in with a group of some of his closest Republican allies in Congress, including Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing DAN GELSTON Gelston is an an Associated Press sports writer covering major college and pro sports in Philadelphia, including the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Villanova. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Rosemary Farm family representatives Jose Pelayo, left, and Lisa Stothart deliver a donation of hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to feed first responders and those in need in the community through the donation of Rosemary Eggs at the Los Angeles Food Regional Bank in City of Industry, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)2025-02-12T22:38:49Z SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) As consumers face skyrocketing egg prices and widespread shortages, a California farm is donating hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to people affected by last months devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles Area. The 100-year-old family-owned Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said its working with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and the nonprofit Gather For Good to get some 270,000 eggs to residents who lost homes in the Eaton and Palisades fires. In addition, nearly 55,000 eggs will go to firefighters and other first responders, according to a statement from the farm. Other eggs will be used by the LA bakery Winter Fate Bakes to make birthday cakes for displaced children. Egg prices reached a record high in the U.S. last month, mostly as a result of a nationwide bird flu outbreak. When the virus is found on a farm, the entire flock is killed to limit its spread. Egg farmers also face higher costs for feed, fuel and labor because of inflation. They are also investing more in biosecurity measures to try to protect their birds. Some grocers have imposed limits on how many eggs customers can buy at a time.

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-12T23:08:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge on Wednesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump s plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program. It was a significant legal victory for the Republican president after a string of courtroom setbacks. This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.There was no immediate response from labor unions that had sued over Trumps plan. U.S. District Judge George OToole Jr. in Boston found that the unions didnt have legal standing to challenge the program, commonly described as a buyout.Trump wants to use financial incentives to encourage government employees to quit. According to the White House, tens of thousands of workers have taken the government up on its offer. The deferred resignation program has been spearheaded by Elon Musk, who is serving as Trumps top adviser for reducing federal spending. Under the plan, employees can stop working and get paid until Sept. 30. Labor unions argued the plan is illegal and asked for OToole to keep it on hold and prevent the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, from soliciting more workers to sign up. A Justice Department lawyer has called the plan a humane off ramp for federal employees who may have structured their lives around working remotely and have been ordered to return to government offices. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-12T22:30:45Z This week, the White House barred Associated Press journalists from three media appearances by President Donald Trump two of them in the Oval Office itself. Some of the reaction said, effectively, this: What right do you have to be there, anyway?The answer is a combination of tradition, independent reporting and the First Amendments guarantee of a free press.The AP, a global news outlet founded in 1846, is a source of fact-based, independent news that reaches billions of people every day. The news cooperative has been a member of the 13-person White House press pool that has reported on the president and held him accountable since its inception more than a century ago.The pool gets access to the president on the understanding that it distributes his comments and activities to other news outlets, congressional offices and more. When the Trump administration blocked the AP from three events, it didnt just bar the outlet from access to the president; it did so after an or-else demand that the news agency change its style from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, per Trumps presidential order. The AP has said that it will refer to the water as the Gulf of Mexico, while noting Trumps decision to rename it as well. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP says it must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences. Here is some background about the relationship between the presidency and the press now and across the years. There are First Amendment issuesThe First Amendment to the Bill of Rights states that the government shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. To AP Executive Editor Julie Pace, Trumps move an attempt to use a news outlets access to him to control the content it published is a plain violation of the First Amendment.The actions taken by this White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech, Pace wrote Wednesday to Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. It is among the most basic tenets of the First Amendment that the government cannot retaliate against the public or the press for what they say. The White House pointed out that the AP was allowed into its briefing Wednesday but continued to take issue with the style of the gulfs name.Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the president of the United States questions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office.The White House does not pick the members of the press pool that goes in to the Oval Office. The pool makeup is decided by the members of the press corps themselves and is designed to represent everyone in all formats.The relationship between the president and the press is intended to be adversarial. Thats essential for knowing what the president and his administration are or are not doing in the United States name with taxpayer money.Freely questioning elected lawmakers is the reason, for example, why congressional reporters can roam most of the same Capitol hallways as members of the House and Senate and pose questions on behalf of Americans. At the White House, a smaller secure compound that functions as a residence, work space and event venue, the rules of access are more strict. But it, too, belongs to Americans. The press is there to represent readers, viewers and listeners all over the world whose lives are going to be affected by what happens in the Oval Office but who are not able to be physically present themselves, said Kathy Kiely, professor of free press studies at the Missouri School of Journalism. The reporters ensure that the public gets information beyond the self-interested accounts provided by the president and his public relations team. What is the White House press pool?The first known instance of a so-called pool reporter inside the White House was in 1881 after President James A. Garfield was shot. As the chief executive lay in bed, AP reporter Franklin Trusdell sat outside his sick room, listening to him breathe and sharing updates with other correspondents.Now, its a group of news outlets that ideally are almost everywhere the president goes: in the Oval Office, to state dinners, on Air Force One, in the motorcade, and when the president goes golfing or biking, It was with Trump at the Super Bowl. The pool is also always on standby in case something happens in the world about which the president needs to speak to the nation. One reason the pool exists is because the Oval Office, the presidents official work space, is too small to accommodate every news outlet that would want to cover his executive order signings or meetings with foreign dignitaries. So the pool operates with a representative of each medium acting as eyes and ears for the others who cant get in. When a pooled event is over, the print, television and radio poolers share written notes, video and audio with everyone else who is interested. The pool maintains strict decorum, according to the White House Correspondents Association guidelines. It is standard practice to stand when the president enters the room. Even though shouting is unacceptable, presidential appearances can get rowdy. The White House press pool represents every media format and daily includes the AP and other wire-service writers, the AP and other photographers, a television crew, radio correspondent and writers for print and online publications.The pool was in John F. Kennedys motorcade in Dallas when he was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. That allowed for firsthand accounts of the event as conspiracy theories spread, an example of why independent reporting is critical to understanding what is happening around the president. There was a loud bang as though a giant firecracker had exploded in the cavern between the tall buildings we were just leaving behind us, AP reporter Jack Bell, who was in the motorcade with other reporters, recalled to Columbia Journalism Review. The man in front of me screamed, My God, theyre shooting at the president! George W. Bush was on camera at a school in Florida Sept. 11, 2001, when an aide whispered in his ear that America was under attack. More recently, the pool was in St. Croix on the night that former President Jimmy Carter died. The White House told the pool to stand by, and at a certain point transported the pool to a downtown hotel where then-President Joe Biden spoke about his predecessor and answered some questions.Presidents and reporters: An inherently adversarial relationshipTrump is famous for courting reporters even as he publicly criticizes them. Now, legacy media is on its heels amid an atmosphere of distrust as people get news from other sources some less credible than others. Hes not the first to try to go around traditional outlets. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had his fireside chats over the radio as some of the nations biggest newspapers took issue with government expansion under the New Deal. More recently, television and social media and especially podcasts during the 2024 election have provided similar workarounds for presidents. In 1798, John Adams signed the Sedition Act, which made it a crime for American citizens to print, utter, or publish...any false, scandalous, and malicious writing about the government and used it to jail journalists, according to the National Archives. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson threatened to end presidential briefings with reporters, resulting in what became the White House Correspondents Association. For all the tensions, the nations founders recognized the value of a free press in American democracy. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, future President Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter in 1787, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. LAURIE KELLMAN Kellman has covered U.S. politics and foreign affairs for the Associated Press, including 23 years reporting from Washington and three from Jerusalem. She is based in London. twitter facebook mailto

Migrant, Cesar Anibal Bonilla Estrada, 54, from Ecuador, center, checks his phone during dinner time at the migrant shelter on Randall's Island, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)2025-02-12T21:49:05Z Elon Musk posted Monday on X that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency he heads had uncovered millions of dollars being spent illegally by FEMA to house migrants in New York City. He said the money was meant for American disaster relief and was wrongly spent for high end hotels. The claim, which has spread widely on social media, led FEMAs acting director to suspend payments sent to house migrants in New York City and the firing Tuesday of four federal employees.But the post misrepresents the funding, FEMAs role in dispersing it and how it is being used. Heres a look at the facts.CLAIM: FEMA sent $59 million last week to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. Sending this money violated the law and is in insubordination to the Presidents executive order. That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels. THE FACTS: FEMA does not send money directly to New York hotels. It does administer money on behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorized by Congress in 2023 for the Shelter and Services Program. It was created to support local governments and non-government organizations that provide support to noncitizens released by immigration authorities, according to the FEMA website. The money is separate from disaster relief funds. The office of Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday it received two payments from the federal government related to migrant assistance last week totaling over $80.5 million. One payment was for $58.6 million and the other was for $21.9 million, under two tranches of the Shelter and Services Program, city spokesperson Liz Garcia said. The money covered reimbursements for services delivered between November 2023 and October 2024 and included reimbursement for hotels, security, food and other costs. About $19 million in reimbursement claims were for hotel costs, she said. Garcia said the city has never paid luxury rates for hotels. Thats backed up by a report last year from City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is now running for mayor in a bid to unseat Adams, which showed that the municipal government has paid on average $152 a night for rooms, the vast majority outside Manhattan. Some of the Manhattan rooms were around $200 per night, but thats not a luxury rate. Rates for five-star hotels in Manhattan for this coming weekend run from $400 a night to well over $1,000. The Shelter and Services Program, also known as SSP, is administered by FEMA in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Congress appropriated $650,000,000 for the program in fiscal year 2024 to provide financial support to nonfederal entities. Of that, $640.9 million was to support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The remaining $9.1 million was for FEMAs administrative costs.According to the American Immigration Council, the Shelter and Services Program provided reimbursements to state and local governments and nonprofits in 35 different communities in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Numerous social media posts and some news reports claimed that the money should be used to help the victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of western North Carolina. But the funds for disaster assistance are administered separately.Yael Schacher, director of the Americas and Europe at Refugees International, agreed that Musk is likely referring to the Shelter and Services Program and said there is no substance to his claim that money for disaster victims is being given to migrants, as each fund is appropriated separately by Congress.It is absolutely correct to say these funds would not have gone to disaster relief if they hadnt gone to the SSP program, she explained. The funds just wouldnt have been appropriated by Congress at all. The Shelter and Services Program is a separate line item in the federal budget and does not draw from FEMAs Disaster Relief Fund. She continued: Congress has specifically set aside funding for FEMA to administer the Shelter and Services Program, ensuring that it does not pull any resources from FEMAs other work.Congress has authorized 140 times more funding for the Disaster Relief Fund than the Shelter and Services Program, according to the American Immigration Council. Schacher added that grants for the latter program have strict cost requirements for how the money should be spent.Four federal employees FEMAs chief financial officer, two program analysts and a grant specialist were fired Tuesday over the payments to reimburse New York City, Department of Homeland Security officials said. The workers are accused of circumventing leadership to make the transactions. Officials did not give details on how the four had violated any policies. Cameron Hamilton, acting FEMA administrator, said the payments made by the employees were suspended.In court documents filed Tuesday, Hamilton said the administration yanked funding from the Shelter and Services Program because of concerns the money was facilitating illegal activities at a Manhattan hotel used to house migrants. Hamiltons comments came as part of a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administrations freeze on federal grants and loans. The freeze, just days into the new administration, threw states, communities and organizations that rely on federal funding into mass confusion, and was rescinded two days later. U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled on Wednesday that the governments bid to withhold FEMA money sent to New York to house migrants was not subject to an order, still in effect, thats aimed at preventing a sweeping Trump administration pause on federal funding.___Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck. CEDAR ATTANASIO Attanasio covers New York City for The Associated Press with a focus on immigration and the ocean. He uses remote sensing to support the APs global coverage. twitter instagram facebook mailto MELISSA GOLDIN Goldin debunks, analyzes and tracks misinformation for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference regarding immigration enforcement at the Justice Department, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington, as Tammy Nobles, mother of Kayla Hamilton, listens. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-13T00:45:39Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps newly installed attorney general, Pam Bondi, went after New York leaders Wednesday over the states immigration policies, announcing a lawsuit in the latest effort by the Republican administration to carry out the presidents hardline immigration campaign pledges. In her first press conference since taking office last week, Bondi accused New York leaders of prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens. Standing in front of federal agents who have been tasked with helping in Trumps immigration crackdown, she echoed the presidents rhetoric as she vowed the Justice Department would take on communities that thwart federal immigration efforts. The lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Kathy Hochul targets a state law that allows people who might not be in the U.S. legally to get drivers licenses. The so-called Green Light Law was enacted partly to improve public safety on the roads, as people without licenses sometimes drove without one, or without having passed a road test. The state also makes it easier for holders of such licenses to get auto insurance, thus cutting down on crashes involving uninsured drivers. The lawsuit describes the law as a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws, and the federal authorities that administer them. It highlights a provision that requires the states Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner to inform people who are in the country illegally when a federal immigration agency has requested their information. The Justice Department is asking the court to strike down the law. This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect Americans, said Bondi, with agents from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Drug Enforcement Administration lined up behind her. Millions of illegal aliens with violent records have flooded into our communities, bringing violence and deadly drugs with them. Bondis politically charged rhetoric, unusual for an institution that has historically been wary of aligning itself so directly with the White House, and the selection of legal targets raise fresh concerns that she could seek to use the agencys law enforcement powers to go after the presidents adversaries. James, the New York attorney general, has drawn Trumps ire by suing him, leading to a civil fraud judgment that stands to cost Trump nearly $500 million. James said in a statement that shes prepared to defend the states laws, which she said protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe.Bondi appeared alongside Tammy Nobles, whose 20-year-old daughter Kayla was killed in Aberdeen, Maryland, in July 2022 by someone from El Salvador who entered the country illegally months earlier in Texas. The assailant, then 16, was released to a first cousin to pursue asylum, which is common practice under U.S. law and policy. He had been accused by authorities in El Salvador of affiliation with the violent MS-13 gang, according to a report by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. To trumpet his immigration policies, Trump has often highlighted angel moms like Nobles, who lost their loved ones to violent crimes by people in the country illegally.Tammy represents not only herself and her family but all of the great angel moms around this country who have suffered because of what the Biden administration did, Bondi said. And its over. The lawsuit comes days after the Justice Department sued the city of Chicago, alleging that its sanctuary laws were thwarting federal efforts to enforce immigration laws.In 2020, the Trump administration sought to pressure New York into changing its law by barring anyone from the state from enrolling in trusted traveler programs, meaning they would spend longer amounts of time going through security lines at airports.New Yorks governor at the time, Andrew Cuomo, offered to restore federal access to driving records on a limited basis, but said he wouldnt let immigration agents see lists of people who had applied for the special licenses available to immigrants who couldnt prove legal residency in the U.S.The Trump administration ultimately restored New Yorkers access to the trusted traveler program after a brief legal fight._____AP journalist Elliot Spagat in San Diego, Eric Tucker in Washington and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto

This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofa Gascn, left, and Zoe Saldaa in a scene from "Emilia Prez." (Netflix via AP)2025-02-12T21:22:32Z NEW YORK (AP) The inner-Vatican machinations of Conclave have nothing on this years Oscar race.Just as Edward Bergers film juggles various candidates for the papacy, the race for best picture at the Academy Awards has seen one favorite replaced by another, and then another.While some clarity has lately emerged, with a handful of big wins for Sean Bakers Anora, it seems likely to be a nail biter until a winner is declared at the March 2 Oscars, when white smoke unfurls from the Sistine Chapel, I mean the Dolby Theatre.As of now, Anora is the clear frontrunner thanks to wins with the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild both prizes with a long history of predicting Oscar winners. Where the Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs fall will offer the last major clues.But unlike years like last year, when Oppenheimer was way ahead wire to wire, no lead in this years best picture race seems ironclad. So, with that in mind, here are the best picture nominees, ranked in order of least likely to win to most likely to win. Its telling that at least half of these films, with three weeks to go, still have a chance. 10. Nickel BoysIf this was a ranking of merit, RaMell Rosss movie would be first. Ross film, thrillingly and thoughtfully shot largely in first person, introduced a new filmic grammar to American movies. But Nickel Boys was seemingly on the cusp of getting a nomination, so we should just be glad its counted here among the best of the year. 9. Dune: Part TwoDenis Villeneuves first Frank Herbert adaptation garnered 10 nominations and won six. Part Two hasnt been the same awards force. Its up for five nominations and will probably walk home with one or two Oscars, possibly for visual effects and sound. People like Dune: Part Two but sequels tend to have a harder go of it at the Academy Awards. Blame it on the sandworms. 8. Im Still HereArguably no film has risen up the Oscar ranks more than Walter Salles portrait of political resistance under Brazils military dictatorship. The film, a box-office sensation in its native country, was once one of the many international underdogs vying for a place at the Academy Awards. It wont win best picture, but its a testament to the films appeal that it could upset Emilia Prez in best international film. Demi Moore in a scene from The Substance. (Mubi via AP) Demi Moore in a scene from The Substance. (Mubi via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More 7. The SubstanceCoralie Fargeats body-horror film has turned out to be much more of an Oscar contender than initially believed certainly by Universal, which financed the film but sold it to Mubi to distribute. Its up for five awards but its best chance comes in the best actress category where Demi Moore is the favorite. Mikey Madison (Anora) and Fernanda Torres (Im Still Here) could make that a close call, too, but Moore propelled by her popcorn actress narrative and the movies biting showbiz satire is the frontrunner. 6. Emilia PrezHow far can a former frontrunner fall? Jacques Audiards narco-musical leads all films with 13 nominations but the Netflix movie has been in freefall since its star, Karla Sofa Gascn, became ensnarled by a scandal over old tweets. Im not completely counting Emilia Prez out you dont get 13 nominations for nothing. But Emilia Prez, a divisive movie to begin with, is now in the business of salvaging its chances in other categories, like best supporting actress, where Zoe Saldaa could win. This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film Wicked. (Universal Pictures via AP) This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film Wicked. (Universal Pictures via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More 5. WickedNow were into the top contenders. Most likely, the winner is coming from one of these next five. Jon M. Chus Broadway adaptation might have the most moviegoers rooting for it to win, but its missing some key ingredients for pulling out best picture. Chu missed on a nomination for best director and the Wicked has mostly been out-musical-ed by Emilia Prez on the awards circuit. Still, Wicked has cornered the market on the role of Big Studio Movie contender. However it does, the film academy is going to make sure Wicked is front and center during the ceremony.4. ConclaveHere we have our Everyone Likes It contender. Bergers papal thriller, starring Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal tasked with leading a conclave, feels like the most universally respected nominee. In a year where votes are spread across a lot of films, that might be a quality that particularly considering the academys preferential ballot leaves Conclave driving the Oscar home in a popemobile. Whats the main knock against this happening, aside from the potential difficulty of renting a popemobile? Berger was passed over on a directing nomination, and Conclave hasnt yet won a major award. More than any other movie, it needs a victory at the BAFTAs. 3. A Complete UnknownJames Mangolds Bob Dylan movie is also widely liked and lacks any precursor win. But admiration for A Complete Unknown is widespread and it could, just as Conclave might, pull out an upset by rising high on a plethora of ballots. Unlike Conclave, Mangold was nominated for best director, though, and it has the benefit of being led by Hollywoods biggest young star, Timothe Chalamet. Hollywood likes to, in picking a best picture winner, say something about its future. Chalamets star power could be convincing enough. Plus Searchlight Pictures has previously steered quite a few best-picture winners (Nomadland, The Shape of Water). Mangolds movie has momentum, which, even if it doesnt lead to best picture, may propel Chalamet to best actor over Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. 2. The Brutalist This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody, left, and Guy Pearce in a scene from The Brutalist. (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP) This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody, left, and Guy Pearce in a scene from The Brutalist. (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Until recently, Brady Corbets postwar epic might have been the top pick. The Brutalist has been an award-winner at Venice and the Golden Globes. Its up for 10 Oscars. Its roundly been hailed as visionary, hugely ambitious cinema all made, remarkably, with a budget under $10 million. Its also three and a half hours long. Not every Oscar voter, I assure you, is watching it all the way through. That, though, might not be a bad thing for a movie that falls off in the second half.1. Anora Mark Eydelshteyn, left, and Mikey Madison in a scene from Anora. (Neon via AP) Mark Eydelshteyn, left, and Mikey Madison in a scene from Anora. (Neon via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Half a year ago, Anora was the odds-on pick to win best picture and now, after a topsy-turvy awards season, it is again. A trio of wins at the PGA Awards, the DGA Awards and Critics Choice has reestablished Anora as the movie to beat.If it wins at the SAG Awards, too, the race is probably over. Not everything with similar credentials has won before, though; 1917 had the same wins before being defeated by Parasite five years ago. Anora, however, also won the Palme dOr at Cannes, like Parasite did, so it should do well among international voters a crucial voting bloc in todays academy.Its also just really good. Anora comes from a widely respected filmmaker in Baker, a prominent defender of the theatrical release. And his movie, a sly and devastating twist on a Pretty Woman-like fable, is as connected to Hollywoods celebrated 70s as it is to its indie filmmaking present.___For more on this years Oscar race and show, including how to watch the nominees, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards JAKE COYLE Coyle has been a film critic and covered the movie industry for The Associated Press since 2013. He is based in New York City. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Jocelyn Samuels speaks in Seattle, Feb. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)2025-02-12T23:30:06Z WASHINGTON (AP) A member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission who was abruptly dismissed by President Donald Trump says she believes her firing and the move to reshape the panel that protects workers from discrimination is part of the administrations agenda to erase the existence of trans people. Jocelyn Samuels, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the actions aimed at implementing Trumps crackdown on certain diversity and gender rights policies are unlawful and indicative of a looming wider rollback of work protections for women and minorities.My concern is that the refusal to recognize discrimination against trans people is both a way to scapegoat trans people and inflict immense damage on them, she said, and a harbinger of the way that this administration will treat other applications of the law with which it disagrees. Along with fellow EEOC commissioner Charlotte Burrows, Samuels was dismissed on Jan. 27, one week after Trump took office. Samuels said her dismissal letter pointed out my support for what they termed radical Biden administration guidance for DEI initiatives and also mentioned my refusal to defend women against extreme gender ideology. Again, their words, not mine. Samuels was nominated by Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate. She was later reappointed by former President Joe Biden, with her term meant to extend until July 2026. Trump, she said, found me to be an acceptable nominee for a Democratic seat in 2020. I am now being branded a radical extremist. I think its the administrations perspectives that have changed, not mine. The EEOC was created by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a bipartisan five-member panel to protect workers from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability and other protected characteristics. The U.S. president appoints the commissioners and the Senate confirms them, but their terms are staggered and are meant to overlap presidential terms to help ensure the agencys independence. No more than three of the five commissioners can be from the presidents political party. The two firings leave the agency with one Republican commissioner, Andrea Lucas, who Trump appointed acting EEOC chair last week; one Democratic commissioner, Kalpana Kotagal; and three vacancies that Trump can fill. Once a Republican majority on the commission is established, Samuels predicted an immediate rollback of EEOC protections in a way that will essentially greenlight harassment based on gender identity in the workplace. The EEOC investigates and imposes penalties on employers found to have violated laws that protect workers from racial, gender, disability and other forms of discrimination. The agency also writes influential rules and guidelines for how anti-discrimination laws should be implemented, and conducts workplace outreach and training.In recent years, the agencys Democratic and Republican commissioners have been sharply divided on many issues. Both Republican commissioners voted against new guidelines last year that misgendering transgender employees, or denying access to a bathroom consistent with their gender identity, would violate anti-discrimination laws. The commission is required to investigate all claims of workplace harassment or discrimination, and Samuels believes those investigations into cases involving trans people will continue on paper. But the level of investigation, the resources that the EEOC will put into it and the likelihood that the EEOC would find cause to believe that discrimination had occurred ... will be completely eviscerated, she said.The end result, she said, will be incalculable damage for a vulnerable community. She also maintains that her dismissal is unlawful and against the foundational concept of independent agencies such as the EEOC, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. Such positions are intentionally designed to overlap presidential administrations and cant be terminated simply based on political orientation. On the same day Samuels and Burrows were dismissed, Trump also dismissed National Labor Relations Board member Gynne A. Wilcox.I am looking at my legal options, Samuels said. I believe, based on longstanding Supreme Court precedent, that this is an unlawful termination.___Associated Press writers Alexandra Olson and Claire Savage contributed to this report. ASHRAF KHALIL Khalil writes about local issues in Washington, D.C., for The Associated Press and covers the social safety net around the country. twitter instagram mailto

2025-02-12T17:28:59Z LONDON (AP) Russias stockpiles of Cold War-era weapons and larger population have allowed it to withstand heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine as the West fails to provide Ukraine the aid needed to mount a counteroffensive, according to an annual review of the global military situation.While Russia lost 1,400 tanks last year and has seen an estimated 800,000 soldiers killed or wounded since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began some three years ago, Moscow has been able to keep its forces up to strength, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in the report released Wednesday. The same isnt true for Ukraine, which has suffered a serious drain on its personnel, though no reliable figures exist on such losses because of its sensitive political nature.The pledged Western military supplies appear insufficient to enable a sustained Ukrainian counteroffensive, IISS said. While Ukraine has proved its ability to resist Russias invasion in the air, land and maritime domains, it has found it difficult to mobilize sufficient troops to keep pace with its casualties. Some observers, including U.S. President Donald Trump, see an opportunity for a peace deal in the grinding war of attrition, which is weakening Russias economy. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said last weekend that Trump was prepared to tax, to tariff, to sanction to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. But Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Eurasia and Russia at IISS and a former British ambassador to Belarus, discounted the chances for a ceasefire. The most important underlying fact is Russias and specifically Putins clearly stated determination to continue the war, Gould-Davies said. And in particular the clarity with which Putin on several occasions, even in the past couple of months, has said hes not interested in a ceasefire, hes not interested in a freeze in the conflict. Hes only been interested in a full and final end to the war, which would require the resolution of a wide range of difficult international political, legal and bureaucratic issues. As the war in Ukraine drags on, conflict flares in the Middle East and China takes an increasingly assertive stance in Asia, countries around the world are rebuilding military stockpiles that were allowed to decline after the Cold War.Global defense spending jumped to $2.46 trillion last year, an increase of 7.4% after inflation, according to IISS, a London-based think tank that has produced its annual report on the balance of military power for the past 65 years.Russia increased defense spending by 41.9% to the equivalent of $145.9 billion, dwarfing the $28.4 billion spent by Ukraine but close to total European defense spending. Moscow is now spending about 6.7% of its economic output on defense, compared with 3.6% before the invasion of Ukraine.While stockpiles of armor and artillery have allowed Russia to keep pace with battlefield losses, that may become more difficult over time. Putin has restrained the mobilization of troops to maintain support for the war, which is fueling inflation in Russia and draining funds from social programs such as education and healthcare, IISS said. In addition, remaining weapons stockpiles are likely to need costly refurbishment before they can be used on the battlefield.The present course is unsustainable, Gould-Davies said. But thats not to say something is unsustainable in the shorter term.Concern about Russian aggression has led many NATO countries to increase their own defenses.European countries boosted military spending by 11.7% last year, driven by a 23.2% increase in Germany, IISS said. Even so, German defense spending equaled 1.8% of economic output, below the 2% target for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.Trump has repeatedly criticized other members of the military alliance for failing to pay their fair share of the collective defense bill.Total NATO defense spending rose to $1.44 trillion last year, with $442 billion, or less than a third, coming from the blocs European members, IISS said.

An American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops in Newlon Elementary School, in Denver, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)2025-02-13T04:04:28Z Denver Public Schools became the first U.S. school district Wednesday to sue the Trump administration challenging its policy allowing ICE immigration agents in schools.Colorados largest public school district argued in the federal lawsuit that the policy has forced schools to divert vital educational resources and caused attendance to plummet.DPS is hindered in fulfilling its mission of providing education and life services to the students who are refraining from attending DPS schools for fear of immigration enforcement actions occurring on DPS school grounds, the lawsuit states.The federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the Trump administration hasnt provided good reason for rescinding the rules nor adequately considered or addressed the fallout.Last month, President Donald Trump lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near sensitive locations, including schools. The announcement came as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations. Denver is standing up for its children and families and protecting the right of all children, regardless of their immigration status, to attend public schools, Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School, said in an email. Denver Public Schools serve more than 90,000 students about 4,000 of which are immigrants, according to the lawsuit, which cites 2023-2024 school year numbers. More than half of the students are Hispanic or Latinx. The city of Denver has seen an increase in migrants recently. Since 2023, about 43,000 people have arrived in the city from the U.S. southern border, according to the lawsuit.Parents across Denver enroll their children in public schools believing that while at school, their children will be educated and enriched without fear the government will enforce immigration laws on those premises, the lawsuit said. The school district says it has had to devote a lot of time and resources to adding policies that keep students safe and training faculty and staff on how to respond to people claiming they are conducting immigration enforcement at schools.Denver Public Schools also want to see DHS publish the directive publicly, saying that not being able to view the change in policy has impeded their ability to prepare for it, according to the lawsuit. The Trump administration did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.___Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-13T05:08:58Z WASHINGTON (AP) As a candidate last year, Donald Trump suggested he could easily conquer inflation and ease voters fears about the economy.I will very quickly deflate, he promised at a California rally. We are going to take inflation, and we are going to deflate it. We are going to deflate inflation. We are going to defeat inflation. Were going to knock the hell out of inflation.Wednesdays consumer price index report showed that inflation is punching back and President Trump could end up facing the same challenges that dragged down his predecessor, President Joe Biden. The annual inflation rate has risen in the three months since the November election to 3%, with gasoline prices climbing despite Trumps claims that his return to the White House would signal increased oil production that would lower energy costs.Trump frequently makes far-reaching assertions about his power to bring about change only to find that it is no match for market forces. Its a humbling reminder that even U.S. presidents are subject to the invisible hand of supply and demand, rather than the masters of it. Consumer sentiment measures suggest the public already sees Trumps plans to expand tariffs as increasing inflation. On Wednesday, the president called for interest rate cuts, even though rate hikes by the Federal Reserve helped lower inflation that spiked at a four-decade high in 2022. The latest consumer price figures have unnerved economists and the financial markets because they suggest that strong consumer spending, solid job gains and a falling unemployment rate could reignite inflation. Steady demand, particularly from wealthier consumers, makes it easier for companies to keep raising prices. The cost of goods including toys and auto parts rose last month even before the imposition of tariffs. Trump has placed 10% tariffs on China, in addition to announcing the removal of exemptions on his 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs. There are also potential tariff hikes on Canada and Mexico and a potential executive order that would increase tariffs to match the import taxes charged by other countries. All of this means that baseline inflationary pressures could be at their highest level in decades.Disinflation may be dead, and we may be looking at a higher rate of inflation than we observed for the 20 years prior to the pandemic, said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax and advisory firm. Trumps call for lower rates puts him in opposition to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.If inflation goes up in general, we will use our tools, which is the interest rate, to bring it back down to 2% over time, Powell told a congressional committee on Wednesday. Powell also said that Trumps calls to lower rates wouldnt sway the Fed.So far, the Trump White Houses main response to this challenge has been to blame Biden, an argument with a short lifespan as Trump is exerting more control over economic policy.The Biden administration indeed left us with a mess to deal with, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Wednesdays news briefing. Its far worse than I think anybody anticipated. But Trump allies are also starting to float new ideas for tackling inflation. Standing in the Oval Office on Tuesday, billionaire Elon Musk, the head of the presidents Department of Government Efficiency, proposed $1 trillion in spending cuts this year.Musk, the worlds richest man who continues to control Tesla, X and SpaceX among other companies, wants to eliminate $1 out of every $7 spent by the federal government in order to bring the inflation rate to zero. Its not clear based on lawsuits and Congress responsibility for government funding that Musk can deliver those savings.If you cut the budget deficit by a trillion between now and next year, there is no inflation, Musk said. And if the government is not borrowing as much, it means that interest costs decline. So everyones mortgage, their car payment, their credit card bills, anything, their student debt, the monthly payments drop. Thats a fantastic scenario for the average American. Such a steep cut might bring lower prices but also the pain of a sharp economic downturn. That would be a roughly 4% of GDP cut to federal spending, all in one year, said Michael Linden, a senior policy fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. It would be an instant recession.For now, markets are anticipating more inflation as consumer demand stays strong and Trump has yet to show how exactly his policies would keep prices low, as he promised to voters.The yield on the 10-year Treasury note jumped Wednesday to 4.62% in response to the inflation report, a sign that investors expect interest rates, growth and inflation to be higher in the coming months. Consumers also say that inflation will rise. Americans expectations of inflation over the next year have soared, according to the University of Michigans consumer sentiment survey. The February survey said that inflation this year will be 4.3%, up sharply from 3.3% the previous month. Many respondents mentioned tariffs as a concern. When asked Wednesday why Trumps call for lower interest rates would temper inflation, Leavitt focused on what the president wants instead of what he would do.He wants interest rates to be lower, she said. He wants inflation to be lower. And he believes that the whole of government economic approach that this administration is taking will result in lower inflation. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-13T04:57:53Z TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) An explosion at a department store in Taiwan on Thursday killed one person and left 10 others hospitalized, fire authorities said. The blast occurred at the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city. Among the 10 people who were hospitalized, four had no vital signs, authorities said. Dozens of firefighters were deployed to the scene, where parts of the buildings exterior were damaged and scattered fragments were strewn on the streets. Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin said he had been told the blast may have been caused by a suspected gas explosion, but that still needed to be confirmed.

Dr. Mohammad Fares, right, watches a man close the Sarmada Health Center, in Sarmada district, north of Idlib city, Syria, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)2025-02-13T05:16:35Z SARMADA, Syria (AP) In the town of Sarmada in northern Syria, Dr. Mohammad Fares unlocked a clinic that once bustled with patients. Now its empty, and shelves of medicine reduced to a few boxes of bandages and expired drugs.This is what it looks like after the Trump administration halted U.S. foreign assistance last month. The U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, issued stop-work orders during a 90-day review for what the administration has alleged is wasteful spending.Fares had been working in three clinics run by Mdecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, offering free health care to the displaced population in northern Syria, which until the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December had been the countrys main rebel-held enclave. It sheltered millions of people who had fled years of civil war.Their already grim camps swelled again in 2023 after a deadly magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Turkey and northern Syria. Since the fall of Assad, some displaced Syrians have begun to return home, but many have no homes left. Fares clinic in Sarmada used to support 16 camps in the region, assisting approximately 35,000 people. Since the aid freeze, 10 such clinics receiving USAID funding had to close, and Doctors of the World had to lay off 184 people, officials with the organization said. If the support is not resumed, there will be a major disaster and serious harm to vulnerable groups, said Fares, who heads the organizations medical programs. Operating costs of clinics are much lower than those of hospitals. The cessation of work in these clinics will put increased pressure on emergency hospitals and other healthcare facilities This part of Syria lacks centralized government healthcare, leaving people reliant on nonprofit providers and making the impact of the sudden U.S. cuts especially dire, aid workers and experts said. Our analysis shows that withdrawing all of USAIDs support in Syria would be equivalent to a devastating shock of 5% to its already struggling economy. This is among the largest impacts on any recipient. said Ian Mitchell, senior policy fellow at the Washington based Center for Global Development.The U.S. had been providing 25 cents in foreign aid for every $100 of U.S. income, Mitchell said, but that relatively small contribution had outsized impact: Without U.S. support in places like Gaza and Syria, the world will become a more dangerous place.In one camp that had been served by a Doctors of the World clinic, near Kawkaba village, children played among the crowded tents.Camp director Abdelkareem Khaled said the suspension of aid has exacerbated already difficult conditions.Patients, especially those who need medicine every month, can no longer afford it at the pharmacy, he said, leaving those with chronic diseases like diabetes with wrenching decisions to make.In one tent, Bassam Hussein, father of 4 daughters. said he was forced to pull his 12-year-old daughter out of school so she could work in an almond field to help pay for the medicine he uses for his thyroid illness. Every twenty days, I need a pack of medicine that costs $12, he said, If I dont secure the cost of the medicine, I experience complications weakness, depression and so on. He said he was unable to work because of past injuries and illnesses.Other organizations are in limbo. Some have continued providing services without knowing where they will find the money.Dr. Mufaddal Hamadeh, president of the Syrian American Medical Society, which runs hospitals and mobile clinics across the north, said some services had to continue, such as the maternity ward and incubators. But its unclear how long that will remain sustainable.Were not certain if well get a waiver or reimbursement for the expenses weve already covered, he said, referring to the U.S. government. That already put a huge financial burden on us. He refused to give details.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a waiver to exempt emergency food aid and life-saving programs. But Hamadeh and others said funding has not resumed to a point that would allow them to fully restore services. Were going to have to shut down some of these hospitals and shrink, Hamadeh said. We cant be providing free services anymore.Some programs, such as mental health support for refugees in Turkey and an autism center for children, may not be deemed life-saving.We have a grant that supports survivors of torture and sexual assault, Hamadeh said. Are these services life-saving or not? Likely they will be shut down.USAID and the U.S. government did not respond to questions. Elsewhere, USAID workers and aid officials have said funding hasnt resumed despite waivers, or USAID staffers who would process them are now gone.SAMS relies on USAID for about 25 to 30% of its funds. Its significant, but some other organizations working in Syria receive much more. Doctors of the Worlds Istanbul office, which oversees operations in northern Syria, was receiving 60% of its funding from USAID.Sitting in a new, downsized office, Turkish branch director Hakan Bilgin recalled the day they were told to halt services.We just received the stop-work order suddenly. Nobody was expecting it, he said. As a medical organization providing life-saving services, youre basically telling us: Close all the clinics, stop all your doctors, and youre not providing services to women, children, and the elderly.Bilgin said his group has cut its daily consultations across northern Syria from 5,000 to 500. The organization has applied for a waiver from the U.S. but has received no response.Trump and Elon Musk, who runs what is billed as a cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, have taken aim at various government agencies. But USAID has been hit the hardest, with Trump and Musk accusing the agencys work of being out of line with Trumps agenda.Hamadeh, the SAMS president, said the aid cuts are short-sighted and could harm Washingtons standing abroad.This money is helping people, saving lives, he said. You cant just shut down USAID, which has helped millions across the world and actually did help improve Americas reputation.Northwest Syria has been devastated by years of war and neglect, he said. Pulling the plug over that will just increase the suffering.___Badendieck reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey.

The reunion center is located at the Diamond Mountain, North Korea, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Korea Pool, File)2025-02-13T03:20:00Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea is demolishing a South Korea-built property that had been used to host reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, the Souths government said Thursday, as it continues to eliminate symbols of engagement between the war-divided rivals.Relations between the Koreas are at their worst in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continuing to flaunt his expanding nuclear weapons program and declaring to abandon long-standing goals of inter-Korean reconciliation, while describing the South as a permanent enemy.The 12-story building at the Norths scenic Diamond Mountain resort, which has 206 rooms and banquet facilities for hosting meetings, had been used for family reunions since 2009. The Koreas last held a family reunion in 2018, after Kim initiated diplomacy with Seoul and Washington in an effort to leverage his nuclear program for economic benefits. Negotiations derailed in 2019 after a failed summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, who was serving his first term, when the Americans rejected North Koreas demands for a major release of U.S.-led economic sanctions in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities. The North has since suspended virtually all diplomatic activity with the South and ignored U.S. requests to resume talks while accelerating the development of nuclear weapons and missiles. Seouls Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said it had confirmed that North Korea was demolishing the building, named the Reunion Center for the Separated Families, and urged the North to suspend the destruction. The North had previously removed a South Korea-built hotel, golf course and other tourist facilities from the Diamond Mountain resort. Demolishing the reunion center is an act against humanity that crushes the yearning of separated families, as well as a grave infringement of our state-owned property, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the Souths government will consider necessary countermeasures, including legal action and international pressure, but it isnt clear whether Seoul has any effective options. In 2023, South Korea filed a 44.7 billion won ($30 million) damage suit against North Korea for blowing up a joint liaison office just north of their border in 2020. The lawsuit was seen as symbolic as theres no clear way for South Korea to force North Korea to pay if it is found liable for damages. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto

United States Vice-President JD Vance arrives to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-13T05:32:24Z MUNICH, Germany (AP) U.S. Vice President JD Vance will visit the Dachau concentration camp memorial Thursday, making a stop at one of the most powerful symbols of World War II on the eve of his critical talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict.Vance, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is due to sit down Friday with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss President Donald Trumps intensifying push for Ukraine and Russia to begin negotiations to end Europes deadliest conflict since World War II.But first Vance is stopping at the solemn memorial that is a powerful reminder of the Nazis World War II-era atrocities and the U.S. and Western allies slowness to take decisive action to confront Adolf Hitler and the rise of his violent nationalist ideology. Dachau was established in 1933 the same year Hitler took power as one of the first concentration camps. More than 200,000 people from across Europe were held at the camp, and over 40,000 prisoners died there in horrendous conditions. U.S. soldiers completed the liberation on April 29, 1945. Vance is in the midst of a five-day visit to France and Germany, his first overseas travel since becoming vice president last month. His wife, Usha Vance, is expected to join him for the Dachau visit.The moment at Dachau will offer Vance a chance to reflect on the scourges of war just as his boss, Donald Trump, is ratcheting up his efforts to end the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Trump on Wednesday spoke separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump said that he and Putin agreed it was time to start negotiations immediately to end the war. And as Trump announced his agreement on negotiations with Putin, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops. In addition to his talks with Zelenskyy, Vance is scheduled to deliver an address on Friday to the annual Munich Security Conference.The war in Europe and NATO members defense spending are expected to be front and center for the world leaders gathering in Munich. Vance, like Trump, has been a sharp critic of U.S. allies spending what the administration deems as too little on their defense budgets.The Trump administration has been clear that we care a lot about Europe, Vance said during a meeting this week with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. But we also want to make sure that were engaged in a security partnership thats both good for Europe and the United States.Over nearly three years of war, 50 countries known as the Ukraine Contact Group have collectively provided Ukraine with more than $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including more than $66.5 billion from the U.S., which has served as chair of the group since its creation. Trump in his 2024 campaign derided the enormous amount of U.S. military aid poured into Ukraine and vowed to end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to the White House. Since his November election victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump and his advisers have dialed back on their boldest timelines and set a goal of ending the war in about six months. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, AfD, sing the national anthem as they attend an election campaign rally of the party for the upcoming state elections in Suhl, Germany, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)2025-02-13T05:21:13Z BERLIN (AP) Alternative for Germany appears to be heading for its strongest national election result yet this month and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country. Even though its highly unlikely to take a share of power soon, it has become a factor that other politicians cant ignore and helped shape Germanys debate on migration. The far-right party first entered Germanys national parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s, and curbing migration remains its signature theme. But the party has proven adept at harnessing discontent with other issues: Germanys move away from fossil fuels, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine after Russias full-scale invasion nearly three years ago. How did it start?Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was founded in 2013 and initially focused on opposition to bailouts for struggling countries in the eurozone debt crisis measures that then Chancellor Angela Merkel described as without alternative. It was sometimes known as a party of professors, a reference to leading figures in the early days, though it already had a strong streak of hard-right, anti-establishment identity. Over the years, AfD became more radical and repeatedly changed leaders. It was Merkels decision in 2015 to allow in large numbers of migrants that supercharged it as a political force, and in the 2017 national election, it won 12.6% of the vote to take seats in the German parliament for the first time. Where does it stand now?After returning to parliament in 2021 with reduced support of 10.3%, AfD picked up strength as Chancellor Olaf Scholzs center-left government bickered through a series of crises some of its own making and finally collapsed. Germany saw a wave of protests a year ago triggered by a report that right-wing extremists met to discuss the deportation of millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship, and that AfD members were present. But that didnt do long-term poll damage to AfD. It finished second in the European Parliament election in June, and in September, the best-known figure on its hardest-right wing, Bjrn Hcke, secured the first far-right win in a state election in post-World War II Germany. AfD is going into this election with renewed confidence and radical language. Alice Weidel, its first candidate for chancellor, has embraced the term remigration as the party calls for large-scale deportations of people with no legal entitlement to be in Germany a politically loaded word that featured in last years controversy. AfD calls for the immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia and opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine. It wants Germany to reintroduce a national currency and for the European Union to be turned into a looser association of European nations, though it isnt explicitly advocating leaving the 27-nation bloc. Germanys domestic intelligence agency has the party under observation for suspected right-wing extremism. The AfDs branches in three eastern states are designated proven right-wing extremist groups. AfD strongly objects to those assessments and rejects any association with the Nazi past. Hcke has appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan at a political event. Who supports it?AfD has support across Germany and is represented in all but two of the 16 state legislatures, but the party is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east.It has a unique ability to seize on issues that other parties dont handle with this clarity, with this intensity, with this radicalism and this emotionality, said Wolfgang Schroeder, a political science professor at the Berlin Social Science Center. And on top of that, its an internet party and from the beginning used the emotionalizing power of the internet for its own communication much better than all other German parties together.That has helped it to perform strongly among young voters in recent regional elections. The party portrays itself as an anti-establishment force at a time of low trust in politicians, sometimes dismissing the old parties as a cartel.Schroeder described it as something like an aircraft carrier for resentment and anger. Other parties say they wont work with it. Who are its friends abroad?AfDs rise has coincided with that of far-right parties in many other European countries, including Austrias Freedom Party and the National Rally in France, with which it has plenty of common ground. Weidel was in Budapest to visit Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn on Wednesday.However, it isnt part of those parties Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament after some tensions before last years EU elections. AfD was thrown out of one of the groups predecessors after its leading candidate at the time, Maximilian Krah, said that not all Nazi SS men were necessarily criminals. The party has found an enthusiastic supporter in billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Musk has declared that only the AfD can save Germany. He held a live chat on X with Weidel and appeared live by video link at an AfD campaign rally. At that rally, Weidel vowed to make Germany great again in an echo of the U.S. presidents slogan.___Kerstin Sopke contributed to this report.

A woman holds the hand of a sick relative lying on the floor of the overcrowded Lilongwe Central Hospital, in Lilongwe, Malawi, Sept. 30, 1998, as the hospital is overflowing because of an epidemic of AIDS rampaging in southern Africa. (AP Photo /Denis Farrell, File)2025-02-13T05:38:20Z A generation has passed since the world saw the peak in AIDS-related deaths. Those deaths agonizing, from diseases the body might otherwise fight off sent loved ones into the streets, pressuring governments to act. The United States eventually did, creating PEPFAR, arguably the most successful foreign aid program in history. HIV, which causes AIDS, is now manageable, though there is still no cure.Now the Trump administration has put the brakes on foreign aid while alleging its wasteful, causing chaos in the system that for over 20 years has kept millions of people alive. Confusion over a temporary waiver for PEPFAR and the difficulty of restarting its work, with U.S. workers, contractors and payments in upheaval means the clock is ticking for many who are suddenly unable to obtain medications to keep AIDS at bay.Few people under 30 years old understand what AIDS does to the body. The U.S.-led global response to HIV has been so effective that AIDS wards of people wasting away are a vision of the past. Now health experts, patients and others fear those days could return if the Trump administration doesnt reverse course or no other global power steps into the void, and fast. In the next five years, we could have 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths, the U.N. AIDS agency told The Associated Press. Thats a shock at a time of rising complacency around HIV, declining condom use among some young people and the rise of a medication that some believe could end AIDS for good. The agency has begun publicly tracking new HIV infections since the aid freeze.Heres a look at what happens to the body when HIV drugs are stopped: An immune system collapseHIV is spread by bodily fluids such as blood, breast milk or semen. It gradually weakens the bodys immune system and makes it vulnerable to disease, including ones rarely seen in otherwise healthy people. The surprising emergence of such cases in the 1980s is what tipped off health experts to what became known as the AIDS epidemic.Years of intense advocacy and shocking sights of children, young adults and others dying of pneumonia and other infections led to the response that created PEPFAR, the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Twenty million people around the world died before the program was founded. Now millions of people take drugs known as antivirals that keep HIV from spreading in the body.Stopping those drugs lets the virus start multiplying in the body again, and it could become drug-resistant. HIV can rebound to detectable levels in peoples blood in just a few weeks, putting sexual partners at risk. Babies born to mothers with HIV can escape infection only if the woman was properly treated during pregnancy or the infant is treated immediately after birth.If the drugs are not taken, a body is heading toward AIDS, the final stage of infection. The daily danger of germsWithout HIV treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.For a long time, there may be no noticeable symptoms. But a person can easily spread HIV to others, and the immune system becomes vulnerable to what are called opportunistic diseases.The National Institutes of Health says opportunistic diseases include fungal infections, pneumonia, salmonella and tuberculosis. For a country like South Africa, with the worlds highest number of HIV cases and one of the largest numbers of TB cases, the toll could be immense.Unchecked by HIV treatment, the damage continues. The immune system is increasingly unable to fight off diseases. Every action, from eating to travel, must consider the potential exposure to germs. Every day countsFor years, the importance of taking the drugs every day, even at the same time of day, has been emphasized to people with HIV. Now the ability to follow that essential rule has been shaken.Already, hundreds or thousands of U.S.-funded health partners in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia have been laid off, causing widespread gaps in HIV testing, messaging, care and support on the continent most helped by PEPFAR. At some African clinics, people with HIV have been turned away.Restoring the effects caused by the Trump administrations foreign aid freeze during a 90-day review period, and understanding whats allowed under the waiver for PEPFAR, will take time that health experts say many people dont have.Meanwhile, the head of the U.N. AIDS agency, Winnie Byanyima, told the AP that more resistant strains of the disease could emerge.And an additional 3.4 million children could be made orphans another echo of the time when the world raced to confront AIDS with few tools at hand.___Follow coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/us-agency-for-international-development

President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-13T05:25:17Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Elon Musk called Thursday to delete entire agencies from the United States federal government as part of his push under President Donald Trump to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.Musk offered a wide-ranging survey via a videocall to the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, of what he described as the priorities of the Trump administration interspersed with multiple references to thermonuclear warfare and the possible dangers of artificial intelligence.We really have here rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to rule of the people democracy, Musk said, wearing a black T-shirt that read: Tech Support. He also joked that he was the White Houses tech support, borrowing from his profile on the social platform X, which he owns. I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind, Musk said. If we dont remove the roots of the weed, then its easy for the weed to grow back. While Musk has spoken to the summit in the past, his appearance Thursday comes as he has consolidated control over large swaths of the government with Trumps blessing since assuming leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. Thats included sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases and inviting a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority. Musks new role imbued his comments with more weight beyond being the worlds wealthiest person through his investments in SpaceX and electric carmaker Tesla. His remarks also offered a more-isolationist view of American power in the Middle East, where the U.S. has fought wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.A lot of attention has been on USAID for example, Musk said, referring to Trumps dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Theres like the National Endowment for Democracy. But Im like, Okay, well, how much democracy have they achieved lately? He added that the U.S. under Trump is less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries.There are times the United States has been kind of pushy in international affairs, which may resonate with some members of the audience, Musk said, speaking to the crowd in the UAE, an autocratically ruled nation of seven sheikhdoms. Basically, America should mind its own business, rather than push for regime change all over the place, he said.He also noted the Trump administrations focus on eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion work, at one point linking it to AI.If hypothetically, AI is designed for DEI, you know, diversity at all costs, it could decide that theres too many men in power and execute them, Musk said.On AI, Musk said he believed Xs newly updated AI chatbot, Grok 3, would be ready in about two weeks, calling it at one point kind of scary. He criticized Sam Altmans management of OpenAI, which Musk just led a $97.4 billion takeover bid for, describing it as akin to a nonprofit aimed at saving the Amazon rainforest becoming a lumber company that chops down the trees. Musk also announced plans for a Dubai Loop project in line with his work in the Boring Company which is digging tunnels in Las Vegas to speed transit. However, he and the Emirati government official speaking with him offered no immediate details of the plan.Its going to be like a wormhole, Musk promised. You just wormhole from one part of the city boom and youre out in another part of the city. 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 RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, right, with Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, not in photo, pose for photographers during a joint news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)2025-02-13T06:57:19Z TOKYO (AP) Japanese automakers Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi said Thursday they are dropping their talks for a business integration. The automakers agreed to end their agreement regarding the consideration of the structure for a collaboration, their joint statement said. Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp. announced in December that they were going to hold talks to set up a joint holding company. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. had said it was considering joining that group. From the start, the effort had analysts puzzled as to the advantages to any of the companies, as their model lineups and strengths overlap in an industry shaken by the arrival of powerful newcomers like Tesla and BYD, as well as the move to electrification. Details as to why the talks unraveled werent immediately available. Honda and Nissan initially said they were trying to finalize an agreement by June and set up the holding company by August. The three automakers will continue to work together on electric vehicles and smart cars, such as autonomous driving, they said Thursday.In recent weeks, Japanese media had various reports about the talks breaking down, citing unidentified sources. Some said Nissan balked at becoming a minor player in the partnership with Honda. Honda is in far better financial shape and was to take the lead in the joint executive team.Nissan reported a loss for the July-September quarter as its vehicle sales sank, prompting it to slash 9,000 jobs. At that time, Chief Executive Makoto Uchida took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the results. ___Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama YURI KAGEYAMA Kageyama covers Japan news for The Associated Press. Her topics include social issues, the environment, businesses, entertainment and technology. twitter instagram facebook mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Migrants from Haiti stand in line outside the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) government office to apply for asylum in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)2025-02-13T05:13:44Z MEXICO CITY (AP) When Angelica Delgado took a one-way flight to Mexico as she fled Cuba in December, she was set on seeking asylum in the United States.But after President Donald Trump effectively slammed the door on asylum-seekers crossing the U.S. border when he took office last month, the 23-year-old recalibrated her plans.She decided she would seek protection in Mexico.Like almost all Cubans, our objective was to go to the United States, she said. It wasnt in our plans to stay, but now we have to face reality.Amid a clampdown on asylum under Trump and tightening restrictions in recent years under the Biden administration, Delgado is among a growing number of migrants from across the world to ditch or at least pause their ambitions of reaching the U.S., and focus instead on building a life in Mexico.Migrants trying to apply for asylum in Mexico in January more than tripled compared to the monthly average from the previous year, according to an international official with knowledge of the numbers who was not authorized to discuss them publicly. Mexicos refugee agency has not yet published figures for January. All of these policies Trump is pushing are leading more people to seek international protection in Mexico, said Andrs Ramrez, former director of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid, which processes asylum cases. Delgado was among hundreds of migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and other countries gathering outside the refugee agency in Mexico City after Trump unleashed executive orders last month meant to slash access to asylum and militarize the border. The Associated Press spoke to around a half-dozen people who had asylum appointments in the U.S. through the Biden-era app, CBP One, that Trump canceled on Inauguration Day. They were left stranded on the Mexican side of the border, their dreams of a legal pathway into the U.S. snuffed. Many more said they now intended to seek asylum in Mexico, citing increasingly harsh restrictions in recent years in the U.S. or what they said was anti-immigrant sentiment there.Now, its the Mexican dream, said a Mexican man helping Haitian friends try to get an appointment this month to apply for asylum in Mexico following the Trump executive orders. Delgado, her partner and many others had put their hopes on pathways opened by the Biden administration to legally seek asylum in the U.S. They said they had no intention of hiring a smuggler to enter the U.S. illegally.They said the risks of returning to Cuba were too great following a government clampdown on protests in recent years.Crossing illegally isnt an option for us. Wed rather stay here in Mexico, Delgado said, adding that if they crossed illegally into the U.S. and were caught theyll deport us and theyll send us back to Cuba.Delgado, who is an architect, and her partner, a doctor, arent able to work in their fields in Mexico because their training in Cuba is not recognized there, she said. So for now shes washing dishes in a market. Mexico has long opened its doors to refugees and exiles, but asylum applications have soared in recent years, growing from 1,295 in 2013 to a record 140,982 in 2023. That number dipped to 78,975 in 2024, as the CBP One app allowed migrants in southern Mexico to apply for appointments for entry into the U.S. before heading to the northern border.The rise in petitions for asylum in Mexico may not result in an immediate uptick in refugees there as only a couple hundred applications can be processed each day, fueling criticism about Mexicos capacity to take on the burgeoning asylum demand.Amid criticisms over the backlog, President Claudia Sheinbaum has sharply boosted funding for Mexican agencies handling migration and asylum.Venezuelan asylum-seeker Harry Luzardo, 37, said life in Mexico is an improvement after scrambling for years to scrape by in Ecuador and Chile.Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Colombia were once the epicenter of the exodus of 8 million people from Venezuela, fleeing spiraling economic and political crises. But with little international aid and an array of their own economic and security crises, Chile was among countries that began closing their doors to migrants.In Chile, you dont receive any kind of support, Luzardo said, waiting patiently in line earlier this month to make an asylum petition request in Mexico City. In Chile, theres nothing for migrants.Luzardo left Venezuela four years ago, but unable to get legal status to stay and work in Chile, he decided hed try his luck at reuniting with family in the U.S. Now, with that door closed, Mexico is his plan B. For now, I feel good here, he said. Still, he conceded, hed rather be in the U.S.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, speaks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, center, and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)2025-02-13T07:58:20Z BRUSSELS (AP) Several NATO allies stressed on Thursday that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace negotiations as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the United States is betraying the war-ravaged country.European governments are reeling after the Trump administration signaled that it is planning face-to-face talks with Russia on ending the Ukraine war without involving them, insisted that Kyiv should not join NATO, and said that its up to Europe to protect itself and Ukraine from whatever Russia might do next.There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine. And Ukraines voice must be at the heart of any talks, U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey told reporters at NATO headquarters, as the organizations 32 defense ministers met for talks on Ukraine.German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: For me, its clear that Europe must be involved in the negotiations and I think thats very easy to understand, particularly if Europe is supposed to play a central or the main role in the peace order. Europe, he said, will have to live directly with the consequences, so it goes without saying that we must be part of the negotiations. Hegseth denied that the U.S. has betrayed Ukraine by launching negotiations about its future without Kyivs full involvement. After talks with Putin and then Zelenskyy, Trump said on Wednesday he would probably meet in person with the Russian leader in the near term, possibly in Saudi Arabia. There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace. A negotiated peace, Hegesth told reporters.Hegseth warned that the war in Ukraine must be a wakeup call for NATOs European allies to spend more on their own defense budgets.Twenty-three of the 32 member countries were forecast to have met the organizations guideline of spending 2% of gross domestic product on their national defense budgets last year, but a third still do not. But Hegseths French counterpart, Sbastien Lecornu, described the wrangling over greater defense spending as a false debate, saying that governments and parliaments across Europe are already approving more weapons purchases and bigger military budgets while helping Ukraine stave off an invasion.Lecornu warned that the future of NATO itself is now in question.To say that its the biggest and most robust alliance in history is true, historically speaking. But the real question is will that still be the case in 10 or 15 years, he said, after the U.S. by far NATOs biggest and most powerful member signaled that its security priorities lie elsewhere, including in Asia.NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who was chairing Thursdays meeting, said that whatever agreement is struck between Russia and Ukraine, it is crucial that the peace deal is enduring, that Putin knows that this is the end, that he can never again try to capture a piece of Ukraine.Touting Europes investment in Ukraine, Swedish Defense Minister Pl Jonson said European nations provided about 60% of the military support to Kyiv last year and must be involved, especially given U.S. demands that Europe take more responsibility for Ukraines security in the longer term. Its very natural that were engaged into the discussions, Jonson said.His Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, underlined that the European Union has driven sanctions against Russia, has invested heavily in Ukraines defense, and will be asked to foot the bill for rebuilding the war-ravaged country.We have to be there. So there is no question about it. Otherwise this peace will not be long lasting, Pevkur warned.___Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.