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

For many a Sapphic fan of The Last of Us videogame series the character of Abby who makes, well, quite an entrance in the sequel game, was the root of their Muscle Mommy obsession.The character, who serves as the antagonist at least initially in the game, was highly controversial for many reasons, some plot-wise which we won't spoil here, and others for much more absurd reasons regarding her body type and the fanboy outrage over it. In a nutshell, Abby is buff as hell and those muscles did not comport with the extremely narrow view of cis male neckbeard beauty standards. This outrage included bizarre YouTube breakdowns over the realism of her muscle mass, homophobic screeds, and culminating with death threats being sent to the game creator Neil Druckmann and voice cast when the game was first released. Now, with the second season of the beloved HBO headed to our screens this year, audiences will be introduced once again to Abby, this time played by Kaitlin Dever. While the actress certainly has the chops and the range to bring Abby to life the immediate question in fans' minds when this casting was announced was whether or not she was going to be able to embody the character's musclebound physique. Well, we know the answer now, and Sapphics everywhere are bummed. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly Druckmann opened up about the casting of Dever and why she wouldn't be bulking up for the role. We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role, Druckmann explains. In the game, you have to play both characters [Ellie and Abby] and we need them to play differently. We needed Ellie to feel smaller and kind of maneuver around, and Abby was meant to play more like Joel in that she's almost like a brute in the way she can physically manhandle certain things. That doesn't play as big of a role in this version of the story because there's not as much violent action moment to moment. It's more about the drama. I'm not saying there's no action here. It's just, again, different priorities and how you approach it, he began. (@) I personally think that there is an amazing opportunity here to delve into someone who is perhaps physically more vulnerable than Abby in the game, but whose spirit is stronger, series co-creator Craig Mazin added. And then the question is, Where does her formidable nature come from and how does it manifest? That's something that will be explored now and later.While all that sounds fine enough and the first season and its derivations as well Bill and Franks expanded love story in particular the duo has earned some goodwill with the fans. Still, Sapphics cant help but be a bit disappointed not to get another muscle mommy on screen. Keep scrolling for some of our favorite reactions.So no muscle mommy?? pic.twitter.com/XVCglYs62r Cerf de Givre (@Desert_M00N) February 3, 2025 "So no muscle mommy??"BOOOOOOOOOOOOO PUSSIES xo (@f0reksin) February 3, 2025 "BOOOOOOOOOOOOO PUSSIES"@peskybe tired of the muscular women erasure in media Liv (@livmcintosh03) February 3, 2025 "tired of the muscular women erasure in media"we need more butch lesbians !!!! estrellita de mar (@cowboybuttes) February 3, 2025 "we need more butch lesbians !!!!"B-But i want buff women // (@_k4p1) February 3, 2025 "B-But i want buff women"Translation:HBO didn't agree with my fetishes Spacecatv (@Spacecatv1) February 3, 2025 "Translation: HBO didn't agree with my fetishes"Nah just admit it, Neil; you caved to the criticism and memes we all know thats why o Cosmic Chaos (@cosmic_oro) February 3, 2025 "Nah just admit it, Neil; you caved to the criticism and memes we all know thats why"Here take em. I don't need then anymore anyway pic.twitter.com/DF2xTtrDGg Israel (Izzy) (@TatteredSwine06) February 3, 2025 "Here take em. I don't need then anymore anyway"An angel lost its wings Heidi (@whoopigirlberg2) February 3, 2025 "An angel lost its wings."

It's been a long century in the three weeks that Donald Trump has been president again. We've rewound the clock to the 1800s, increased attacks on transgender people, given tech oligarchs the keys to the kingdom, and awarded an unelected man, Elon Musk, way more power than should have ever been approved by anyone.We're also, apparently, outsourcing a lot of Musk's work to a group of young men BlueSky users have dubbed the "Hitler Youth."Let's back up for a second. In case somehow you've missed it, Musk is the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is a non-existent government branch created by Trump that's seemingly meant to wipe out everyone in the federal government and replace them with Trump loyalists. Over the weekend, Musk shockingly managed to gain access to Treasury payment systems which essentially allowed him to dig into things like people's Social Security and Medicare payment systems. This is a gross amount of power for an unelected official but it's made worse by the fact that an expos from WIRED revealed that this access has also gone to engineers between the ages of 19 and 24, and most of them have been linked to Musk's companies.It's also uncertain if any or all of these youth workers are citizens or working on an H1-B visa.See on InstagramThe article identified six engineers -- Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran -- who have "little to no government experience" who now have "critical roles" in DOGE, which is tasked with "modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize efficiency and productivity."Apparently, at least one of these young men is working as a volunteer. According to social media reactions, Edward Coristine is a 19-year-old Canadian who calls himself "Big Balls," and he's the biggest source of everyone's face palming and worrying about our future.Contrary to some info I've seen, 19-yr-old Doge staffer "BigBalls" Edward Coristine did not delete his X account, it's just renamed and is private. Wired reported that govt tech workers had to defend their work to the Neuralink intern in an Office Space-esque scene. / more for Canadians[image or embed] Jacqueline Sweet (@jsweetli.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 10:22 AMSo, this is where we're at in "Making America Great Again," but at least "Big Balls" is here to save the day, right?There's so much to unpack here, and it's hard to know where to start. It's difficult for the people who care about America to watch it become a joke. Every day feels like a decade.Like so many other things going on, this has been met with a wide range of resistance from people on the left and those who simply oppose fascism. Keep scrolling for some reactions that remind us that the resistance is, in fact, still at large. And their mockery skills remain top notch.Now, with alt text, to ensure everyone fully understands exactly what we're dealing with with the 19-yo Canadian calling himself Big Balls who, along with a few other nerds, seem to have had exclusive control over the United States Treasury Department since Friday[image or embed] Erin Fogg (@criminalerin.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 12:55 PM"Now, with alt text, to ensure everyone fully understands exactly what we're dealing with with the 19-yo Canadian calling himself Big Balls who, along with a few other nerds, seem to have had exclusive control over the United States Treasury Department since Friday"I just went to Twitter to check on how this info is flowing there and hilariously Elon Musk is NOT censoring or deleting posts with this Hitler youth dweeb's name and picture.[image or embed] Big Bad Gary (@steakfrankhouse.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 2:50 PMI just went to Twitter to check on how this info is flowing there and hilariously Elon Musk is NOT censoring or deleting posts with this Hitler youth dweeb's name and picture.Unelected Nazi immigrant Elon Musk is deliberately spreading manufactured propaganda & he belongs in prison right now along with his Hitler Youth Hackers @schumer.senate.gov @wyden.senate.gov @warren.senate.gov @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social[image or embed] Tara Dublin, Rock Star Author (@taradublinrocks.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 11:08 PM"Unelected Nazi immigrant Elon Musk is deliberately spreading manufactured propaganda & he belongs in prison right now along with his Hitler Youth Hackers "ngl hard to see why I should file my taxes this yearWhy on earth should I give my money to Elon Musk and his band of Skibidi Hitler Youth? Cass Morris (@cassmorriswrites.com) February 2, 2025 at 6:54 PM"ngl hard to see why I should file my taxes this year Why on earth should I give my money to Elon Musk and his band of Skibidi Hitler Youth?"Elon Musk chose them because of their youth & lack of experience, so that they can be yes men. A bit like sending lambs to the abattoir. While they are making a big mistake they may well regret, the main culprit is obviously EM. But making them famous is a good idea & may well deter more volunteers. Patricia Pouncey (@patpouncey.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 4:17 PM"Elon Musk chose them because of their youth & lack of experience, so that they can be yes men. A bit like sending lambs to the abattoir. While they are making a big mistake they may well regret, the main culprit is obviously EM. But making them famous is a good idea & may well deter more volunteers."There is no way of knowing whether or how much Elon and his Musk Youth are diverting from the U.S. Treasury or to who. Effing Grim (@effinggrim.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM"There is no way of knowing whether or how much Elon and his Musk Youth are diverting from the U.S. Treasury or to who."Fuck Elon Musk and his Hitler Youth. Roast Beef Kazenzakis (@beefkazenzakis.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 10:42 AM"Fuck Elon Musk and his Hitler Youth."Lets call is what it is. Elon Musk is a NAZI, and his NAZI YOUTH assistants are actively working to subvert our government institutions, U.S. Treasury Department, democracy, and overthrow our government. No one understands the word constitutional crisis. Everyone understands the word Nazi. Jinx (@davidljjenkins.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 10:39 AM"Lets call is what it is. Elon Musk is a NAZI, and his NAZI YOUTH assistants are actively working to subvert our government institutions, U.S. Treasury Department, democracy, and overthrow our government. No one understands the word constitutional crisis. Everyone understands the word Nazi."Wait you're telling me a young republican who calls himself Big Balls did something whack eve6 (@eve6.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 10:46 PM"Wait you're telling me a young republican who calls himself Big Balls did something whack"Are the next 4 years really going to be logging on everyday to sentences like "a 19 year old doge intern called Big Balls has your social security number" because I'm already at capacity for this sort of thing eve6 (@eve6.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 8:29 PM"Are the next 4 years really going to be logging on everyday to sentences like "a 19 year old doge intern called Big Balls has your social security number" because I'm already at capacity for this sort of thing"When your big balls aint descended[image or embed] Weisselberger, the artist formerly known as (@weisselberger.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM"When your big balls aint descended"Skibidi Hitler Youth is the best Alt text description Ive ever encountered for something like this Emily Francisco (@emilyfrancisco.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM"Skibidi Hitler Youth is the best Alt text description Ive ever encountered for something like this"The workers were emailed by a little boy with no legal authority who interns for the richest Nazi in the world. It is an absolutely insane development and the social copy doesnt come close to conveying it.[image or embed] southpaw (@nycsouthpaw.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 5:36 AM"The workers were emailed by a little boy with no legal authority who interns for the richest Nazi in the world. It is an absolutely insane development and the social copy doesnt come close to conveying it."Ive been humming AC/DCs Big Balls all dayyoutube.com/shorts/XbJ2s...[image or embed] PoliticsGirl (@politicsgirl.bsky.social) January 31, 2025 at 3:45 PM"I've been humming AC/DC's Big Balls all day..."Twink Death for Big Balls Dolphin Pilot (@theamitie.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 9:08 PM"Twink Death for Big Balls"These were the only teenagers with acute alcohol poisoning I'll accept this title from[image or embed] eve6 (@eve6.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM"These were the only teenagers with acute alcohol poisoning I'll accept this title from"I really thought taking over the US Government was more difficult than sending a teenager named Big Balls to demand everyone hand over the keys[image or embed] Micah (@rincewind.run) February 2, 2025 at 12:50 PM"I really thought taking over the US Government was more difficult than sending a teenager named Big Balls to demand everyone hand over the keys"If we have history books in our children of men ass future they're gonna be populated with names like Cat Turd 2 and Big Balls eve6 (@eve6.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 8:17 PM"If we have history books in our children of men ass future they're gonna be populated with names like Cat Turd 2 and Big Balls"

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

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

Chris Olsen always serves some hot tea.With nearly 14 million followers on TikTok, the handsome influencer has allowed everyone to watch all of the drama in his personal life unfold online.2025 has undoubtedly been rough for everyone, but Olsen is taking the proper time to take care of himself and look out for everyone in his chosen family."I feel good about how I look! I feel good about myself. I'm feeling confident! Even though my Glambots always end up on the worst compilations, I like them! That's what matters to me," Olsen tells PRIDE. See on Instagram While attending the 2025 Grammy Awards, Olsen made it a point to note that queer representation at the biggest events around the world are needed during these crucial times."Coming together is what we need right now. The more spaces we can be in, the better. The gays, but also our transgender community and trans people of color. It's important for the kid who DM'd me from Alabama who had never seen a gay person at the Grammys."Fans can keep up with Chris Olsen by following him on Instagram. To see the full interview from the Grammys red carpet, check out the video at the top of the page.

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards took place in Los Angeles over the weekend, and queer musicians made a big splash throughout the night. But even when they weren't winning awards and making phenomenal speeches, they still had our attention! Let's take a look at some of the best moments of the night from our faves.1. Cynthia Erivo performing "Fly Me to the Moon" (@) Erivo was one of several artists who performed in tribute to the late Quincy Jones. And to no one's surprise, she absolutely nailed it.2. St. Vincent casually revealing she has a wife and daughter (@) "There have always been queer people in the history of the world and especially in music, and so I think theres a bunch of queer people celebrated this year especially," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "And thats great, of course its great."3. Chappell Roan shouting out trans people on the red carpet (@) "It's brutal right now, but trans people have always existed, and they will forever exist, and they will never no matter what happens take trans joy away, and that has to be protected more than anything," she said.4. This viral moment from Doechii (@) Host Trevor Noah's joke about immigration simply did not land, and Doechii's reaction getting caught in 4K like that was too real.5. Miley Cyrus shouting out Beyonc (@) "II Most Wanted" won for best country duo/group performance, meaning Cyrus has now won a Grammy for country music before her father.6. Taylor Swift and Cynthia Erivo recreating the Holding Space meme (@) Gonna need a reaction from Ariana Grande, stat.7. Chappell Roan performing "Pink Pony Club" (@) "chappell roan really brought the lesbian guitar crawl to the #GRAMMYs," one viewer remarked.8. ...and Janelle Mona singing along to "Pink Pony Club" (@) Flawless cut, camera person!9. Clairo's red carpet reaction (@) "Umm"Real.10. Queen Latifah cheerleading backstage (@) "Let's go!"11. This photo (@) Billie Eilish may have gotten snubbed this year, but we're so glad she was there all the same.12. Lady Gaga shouting out trans people in her acceptance speech (@) "Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love," she said. "The queer community deserves to be lifted up."13. This look from SZA (@) Look, she probably didn't mean to throw shade here, but the cutaway was still such a mood.14. Cardi B presenting Doechii with Best Rap Album (@) "cardi b presenting the grammy for best rap album to doechii they are the only female rappers to win this award since lauryn hill."15. Chappell Roan winning Best New Artist (@) A lesbian winning Best New Artist at the Grammys is a big deal, especially right now. And in typical fashion for Roan, she used her speech to advocate for better protections for new artists in the music industry.16. Janelle Mona calling out Nelly (@) This technically took place at a Grammys afterparty, but Mona calling out Nelly for performing at Donald Trump's inauguration in the midst of covering one of his own songs is too iconic to skip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Biden administrations latest move to roll back inclusivity measures has sparked backlash across several federal agencies, with a new directive from Donald Trumps administration mandating that government employees remove pronouns from their email signatures. The policy is part of a broader effort to reduce the influence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, which Trump has criticized as unnecessary and expensive.On January 20, shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order that specifically targeted DEI initiatives within the federal workforce. The directive called for the immediate suspension of DEI personnel from their roles, describing them as useless and overpaid activists embedded in government agencies. This order set the stage for further actions aimed at reining in what Trump and his allies view as an overreach of progressive ideologies within public service.A series of internal emails obtained by CNN have confirmed that employees at key government agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), were instructed to remove pronouns from their email signatures. The move is in alignment with Trumps executive order titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth, which seeks to reinforce the concept of biological sex over gender identity.The order also mandates that government employees use the term sex rather than gender in official communications. It will be the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality, the executive order reads. The move has been widely described as an attempt to align federal policy with conservative views on gender and biological sex.State Department and ODNI ReactionsThe new directive has generated significant concern within the federal workforce, particularly at the State Department, where employees have expressed fear over potential restrictions on free speech and expression. One employee, who spoke with CNN under the condition of anonymity, described the atmosphere as one of anxiety, with many staff members worried that they could face retaliation for expressing support for inclusive policies.Internal communications from the departments management included a statement from the head of management, who confirmed that the agency was reviewing all its programs, contracts, and grants that reference gender ideology. The email also noted that the department was actively removing outward-facing media that promotes inclusivity or gender ideology, signaling a shift in how government entities are approaching issues related to LGBTQ+ rights.Several agencies, including the ODNI, have warned employees that any efforts to undermine or subvert the presidents directives would lead to disciplinary action, including potential termination. The push to eliminate references to gender inclusivity in government communications is part of a wider pattern of actions designed to reduce what Trumps administration considers the influence of political correctness in federal operations.Vice President JD Vance speaks about a collision involving an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, January 30, 2025. All 60 passengers, four crew members and three soldiers are believed to have died in the crash. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI / ShutterstockTermination Threats and Backlash from LGBTQ+ GroupsThe crackdown has extended beyond language use to include other forms of inclusivity. The Department of Health and Human Services has been directed to end contracts that involve references to pronouns, inclusivity, or LGBTQ+ advocacy, leading to further concerns about the future of programs designed to protect the rights of marginalized groups.In addition to these policies, the executive order has had wide-reaching effects on the State Departments treatment of transgender and non-binary individuals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently ordered that the department cease processing passport applications that include the X gender marker, a designation that has become an important symbol of gender identity for many trans and non-binary citizens. This decision has sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue that it undermines the rights of transgender people to have their gender identity legally recognized.Furthermore, several federal websites have reportedly removed resources related to LGBTQ+ rights, HIV awareness, and other related issues. These actions have prompted a swift response from LGBTQ+ charities and advocacy groups, which have condemned the policies as discriminatory and harmful to vulnerable communities.A Broader Political DivideThe executive orders and their implementation have sparked a national conversation about the balance between inclusivity and conservative values. Critics of the Trump administrations actions argue that removing gender-related terminology from government communications is a step backward in the fight for equality and recognition for all citizens, particularly those who identify outside of the traditional gender binary.Supporters, however, frame the policy as a necessary correction aimed at restoring what they perceive as traditional values in federal institutions. They argue that the push for gender inclusivity and the normalization of pronouns in official government communications have become excessive and unnecessary.The directive to remove pronouns from email signatures and other similar moves are just the latest in a series of executive actions that have raised concerns about the future of LGBTQ+ rights under the current administration. While some federal employees have voiced their opposition, the full impact of these changes will become clearer as they are implemented across various government agencies.As the policy continues to unfold, LGBTQ+ organizations and government employees alike are watching closely to see how this new wave of directives will shape the future of inclusivity in the federal workforce and beyond.The post Trump Orders US Government Agencies to Remove Pronouns from Email Signatures in Latest Crackdown on Inclusivity appeared first on Gayety.

Following the tragic helicopter crash in Washington D.C. last week, which claimed the lives of 67 people, controversy has erupted over claims made by Vice President JD Vance and former President Donald Trump suggesting that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies may have contributed to the disaster. Vance has since been forced to backtrack on these comments after the Army released the names of the three individuals aboard the military helicopter, including Captain Rebecca Lobach, one of the pilots.Initially, Vance and Trump claimed that DEI policies had led to staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, which they suggested contributed to the crash. However, no air traffic controllers on duty at the time of the incident have been publicly identified, and no evidence has emerged linking DEI initiatives to the crash.The helicopter, an Army training aircraft, collided with an American Airlines jet, killing all three soldiers onboard. The Army identified the victims as Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, Staff Sergeant Ryan OHara, and Captain Rebecca Lobach. While the investigation is still ongoing, there has been no confirmation from authorities or experts that staffing shortages caused by DEI policies played any role in the crash.Vances initial remarks sparked controversy, with many criticizing his comments as a slur against those involved in the tragedy. Speaking to Fox News, Vance suggested that a lack of proper staffing due to DEI-related decisions may have contributed to the disaster. This is not saying that the person who was at the controls is a DEI hire, Vance said. But lets just say, first of all, we should investigate everything, but lets just say the person at the controls didnt have enough staffing around him or her because we were turning people away because of DEI reasons.However, Vance has been careful not to directly link DEI policies to the crash in his most recent statements. Despite his attempts to clarify, his initial comments had already set off a firestorm of online misinformation, with some social media users suggesting that a decorated transgender service member, Jo Ellis, was the pilot responsible for the crash. These claims were widely debunked after the Army identified Lobach as one of the pilots. In response, Ellis took to social media to deny the rumors, calling them insulting to the victims and families of those lost.People deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet, Ellis wrote in a Facebook post.The Armys decision to release Lobachs name came on February 1, after consulting with her family. In a statement, her family expressed their devastation over the loss of the young officer. We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives, the statement said. Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. Most of all she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her.Lobach, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was commissioned as an active-duty aviation officer in 2019. She had accumulated over 500 hours of flight time, which is considered a normal amount for military pilots. In contrast, her fellow pilot, Eaves, had logged over 1,000 hours of flight time and was considered a highly experienced aviator. Both were highly respected in their field and had earned numerous accolades for their service.The investigation into the crash is still ongoing, and no official cause has been determined. Despite the continuing probe, Vances claims have raised questions about the politicization of the tragedy, particularly in light of his and Trumps previous criticisms of DEI policies within the military and other public sectors.In the aftermath of the crash, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also made controversial remarks about women in combat roles, suggesting that they may be unfit for service. Hegseths comments, along with Vance and Trumps statements, have drawn sharp criticism from many military experts and political commentators, who argue that the focus should be on the investigation rather than politicizing the incident.As for President Trump, he has not issued any further comments following the release of Lobachs name. While the former president had previously suggested that DEI policies were to blame for the accident, he has not weighed in on the Armys identification of the crash victims.The incident has sparked an intense national conversation about military policies, DEI practices, and the role of women in combat. Many MAGA activists, however, have continued to place blame on Lobach and others involved in the crash without waiting for the official investigation to unfold. These unsubstantiated claims have only added to the confusion and controversy surrounding the tragedy.As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen whether any new information will shed light on the cause of the crash. For now, the focus remains on the victimsthree dedicated military professionals who lost their lives in service to their country.The publics attention will likely remain fixed on the findings of the investigation, with hopes that the true cause of the crash will soon be revealed.The post JD Vance Walks Back Claims Linking DEI Policies to Deadly Helicopter Crash appeared first on Gayety.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A tourist sits at Firostefani as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)2025-02-04T09:31:01Z SANTORINI, Greece (AP) More Greek islands closed schools Tuesday as hundreds of earthquakes ratted the Aegean Sea, while a handful of hardy tourists enjoyed having Santorinis stunning views to themselves.Thousands of residents and seasonal workers have left the Cycladic Islands as hundreds of quakes up to magnitude 5 were recorded in the volcanic region since Friday. Ferry and commercial flight operators added services to accommodate departures.The quakes have caused cracks in some older building but no injuries have been reported so far. On Tuesday, schools were shut on 13 islands, up from four the previous day. Santorini earlier canceled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in certain areas. Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicenter of earthquakes in the Aegean Sea was moving northward away from Santorini, emphasizing that there was no connection to the areas dormant volcanoes. This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time, Lekkas told state-run television. In Santorinis main town, Fira, the narrow, whitewashed streets along the islands clifftops were deserted a rare sight even in the off season except for small pockets of tour groups, many from Asian countries.Joseph Liu, from Guangzhou in southern China, said he had wanted to visit Santorini for years after seeing it in a documentary. He joined family and tour group members on a balcony deck typically used for high-end wedding receptions. This place is amazing, really beautiful. Just like I saw in the program: the mystery, the scenery, he said. The (group) leader told us about the earthquakes before we came so it was not a surprise.Retired police officer and ship worker Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou, who has lived on Santorini for more than 30 years, said he has turned down offers to stay with relatives in Athens. Older residents are used to the earthquakes ... But its different this time. Its not the same to have earthquakes every 2-3 minutes. The main thing is not to worry, he said, adding with a laugh: Now we can listen to music alone and have coffee by ourselves.In Athens, government officials are continuing to hold daily high-level planning and assessment meetings with briefings from island officials.

Low quality books that appear to be AI generated are making their way into public libraries via their digital catalogs, forcing librarians who are already understaffed to either sort through a functionally infinite number of books to determine what is written by humans and what is generated by AI, or to spend taxpayer dollars to provide patrons with information they dont realize is AI-generated.Public libraries primarily use two companies to manage and lend ebooks: Hoopla and OverDrive, the latter of which people may know from its borrowing app, Libby. Both companies have a variety of payment options for libraries, but generally libraries get access to the companies catalog of books and pay for customers to be able to borrow that book, with different books having different licenses and prices. A key difference is that with OverDrive, librarians can pick and choose which books in OneDrives catalog they want to give their customers the option of borrowing. With Hoopla, librarians have to opt into Hooplas entire catalog, then pay for whatever their customers choose to borrow from that catalog. The only way librarians can limit what Hoopla books their customers can borrow is by setting a limit on the price of books. For example, a library can use Hoopla but make it so their customers can only borrow books that cost the library $5 per use.On one hand, Hooplas gigantic catalog, which includes ebooks, audio books, and movies, is a selling point because it gives librarians access to more for cheaper price. On the other hand, making librarians buy into the entire catalog means that a customer looking for a book about how to diet for a healthier liver might end up borrowing Fatty Liver Diet Cookbook: 2000 Days of Simple and Flavorful Recipes for a Revitalized Liver. The book was authored by Magda Tangy, who has no online footprint, and who has an AI-generated profile picture on Amazon, where her books are also for sale. Note the earring that is only on one ear and seems slightly deformed. A spokesperson for deepfake detection company Reality Defender said that according to their platform, the headshot is 85 percent likely to be AI-generated.A headshot of Magda Tangy from Amazon.The book, which consists mostly of recipes and includes a disclaimer that the author and publisher are not experts in the discussed topics, didnt include any dangerous information as far as I could tell, but appears to be AI-generated based on its stilted prose and formatting, consisting of summaries broken up with bolded subheadings common in outputs from LLMs like ChatGPT. Are these cookbooks written or reviewed by a dietitian or medical professional? Could a gastric bypass or cancer patient receive cooking instructions to make a meal contraindicated for their medical condition? If I were choosing for a library, Id vet each one. With Hoopla, they are all there. Some might be excellent. Some might be dangerous, Michael Blackwell, director of the St Marys County Library in Leonardtown, MD, told me in an email.It is impossible to say exactly how many AI-generated books are included in Hooplas catalog, but books that appeared to be AI-generated were not hard to find for most of the search terms I tried on the platform. Theres a book about AI Monetization of Your Faceless YouTube Channel, or AI Moniiziization, as it says on its AI-generated cover. Searching for Elon Musk led me to this book for inspiring quotes, fun facts, fascinating trivia, and surprising insights of the technoking. The books cover is AI-generated, its content also appears to be AI-generated, and it was authored by Bill Tarino, another author with no real online footprint who has written around 40 books in the past year about a wide range of subjects including Taylor Swift, emotional intelligence, horror novels, and practical home security.I doubt that most library users of Hoopla are aware that some titles may be AI generated or unedited and of dubious quality, Blackwell said. They may assume that if the library is offering the information, it can be trusted. That is a problem.I also found at least one book on Hoopla that elsewhere admitted it was AI-generated: The Unknown Guest, a mystery novel by Rylie Dark, which on the United States Copyright Office is listed as text generated by artificial intelligence.Investigating these authors, their book covers, their social media, etc takes A LOT OF TIME, especially with the volume of questionable material increasing month to month (and that's not including the sheer amount of legitimate books published each month in adult fiction that I'm looking at), one librarian who asked to remain anonymous so she could talk openly about her job, told me. Is it the best use of my time doing this work on top of my other duties when customers may or may not care? And with the rising multitudes of AI generated content, will there come a point where it just is what it is?My library, like most, does not have the resources to be checking Hoopla on a weekly basis to weed out what we wouldnt want there, Blackwell said. Hoopla is marketed to libraries and should offer material of a quality that libraries want since we are not involved in the selection process, as we are when choosing from other ebook vendors or print.This type of low quality, AI generated content, is what we at 404 Media and others have come to call AI slop. Librarians, whose job it is in part to curate what books their community can access, have been dealing with similar problems in the publishing industry for years, and have a different name for it: vendor slurry. While the term now encompasses what seems like AI-generated content as well, it predates the rise of generative AI, and also refers to the glut of low quality, often self-published ebooks or book summaries that are common on Hoopla. As some librarians told me, the sheer quantity of books in Hooplas service makes it seem more valuable because it offers such a large number of books, but in reality that number is misleadingly inflated by this slurry.What hoopla is offering is this gargantuan amount of books. In actuality, it's padded with this slurry of poor quality materials that people likely don't want at all, Luca Bartlomiejczyk, a librarian at Edith Wheeler Memorial Library in Monroe, CT, told me. If you're going to say, we have 15,000 ebooks on our platform, and 5,000 of those are low quality, AI generated or stuff that's just put on there without any kind of like oversight or selection criteria being followed, what are you actually offering to us?Several librarians pointed me to IRB Media, a publisher with hundreds of books on Hoopla, all of which are seemingly AI-generated summaries of other books. Theoretically theres value in these summaries even if they are AI-generatedthe popular CliffNotes brand which offers summaries of books did the same thing long before generative AIbut the sheer amount of summaries from publishers like IRB Media tend to show up in many search results, making it harder for people to find what they are looking for.If a patron, for example, wants to take out a copy of The Women by Kristin Hannah and what they find is a summary of The Women by Kristin Hannah with the word summary written in a really tiny font, or they just think that it's the thing that they're looking for, and they don't look close enough then it's costing us the money for them to take it out, Bartlomiejczyk told me. It's costing them the time, and they're disappointed.In February 2022, two organizations of librarians, Library Futures and Library Freedom Project, sent Hoopla and OverDrive a letter demanding accountability over fascist propaganda materials being included in their services.These are books that are of such low accuracy and quality that not even Amazon will sell them. This includes materials from white nationalist publishers Arktos Media, Antelope Hill Publishing, and Castle Hill Services, the organizations wrote. In Hoopla, for example, the third search result for the word Holocaust returned a Holocaust denial text not carried by most book distributors.In March, Hoopla Digital CEO Jeff Jankowski replied in a statement that said the books highlighted in the letter were removed and attempted to explain why they were included to begin with.The titles from these five independent publishers came to us from our network of more than 18,000 unique publishers, Jankowski said. They were added within the most recent twelve months and, unfortunately, they made it through our protocols that include both human and system-driven reviews and screening. As a result, we have taken immediate steps to improve our process.The librarian organizations said that they appreciated the response and that Hoopla removed the titles, but said the response was insufficient.Our questions remain about how Hoopla selects and approves materials for their collections. There is still a great deal of disinformation to be found on Hoopla, they said. For instance, when you search for ebooks about homosexuality and abortion, instead of factual informational content, the search results are largely self-published religious texts designed to misinform and scare library readers about sexual and reproductive topics.Several of the librarians I talked to said that they are worried about discussing this problem because of the growing hostility towards libraries and groups like Moms for Liberty demanding that books about LGBTQ rights, race, and ethnicity be removed from libraries. One the one hand, librarians want to curate their collections and make sure their patrons are getting access to quality information. On the other hand, they dont want people to think that they are trying to censor what materials patrons can access in way thats comparable to what organizations like Moms for Liberty want.It's this really fine line. This is not a request to censor materials. This is a request to ask companies that sell materials to the public with taxpayer money to be accountable for what is on their service, and to be transparent, Jennie Halperin, executive director at Library Futures told me.We're always standing directly against censorship at every step of the way. That's what librarians do, Bartlomiejczyk told me. It's part of our code of ethics that we all follow, but professionals trained in best practices in selection of materials, i.e. librarians, to make these decisions would make a huge difference in the stuff that's being selected for these platforms.Hoopla and OverDrive did not respond to a request for comment.None of the librarians I talked to suggested the AI-generated content needed to be banned from Hoopla and libraries only because it is AI-generated. It might have its place, but it needs to be clearly labeled, and more importantly, provide borrowers with quality information. Much like Wikipedia editors, librarians are curators of information for society. Wikipedia editors are unpaid volunteers. Librarians told me they were already understaffed, overworked, and under attack by conservative groups before AI-generated content became an issue. Both groups now face an entirely new threat to their core mission: generative AIs ability to create an infinite amount of low quality information. All librarians are asking for at this point is that Hoopla explain exactly how its selection process work, and hopefully improve it.Platforms like Hoopla should offer libraries the option to select or omit materials, including AI materials, in their collections, Sarah Lamdan, deputy director of the American Library Association, told me. AI books should be well-identified in library catalogs, so it is clear to readers that the books were not written by human authors. If library visitors choose to read AI eBooks, they should do so with the knowledge that the books are AI-generated.

Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-02-04T01:59:29Z WASHINGTON (AP) Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted Monday on his social media site that he had deleted 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS Direct File program. This led to some confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers, but the free filing program is still available, at least for the coming tax season.While Musks tweet may have intimated that the group of workers had been eliminated, an individual with knowledge of the IRS workforce said the Direct File program was still accepting tax returns. The individual spoke anonymously with The Associated Press because they were not authorized to talk to the press.As of Monday evening, 18Fs website was still operational, as was the Direct File website. But the digital services agencys X account was deleted. The IRS announced last year that it will make the free electronic tax return filing system permanent and asked all 50 states and the District of Columbia to help taxpayers file their returns through the program in 2025. The Direct File trial began in March 2024. But the IRS has face intense blowback to Direct File from private tax preparation companies that have made billions from charging people to use their software and have spent millions lobbying Congress. The average American typically spends about $140 preparing their returns each year. Commercial tax prep companies that have lobbied against development of the free file program say free file options already exist. Several organizations, including private tax firms, offer free online tax preparation assistance to taxpayers under certain income limits. Fillable forms are available online on the IRS website, but they are complicated and taxpayers still have to calculate their tax liability.Last May the IRS announced it would make the Direct File program permanent. It is now available in 25 states, up from 12 states that were part of last years pilot program. The program allows people in some states with very simple W-2s to calculate and submit their returns directly to the IRS. Those using the pilot program in 2024 claimed more than $90 million in refunds, the IRS said in October.During his confirmation hearing Jan. 16, Scott Bessent, now treasury secretary, committed to maintaining the Direct File program at least for the 2025 tax season, which began Jan. 27.Musk was responding to a post by an X user who called 18F far left and mused that Direct File puts the government in charge of preparing peoples taxes. That group has been deleted, Musk wrote. FATIMA HUSSEIN Hussein reports on the U.S. Treasury Department for The Associated Press. She covers tax policy, sanctions and any issue that relates to money. twitter mailto BARBARA ORTUTAY Ortutay writes about social media and the internet for The Associated Press. mailto

Police at the scene of an incident at Risbergska School, in rebro, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)2025-02-04T13:07:58Z OREBRO, Sweden (AP) Five people were shot at an adult education center in Sweden on Tuesday, police said. The conditions of the victims werent immediately clear.The Swedish news agency TT reported, without providing its sources, that the perpetrator died by suicide. Police didnt immediately confirm that reporting, but the head of the local police told a news conference that the suspected perpetrator was among the five people shot.The adult education center is on the outskirts of the city of Orebro, which is located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Stockholm. The school, called Campus Risbergska, serves students who are over age 20, according to its website. Primary and upper secondary school courses are offered, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.The violence broke out Tuesday after many students had gone home following a national exam. Police vehicles and ambulances, lights flashing, blanketed the parking lots and streets around the school as a helicopter buzzed overhead.Teacher Lena Warenmark told SVT News that there were unusually few students on the campus Tuesday afternoon because many went home after the exam. She also told the broadcaster that she heard probably 10 gunshots.Students sheltered in nearby buildings. Other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting, which began at around 12:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT). Police at the scene of an incident at Risbergska School, in rebro, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP) Police at the scene of an incident at Risbergska School, in rebro, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Andreas Sundling, 28, was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school. We heard three bangs and loud screams, he told Expressen newspaper while sheltering in a classroom. Now were sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait.Police said that no officers were shot during the violence.The reports of violence in Orebro are very serious. The police are on site and the operation is in full swing, Justice Minister Gunnar Strmmer told TT.During a news conference on the Swedish employment market, another government official addressed the violence in Orebro, which has a population of around 155,000 people.The government is following developments very closely and has a continuous dialogue with the police about this, Mats Persson, minister for employment and integration, said Tuesday. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

NASA personnel were told to drop everything to scrub public sites of mentions of DEI, indigenous people, environmental justice, and women in leadership, according to a directive obtained by 404 Media.The directive, sent on January 22 and obtained by 404 Media, states:Per NASA HQ direction, we are required to scrub mentions of the following terms from our public sites by 5pm ET today. This is a drop everything and reprioritize your day request. Note that the list below is the list that exists this morning, but it may grow as the day goes on.DEIADiversity (in context of DEIA)Equity ( )Inclusion ( )Accessibility ( )MSIMinority Serving InstitutionIndigenous PeopleEEJEJEnvironmental JusticeUnderrepresented groups/peopleAnything specifically targeting women (women in leadership, etc.)Do you have anything to share related to this story, NASA or SpaceX? We would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at sam.404. Otherwise, send me an email at sam@404media.co.By now, Trumps war on DEI is well documented. But the directive shows the specific words that some agencies were asked to delete, providing a clearer picture of how agencies have been asked to scrub information. A NASA employee told 404 Media we were absolutely required to scrub all DEI related or DEI adjacent topics and terms from all external websites by 5pm the 22nd, which was a drop everything and get it done task. 404 Media granted the employee anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.Many of these changes are visible on publicly-available NASA Github repositories, where NASA pages have been edited to change, for example inclusive to fair. Inclusion has also been deleted from promotional materials about competitions.These changes are a result of President Donald Trumps executive order Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing. Civil servants across the federal government have had to divert their attention from normal operations to attempt to comply with Trumps gender- and diversity-obsessed orders the last few weeks, including Social Security Administration sites removing information about sex designations, the Department of Labor sites about discrimination at work, CDC websites, and informational videos about the use of pronouns. The NASA Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity website was taken offline, too.Github repositories have been a public view of many of these removals.In an email to staff after Trumps DEI order, NASA acting administrator Janet Petrothe first woman to hold the position since its founding 67 years agowrote that diversity programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination, and accused some in government of attempting to somehow sneak in diversity and inclusion efforts.As Inc. pointed out, NASA is not an exceptionally diverse workplace: A 2024 report from the NASA Office of Inspector General said that despite diversity efforts, NASA made little progress in increasing the representation of women and minorities in its civilian workforce or leadership ranks. Specifically, over the past decade NASAs overall workforce demographics have stayed roughly the same. At the same time, astronaut selection, which involves sorting through thousands of highly qualified candidates, has in the recent past (and during Trumps first term) attempted to represent what Americans actually look like and the backgrounds they come from, including women and people of color.When Petro took on the role to lead NASA, she wrote on LinkedIn that she would remain steadfast in our commitment to NASA's mission and core values. In 2021, when she was the director of Kennedy Space Center, she spoke at length in an interview about the value of diversity, saying our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility has been paramount to mission success. In that interview, she went on to reflect on how committed she was to making paths for women and minorities in her field: Since the beginning of my professional journey, I have been in the minority of the organization I belonged towhether it was flying helicopters in the Army or working as a mechanical engineer or program manager in a commercial aerospace company, she said. I often found myself either the only female, or only one of a couple. There werent many minorities either. [...] I am, therefore, profoundly committed to promoting opportunities for growth for all. A big part of this is ensuring an environment where everyone feels included, has a voice and feels safe to express their opinions.Jason Koebler contributed reporting to this piece.

A 404 Media reader has reformatted the Simple Sabotage Field Manual to be more legible as a PDF and shared it with us, so were going to share it with you.Last week, I wrote about the Simple Sabotage Field Manual, a World War II era guide to resisting fascism for normal people. At the time, it was the fifth most popular book on Project Gutenberg, a website that hosts public domain books. It had been downloaded 60,000 times over the last month.Currently, the book is by far the most popular on the site and has been downloaded more than 230,000 times in the last 30 days. Project Gutenberg has copies of the book as plaintext, HTML, Kindle, and EPUB formats, but doesnt host a PDF version of the book. The original version the CIA declassified is available as a PDF, but parts of it are blurry and some of the text is difficult to read. Over the weekend, a 404 Media reader made a new layout of the guide as a searchable PDF and sent it to me, which I thought was very cool! They asked that I not identify them, but you can find here:Simple Sabotage Field ManualSabotage.pdf158 KBdownload-circleMay it run wild and free, they said.

By Orion RummlerThis story was originally published by the 19th, a nonprofit news network. President Trump's latest executive order directing the federal government to monitor K-12 education curriculum targets transgender students and those who support them in schools. (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)Subscribe nowPresident Donald Trump has directed the federal government to begin a campaign to monitor and influence K-12 curriculum a move that former Education Department staff describe as unprecedented interference into the countrys education system with the purpose of targeting marginalized groups, particularly transgender students.In an executive order signed Wednesday, Trump instructed the secretary of education, secretary of defense and secretary of health and human services to work with the attorney general to enforce patriotic education and eliminate federal funding for schools promoting indoctrination based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.These and other terms used in the order echo attempts by Republicans in red states to restrict teaching critical race theory, Black history, intersectionality and social justice, and to ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. For example, discriminatory equity ideology is defined within the order as, among other things, the belief that the United States is fundamentally racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory.Borrowing language from a recent executive order that signals the Trump administrations opposition to transgender identity as a whole, this new order seeks to bar teachers from supporting trans students by using that students name and pronouns or allowing these students to use restrooms that match with their gender identity. Teachers have been under this kind of political pressure for years, as states like Florida and Kentucky enact policies banning LGBTQ content in schools and restrict how teachers can interact with trans students.Catherine Lhamon, an assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education under former President Joe Biden, said that complying with this order is ultimately impossible for federal agencies, in part because the order lacks clarity and clashes with other orders signed by Trump. She also believes it is illegal.The executive order effectively directs curricular instruction and it is, in multiple statutes, against the law for the United States Department of Education to direct curriculum, which is locally controlled, Lhamon said. The Department of Education Organization Act, the federal law passed by Congress in 1979 that first established the agency, makes that clear. By directing what school staff can and cannot say in a public school, the order also seems to contradict an earlier order signed by Trump guaranteeing respect for free speech under the First Amendment, she said.President Trump campaigned on returning power over students education to the states, even going so far as promising to shut down the Department of Education entirely. But this executive order explicitly uses federal funding to determine what can be taught in schools while labeling certain concepts as divisive, said Katy Joseph, formerly chief of staff for the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights.The executive order gives federal agencies 90 days to create a plan to discover and restrict all federal funding sources that directly or indirectly support or subsidize the instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology in K-12 curriculums and teacher certification. Those agencies also have 90 days to figure out how to restrict funds from being used at schools to support transgender students social transition including through school staff not alerting parents that their students are transgender.The order also gave the secretary of education, who has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, 120 days to reestablish the 1776 Commission, an advisory group created during the first Trump to promote a specific version of patriotism in school curricula.Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the religious freedom advocacy organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement that bringing back the commission would advance narrow Christian nationalist beliefs about gender and a white-washed American history. It would also blur the lines between church and state, which, she said, stands in direct opposition to the nations founding principles.Nicholas Hite, a senior attorney for Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization focused on the LGBTQ community, called the executive order patently unconstitutional nonsense. In a statement, he said it isdesigned to demean and deny the very existence of transgender and other queer youth.Hite continued: Bans on using the correct restrooms threaten the safety and health of transgender and nonbinary youth. Denying the opportunity to participate in school sports programs with their classmates deprives them of the many opportunities and developmental benefits all agree come from joining in team sports. And compelling teachers to tell parents about a students in-school request that a chosen name or pronoun be used contrary to the students wishes can expose the student to violence in the home.To Joseph, Trumps blitz of executive orders in the first days of his presidency are part of a clear strategy: to demonize certain marginalized groups and distract people from the larger picture of his administrations broader agenda to undermine democracy.Trans youth and trans folks more broadly are very high on that list, as well as immigrants, students who are here are on student visas, and now educators are being pulled into that as well, she said.This new executive order targets practices that support transgender youth while broadly undermining the ability for all young people to learn critical thinking skills and accurate history, Joseph said. Until this point, the federal government had not had any role in curriculum development; the task had always been a local process, with limited oversight from the federal agency to investigate potentially hostile learning environments, she said.Subscribe nowIn addition to Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign, Advocates for Trans Equality and other LGBTQ advocacy groups condemned Trumps executive order on Wednesday, during a week where the administration made several attempts to roll back LGBTQ rights at the federal level.Our team of lawyers and policy analysts will be scrutinizing the executive order closely in the coming days for its impact on our community, and we stand ready to use every resource at our disposal, from Capitol Hill to the courts, to defend the rights of all students, parents, and teachers who deserve to feel safe and welcome at school, said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) executive director, in a statement.Several lawsuits against the Trump administration have already been taken up in response to executive orders that restrict LGBTQ rights. GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights are challenging Trumps executive order barring transgender people from the military. An incarcerated trans woman has filed a lawsuit against Trumps broad executive order mandating that the federal government only recognize two sexes an order that would require housing trans people in federal prisons based on their sex assigned at birth.All young people including LGBTQ students and the children of LGBTQ parents, who are accepted by the adults in their life have much better outcomes for mental health and other metrics, Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. We owe it to them to ensure that they feel safe, respected and ready to learn when theyre at school.Nadra Nittle contributed reporting.If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

It was a very queer night for the Grammys. On February 2, the 67th Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles and it was a rainbow coalition of queerness as Doechii won a trophy for Best Rap Album. This category was introduced in 1989, and two women have won, she said in her emotional acceptance [...]The post Grammys 2025: Doechiis Win Makes History; Lady Gaga Honors Trans Community; Chappell Roan, Troye Sivan and More Uplift LGBTQ Community first appeared on GLAAD.

A piece of wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-04T15:28:03Z ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Crews worked Tuesday to try to recover the planes cockpit and the rest of the remains of the 67 people who died in the midair collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter near the nations capital last week.They say their work might depend upon the wind and tidal conditions in the Potomac River, where the aircraft crashed last Wednesday night after colliding as the American Airlines flight was about to land at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport. All 67 people on both aircraft were killed.As of midmorning Tuesday, they were working to raise another large piece of the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to give a news update later Tuesday.Authorities have recovered and identified the remains of 55 of the 67 people and have said they are confident they will find all of the victims. They are focusing first on the jet. Col. Francis B. Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said salvage crews on Monday were able to pull one of the two jet engines from the river, along with large pieces of the planes exterior. They were also working to recover a wing of the plane, which had flown out of Wichita, Kansas. Sixty passengers and four crew were on the American Airlines flight, including figure skaters returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. The Black Hawk helicopter was on a training mission. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin OHara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland; and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, were aboard. Federal investigators are trying to piece together the events that led to the collision. Full investigations typically take a year or more, but investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.Wednesdays crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground.___Dale reported from Philadelphia. MARYCLAIRE DALE Dale covers national legal issues for The Associated Press, often focusing on the federal judiciary, gender law, #MeToo and NFL player concussions. Her work unsealing Bill Cosbys testimony in a decade-old deposition led to his arrest and sexual assault trials. twitter mailto

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)2025-02-04T03:55:23Z NEW YORK (AP) Some calm is returning to Wall Street Tuesday, and U.S. stock indexes are making only modest moves in early trading after much of Europe and Asia rose earlier in the day.The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, a day after swinging sharply on worries that President Donald Trumps tariffs could spark a punishing trade war that would hurt economies around the world, including the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 42 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher. Trump on Monday agreed to delay his taxes on U.S. imports of Canadian and Mexican products for a month, with the announcement on Canada coming after trading closed for the day. That raised Wall Streets longstanding hopes that Trumps tough talk on tariffs is just that, talk. The hope is that Trump sees tariffs as a stick he can use in negotiations with trading partners rather than as a long-term policy. That hope is built in part on traders belief that Trump would be turned off by the damage Wall Street would take if a worst-case, long-term trade war were to occur. Trump has pointed in the past to the stock market as a real-time measure of his approval. But a trade war is still possible, and some analysts say more swings may be ahead because Trumps threats should be taken both seriously and literally.Investors have suggested the equity market is the US administrations scorecard and any policy changes that hurt risk assets will be quickly dialed back, Bank of America strategists led by Mark Cabana wrote in a BofA Global Research report. We advise caution. They say a big takeaway from all the tariff tumult is that the Trump administration is transactional, and nothing is settled until it is final.Trump is pressing ahead with a 10% tax on U.S. companies importing things from China, for example. And China retaliated on Tuesday with its own tariffs on select American imports and an antitrust investigation into Google. The measures were announced just minutes after Trumps tariffs on Chinese products effect. The stock price of Googles parent company, Alphabet, rose 0.9% in early trading. Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks that had swung sharply a day before when worries were high about tariffs on Mexico and Canada were calmer.Auto makers had dropped because so much of their production occurs in Mexico, for example. But General Motors edged down by just 0.1%, and Ford Motor rose 1.5%. More attention was on earnings reports for U.S. companies, which would likely be in the markets spotlight if not for worries about a potential trade war.Palantir Technologies jumped 24.8% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The Denver company also issued strong guidance for the coming year, well ahead of analysts projections. In a letter to shareholders, CEO Alexander Karp said Palantirs revenue from government contracts grew 45% year-over-year in the fourth quarter and called the company he co-founded a software juggernaut. PepsiCo fell 2.5% after it said North American demand for its snacks and drinks remained weak, leading to a second straight quarterly decline in sales. The company has raised prices repeatedly and did so again the most recent quarter, sending some customers in search of cheaper snack brands. Shares of pharmaceutical giant Merck tumbled 11.7% after it beat sales and profit forecasts but issued a tepid outlook.In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.57% from 4.56% late Monday. In stock markets abroad, Londons FTSE 100 sank 0.3%, but other big European markets rose modestly. In Asia, Hong Kongs Hang Seng jumped 2.8%, and South Koreas Kospi rose 1.1%. ___AP Writers Matt Ott and Zen Soo contributed.

This weekend, Democratic National Committee (DNC) members elected Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta to serve as one of its three vice chairs. Kenyatta, a current member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who recently ran for auditor general, is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. In 2018, Kenyatta made history as the first openly-LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.He joins co-vice chairs David Hogg and Artie Blanco, along with newly elected chair Ken Martin, as part of the new leadership team for the DNC.The DNC is the governing body of the Democratic Party in the United States. It is responsible for promoting Democratic candidates, shaping party policy, and organizing efforts at the national level.As vice chairs, Kenyatta, Hogg, and Blanco will help raise funds, provide guidance for Democratic candidates at all levels, promote voter registration, coordinate campaign messaging, and more.In an email to supporters, Kenyatta pledged to keep fighting for working families and shared a vision for the future of the Democratic Party.We must broaden our vision by supporting parties across all 57 states and territories, said Kenyatta. Democrats are poised to organize within their communities, and its time to empower them. Establishing infrastructure in all 3,244 counties will enable local organizing and ensure we reach every ZIP code.Kenyatta emphasized the need for Democratic support at all levels, stating that success in significant public policies starts with contesting down-ballot races, including city councils and school boards.Kenyatta also addressed a reliance on outdated communication channels that can misdirect efforts.Voters seek respect and authenticity, so we must adapt our content strategies to align with how they consume information today, said Kenyatta. This involves engaging in unconventional media spaces and reaching out to local advocates.The post Malcolm Kenyatta elected as DNC Vice Chair appeared first on News Is Out.

This image provided by NASA shows a view from orbit looking obliquely across the surface of the moon, where an ancient asteroid strike carved out a pair of grand canyons on the moons far side. (Ernie T. Wright/NASA via AP)2025-02-04T16:01:45Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) New research shows that when an asteroid slammed into the moon billions of years ago, it carved out a pair of grand canyons on the lunar far side. Thats good news for scientists and NASA, which is looking to land astronauts at the south pole on the near, Earth-facing side untouched by that impact and containing older rocks in original condition.U.S. and British scientists used photos and data from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to map the area and calculate the path of debris that produced these canyons about 3.8 billion years ago. They reported their findings Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.The incoming space rock passed over the lunar south pole before hitting, creating a huge basin and sending streams of boulders hurtling at a speed of nearly 1 mile a second (1 kilometer a second). The debris landed like missiles, digging out two canyons comparable in size to Arizonas Grand Canyon in barely 10 minutes. The latter, by comparison, took millions of years to form. This was a very violent, a very dramatic geologic process, said lead author David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Kring and his team estimate the asteroid was 15 miles (25 kilometers) across and that the energy needed to create these two canyons would have been more than 130 times that in the worlds current inventory of nuclear weapons. Most of the ejected debris was thrown in a direction away from the south pole, Kring said. That means NASAs targeted exploration zone around the pole mostly on the moons near side wont be buried under debris, keeping older rocks from 4 billion plus years ago exposed for collection by moonwalkers. These older rocks can help shed light not only on the moons origins, but also Earths. Kring said its unclear whether these two canyons are permanently shadowed like some of the craters at the moons south pole. That is something that were clearly going to be reexamining, he said. Permanently shadowed areas at the bottom of the moon are thought to hold considerable ice, which could be turned into rocket fuel and drinking water by future moonwalkers. NASAs Artemis program, the successor to Apollo, aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade. The plan is to send astronauts around the moon next year, followed a year or so later by the first lunar touchdown by astronauts since Apollo.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A red wolf crosses a road on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, March 23, 2023, near Manns Harbor, N.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)2025-02-04T14:31:28Z ALLIGATOR RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, N.C. (AP) Hunters were once the greatest human threat to the countrys only unique wolf species. Today, its motorists.That fact was brought home last June, when red wolf breeding male No. 2444 was struck and killed on U.S. 64 near Manns Harbor, North Carolina. His death likely meant five pups hed been providing for died, too.We were hoping the mother would return and resume care, but she never did, Joe Madison, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services red wolf recovery program, said during a recent visit to the site. For decades, conservationists have pushed for changes to U.S. 64, a busy two-lane highway to the popular Outer Banks that runs straight through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge one of just two places in the world where red wolves run free.They may finally be getting their wish. In this photo provided by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, a coyote walks under U.S. 64 near Creswell, N.C., on March 9, 2023. (NC Wildlife Resources Commission via AP) In this photo provided by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, a coyote walks under U.S. 64 near Creswell, N.C., on March 9, 2023. (NC Wildlife Resources Commission via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Joe Madison, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlifes red wolf program, poses for a photo outside the Red Wolf Center in Columbia, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) Joe Madison, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlifes red wolf program, poses for a photo outside the Red Wolf Center in Columbia, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In late December, the Federal Highway Administration awarded the first grants under a new $125 million Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. Unless the grants are somehow undone by President Donald Trump, part of the money will help state agencies and nonprofit groups rebuild a 2.5-mile section of the highway with fencing and a series of culverts, or small underpasses, to allow red wolves as well as black bears, white-tailed deer and other animals to pass safely underneath traffic. When you build wildlife bridges or underpasses, you reduce human-wildlife conflict, said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who studies wildlife migrations but is not directly involved in the project. There is increasing awareness that reducing traffic collisions is smart for wildlife, smart for people too. Other agency grants will support new bridges and underpasses for mule deer in Idaho, pronghorn antelope in New Mexico, and cougars and bears in Oregon, among other projects.But whats notable about the U.S. 64 project is that the goal is twofold: reducing dangerous collisions and roadkill and saving a critically endangered species. There are thought to be fewer than 20 red wolves left in the wild; besides Alligator River, the other remaining habitat is in the nearby Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Madison calculates that No. 2444 represented 7% of the known wild red wolf population. So, every time you get a mortality, thats a significant hit, he said. A sign and map station mark red wolf country in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Manns Harbor, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) A sign and map station mark red wolf country in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Manns Harbor, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Reducing roadkill and saving a species?Wildlife crossings have proliferated across the U.S. in the past 20 years with broad nonpartisan support. Most often, the objective is safety. One congressional report estimated that dangerous highway collisions with large animals kill hundreds of people and cost more than $8 billion each year.Researchers have learned a lot about what works for different species. Pronghorn dont want to go through tunnels or close spaces, so they avoid underpasses and need bridges, said Arthur Middleton, an ecologist who studies animal migration at the University of California, Berkeley. Whereas deer will go under or over. Male red wolf No. 2444 lies dead along U.S. 64 after being struck by a vehicle near Manns Harbor, N.C., on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP) Male red wolf No. 2444 lies dead along U.S. 64 after being struck by a vehicle near Manns Harbor, N.C., on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Gray wolves and coyotes and, presumably, red wolves will also use underpasses, or culverts, of 6 or 8 feet in diameter. Fencing is critical to funnel the animals to the structures. Along U.S. 30 in Wyoming, seven small underpasses and fencing cut mule deer collisions by 81%. In Canada, a series of overpasses and underpasses along the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park reduced collisions with hooved animals by 94%.But whether wildlife crossings can help prevent extinctions is a harder question to answer.Conservation was always a part of the story, but now were seeing crossings increasingly pop up that have conservation as a primary rationale, said Ben Goldfarb, author of the book Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. Some of the most ambitious crossings for conservation have just been built and it will take time to assess the results. This photo shows the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) This photo shows the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A construction worker looks over the 101 Freeway from the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) A construction worker looks over the 101 Freeway from the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, Calif., Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Outside Los Angeles, a wildlife crossing over 10 lanes of U.S. 101 is expected to open in 2026. The primary aim is to help connect the habitat of mountain lions, which need to cross the freeway to find suitable mates. Inbreeding among mountain lions in the LA region has already led to genetic mutations and decreased fertility. In Brazils Rio de Janeiro state, construction of a wildlife bridge spanning BR 101 was finished in 2020, then native seedlings were planted in a soil bed. Once those trees mature, researchers will study if the target species an endangered monkey called a golden lion tamarin uses the bridge regularly. Experts say the trees are necessary for creatures like monkeys or sloths to move across the bridge. Species that scamper on the ground, including foxes, anteaters and armadillos, are already crossing. A vehicle drives under a wildlife crossing that allows animals to go over a highway in Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Lucas Dumphreys, File) A vehicle drives under a wildlife crossing that allows animals to go over a highway in Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Lucas Dumphreys, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hope at the end of the tunnel underpass for red wolves?While its not certain that a wildlife crossing can save the last red wolves, scientists say that doing nothing will almost certainly hasten their demise.Canis rufus, often called Americas wolf, once roamed from central Texas to southern Iowa and as far east as Long Island, New York. After being declared extinct in the wild, red wolves were reintroduced in North Carolina in 1987. For about 20 years, the population grew steadily to reach around 120 animals. Then their numbers crashed with vehicle collisions a primary culprit. One study found that vehicle strikes had killed about 5% of the red wolf population each year between their reintroduction and 2022. In this frame from video, grass grows tall in a wildlife crossing created by elevating a portion of U.S. 64 near Creswell, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) In this frame from video, grass grows tall in a wildlife crossing created by elevating a portion of U.S. 64 near Creswell, N.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Marcel P. Huijser, a study co-author and a research ecologist at Montana State Universitys Western Transportation Institute, warned that the cost of doing nothing, including losing a wild species, can be far higher than the cost of implementing effective mitigation.In North Carolina, Fish and Wildlife biologists have tried other measures to prevent crashes like flashing road signs and reflective collars without much success.Following No. 2444s death, conservation groups like the Wildlands Network and the Center for Biological Diversity pushed for another solution. A sign warns motorists on U.S. 64 to watch out for crossing red wolves on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, March 22, 2023, near Manns Harbor, N.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) A sign warns motorists on U.S. 64 to watch out for crossing red wolves on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, March 22, 2023, near Manns Harbor, N.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A red wolf roams across the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge as the sun sets, Thursday, March 23, 2023, near Manns, N.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) A red wolf roams across the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge as the sun sets, Thursday, March 23, 2023, near Manns, N.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In September, the North Carolina Department of Transportation submitted a grant application for the Red Wolf Essential Survival Crossings Under Evacuation Route or RESCUER project.Plans for the U.S. 64 wildlife crossing call for a series of underpass structures several of them big enough for wolves and other large mammals to pass through and the accompanying fencing. The exact number and size of the underpasses has yet to be determined, said Travis W. Wilson, eastern habitat conservation coordinator for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.The estimated total cost for the project is about $31.5 million, including $4 million in private donations raised by conservation groups and an anonymous donors matching grant.This is one of the most important wildlife connectivity projects in the country, said Beth Pratt, founder of the nonprofit The Wildlife Crossing Fund, which raised funds for the project. Critically endangered red wolves will disappear if we do nothing. Red wolf pawprints are visible in the dirt beside human footprints on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Manns Harbor, N.C., March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Red wolf pawprints are visible in the dirt beside human footprints on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Manns Harbor, N.C., March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ___The Associated Presss Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. APs climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. ALLEN G. BREED Breed is an Associated Press general assignment/feature writer. He joined the AP in 1988 in Kentucky. twitter mailto CHRISTINA LARSON Larson is a science writer on The Associated Press Global Health & Science team. She has reported on the environment from five continents. mailto

The Human Rights Campaign is set to lay off approximately 20 percent of its workforce in a major restructuring effort in what the group's leadership said is to adapt to the evolving political and financial landscape, The Advocate has exclusively learned.According to a senior HRC official knowledgeable about the decision-making process, the layoffs, which will take effect on February 12, will impact about 50 employees. By the start of its next fiscal year on April 1, HRC expects to have around 180 staff members. Another senior official said that the decision reflects a need to operate differently in response to external political and legislative threats to the LGBTQ+ community and internal budget realities.HRC views current programming as unsustainableIn recent years, HRC has experienced significant fundraising success, with revenues exceeding expectations, the group said. In fiscal year 2023, a representative said, the organization budgeted to raise $63 million but ultimately brought in $85 million. Since 2017, the person added that HRC has exceeded its fundraising goals. However, the decision to reinvest those surpluses into expanded programming and operating costs has created a financial model that leadership now sees as unsustainable.According to available financial reports and IRS form 990s, which The Advocate reviewed, HRCs total revenue in fiscal year 2024 was approximately $75 million, a decrease from the previous years $85 million. The organizations total expenses for the year stood at nearly $89 million, exceeding its revenue and contributing to a net asset decline of over $12 million. As of March 31, 2024, the organizations net assets totaled $45.7 million, down from $58 million in 2023. HRCs combined revenue between its main organization and foundation remains over $70 million, according to the official, but leadership determined that current spending levels could not be maintained without restructuring.The organizations board has directed its president Kelley Robinson, who has led the organization since 2022, to ensure a balanced budget in response to the shifting financial and political landscape. The board has charged Kelly with ensuring a balanced budget in the face of a new environment that requires a reset as we ready ourselves for the challenges ahead, an official explained.They added, To avoid layoffs, we explored a range of cost-saving measures, from attrition to aggressively pushing revenue and evaluating program expenses, but ultimately, both strategic and budget reasons led us to this restructuring.While the decision is not tied to one factor, HRC officials acknowledged the increasingly hostile political climate as one reason for the shift. Given the threats ahead of us, any LGBTQ organization or progressive organization thats not seriously evaluating their strategies and structures is missing the reality of the threats in front of us, one official said, citing the weaponization of state and federal governments against LGBTQ+ rights, as well as institutions making decisions out of fear that could impact HRCs work.In an interview with The Advocate, Robinson acknowledged the gravity of letting employees go but emphasized that HRCs mission remains unwavering. Our success has never been determined by the number of staff we have but by the impact that we make in the world, she said. We need to stay laser-focused on how we can create change.Were sharpening our focus...," says Kelly RobinsonThe restructuring will allow HRC to focus on areas where it believes it can have the most significant impact: schools, workplaces, policies, and politics. Were sharpening our focus on where we can make the most impact, Robinson said. This is about ensuring that we are agile and strategic in this moment.Robinson dismissed concerns that the layoffs could weaken HRCs influence. If its our opposition asking that question, I think they do that at their own peril, she said. The best thing about being a queer person is that we have a history and a legacy of confronting impossible challenges and coming out the other side.Despite the growing conservative backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Robinson said HRC is committed to continuing to engage corporations. Recently, companies like Walmart, McDonalds, Tractor Supply Co., and others have announced they will no longer report corporate information about their workplace culture to HRC. However, Robinson highlighted that HRCs Corporate Equality Index saw participation from over 1,400 businesses last year. We just had our Corporate Equality 100 awards in New York, where 600 corporate partners came together to celebrate getting a perfect score, she said. Theres still so much allyship and work to be done.HRC officials said schools and workplaces will be a primary area of emphasis, ensuring LGBTQ+ people have protections and resources in their daily lives. Policy and politics will also remain central, focusing on defending against harmful legislation while advancing state and federal protections. Additionally, HRC says it is committed to reshaping the national conversation around LGBTQ+ issues by countering anti-LGBTQ+ disinformation and amplifying voices that represent the realities of the community.Were not just responding to threatswere transforming them into opportunities for lasting impact, a senior official said. This reset is really about strengthening our ability to win on these critical fights and keep our focus where we have the ability to make the most impact.HRC has been a unionized workplace for over 25 years, with employees represented by the Service Employees International Union. The organization notified the union about the impending layoffs and will engage in discussions before finalizing the details.Weve been a proud union shop, and we are providing this time for meaningful discussion with the union, which is a regular part of our process, an official said.HRC held an all-staff meeting Tuesday morning to notify employees of the change.When asked about severance and transition assistance for affected employees, Robinson acknowledged the difficulty of the decision. This is the hardest part, Robinson said. We have some of the most dedicated and tenacious staff Ive had the opportunity to work with. She emphasized that HRC is working closely with its union to ensure that affected employees are treated with dignity and respect. We are in active conversations with our union to make sure that we are honoring those discussions, she said.Representatives for SEIU did not respond to The Advocates request for comment.Despite the staffing reduction, HRC insists that its core mission remains unchanged. We arent going anywhere, a senior official said. This is about responsible leadership and positioning ourselves to be in a place of strength for our peoplenot just today, but in the years ahead.HRC also affirmed that its major events, such as the National Dinner and regional fundraising galas, will continue. Convening community is critical toward building power and strength, the official said, adding that while there may be some shifts in programming, supporters should not expect a dimming of the lights.What comes next for the Human Rights Campaign in this new political reality?HRC leadership said the organization also plans to rethink how it communicates about LGBTQ+ issues, particularly in the face of mounting disinformation.We need to make sure that the American people understand that trans people arent a thought exercisethat we are in every zip code, every family, every race and region, and we are not going anywhere, the official said. But we also need to be strategic about how we amplify these voices in a way that shifts the national conversation.HRC is developing new storytelling initiatives to highlight the real-life impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ policies. The effort will include media training for advocates and elevating voices like Emily Shilling, a U.S. Navy commander who has spoken out against anti-trans military bans, and Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who has provided moral clarity on LGBTQ+ rightsmost notably when she confronted President Donald Trump about his anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigrant policies at the National Prayer Service following his January 20 inauguration.As the LGBTQ+ community faces unprecedented political attacks, HRC says this restructuring is designed to ensure the organization remains a powerful and effective advocate for years to come.Robinson, who is pregnant and expecting in the spring, also addressed her upcoming maternity leave, assuring that she has a strong leadership team in place to maintain the organizations momentum. A movement is bigger than any single person, she said. I am proud to have a great chief of staff, a great chief operating officer, and an incredible team here at the Human Rights Campaign that, even while Im on maternity leave, will be helping to move things forward.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, shakes hands with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves during a joint news conference at the presidential palace in San Jose, Costa Rica, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)2025-02-04T16:06:21Z SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) Secretary of State Marco Rubio will press the Trump administrations priority of cracking down on immigration when he meets Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves on Tuesday, a day after reaching an unusual agreement with El Salvadors leader to accept U.S. deportees of any nationality, including violent American criminals.Rubio met with staffers at the U.S. embassy in San Jose as he faces major upheaval at the U.S. Agency for International Development that has left many at the aid agency and the State Department uneasy and fearful for their jobs.Americas top diplomat is expected to get questions later at a news conference with Chaves about the turmoil at USAID as well as the offer from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to accept migrant deportees of all nationalities from the United States as well as violent American citizens imprisoned in the U.S. We can send them, and he will put them in his jails, Rubio said Monday of Bukeles offer to accept migrants of all nationalities detained in the U.S. And, hes also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States even though theyre U.S. citizens or legal residents. Bukele confirmed the offer in a post on X, saying El Salvador has offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system. He said his country would accept only convicted criminals and would charge a fee that would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable. The State Department describes El Salvadors overcrowded prisons as harsh and dangerous. Its country information webpage says, In many facilities, provisions for sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting are inadequate or nonexistent. El Salvador has lived under a state of emergency since March 2022, when the countrys powerful street gangs went on a killing rampage. Bukele responded by suspending fundamental rights like access to lawyers, and authorities have arrested more than 83,000 people with little to no due process.In 2023, Bukele opened a massive new prison with capacity for 40,000 gang members and boasted about serving only one meal per day. Prisoners there do not receive visits, and there are no programs preparing them for reinsertion into society after their sentences and no workshops or educational programs.El Salvador, once one of the most dangerous countries in the world, closed last year with a record low 114 homicides, a newfound security that has propelled Bukeles soaring popularity in the country of about 6 million residents.Migration has been the top issue for Rubios five-nation Central American tour spanning Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic following stops in Panama and El Salvador.While Rubio was out of the U.S. this week, USAID staffers and Democratic lawmakers were blocked from its Washington headquarters Monday after Elon Musk, which is running a budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, announced Trump had agreed with him to shut the aid agency. Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut down. Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting administrator of USAID but had delegated that authority so he would not be running its day-to-day operations.In a letter Rubio sent to lawmakers that was obtained by The Associated Press, he said the State Department would work with Congress to reorganize and absorb certain bureaus, offices and missions of USAID.He said the processes at the agency, which has been hit by Trumps freeze on all foreign assistance, are not well coordinated and that undermines the Presidents ability to carry out foreign relations. In consultation with Congress, USAID may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus and offices into the Department of State, and the remainder of the Agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law, Rubio wrote.___AP reporters Christopher Sherman in Mexico City and Farnoush Amiri in Washington contributed to this report.

The White House Correspondents Association has announced that queer comedian, writer, and television host Amber Ruffin will be the featured entertainer at its annual dinner on April 26 in Washington, D.C.When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list, WHCA president Eugene Daniels, an out gay White House correspondent for Politico, said in a statement. She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. Im thrilled and honored she said yes.Ruffin, an Emmy- and Tony-nominated writer, is best known for her work as a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and as the host of The Amber Ruffin Show. She co-hosts CNNs Have I Got News For You alongside Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Ian Black. Ruffing came out as queer on the last day of Pride Month last June.Ambers unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate, Daniels added. Her perspective will fit right in with the dinners tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them.The annual dinner, which serves as a fundraiser for journalism scholarships, has long been attended by sitting presidents. However, President Donald Trump did not participate in the event during his first term, breaking with a tradition that dates back decades.With Trump now back in the White House, questions remain about whether he will appear at this years dinner, particularly given the administrations expanded posture on press access. In 2016, while Trump was in the audience, President Barack Obama told several jokes at Trumps expense, which he did not appear to find funny. The Advocate has contacted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to inquire whether he plans to attend. The WHCA has not yet confirmed the attendance of the president or other administration officials.

Hadi Matar, left, charged with severely injuring author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack, is led into Chautauqua County court by public defender Nathaniel Barone before the start of jury selection in Mayville, N.Y., Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)2025-02-04T05:15:03Z MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) In 2022, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture before a live audience in western New York when a man ran towards him and plunged a knife into the authors hand as he raised it in self-defense.After that there are many blows, to my neck, to my chest, to my eye, everywhere, Rushdie recalled in a memoir that followed. I feel my legs give way, and I fall.In the coming weeks, Rushdie is expected to return to the same New York county to recount the experience as one of the first witnesses in the trial of the man charged with wielding the knife that day, Hadi Matar.Jury selection got underway Tuesday. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault.Under different circumstances, Rushdies book, which details his account of that day and his recovery, might offer important evidence in the Aug. 12, 2022, attack that left the 77-year-old blind in his right eye and his hand permanently damaged. But this isnt a back alley event that occurs unwitnessed in a dark alley, said Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt following a pretrial hearing. This is something that was recorded, it was witnessed live by thousands of people. Jurors will be shown video of the attack, as well as photos and documentation, and an estimated 15 witnesses are expected to take the stand. Judge David Foley said once jury selection is complete, the trial would take up to a week and a half. Matars lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, has not explained how he plans to defend his client and has clapped back at critics who question why Matar did not take a plea deal.Thats not what this is about. Its about due process, Barone said. Its about receiving a fair trial ... If someone wants to exercise those rights, theyre entitled to do that.In a separate indictment, federal authorities allege that Matar was motivated by a terrorist organizations endorsement of a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdies death. A separate trial on the federal charges terrorism transcending national boundaries, providing material support to terrorists and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo. Foley asked potential jurors Tuesday whether they could fairly consider a case involving someone of Muslim descent or with strong religious beliefs. All indicated they could.But finding jurors who have not already formed an opinion was proving harder. Nearly all of the 27 men and women being screened Tuesday said they knew about what happened to Rushdie, either from news reports or acquaintances, and several said they had formed opinions that are unlikely to change based on what they hear at trialMatars attorney sought unsuccessfully to move the trial out of Chautauqua County last year, citing pretrial publicity and potential prejudice against people of Middle Eastern descent among the small rural countys mostly white residents.Rushdie spent years in hiding after the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa in 1989 after publication of the novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. In the federal indictment, authorities allege Matar believed the edict was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the groups then-leader, Hassan Nasrallah. But jurors in the Chautauqua County case are unlikely to hear about the fatwa, according to Schmidt. He has said he doesnt anticipate needing to show Matars possible motive to get a conviction on the state charges.From my standpoint, this is a localized event. Its a stabbing event. Its fairly straightforward, Schmidt said. I dont really see a need to get into motive evidence, whether thats applicable or not applicable and what that consists of. Id like to avoid all of that.Barone, the defense attorney, said jurors should be screened for prejudice nonetheless, given the discussions of the fatwa during previous court proceedings. Theyve talked about the reason why this alleged crime supposedly occurred was because of this book involving Muslims, all that. So its kind of like the barn doors been opened, he said.Matar was born in the U.S. but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents were born. Rushdie is a native of India who lived for years in London. He became a U.S. citizen in 2016.Matar has been held without bail since his arrest after being subdued by onlookers who rushed the amphitheater stage. The events moderator, Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, was also wounded. CAROLYN THOMPSON Thompson is an Associated Press reporter based in Buffalo, New York. twitter mailto