Palestinians walk past a pile of burning garbage, as there is no refuse collection in the city and people are disposing of their rubbish in the streets, in Gaza City, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)2025-02-13T10:21:34Z CAIRO (AP) Hamas said Thursday it would release the next group of Israeli hostages as planned, apparently resolving a major dispute that threatened the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The militant group said Egyptian and Qatari mediators have affirmed that they will work to remove all hurdles, and that it would implement the ceasefire deal. The statement indicated three more Israeli hostages would be freed Saturday. There was no immediate comment from Israel after Hamas announcement.Hamas move would allow the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to continue for now, but its future remains in doubt.Hamas had threatened to delay the next release of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow in tents and shelters, among other alleged violations of the truce. Israel, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, had threatened to renew its offensive if hostages were not freed. Hamas said its delegation held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and was in contact with Qatars prime minister about increasing the entry of shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble into Gaza.Egypts state-run Qahera TV, which is close to the countrys security services, reported that Egypt and Qatar had succeeded in resolving the dispute. The two Arab countries have served as key mediators with Hamas and helped broker the ceasefire, which took effect in January, 15 months into the war. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Joen Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-13T10:33:25Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is putting up a desperate fight for his political life at Seouls Constitutional Court after being impeached and arrested for his short-lived imposition of martial law last year. After weeks of hearings, the court is nearing a decision on whether to formally remove him from office.Yoons legal saga, which also includes a separate criminal indictment on rebellion charges, has become a stress test for the countrys democracy, which has been challenged by deepening political polarization and distrust. Yoons conservative supporters rioted at a Seoul court that authorized his arrest; his lawyers and ruling party have openly questioned the credibility of courts and law enforcement institutions; and Yoon has continued to express contempt for his liberal rivals, endorsing baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud to justify his ill-fated authoritarian push. If Yoon is dismissed, that would trigger a presidential by-election that could test voters trust in the electoral process, while a decision to reinstate him could fuel further instability if the public see it as unjust.The Constitutional Courts ruling, expected by March, will be a crucial moment for South Korea. Heres a look at how its being decided. How the process worksUnder South Koreas constitution, the National Assembly has the power to impeach presidents but not to remove them from office. After an impeachment, the presidents powers are temporarily suspended and a trial begins at the Constitutional Court. The court has 180 days to either remove Yoon from office or reject the impeachment and restore his powers. If hes thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.The Assembly made specific charges against Yoon when impeaching him misusing military force, circumventing legal processes to declare a state of emergency, and attempting to disband the legislature but the court is only required to rule on whether or not he can remain in office. Removing Yoon would need the votes of six of the courts eight justices. Was the declaration of martial law legal?Yoon faces criminal accusations of attempted rebellion over his short-lived declaration of martial law, but the Constitutional Court is focusing on a relatively simple question: whether he had legitimate grounds to declare martial law on Dec. 3.The constitution limits the exercise of that power to times of war or comparable national emergencies. Yoon has argued that his martial law decree was necessary to overcome the anti-state liberal opposition, which he claims improperly used its legislative majority to block his agenda.After winning a landslide victory in last years legislative elections, the liberal opposition impeached several of Yoons key officials and blocked his budget bill. Yoons side says those moves created a crisis that required drastic action.But Yoons National Security Director Shin Won-shik told the Constitutional Court on Tuesday that Yoon began floating the idea of using his emergency powers before the general elections in April. Did Yoon follow legal protocols?The National Assembly has also said that Yoon sidestepped a constitutional requirement to deliberate in a formal meeting of the Cabinet before declaring martial law.Yoon called 11 Cabinet members to his office shortly before declaring martial law on late-night television, but most participants, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, have said the gathering did not qualify as a meeting and that Yoon unilaterally informed them of his decision rather than inviting deliberation.The meeting also failed to follow legal procedures required for formal state council meetings: no agenda was proposed, no signatures were collected from participants and no minutes were recorded. Yoon told the court Tuesday that he thought the records could be produced later through electronic approval. Several top officials, including Han, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, said they attempted to talk Yoon out of the decision, citing potential damage to the countrys international reputation and economy. But Yoon went ahead with the martial law declaration, saying that his perception of the situation was different, according to public prosecutors criminal indictments of Yoon and his former Defense Minister, Kim Yong Hyun, who played a key role in the events.Former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, one of Yoons closest allies, is the only participant who has said the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting had substance, telling the court on Tuesday that officials engaged in passionate debates. Yoon has said that it makes absolutely no sense to suggest that Cabinet members came to the presidential office just for an informal meeting or to hang out. Did Yoon try to disband the legislature?Finally, the Assembly accused Yoon of attempting to dissolve the legislature, something that is beyond his constitutional powers even under martial law.A military decree that followed Yoons declaration stated that all political activities are prohibited, including activities of the National Assembly and local councils, and hundreds of troops were deployed to the National Assembly, including special operation units who broke windows while unsuccessfully attempting to reach the main chamber.Legislators managed to assemble a quorum in the chamber despite the assault and voted unanimously to lift the state of martial law.Yoon and his lawyers have maintained that the martial law declaration was intended as a temporary and peaceful warning to the liberal opposition, and that he had always planned to respect lawmakers will if they voted to lift the measure. He said the troops were there to maintain order, not to disrupt the legislature.But the Assembly has pointed to testimonies by some military commanders, who have described a deliberate attempt to seize the legislature that was thwarted by hundreds of civilians and legislative staff who helped lawmakers enter the assembly, and by the troops reluctance or refusal to follow Yoons orders.Yoons claims have been contradicted by testimony from Kwak Jong-keun, the now-arrested commander of the Army Special Warfare Command. Kwak said the president directly instructed him to have troops pull the lawmakers out, desperate to prevent the 300-member Assembly from gathering the 150 votes necessary to overturn his martial law order. Yoon has denied accusations that he sought to arrest key politicians and election officials.In addition to surrounding the legislature, hundreds of other troops were sent to National Election Commission offices the same day. Yoon says he was aiming to investigate election fraud allegations, which remain unsubstantiated. KIM TONG-HYUNG Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Koreas economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children. twitter mailto

Emergency services attend the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday Feb. 13, 2025. (Christoph Trost/dpa via AP)2025-02-13T10:12:09Z BERLIN (AP) A driver drove a vehicle into a group of people in Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 20 people, authorities said.Authorities didnt provide details about the incident near downtown Munich which took place around 10:30 a.m., including whether the people were hit deliberately.Police said on social platform X that the driver was secured at the scene and no longer poses any danger. A damaged Mini could be seen at the scene.The fire service said at least 20 people were injured, some of them seriously, German news agency dpa reported.Mayor Dieter Reiter said he was deeply shocked by the incident. He said that children were among those injured. A demonstration by the service workers union ver.di was taking place at the time of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether demonstrators were among the injured. The Bavarian capital will see heavy security in the coming days because the three-day Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials, opens on Friday.

The flags of Canada and the United States fly outside a hotel in downtown Ottawa, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-02-13T12:03:19Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state as he proposes erasing the 5,525-mile-long border that separates the countries and alleviating the need for tariffs hes threatened against one of Americas top allies and trading partners. The traditional Lower 48 states would become the contiguous 50 as the Canadian territory between the U.S. mainland and Alaska disappears, leaving Hawaii as the only noncontinental state. If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100% certain that theyd become a state, Trump said recently. Canada at first reacted as though Trump must be joking, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowing that his country will never be the 51st state. But Trudeau more recently suggested behind closed doors of Trumps sustained annexation calls: It is a real thing. But is it? Really? Heres a closer look: Whats the process for add ing a state?Congress has to approve accepting a new state.It takes only a House majority, but Senate filibuster rules require a minimum of 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to bring a bill to the floor an insurmountable threshold for all kinds of key legislation. The Constitutions Admissions Clause, Article IV, Section 3, states: New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. Any measure approving a new state that clears Congress would also have to be signed into law by the president though Trump, a Republican, has made it clear hed do so to admit Canada.Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally, joked on X when all 50 states certified Trumps Electoral College victory last month, They skipped Canada. Well fix that next time! Still, no major legislation is advancing that would extend an invitation to statehood to Americas northern neighbor. Doesnt Canada have a say?A territorys residents dont necessarily have to vote to join the United States. There have been multiple past pathways to statehood from the absorption of the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, to Congress formally agreeing to Texas request to be annexed as the 28th state, but only after rejecting previous overtures from the then-republic. However, most states were added after Congress accepted a petition from some territorial legislative body, which could include legislatures that Congress itself suggested forming as part of the process. In practice, therefore, Canada would probably have to have a referendum to gauge voters interests in joining the U.S. before more detailed aspects of the process could begin and the chances of passage dont seem high. While not addressing Canada as the 51st state directly, polling last year from Gallup and the Pew Research Center shows that Americans overwhelmingly have a positive view of Canada and that while Canadians view the U.S. more positively than negatively, their view may be a little more muted. Trumps threats of tariffs have left Canadians feeling betrayed, and sports fans in Canada have begun voicing their displeasure by booing the U.S. national anthem at NBA and NHL games.Of course, public opinion wouldnt matter if the U.S. opted to invade Canada and annex it by force. Not even Trump is suggesting that, though hes refused to rule out U.S. military force to seize back control of the Panama Canal. How would adding Canada affect U.S. elections? Profoundly and thats without speculating about whether a majority of Canadians might back Democrats or Republicans for president and in Congress. If Canada were to join the U.S., its population of 41.6 million would make it the largest state, outpacing Californias 39.4 million residents. Canada would get two senators but also 55 House seats based on the average congressional district population following the 2020 U.S. census, which was 761,169 individuals. That would make Canada the presidential races richest prize, with 57 Electoral College delegates exceeding Californias 54. The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, meanwhile, caps the number of House seats at 435, meaning that other state delegations would shrink to make room for the new Canadian members of the House and, by extension, its delegates to the Electoral College.Suddenly, make-or-break swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin may not look so important if there are tens of millions of Canucks waiting to be wooed with a presidential election on the line. What about other potential new states? Before Trump took office for his second term, debate around adding State No. 51 traditionally centered around Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth, and its voters have approved statehood in nonbinding referendums. Proposals to allow it become a state have repeatedly been introduced in Congress but not approved. Washington, D.C., residents have voted in support of statehood and approved a state constitution and proposed boundaries. A bill admitting into the union the city as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, passed the Democrat-controlled House as recently as 2021 but not the Senate. Republicans now control both chambers, meaning theyll likely oppose adding states that could be majority Democratic like Puerto Rico or D.C. The nations capital gets three Electoral College votes for president under the Constitutions 23rd Amendment, though it lacks voting representation in Congress. Thats why the Electoral College has 538 total delegates: 435 House members, 100 senators and three for D.C. Trump has talked about the U.S. invading or purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Thats despite Danish authorities insisting it isnt for sale. The president hasnt said if Greenland could be a state, only that I think were going to have it and that the islands roughly 57,000 residents want to be with us. When was the last time the United States added a state?Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, nearly 18 years after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The island chain about 2,400 miles (3,900 kilometers) from the mainland United States was annexed as a U.S. territory by Congress in 1898, after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Many bills offering Hawaii statehood were subsequently introduced, but they stalled for decades amid racial discrimination and partisan disagreement. By the early 1950s, Hawaii leaned Republican and Democrats opposed its admission to the union without including Alaska, which was seen as more favorable to their party. Alaska, currently separated from the mainland U.S. by about 500 miles (800 kilometers) of Canadian territory, was eventually admitted as State No. 49 in January 1959. That opened the door for Congress to approve Hawaiis statehood that March, and Hawaiians voted to join the union on Aug. 21, 1959. Ironically, Alaska has backed Republicans in every presidential election except 1964, while Hawaii has voted Democratic every presidential cycle but 1972 and 1984. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a video conference meeting with Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow Russia, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-13T12:50:18Z KHMELNYTSKI, Ukraine (AP) Russian officials and state media took a triumphant tone Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump jettisoned three years of U.S. policy and announced he would likely meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal in the almost three-year war in Ukraine.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he will not accept any agreements about Ukraine that do not include his country in talks.Trumps change of tack seemed to identify Putin as the only player that matters in ending the fighting and looked set to sideline Zelenskyy, as well as European governments, in any peace negotiations. The Ukrainian leader recently described that prospect as very dangerous.Putin has been ostracized by the West since Russias Feb. 2022 invasion of its neighbor, and in 2023 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader for war crimes.Heres a look at some reactions to Wednesdays events. Russia rejoices at Putins spotlight roleTo us, the position of the current (U.S.) administration is much more appealing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.Russian officials and state-backed media appeared triumphant after Wednesdays call between Trump and Putin that lasted more than an hour.The presidents of Russia and the U.S. have talked at last. This is very important in and of itself, the deputy chair of Russias National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said in an online statement. Senior lawmaker Alexei Pushkov said that the call will go down in the history of world politics and diplomacy.I am sure that in Kyiv, Brussels, Paris and London they are now reading Trumps lengthy statement on his conversation with Putin with horror and cannot believe their eyes, Pushkov wrote on his messaging app.Russias state news agency RIA Novosti said in an opinion column: The U.S. finally hurt Zelenskyy for real, adding that Trump had found common ground with Putin. This means that the formula nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine -- a sacred cow for Zelenskyy, the European Union and the previous U.S. administration -- no longer exists. Moreover, the opinion of Kyiv and Brussels (the European Union) is of no interest to Trump at all, it added.Russian popular pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda went even further and published a column stating in the headline that Trump signed Zelenskyys death sentence.The myth of Russia as a pariah in global politics, carefully inflated by Western propaganda, has burst with a bang, the column said.Zelenskyy wont accept a deal without consultationIn his first comments to journalists since Trump held individual calls first with Putin and then Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader said the main thing was to not allow everything to go according to Putins plan.We cannot accept it, as an independent country, any agreements (made) without us. I articulate this very clearly to our partners - any bilateral negotiations about Ukraine, not on other topics, but any bilateral talks about Ukraine without us - we will not accept, Zelenskyy said as he visited a nuclear power station in western Ukraine. Zelenskyy said during his conversation with Trump on Wednesday, the U.S. president told him he wanted to speak to both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders at the same time.He never mentioned in a conversation that Putin and Russia was a priority. We, today, trust these words. For us it is very important to preserve the support of the United States of America., Zelenskyy said.Alarm bells ring in Europe and NATOTrump appears minded to make a deal over the heads of Ukraine and European governments.He also effectively dashed Ukraines hopes of becoming part of NATO, which the alliance said less than a year ago was an irreversible step, or getting back the parts of its territory, estimated at close to 20% of the country, captured so far by the Russian army.The U.S. administrations approach to a potential settlement is notably close to Moscows vision of how the war should end. That has caused alarm and tension within the 32-nation NATO alliance and 27-nation European Union. Some European governments who fear their countries could also be in the Kremlins crosshairs were alarmed by Washingtons new course, saying they must have a seat at the negotiating table.Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. TOGETHER, Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media Wednesday.Others balked at Trumps overtures and poured cold water on his upbeat outlook.Just as Putin has no intention of stopping hostilities even during potential talks, we must maintain Western unity and increase support to Ukraine, and political and economic pressure on Russia, Estonias Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. Our actions must show that we are not changing course. A Ukrainian soldier is resigned to Trump and Putin talkingA soldier from Ukraines 53rd Brigade fighting in the eastern Donetsk region said it was normal for Trump and Putin to speak to each other.If dialogue is one way to influence the situation, then let them talk but let it be meaningful enough for us to feel the results of those talks, the soldier said, insisting on anonymity due to security risks for her family in occupied Ukrainian territory.But she was skeptical about the negotiations, given the incompatible demands tabled in the past by Russia and Ukraine.The conditions are unacceptable for everyone. What we propose doesnt work for them, and what they propose is unacceptable for us, she said. Thats why I, like probably every soldier here, believe this can only be resolved by force.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A hiring sign is seen in Waukegan, Ill., on Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)2025-02-13T13:39:40Z U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week as employers continue to retain workers despite resurgent inflation and elevated interest rates.The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell by 7,000 to 213,000 for the week ending February 8, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 215,000 new applications would be filed.Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered representative of layoffs.The four-week average, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, inched down by 1,000 to 216,000.Despite showing some signs of weakening during the past year, the labor market remains healthy with plentiful jobs and relatively few layoffs.Last week, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added 143,000 jobs in January, significantly fewer than Decembers 256,000 job gains. However, the unemployment rate ticked down to an even 4%, signaling a still very healthy labor market. Late in January, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark lending rate alone after issuing three cuts late in 2024. Fed officials are closely monitoring inflation and the labor market for signs of a potentially weakening economy. They expect only two rate cuts this year, down from previous projections of four. However, after Wednesdays consumer prices report that showed inflation accelerated last month, many experts believe the Fed may not be moved to cut rates at all this year. The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, up from a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. The new data shows that inflation has remained stubbornly above the Feds 2% target for roughly the past six months after it fell steadily for about a year and a half.Overall, while layoffs remain low by historical standards, a host of companies have announced job cuts already this year.Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks and Facebook parent company Meta have all trimmed their workforces already in 2025.Late in 2024, GM, Boeing, Cargill and Stellantis announced layoffs.The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of February 1 fell to 1.85 million, a decrease of 36,000 from the previous week.

Subscribe Join the newsletter to get the latest updates. Success Great! Check your inbox and click the link. Error Please enter a valid email address. Elizabeth Hernandez found out about the decade-old murder from a flurry of tips sent to her newsroom in August last year.The tips were all reacting to a YouTube video with a shocking title: "Husband's Secret Gay Love Affair with Step Son Ends in Grisly Murder. It described a gruesome crime that apparently took place in Littleton, Colorado. Almost two million people had watched it.Some people in fact were saying, Why didn't The Denver Post cover this? Hernandez, a reporter at the paper, told me. Because in the video, it makes it sound like it was a big news event and yet, when you Google it, there is no coverage. 0:00 /25:46 1 The reason for the lack of coverage was pretty clear to her. In the 26-minute long video, a stilted voice narrated over hazy still images of a neighborhood that really didnt look like Littleton.Hernandez called several law enforcement officials and quickly confirmed her suspicions. The murder was fake, and the video was made using generative AI.The video was uploaded to a YouTube channel called True Crime Case Files. Before the channel was terminated while I was working on this story in January, it posted more than 150 similar videos over the past year. This one was the most popular.The thumbnail of the videoThe plots were disturbing, often hypersexual. They described parents selling teenagers into sex slavery with a sheriff, and transgender teachers committing murders to hide affairs with students. The video thumbnails were perverse, with clickbaity phrasing in big blocky text.Other titles included:Sheriff Murdered After Affair With His Secretary Got Exposed with 30,000 views.Wife Secret Affair with Neighbors Teenage Daughter Ends in Grisly Murder with 34,000 views.Coach Gives Cheerleader HIV after Secret Affair, Leading to Pregnancy with 10,000 views.Each one was made with AI and the crimes described did not happen. There was no language on the channels homepage or in video descriptions to tell a viewer otherwise.According to the man who ran the page, that was by design.It needs to be called true crime, because true crime is a genre, the channels owner told me over the phone in December. I wanted [the audience] to think about why [] they care so much that it was true, why it matters so much to them that real people are being murdered. I was able to verify and contact the man who ran the channel; 404 Media is using a pseudonym for him, Paul, because he has received threats and his channel is no longer active.I was curious about how his whole operation worked. Paul is not the first person to lie on the internet, but it felt like he was lying in a brand-new way. Paul had found his own niche within the AI-generated slop ecosystem that 404 Media has reported on for the last few months. He believed people wouldnt want to watch his videos if they knew they were fake, and that he wasnt any worse than the competition.True crime, its entertainment masquerading as news [] that's all there is to it, he said.Paul told me he tried to get people to question the reality of his videos by naming characters strangely or inserting bizarre details into his scripts, but if you looked at the comments on his videos, there were a lot of people who couldnt tell they werent real. Whatever moral lesson Paul said he wanted to impart clearly didnt land for most commenters.Im 100% confident that sexual relationship between the stepfather and the stepson started way before he was 19, read one of the top comments on the video Hernandez found. There were countless others, all hypothesizing about the fake police investigation and fake criminals.I'm trying to overdose the viewer on luridness, to try to confront them with the fact that they seem to be so invested in the luridness of it all. Peoples secret lives, their secret affairs that are really taboo, Paul told me. Of course, Paul was also making money from the videos.About half of each video was made using ChatGPT or an AI image service, Paul said. The other half, the bones of the story, small details and edits, are all his. He typically made one or two videos a week, which took about two and a half hours each, and billed himself as a filmmaker to meone seizing on a new era of content without the need for expensive crews and camera equipment.While he would not say how much his videos made him in ad revenue, he said he devoted himself to it full-time.I made a thingPaul told me he graduated college just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Americans inside for a year. During that time, he moved back home with his parents. While some families baked sourdough bread, Pauls family did something different. Together, they started binge-watching Dateline.Paul mapped out the formula for the genre as he watched: a scandalous affair, some brutal crime, interrogating the suspects and a stunning trial of a perpetrator to bring things home.But once he figured out that formula, the show became less appealing.Once you see how the sausage is made, you don't really want to eat it too much, he said.As he tired of Dateline, Paul started experimenting withChatGPT. His first experiments with the product also relied on another generic television formula he was familiar with: Hallmark Christmas movies.Paul did this by first typing a prompt into ChatGPT. Then, he took those generated still images of characters and backgrounds to make short Hallmark romcom parodies on YouTube. They had titles like Princess meets Fisherman or Romance and Reindeer. All included a disclaimer that they were generated with AI.The videos bombed. Not one has more than 100 views. He attributes that to the limitations of the generative AI he used at the time, and to disclosing how he made each video.I labeled it [as] AI parody, and it didn't do well [] I think part of it is people are just hostile towards AI. So when they see the word AI, they're just freaked out by it, Paul said.I think the videos also sucked. Paul disagrees with me on that.His next idea was to ditch any disclaimer about how the video was made. He noticed just how high the demand for true crime was and how low the production value could be for a fake documentary. With that, True Crime Case Files was born.It was almost sort of like a gold rush. I really felt like I needed to stake my claim before anybody else thought of it, he said.Even though Pauls videos are themselves variations on a popular genre, his channels success had, at least in this singular respect, proved him right. There are several other copycat channels that either rip his videos entirely or mimic their style. A few even copied the title of Pauls most popular video and posted their own AI-generated versions. None are quite as popular though.Its an absurdist art formTo debate with Paul about the ethics of his videos means constantly retreading the same ground. It can feel futile, but here's what he says:True crime [] at the end of the day, it's a form of entertainment. Viewers are watching this not to be informed about things that will affect them personally. They're really just there to be entertained and to have a thrilling mystery with some lurid elements, he said.Okay, sure. I buy that.It's almost become this national pastime, like bullfighting, he said. People just passively observe it, and they don't even question, Why are we enjoying this violence so much?True crime is, of course, astronomically popular. More than half of all Americans say they consume some form of the genre, and true crime made up three of Apples 10 most popular podcasts of 2024.Its also not a new argument that the true crime genre might have some problems. According to some experts, it might revictimize people who have already suffered. It acts similarly to local TV news that leads with the bloodiest crimes of the night, which research shows makes viewers more afraid. Other experts also say it influences our ideas of common crimes, victims and investigators; the way we see true evil committed on screen shapes how we expect it to happen in real life.Paul says what hes doing is no worse than the actual sins of the true crime genre. In fact, he says his version is better because he isnt exploiting any real victims. Viewers get their pint of blood, he makes his videosand moneyand no one is harmed in the process.There's really no difference between us except that [I am] not using real people and their suffering as my vehicle, he told me in an email.That doesnt sit right with Annie Nichol. Nichol is a victims advocate in Washington. Her sister, Polly Klaas, was murdered in 1993 and was the subject of exhaustive true crime documentaries, podcasts and television adaptations.She also has lots of problems with true crime media. Nichol, however, says what Paul is doing isnt any better.Victims are used in this way by the media and by true crime content creators, she told me in an interview. Where our trauma is frequently co-opted and exploited for profit. So someone generating AI true crime for profit is certainly not helping victims in any way.Nichol says that even if Paul isnt using real stories from survivors of violent crimes, the bigger societal impact is the same. The trappings of reality let the audience walk away with the same impressions as they would with an actual crime.Though, when talking to Paul, any criticism falls on deaf ears.It's an absurdist art form, he said. If people don't understand it, that says a lot about human nature and their own natures and the nature of crime, and perhaps they're not willing to question themselves, but I don't have any misgivings about what I'm doing.Content not availableWhen I asked YouTube for comment on this story, I had a list of questions about how Pauls channel was monetized, and if he had broken any policies that had caused him to run afoul of the platforms guidelines. After I asked for comment, YouTube nuked the channel and four others associated with Paul, including the Hallmark parody channel.We terminated the channel in question for multiple violations of our Community Guidelines, including our policies covering child safety that prohibit the sexualization of minors, Jack Malon, a YouTube spokesperson, wrote in a statement.The channels views dropped dramatically in the past few months, and at least one video was hit with a community note calling it false, making it seem likely his videos had already been reviewed in some capacity. Paul told me hes trying to appeal the ban. (Audio only versions of all his videos are still accessible on Spotify and other podcast players. Spotify did not respond to a request for comment for this story.)But Pandoras AI-generated box is open. Paul and creators like him have shown people theres a new way to make money on the internet without much work, child safety policies be damned. The fact that YouTube deleted this channel doesnt mean that its taking a broader stand against AI-generated content or AI-generated true crime.YouTube channels with names like Hidden Family Crime Stories, True Crime Cases, True Crime Home and Crime Tapes are pumping out ever greater numbers of AI generated murder stories just like the ones Paul made.He got his gold rush after all.

Pedestrians cross a snowy street in downtown Kansas City, Mo., as a winter storm passed through the area Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)2025-02-13T06:54:55Z Rain has begun falling in California where an atmospheric river is expected to bring heavy downpours, winds and flooding Thursday to areas ravaged by wildfires. Ahead of the storms arrival, officials distributed sandbags, prepositioned rescue swimmers and told residents to have their go-bags ready.Meanwhile, Portland, Oregon, coated its streets with liquid anti-icer while officials in that state and Idaho opened emergency shelters to prepare for snow and ice on Thursday. Southern California could see as much as 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) of rain in the mountains and 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) in coastal areas and valleys, according to Brent Bower, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. Strong wind gusts could bring down trees, cause power outages and delay flights.Evacuation warnings were issued in Mandeville Canyon and other areas ravaged by the Palisades Fire, which was the most destructive in Los Angeles history, over concerns about potential debris flows during the storm. There were also warnings for Trabuco Canyon and other areas near the burn scar for an earlier wildfire. All Malibu schools were closed Thursday and the Knotts Berry Farm amusement park shuttered due to the atmospheric river, which is a long band of water vapor that forms over the ocean and transports moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the area is desperate for rain, but that this storm might bring too much too quickly. The result could be debris flows and flash flooding around wildfire burn areas.These burned areas are more at risk to debris flows because vegetation that helps to keep soil anchored has been burned away and loose debris, including ash, soil and rocks, have been added, he said in a statement. East hit with heavy snow and freezing rainThe rain follows storms Wednesday that dumped heavy snow and freezing rain on a swath of the U.S. East from Kentucky to the nations capital, causing hundreds of traffic accidents, knocking out power in places and threatening to flood waterways. The storm system, which cut a path from Kentucky to Maryland and points farther north on Tuesday, brought more than 14 inches (37 centimeters) of snow to Iron Gate, a tiny Appalachian town in western Virginia, and 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a small city about 65 miles (105 kilometers) to the west, the National Weather Service said.By early Thursday, more than 150,000 customers in Virginia and more than 13,000 in North Carolina were still without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. Appalachian Power, which serves a million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said more than 5,700 workers were trying to restore power.The regions airports received several inches of snow, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the weather services Weather Prediction Center.Nearly 7,000 flights were canceled or delayed across the United States Wednesday, including almost 300 into Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.com. Suspected tornado in MississippiA suspected tornado flung large pieces of debris into the air as it moved through the small town of Columbia, Mississippi, where it shredded the steel roof of an industrial building and damaged several homes Wednesday, video shows.About 20 homes were damaged, but no deaths or major injuries were reported, Columbia Mayor Justin McKenzie told WDAM-TV.Were very fortunate, actually, McKenzie said. Were just blessed that we dont have any injuries or anything and everything thats been damaged can be rebuilt.Hundreds of accidents In Kentucky, snowy roads caused a head-on fatal crash Tuesday in Nelson County, south of Louisville. The driver of a car lost control going into a curve, crossed the center line and hit an oncoming semi truck head on, according to the countys emergency management director, Brad Metcalf. The driver died at the scene.In Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency, the state police reported about 850 crashes on Tuesday and Wednesday, dozens of which involved injuries. Officials said it was not known if they were caused by the weather. Maryland State Police reported 235 crashes and 185 inoperable or unattended vehicles.In southern West Virginia, multiple crashes temporarily shut down several major highways Tuesday. Pacific Northwest ice stormFreezing rain and snow were expected in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, which could cause power outages, according to the National Weather Service.Officials in Oregons Multnomah County extended a state of emergency through at least Thursday and said six emergency shelters would be open. Officials said 356 people went to the shelters Tuesday night. Wind chill readings could dip to 10 degrees (minus 12 Celsius) in Portland, the weather service said. In Idaho, a cold weather advisory was in effect, with wind chills potentially as low as minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 25 degrees Celsius) in the north central part of the state. An ice storm forecast for the Portland area early Thursday and Friday could challenge deliveries of flowers and other gifts for Valentines Day. Temperatures plummeted earlier this week in Portland, which is more known for its rainfall. Julia Duncan, a co-owner of Flowers in Flight, shrugged off the weather, saying the area endured ice storms in past winters and customers are willing to go the extra mile for the people they love.Its Valentines Day! Duncan said. Well just have to wait and see what happens.Were in the neighborhood where a lot of people tend to do pickups, too, and (weve) got a couple of drivers who are willing to drive in the ice and snow, Duncan said. So hopefully it wont affect us too much.___Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Johkiya Pierre prepares a fresh omelette at The Breakfast Brothers restaurant, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)2025-02-13T15:00:00Z Its a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem.Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Eggs Up Grill has 90 restaurants in nine southern states, up from 26 in 2018. Florida-based Another Broken Egg Caf celebrated its 100th restaurant last year. Fast-food chains are also adding more breakfast items. Starbucks, which launched egg bites in 2017, now has a breakfast menu with 12 separate items containing eggs. Wendys reintroduced breakfast in 2020 and offers 10 items with eggs.Reviews website Yelp said 6,421 breakfast and brunch businesses opened in the United States last year, 23% more than in 2019. In normal times, producers could meet the demand for all those eggs. But an ongoing bird flu outbreak, which so far has forced farms to slaughter more than 145 million chickens, turkeys and other birds, is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. In January, the average price of eggs in the U.S. hit a record $4.95 per dozen. The percentage of eggs that go to U.S. restaurants versus other places, like grocery stores or food manufacturers, is not publicly available. U.S. Foods, a restaurant supplier, and Cal-Maine Foods, the largest U.S. producer of shell eggs, did not respond to The Associated Press requests for comment. But demand from restaurants is almost certainly growing. Foot traffic at U.S. restaurants has grown the most since 2019 for morning meals, 2019, according to market research firm Circana. Pre-lunchtime hours accounted for 21% of total restaurant visits in 2024.Breakfast sandwiches are the most popular order during morning visits, Circana said, and 70% of the breakfast sandwiches on U.S. menus include eggs. Eggs Up Grill CEO Ricky Richardson said breakfast restaurants took off after the COVID pandemic because people longed for comfort and connection. As inflation made food more expensive, customers saw breakfast and lunch as more affordable options for eating out, he said.The growth in restaurant demand reverses a pattern that emerged during the pandemic, when consumers tried to stock up on eggs for home use but restaurants needed fewer of them, according to Brian Earnest, a lead economist for animal proteins at CoBank. Changing preferences since then have caused further market strain. Americans are increasingly looking for protein with few added ingredients, and eggs fit that bill.Consumers think eggs are really fresh, so if youre making something with eggs, you know its fresh, Earnest said. To address animal rights concerns, McDonalds and some other companies have switched to 100% cage-free eggs, which limits the sources they will buy from. Ten states, including California and Colorado, have passed laws restricting egg sales to products from cage-free environments. It makes the market much more complicated than it was 20 years ago, Earnest said. The higher prices are hitting restaurants hard. Wholesale egg prices hit a national average of $7.34 per dozen last week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was 51% higher than at the beginning of the year. Wholesale costs may be higher than retail prices since grocers use eggs as a loss leader to get customers in the door.Some chains, like Waffle House, have added a surcharge to help offset the cost of eggs. Others may turn to egg substitutes like tapioca starch for some recipes or cut egg dishes from the menu, said Phil Kafarakis, the president and CEO of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association. First Watch President and CEO Chris Tomasso said eggs are critical for the chains brand and are found in the majority of its offerings, whether at the center of the plate or as an ingredient in batters. So far, he said, the company has been able to obtain the eggs it needs and isnt charging extra for them. First Watch is also increasing portion sizes for non-egg items like meat and potatoes, Tomasso said.Richardson, of Eggs Up Grill, said he recently met with franchisees to discuss adding a surcharge but they decided against it. Eggs have always been and will continue to be an important part of American diets, Richardson said. DEE-ANN DURBIN Durbin is an Associated Press business writer focusing on the food and beverage industry. She has also covered the auto industry and state and national politics in her nearly 30-year career with the AP. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)2025-02-13T05:19:28Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as President Donald Trumps health secretary, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country.Republicans fell in line behind Trump despite hesitancy over Kennedy views on vaccines, voting 52-48 to elevate the scion of one of Americas most storied political and Democratic families to secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only no vote among Republicans, mirroring his stands against Trumps picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence. All Democrats opposed Kennedy.The GOP has largely embraced Kennedys vision to Make America Healthy Again by directing the public health agencies to focus on chronic diseases such as obesity. Kennedy, 71, whose name and family tragedies have put him in the national spotlight since he was a child, has earned a formidable following with his populist and sometimes extreme views on food, chemicals and vaccines. His audience only grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kennedy devoted much of his time to a nonprofit that sued vaccine makers and harnessed social media campaigns to erode trust in vaccines as well as the government agencies that promote them. With Trumps backing, Kennedy insisted he was uniquely positioned to revive trust in those public health agencies, which include the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes for Health. Last week, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he hoped Kennedy goes wild in reining in health care costs and improving Americans health. But before agreeing to support Kennedy, potential holdout Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, required assurances that Kennedy would not make changes to existing vaccine recommendations. During Senate hearings, Democrats tried to prod Kennedy to deny a long-discredited theory that vaccines cause autism. Some lawmakers also raised alarms about Kennedy financially benefiting from changing vaccine guidelines or weakening federal lawsuit protections against vaccine makers. Kennedy made more than $850,000 last year from an arrangement referring clients to a law firm that has sued the makers of Gardasil, a human papillomavirus vaccine that protects against cervical cancer. If confirmed as health secretary, he promised to reroute fees collected from the arrangement to his son. Kennedy will take over the agency in the midst of a massive federal government shakeup, led by billionaire Elon Musk, that has shut off even if temporarily billions of taxpayer dollars in public health funding and left thousands of federal workers unsure about their jobs. On Friday, the NIH announced it would cap billions of dollars in medical research given to universities and cancer being used to develop treatments for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimers. Kennedy, too, has called for a staffing overhaul at the NIH, FDA and CDC. Last year, he promised to fire 600 employees at the NIH, the nations largest funder of biomedical research. AMANDA SEITZ Seitz is an Associated Press reporter covering federal health care policy. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)2025-02-13T16:18:16Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Victor Wembanyama went to All-Star weekend in Indianapolis last year as one of the featured attractions. The San Antonio star was at the leagues Tech Summit, plus played in the Rising Stars event and was a participant in the Skills Challenge.He left all that with a clear goal.Next year, hopefully, the big game, Wembanyama said.Next year is here. The big game or games, perhaps await.Wembanyama, to no ones surprise, is a first-time All-Star wholl compete in the NBAs new All-Star mini-tournament on Sunday in San Francisco. Hell have these seven players for teammates: Denvers Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma Citys Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Indianas Pascal Siakam, New Yorks Karl-Anthony Towns, Clevelands Donovan Mitchell, Atlantas Trae Young and another first-timer Houstons Alperen Sengun.Wembanyamas selection almost seemed like a formality. The leagues reigning rookie of the year is already a global name; the NBA says Wembanyama content on social media is among the most viewed of all players and his jersey ranks No. 5 on the leagues worldwide sales list. Ive been talking to a few people about a moment he had when he was in New York, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. He played the Knicks on Christmas Day and then he played the Brooklyn Nets a few days later, so he spent some time in New York, and Victor, who plays chess, went down to a famous park in New York City, Washington Square Park, and brought his chess board and just began playing a few games, and within a few days, something like 100 million people had seen that on social media. So, it just speaks to the popularity of Victor and the dramatic interest were seeing in players lifestyles and their interests and everything they enjoy doing. That was remarkable. There are six All-Star rookies in this years event: Wembanyama, Sengun, Miamis Tyler Herro, Clevelands Evan Mobley, Detroits Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma Citys Jalen Williams. Of that group, Wembanyama is the youngest (just turned 21), the tallest (officially 7-foot-3) and will surely be the one with the most eyeballs on him in San Francisco this weekend. I think that was one of the most active days that weve had in our group chat since the summer when Vic made the All-Star Game, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said. I think it was really just a testament to the person that he is. Obviously, he works extremely hard. He gets so much attention, and he always tries to put it back on the team, make it more about the team and less about him.Of the six All-Star rookies, Herro is the oldest and the one whos been in the NBA the longest. Hes averaging 23.5 points this season.Man, Im truly proud of him because there has been a lot of media thats thrown that mans name in the mud, Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. Thrown his name in trade rumors, yall said hes not good enough, he cant do this, he cant do that, all the way to down to somebodys wingspan. Its a testament to him.For Williams, the All-Star trip is a homecoming of sorts. The Thunder guard played his college basketball at Santa Clara, about an hour from Chase Center where hell play on Sunday night. What am I most excited about? Honestly, I havent seen my parents in a minute, so thatll be cool to see them out there, Williams said. Im going to be down the street from my school basically, so I think thats going to be cool. Ill be able to see some people I havent seen in a while.Cunningham is leading one of the NBA surprise stories this season: The Pistons, who were awful a year ago, are squarely in the playoff mix right now and his 25.4 points per game are obviously a big reason why thats happening.Its a great feeling. Its hard to put words on it, Cunningham said. Its been a lot of work, a lot of wins, losses, lessons, all that stuff thats led up to this point. Im just thankful for the moment.Sengun is part of another turnaround in Houston; the Rockets made a push that fell short of the playoffs last year, but now are in position to even have home-court advantage in Round 1 of what will surely be a loaded postseason in the Western Conference. Thank you to my team, my country, the city of Houston and all the fans for believing in me, Sengun said. This is just the beginning.And for Mobley, the All-Star nod shows that people still notice defense and rebounding in the NBA. Hes one of the leaders of a Cleveland team that goes into the break leading the Eastern Conference and is right there with Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA.I worked real hard to get to this point, Mobley said. Hopefully more to come.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA TIM REYNOLDS Reynolds is an Associated Press sports writer, based in South Florida. twitter mailto

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data, March 9, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)2025-02-13T12:49:19Z Elon Musk says he will abandon his $97.4 billion offer to buy the nonprofit behind OpenAI if the ChatGPT maker drops its plan to convert into a for-profit company. If OpenAI, Inc.s Board is prepared to preserve the charitys mission and stipulate to take the for sale sign off its assets by halting its conversion, Musk will withdraw the bid, lawyers for the billionaire said in a filing to a California court on Wednesday. Otherwise, the charity must be compensated by what an arms-length buyer will pay for its assets. Musk and a group of investors made their offer earlier this week, in the latest twist to a dispute with the artificial intelligence company that he helped found a decade ago.OpenAI is controlled by a nonprofit board bound to its original mission of safely building better-than-human AI for public benefit. Now a fast-growing business, it unveiled plans last year to formally change its corporate structure. Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a consortium of investment firms want to acquire the nonprofits controlling stake in the for-profit OpenAI subsidiary.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly rejected the unsolicited bid in a post on social media and told questioners at a Paris summit on AI that the company is not for sale. The chair of OpenAIs board, Bret Taylor, echoed those remarks at an event Wednesday. Musk and Altman helped start OpenAI in 2015 and later competed over who should lead it before Musk resigned from the board in 2018. Theyve been in a long-running and bitter feud over the startup. Musk again criticized Altmans management on Thursday during a videocall to the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, describing it as akin to a nonprofit aimed at saving the Amazon rainforest becoming a lumber company that chops down the trees. Altman has repeatedly countered that Musks legal challenges to OpenAI are motivated by his role as a competitor. Musk has asked a California federal judge to block OpenAIs for-profit conversion on allegations ranging from breach of contract to antitrust violations. The judge has expressed skepticism about some of Musks arguments but hasnt yet issued a ruling. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A bouquet of white flowers placed outside the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, is pictured, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-13T14:08:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) Employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development are asking a federal judge on Thursday to keep blocking an effort by President Donald Trumps administration meant to pull all but a fraction of worldwide staffers off the job.U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by Trump, handed the administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk a setback last week by temporarily halting plans that would have put thousands of workers on leave and given those abroad only 30 days to return to the United States at government expense. Nichols order was set to expire by the end of the day.Two associations representing federal employees want him to continue it as well as suspending Trumps freeze on almost all foreign assistance. The presidents pause has shut down clinics, emergency water deliveries and almost all other of the thousands of U.S.-funded aid and development programs around the globe, USAID workers and humanitarian groups say. While the administration and Musks cost-cutting initiative, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, have taken aim at other agencies, they have moved most destructively against USAID, asserting without evidence that its work is wasteful and out of line with Trumps agenda. In a court filing, deputy USAID head Pete Marocco argued that insubordination made it impossible for the new administration to undertake a close review of aid programs without first pushing almost all USAID staffers off the job and halting aid and development work. He did not provide evidence for his assertion. USAID staffers, in court filings, have denied being insubordinate. They said they were doing their best to carry out what they describe as vague and confusing orders, some of which were said to come from a Musk associate and other outsiders.Agency supporters told Democratic senators on Wednesday that the shutdown along with other administration steps, including revoking USAIDs lease on its Washington headquarters was really about eradicating USAID before lawmakers or the courts could stop it. The employee groups, Democratic lawmakers and others argue that without congressional approval, Trump lacks the power to shut USAID or end its programs. His team says the power of courts or lawmakers to stand in the way is limited at best.The Presidents powers in the realm of foreign affairs are generally vast and unreviewable, government lawyers said in court documents. LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This article was produced in collaborationwith Court Watch, an independent outlet that unearths overlooked court records.Subscribe to them here.After a judge called out a law firm for citing fake cases in court documents, the attorneys admitted to AI hallucinating the cases.In a court order filed last week, Wyoming District Judge Kelly Rankin demanded the attorneys explain why they shouldnt be sanctioned or disciplined for citing made-up information, including referencing eight non-existent cases.The lawsuit, first filed in 2023, is against Walmart and Jetson Electronic Bikes, Inc., which makes hoverboards for sale at Walmart. The plaintiffs, including a woman, her husband, and four minor children, claim a Jetson hoverboards lithium ion battery malfunctioned and caught fire while they were sleeping and burned their house down, severely injuring several members of the family.In a motion in limine filed by the plaintiffs attorneys in January, they cited multiple cases (a "motion in limine" is a pretrial motion where attorneys request specific evidence or arguments be excluded from presentation during the trial) that dont exist. The cases are not identifiable by their Westlaw cite, and the Court cannot locate the District of Wyoming cases by their case name in its local Electronic Court Filing System, Rankin wrote. She demanded each of the attorneys provide a thorough explanation for how the motion and fake cases were generated, and explain their role in drafting or supervising the motion.Four days later, they responded: Our internal artificial intelligence platform hallucinated the cases in question while assisting our attorney in drafting the motion in limine, the law firm said in a filed response. This matter comes with great embarrassment and has prompted discussion and action regarding the training, implementation, and future use of artificial intelligence within our firm. This serves as a cautionary tale for our firm and all firms, as we enter this new age of artificial intelligence.Lawyers increasingly use AI tools for research and analyzing documents. But this isnt the first time using AI to draft legal cases has gotten lawyers in trouble. In 2022, a man filed an action alleging he was injured by an Avianca airlines metal serving cart during an Avianca Airlines flight. His lawyers cited non-existent cases, and instead of admitting it and apologizing immediately, they doubled down and defended the filings. Eventually, they were fined $5,000 for fabricating the case, with the judge writing that they abandoned their responsibilities when they submitted non-existent judicial opinions with fake quotes and citations created by the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, then continued to stand by the fake opinions after judicial orders called their existence into question.And in 2024, disbarred former celebrity attorney Michael Cohen gave his own lawyer, David Schwartz fake case citations generated by Google Bard. Cohen and Schwartz werent fined, but the judge who let them off without discipline did call the error embarrassing for them.

A Cal Fire search and rescue crew walks through mud near homes damaged by storms in Montecito, Calif., Jan. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)2025-02-13T18:42:26Z Mudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows. They have been particularly lethal in parts of California where landscape, climate, weather and geology can combine to make them more likely.California has worked to add tools to protect against mudslides, including pinpointing hot spots, creating basins and placing nets to capture falling debris before it hits homes. A firefighter stands on the roof of a house submerged in mud and rocks, Jan. 10, 2018, in Montecito, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) A firefighter stands on the roof of a house submerged in mud and rocks, Jan. 10, 2018, in Montecito, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Why is California prone to mudslides?California has relatively young mountains from a geology standpoint, meaning much of its steep terrain is still in motion and covered in loose rocks and soil that can be sloughed off easily, especially when the ground is wet, according to geologists.Severe drought can be a problem, too. Experts say that when hard rains fall on extremely dry and hard-packed soil, it can rush downhill and pick up energy, carrying soil and debris away.And wildfires an increasing problem across the West can leave hillsides with little to no vegetation to hold the soil in place. Residents evacuate past damaged vehicles after storms caused a mudslide, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Residents evacuate past damaged vehicles after storms caused a mudslide, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What are the most vulnerable areas? The areas most at risk are on or near hillsides that have burned in recent years, with little or no vegetation left to hold soil in place.Burning vegetation and soil on a slope more than doubles the rate of water runoff, according to the California Department of Conservation, and there have been severe events over the years.On Jan. 9, 2018, intense rain fell on a weeks-old wildfire burn scar in the mountains above Montecito on the Santa Barbara County coast, unleashing huge torrents that tore through the community, killing 23 people and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes. In 1934 a storm over the Southern California mountains unleashed runoff so intense that 30 people were killed, more than 480 homes were destroyed.And on Christmas Day in 2003, rain over fire-scarred mountains unleashed a debris flow that killed 16 people who had gathered at a church facility in a canyon. Rocks and vegetation cover Highway 70 following a landslide in the Dixie Fire zone on Oct. 24, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Rocks and vegetation cover Highway 70 following a landslide in the Dixie Fire zone on Oct. 24, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What can be done to protect communities? One of the best ways to manage landslides is with debris basins pits carved out of the landscape to catch material flowing downhill that the U.S. Geological Survey says can reach speeds exceeding 35 mph (56 kph).Often located at the mouths of canyons, the basins collect debris while allowing water to continue downstream, according to Los Angeles County Public Works. This prevents blockages of the storm drain system but requires the removal of sediment from the basins, something that can take days or months depending on their size.But basins, which can require a lot of land, can also disrupt the natural ecosystem and lead to beaches needing to be replenished by collecting sediment that flows out of the canyons, according to experts. Theyre also costly Santa Barbara County spent $20 million on a new basin after 2018 and must be emptied occasionally or they can be overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides.After the 2018 mudslides hit Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported that debris basins above the community were undersized and hadnt been sufficiently emptied. The community raised millions to address the problem, hiring an engineering company to map the canyons and install debris nets. Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick crosses a mudslide to inspect a home as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Permit Sonoma Director Tennis Wick crosses a mudslide to inspect a home as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The California Department of Conservation runs a geological and landslide mapping team that seeks to identify hot spots, and continually updates its map so local communities can make decisions including potential evacuations.Experts say agencies use a variety of tools to gauge the likelihood of landslides in a given area, including terrain maps and lidar pulsed light from lasers to penetrate foliage to see the ground. Then they can watch for early warnings, such as changes over time in photos taken from the air, or from satellites, or in data from GPS monitoring stations, tilt meters and or other on-site instrumentation.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. 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A worker grabs a chicken to slaughter inside a poultry store in New York, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)2025-02-13T18:33:16Z NEW YORK (AP) A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians.The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in previously undiagnosed farmworkers. In those studies, several of the infected workers remembered having symptoms of H5N1 bird flu, while none of the veterinarians in the new paper recalled any such symptoms. The new study is more evidence that the official U.S. tally of confirmed human bird flu infections 68 in the last year is likely a significant undercount, said Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.This means that people are being infected, likely due to their occupational exposures, and not developing signs of illness and therefore not seeking medical care, Gray said. He said it shows that officials cannot fully understand bird flu transmission by only tracking people who go to medical clinics with symptoms. Study suggests bird flu cases are undercountedCDC researchers went to an American Association of Bovine Practitioners veterinary conference in September 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. They recruited 150 vets from 46 states to fill out a questionnaire and agree to have their blood drawn. None said they had suffered red eyes or other symptoms associated with bird flu. Testing found three of the vets, or 2%, had evidence of antibodies to H5N1 infection. All three worked with dairy cattle, as well as other animals. None said theyd worked with a herd that was known to be infected, although one had worked with a flock of infected poultry.Gray and some colleagues did a study last year of 14 dairy farmworkers and found two, or 14%, had evidence of past infections. Both had experienced symptoms but were never diagnosed.Another study published last year by the CDC checked 115 dairy workers. The researchers found that eight of them, or 7%, had evidence in their blood of recent infection. Half recalled feeling ill. The studies were far too small to use as a basis to provide a solid estimate of how many undiagnosed human infections are out there, Gray said. But even just a very small percentage could translate to hundreds or thousands of Americans who were infected while working with animals, he noted.Thats not necessarily a reason to be alarmed, said Jacqueline Nolting, an Ohio State University researcher who helped CDC with the latest study.Available studies suggest people who are infected mount antibody responses and may develop natural immunity, which is good news, she said.However, if the virus changes or mutates to start making people very sick, or to start spreading easily from person to person, that would be a completely different story, Nolting said. Experts urge caution around animalsThe H5N1 bird flu has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry, cows and other animals. Its escalating presence in the environment increases the chances people will be exposed, and potentially catch it, officials have said.Right now the risk to the general public is low, the CDC says. But officials continue to urge people who have contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.No ones really questioning that the virus has been moving around the country more than has been reported, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.He said he expected to see stepped-up information reminding veterinarians across the country to protect themselves with gloves, masks and other equipment to halt infection.___Associated Press writer JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report.___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.

Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listens as President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-13T12:52:00Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as he hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances.Ive decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, Trump said in the Oval Office at the proclamation signing. Its fair to all. No other country can complain.Trumps Republican administration has insisted that its new tariffs would level the playing field between U.S. manufacturers and foreign competitors, though under current law these new taxes would likely be paid by American consumers and businesses either directly or in the form of higher prices. The politics of tariffs could easily backfire on Trump if his agenda pushes up inflation and grinds down growth, making this a high stakes wager for a president eager to declare his authority over the U.S. economy. The tariff increases would be customized for each country with the partial goal of starting trade new negotiations. But other nations might also feel the need to respond with their own tariff increases on American goods. As a result, Trump may need to find ways to reassure consumers and businesses to counteract any uncertainty caused by his tariffs. Trumps proclamation identifies value added taxes which are similar to sales taxes and common in the European Union as a trade barrier to be included in any reciprocal tariff calculations. Other nations tariff rates, subsidies to industries, regulations and possible undervaluing of currencies would be among the factors the Trump administration would use to assess tariffs. A senior White House official, who insisted on anonymity to preview the details on a call with reporters, said that the expected tariff revenues would separately help to balance the expected $1.9 trillion budget deficit. The official also said the reviews needed for the tariffs could be completed within a matter of weeks or a few months. The possible tax increases on imports and exports could be large compared to the comparatively modest tariffs that Trump imposed during his first term. Trade in goods between Europe and the United States nearly totaled $1.3 trillion last year, with the United States exporting $267 billion less than it imports, according to the Census Bureau.The president has openly antagonized multiple U.S. trading partners over the past several weeks, levying tariff threats and inviting them to retaliate with import taxes of their own that could send the economy hurtling into a trade war.Trump has put an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports due that countrys role in the production of the opioid fentanyl. He also has readied tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Americas two largest trading partners, that could take effect in March after being suspended for 30 days. On top of that, on Monday, he removed the exemptions from his 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs. And hes mused about new tariffs on computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs. In the case of the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs being imposed by Trump, those would be part of the reciprocal tariff calculations, a White House official told The Associated Press, insisting on anonymity to explain the administrations approach. The official did not know on whether Trumps planned tariffs on computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs would be separate from how the reciprocal tariffs are calculated, since they could have separate justifications such as national security.The EU, Canada and Mexico have countermeasures ready to inflict economic pain on the United States in response to Trumps actions, while China has already taken retaliatory steps with its own tariffs on U.S. energy, agricultural machinery and large-engine autos as well as an antitrust investigation of Google.The White House has argued that charging the same import taxes as other countries do would improve the fairness of trade, potentially raising revenues for the U.S. government while also enabling negotiations that could eventually improve trade. But Trump is also making a political wager that voters can tolerate higher inflation levels. Price spikes in 2021 and 2022 severely weakened the popularity of then-President Joe Biden, with voters so frustrated by inflation eroding their buying power that they chose last year to put Trump back in the White House to address the problem. Inflation has risen since Novembers election, with the government reporting on Wednesday that the consumer price index is running at an annual rate of 3%.The Trump team has decried criticism of its tariffs even as it has acknowledged the likelihood of some financial pain. It says that the tariffs have to be weighed against the possible extension and expansion of Trumps 2017 tax cuts as well as efforts to curb regulations and force savings through the spending freezes and staff reductions in billionaire adviser Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency initiative. But an obstacle for this approach might be the sequencing of the various policies and the possibilities of a wider trade conflict stifling investment and hiring amid the greater inflationary pressures. Analysts at the bank Wells Fargo said in a Thursday report that the tariffs would likely hurt growth this year, just as the extended tax cuts could help growth recover in 2026.Tariffs impart a modest stagflationary shock to an economy, the report said. The U.S. economy entered 2025 with a fair amount of momentum, but we look for real GDP growth to downshift a bit over the next few quarters as the price-boosting effects of tariffs erode growth in real income, thereby weighing on growth in real consumer spending. JOSH BOAK Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013. twitter mailto

Brooke Rollins attends a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)2025-02-13T17:09:16Z WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative lawyer Brooke Rollins was confirmed Thursday as secretary of agriculture, placing a close ally of President Donald Trump into a key Cabinet position at a time when mass deportation plans could lead to farm labor shortages and tariffs could hit agricultural exports.Rollins, who served as chief for domestic policy during Trumps first administration, was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in a 72-28 vote.Rollins will now lead a department tasked with overseeing nearly all aspects of the nations food system, including standards on farming practices and livestock rearing, federal subsidies to farmers or agribusinesses and setting nutrition standards for schools and public health officials nationwide. The Department of Agriculture was at the center of Trumps trade war in his last administration, when it increased subsidies to farmers growing the nations two biggest crops, corn and soybeans, after retaliatory tariffs were levied by China on the grains and international markets were disrupted. The United States is the worlds largest food exporter. In her Senate confirmation hearing, Rollins acknowledged that Trumps plans for the mass deportation of people in the country illegally could led to farm labor shortages. Growers of some vegetables and crops such as apples as well as dairy operations are especially dependent on migrant labor. But Rollins said Americans support Trumps plans and she would work to help the president while also trying to protect farmers. The presidents vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support, Rollins said.Rollins is a conservative legal activist and public policy analyst who most recently served as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank that developed policy and cultivated a network of personnel for the second Trump administration. Other AFPI alumni in the administration include the groups chair, Linda McMahon, who was tapped to lead the Education Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, among others. Rollins served as acting director of the White House Domestic Policy Council during Trumps first term, where she oversaw a portfolio that included agriculture policy. She also served as president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. Rollins nomination was unanimously approved by the Senates agriculture committee. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., called Rollins a superstar while Rollins home state senators, Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, testified on her behalf ahead of her confirmation hearing. Rollins promised to modernize USDA in line with Trumps vision for the department that included faster procession of disaster aid for farmers and tackling animal diseases. She also vowed to immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture on policies like remote work, in line with the Trump administrations broader stance. Democrats expressed concern that federal funding freezes had disrupted aid to farmers and land grant universities and pressed Rollins on how her support for farming communities may clash with Trumps immigration and trade agenda. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the ranking member of the agriculture committee, pressed Rollins on how she would respond to retaliatory tariffs on U.S. crops, given Trumps previous trade wars. Beyond just getting extra payments to make up for it, will you be a voice to make sure people understand the importance of exports for rural America? And its not just farming but manufacturing and the like, Klobuchar asked. Rollins promised that her team would be at the table fighting for what we believe is necessary for these communities. Of all of the portfolio that, if confirmed, I am taking on, the one that excites me the most is the opportunity to put forward a vision and build a program around revivifying, restoring and bringing back rural America, Rollins said. She cautioned that clearly, the federal government itself cant do that but said that an all approach would be needed to help rural communities. ___McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa. MATT BROWN Brown is a reporter covering national politics, race and democracy issues. twitter instagram mailto

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-02-13T20:09:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China and that eventually he hopes all three countries could agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump lamented the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in rebuilding the nations nuclear deterrent and said he hopes to gain commitments from the U.S. adversaries to cut their own spending.Theres no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons, we already have so many, Trump said. You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and theyre building nuclear weapons.Were all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully much more productive, Trump said. While the U.S. and Russia hold massive stockpiles of weapons since the Cold War, Trump predicted that China would catch up in their capability to exact nuclear devastation within five or six years.He said if the weapons were ever called to use, thats going to be probably oblivion. Trump said he would look to engage in nuclear talks with the two countries once we straighten it all out in the Middle East and Ukraine.One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, lets cut our military budget in half. And we can do that. And I think well be able to. Trump in his first term tried and failed to bring China into nuclear arms reduction talks when the U.S. and Russia were negotiating an extension of a pact known as New START. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty during the Biden administration, as the U.S. and Russia continued on massive programs to extend the life-spans or replace their Cold War-era nuclear arsenals. ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

New York City Mayor Eric Adams exits from federal court in New York, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur, File)2025-02-13T19:26:48Z NEW YORK (AP) The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned Thursday rather than obey a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.The resignation of Danielle Sassoon, a Republican who was the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was confirmed by a spokesperson for the office.Her resignation came days after a senior Justice Department official directed New York prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, who was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or discounted travel from people who wanted to buy his influence.Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said in a memo Monday that the case should be dismissed so that Adams, a Democrat, could help with President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown and campaign for reelection. Justice Department officials didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Adams attorney, Alex Spiro. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond.The Justice Departments decision to end the case because of political considerations, rather than the strength or weakness of the evidence, alarmed some career prosecutors who said it was a departure from longstanding norms. While Bove had directed that the case be dismissed as soon as practicable, days went by with no public statements or actions by the prosecution team in New York. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that she would look into why the charges had yet to be dismissed.Sassoon, a former clerk for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who is a member of the conservative Federalist Society, was not the one who brought the case against Adams last year. The prosecutor who did, former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, stepped down after Trumps election victory. Sassoon had only been tapped to serve as acting U.S. Attorney on Jan. 21, the day after Trump took office. Her role was intended to be temporary. Trump in November nominated Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post, an appointment that must be confirmed by the Senate.The office she led, the Southern District of New York, is among the largest and most prominent prosecutors offices in the U.S., with a long track record of tackling Wall Street malfeasance, political corruption and international terrorism.It has a tradition of independence from Washington, something that has earned it the nickname the sovereign district.During Trumps first term, the office prosecuted both the presidents personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his strategic adviser, Steve Bannon, in separate cases. Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance charges. Trump ended the federal fraud case against Bannon by pardoning him, though nearly identical charges were then brought by state prosecutors.Sassoon joined the U.S. attorneys office in 2016. In 2023 she helped lead the fraud prosecution of Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. More recently, she had served as the offices co-chief of criminal appeals. Adams was indicted in September on charges that while he worked as Brooklyn Borough President, he accepted over $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions and lavish travel perks such as expensive flight upgrades, luxury hotel stays and even a trip to a bathhouse.The indictment said a Turkish official who helped facilitate the trips then leaned on Adams for favors, including asking him to lobby the Fire Department to let a newly constructed, 36-story diplomatic building open in time for a planned visit by Turkeys president.Prosecutors said they had proof that Adams personally directed political aides to solicit foreign donations and disguise them to help the campaign qualify for a city program that provides a generous, publicly-funded match for small dollar donations. Under federal law, foreign nationals are banned from contributing to U.S. election campaigns.As recently as Jan. 6th, prosecutors had indicated their investigation remained active, writing in court papers that they continued to uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams. Bove said in his memo that Justice Department officials in Washington hadnt evaluated the evidence in the case before deciding it should be dropped at least until after the mayoral election in November.But he criticized recent public actions by Williams that he said had threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity. Williams hasnt spoken publicly about the Adams case since his resignation, but wrote an editorial decrying corruption in politics.Federal agents had also been investigating other senior Adams aides. It was unclear what will happen to that side of the probe.

People wave signs to passing cars during a pro-transgender rights protest outside of Seattle Children's Hospital after the institution postponed some gender-affirming surgeries for minors following an executive order by President Donald Trump, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)2025-02-13T20:34:49Z Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. BALTIMORE (AP) A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trumps recent executive order aimed at restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19. The judges ruling came after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has already been compromised by the presidents order. A national group for family of LGBTQ+ people and a doctors organization are also plaintiffs in the court challenge, one of many lawsuits opposing a slew of executive orders Trump has issued as he seeks to reverse the policies of former President Joe Biden. Judge Brendan Hurson, who was nominated by Biden, granted the plaintiffs request for a temporary restraining order following a hearing in federal court in Baltimore. The ruling, in effect for 14 days, essentially puts Trumps directive on hold while the case proceeds. The restraining order could also be extended. Trumps executive order seems to deny that this population even exists, or deserves to exist, Hurson said. Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order directing federally run insurance programs to exclude coverage for gender-affirming care. That includes Medicaid, which covers such services in some states, and TRICARE for military families. Trumps order also called on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice. The lawsuit includes several accounts from families of appointments being canceled as medical institutions react to the new directive. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue Trumps executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional because it seeks to withhold federal funds previously authorized by Congress and because it violates anti-discrimination laws while infringing on the rights of parents. Like legal challenges to state bans on gender-affirming care, the lawsuit also alleges the policy is discriminatory because it allows federal funds to cover the same treatments when theyre not used for gender transition.Some hospitals immediately paused gender-affirming care, including prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy, while they assess how the order affects them.Trumps approach on the issue represents an abrupt change from the Biden administration, which sought to explicitly extend civil rights protections to transgender people. Trump has used strong language in opposing gender-affirming care, asserting falsely that medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a childs sex.Major medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support access to gender-affirming care.Young people who persistently identify as a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth are first evaluated by a team of professionals. Some may try a social transition, involving changing a hairstyle or pronouns. Some may later also receive puberty blockers or hormones. Surgery is extremely rare for minors.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) stands with teammates before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)2025-02-13T16:26:59Z The New York Jets announced Thursday they told quarterback Aaron Rodgers they are moving on without him next season.While Rodgers hasnt said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season, the Jets with new general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn in charge have officially ruled out a return to New York.In a joint statement issued by the team, Mougey and Glenn said they met with the 41-year-old quarterback last week and informed him of their plans.It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures, Mougey and Glenn said in the statement. We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward.The four-time MVP, whos the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of non-guaranteed money left on his contract with the Jets. New York would absorb a $49 million dead money charge next season unless it designates Rodgers a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years. In April 2023, Rodgers was traded to the Jets after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers looking to help the franchise end a Super Bowl drought which dates to the glory days of Joe Namath and the 1968 season.Rodgers first season in New York ended just four snaps into his debut because of a torn left Achilles tendon that sank the Jets Super Bowl hopes that were stirred by the QBs arrival. He worked his way back to the field to start every game this past season, but he and the offense struggled with consistency and results and the Jets finished 5-12.I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets, owner Woody Johnson in a statement. His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career. From Day 1, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here. He will always be welcome, and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next.Rodgers 28 touchdown passes and 3,897 yards passing both rank third for a single season in franchise history. But he lacked some mobility early in his return and then dealt with a few additional leg injuries, including a significant hamstring ailment.The Jets offense with Rodgers struggled to produce, the defense was a shell of its formerly dominant self and it cost both general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh their jobs in the middle of the season.In what turned out to be his final appearance with New York, Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes in a win over Miami on Jan. 5.It was a vintage performance and a somewhat frustrating flash to fans of how things could have gone for Rodgers and the Jets.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL DENNIS WASZAK JR. Waszak is an NFL writer for The Associated Press who has covered the New York Jets as the beat writer since 2006. He also is an editor on the APs national sports desk and has worked in AP Sports since 1996. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi listens during the closing session of the Franco-Indian Economic Forum at the Quai d'Orsay on the sidelines of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Abdul Saboor, Pool Photo via AP)2025-02-13T05:02:26Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump met Thursday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has heaped praise on him in hopes of avoiding the additional tariffs that the new administration has slapped on other countries in its opening weeks. Trump welcomed Modi to the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, calling him a great friend, hours after the U.S. president signed increases on tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports which affects American trading partners around the world, including India.We have great friendship, he and I and our countries, and I think its only going to get closer, Trump said.Modi is a nationalist and spent his time before arriving in Washington talking up his warm relationship with Trump during his first term while cheering his winning back the White House. The Indian leader was looking to improve relations with Washington and the West overall, which have been frosty lately after Modi refused to condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine. The world had this thinking that India somehow is a neutral country in this whole process, Modi said, praising Trump for speaking with Russia and Ukraines leaders on Wednesday. But this is not true. India has a side, and that side is of peace. The trip comes after Modis ruling Hindu nationalist partys victory during a high-stakes state legislature election last weekend in Indias federal territory, including New Delhi. The prime minister said before leaving for Washington that the visit was a chance to deepen our partnership in key areas such as technology, trade, defense and energy. The White House visit isnt likely to be all smiles, though. Trump, a Republican, previously imposed tariffs on China and says more are coming against the European Union, while threatening similar against Canada and Mexico and expanding tariffs on steel and aluminum he initially imposed during his first term. The White House insists that in signing Thursdays round of what Trump called reciprocal tariffs, he is leveling the playing field between U.S. manufacturers and foreign competitors though these new taxes would likely be paid by American consumers and businesses either directly or in the form of higher prices. Even prior to signing the new round of tariffs, however, Trump indicated that he was ready to object to Indian tariffs. He repeatedly dubbed Modis country a tariff king. In response, New Delhi showed willingness to buy more American oil and lower its own tariffs on U.S. goods, including on some Harley-Davidson motorcycles, from 50% to 40% moves it took prior to Modis coming to Washington. Also, India in 2023 dropped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. almonds, apples, chickpeas, lentils and walnuts. Then theres a recent deal allowing U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India-based Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines for Indian aircraft in India, and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. Still, Trump has decried U.S. trade deficits around the world and said hell work to shrink them, including during his meetings at the White House last week with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The U.S. is Indias largest trade partner, but the two countries have a trade deficit of $50 billion in Indias favor. The Indo-U.S. goods and services trade totaled around $190.1 billion in 2023. According to Indias External Affairs Ministry, the U.S. exports to India were worth nearly $70 billion and imports $120 billion.A Trump administration official, on a phone call with reporters, said that India has made modest positive steps on trade. The official, who insisted on anonymity as a term of the call, said there is a goal of finalizing by the end of this year a trade arrangement with India that the United States would judge as fair to both sides.Modi is the fourth foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration last month, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ishiba of Japan and Jordans King Abdullah II. Prior to meeting with Trump, Modi sat down with national security adviser Mike Waltz. He also met with billionaire SpaceX founder and top Trump administration official Elon Musk.In a photo posted to Modis account on X, the platform owned by Musk formerly known as Twitter, the prime minister, joined by his official delegation, was seen engaging warmly in conversation with Musk, who brought some of his children and an executive, Shivon Zilis, who is also the mother of three of his children.While signing the tariffs order in the Oval Office, Trump was asked if Musk spoke with Modi as a government worker or a tech magnate, amid concerns the meeting was related to the billionaires business dealings.India is a very hard place to do business because of the tariffs. They have the highest tariffs, just about in the world, and its a hard place to do business, Trump said. No, I would imagine he met possibly because, you know, hes running a company. Modi and Trump were also likely to use their upcoming discussions to talk about immigration. There, the prime minister can point to Indias having accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a U.S. military plane the first such flight to the country as part of the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.For the Trump administration, meanwhile, India is seen as integral to the U.S. strategy of containing China in the Indo-Pacific. Modis country is hosting a summit of a group of countries known as the Quad made up of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia later this year. WILL WEISSERT Weissert covers national politics and the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

This May 18, 1969 photo provided by NASA shows Earth from 36,000 nautical miles away as photographed from the Apollo 10 spacecraft during its trans-lunar journey toward the moon. (NASA via AP)2025-02-13T18:52:40Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) The threat of a newly discovered asteroid has risen slightly in the past few weeks, as the worlds telescopes rush to track its course. But the chance of an impact is still quite slim. New calculations suggest theres a 2% chance the space rock 2024 YR4 will smack Earth in 2032. This also means theres a 98% chance it will safely pass our planet. The odds of a strike will almost certainly continue to go up and down as the asteroids path around the sun is better understood, and astronomers said theres a good chance the risk likely will drop to zero. NASA and the European Space Agencys Webb Space Telescope will observe this near-Earth asteroid in March before the object disappears from view. Once that happens, scientists will have to wait until 2028 when it passes our way again.Whats an asteroid?Asteroids are space rocks orbiting the sun that are considerably smaller than planets. Scientists believe theyre the leftovers from the solar systems formation 4.6 billion years ago. There are so many asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter millions of them that this region is known as the main asteroid belt. They sometimes get pushed out of the belt and can end up all over the place like this one. How do scientists track potentially dangerous asteroids? A telescope in Chile discovered the asteroid 2024 YR4 in December. Its estimated to be 130 feet to 300 feet (40 meters to 90 meters) across. Observations by the Webb telescope should provide a more precise measurement, according to NASA.NASA and the European Space Agency initially put the odds of a strike at just over 1%. By Thursday, it had risen to roughly 2%. NASA describes that as still extremely low. Until scientists have a better understanding of the asteroids path around the sun, they caution the odds will continue to fluctuate and quite possibly fall to zero.You dont have to be worried about anything. Its a curiosity, said Larry Denneau, senior software engineer with the University of Hawaiis asteroid impact alert system that first spotted the asteroid. Dont panic. Let the process play out, and well have a for-sure answer.In 2021, NASA gave the all-clear to another potentially worrisome asteroid, Apophis, after new telescope observations ruled out any chance of it hitting Earth in 2068. Should we worry about asteroid 2024 YR4?Its way too soon to fret over this asteroid, according to the experts. No one should be concerned that the impact probability is rising. This is the behavior our team expected, Paul Chodas, director of NASAs Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in an email. To be clear, we expect the impact probability to drop to zero at some point. Since the asteroids size and orbit are uncertain, its unclear where it might hit and what the possible impacts would be should it strike Earth. If the asteroid is on the smaller end, ESA said any potential impacts would be local similar to the Tunguska event that flattened thousands of square miles of forest in remote Siberia in 1908. But if its close to 330 feet (100 meters), the consequences would be significantly worse. Chodas said once Webb pinpoints the asteroids size, NASA can predict how serious an impact this asteroid could produce and how difficult a task it might be to deflect this asteroid.NASA already has some experience nudging an asteroid. The space agencys Dart spacecraft deliberately rammed a harmless asteroid in 2022 in the first planetary defense test of its kind, altering its orbit around its larger companion asteroid.___AP video journalist Mary Conlon contributed to this report. ___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.

Protesters hold banners during a rally in front of the Office of Personnel Management, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump is relying on a relatively obscure federal agency to reshape government. The Office of Personnel Management was created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and is the equivalent of the government's human resources department. It helps manage the civil service, including pay schedules, health insurance and pension programs. The agency has offered millions of federal workers eight months of salary if they voluntarily choose to leave their jobs by Feb. 6. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-13T22:36:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nations largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, workers at some agencies were warned that large workplace cuts would be coming.The decision on probationary workers, who generally have less than a year on the job, came from the Office of Personnel Management, which serves as a human resources department for the federal government. The notification was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.Its expected to be the first step in sweeping layoffs. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that told agency leaders to plan for large-scale reductions in force. Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his new administration. Elon Musk, whom President Trump has given wide leeway to slash government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency, called Thursday for the elimination of whole agencies. I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind, Musk said via a videocall to the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. If we dont remove the roots of the weed, then its easy for the weed to grow back. Paul Light, an expert on the federal government and professor emeritus of public service at New York University, said it seemed like the administration was inventing new methods for destroying government capacity.Youre basically harassing your own workforce at the end of the day, he said. Youre undermining the engine that you want to run.Layoffs are unlikely to yield significant deficit savings. When the Congressional Budget Office looked at the issue, it found the government spent $271 billion annually compensating civilian federal workers, with about 60% of that total going to workers employed by the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. The government could, in theory, have cut all those workers and still run a deficit of over $1 trillion that would continue to grow as tax revenues are needed to keep up with the growing costs of Social Security and Medicare.Thursdays order was an expansion of previous directions from OPM, which told agencies earlier this week that probationary employees should be fired if they werent meeting high standards. Its not clear how many workers are currently in a probationary period. According to government data maintained by OPM, as of March 2024, 220,000 workers had less than a year on the job the most recent data available. The firing of probationary employees began earlier this week and has included Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Education workers.At least 39 were fired from the Education Department on Wednesday, according to a union that represents agency workers, including civil rights workers, special education specialists and student aid officials. The layoffs also hit Department of Veterans Affairs researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, said Thursday.Im hearing from longtime VA researchers in my home state of Washington who are right now being told to immediately stop their research and pack their bags, Murray said in a statement, not because their work isnt desperately needed, but because Trump and Elon have decided to fire these researchers on a whim.Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a group that defends government workers, said the Agriculture Departments Food Safety and Inspection Service would be hit especially hard by laying off probationary employees because it has trouble recruiting inspectors required to be present at all times at most slaughterhouses.Firing any probationary employees would be a big kick in the gut to those that do very grueling and difficult work, PEERs executive director, Tim Whitehouse, said. It would make our food system less safe and cause consumer confidence in the safety of our food supply to dip. The civilian federal workforce, not including military personnel and postal workers, is made up of about 2.4 million people. While about 20% of the workers are in Washington D.C., and the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia, more than 80% live outside the Capitol region. Trumps initial attempt to downsize the workforce was the deferred resignation program, commonly described as a buyout, which offered to pay people until Sept. 30 if they agreed to quit. The White House said 75,000 people signed up, and a federal judge cleared a legal roadblock for the program on Wednesday. However, the number of workers who took the offer was less than the administrations target, and Trump has made it clear he would take further steps.Employees at the National Science Foundation and Housing and Urban Development Department were told this week that large reductions, in some cases a halving of the workforce, would be coming, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The National Science Foundation was told to expect a 25% to 50% reduction in force within two months, while the Housing and Urban Development Department was told to plan for a 50% reduction, the person said.Employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were also bracing Thursday for reductions in their workforce.The order Trump signed Tuesday stipulated that government functions not required by law would be prioritized for cuts and hiring will be restricted. With exceptions for functions such as public safety, only one employee can be added for every four that leave. In addition, new hires would generally need the approval from a representative of the DOGE, expanding the influence of Musks team.Trump, speaking to reporters later at the White House, praised Musks work to slash federal spending. Were looking for waste, fraud and abuse, he said. Thats what Elon is working so hard on.The Republican president has also been sharply critical of federal workers, especially those who want to keep working remotely, though his administration is simultaneously working to cut federal office space and ordering the termination of worksite leases throughout the government. Nobody is gonna work from home, Trump said Monday. They are gonna be going out, theyre gonna play tennis, theyre gonna play golf, theyre gonna do a lot of things. Theyre not working.___Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Josh Boak and Collin Binkley in Washington; Carla Johnson in Seattle; and JoNel Aleccia in Los Angeles contributed to this report. 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 MICHELLE L. PRICE Price is a national political reporter for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)2025-02-13T19:24:19Z WASHINGTON (AP) In a major reversal, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said he will try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging green bank that is set to fund tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice. The program, approved under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is formally known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, but is more commonly called the green bank. Two initiatives, worth $14 billion and $6 billion respectively, are intended to offer competitive grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities.The program is a favorite of Democrats who passed President Joe Bidens signature climate law without a single Republican vote, and former EPA Administrator Michael Regan frequently cited it as one of his major accomplishments. Republicans in Congress have called the green bank a slush fund and voiced concern over how the money will be used and whether there will be sufficient accountability and transparency. The Republican-controlled House approved a bill last year to repeal the green bank and other parts of Bidens climate agenda. The bill was blocked in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Zeldin, in the video posted Wednesday night, said there will be zero tolerance of any waste and abuse at the EPA under his administration. He cited an extremely disturbing video on X that features a former EPA staffer stating that the Biden administration was tossing gold bars off the Titanic in order to spend billions of taxpayer dollars before President Donald Trump took office. The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over, Zeldin said. Ive directed my team to find your gold bars, and they found them. Now we will get them back inside of control of government as we pursue next steps. The video Zeldin cited was posted by Project Veritas, a right-wing organization that often uses hidden cameras to try to embarrass news outlets, labor organizations and Democratic officials. In this case, the Veritas video showed Brent Efron, a former special assistant to the EPAs associate administrator for policy, speaking at a bar or restaurant with someone who turned out to be with the group. Efron has since left the EPA.Clean energy advocates denounced Zeldins action as a political stunt and said he was illegally attempting to revoke spending approved by Congress for partisan reasons. They pledged to challenge the directive in court.This is not just an attack on clean energy investments its a blatant violation of the Constitution, said Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action, an environmental group that supports the green bank. The Trump team is once again trying to illegally slash programs meant to help American families to fund tax cuts for billionaires. The money has already been awarded to eight nonprofits, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund. Those organizations have partnered with a range of groups, including Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation.Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced the grant awards last year at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference in the Queens borough of New York, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2025-02-13T21:17:27Z ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A Texas judge on Thursday fined a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas in one of the first challenges in the U.S. to shield laws enacted in Democratic-controlled states where abortion is legal.The ruling was handed down on the same day New York Gov. Kathy Hochul rejected a request from Louisiana to extradite the same doctor, Dr. Maggie Carpenter, who was charged in that state with prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor.Unlike Louisiana, Texas did not file criminal charges against Carpenter but accused her in a December lawsuit of violating state law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. Texas has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation.State District Judge Bryan Gantt issued a $100,000 fine against Carpenter and ordered her to pay attorneys fees. Earlier Hochul, a Democrat, said she will not honor Louisianas request to arrest and send the doctor to Louisiana after she was charged with violating the southern states strict anti-abortion law. I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana, Hochul said at a news conference in Manhattan. Not now, not ever. She also said she sent out a notice to law enforcement in New York that instructed them to not cooperate with out-of-state warrants for such charges. The case against Carpenter appears to be the first instance of criminal charges against a doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to another state. Pills have become the most common method of abortion in the U.S. and are at the epicenter of political and legal fights over abortion access following the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade.The showdown between New York and Louisiana over Carpenter is expected to result in a court case that could test New Yorks so-called shield law, which gives legal protections to doctors who prescribe abortion medication to conservative states where abortions are banned or otherwise limited. Other Democratic-controlled states have similar shield laws. Prosecutors in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, indicted Carpenter on charges that she violated the states near-total abortion ban, which allows physicians convicted of performing abortions, including one with pills, to be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. Louisiana authorities said the girl who received the pills experienced a medical emergency and had to be transported to the hospital. The girls mother was also charged and has turned herself in to police. In a videotaped statement Thursday, Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said there is only one right answer in this situation, and it is that that doctor must face extradition to Louisiana where she can stand trial and justice will be served. Landrys office did not immediately return an emailed request for comment sent after Hochul refused the extradition request.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks about plans to lower insurance prices in the state, during a press conference at Florida International University's Wall of Wind, an experimental facility focused on wind engineering research, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)2025-02-13T21:09:30Z Associated Press/Report for America (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping package of immigration laws on Thursday aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump s mass deportation agenda. Republicans say the laws put Florida long a haven for immigrants on the leading edge of conservative-controlled states working to leverage state and local resources for federal immigration enforcement.As Trump supporters in state capitols across the country race to deliver on the presidents signature issue despite concerns from immigrant advocates lawmakers in Florida are teeing up a potential fight with the courts as they advance a provision that critics argue is unconstitutional.Floridas new legislation mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first degree murder or child rape. Its a provision that goes above and beyond Trumps executive orders. A rift between lawmakers and DeSantisDeSantis approved the bills after legislative leaders brokered a compromise that settled a weekslong standoff among the states top Republicans over how best to support Trumps sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration.Today, the Florida Legislature has passed the strongest legislation to combat illegal immigration of any state in the entire country, DeSantis said before signing the bills and handing a sharpie to each of the legislative leaders standing behind him. We are ahead of the curve on ending the illegal immigration crisis. But the tensions pitting allies of the president against DeSantis who dared to challenge Trump for the nomination may not evaporate, as the term-limited governor is widely expected to have presidential aspirations in 2028.Ultimately this is a win for Donald Trump. Because thats what this is all about, said Republican Sen. Joe Gruters, a sponsor of the bills and a key Trump ally. But the process was bruising, with DeSantis blasting lawmakers previous proposals as weak and a betrayal of conservative voters.Theres still hurt feelings, Gruters said, on all sides.Florida bills set aside nearly $300 million for immigration enforcementThe $298 million would be allocated to hire more than 50 new law enforcement officers focused on immigration, plus grants to equip and train local agencies, bonuses for officers who assist in federal operations, and reimbursement for leasing detention facilities.The proposal also mandates the death penalty for immigrants who commit capital offenses while in the country illegally. Democrats and civil rights advocates say that provision is unconstitutional, citing previous Supreme Court precedent.The laws would increase penalties for all crimes committed by immigrants in the country without authorization, and would create a new crime of entering the state after coming to the U.S. illegally.As part of the compromise, lawmakers did away with a previous proposal to strip the governor of much of his emergency powers on immigration.A provision that drew bipartisan criticism repeals a law that allows Florida students who are in the country without legal authorization to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Georgia and Alabama advance restrictionsLawmakers in other southern states are passing their own bills aimed at furthering Trumps immigration crackdown.The Alabama Senate on Thursday swiftly advanced their own slate of proposals, which would allow jails to hold people to verify immigration status; require jails to collect DNA from unauthorized immigrants in their custody; end the states recognition of driver licenses from other states that are issued without proof of citizenship; and make it a felony to bring an undocumented immigrant into the state.If you come to the country legally, if you come into Alabama legally, then these bills dont affect you, said Republican Sen. Wes Kitchens, a sponsor of one of the bills. The bills now move to the Alabama House over the opposition of Democrats, who accused Republicans of grandstanding.Jasmin Hernadez-Alamillo, the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a recent graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said shes concerned the proposals will lead to racial profiling in traffic stops and said the measures make her rethink living in the state. I dont necessarily want to be part of a state that is going to continually perpetuate this negative sentiment around marginalized communities, Hernadez-Alamillo said.Also on Thursday, the Georgia Senate passed a bill allowing local governments to be sued if they dont cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The bill would strengthen a Georgia law passed last year after Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra, who authorities say entered the U.S. illegally, murdered 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. That law mandates law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal officials in identifying and detaining undocumented immigrants and punishes them if they dont. ___Matat reported from West Palm Beach, Florida, Chandler from Birmingham, Alabama, and Kramon from Atlanta, Georgia.___Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. KATE PAYNE Payne writes about state government and education and is based in Tallahassee, FL. She is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto STEPHANY MATAT Matat is an Associated Press general assignment reporter with a focus on politics and South Florida issues. twitter instagram mailto CHARLOTTE KRAMON Kramon covers government and politics from Atlanta. She is a Report for America corps member. twitter mailto

Panama's President Jose Mulino, left, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrive for a meeting at the presidential palace in Panama City, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)2025-02-13T17:21:45Z PANAMA CITY (AP) Panama has received the first U.S. flight carrying deportees from other nations as the Trump administration takes Panama up on its offer to act as a stopover for expelled migrants, the Central American nations president said Thursday.Yesterday a flight from the United States Air Force arrived with 119 people from diverse nationalities of the world, President Jos Ral Mulino said Thursday in his weekly press briefing. He said there were migrants from China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, among others, aboard.The president said it was the first of three planned flights that were expected to total about 360 people. Its not something massive, he said.The migrants were expected to be moved to a shelter in Panamas Darien region before being returned to their countries, Mulino said.Asked later Thursday why Panama was acting as a stopover for these deportations, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Ruiz Hernndez said that it was something the U.S. government had requested. He also said the U.S. government was paying for the repatriations through U.N. immigration agencies. The migrants who arrived Wednesday, had been detained after crossing the U.S. border and did not have criminal records, he said. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mulino in Panama. While U.S. President Donald Trumps demands to retake control of the Panama Canal dominated the visit, Mulino also discussed Panamas efforts to slow migration through the Darien Gap and he offered Panama as a bridge to send U.S. deportees back to their countries. Rubio secured agreements on the trip with Guatemala and El Salvador as well, to accept migrants from other nations in what was seen as the laying groundwork for expanding U.S. capacity to speedily deport migrants.Migration through the Darien Gap connecting Panama and Colombia was down about 90% in January compared to the same month a year earlier. Since Mulino entered office last year, Panama has made dozens of deportation flights, most funded by the U.S. government.Ruiz said Thursday that Panama has been completely willing to participate and cooperate in this request they have made of us. ____Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ralph Yarl looks at a badge that he received after walking at a brain injury awareness event, May 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (KCTV via AP, File)2025-02-13T22:56:33Z KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) An 86-year-old Kansas City man will plead guilty Friday to the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black honor student who rang the mans doorbell by mistake, two people familiar with the case told The Associated Press.Andrew Lester was scheduled to stand trial next week on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of the then 16-year-old, who survived the shooting and has since graduated from high school.On Thursday, prosecutors said Lester would appear in court Friday, but they did not say why or provide additional detail. Two people familiar with the case who requested anonymity to speak in advance of Fridays hearing told AP that Lester will plead guilty. One of those people said he will plead to a lesser charge of second-degree assault.Yarl showed up on Lesters doorstep in April 2023 after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings. Lesters attorney, Steve Salmon, has long argued that Lester was acting in self-defense and that he was terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed for the night. He didnt immediately respond to a phone message from The Associated Press on Thursday.The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debate about gun policies and race in the U.S.Yarl showed up on Lesters doorstep after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings. Yarl testified at an earlier hearing that he he rang the bell and the wait for someone to answer for what seemed longer than normal. As the inner door opened, Yarl said he reached out to grab the storm door. I assume these are my brothers friends parents, he said.He said Lester, who is white, shot him in the head and uttered, Dont come here ever again. Although the bullet didnt penetrate Yarls brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm. The teen was taken to the hospital and released three days later. His family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and they have filed a lawsuit against the retired aircraft mechanic.Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. As the trial date approached, the court shut down access to online records in the case, so prospective jurors couldnt see or read any of the documents available to the public. A spokeswoman in the prosecutors office said there have been no new filings in the case this month.Last year, Salmon said that Lesters physical and mental condition had deteriorated. He said Lester has had heart issues, a broken hip and hospitalizations. Lester also has lost 50 pounds (23 kilograms), which Salmon blamed on the stress of intense media coverage and death threats he subsequently received.A judge ordered a mental evaluation of Lester but allowed for the trial to proceed after its completion. The results of that evaluation were not released publicly. ___Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kan.

President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-14T02:09:54Z The White House blocked an Associated Press journalist from covering a news conference with two major world leaders Thursday, upping the stakes in a disagreement between the news agency and the Trump administration over APs style decision to stick with the name Gulf of Mexico for the body of water that the president rechristened the Gulf of America. An AP reporter was prevented from entering a news conference where President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi answered questions, effectively shutting out thousands of global news outlets that rely on the news organization. Julie Pace, the APs senior vice president and executive editor, called it a deeply troubling escalation and a plain violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We urge the Trump administration in the strongest terms to stop this practice, Pace, who also wrote to Trumps chief of staff on Wednesday, said in a statement. This is now the third day AP reporters have been barred from covering the president first as a member of the pool, and now from a formal press conference an incredible disservice to the billions of people who rely on The Associated Press for nonpartisan news. Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents Association, issued a statement Thursday supporting the AP. The White House is seeking to curtail the press freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, and has admitted publicly they are restricting access to events to punish a news outlet for not advancing the governments preferred language, he said. Prohibiting journalists from access because of their editorial decisions is viewpoint discrimination. Questioned about the actions Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said media access decisions are up to the president and suggested that retaining references to the Gulf of Mexico constituted lies for which news organizations would be held accountable. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office, Leavitt said.The White House had no immediate comment about Thursdays additional actions. Barring a credentialed reporter from a news conference with leaders of two of the worlds most influential nations represents a step beyond preventing access to an Oval Office event. This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the presidents own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship, Daniels said. AP reporters were first prevented from accessing Oval Office events on Tuesday after being warned it would happen. The policy continued for events Wednesday and Thursday in the office and other locations. Contacting The Associated PressThe Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual, nonpartisan journalism. We are reporting on changes within the U.S. government under the new administration. If you are a former or current government worker who would like to share information with us, please message us on Signal at TheAP.1846 Trump moved quickly upon taking office to rename two key landmarks, ordering the name of the mountain known as Denali changed back to its old moniker of Mt. McKinley and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. AP switched its style for the mountain because, being entirely inside the United States, it was subject to presidential authority. But the agency decided to stick with the Gulf of Mexico for a body that lies partially outside U.S. territory while noting Trumps move. The agencys decision matters because many writers and publications follow the guidelines of the AP Stylebook. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps have switched to the term Gulf of America either entirely or in part. On Thursday, Mexicos president said she was considering suing Google over the move. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

The Goodyear Blimp is prepared for takeoff, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Long)2025-02-13T20:57:10Z DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Flying a few hundred feet above the streets and shores of Daytona Beach, the Goodyear Blimp draws a crowd.Onlookers stare and point. Drivers pull over for better looks, snapping pictures, recording videos and trying to line up the perfect selfie. For some, its nostalgic. For others, its a glimpse at a larger-than-life advertising icon.At 100 years old, the blimp is an ageless star in the sky. And the 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 on Sunday roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually to celebrate its latest and greatest anniversary tour.Even though remote camera technologies drones, mostly are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event. Its great to show the pack racing, Fox Sports director Artie Kempner said, adding that he expected to use aerial shots from the blimp about 50 times during Sundays race. The Goodyear Blimp has been a regular at major sporting events since flying above the 1955 Rose Bowl. A few years later, it became a service vehicle for television coverage while simultaneously functioning as a highly visible advertising platform. Its been at every Daytona 500 since 1962. During that streak, blimps have undergone wholesale changes and improved dramatically: steering technology, safety innovations, high-definition cameras, gyro-stabilized aerial views and much quieter rides thanks to relocated engines and propellers.Nowadays, riding on the blimp isnt much different from traveling on a small plane. The 12-seater comes with reclining seats, tray tables, seatbelts, a safety briefing and a bathroom with amazing views. A few windows serve as the only air conditioning onboard. The blimp offers a smooth ride even at top speed, creeping along at 73 mph well below the cars pushing 200 mph on the track. Its an iconic symbol for our nation, a floating piece of Americana, blimp pilot Jensen Kervern said. Theres nothing like it in the world.The blimp has covered more than 2,500 events and taken more than 500,000 passengers for rides, according to Goodyear. Former President Ronald Reagan might be the most famous passenger, and rapper Ice Cube raised the blimps street cred when he included a line about it in his 1992 song titled It Was A Good Day.But not just anyone can climb aboard. Rides are invitation only even though phones at blimp headquarters the three U.S.-based airships are housed in California, Florida and Ohio ring off the hook with people inquiring about buying a ride.As part of the blimps 100-year anniversary celebration, however, Goodyear is giving three U.S. residents a chance to join the exclusive club and win a ride. The sweepstakes will provide each winner a certificate for two to fly on the blimp. The prize also includes $3,000 for travel expenses to one of Goodyears airship hangars. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, no doubt.The blimp flies low enough to spot pods of dolphins or flotillas of sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean. The view over Daytona International Speedway is equally stunning, with the ability to see every inch of the famed track while watching (and hearing) race cars turning laps.Already in 2025, the Goodyear fleet has flown over the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Pro Bowl and Pebble Beach. Its upcoming schedule includes the Academy Awards, Coachella and WrestleMania.But will the blimp survive another 100 years?Drone imagery and resolution continue to improve along with maneuverability, stability and flight longevity. And where drones can be flown by one person, the Goodyear Blimp crew at Daytona tops 20 staffers.But given the blimps longevity, adaptability and celebrity, no one should bet against it sticking around for generations to come.Despite changes in technology and our environment, people still get so excited to see the blimp, Kervern said. Its just an iconic symbol for our nation.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The doge.gov website that was spun up to track Elon Musks cuts to the federal government is insecure and pulls from a database that can be edited by anyone, according to two separate people who found the vulnerability and shared it with 404 Media. One coder added at least two database entries that are visible on the live site and say this is a joke of a .gov site and THESE EXPERTS LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN -roro.Doge.gov was hastily deployed after Elon Musk told reporters Tuesday that his Department of Government Efficiency is trying to be as transparent as possible. In fact, our actionswe post our actions to the DOGE handle on X, and to the DOGE website. At the time, DOGE was an essentially blank webpage. It was built out further Wednesday and Thursday, and now shows a mirror of the @DOGE X account posts, as well as various stats about the U.S. governments federal workforce.Two different web development experts who asked to remain anonymous because they were probing a federal website told 404 Media that doge.gov is seemingly built on a Cloudflare Pages site that is not currently hosted on government servers. The database it is pulling from can be and has been written to by third parties, and will show up on the live website.Both sources told 404 Media that they noticed Doge.gov is pulling from a Cloudflare Pages website, where the code that runs it is actually deployed.One of the sources told 404 Media that they were able to push updates to a database of government employment information after studying the websites architecture and finding the databases API endpoints.This person showed me two database entries they were able to push to the website, which are live on doge.gov as I write this (archived here and here):Feels like it was completely slapped together, they added. Tons of errors and details leaked in the page source code.Both sources said that the way the site is set up suggests that it is not running on government servers.Basically, doge.gov has its codebase, probably through GitHub or something, the other developer who noticed the insecurity said. Theyre deploying the website on Cloudflare Pages from their codebase, and doge.gov is a custom domain that their pages.dev URL is set to. So rather than having a physical server or even something like Amazon Web Services, theyre deploying using Cloudflare Pages which supports custom domains.On Wednesday, we reported that waste.gov, another website created to track government waste, was sitting live with a placeholder Wordpress default template page and sample text. After our article was published, waste.gov was put behind a password wall. It has been widely reported that DOGE has secured administrator access to the codebases at various government agencies, including the Department of Treasury.DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-14T07:15:12Z NEW DELHI (AP) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about easing tariffs, resolving trade issues and shoring up defense ties in a meeting at the White House on Thursday.Even though Trump threatened to impose tariffs, the two leaders said theyd talk about trade, signaling that New Delhi and Washington could offer each other concessions.Trump called Modi a much better negotiator than me, while Modi played on Trumps MAGA, or Make America Great Again, catchphrase, saying he he was determined to Make India Great Again.Here are some key takeaways from the meeting: Concerns over trade and tariffs were the highlight of the meetingTrade and tariffs issues figured extensively in the meeting. Trump said New Delhi will not be spared and said the import levies imposed by India are very unfair and strong.But he and Modi agreed to work on a deal to resolve trade concerns, which Modi said he expects to be completed later this year.Trump also said that his administration wants to bring down the trade deficit with India which stands at $50 billion by increasing U.S. energy exports to the country.Modi offered to double bilateral trade with Washington to $500 billion by 2030.The fact is that Trump is trying to change the global trading order. India recognizes this and now is looking for a pragmatic way to resolve the differences, said Raja Mohan, an analyst at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore. Modi and Trump signal a new defense partnershipTrump said the U.S. will increase its military sales to India and eventually provide F-35 stealth fighter jets. He did not provide a timeline, but Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters that the process is at the stage of a proposal.Rahul Bedi, an India-based defense analyst, said such a deal could take several years. Since 2008, India has contracted for over $20 billion worth of U.S.-origin defense equipment, and a recent deal will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with an Indian company to produce jet engines in India.Modi and Trump also agreed to deepen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a thinly veiled reference to competition with growing China in the region. A terror attack accused will be extradited to India Trump said hed back extraditing one of the plotters of the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed appearing to refer to Tahawwur Hussain Rana.Indian officials have accused Pakistans intelligence agency of working with Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taibah to mastermind the attack, an allegation Islamabad has denied.If Rana is extradited to India, it will boost Modis domestic standing. Hes positioned himself as tough on archrival Pakistan.Modi and Trump also said they discussed immigration, with the Indian prime minister saying India will take back any of its citizens living illegally in the U.S.India recently accepted the return of 104 migrants brought back on a U.S. military plane.___Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this report. SHEIKH SAALIQ Saaliq covers news across India and the South Asia region for The Associated Press, often focusing on politics, democracy, conflict and religion. He is based in New Delhi. twitter mailto

Hanan Okal, 22, prepares breakfast for her children inside a classroom in the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School, which displaced people use as a shelter, in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-02-14T05:05:11Z JABALIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) The Nassar family managed to assemble a semblance of their homes old living room. A sofa and some chairs survived, along with a small table they can gather around to eat. The rooms wall had been almost entirely blown away, so they hung sheets over the gaping hole, hiding the mound of wreckage outside.Buried somewhere under that rubble, Khalid Nassar knows, is the body of his son Mahmoud. It has lain there unretrievable for the past four months since he was killed in an Israeli airstrike.This has been the struggle for displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza under the nearly month-old ceasefire: To re-create some bit of normal lives amid the death and destruction left by 16 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives against Hamas fighters. Finding ways to settle inComing home after months or more than a year of living in tents or other shelters, families have no means to do any serious rebuilding. So they find little ways to settle in.Apartment buildings that were reduced to hollowed-out skeletons have been draped with colorful bed linens serving as walls as if the houses have been turned inside-out. Families dig chunks of concrete and mangled metal out of the interior to make them semi-habitable. Rooms look like fragmented movie sets, with furniture arranged in any intact corner, while the remaining walls are shattered. Destruction outside is seen from a damaged bedroom of the Nassar family home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Destruction outside is seen from a damaged bedroom of the Nassar family home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The Nassars fled their home in Jabaliya refugee camp early last year, moving around northern Gaza. Khalid Nassars son Mahmoud was killed in October when he tried to go back home to retrieve some clothes in the neighboring building, which they also owned, and a strike hit it, Nassar said. His daughter was also killed in a separate airstrike on her home in Jabaliya, where her body too remains buried under rubble.The family returned in January, as soon as Israeli troops withdrew from Jabaliya, which had been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war in the previous four months. They found the top floor of their three-story building was wiped away. One of Nassars sons settled with his wife and kids on the second floor. The 61-year-old Nassar, his wife Khadra Abu Libda, 59, and the five children of another son, who was imprisoned by Israel, moved into what remains of the ground floor.Miraculously, their living room furniture remained. Other rooms were trashed, littered with debris. In one room, someone had spray painted Hamas on the wall Nassar said he didnt know who did it or whether the house was used by fighters during the battles.For water, they have to walk 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) to wait in line for hours at a well when the pump there is working. For food, they have collected some humanitarian aid supplies, some bread, and a green called khobeiza in Arabic that grows in empty lots. Khalid Nassar, 61, sits with his wife, Khadra Abu Libda, 59, and his grandchildren for lunch, with fabric covering the hole in a wall of their destroyed house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Khalid Nassar, 61, sits with his wife, Khadra Abu Libda, 59, and his grandchildren for lunch, with fabric covering the hole in a wall of their destroyed house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Khalid Nassar collects cardboard to burn so he can cook for his grandchildren in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Khalid Nassar collects cardboard to burn so he can cook for his grandchildren in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Khalid Nassar uses an open fire to cook noodles for his grandchildren inside his damaged house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Khalid Nassar uses an open fire to cook noodles for his grandchildren inside his damaged house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But the wreckage next door where his son is buried haunts Nassar. Every minute I think about how to get my son out from under the rubble, he said. I cant describe the torment so long as my son is not properly buried. He said he digs every day, but the only tool he has is a shovel, so he cant lift the large slabs of concrete. This morning, I was digging and searching, but I found nothing but some papers and clothes, he said.After the ceasefire in January, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded back to homes across Gaza that they had fled. Not everyone has been able to return. Hanan Okal said her familys building in Jabaliya was flattened. So they are staying in the nearby school-turned-shelter where they have been taking refuge. Clothes hang to dry outside a destroyed room belonging to the Nassar family in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Clothes hang to dry outside a destroyed room belonging to the Nassar family in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Nearby in Jabaliya, the Odeh family returned to find their buildings ground floor gutted. They had to set up a ladder to climb in and out of the second floor, where Yousef and his brother Mohammed Oudeh settled in with their families.Their parents, Ahmed and Mariam, stay in a tent of wood and plastic sheets outside. The shell of their building does no better than the tent to protect from the cold, they said.With the surrounding neighborhood flattened, theres nothing to shield them from the cold February wind. At one point, the wind blew away and tore the sheets they had set up in the holes in the walls. So they scrounged for new sheets and blankets among the rubble of other houses. Aid boxes and packaged food are lined up on shelves in the Nassar family house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Aid boxes and packaged food are lined up on shelves in the Nassar family house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Ready for the familys return Youssef Issa returned to his family home in Jabaliya to prepare it ahead of his parents and siblings, who remain in their shelter in central Gaza. He found it in relatively good shape. It was partially damaged by nearby collapsed buildings, but apparently, it was used by Israeli troops as a position at some point in the fighting, so it wasnt bombarded. Issa said he, his cousin and his friends swept out the debris and spent ammunition casings. Youssef Issa, 21, uses fabric to cover a hole in a destroyed wall in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Youssef Issa, 21, uses fabric to cover a hole in a destroyed wall in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Like many houses, his had been scavenged and looted for anything of value. Clothes, blankets and any food left behind was taken. But his flat-screen TV was not touched: Without electricity, it was useless to steal it. But Issa was able to reassemble an almost cozy-looking sitting room. The familys plush purple sofa was still intact. He draped thick red fabric over the hole in the wall behind it. And he arranged the cushions on the sofa just right ready for his familys return. The damaged Odeh house stands amid the devastation in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) The damaged Odeh house stands amid the devastation in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Yousef Odeh, 27, connects a wire to a battery to light up his house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Yousef Odeh, 27, connects a wire to a battery to light up his house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Qasim Al-Najjar, 4, stands inside a classroom in the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people use as shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Qasim Al-Najjar, 4, stands inside a classroom in the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people use as shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Khadra Abu Libda, 59, burns wood to cook food inside a room in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. The family didnt know who spray painted "Hamas" on the wall, or whether the house was used by fighters during the battles. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Khadra Abu Libda, 59, burns wood to cook food inside a room in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 9, 2025. The family didnt know who spray painted "Hamas" on the wall, or whether the house was used by fighters during the battles. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Red fabric is draped over a destroyed wall in the Mossa family home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Red fabric is draped over a destroyed wall in the Mossa family home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Devastation around the Saleh family home is seen through destroyed walls in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 5 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Devastation around the Saleh family home is seen through destroyed walls in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 5 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hanan Okal, 22, feeds her children, Abdul Rahman Al-Najjar, 2, and Qasim Al-Najjar, 4, in a classroom inside the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people use as a shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Hanan Okal, 22, feeds her children, Abdul Rahman Al-Najjar, 2, and Qasim Al-Najjar, 4, in a classroom inside the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people use as a shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Mariam Odeh uses a ladder to exit through a window of her house, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation against Hamas, in the devastated Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mariam Odeh uses a ladder to exit through a window of her house, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation against Hamas, in the devastated Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Mariam Odeh speaks with her husband, Ahmed Odeh, sitting next to a small fire to warm himself in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Mariam Odeh speaks with her husband, Ahmed Odeh, sitting next to a small fire to warm himself in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hanan Okal, 22, prepares tea for her children using an open fire inside a classroom at the Jabaliya Preparatory Girls School in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Hanan Okal, 22, prepares tea for her children using an open fire inside a classroom at the Jabaliya Preparatory Girls School in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Nylon covers holes in the destroyed walls of the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people are using as shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Nylon covers holes in the destroyed walls of the Jabaliya Girls Preparatory School which displaced people are using as shelter in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More ____AP correspondent Lee Keath in Cairo contributed to this report.

In this photo released by Royal Thai Army, more than 250 people from 20 nations who were reportedly rescued from alleged scam centers in Myanmar, as they crossed into Thailand's Tak province on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Royal Thai Army, by Army Spokesperson via AP)2025-02-13T13:25:33Z BANGKOK (AP) Some 260 people believed to have been trafficked and trapped into working in online scam centers are to be repatriated after they were rescued from Myanmar, Thailands army announced Thursday. In a fresh crackdown on scam centers operating from Southeast Asia, the Thai army said it was coordinating an effort to repatriate some 260 people believed to have been victims of human trafficking after they were rescued and sent from Myanmar to Thailand.Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, which share borders with Thailand, have become known as havens for criminal syndicates who are estimated to have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia and elsewhere into helping run online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.Such scams have extracted tens of billions of dollars from victims around the world, according to U.N. experts, while the people recruited to carry them out have often been tricked into taking the jobs under false pretenses and trapped in virtual slavery. An earlier crackdown on scam centers in Myanmar was initiated in late 2023 after China expressed embarrassment and concern over illegal casinos and scam operations in Myanmars northern Shan state along its border. Ethnic guerrilla groups with close ties to Beijing shut down many operations, and an estimated 45,000 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement were repatriated. The army said that those rescued in the most recent operation came from 20 nationalities with significant numbers from Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan and China. There were also nationals of Indonesia, Nepal, Taiwan, Uganda, Laos, Brazil, Burundi, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana and India. They were sent across the border from Myanmars Myawaddy district to Thailands Tak province on Wednesday. Reports in Thai media said a Myanmar ethnic militia that controls the area where they were held, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, was responsible for freeing the workers and taking them to the border. Myanmars military government exercises little control over frontier areas where ethnic minorities predominate. Several ethnic militias are believed to be involved in criminal activities, including drug trafficking and protecting call-center scam operations.The Thai army statement said the rescued people will undergo questioning, and if determined to be victims of human trafficking, will enter a process of protection while waiting to be sent back to their countries.Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also defense minister, said Wednesday that there might be many more scam workers waiting to be repatriated from Myanmar through Thailand, but that Thailand would only receive those that are ready to be taken back right away by their country of origin.Ive made it clear that Thailand is not going to set up another shelter, he told reporters during a visit in Sa Kaeo province, which borders Cambodia. Thailand hosts nine refugee camps along the border holding more than 100,000 people, most from Myanmars ethnic Karen minority. Phumtham added that Thailand would also need to question them before sending them back, first is to make sure that they are victims of human trafficking, and also to get information that would help the police investigate the trafficking and scam problems.On a visit to China in early February, Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed along with Chinas leader Xi Jinping to crack down on the scam networks that plague Southeast Asia.Many dramatic stories of Chinese people being lured to work in Bangkok only to be trafficked into a scam compound in Myanmar have surfaced. Chinese actor Wang Xing was a high-profile case but was quickly rescued after his tale spread on social media.Underlining Beijings concern, Liu Zhongyi, Chinas Vice Minister of Public Security and Commissioner of its Criminal Investigation Bureau, made an official visit to Thailand last month and inspected the border area opposite where many of the Myanmars scam centers are located. Just ahead of Paetongtarns visit to China, the Thai government issued an order to cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar along the border with northern Thailand, citing national security and severe damage that the country has suffered from scam operations. Her government is considering expanding this measure to Thailands northeastern areas bordering Cambodia, said Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Thanathip Sawangsang, who explained that officials had already removed internet cables that were installed illegally in the areas.

Housewife Jimmy Au stands in her kitchen at home in a residential area of Prince Edward district in Hong Kong on Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung)2025-02-14T01:27:56Z HONG KONG (AP) Jimmy Aus world shrinks to about the size of a parking space whenever she gets home. Her cramped Hong Kong home is one of four units carved out of what was once a single apartment. Most of the space is occupied by the bunk bed she shares with her husband and son, and their sleep is often disrupted by neighbors returning late or heading out early. Aus son often gets bruises bumping into things. Privacy is limited, with only a curtain separating the bathroom from the kitchen. Housewife Jimmy Au pulls back a curtain to reveal her toilet at home in a residential area of Prince Edward district in Hong Kong, on Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung) Housewife Jimmy Au pulls back a curtain to reveal her toilet at home in a residential area of Prince Edward district in Hong Kong, on Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More But what troubles Au most about her home is that she might lose it. Hong Kongs government is planning to crack down on what it calls inadequate housing in subdivided apartments, mandating a minimum size and other baseline standards for homes like Aus. A public consultation period ended on Monday, and the government is aiming to pass the rules into law this year. The proposed rules leave many low-income residents like Au uncertain about their future in one of the worlds most expensive housing markets.Au, a homemaker who moved from mainland China nine years ago, said her family pays about $460 a month in rent, about half of the income her husband makes from irregular renovation jobs. Im afraid the rent will get so high we cant afford it, Au said, sitting on the beds lower bunk, surrounded by clothes, a fan and plastic storage drawers. Housing is a sensitive issue in Hong Kong, one of the worlds least affordable cities. Some 7.5 million people live in a small territory thats mostly made up of steep slopes. Just 7%, or 80 square kilometers (30 square miles), of the citys total land is residential. The average price of an apartment of less than 40 square meters (430 square feet) last December ranged from about $13,800 to $16,800 per square meter, depending on the district. A resident adjusts the curtains over a bed at her subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) A resident adjusts the curtains over a bed at her subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Resident Tsang Mei Qin sits at her subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Resident Tsang Mei Qin sits at her subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Beijing, which sees the citys housing problems as a driver of the 2019 anti-government protests, wants the city to phase out subdivided units by 2049. The government is also boosting the public housing supply, aiming to provide 189,000 flats over the next five years. But some 220,000 people rely on subdivided units, including migrants, workers, students and young professionals. Most subdivided homes are not far from the standards, the government said, but an estimated 33,000 units would need major renovations to meet them.The proposed rules would mandate a minimum size of at least eight square meters (86 square feet), a bar the government says it meant to leave room for low-priced housing. Every unit will also need to have a window, a toilet exclusively for the occupants use, and a door to separate the toilet from other parts of the home, among other criteria. Landlords will have a grace period to renovate. After that, violations could lead to up to three years imprisonment and a maximum fine of about $38,500.Security guard Fafa Ching has lived in multiple subdivided flats for over a decade. Her current unit costs about $490 per month and lacks even a bathroom sink, forcing her to collect water from the showerhead with a basin to wash her face. Her home will need renovation to meet proposed requirements for fire safety and separate electricity and water meters. Ching worries that upgraded homes will be too expensive for her.The government has said if necessary, it will offer assistance such as helping affected tenants to find other private accommodation or directly providing temporary shelter. A top official told the citys public broadcaster that transitional housing apartments are ready and assured that large-scale enforcement will happen only when proper resettlement arrangements are available. A toilet and kitchen are located in the same area of a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) A toilet and kitchen are located in the same area of a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Chan Siu-ming, a professor at the City University of Hong Kongs social and behavioral sciences department, welcomed the governments taking steps to set minimum standards, but said its resettlement plans are inadequate. Chan said the impact could be wider than officials expect, and the citys supply of public and transitional housing may not meet needs. Low-income residents may also need help shouldering the cost of moving house, he said. As of last September, the average waiting time for a public flat is five and a half years, but it can take even longer than that. Ching said shes waited for eight years.In an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press, the government said it does not expect significant surges in rent as demand will drop with the increasing public housing supply. It reiterated that the rules will be implemented gradually to avoid causing panic. A resident rests in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) A resident rests in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A resident rests in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) A resident rests in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A resident who gave his name as Chiu watches television at his subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) A resident who gave his name as Chiu watches television at his subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Resident Law Chung-yu sits in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Resident Law Chung-yu sits in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Chan added that some single people may be forced into even smaller dormitory-like bed spaces, which are not covered by the proposed rules. Bed spaces are widely considered to be Hong Kongs worst form of housing partitioned areas in which residents get barely enough space to fit a single bed and some belongings. They are currently regulated under another law, the government said. Sze Lai-shan, the deputy director of the Society for Community Organization, a non-government organization, said some people have already been asked to move out of subdivided homes as landlords anticipate the policy.She suggested the government start registering substandard flats before the legislation comes into force to assess the residents needs and consider expanding the eligibility for transitional housing. She also hoped the policy would eventually cover those living in tiny bed spaces.Its difficult to explain to people that Hong Kong has two sets of housing standards, she said. Resident Law Chung-yu has dinner in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Resident Law Chung-yu has dinner in his bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More In Sham Shui Po, one of the citys poorest districts, bed space resident Law Chung Yu said he doubts that landlords will be able to comply with the rules.Law, who cant work due to a health problem and rents one layer of a bunk bed, pays around $280 in monthly rent for the bed space, about 30% of what he gets from the government subsidies he lives on. He shares a bathroom with neighbors in an apartment infested by lice.Its basically an armchair strategy, I dont see it having much impact in reality, he said. Residential buildings are seen through a window of a bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Residential buildings are seen through a window of a bed space in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Aus never measured her unit, and isnt sure if her unit meets the minimum size. But with her neighboring units falling short of the minimum size requirement, she knows her home would probably be gone too. She hopes the government will help resettle affected households into places that cost the same as their current rent.Her landlord hasnt discussed the issue with her yet. For now, all she can do is wait.Im taking it day by day. Itd be worse if I think about it so much I develop mental problems, she said. KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Ireland Daugherty stands in front of future housing for Libera in Morgantown, W.Va., Thursday, Feb., 6 2025. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)2025-02-14T05:04:13Z CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) After surviving teen homelessness and domestic violence in West Virginia, 23-year-old Ireland Daugherty was finally feeling stable: She had her own apartment, a job and was studying for a four-year degree. Ashley Cain, 36, was celebrating four years of sobriety and working with a nonprofit that trains workers to remediate long-abandoned factories and coal mines into sites for manufacturing and solar projects.Federally funded programs provided both women with a social safety net and employment in one of the nations poorest states, where nonprofits play a vital role in providing basic services like health care, education and economic development.We are a state that heavily, heavily relies on government funding, said Daugherty, who works for an organization that helps young adults transitioning out of the foster care system. And I know thats not something that everyone wants to hear, but its the reality. Two weeks ago, the White House froze spending on federal loans and grants, plunging organizations across the country into uncertainty and creating chaos for nonprofits in the poorest, most rural states, like West Virginia. President Donald Trumps administration rescinded the order, but a federal appeals court found Tuesday that not all federal funding had been restored. West Virginias reliance on federal funds to help address deeply ingrained issues makes it particularly vulnerable to the new administrations sweeping actions in a state where Trump support has run deep since his first presidency. In three elections, he has won every county. West Virginia has the nations highest rate of opioid overdose deaths, kids in foster care, obesity and diabetes and 1 in 4 children lives in poverty. The state also has widespread infrastructure issues, from polluted drinking water to patchy broadband, and was expected to benefit heavily from federal spending packages focused on revitalizing communities. Projects put on hold amid uncertaintyThe organization Cain works for, Coalfield Development, helped leverage almost $700 million for projects tied to Biden administration spending packages, funding 1,000 jobs in West Virginia alone. It supported similar federally funded projects cleaning up abandoned mine sites and setting up solar arrays in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Part of the nonprofits role is to recruit and train the local workforce for projects, which is personal for CEO Jacob Hannah, who comes from three generations of coal miners and saw his father laid off from the mines. Those projects, funded by a mix of federal agencies, are now on pause indefinitely. Hannah said his organization received communications that their awards are under review with limited details.Its been a lot of, how do we figure out how to keep doing our work and not just sit and wait and have a death spiral? he said.In Huntington, West Virginias second largest city, Cain and Hannah toured a former coal train refurbishment factory slated to become a manufacturing hub and business incubation space where workers should have been busy with rewiring, brick and roof repair. Its like everything has culminated to the right point, but theres the starting line, and heres us, Hannah said. We just cant get to it.Cain, who went through a Coalfield Development workforce training herself, said the uncertainty has made the atmosphere at work heavier than usual.Just the awareness of what could happen has really affected peoples attitudes, Cain said. Ive seen that a lot of people that come here, that do face barriers, theyre sometimes hopeless theyre not going to be able to build a better life.In Morgantown, Daugherty was losing sleep because Libera, the nonprofit she works for, hadnt received reimbursement for a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant it uses.Daughtery, who was placed in state care at 16, said lack of support, low self-esteem, trauma and high rates of depression make the transition difficult for many.When the organization didnt receive its scheduled Jan. 31 payment, it had to freeze spending, including for a mental health program serving middle school girls. With the high need in her area, Daughtery said there are executive orders right now that are extremely dangerous to the way of life for West Virginians. Many groups are still in limboThe National Council of Nonprofits CEO and President Diane Yentel said Thursday that some organizations had seen funds restored but many others across the country were still waiting in limbo, and unfortunately, much of the confusion, chaos, and harm that the directive unleashed hasnt ended. The council was among the organizations that sued over Trumps orders.The crisis has forced some organizations into quick spending decisions that could have long-term implications. The Appalachian Center for Independent Living, which provides support to people with disabilities, let staff go, only to rehire them days later when it received a reimbursement. West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition said it spent a decade building trust with sometimes-skeptical farmers by offering technical support and helping them market their products.If that all goes away or if thats all significantly paused, they will lose trust in us, Executive Director Spencer Moss said.Ryan Kelly, executive director of Rural Health Associations in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas, said he thinks the federal freeze was the wrong approach but agrees with what the Trump administration is trying to do.Diving in and trying to find the sources of waste, I think thats a very good thing, he said. When youre making changes, there will be problems that happen. But Im cautiously optimistic that the good will outweigh the bad and there will be some good results coming out of this.Alecia Allen, who runs a therapy practice and grocery store in a low-income neighborhood in West Virginias capital, said lately its felt like she has been dealing with one crisis after another. She didnt receive therapy appointment reimbursements for almost two weeks from Medicaid, which insures the majority of her patients. The delay was unusual, she said. Allen wasnt getting answers from federal agencies about the grants helping her work with farmers to provide local, healthy food to her community at a lower cost. Then a vendor she buys from to stock store shelves said her weekly bill was going up from $500 to $850 because of tariffs. It is a huge step backwards, and it is unfortunate to have to digest every day, she said.

United States Vice-President JD Vance, second left, speaks during a meeting with Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)2025-02-14T05:02:03Z MUNICH (AP) Vice President JD Vance hammered home the U.S. demand that the NATO alliance step up defense spending on Friday, ahead of a security meeting in Europe at a time of intense concern and uncertainty over the Trump administrations foreign policy.The future of Ukraine is the top item on the agenda at the Munich Security Conference following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, when they pledged to work together to end the 3-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict.Vance is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Friday for talks that many observers, particularly in Europe, hope will shed at least some light on Trumps ideas for a negotiated settlement to the war. NATO defense spendingVance started his day in Munich meeting separately with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and British foreign secretary David Lammy. He used the engagements to reiterate the Republican Trump administrations call for NATO members to spend more on defense. Currently, 23 of NATOs 32 member nations are hitting the Western military alliances target of spending 2% of the nations GDP on defense.NATO is a very important military alliance, of course, that were the most significant part of, Vance told Rutte. But we want to make sure that NATO is actually built for the future, and we think a big part of that is ensuring that NATO does a little bit more burden sharing in Europe, so the United States can focus on some of our challenges in East Asia.Rutte said he agreed that Europe needs to step up. We have to grow up in that sense and spend much more, he said. Chernobyl drone strikeHours before Vance and Zelenskyy were set to meet, a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the protective confinement shell of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Kyiv region, the Ukrainian president said. Radiation levels have not increased, Zelenskyy and the U.N. atomic agency said. Zelenskyy in Munich told reporters that he thinks the Chernobyl drone strike is a very clear greeting from Putin and Russian Federation to the security conference.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied Ukraines claims.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was supposed to join Vance and Zelenskyy but was delayed when his Air Force plane had to return to Washington after developing a mechanical problem en route to Munich. He took a different aircraft, but it was unclear whether he would arrive in time for the meeting. Trump, who upended years of steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine during his call with Putin on Wednesday, has been vague about his specific intentions other than suggesting that a deal will likely result in Ukraine being forced to cede territory that Russia has seized since it annexed Crimea in 2014.The Ukraine war has to end, Trump told reporters Thursday. Young people are being killed at levels that nobodys seen since World War II. And its a ridiculous war. Ukraines bid to join NATO Trumps musings have left Europeans in a quandary, wondering how or even if they can maintain the post-WWII security that NATO afforded them or fill the gap in the billions of dollars of security assistance that the Democratic Biden administration provided to Ukraine since Russias February 2022 invasion. Trump has been highly skeptical of that aid and is expected to cut or otherwise limit it as negotiations get underway in the coming days.Both Trump and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week undercut Ukraines hopes of becoming part of NATO, which the alliance said less than a year ago was irreversible, or of getting back its territory captured by Russia, which currently occupies close to 20% including Crimea.I dont see any way that a country in Russias position could allow ... them to join NATO, Trump said Thursday. I dont see that happening.But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Zelenskyy on Friday that Ukraine must be allowed to join NATO.Trump in recent days said he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the countrys rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for Ukraines defense against Russia. He confirmed earlier this week that aides were working toward striking such a deal.Asked Friday if a deal might be completed in Munich, Vance responded, Well see. Possible sanctions against RussiaVance, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, said that the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Putin wont agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyivs long-term independence.The warning that military options remain on the table was striking language from a Trump administration thats repeatedly underscored a desire to quickly end the war. Zelenskyy wont accept agreements made without UkraineThe U.S. reassurances may have somewhat allayed Zelenskyys fears, although they will not replace any lost military or economic support that President Joe Bidens administration had provided.The Ukrainian leader conceded Thursday that it was not very pleasant that Trump spoke first to Putin. But he said the main issue was to not allow everything to go according to Putins plan. We cannot accept it, as an independent country, any agreements (made) without us, Zelenskyy said as he visited a nuclear power plant in western Ukraine.European turning pointThe track Trump is taking also has rocked Europe, much as his dismissive comments about France and Germany did during his first term.French Deputy Foreign Minister Benjamin Haddad described Europe as being at a turning point, with the ground shifting rapidly under its feet, and said Europe must wean itself off its reliance on the United States for its security. He warned that handing a victory to Russia in Ukraine could have repercussions in Asia, too.I think were not sufficiently grasping the extent to which our world is changing. Both our competitors and our allies are busy accelerating, Haddad told broadcaster France Info on Thursday.___Lee reported from Washington and Dazio from Berlin. AP reporters Lolita C. Baldor and Zeke Miller in Washington, John Leicester in Paris and Jill Lawless in London contributed. AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto STEFANIE DAZIO Dazio covers Northern Europe from Berlin for The Associated Press. She previously covered crime and criminal justice from Los Angeles.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a searchlight illuminates a hole in the roof of a damaged sarcophagus, that covers the destroyed 4th reactor of Chernobyl nuclear power plant, following a Russian drone attack in Chernobyl, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)2025-02-14T08:14:47Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) A Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the protective containment shell of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Kyiv region during the night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, but a senior Russian official rejected blame for the strike.Radiation levels at the plant have not increased, Zelenskyy and a U.N. agency said. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strike did not breach the plants inner containment shell.The IAEA did not attribute blame, saying only its team stationed at the site heard an explosion and were informed that a drone had struck the shell.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the Ukrainian claims it was responsible. There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities, any such claim isnt true, our military doesnt do that, Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. It was not possible to independently confirm who was behind the strike.The strike came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war, in a move that seemed to identify Putin as the only player that matters and looked set to sideline Zelenskyy, as well as European governments, in any peace talks. That was more unwelcome news for Ukraine, which is being slowly pushed backward by Russias bigger army along parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line and desperately needs more Western help. Ukraine intends to provide detailed information to U.S. officials about the Chernobyl strike during the Munich Security Conference starting Friday, the head of Ukraines Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, wrote on his Telegram channel.Zelenskyy said that the strike damaged the structure and started a fire, which has been put out. The Ukrainian Emergency Service provided a photograph it said showed a searchlight illuminating a ragged hole in the roof of the damaged sarcophagus. Peskov suggested, without presenting evidence, that Ukrainian officials made the claim about a drone strike because they wanted to thwart efforts to end the war through negotiations between Trump and Putin.Its obvious that there are those (in the Ukrainian government) who will continue to oppose any attempts to launch a negotiation process, and its obvious that those people will do everything to try to derail this process, Peskov said.The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said the Chernobyl strike occurred at 1:50 a.m. local time (2350 GMT). The outer shell that was hit is a protective cover built in 2016 over a heavy concrete containment structure. The inner layer was placed on the plants fourth reactor soon after the 1986 disaster, which was one of the worst accidents in nuclear history. The containment shells seek to prevent radiation leaks.The three-year Russia-Ukraine war has brought repeated warnings of dangers to Ukraines four nuclear plants, especially at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is Europes biggest and one of the 10 largest in the world. IAEA chief Rafael Rossi said on X that the Chernobyl strike and the recent increase in military activity near the Zaporizhzhia plant underline persistent nuclear safety risks, adding that the IAEA remains on high alert.The IAEA said its personnel at the site responded within minutes of the strike, adding there were no casualties.Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable, the IAEA said on X.Zelenskyy claimed on Telegram that the Chernobyl strike showed that Putin is certainly not preparing for negotiations a claim Ukrainian officials have repeatedly made.The only state in the world that can attack such facilities, occupy the territory of nuclear power plants, and conduct hostilities without any regard for the consequences is todays Russia. And this is a terrorist threat to the entire world, he wrote.Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing, he added.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Red Star hens, a hybrid breed that lays large brown eggs, walk around outside their coop at Historic Wagner Farm, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Glenview, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)2025-02-14T06:05:44Z LAS VEGAS (AP) Back when egg prices remained securely under $2 a dozen in 2021, Nevada joined several other states concerned about animal welfare in requiring cage-free eggs.Now four years later, a dozen eggs costs an average of nearly $5 in the U.S. because of the lingering bird flu, so Nevada passed a law the governor signed Thursday that will allow the state to suspend that law temporarily in hopes of getting residents some relief at the checkout counter.But it is not quite that simple, which is why the other six states with the same laws are so far reticent to follow suit.By relaxing the rule, Nevada might get access to additional eggs, but the supply of all eggs remains tight because nearly 159 million birds have been slaughtered since the bird flu outbreak began in 2022 to help limit virus spread. The virus prompts the slaughter of entire flocks anytime it is found. It is not clear dropping cage-free laws will have a significant effect on egg prices that have peaked at an average of $4.95 per dozen because the farmers who collectively invested several billion dollars in making the switch cant easily go back to raising chickens packed together in massive barns that they already spent the money to convert. Even if all the cage-free laws went away, big corporations like McDonalds and Sodexo remain committed to buying only those kind of eggs, ensuring strong demand for cage-free eggs.University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson said opening up Nevada to all kinds of eggs could ease egg prices in Nevada very slightly, but that it might make prices worse elsewhere because supplies are so tight. Nevada tries to counter high egg pricesBut Nevada is going to give it a try even if California, Massachusetts, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan dont seem to be considering it. Arizona, Rhode Island and Utah also have cage-free laws on the books, but theirs wont take effect for at least a couple more years.Democratic Assemblymember Howard Watts III, who raises chickens in his Nevada backyard, advocated for the 2021 bill to promote the standard of humane treatment of the animals. But the ongoing bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has caused egg prices to to hit a record high, and cage-free eggs are generally even more expensive.One of the things that was not foreseen at that time was this major animal disease outbreak, Watts testified Tuesday. As a result, there was no regulatory flexibility to suspend those requirements in the event of a major supply chain disruption.Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo approved the legislation Thursday. Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea is expected to authorize the 120-day suspension of the cage-free egg requirements within a day, according to Goicoecheas spokesperson Ciara Ressel.We anticipate 30 days before we can see an impact at the grocery stores, Ressel said.This months jump in egg prices was the biggest since the nations last bird flu outbreak in 2015. The previous high was set two years ago when eggs were selling for $4.82 per dozen on average. The average prices mask just how bad it is in some places. Some Californians these days are shelling out $12.99 for a dozen, or more than a buck an egg. Some New York shops even started selling bundles of three eggs to help people who cant afford a full dozen.Nevada resident Nancy Wong said she has been outraged by egg prices in the state. We have gone to the store and eggs have been either rationed or completely out, she said.A minority of eggs are produced on cage-free farmsThe concern with the cage-free requirements is that only about 121 million of the 304 million chickens laying eggs nationwide are raised on cage-free farms, so the supply is limited. Many of the eggs those hens produce are promised to restaurant chains like McDonalds and Panera, food service giants like Sodexo and Aramark and grocers under long-term contracts that help keep prices down. But even when they do have to pay a premium, grocers sometimes lose money on eggs by selling them cheaply to try to get shoppers in the door. The number of cage-free chickens has steadily increased in recent years because of the laws and the pressure from the companies buying eggs, increasing exponentially from just 38 million at the start of 2017. But the United Egg Producers trade group has estimated it would take at least 226 million cage-free hens to meet all the demand for those eggs, and more customers are clamoring for them, so the supply is tight.The total flock of chickens nationwide used to number above 330 million before the bird flu outbreak began.Even as more egg farmers were converting to cage-free setups over the past decade, prices stayed between $1.40 and $2 per dozen most of the time with only the normal seasonal price spikes around Easter and Thanksgiving until this current bird flu outbreak began in early 2022. If bird flu outbreaks happen to hit cage-free farms hard, there are fewer eggs out there that can replace the lost ones. For example, out of the nearly 47 million birds slaughtered just since the start of December, more than 3 million of them were on five cage-free farms in California. Anytime birds must be killed, it takes months for a farm to resume producing eggs because of the time required to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize the barns and raise new chickens until they are about 5 months old and capable of laying eggs.Other states resist overturning cage-free lawsCalifornia wont consider dropping its cage-free law in part because the rule came from a measure voters passed in 2018, so voters would have to approve any major changes. But there doesnt seem to be much support for changes in other states either.Michigan state Rep. Jerry Neyer, a dairy farmer and chair of the state House Agriculture Committee, said the idea that new cage-free laws are driving up egg prices is a misconception. The Republican added that most farms already adapted to comply with the law, so dropping the mandate wouldnt cut costs.A bill to repeal Colorados cage-free requirements, which just took effect on Jan. 1, was killed in its first committee vote last month. The sponsor, Republican state Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, argued that while the avian flu was a major factor in prices, the cage-free rules played a significant role. But the majority of lawmakers on the panel appeared skeptical.Jonathan Kuester, who runs the small Historic Wagner Farm with about 200 Red Star hens in Illinois just outside Chicago, said he doesnt think cage-free practices are the cause of the egg shortages.He acknowledged his farm is more vulnerable to a bird flu infection than a traditional farm where chickens are confined inside a barn that can be better protected. Kuesters birds roam free, where they might interact with ducks and geese that are the main carriers of the disease.The egg shortage that people are seeing is a result of some fairly large flocks being euthanized, and so fewer chickens are currently laying than were three or four months ago, Kuester said. Theres been a little bit of a panic, too. People are suddenly buying eggs as quickly as they can, and so you see that shortage.___Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Govindarao reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Sophie Austin, Joey Cappelletti, Michael Casey, Isabella Volmert, Jesse Bedayn, Erin Hooley and Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers all the major freight railroads including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National and CPKC. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and has been attending Buffetts Woodstock for Capitalists annual meeting every spring in Omaha, Nebraska, for 19 years. twitter mailto SEJAL GOVINDARAO Govindarao covers Arizona government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Phoenix. twitter mailto

A road is covered in mud in the Eaton Fire zone during a storm Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)2025-02-14T06:42:35Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Southern California faces the continued risk of rock and mudslides on wildfire-scarred hillsides Friday, a day after heavy rains sent debris across several roadways, including the Pacific Coast Highway, where a fire department vehicle was pushed into the ocean.The storm hitting the region began to ease Thursday night, but dangerous slides can strike even after rain stops, particularly in scorched areas where vegetation that helps keep soil anchored has burned away.One member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was in the vehicle when it went into the water in Malibu and was able to exit with minor injuries, department spokesperson Erik Scott said on the social platform X. In Pacific Palisades on Thursday, one intersection of the highway was submerged in at least 3 feet (0.9 meters) of sludge, with some drivers trying to force their way through and police officers pushing one vehicle through the muck. Bulldozers worked to clear the roads not far from where just weeks ago they moved abandoned cars after people fleeing last months wildfires got stuck in traffic and fled on foot. In north Altadena, a road near the Eaton Fire burn scar was also covered in several feet of mud, vegetation and trees as a flood of water overcame concrete blocks put in place to prevent such debris flows. The area was mostly deserted. To the north, snow and ice contributed to major pileups on highways in Oregon and Washington, injuring at least 10 people, as a winter storm descended on the Pacific Northwest.The West Coast storms are just the latest in a week of bad weather across the U.S. that cut power to tens of thousands. Too much rain too quickly in California?As the downpour intensified Thursday, the National Weather Service issued flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings for a swath of eastern Los Angeles County. The rain caused a rockslide and pushed mud onto the road in Malibu Canyon, and a large debris flow left about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of mud across a road in the Hollywood Hills.Southern California reported 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of rain in coastal areas and valleys and 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) across the coastal slopes on Thursday, according to the weather service.More than 30,000 people in California were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued in areas where hillsides were scarred by the Palisades Fire, the most destructive in LA history. In addition to burning the vegetation that keeps soil in place, the fires also added loose debris to the landscape, including ash, soil and rocks. Ahead of the storm, officials distributed sandbags, positioned rescue swimmers and told residents to have go-bags ready. Sandbags and temporary concrete barriers were in place across Altadena, where the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes. Despite recent storms, much of Southern California remains in extreme or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that while the area is desperate for rain, this storm might bring too much too quickly. In Altadena, Mehran Daoudian prepared by laying tarp over a hole in his homes roof where fire burned through it last month. Daoudian said he was grateful that city workers arranged sandbags and concrete barriers in his neighborhood over the past few weeks.I did not leave the cars on the street because with the mudslide, (they) might go down, he said.Near the burn scar for the Airport Fire in Orange County, Trabuco Canyon Road was overtaken by mud and debris, Orange County Public Works posted on social media.In the San Francisco Bay Area, there were blackouts, small landslides and inundated roadways. Authorities urged people to evacuate Felton Grove, a small community along the central coast, as the San Lorenzo River threatened to top its banks. In neighboring Nevada, the weather service said it recorded a measurable amount of rain in Las Vegas, ending a streak of 214 days without precipitation.And in northern Utah, rain and snow created dangerous conditions on mountain roads leading to ski resorts. The state Department of Transportation issued a road safety alert warning of a mix of heavy snow and rain through Friday. Pacific Northwest ice storm First responders searched every vehicle in a pileup Thursday near Multnomah Falls, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Portland, Oregon, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office said. The office initially said more than 100 cars were involved, but the state transportation department later said the number was 20 to 30 vehicles. Oregon State Police said four people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.The pileup happened during near-whiteout conditions in the westbound lanes of Interstate 84, authorities said. An SUV caught fire, but its occupants escaped. Multnomah County officials extended a state of emergency through at least Friday and said eight shelters would be open. Officials said 489 people went to the shelters Wednesday night. Wind chills could dip to 10 degrees (minus 12 Celsius) in Portland, the weather service said. In southern Washington, six people were taken to hospitals with injuries in another pileup of 22 vehicles on Interstate 5 near the Cowlitz River, state patrol spokesperson Will Finn said. There were 95 crashes Thursday in five counties in the states southwest.___Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine. Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. contributed. PATRICK WHITTLE Whittle is an Associated Press reporter based in Portland, Maine. He focuses on the environment and oceans. twitter mailto

Markus Soeder, Prime Minister of Bavaria, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Dieter Reiter (SPD),Mayor of Munich, from right, bring flowers to the site where a car crashed into a Ver.di demonstration the day before, Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)2025-02-14T10:58:07Z MUNICH (AP) The suspect in the car-ramming attack in Munich that left more than 30 people injured appears to have had an Islamic extremist motive, but theres no evidence that he was involved with any radical network, authorities said Friday.The 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016 and lived in Munich, was arrested after driving his Mini Cooper into the back of a labor union demonstration in the Bavarian city on Thursday. Police officers pulled him out of the car after firing a shot at the vehicle, which didnt hit him, and arrested him.It was the fifth in a series of attacks involving immigrants over the past nine months that have pushed migration to the forefront of the campaign for Germanys Feb. 23 election.Prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said that the suspect said Allahu Akbar, or God is great, to police and then prayed after his arrest which prompted a department that investigates extremism and terror to take on the case immediately. In questioning, he admitted deliberately driving into the demonstration and gave an explanation that I would summarize as religious motivation, Tilmann said. She didnt give details, but added: According to all we know at the moment, I would venture to speak of an Islamist motivation. However, there were no indications the suspect was in any Islamic extremist organization, she added. He posted content with religious references such as Allah, protect us always on social media, where he described himself as a bodybuilder and fitness model, Tilmann said.The deputy head of Bavarias state criminal police office, Guido Limmer, said investigators found a chat, apparently with relatives, in which the suspect wrote perhaps I wont be there anymore tomorrow, but so far they have found nothing that points to concrete preparations for the attack or anyone else being involved. The man had no previous convictions and had a valid residence permit, although his asylum application had been rejected. He had jobs, including as a store detective. Tilmann said there was no indication of mental illness.Police said that they know of 36 people who were injured in the attack, two of them very seriously and eight seriously. Tilmann said the suspect is under investigation on 36 counts of attempted murder as well as bodily harm and dangerous interference with road traffic.Well-wishers laid flowers and lit candles near the site of the attack. Im speechless, said Anna Zagkoti, 37. We had too many other cases like this in other German cities. For me its really sad and it cant continue. Politicians have to do something and we as society as well. We have to stand together and fight it.German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier laid a flower at the scene Friday morning. He condemned the brutality of this act and said that it leaves us stunned.The attack happened a day before the opening of the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials that is accompanied by heavy security. U.S. Vice President JD Vance offered his condolences at the start of a bilateral meeting with Steinmeier on the sidelines of the event. " We wish the government the best as you recover and try to care for the victims and families, he said.Moulson reported from Berlin. Daniel Niemann and Aamer Madhani in Munich contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Pope Francis meets with Czech Republic's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, at The Vatican Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)2025-02-14T10:07:09Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis was hospitalized Friday to treat a weeklong bout of bronchitis and undergo some necessary diagnostic tests, the Vatican said, confirming the latest issues with the 88-year-olds pontiffs health.Francis was diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday, but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite. He attended his general audience Wednesday and even presided at an outdoor Mass on Sunday. But he had handed off his speeches for an aide to read aloud, saying he was having trouble breathing. On Friday, he appeared bloated and pale during the handful of audiences he held before going to the hospital. The bloating is an indication the medication he is taking to treat the lung infection is making him retain water.Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has long battled health problems, especially bouts of acute bronchitis in winter. He uses a wheelchair, walker or cane when moving around his apartment and recently fell twice, hurting his arm and chin. Francis was hospitalized at Romes Gemelli hospital, where he was last admitted in June 2023 to have surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in the abdominal wall. A few months before that, he spent three days in the hospital to receive intravenous antibiotics for a respiratory infection. A Vatican statement said Francis would be admitted after his Friday audiences. In addition to regular Vatican officials, the pope met Friday morning with the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, and the head of CNN, Mark Thompson. This morning, at the end of the audiences, Pope Francis will be admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue in a hospital setting treatment for bronchitis that is still ongoing, the statement said.The Vatican didnt provide details of the duration of Francis hospitalization or what would come of his scheduled events. He has a busy weekend agenda with another special Holy Year event planned, this time honoring artists. On the calendar is an audience with artists Saturday, a Mass on Sunday and a trip to Romes famed Cinecitta studios on Monday. The Vatican announcement, delivered ahead of Francis hospitalization, came in sharp contrast to the 2023 hospitalization for bronchitis that caused confusion.Initially, the Vatican had said he had gone in for scheduled tests, but the pontiff later revealed he had felt pain in his chest and was rushed to the hospital where bronchitis was diagnosed. He was put on intravenous antibiotics and was released April 1, quipping as he left that he was still alive.Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing. He credited his personal nurse then with saving his life for having insisted he get the problem checked out.It wasnt the first time he credited a nurse with saving his life. Francis recounted his near-death experience with his youthful lung infection in his recent autobiography Hope, in which he credited his survival to a nurse, an Italian nun named Sister Cornelia Caraglio. She was an experienced, cultured woman who had worked as a teacher in Greece, and she quickly realized the seriousness of my situation: She called the specialist, who drained one and a half liters of fluid from my lungs. It began a slow and unsteady climb back from the brink between life and death, he recalled. It was she who, after the doctor prescribed a certain dose of penicillin and streptomycin, ordered that it be doubled, he recalled.She had intuition and practical experience, and certainly no lack of courage, he recalled. My companions came from the seminary to visit me; some also gave me their blood for transfusions. Gradually the fevers decided to leave me, and the light began to return.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Francis starts reading his speech during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)2025-02-14T11:14:28Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis was being hospitalized Friday for the fourth time since he was elected pope in 2013, after he was diagnosed with bronchitis last week. Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man and has recurring bouts of bronchitis, especially in winter.The 88-year-old pontiff has had a series of other health problems, too. In addition to having had a large chunk of his large intestine removed in 2021, he now uses a wheelchair, cane or walker because of strained knee ligaments.Francis has a personal physician, Dr. Roberto Bernabei, who is an internist and geriatric specialist at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. He also has a personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, an employee of the Vatican health system whom Francis credited with saving his life when Strappetti diagnosed the 2021 intestinal problem. In 2022, Francis named Strappetti his personal health care assistant. Strappetti and Bernabei usually join Francis on his foreign trips.Heres a look at the health of the pontiff.1957: In his native Argentina, Francis, then in his early 20s, suffered from a severe respiratory infection that forced doctors to remove part of one lung. He later recalled that a nurse saved his life at the time, deciding to double the amount of drugs he had been given. July 4-14, 2021: Francis spent 10 days in Gemelli hospital in Rome for what the Vatican said was a narrowing of the large intestine. Doctors removed 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon. Francis emerged, saying he could eat whatever he wants, but lamenting he didnt respond well to general anesthesia. Jan. 24, 2023: Francis told The Associated Press that the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery had returned but was under control.March 29-April 1, 2023: Francis spent three days at Gemelli with a respiratory infection after feeling a sharp pain in his chest and having trouble breathing. Doctors diagnosed an acute bronchitis and treated him with intravenous antibiotics. June 6, 2023: Francis underwent unspecified medical checks at Gemelli before returning to the Vatican.June 7, 2023: Francis underwent abdominal surgery to remove scar tissue and repair an abdominal hernia. He was released nine days later. Feb. 14, 2025: Francis returned to Gemelli for treatment of bronchitis and further diagnostic tests, the Vatican said.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, center left, waves as he is escorted by Hamas fighters to be handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, Saturday Feb.1, 2025.(AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar, File)2025-02-14T13:46:23Z RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) After 484 days of captivity in Gaza, Keith Siegel had many questions. Was his 97-year-old mother still alive? Which of his neighbors was killed in Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack? Why did it take so long to free him?With minimal access to media, the dual American-Israeli citizen only learned months after he was captured that his son had survived the attack that launched the war in Gaza. He had heard that his family and others were advocating for hostages freedom. But beyond that, he knew very little about life outside his confines in Gaza. He really wanted to know everything as soon as possible, just to put all the question marks away and to know what happened, said his daughter, Elan Siegel. Hamas fighters deploy at the site of the hand over of American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, to the Red Cross in Gaza City, Saturday Feb.1, 2025.(AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar) Hamas fighters deploy at the site of the hand over of American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, to the Red Cross in Gaza City, Saturday Feb.1, 2025.(AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Hostages freed as part of a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza are confronting a flood of information about loved ones and destroyed communities, and are still figuring out their place in a changed world. Their families are grappling with how to fill them in on what they missed without potentially deepening their trauma.Experts say it is important to be cautious.The information is definitely traumatic so you have to really be sensitive, careful and monitor the pace in which you expose the information, said Einat Yehene, who heads the rehabilitation division at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Israeli captive Eli Sharabi, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Israeli captive Eli Sharabi, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Paraded by Hamas, then by shattered realityFor many freed captives, catching up has been excruciating.Eli Sharabi, 52, had no exposure to media during his 16-month ordeal, according to his brother, Sharon Sharabi. Forced to speak at a staged Hamas ceremony before his release, a gaunt Sharabi told a crowd of masked militants and journalists that he was looking forward to seeing his wife and two teenage daughters back in Israel.Then he learned the crushing reality shortly after his arrival in Israel: all three had been killed at home during the Oct. 7 attack.Beyond the emotional burden and difficult experiences he faced in captivity, he had to bear this horrible loss on the first day that he left from there, his brother told Israeli Army Radio. Family of Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, whose wife and two daughters were killed on Oct. 7 attack, react as they watch the live broadcast of him being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Family of Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi, whose wife and two daughters were killed on Oct. 7 attack, react as they watch the live broadcast of him being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Or Levy, 34, was dealt a similar blow upon being freed. That is when he learned that his wife, Einav, was killed on Oct. 7. For 491 days, he held onto hope that he would return to her, his brother, Michael Levy, told reporters.Levy was reunited with his young son, who hit key developmental milestones, like being potty trained, while his father was in captivity. It took you a long time to come back, the 3-year-old told his father, according to Israeli media. Palestinians gather as Hamas fighters escort Red Cross vehicles carrying Israeli captives Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, after being handed over in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Palestinians gather as Hamas fighters escort Red Cross vehicles carrying Israeli captives Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, after being handed over in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Facing uncertainty even after being freed The first person Keith Siegel asked about upon returning home was his mother, Gladys. When his wifes eyes welled up, he immediately understood she had died, his daughter recounted.Siegel picked up some information about his family while in captivity. Months into the war, he heard his daughter on the radio, speaking about how his son had survived Hamas attack. Other freed hostages have also reported hearing messages from their families through the news media. Yarden Bibas, who was freed earlier this month, was told by his captors that his wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were dead. But he was also told they were spotted in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media. Now that he is out, he still lacks clarity. They remain in Gaza, and the Israeli government has said it has serious concern for their lives. Israeli Yarden Bibas, 34, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. Photo/Abdel Kareem) Israeli Yarden Bibas, 34, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. Photo/Abdel Kareem) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Yifat Zailer shows photos of her cousin, Shiri Bibas, center, her husband Yarden, left, and their children Ariel, top right, and Kfir, who are held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, at home in Herziliyya, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Kfir was an infant when they were captured and is now marking his second birthday. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Yifat Zailer shows photos of her cousin, Shiri Bibas, center, her husband Yarden, left, and their children Ariel, top right, and Kfir, who are held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, at home in Herziliyya, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Kfir was an infant when they were captured and is now marking his second birthday. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Demonstrators hold portraits of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip as a video featuring Kfir Bibas, who, along with his parents Shiri and Yarden Bibas, and his brother Ariel, is still being held hostage in Gaza, plays behind them during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Demonstrators hold portraits of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip as a video featuring Kfir Bibas, who, along with his parents Shiri and Yarden Bibas, and his brother Ariel, is still being held hostage in Gaza, plays behind them during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More A relentless need to know moreBeyond their personal lives, freed hostages are also taking in more than a years worth of world events: President Donald Trump is back in the White House; Israel and Iran engaged in their first direct attacks; Israel killed the longtime chief of the militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.Keith Siegels family is sharing information sparingly, as one might with a child. You answer only what he asks and not more than that, his daughter, Elan, said.But the questions are relentless. Siegel wanted to know what happened to his community of Kfar Aza. Was anyone watering the plants? Who was killed in Hamas attack?We asked him if hes sure that hes ready. And he said yes, that he just wants to know. So I read him the list of 64 people who were killed, his daughter said. She said his reaction to the news has been muted because its almost like he forgot how to feel while in captivity. People react at the so-called hostages square as they watch the release of hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, live on a television screen in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) People react at the so-called hostages square as they watch the release of hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, live on a television screen in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Siegels photo has been a mainstay at protests and on banners highlighting the plight of hostages, making him recognizable across Israel. Ahead of his release, dozens of Israelis posted videos of themselves on social media making his favorite pancake recipe. Siegels wife, Aviva, who was freed from captivity in the early weeks of the war, prepared a book for him that includes notes from the important figures she had lobbied on his behalf from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to former U.S. President Joe Biden. Siegel was especially befuddled by the revelation that world leaders knew about his captivity.His daughter, Elan, recalled him saying: If they knew, how can it be that I was there for so long? 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

U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 takes off to perform on the fourth day of the Aero India 2025, a biennial event, at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)2025-02-14T11:33:03Z SRINAGAR, India (AP) There was guarded optimism among military experts in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump outlined plans to ramp up sales of defense systems to New Delhi, including F-35 stealth fighter jets, to deepen the U.S.-India strategic relationship.Defense sector is a big money, and India happens to be one of the top buyers in the world, said Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia, Indias director-general for military operations from 2012 to 2014. As long as we buy, Trump will be happy but its surely going to expand our conventional deterrence.The meeting signaled that defense diplomacy is the core of diplomacy these days, Bhatia said.In a joint statement at the White House, the two leaders announced plans to sign a new 10-year framework later this year for the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership. Modi and Trump pledged to elevate military cooperation across all domains air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace through enhanced training, exercises, and operations, incorporating the latest technologies, the statement said.The leaders also committed to break new ground to support and sustain the overseas deployments of the U.S. and Indian militaries in the Indo-Pacific, including enhanced logistics and intelligence sharing, the statement said. While Indian military experts have long sought to diversify national defense procurements, analysts say it will take years to reduce New Delhis dependency on Russian arms, even with expanded defense cooperation with the U.S. Raja Mohan, an analyst at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, said expansion in defense cooperation would take time. What India wants is coproduction and more research and development in India. Its a long-term project, he said.It is difficult for India to remain dependent on Russia for defense equipment owing to difficulties obtaining parts and upgrades. However, a deal with the U.S. for F-35 stealth fighter jets will not fill Indias immediate need for more than 100 aircraft, said Rahul Bedi, an independent defense analyst based in India. They are not going to come tomorrow, Bedi said. Its going to take several years to start arriving, he added.As its geostrategic competition with China has grown manifold in recent years, India has diversified defense acquisitions from the U.S., Israel and France while seeking to move toward self-reliance in this sector. But New Delhi is still far from getting over its dependence on supplies and spare parts from Russia that makes up to 60% of Indian defense equipment.With vast borders and protracted border conflicts with neighboring countries Pakistan and China, India also relies hugely on Moscow for military upgrades and modernization.India faces threats from China and Pakistan, and a threat from collaborative Pakistan-China. We need technologically capable systems to counter these threats and one country that can give such systems is America, said Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who from 2014 to 2016 headed the Indian militarys Northern Command. Chinas rise as a global power also has pushed India closer to the U.S. and to the Quad, a new Indo-Pacific strategic alliance among the U.S., India, Australia and Japan. The growing strategic alliance accuses China of economic coercion and military maneuvering in the region, upsetting the status quo, and has ruffled feathers in Beijing, which sees the relationship as a counterweight against Chinas rise.Indian fears of Chinese territorial expansion are bolstered by the growing presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean and Beijings efforts to strengthen ties with not only Pakistan but also Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.The major threat is from China which is outstripping Indias capability, Hooda said.In the early 1990s, about 70% of Indian army weapons, 80% of its air force systems and 85% of its navy platforms were of Soviet origin. From 2016 to 2020, Russia accounted for nearly 49% of Indias defense imports while French and Israeli shares were 18% and 13%, respectively, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Major Indian purchases from the U.S. included long-range maritime patrol aircraft, C-130 transport aircraft, missiles and drones.The defense sales also can potentially offset the trade deficit between the two countries, Hooda said.Its a win-win for all. America will get more business, and well get modern weapons, Hooda said. It will also help to ease pressure on the tariff issue and trade deficit.___Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report. AIJAZ HUSSAIN Hussain is a senior reporter for The Associated Press covering the Kashmir conflict, Indian politics and strategic affairs, and climate. He has worked for the AP for nearly two decades. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A snowy owl named Ghost eats a frozen rat at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center on Feb. 6, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. The center is among animal shelters and zoos around the country providing cathartic avenues for the scorned to get a little revenge on Valentine's Day. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)2025-02-13T06:05:58Z ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Feel like dissing instead of kissing your former lover this Valentines Day? Think your ex is more like a rat than a prince? Do you believe your former paramour should never procreate?Animal shelters and zoos around the country are encouraging little cathartic avenues for revenge this holiday and raising money for a cause with a slew of darkly funny fundraisers for those missed by Cupids arrow.Options include naming a feral cat after your old flame before its neutered or giving rodents or cockroaches your love bugs name before feeding them to bigger animals. The Minnesota Zoos campaign to name a bug after either a friend or a foe has attracted donors from across the world.Teri Scott of Poulsbo, Washington, said she was bombarded on social media with the anti-love campaigns, including naming a hissing cockroach after an ex. She said she couldnt bring herself to name a bug thats so hard to get rid of after her former husband, fearing that it could be an omen shed never shake him despite the court costs she paid.Then she ran across a promotion for the Love Hurts fundraiser at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage, Alaska. She ponied up $100 to name a frozen dead rat after her ex, and it will now be fed to a resident raptor at the facility. A hedgehog is shown May 17, 2024, eating a bug at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. (Minnesota Zoo via AP) A hedgehog is shown May 17, 2024, eating a bug at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. (Minnesota Zoo via AP) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Scott, who is celebrating her first anniversary as a newly single woman, views the donation as a gift to herself. You never enter a relationship thinking its going to end, but when it does its just hurtful, she said. I just thought, I need to do something a little bit special for myself.She laughed out loud when she saw the Love Hurts posting. It just seemed like a beautiful way to give back, she said.We do this in good fun, said Laura Atwood, the centers executive director. The money raised helps the facility pay salaries and care for birds the nonprofit rehabilitated 580 of them last year. Just over $18,000 had been raised by the time the campaign closed Wednesday. So many rats more than 130 were purchased for the campaign, the center ran out of supplies until another batch of frozen rodents arrived Wednesday, People are sometimes hurt by a relationship, and this just gives them a little cathartic way to maybe work something out, Atwood said, adding that they dont publicize last names.The videos of raptors like Ghost, a snowy owl that swallows the rat whole, or a peregrine falcon named Breland, which keeps one talon on the rodent and pecks away at it until its gone, will be emailed to donors. Breland, a peregrine falcon, eats a frozen rat at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center on Feb. 6, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) Breland, a peregrine falcon, eats a frozen rat at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center on Feb. 6, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Theres also a cheaper option: People can pay $10 to name a mealworm after their ex before its fed to a crow or a magpie, and a video will be posted on social media. The Memphis Zoo in Tennessee gives you two options one for your lover and the other for a nemesis, each for $10, in its Dating or Dumping campaign. If youre happily coupled, you can get a digital card and a family-friendly video of a red panda eating a grape to share. But for those harboring a grudge, along with your card, youll get a video of an elephant pooping signed with the words Scent with Love. After Valentines Day, the zoo will post a recap video showing the names of people memorialized in a video and will list the names that popped up the most for both daters and those earning a stinky shout-out.This is the most incredible thing, said Caleigh Johnson, who is campaigning for her ex-boyfriend to be at the top of the smelly list by encouraging her friends to give to the fundraiser. Im hoping that a few people will come through.Johnson doesnt talk to her ex anymore; instead, the video will be a treat for her friends to laugh at as they celebrate Galentines Day. MARK THIESSEN Thiessen is an Associated Press all-formats reporter based in Anchorage, Alaska. He covers Alaska Native issues and other general assignments. twitter mailto

Some auspicious Neapolitan horns are displayed inside Italian sculptor Lello Esposito's art gallery in Naples, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Giada Zampano)2025-02-14T02:01:32Z NAPLES, Italy (AP) Food, music and culture have made the Italian southern city of Naples famous around the globe. But theres another Neapolitan tradition that fascinates locals and visitors alike: the cornicello, an iconic symbol of prosperity, love and fortune that has become a popular present among lovers on Valentines Day.The Neapolitan cornicello, a small horn-shaped amulet, represents good luck and protection against the evil eye, and is associated with fertility and strength, while its red, intense color is considered a powerful antidote against negative energies.As with any self-respecting superstition, the power of the Neapolitan horn, to be effective, must meticulously follow some rules. The most important one is that it must be a gift, and that is why, over the years, it has become a popular present that lovers exchange on Valentines Day, often decorated with little hearts. Its ancient origins date back to Greek and Roman mythology, as it reproduces the phallic shape and red color in a reference to Priapus, the god of male fertility.Neapolitan artisans meticulously handcraft cornicelli in red coral, terracotta and even gold or silver. But a key element of the tradition is that cornicello must be porous, enabling it to absorb all the negative energies, protecting friends and loved ones. The authentic cornicello has to be handmade in Naples, says Delia DAlessandro, 30, founder of Cosmos, a tiny workshop producing the lucky charms in the heart of San Gregorio Armeno Naples narrow lane known for its pastori, or nativity-scene figurines. DAlessandro and her sister Serena carry on the craft learned from their parents Vicenzo and Rosaria and now run the family business in the citys historical center.Its a beautiful way to continue the family tradition and contribute to the city we love, Serena said, as she paints terracotta horns crafted by a team of young artisans. Deeply entrenched in Naples cultural roots, the red horn becomes a powerful symbol in the creations of Neapolitan sculptor and painter Lello Esposito.Esposito, 67, started his long international career from the popular streets of Naples as a young artist, selling his handmade puppets of Pulcinella, the famous character of Neapolitan commedia dellarte.This is the original horn that has inspired the ones in the bottegas around the city, he said, gesturing toward a giant red-horn sculpture that dominates his atelier at Scuderie Sansevero, a majestic palace in Naples historic center.Its red because thats the color of passion, said Esposito, who has focused his research on the relation between contemporary art and popular tradition.If we think about Pompeii, we think of Pompeiian phalluses. These penises were displayed in the little shops around the city. So, the horn is an ancient symbol going back over 2,000 years, he adds.Espositos creations, inspired by Naples iconic symbols, have traveled the world, with one of his giant horns exhibited recently at the Bangkok Art Biennale.

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss Apple's iCloud, Wikipedia is a miracle of humankind, and good soup.JASON:After our relatively unhinged BTBs last week, many of you left extremely nice comments, reached out individually, or otherwise gave us encouragement. You all are the best, and it made us feel very good. Thank you!This week, I wrote about what the Wikimedia Foundation is doing to prepare itself for attacks from well-funded people who have decided to wage a harassment and legal war on Wikipedia editors. I am not going to rehash why people want to attack Wikipedia because its done very well in this article by Molly White, but boils down essentially to: Wikipedia is not that easily manipulated, it does not shy away from the truth, and its distributed, global nature makes it quite resilient.