President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-05T13:10:05Z President Donald Trumps stunning proposal to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles.The Palestinians and many others view such plans as ethnic cleansing, an attempt to drive them from their homeland after Israels 15-month offensive against Hamas rendered much of it uninhabitable. It was also seen as an attempt to liquidate their decades-long struggle for a state, which has wide international support.Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan close U.S. allies at peace with Israel have condemned such plans and roundly rejected Trumps suggestion that they take in more Palestinian refugees. Saudi Arabia issued a rare overnight statement rejecting the idea of transfer and reiterating that it wont normalize relations with Israel a key goal of the Trump administration without the establishment of a Palestinian state including Gaza.The proposal also risks undermining the ceasefire in Gaza and the continued release of hostages taken in Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Trump has claimed credit for brokering the truce, but its future is now more uncertain. The Palestinians dont want to leavePalestinians view Gaza as an integral part of their national homeland and aspire to an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.Most of Gazas population are descendants of refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out of what is now Israel. They were not allowed to return because they would have outnumbered the new states Jewish population. The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, suggested that if Trumps goal is to send the Palestinians to a happy, nice place, they should return to their ancestral homes in Israel. The ideal of remaining on ones land despite threats of expulsion is at the heart of the Palestinians struggle and self-identity, and was on vivid display last week when hundreds of thousands returned to northern Gaza despite its near-total destruction.Both Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security, have vehemently condemned Trumps proposal.Arab countries will not accept Palestinian refugeesEgypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago, have repeatedly rejected previous proposals to resettle Palestinians within their borders.They too fear that Israel would never allow the Palestinians to return, and that a mass influx of Palestinian refugees would once again destabilize the region, as it did in the decades after 1948, when it was a key factor in Lebanons civil war and Israels two invasions of that country. Both countries also have struggling economies that would have a hard time absorbing large numbers of refugees.Trump suggested that wealthy Gulf countries could pay to resettle the Palestinians, but that appears unlikely.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting any transfer plans, and the Saudis repudiated the plan almost immediately. The Saudi statement reiterated remarks made in September by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said Saudi Arabia would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.The kingdom said its unwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises.Trump has leverage, but so do Mideast leadersTrump seems to relish using tariffs, sanctions and aid cutoffs to pressure allies and adversaries alike, and could apply economic pressure on countries like Egypt and Jordan, which have long relied on American aid.But those countries have levers of their own in the face of what they see as a major threat to their national security. And wealthy Gulf countries, which have also historically provided aid to Egypt and Jordan, could help cushion any economic blow.Egypt has already warned that any mass transfer of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula bordering Gaza could undermine its peace treaty with Israel a cornerstone of regional stability and American influence for nearly a half-century.Egypt and Qatar have also served as key mediators with Hamas in the talks that led to the ceasefire, and both are working with Trumps Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to try to extend it. Israelis welcome the plan, but hostages are a priorityThe idea of mass transfer has historically been confined to the far-right in Israel, but on Wednesday, mainstream leaders said Trumps plan was worth considering.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the press conference with Trump, acknowledged that jaws drop when the U.S. president proposes unorthodox ideas, but then people scratch their heads and they say, You know, hes right.Benny Gantz, a centrist politician and former general long seen as a more moderate alternative to Netanyahu, said Trumps proposal showed creative, original and intriguing thinking, and should be studied alongside other war goals, prioritizing the return of all the hostages. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, a fierce critic of Netanyahu who has voiced support for a two-state solution in the past, did not object to the idea. Instead, he said in an interview with local media that it was too early to react to Trumps proposal since there are no concrete details, and that returning the hostages was most important. The current phase of the Gaza ceasefire, in which Hamas is to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ends in early March. The second phase, in which the remaining 60 or so hostages would be freed in exchange for more prisoners, is being negotiated.Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal which would likely preclude any forcible transfer.Israels far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who supports what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of large numbers of Palestinians and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, has threatened to leave Netanyahus coalition if he doesnt resume the war after the first phase, which would likely lead to early elections. He welcomed Trumps proposal.The resumption of the war would put the remaining hostages lives at risk, and theres no guarantee it would eliminate Hamas, which still controls most of Gaza. It would also undo what Trump has portrayed as a major accomplishment and further delay any normalization with Saudi Arabia.An opening gambit?Theres another possibility: That Trumps proposal is an opening gambit in a bargaining process aimed at eventually securing the kind of Middle East mega-deal he says he is seeking.It was only last week that Trump was threatening major tariffs against Canada and Mexico, Americas two biggest trading partners, before putting them on hold after their leaders took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. During his first term, Trump flirted with the possibility of Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank before the idea was shelved as part of a normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates.Trump could ultimately pare down his proposal or put it on hold in exchange for concessions from Arab leaders, perhaps on Gazas reconstruction or on normalization with Israel though the Saudi statement appeared to rule that out.There could be more clarity when the shock wears off, and when Trump meets with Jordans King Abdullah II at the White House next week.___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

We dedicate the whole free section of this episode to Musks takeover of the federal government. We got audio from a meeting in which a Musk ally laid out their plans for AI across the government, and revealed who is now the head of HR for DOGE. In the subscribers only section, we talk about how your public library probably already has a bunch of AI slop.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Things Are Going to Get Intense: How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the GovernmentMusks DOGE Brings in HR Consultant Focused on Non-Woke DEI 'Aligned With Our FaithAI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library

A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati)2025-02-05T14:31:26Z WELLFLEET, Mass. (AP) The waters of Cape Cod Bay are coming for the big brown house perched on the edge of a sandy bluff high above the beach. Its just a matter of when.Erosion has marched right up to the concrete footings of the multimillion-dollar home where it overlooks the bay. Massive sliding doors that used to open onto a wide deck, complete with hot tub, are now barricaded by thin wooden slats that prevent anyone from stepping through and falling 25 feet to the beach below. A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The owner knew it. He removed the deck and other parts of the house, including a small tower that held the primary bedroom, before stopping work and falling into a standoff with the town. Hes since sold the place to a salvage company that says it wont pay for work.Officials in Wellfleet worry the homes collapse will damage delicate beds in their harbor where farmers grow oysters that are among New Englands most prized. A report commissioned by the town projects if nothing is done, the 5,100-square-foot home will tumble into the bay within three years and possibly much sooner. Its certain fate is a reminder of the fragility of building along the cape, where thanks to climate change sea level rise has accelerated in recent years. I mean, the cape has always been moving, said John Cumbler, a retired environmental history professor who also serves on the Wellfleet Conservation Commission. The sand is moving. A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More History of the home The house was built in 2010 on Cape Cod on the bay side of the peninsula. Its original owners, Mark and Barbara Blasch, sought permission from the commission in 2018 to build a 241-foot-wide seawall to stave off erosion. The commissions seven members all volunteers rejected the seawall on the grounds that it might have unintended effects on the beach and the way water carries nutrients in the bay. They also questioned whether it would actually save the house. The property is within Cape Cod National Seashore. The National Seashore Administration supported rejection of the seawall because of the critical location within the seashore and Wellfleet Harbor area, including critical habitat and valuable shellfish operations.The Blasches appealed the rejection in state district court and lost. An appeal to the states Superior Court is pending.A New York man, attorney John Bonomi, bought the house in 2022 for $5.5 million, even as its future was in doubt. Bonomis attorneys declined to comment for this story. A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A home sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Threat to the bay and oyster bedsA report prepared for Wellfleet last year by Bryan McCormack, a coastal processes specialist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, estimates that the bluffs are eroding at a rate of 3.8 to 5.6 feet a year. The report estimated collapse in up to three years, but likely sooner.The report said a collapse could send debris into Wellfleet Harbor, where the towns namesake oysters, well known to shellfish lovers, take two to three years to reach maturity.The house has a lot of fiberglass insulation in it. It has toxic material in it, Cumbler said. If that toxic material gets into Wellfleet Harbor, which is where the currents will take it, it could endanger the oyster industry in Wellfleet, our major industry outside of tourism. A sign in front of a home that sits atop a sandy bluff reads keep off the dunes, in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A sign in front of a home that sits atop a sandy bluff reads keep off the dunes, in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Standoff over what to do with the houseBonomi came to us back in October and said, yes, we understand the house is in danger of falling into the sea, and we will give you a plan by January for what we will do with the house, Cumbler said. We asked for a plan to remove it from the danger.That plan was supposed to be presented at the commissions January meeting. But Bonomis attorney, Tom Moore, wrote to the town in December to say Bonomi had sold the house to CQN Salvage, a company incorporated in October, that Moore was also representing. Moore wrote that the town is on notice to take whatever steps it deems prudent to prevent the collapse of the embankment and the other consequences of further erosion. CQN Salvage is ready to work alongside the town in such efforts but will not fund them.Its not clear who owns CQN Salvage. Its incorporation records in New York state dont list any officials. Moore declined to speak with The Associated Press. A home, center left, sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A home, center left, sits atop of a sandy bluff overlooking a beach in Wellfleet, Mass., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More At the January meeting, Moore appeared by video and told the commission that the bare minimum estimate to remove the house was at least $1 million.So, you plan to do nothing and allow it to fall into the water? Lecia McKenna, the towns conservation agent, asked Moore.I plan to ask you to not let it fall into the water, Moore responded.The commission voted to extend to June 1 the deadline to comply with its enforcement order. A home sits atop of a sandy bluff in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) A home sits atop of a sandy bluff in Wellfleet, Mass., Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Muggiati) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Wellfleet is left to watch and waitFor now, the town is left to simply watch the house. When the AP recently visited the site, 20 mph winds were hitting the bluffs and sand could be seen trickling down.The sea level at nearby Falmouth has risen 11 inches (about 28 centimeters) in the past 90 years, but the pace is accelerating. An AP analysis of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the sea level around Cape Cod between 1995 and 2024 was rising at an annual rate of 0.16 inch (about 4 millimeters) faster than the prior 30-year period. McCormack, the Woods Hole specialist who prepared the report for the town, said its difficult to attribute erosion at a single property to climate change and sea level rise. And he said Cape Cod has been eroding for tens of thousands of years.But he said the bluffs have receded 54 feet since 2014, and the erosion rate over the last decade has exceeded long-term rates published by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.___AP data journalist Mary Katherine Wildeman contributed.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Colin MacKnight, Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Ark., rehearses, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for his upcoming lunch-time concert series featuring the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. (AP Photo/Katie Adkins)2025-02-05T05:07:34Z LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) It was hushed inside a 140-year-old cathedral on the outskirts of Little Rocks downtown as about five dozen people sat in the pews during a recent lunch break in January.The nave filled with the sounds of the Gothic churchs pipe organ, and a screen showed a man performing the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Those gathered werent there for church, but for the third concert in a series Colin MacKnight is performing over the next year to commemorate the 275th anniversary of Bachs death. MacKnight, Trinity Episcopal Cathedrals music director, is performing all of Bachs organ works throughout 2025 one lunch break at a time. The ambitious plan entails performing 18 hours of music in half-hour increments nearly every Wednesday. Ive wanted to for a really long time because its, I think, the most thorough way of immersing myself in the brilliance of Johann Sebastian Bach, MacKnight said one morning as he rehearsed in the empty cathedral the day before a concert. The concerts in Little Rock are among several events around the world this year commemorating the German composers legacy and the anniversary of his death.MacKnight, who is from Bethesda, Maryland, has been music director at Trinity for three years. He said the first time he remembers hearing Bach was at a relatives funeral when he was about 12 years old.Something about hearing it that time just really mesmerized me and that was the beginning of my love of Bach, he said. The 31-year-olds hands move easily between the four keyboards of the organ console, flanked by knobs controlling different sounds that are assembled into various combinations.Underneath, his feet press on the pedalboards combining to create the notes of Bachs works. MacKnight, who has played the organ since he was 16, acknowledges how dizzying the sight of the instrument can be for newcomers. If you dont know what youre looking at, its a little overwhelming, like an airplane console, he said.MacKnights concerts which are free and open to the public are also mini-lessons for those who come, with a glossary of terms like concerto and fugue included in the program. In between pieces, MacKnight gives audience members some background on Bach and his organ works.These pieces are in the unfortunate category of being much, much harder than they sound, he says.Generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time, Bach is known in particular for his organ works and their heavy use of pedals and complex structures. Few organists perform the composers complete organ works, given the difficulty and quantity of the music. They include Grammy-winning organist Paul Jacobs, who taught MacKnight at the Juilliard School. Jacobs performed an 18-hour nonstop concert of Bachs organ works to mark the 250th anniversary of the composers death in 2000.The free concerts so far have drawn a mix of church members, classical music aficionados and newcomers who say they want a quiet break from the daily bustle. I like the complexity of the music and the power of the organ, which stirs me internally, said Barry Coplin, a member of the church who has attended two of MacKnights concerts.Ben Wiley, who lives about 30 minutes away, is a classical music fan who was attending his third of MacKnights shows and said he appreciates being able to hear Bachs works in half-hour increments.Its a good way to be able to get it done in short bursts, to be able to absorb it better and come back to get the next batch, he said.MacKnight is also performing a 100-minute concert of Bachs most extensive organ work the Clavier-Ubung III, sometimes referred to as the German Organ Mass on July 28, the day the German composer died in 1750 at 65.The Rev. Thomas Alexander, a priest at Trinity, said the concerts allow the public to enjoy MacKnights talents, come together and learn more about Bach in a way they normally wouldnt be able to.Its like reading someones complete collection of novels. You get to really get to know someone in a comprehensive way, Alexander said. But it also builds a sense of community. ANDREW DEMILLO DeMillo is a government and politics reporter for The Associated Press, based in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked for the AP since 2005. twitter mailto

The Senate confirmation hearings for President Donald Trumps nominees began January 14, 2025. Despite the critical roles these nominees, if confirmed, will play in shaping national policy, the hearings notably lack substantive questioning or responses regarding the safety and equality of LGBTQ people, even as President Trump has taken high interest in targeting the community [...]The post Cabinet Confirmation Hearings Largely Ignore LGBTQ Issues Despite Disparate Impact of Agency Policy on LGBTQ People first appeared on GLAAD.

A couple awaits the arrival of their first child in Carlsbad, Calif., in November 2005. (AP Photo/Julie Busch, File)2025-02-05T15:09:06Z NEW YORK (AP) Black women in the U.S. died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, as maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels overall but racial gaps widened, according to federal health data released Wednesday.In 2021 and 2022, the maternal death rate for Black women was about 2.6 times higher than white women.The data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic, at its peak, impacted all pregnant women. But once we went back to usual activities, then the impact of systemic racism and unequal access (to medical care) ... came right back into place, said Dr. Amanda Williams, interim medical director for the March of Dimes.The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions report Wednesday on the 2023 deaths was drawn from death certificates. The CDC counts women who died while pregnant, during childbirth and up to 42 days after birth. Accidental deaths are excluded.The report found: 1. The maternal death rate for white women dropped from 19 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 14.5 per 100,000 in 2023. 2. The rate for Black women went from 49.5 to a little above 50, though the report says that increase was not statistically significant. 3. The rate for Hispanic women dropped from about 17 to about 12.4. The rate for Asian Americans fell from about 13 to about 11. In total, 669 women died in 2023 during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, the CDC reported. Thats down from 817 deaths in 2022 and 1,205 in 2021, when it was the highest in more than 50 years. Excessive bleeding, blood vessel blockages and infections are leading causes of maternal deaths.Among those infections is COVID-19. The coronavirus and its complications proved dangerous to pregnant women. And, in the worst days of the pandemic, burned out physicians may have added to the risk by ignoring pregnant womens worries, experts say. COVID-19s overall impact on pregnancies declined as the pandemic subsided and as hospitals and birthing centers returned to normal operations.Also, the federal Medicaid program expanded to cover postpartum care for up to 12 months, instead of just seven weeks. That helped more moms recover and made them healthier for the next time they tried to have a baby, Williams said. The number of maternal deaths is also tied to the number of pregnancies. U.S. births have been declining, and fewer pregnancies contributes to fewer pregnancy-related deaths, noted Eugene Declercq, a maternal deaths researcher at Boston University.CDC officials refused an Associated Press request to talk to a report author.The government is still receiving and processing death reports from last year. But Declercq said his analysis of available data suggests the number of 2024 maternal deaths may end up about the same as 2023. ___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.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)2025-02-05T13:01:48Z WASHINGTON (AP) When Elon Musk debuted the Department of Government Efficiency recently at the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson enthusiastically predicted the coming Trump administration would bring a lot of change around here.Three weeks in, the change the Trump administration has brought is a disruption of the federal government on an unprecedented scale, dismantling longstanding programs, sparking widespread public outcry and challenging the very role of Congress to create the nations laws and pay its bills.Government workers are being pushed to resign. Entire agencies are being shuttered. Federal funding to states and nonprofits was temporarily frozen. And the most sensitive Treasury Department information of countless Americans was opened to Musks DOGE team in an unprecedented breach of privacy and protocol.This is an erosion of our democracy, said Brian Riedl, a longtime economic adviser to conservative Republicans, now at the Manhattan Institute think tank. President Donald Trump has tapped Musk, the worlds richest man, to take on inner workings of the worlds oldest democracy, and so far the results are stunning, if not alarming and unlawful, being challenged in dozens of court cases nationwide. Congress is proving little match for DOGE as wary lawmakers watch it march through the bureaucracy. Instead, a rush of lawsuits is demanding interventions to stop the Republican presidents team from unilaterally gutting government. And protests are erupting outside government agencies and clogging the congressional phone lines. Whatever DOGE is doing, it is certainly not not what democracy looks like or has ever looked like in the grand history of this country, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government, Schumer posted on Musks social media site X. Musk responded on his platform: Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that DOGE is doing work that really matters.Congress has been here before, tested during Trumps first term by his willingness to break the norms and skirt the outer banks of legality, most notably when he steamrolled Congress and poached federal military housing and construction funds to build parts of his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.But Trumps second-term partnership with Musk, who spent some $200 million on Trumps White House bid and employs the tech world ethos of moving fast and breaking things, is escalating the confrontation. On a stated quest to save money by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, they are making moves to upend American institutions, decimate the civil service and leave a reformed or hollowed-out federal government in its place.Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said it would be catastrophic to our system of government if the effort succeeds.Many of the things they are doing are brazenly unlawful, and weve seen that the courts have been willing to intervene and intervene quickly, Parrott said. Theres a real readiness and understanding of the stakes. In many ways, Trump is pursuing by force what Republicans have long promised but have been unable to deliver by congressional action: shrinking the size and scope of the federal government. Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist quipped more than a decade ago about the goal of making government small enough to drown in a bathtub. But facing pushback from within their ranks about cutting programs Americans rely upon, Republicans have repeatedly failed to accomplish their budget-slashing goals even when they fully control Congress and the White House, as they do now.While Congress has the power to pass legislation to fund government operations, the president can veto bills or sign them into law. Instead, Trump is testing an idea championed by his nominee for budget director, Russ Vought, that the executive has the ability to impound federal funds, clawing the money back. Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said DOGE provides cover for some Republicans who want to cut federal funds, when Congress has failed to do so.And other Republicans say they are comfortable with Trumps pause of certain federal operations, particularly the U.S. Agency for International Development, which sends aid around the world. Closing the Department of Education is next on deck. Weve got oversight, said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. If he goes too far, Ill be the first person to step up. Taken together the actions of the administration and DOGE have been swift, relentless and wide open to debate.Trumps Office of Management and Budgets move to abruptly freeze federal grants and loans drew outrage nationwide as states and nonprofit organizations feared being locked out of funds they need to provide housing, health care and other services. A day later, the White House reversed course. The shutdown of funds to USAID is largely seen as a test case for the Impoundment Control Act, which Vought has discussed using as a way to roll back congressionally approved funding. Voughts nomination is on track for Senate confirmation this week, despite all Senate Democrats saying they will oppose him.And DOGE dipped into the inner-workings of the Treasury Department to access its payment system and the private information of millions of Americans in what is widely viewed as a way for the White House to eventually stop federal funds to various entities.On Monday, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan said the administrations actions with the federal funding potentially run roughshod over a bulwark of the Constitution by interfering with Congresss appropriation of federal funds.Defendants actions appear to suffer from infirmities of a constitutional magnitude, she wrote, extending an order issued last week that had paused OMBs sweeping funding freeze. The appropriation of the governments resources is reserved for Congress, not the Executive Branch. And a wealth of legal authority supports this fundamental separation of powers.Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said what gives her pause now is how Congress moves forward with legislation to fund the government by the upcoming March 14 deadline.What if we do all that and come to an agreement ... vote it in and this administration says, Thats bunk. We dont have to go by that, she said. So the level of trust is at the lowest I have ever seen it here.Asked if the administration could do what its doing, Johnson, the speaker, insisted, There will be an appropriate action for Congress to take, but we havent yet sorted out whats happening with it.Pressed if Trump had the authority to shut agencies, he said: I dont have all the answers.___Associated Press writer Kevin Freking and videojournalist Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.

The flag of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, flies in front of the USAID office in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)2025-02-05T16:17:17Z WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. aid staffers around the world scrambled Wednesday for answers and started to pack up households or pull their children from school after a sudden Trump administration order that yanked almost all of them off the job and out of the field.In Washington, Democratic lawmakers and other supporters of the U.S. Agency for International Development planned rallies to protest the dismantling of the independent government agency established six decades ago. USAID has been one of the agencies hardest hit as the new administration and Elon Musks budget-cutting team target federal programs they say are wasteful or not aligned with a conservative agenda.U.S. embassies in many of the more than 100 countries where USAID operates convened emergency town halls for the thousands of agency staffers and contractors looking for answers. Embassy officials said they had been given no guidance on what to tell staffers, particularly local hires, about their employment status. A USAID contractor posted in an often violent region of the Middle East said the shutdown had placed the contractor and the contractors family in danger, unable to reach the U.S. government for help if needed. The contractor woke up one morning earlier this week blocked from access to government email and other systems, and an emergency panic button app was wiped off the contractors smartphone. You really do feel cut off from a lifeline, the contract staffer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of a Trump administration ban forbidding USAID workers to speak to people outside their agency. Despite the administrations assurances that the U.S. government would bring the agencys workers safely home as ordered within 30 days, many feared being stranded in the field and left to make their own way home. Their colleagues in Washington described reactivating employee networks that had helped in the past to bring local staffers out of danger zones. The late-night order Tuesday to abandon USAID posts worldwide comes as many of the aid workers abroad are locked out of email and emergency communications with their own government. Most agency spending has been ordered frozen, and most workers at the Washington headquarters have been taken off the job, making it unclear how the administration will manage and pay for the abrupt relocation of thousands of staffers and their families.The mass removal of thousands of staffers would doom billions of dollars in projects in some 120 countries, including security assistance for Ukraine and elsewhere as well as development work for clean water, job training and education, including for schoolgirls under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.The online notification to USAID workers and contractors said they would be off the job, effective just before midnight Friday, unless deemed essential. Direct hires of the agency overseas got 30 days to return home, while contractors would be fired, the notice said.Thousands already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut down after Trump, a Republican, imposed a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance. Despite outcry from Democratic lawmakers, the aid agency has been a special target as the administration and Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency look to shrink the government. They have ordered a spending stop that has paralyzed U.S.-funded aid and development work, gutted the agencys senior leadership and workforce with furloughs and firings, and closed the Washington headquarters to staffers Monday.Spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper, Musk boasted on X.The United States is the worlds largest humanitarian donor by far. It spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign assistance, a smaller share of its budget than some countries.Hundreds of millions of dollars of food and medication already delivered by U.S. companies are sitting in ports because of the shutdown.Health programs like those credited with helping end polio and smallpox epidemics and an acclaimed HIV/AIDS program that saved more than 20 million lives in Africa have stopped. So have programs for monitoring and deploying rapid-response teams for contagious diseases such as an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Parliament on Wednesday that officials scrambled to meet with U.S. Embassy staff for information after receiving no warning the Trump administration would freeze crucial funding for the worlds biggest national HIV/AIDS program.South Africa has the worlds highest number of people living with HIV, at around 8 million, and the United States funds around 17% of its $2.3 billion-a-year program through the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The health minister did not say whether U.S. exemptions for lifesaving care affect that work. Democrats and others say the USAID is enshrined in legislation as an independent agency and cannot be shut down without congressional approval. Supporters of USAID from both political parties say its work overseas is essential to countering the influence of Russia, China and other adversaries and rivals abroad, and to cementing alliances and partnerships.Half a dozen Democratic members of Congress were expected to speak Wednesday at a rally that gathered hundreds of demonstrators across the street from the U.S. Capitol.The decision to withdraw direct-hire staff and their families earlier than their planned departures will probably cost the government tens of millions of dollars in travel and relocation costs. Staff ordered on leave include both foreign and civil service officers who have legal protection against arbitrary dismissal and being placed on leave without reason.The American Foreign Service Association, the union which represents U.S. diplomats, sent a notice to its members denouncing the decision and saying it was preparing legal action to counter or halt it.Locally employed USAID staff, however, do not have much recourse and were excluded from the federal governments voluntary buyout offer.USAID staffers and families faced wrenching decisions as the rumored order loomed, including whether to pull children out of school midyear. Some gave away pet cats and dogs, fearing the administration would not give workers time to complete the paperwork to bring the animals with them.The announcement came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on a five-nation tour of Central America and met this week with embassy and USAID staff at two of the regions largest USAID missions: El Salvador and Guatemala.At a news conference Tuesday, Rubio said he has long supported foreign aid. I continue to support foreign aid. But foreign aid is not charity. He noted that every dollar the U.S. spends must advance its national interests.The online notice says those who will be exempted from leave include staffers responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs and would be informed by Thursday afternoon.Thank you for your service, the notice concluded.___Lee reported from Guatemala City. ELLEN KNICKMEYER Knickmeyer covers foreign policy and national security for The Associated Press. She is based in Washington, D.C. twitter FARNOUSH AMIRI Amiri covers Congress for The Associated Press, with a focus on foreign policy and congressional investigations. She previously covered politics for AP as a statehouse reporter based in Columbus, Ohio. twitter mailto

In this Sept. 16, 2015, photo, a woman in Sullivan City, Texas, who said she entered the country illegally, walks with her daughter who was born in the United States, but was denied a birth certificate. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)2025-02-05T06:11:38Z GREENBELT, Md. (AP) A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a second nationwide pause on President Donald Trumps executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. to someone in the country illegally, calling citizenship a most precious right. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administrations interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.This court will not be the first, she said.She added: Citizenship is a most precious right, expressly granted by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.Boardman said citizenship is a national concern that demands a uniform policy, adding that only a nationwide injunction will provide complete relief to the plaintiffs.After reading her ruling from the bench, the judge asked a government attorney if they would be appealing her decision. The attorney said he didnt have the authority to immediately take a position on that question. Trumps inauguration week order had already been on temporary hold nationally because of a separate suit brought by four states in Washington state, where a judge called the order blatantly unconstitutional. In total, 22 states, as well as other organizations, have sued to try to stop the executive action. Boardman, nominated by former President Joe Biden, agreed to the preliminary injunction after a hearing federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland. Immigrant-rights advocacy groups CASA and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and a handful of expectant mothers brought the suit before Boardman. At the heart of the lawsuits is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision that determined Scott, a slave, wasnt a citizen. The principle of birthright citizenship is a foundation of our national democracy, is woven throughout the laws of our nation, and has shaped a shared sense of national belonging for generation after generation of citizens, the plaintiffs argued in the suit. The Trump administration asserts that children of noncitizens are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship. The Constitution does not harbor a windfall clause granting American citizenship to, inter alia: the children of those who have circumvented (or outright defied) federal immigration laws, the government argued in reply to the Maryland plaintiffs suit. The 14th Amendment was added in the aftermath of the Civil War to ensure citizenship for former slaves and free African Americans. It states: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.In addition to the 22 states with Democratic attorneys general seeking to stop the order, 18 Republican attorneys general announced this week that theyre seeking to defend the presidents order by joining one of the federal suits brought in New Hampshire. The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship the principle of jus soli or right of the soil is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them.During his first week in office, Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration and issued edicts to carry out promises of mass deportations and border security.Some actions were felt immediately. Others face legal challenges. If they happen at all, other orders may take years to happen but have led to fear in immigrant communities.Whether Trump can enact his agenda could come down to money. Congress is expected to consider funding support soon. Trump may use emergency powers to tap the Defense Department, as he did for a border wall during his first term. MIKE CATALINI Catalini covers government, elections and news primarily in New Jersey for The Associated Press. He focuses on accountability and how policy affects people. twitter

Employees working for the agency now known as DOGE have been ordered to stop using Slack while government lawyers attempt to transition the agency to one that is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 404 Media has learned.Good morning, everyone! As a reminder, please refrain from using Slack at the moment while our various general counsels figure out the best way to handle the records migration to our new EOP [Executive Office of the President] component, a message seen by 404 Media reads. Will update as soon as we have more information!Another message seen by 404 Media provides an update and asserts that the US Digital Service (which is now DOGE) will split from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).I spoke to the DOGE team about Slack. Because of the USDS split from OMB, OMB is asking us to stop generating new slack messages starting now, the message says. We expect this to be a temporary pause, and we expect to continue having access to historical Slack material. We may have intermittent access as we go through this system transition so continue to use good data hygiene and backup any critical material. We will keep you updated.Do you know more about DOGE or USDS? We would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can contact Jason on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. You can contact Joseph on Signal at +44 20 8133 5190. The messages indicate that, under Elon Musks leadership, DOGE is actively taking steps to make sure its communications and records are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, a records transparency law commonly used by journalists and lawyers to hold government accountable. Instead, DOGE is asserting that rather than reporting up through the Office of Management and Budget as the United States Digital Service did for years, it is reporting through the Executive Office of the President and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Under OMB, it was generally subject to FOIA. Under the White House Chief of Staff, records it creates are generally not subject to FOIA.This would make DOGE a Presidential Records Act entity, meaning records it creates are not FOIAble until years after a president leaves office rather than a Federal Records Act entity, which would make its records FOIAble now. This is a very notable, but unsurprising move that federal records experts have been worried about since the issuance of Donald Trumps executive order renaming the United States Digital Servicean agency of federal tech workers that was formed under the Obama administrationto the United States DOGE Service. That executive order specifically states that the renamed entity shall be established in the Executive Office of the President, and that the USDS administrator (Elon Musk) shall report to the White House Chief of Staff. The Dispatch, for example, wrote a very informative article about this could limit public scrutiny of DOGE and the clever executive order that did this.Government experts 404 Media spoke to said the directive to not use Slack and the assertion that DOGE is now under the Executive Office of the President rather than OMB is not surprising but that it is very concerning, and that this assertion can be, will be, and is being legally challenged."Just changing the name alone under the Executive Order doesn't affect DOGE's recordkeeping status, Jason R. Baron, professor at the University of Maryland and former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration told 404 Media in a phone call. The administration apparently has made a determination that DOGE will be a presidential component subject to the Presidential Records Act. However, that will surely be challenged in the courts in connection with FOIA lawsuits. Under FOIA, it will be for the courts to decide whether under existing DOGE is acting more like a federal oversight agency or as a presidential component that solely advises the President.The Presidential Records Act was created in part to make it so that the president does not need to publish records about their decisions, advice, and considerations while they are president. But Barron said that the way DOGE is currently actinggoing into agencies across the federal government and gutting or threatening to gut themis not a presidential advice function, it is a cross-agency function. He suggested that a court will have to consider this in any lawsuit about DOGEs status.DOGE staff certainly do not appear to be solely advising and assisting the President, Baron said. They appear to have taken actions in the real world that affect Treasury Department and USAID operations involving electronic systems. Whether those activities are deemed illegal or not under other laws, they are certainly actions beyond what a group of people who are solely advising and the president would do.Lauren Harper, the Freedom of the Press Foundations Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy, wrote a blog post explaining that DOGEs move to EOP was almost definitely an attempt to hide records, but that journalists should challenge this. Does Musk think that placing DOGE within the government will make it easier to hide its records? If so, lets prove that troubling assumption wrong.Harper told 404 Media that beyond not being governed by FOIA, in the Presidential Records Act, there is a carveout for personal records that doesnt exist in the Federal Records Act.This means that the president and their staff get to decide if records are personal, which means, they can do whatever they want with them without consulting anybody, she said.Both Harper and Baron stressed that any distinction over DOGEs status matters only to records they themselves are creating, and that many of DOGEs actions will remain FOIAble via other agencies. For example when DOGE employees email people at the Treasury Department, those records should be able to be obtained directly via the Treasury Department even if they are not available from DOGE.Already, DOGE has been subject to several lawsuits about its status within the government and what transparency laws it must abide by. The Congressional Research Service, a segment of the Library of Congress that analyzes changes to government, meanwhile published a paper about DOGEs early implementation, which raised the question about what types of records would be available to the public: Certain transparency statutes might apply to USDS, depending on its membership and implementation, the paper says. These statutes include the Freedom of Information Act, where members of the public can request agency information, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires public reporting and meetings for advisory committees where at least one nonfederal member is providing advice to the federal government. Will USDS and the DOGE effort involve nonfederal persons in advisory roles? What level of public and congressional information access is anticipated?

If theres one thing Id hoped people had learned going into the next four years of Donald Trump as president, its that spending lots of time online posting about what people in power are saying and doing is not going to accomplish anything. If anything, its exactly what they want.Trumps second presidential term has arrived amidst a new golden age for internet grifters, propagandists, and bad-faith hucksters of all stripes. The contours of this era of untruth have been flashing like neon signs for the past decade, constantly enticing us to engage with its impenetrable nonsense. Whether its gaslighting everyone who saw Elon Musk give two Nazi salutes during the inauguration or blaming the Los Angeles wildfires on the racist dog whistle of DEI, lies and absurdities now regularly flood our senses, having long outpaced the medias capacity to filter them.Many of my journalist colleagues have attempted to beat back the tide under banners like fighting disinformation and accountability. While these efforts are admirable, the past few years have changed my own internal calculus. Thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Hannah Arendt warned us that the point of this deluge is not to persuade, but to overwhelm and paralyze our capacity to act. More recently, researchers have found that the viral outrage disseminated on social media in response to these ridiculous claims actually reduces the effectiveness of collective action. The result is a media environment that keeps us in a state of debilitating fear and anger, endlessly reacting to our oppressors instead of organizing against them.To that end, the age of corporate social media has been a roaring success.The reality is you are oxygenating the things these people are saying even as you purport to debunk them, Katherine Cross, a sociologist and author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix, told 404 Media. Whether its [New York Times columnist] Ross Douthat providing a sane-washing gloss on Trumps mania or people on social media vehemently disagreeing and dunking on it, theyre legitimizing it as part of the discourse.Cross book contains a meticulous catalog of social media sins which many people who follow and care about current events are probably guilty ofmyself very much included. She documents how tech platforms encourage us, through their design affordances, to post and seethe and doomscroll into the void, always reacting and never acting.But perhaps the greatest of these sins is convincing ourselves that posting is a form of political activism, when it is at best a coping mechanisman individualist solution to problems that can only be solved by collective action. This, says Cross, is the primary way tech platforms atomize and alienate us, creating a solipsism that says you are the main protagonist in a sea of NPCs.Everything on social media is designed to make you think like that, said Cross. Its all about youyour feed, your network, your friends.In the days since the inauguration, Ive watched people on Bluesky and Instagram fall into these same old traps. My timeline is full of reactive hot takes and gotchas by people who still seem to think they can quote-dunk their way out of fascismor who know they cant, but simply cant resist taking the bait. The media is more than willing to work up their appetites. Legacy news outlets cynically chase clicks (and ad dollars) by disseminating whatever sensational nonsense those in power are spewing."For most people, social media gives you this sense that unless you care about everything, you care about nothing. You must try to swallow the world while its on fire"This in turn fuels yet another round of online outrage, edgy takes, and screenshots exposing the hypocrisy of people who never cared about being seen as hypocrites, because thats not the point. Even violent fantasies about putting billionaires to the guillotine are rendered inept in these online spacesjust another pressure release valve to harmlessly dissipate our rage instead of compelling ourselves to organize and act.This is the opposite of what media, social or otherwise, is supposed to do. Of course its important to stay informed, and journalists can still provide the valuable information we need to take action. But this process has been short-circuited by tech platforms and a media environment built around seeking reaction for its own sake. Many Twitter refugees made a good choice in migrating from Musks X to Bluesky, carving out a new online space that is inhospitable to bigoted debate bros and time-wasting trolls. But in their enemies absence, many of these Left-leaning posters have just reverted to dunking on each other, preferring the catharsis of sectarian conflict over the hard work of organizing.Under this status quo, everything becomes a myopic contest of who can best exploit peoples anxieties to command their attention and energy. If we dont learn how to extract ourselves from this loop, none of the information we gain will manifest as tangible actionand the people in charge prefer it that way.Its no surprise that tech billionaires like Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg have rushed to kiss the ring of the twice-ascendent Trump. The marriage of big tech and Trumpworld should make clear that Silicon Valley and authoritarians share the same goal: to crush dissent by keeping their would-be opponents spinning on an endless hamster wheel of reactive anger. And just like in the classic 1983 thriller WarGames, the only winning move is not to play.That can be a tough pill to swallow when the internet is our main window into the world, and that world seems to be rapidly falling apart. We gaze into our phone-portals, paralyzed by the trance of the doomscroll, reacting and swiping from one news article and hot take to another. Authoritarians issue frightening proclamations that may or may not be legally enforceable, seizing our attention and energy and ensuring that the process will repeat, ad infinitum.So what is the alternative? If we log off, what exactly are we supposed to do instead? How are we supposed to get information without constantly raising our antennae into the noxious cumulonimbus cloud of social media?It isnt quite as simple as touch grass, but it also sort of is.Trusted information networks have existed since long before the internet and mass media. These networks are in every town and city, and at their core are real relationships between neighborsnot their online, parasocial simulacra.Here in New York City, in the week since the inauguration, Ive seen large groups mobilize to defend migrants from anticipated ICE raids and provide warm food and winter clothes for the unhoused after the city closed shelters and abandoned people in sub-freezing temperatures. Similar efforts are underway in Chicago, where ICE reportedly arrested more than 100 people, and in other cities where ICE has planned or attempted raids, with volunteers assigned to keep watch over key locations where migrants are most vulnerable.A few weeks earlier, residents created ad-hoc mutual aid distros in Los Angeles to provide food and essentials for those displaced by the wildfires. The coordinated efforts gave Angelenos a lifeline during the crisis, cutting through the false claims spreading on social media about looting and out-of-state fire trucks being stopped for emissions testing. Many mutual aid groups in Los Angeles have not just been helping people affected by the fires but have also focused on distributing information about how to learn about and resist ICE raids in Los Angeles. It is no surprise that some of the largest and most coordinated protests in the early days of Trumps term have happened in Los Angeles, where thousands of anti-ICE protesters shut down the 101 highway and several streets in downtown Los Angeles Sunday.Some of these efforts were coordinated online over Discord and secure messaging apps, but all of them arose from existing networks of neighbors and community organizers, some of whom have been organizing for decades.For most people, social media gives you this sense that unless you care about everything, you care about nothing. You must try to swallow the world while its on fire, said Cross. But we didnt evolve to be able to absorb this much info. It makes you devalue the work you can do in your community.Its not that social media is fundamentally evil or bereft of any good qualities. Some of my best post-Twitter moments have been spent goofing around with mutuals on Bluesky, or waxing romantic about the joys of human creativity and art-making in an increasingly AI-infested world. But when it comes to addressing the problems we face, no amount of posting or passive info consumption is going to substitute the hard, unsexy work of organizing.Its a lesson the Extremely Online Left still hasnt fully learned, failing where its political enemies succeed. Reactionary right-wing groups like the homophobic and transphobic Moms for Libertywhich seeks to ban books from LGBTQ and BIPOC authors under the guise of parental rightshave claimed political victories by seizing power one public school board and small town at a time. Other reactionaries have similarly managed to take their pet grievances about diversity and wokeness to the national level by moving from online outrage to on-the-ground community organizing.You can discourse and quote-dunk and fact-check until youre blue in the face, but at a certain point, you have to stop and decide what truth you believe in. The internet has conditioned us to constantly seek new information, as if becoming a sponge of bad news will eventually yield the final piece of a puzzle. But there is also such a thing as having enough information. As the internet continues to enshittify, maybe what we really need is to start trusting each other and our own collective sense of what is true and good.We dont need any more irony-poisoned hot takes or cathartic, irreverent snark. We need to collectively decide what kind of world we actually do want, and what were willing to do to achieve it.Janus Rose is New York City-based journalist, educator and artist whose work explores the impacts of A.I. and technology on activists and marginalized communities. Previously a senior editor at VICE, she has been published in digital and print outlets including e-Flux Journal, DAZED Magazine, The New Yorker, and Al Jazeera.

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

The logo for the Justice Department is seen before a news conference at the Department of Justice, Aug. 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)2025-02-05T17:08:34Z WASHINGTON (AP) FBI agents who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner while investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are not at risk of being fired, a top Justice Department official said in a memo to the bureau workforce obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.But the memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove also provides no reassurances for any agents found to have acted with corrupt or partisan intent and suggests those employees, if there any, have reason to be concerned about a massive and highly unusual review process the Trump administration Justice Department is embarking upon to identify what it says is potential misconduct.The message from Bove, which also accuses acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll of insubordination, is aimed at providing a measure of clarity following days of turmoil and uncertainty inside the bureau as a result of an extraordinary Justice Department demand on Friday for the names of agents who participated in the investigations. Many within the FBI had seen that request as a precursor for mass firings. Let me be clear: No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties, wrote Bove, who was previously part of Donald Trumps legal team in his criminal cases. The only individuals who should be concerned about the process initiated by my January 31, 2025 memo are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI. Thousands of FBI employees who participated in investigations related to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of then-President Trumps supporters were subsequently asked to complete in-depth questionnaires about their involvement in the inquiries as the new Trump administration Justice Department weighs disciplinary actions. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department and the special counsel cases against former President Donald Trump. twitter mailto ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer is an Associated Press reporter covering the Justice Department and legal issues from Washington. twitter mailto

People gather at a makeshift memorial near the scene of a shooting on the outskirts of Orebro, Sweden, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)2025-02-05T13:38:38Z They scrambled for cover as quickly as they could as shots rang out, sheltering behind and under whatever they could find to escape the gunman and the gore. One survivor with children feared she might never see them again. Another used her friends shawl to staunch the bleeding of a man whod been shot in the shoulder. Witnesses of Swedens worst mass shooting described horror and panic that gripped an adult education center west of Stockholm as the gunman killed at least 10 people. He also died, although its not yet clear how.Here are witness accounts of the carnage that also seriously wounded at least five people and horrified the Scandinavian nation where gun violence at schools is very rare. Healthcare students worst hours of my lifeHellen Werme, 35, thought of her two children, ages two and three, as she heard the gunman pacing outside the classroom where she and five other people hid.Those were the worst hours of my life. I did not know if I would get shot there and then, or in ten minutes. You simply waited, the newspaper Expressen quoted her as saying.The report said Werme, three classmates and two teachers were about to start a lesson on how to install catheters on patients when they heard the first shots Tuesday at the Campus Risbergska adult training school in Orebro, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Stockholm. We thought it was a door slamming. Like, oh, sounds like someone is angry, Werme was quoted as saying. Then my teacher shouted, Lock the doors and get down on the floor.They crawled behind some hospital beds and lay there, making no noise. A womans pleas, followed by a shotStudent Mirna Essa described a bone-chilling moment to the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.We hear a woman saying, No, no, no, three times. After that we heard someone shooting, it quoted her as saying. I did not know what was happening, I simply ran. It was chaos within a few seconds. It was like a movie. All you can think of is, Why?Essa studies Swedish at the school. It offers educational classes for adults, Swedish-language classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities.I dont want to go back. Not now, she told the newspaper as she returned Wednesday to light a candle for the victims. All I can think of are those who died, I cannot think of anything else.Barricades made with classroom furnitureStudent Andreas Sundling said the first loud bangs made him think people were fighting outside and maybe, I dont know, throwing chairs and tables. And then we heard people screaming.We locked the (classroom) doors and barricaded the doors with tables and chairs, he said. As more shots rang out, they hid under tables, too, he added.And then after maybe two hours, yeah, two and a half hours, the police came and they basically kicked down the door, Sundling said. Inside the school, it was blood everywhere on the floor. It was crazy.Student describes victims bleedingBroadcaster TV4 interviewed a student who said she performed first aid on a man who was shot in the shoulder. TV4 identified her only by her first name, Marwa.He was bleeding a lot. When I looked behind me I saw three people on the floor bleeding. Everyone was shocked. They said, Go out! Get out! she said.Me and my friend tried to save the life of this person. People were very shocked. The police were not on site and neither was the ambulance. So we had to help. I took my friends shawl and tied it tightly around his shoulder so that he wouldnt bleed so much. Teacher heard bangs and evacuated Teacher Mattias Jansson said that training hes received for dealing with emergencies kicked in when he heard shouts for people to evacuate. When we made it to the emergency exit we heard the bangs, he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. These are things that we have been taught, gathering and evacuating, try to get as many people out as possible. ___AP correspondent Mimmi Montgomery in London contributed.

A New York state senator is trying to introduce the same age verification legislation that has resulted in massive porn sitesincluding Pornhub and its network of sister sitesgoing dark across much of the U.S. south and midwest.The bill, introduced by Republicans Jake Ashby and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, is almost identical to every other law that has passed across the country in the last two years related to age verification: it would require porn sites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old through digital identification, credit card transaction, government ID, or password-protected login.Like other laws in Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Montana, and more than a dozen more states, it defines material harmful to minors as a laundry list of sex acts and body parts, including actual, simulated, or animated display or depiction of: (A) a person's pubic hair, anus, or genitals or the nipple of the female breast; (B) touching, caressing, or fondling of nipples, breasts, buttocks, anuses, or genitals; or (C) sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation, excretory functions, exhibitions, or any other sexual act that lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.The authors write in their justification for the bill: The internet is a dangerous place for children, rife with sexual material that is harmful to minors. The ease of access to this material is downright scary. This legislation seeks to prioritize the protection of children by requiring pornography websites to verify the age of its users. Upon verification that a user is 18 years of age or older, access to the site would be given.Sites that operate in the state and don't have age verification set up would face a $50,000 penalty per day.In 19 states, Republican and Democratic governors have signed these age verification bills into law. New York should be next, Ashby wrote in a Facebook post. In recent years, New York has made positive, bipartisan strides to protect our kids online. We believe this is another important step. Consuming this kind of content is wrong for our kids mental health and their emotional development. It can be toxic for their future relationships, Ashby said in a press release, the New York news outlet Troy Record reported.Podcast: Pornhub Exec Discusses Pulling Out of the South, Trad Wives, and Feet PicsIn this special interview episode of the 404 Media Podcast, Sam talks to Alexzandra Kekesi, VP of Brand and Community at Pornhub, about age verification laws and what shes hearing from adult performers.404 MediaSamantha ColeWhen age verification laws are enacted in states, searches for VPNs spike, people go to less-moderated non-compliant websites, and adults rights to privacy and speech are infringed upon. Adult industry and first amendment advocates have lobbied for device-based controls for children, instead.The bill was referred to the committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection on January 30.

Amazons new series Clean Slate is set to make waves as a groundbreaking show centering Black trans joy and the complexities of family relationships. Starring the iconic Laverne Cox and legendary comedian George Wallace, the series tells the story of Harry, a traditional car wash owner in Alabama, whose world is turned upside down when [...]The post WATCH: Laverne Cox and George Wallace Spotlight Family and Trans Joy with Clean Slate first appeared on GLAAD.

This is something to manifest!Zedd needs no introduction, as the EDM legend has created so many iconic anthems throughout the years including "Stay the Night," "The Middle," "Clarity," "Happy Now," and so many more.Although he's a certified hitmaker, there's one particular song the gays have been blasting for over ten years. Zedd's collaboration with Ariana Grande on "Break Free" is still being blasted in gay bars all around the world.While attending the 67th Grammy Awards, the musician even agreed that "Break Free" has become a staple in his discography that he loves performing live."'Break Free' became the one! 'Break Free' kept getting bigger and it ended up being this anthem. Now, it's one of the biggest moments of every single show I play ten years later. It makes me feel old," Zedd tells PRIDE. See on Instagram With "Break Free" becoming an instant classic, many fans have wondered if Zedd and Grande would ever team up again on another song. Thankfully, Zedd is actively trying to make another collaboration happen!"I would love to. In a heartbeat. I would lie if I didn't send nearly every song that I make to Ariana first. She's one of my favorite singers on this planet. I got to perform with her once and I couldn't focus on my own job because of how good she was."Grande may be quite busy at the moment, but hopefully this dream will become a reality soon! Fans can keep up with Zedd by following him on Instagram. To see the full interview from the Grammy Awards red carpet, check out the video at the top of the page.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) pose with the trophy during Super Bowl 59 Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in New Orleans, ahead of the NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt York)2025-02-05T18:01:56Z NEW ORLEANS (AP) Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are pursuing history and a few of Taylor Swifts records.Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles stand in their way.The Chiefs (17-2) will try to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls when they face the Eagles (17-3) on Sunday in the Superdome.Its a rematch from two years ago when Hurts nearly led the Eagles to a championship only to watch Mahomes snatch it away by rallying Kansas City to a 38-35 win on Harrison Butkers 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left.Mahomes lifted the Chiefs to an overtime win against San Francisco in another Super Bowl rematch last year. Now, theyre poised for a three-peat, a word coach Andy Reid doesnt use much.I think the only time Ive heard him say it is to the media whenever yall ask him about it, Mahomes said. Hes very locked in on just, How can we be great with our cadence today at practice? so thats just the stuff that Coach Reid focuses on. Reid won more games than any coach in franchise history during his 14 seasons in Philadelphia but couldnt win the big one, going 1-4 in NFC championship games and losing a Super Bowl to the Patriots. He went right to Kansas City after the Eagles fired him following the 2012 season and has built a dynasty thanks to Mahomes, Kelce, Chris Jones and others. You dont have time to think about all that, Reid said of the three-peat. Youre focused in on the job at hand here and thats playing against a great Eagles team. Jones, the three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, echoed his coachs viewpoint.We dont talk about no three-peat, Jones said. I think thats what were here for. We understand that. We understand theres one more game until the offseason and we can do whatever we want to do. Our main focus is making sure were prepared for the Eagles. No matter what the Chiefs say, everyone else is talking about it. No team has done it in the Super Bowl era, though the Green Bay Packers won an NFL championship in 1965 and followed by winning the first two Super Bowls. Kelce even started all the three-peat talk on stage last year when he said the teams goal was to win three.This is gonna be our biggest test yet, Kelce said. They got a lot of great players but the biggest thing is they play great together. You could see their communication. You could see the accountability they have, especially in the secondary. Its not gonna make my job any easier.These Eagles are different from the group that fell just short against Kansas City in Arizona two years ago.They have the NFLs most dynamic player in the backfield. Barkley rushed for 2,447 yards with seven touchdowns of 60-plus yards in the regular season and playoffs.The goal has always been to win it, not just to get here, Barkley said.Losing to the Chiefs two years ago only motivated Hurts even more. Hes determined to hoist a Lombardi trophy and even had a photo of him walking off the field with Kansas Citys red and yellow confetti falling around him as the background on his phone. Its had a great driving force, Hurts said of that loss. It lit a flame, lit a fire in me, and to have this opportunity again is exactly what you work for.Hurts, Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and a dominant offensive line present a major challenge for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.The Eagles also have the leagues No. 1-ranked defense, featuring eight new starters from 2022 and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean plus the emergence of defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith has transformed a defensive unit that fell apart last season.Were fortunate to have Steve Spagnuolo, but I tell you that Vic is one of those guys, Reid said. Hes just one of those really creative defensive minds that survived a long time in this league. Hes been time-tested, and, he has the trust of his players. If the Chiefs win, Reid and Mahomes will be one step closer to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Theyre halfway to the six Belichick and Brady won together in New England and Mahomes is still four away from Bradys seven rings. Im trying to be the greatest Patrick Mahomes that I can be. Thats obviously a goal of anyones to be the greatest at their profession but in order to do that, you have to be the greatest that you can be every single day, Mahomes said. Whenever Im done with football, if I leave everything out there the way that I feel like I have so far as far as effort and mentality, Ill be happy with the results.A win for Kansas City also would give Kelce his fourth ring, the same number of Grammy Awards his pop star girlfriend has won for best album. Overall, Kelce has 18 playoff wins and Swift has 14 Grammys. Shes up there being the superstar that she is and never taking no for an answer and always working her tail off. I better match that energy for sure, Kelce said.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl ROB MAADDI Maaddi is senior NFL writer for The Associated Press. Hes covered the league for 24 years, including the first two decades as the Eagles beat writer. mailto

Louise Hamlin, left, and Chris Wilson, two neighbors who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, stand for a photo with the remains of their homes in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)2025-02-05T05:30:05Z Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses.I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has soul, said Hamlin, a 51-year-old single mom with a teenage boy, who bought her 1,500-square-foot home 10 years ago.Today, gone are their charming English-style cottages built in 1925 with the welcoming porches and Palladian windows. Amid the rubble and ash, little is left of their historic neighborhood.In the weeks since the Eaton wildfire took their homes, Hamlin and Wilson have been stumbling through the layers of business, bureaucracy and emotional trauma of surviving a natural disaster, with their sights firmly set on rebuilding. How theyll navigate rebuilding is a story of contrasting fortunes and unequal recovery that reveals the nations growing home insurance crisis. Her insurance has already paid out nearly a million dollars and she is searching for contractors. He is contemplating loans, lawsuits and moving his family out of California.It changes the whole trajectory to your life, said Wilson, 44, who bought his house five years ago with his wife, who is six months pregnant with their first child. The Unfair PlanHamlins home was privately covered by Mercury Insurance, but Wilson was forced onto the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan the states bare-bones insurance program when SafeCo declined to renew his policy last May. The FAIR Plan insures people who cant get private coverage but need insurance as a condition of their mortgage.As wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters become more frequent due to climate change, many property owners find themselves struggling to find or afford private insurance. The issue is particularly acute in California, where some major insurance companies have stopped writing new policies altogether or are refusing to renew existing ones. State officials recently started rolling out new regulations to entice insurers to stay in California, with the hope of getting as many homeowners as possible off the FAIR Plan. FAIR, with its high premiums and basic coverage, was designed as a temporary safety net until policyholders find a more permanent option. Yet the number of FAIR Plan residential policies more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, reaching nearly 452,000 policies last year. For Wilson and Hamlin, their parallel rebuilding journeys serve as a cautionary tale. Wilson paid nearly 60% more in premiums related to the fire than Hamlin, for less than half the coverage.Thats why a lot of people call it The Unfair Plan. said Amy Bach, executive director of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders.SafeCos parent company Liberty Mutual said in a statement that it couldnt comment on any individual policies but acknowledged difficult but purposeful business decisions in California.Mercury didnt respond to requests for comment. Janet Ruiz, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, which represents many major insurance companies, said California is fortunate to have the FAIR Plan, which is required to accept everyone. Ruiz said outcomes would be even worse if homeowners had no coverage at all. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said California is working to make sure all claims are paid. He said in a statement that his office is working to get homeowners off the FAIR Plan and back to traditional more comprehensive insurance coverage. A FAIR Plan spokesperson declined to comment on Wilsons case, and noted that its difficult to compare policies and coverage. 31,000 wildfire claimsThousands of people lost their homes in the Eaton and nearby Palisades fires, which were among the most destructive in California history.The FAIR Plan said it expanded staffing to meet the surging demand and has a funding mechanism in place to pay all covered claims. State data shows more than 31,000 wildfire-related claims had been filed as of last week, including roughly 4,400 claims under the FAIR Plan. Hamlin had standard comprehensive home insurance, with an annual policy premium of $1,264 at the time of the fire. She can receive up to $1.5 million to replace her home, other structures and personal property, including up to $303,000 for living expenses while displaced. Her policy further entitles her to coverage that could add more than $200,000 to help her rebuild.Wilson, meanwhile, pays a $2,000 premium for the FAIR Plan that sets his maximum payout at $686,000, including $100,000 for living expenses while displaced.Wilson also had to buy wrap-around insurance for $1,500 a year for issues the FAIR Plan doesnt cover, such as burst pipes or falling objects. That supplemental plan doesnt cover fire damage.Hamlin said Mercurys support has been exceptional, immediately sending her money and helping with next steps such as finding housing and getting contractor quotes. Within days, the company wired her tens of thousands of dollars to get started while the process fell into place. Being able to rest at night and wake up and deal with everything else is really important, Hamlin said.Meanwhile, Wilson has struggled to even talk to a FAIR Plan representative. There was zero communication in the first two weeks, contact information was listed incorrectly, phone numbers had no voicemail and emails bounced back.Half the time, I feel like Im doing something wrong, Wilson said. After The Associated Press reached out for comment, Insurance Department spokesperson Michael Soller said a representative would contact Wilson directly.Its just luck, reallyWilson said he feels haunted by his choices. He thought he had bought property in a low-risk area, and had avoided looking for homes in another neighborhood further north after hearing that people there had been dropped by their insurers.Hamlin, too, was aware of the fire risks when she moved in. She previously lived in Pasadena and was surprised that State Farm, her then-insurance company, would not offer her coverage in Altadena. She chose Mercury because it was the cheapest option, and was considering pursuing even more robust coverage.I could have been dropped when Chris was dropped. Any of us could be at any time. Its just luck, really. Its nothing I did or didnt do, Hamlin said, stunned by the comparison. I had the same risk factors as everyone else.Stephen Collier, a professor of urban planning at University of California, Berkeley, said the seemingly random nature of who gets dropped and when has much to do with insurance companies complicated risk models. Theyre all trying to manage their exposure, Collier said. If you think about wildfires, you dont want concentrated exposure.Wilson said SafeCo requested an inspection of his property before deciding not to renew his policy. Panicked, he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with them, offering to clear brushes, trim trees near the roof, and other wildfire mitigation efforts.Wilson shopped around aggressively with his insurance agent but to no avail, and resigned himself to the FAIR Plan, assuming he would eventually find private insurance again.There was another catch: Wilson said he couldnt get comprehensive replacement cost coverage on the FAIR Plan because his roof was too old. Instead, he ended up with what is known as actual cash value coverage, which greatly limits the payout based on the physical depreciation of what was lost.Were talking hundreds of thousands of dollars and thats very, very painful, said Bach of United Policyholders.An uninsurable futureCiting rising fire risks and other problems, seven of the top 12 insurance companies either paused or restricted new business in California in 2023. State regulations give insurers more latitude to raise premiums in exchange for issuing policies in high-risk areas, including consideration of climate change in premiums and passing the costs of reinsurance to consumers.But those are only short-term solutions, said Dave Jones, Californias insurance commissioner from 2011 to 2018. He pointed to Florida, where officials have done everything the insurers asked California to do but yielded little success.Were marching steadily towards an uninsurable future in the United States because were not doing enough fast enough to address the underlying cause, which is climate change, Jones said.Unless governments take on the financial burden of serious mitigation efforts, the price of Californias fire risk will remain unequal and left to the homeowners, Collier of UC Berkeley said. That could be the underinsured like Wilson swallowing their personal losses, or all California homeowners collectively saddled with increased premiums, or both. State Farm, Californias largest insurance company, this week urged the state to approve an emergency rate hike of 22% for homeowner policies starting in May after processing nearly 8,700 claims and paying out more than $1 billion to policyholders for the LA fires.Theres a huge amount of risk in the system and theres a big question of who is going to pay for this, Collier said.Wilson expects hell have to take out loans to rebuild. Hes considering joining a lawsuit against Southern California Edison that alleges the utilitys equipment sparked the blaze, in hopes of receiving settlement money.But with a baby on the way, Wilson said he cant fathom living in limbo on the FAIR Plan forever, and hes thinking about leaving California if private insurance remains out of reach. I dont want to have to be prepared to maybe lose everything again, Wilson said. Stuck paying for an insurance that doesnt cover anything. You dont want to live in a risky area. You dont have the safety net.___Associated Press data journalist Aaron Kessler in Washington, D.C., contributed. SALLY HO Ho is an investigative and business news reporter for The Associated Press. Shes filed public records requests in all 50 U.S. states and covered a range of major world events. twitter mailto TRN NGUYN Nguyn is an Associated Press reporter covering California government and politics. mailto

The National LGBTQ Task Force has issued a press release along with 200 LGBTQ+ organizations in solidarity, addressing a commitment to advancing freedom during the second Trump administration. Read the full release below. A Message to Our Community from 200+ Organizations Committed to Advancing LGBTQIA2S+ FreedomRemember: were stronger together. Dont run and hide. We have to be more visible and unified than ever! Miss Major Griffin-GracyMiss Majorgave the LGBTQ+ community and our allies this call to action in October 2018, under the first Trump Administration. She addressed our fear and anxiety as we reacted to a leaked draft of a rule detailing changes to how Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act would be implemented, which would remove protections from discrimination for many marginalized communities. She ended her gentle message to her beloved trans and gender nonconforming community with a powerful reminder:We are still here.We are here because of the love and care of movement leaders like Miss Major. In every community across the United States, there are trans elders who have shown us how to navigate moments like this. We honor Miss Major, our trans elders, and our trans youth by advocating for a healthcare system that cares for us from youth to our golden years because every person, across race, gender and ability, deserves to live long, healthy, joyful lives.We are here because of the grit and humor ofCeciliaGentili,who taught us that we are all worth fighting for. When this administration and its supporters act to dim our light, we honor Cecilia by showing up for our community and shining bright as our true selves.We are here because of the vision and tenacity ofLorena Borjas, mother to trans migrants, and an inspiration to all of us who believe that liberation for LGBTQIA2S+ people is a global commitment. We honor Lorena by fighting to keep our families and communities whole.We are here because ofMonicaRoberts fierce commitment to telling our stories and uplifting our history. We honor Monica by taking on those who try to bully their way into power, who ban books and medical care, and pass laws controlling who we can be and love.In these challenging times, we remind ourselves that ours is a legacy of care. Our stories, our families, our art, our voices, and our lives are powerful. We hold onto this truth:Those working to divide us cannot take away our joy because they didnt give it to us in the first place. Trans and queer joy will always exist because trans and queer people will always be here.Its crucial for LGBTQIA2S+ communities, organizations, and our allies across the country to come together. When we collaborate and when we create community, we amplify our power and strengthen our impact.For those who are ready to take action and have the capacity, there are many ways to get involved including:Joining or supporting local and national advocacy efforts. The organizations listed below are a start.Sharing stories of resilience and uplifting voices within our community.Engaging in campaigns that fight for our rights and protect our future.To everyone in our community: We are here. We will keep fighting for us, showing up for us, and creating spaces where we can all feel safe and loved. We are not alone.Through solidarity, thoughtfulness, and resilience, we will keep pushing forward. Our commitment to intersectionality and community ensures that all of us move forward as one.We are here. Together, we are stronger. Together, we will continue to fight for a world where all LGBTQIA2S+ people and our families are seen, heard, and celebrated.The following national, state, and local organizations join in solidarity:Advocates for Trans EqualityAdvocates for YouthAlbemarle/Stanly County PFLAG ChapterAlliance For Full Acceptance SCArkansas Black Gay Mens ForumAtlanta PrideBasic Rights OregonBayard Rustin Center for Social JusticeBlue Ridge PrideBrenham PFLAGCenter on HalstedCenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ CentersCentral Valley Gender Health & WellnessCharlotte Trans HealthCOLAGECompass LGBTQ Community CenterDecatur County PRIDE AllianceDiversity Center of OklahomaDiversity Collective Ventura CountyDiversity RichmondEquality CaliforniaEquality CaliforniaEquality Community CenterEquality FederationEquality FloridaEquality IllinoisEquality MaineEquality MichiganEquality New MexicoEquality North CarolinaEquality OhioEquality South DakotaFair WisconsinFairness CampaignFAIRNYFamily EqualityFranklin Pride TNGarden State EqualityGender JusticeGeorgia EqualityGLAADGrand Rapids Pride CenterGrand Rapids Trans FoundationGSAFEHenderson Equality CenterHendersonville PrideHuman Rights CampaigninTRANSitiveJim Toy Community CenterKeshetKeweenaw Chapter of PFLAGLavender Rights ProjectLGBT Center of RaleighLGBT+ Center Orlando, Inc.LGBTQ+ Center Lake CountyLouisiana Trans AdvocatesLouisville Youth GroupLPAC Action NetworkMaryland Legislative LGBTQ+ CaucusMassachusetts Transgender Political CoalitionMinnesota Transgender Health CoalitionMovement Advancement ProjectMuncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ CenterNaper Pride IncNational Center for Lesbian RightsNational LGBTQ Task Force Action FundNew Hampshire OutrightNoVA Prism CenterOgden PrideOne ColoradoOne Iowaone-n-tenOur Family CoalitionOutCenter Southwest MichiganOutFront MinnesotaOutNebraskaOutright VermontPFLAGPFLAG Acworth/DallasPFLAG Aiken SCPFLAG AkronPFLAG AnchoragePFLAG Athens, TNPFLAG AuburnPFLAG AuburnPFLAG BakersfieldPflag BaltimorePFLAG Bloomington-NormalPFLAG Bloomington-NormalPFLAG BolingbrookPFLAG BowiePFLAG Bucks CountyPFLAG Cape CodPFLAG Cape GirardeauPFLAG Carrollton GAPFLAG Carson RegionPFLAG CharlottePFLAG ChattanoogaPFLAG Clayton-ConcordPFLAG ClevelandPFLAG Clinton River CitiesPFLAG Columbus, OhioPFLAG Concord KannapolisPFLAG DallasPFLAG Danville / Central Susquehanna ValleyPFLAG DaytonPFLAG Deerfield, ILPFLAG DelawarePFLAG DenverPFLAG DuPagePFLAG EnfieldPFLAG Enid OKPFLAG Evansville/NewburghPFLAG FishersPFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville, NCPFLAG FlorencePFLAG Fort CollinsPFLAG FranklinPFLAG Franklin-HampshirePFLAG FresnoPFLAG GalesburgPFLAG Genesee FlintPFLAG Geneva/Tri-CitiesPFLAG Grayslake/Round LakePFLAG Great Lakes Bay RegionPFLAG Greater BostonPFLAG Greater BostonPFLAG Greater OrlandoPFLAG Greater Placer CountyPFLAG Greater St. LouisPFLAG GreeleyPFLAG GreensburgPFLAG GreenvillePFLAG Greenville SCPFLAG Grosse PointePFLAG Hampton RoadsPFLAG Hannibal-QuincyPFLAG Hanover/MadisonPFLAG HartfordPFLAG Homer Glen LockportPFLAG Homewood-FlossmoorPFLAG Huntsville TXPFLAG IndianapolisPFLAG Ithaca-CortlandPFLAG JuneauPFLAG Kansas CityPFLAG LafayettePFLAG Lafayette/Tippecanoe CountyPFLAG LAS VEGASPFLAG LawrencevillePFLAG LivoniaPFLAG MadisonPFLAG Manhattan Beach/South BayPFLAG MariettaPFLAG MilwaukeePFLAG Moraga/LamorindaPFLAG Mount PleasantPFLAG NashvillePFLAG NationalPFLAG New Prague AreaPFLAG NYCPFLAG Oak Park AreaPFLAG Oakland-East BayPFLAG of Port HuronPFLAG Pawleys IslandPFLAG PeoriaPFLAG Plymouth-CantonPFLAG Portland MainePFLAG Roaring Fork ValleyPFLAG RockfordPFLAG Rome Georgia ChapterPFLAG SacramentoPFLAG SalisburyPFLAG San Diego CountyPFLAG San FranciscoPFLAG San Jose/PeninsulaPFLAG Sandy SpringsPFLAG Santa BarbaraPFLAG Santa ClaritaPFLAG SarasotaPFLAG SeattlePFLAG Silver City New MexicoPFLAG SomersetPFLAG Southern MarylandPFLAG SOUTHERN PINESPFLAG Springfield/SWMOPFLAG Stanwood-CamanoPFLAG StatesvillePFLAG StillwaterPFLAG Tinley ParkPFLAG Tulare & Kings CountiesPFLAG TulsaPFLAG TulsaPFLAG WenatcheePFLAG West Chester/Chester CountyPFLAG Westminster Carroll CountyPFLAG YoungstownPFLAG-Clinton Twp, MIPFLAG-LAPFLAG-WESTCHESTER COUNTY (NY)PFLAG, Princeton NJ ChapterPFLAGStormLakePoint of PridePride Center of VermontPride Lafayette (Indiana)Queer VoxQueerLit CollectiveRainbow LabsRochester Rainbow UnionRock Hill PFLAGRockland County Pride CenterSAGEShoals Diversity CenterSolano Pride CenterSomos Familia ValleSpencer Pride, Inc.Tennessee Equality ProjectThe Frederick CenterThe LGBTQ Center of DurhamThe LGBTQ Community Center of the DesertThe LIAM FoundationThe LOFT LGBTQ+ Community CenterThe Pride Center at Equality ParkThe Prideful Path ProjectTranscanworkTransgender Education Network of TexasTransgender Law CenterTransgender Resource Center of New MexicoTranzmission, IncTwisted ArtsWaves Ahead CorpWenatchee PFlagYouth Pride AssociationThe post The Task Force and 200+ organizations stand up for LGBTQIA2S+ freedom appeared first on News Is Out.

Laundry hangs on a destroyed building caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)2025-02-05T17:42:24Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Saeed Abu Elaishs wife, two of his daughters and two dozen others from his extended family were killed by Israeli airstrikes over the past 15 months. His house in northern Gaza was destroyed. He and surviving family now live in a tent set up in the rubble of his home.But he says he will not be driven out, after President Donald Trump called for transferring all Palestinians from Gaza so the United States could take over the devastated territory and rebuild it for others. Rights groups said his comments were tantamount to a call for ethnic cleansing and forcible expulsion.We categorically reject and will resist any plans to deport and transfer us from our land, he said from the Jabaliya refugee camp.Trumps call for depopulating Gaza has stunned Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands in the territory rushed to return to their homes even if destroyed as soon as they could following the ceasefire reached last month between Israel and Hamas. Though some experts speculated that Trumps proposal might be a negotiating tactic, Palestinians across the region saw in it an effort to erase them completely from their homeland, a continuation of the expulsion and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. That event is known among Palestinians as the Nakba, Arabic for the Catastrophe. Trumps statement a wild swing away from years of U.S. policy meshed with calls from far-right politicians in Israel to push Palestinians out of Gaza, particularly into Egypt. We dont want a repeat of our ancestors tragedy, said Abu Elaish, a health care worker.Like many, Abu Elaish could point to his own familys experience. In May 1948, Israeli forces expelled his grandparents and other Palestinians and demolished their homes in the village of Hoj in whats now southern Israel just outside the Gaza Strip, he said. The family resettled in Gazas Jabaliya camp, which over the decades grew into a densely built urban neighborhood. Israeli troops leveled most of the district during fierce fighting with Hamas militants over recent months. Mustafa al-Gazzar was 5 years old, he said, when his family and other residents were forced to flee as Israeli forces in 1948 attacked their town of Yabneh in what is now central Israel.Now in his 80s, he sat outside his home in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, flattened by an airstrike, and said it was unthinkable to go after surviving 15 months of war.Are you crazy, you think I would leave? he said. You think youll expel me abroad and bring other people in my place? I would rather live in my tent, under rubble. I wont leave. Put that in your brain.Instead of being sent abroad, I should return to my original land where I was born and will die, he said, referring to Yabneh, located near what is now the central Israeli city of Yavneh. He said Trump should be seeking a two-state solution. This is the ideal, clear solution, peace for the Israelis and peace for the Palestinians, living side by side, he said. In his comments Tuesday alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Palestinians from Gaza should be resettled in lands in Egypt, Jordan or elsewhere, promising them a beautiful place. Egypt and Jordan have both rejected Trumps call to resettle Palestinians on their soil.Trump said the U.S. would take over Gaza and rebuild it into a Riviera of the Middle East for the worlds people, dismissing the idea that Palestinians would refuse to leave or want to return.Amna Omar, a 71-year-old from the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, called Trump a madman.Omar was able to go to Egypt during the war after her husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In Cairo, doctors told them his cancer had gone untreated for too long and he died in October.She said she intends to go back home as soon as she can, as did other Palestinians in Egypt.Gaza is our land, our home. We as Gazans have the right to the land and want to rebuild it, she said. I dont want to die in Egypt like my husband. I want to die at home. Palestinians have shown a powerful determination to return to their homes after nearly the entire population was displaced by the war. Joyous crowds streamed back to northern Gaza and Rafah, both of which were devastated by Israeli bombardment and ground offensives.With their neighborhoods reduced to landscapes of rubble, many returnees are homeless, water is scarce and electricity is largely non-existent in most areas. Still, for most, the destruction has not diminished their will to stay.We remain here, even if it means living in the rubble of our homes better that than living in humiliation elsewhere, said Ibrahim Abu Rizk, who returned to Rafah to find his home in ruins. For a year and a half, we have been slaughtered, bombed, and destroyed, only to then leave just like that? The ceasefire deal brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, calls for a return of Palestinians to their homes as well as a massive international reconstruction effort in its third phase assuming Israel and Hamas can reach a deal on who will govern the territory.International law forbids the forced removal of populations. The Israeli rights group Btselem said Trumps statement constitutes a call for ethnic cleansing through uprooting and forcibly transferring some 2 million people. This is Trump and Netanyahus roadmap for a second Nakba of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.Palestinian refugees have long demanded they be allowed to return to homes in what is now Israel, citing the right to return widely recognized for refugees under international law. Israel argues that right does not apply to the Palestinians and says a mass return would end the Jewish majority in the country.Throughout the 15-month war in Gaza, many Palestinians expressed fear that Israels goal was to drive the population into neighboring Egypt. The government denied that aim, though some hard-right members of the coalition called for encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza and for restoring Jewish settlements there. The Israeli-occupied West Bank home to more than 500,000 settlers has also seen more than a year of escalated violence.The rejection of Trumps call was echoed by Palestinians in the West Bank and in surrounding Arab countries like Jordan and Lebanon that are also home to large refugee populations.If he wants to displace the population of Gaza, Mohammed al-Amiri, a resident in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said of Trump, then he should return them to their original homeland from which they were displaced in 1948, inside Israel, in the depopulated villages.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Frankel from Jerusalem. Associated Press journalists Mohammed Jahjouh in Rafah and Lee Keath in Cairo contributed to this report. JULIA FRANKEL Frankel is an Associated Press reporter in Jerusalem. twitter mailto

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a joint news conference with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo at the National Palace in Guatemala City, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)2025-02-05T18:07:08Z GUATEMALA CITY (AP) Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday delivered a robust defense of the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and praised President Donald Trumps widely panned proposal for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip.Rubio said the administration was essentially forced to shut down USAID because of insubordination within its ranks by staffers who refused to comply with demands to justify its budget and its programs.He said Trumps suggestion that the U.S. take over Gaza was in fact a very generous offer to reconstruct and develop the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday during a news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled elsewhere and proposed the U.S. take ownership in redeveloping the area into the Riviera of the Middle East. It was not meant as a hostile move, Rubio said during a news conference in Guatemala City. It was meant as a, I think, a very generous move.He said Gaza is akin to a natural disaster and people cant live there because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble. In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while youre rebuilding it, he said. At USAID, almost all the agencys workers overseas are being pulled off the job and out of the field under a sudden Trump administration order. Rubio said the original intention was to keep the agency running while reviewing how money was being spent. But he said the government received no cooperation and employees were acting in contravention and insubordination.It is not the direction I wanted it. Its not the way we wanted to do it initially, but it is the way we will have to do it now, Rubio said. What would be a gift to our geopolitical rivals is billions of dollars in foreign aid that is not aligned to the national interests in the foreign policy of the United States. Immigration, a Trump administration priority, has been the major focus of Rubios first foreign trip as Americas top diplomat, a five-country tour of Central America. During his visit to Guatemala, the countrys President Bernardo Arvalo said his country will accept migrants from other countries being deported from the United States. Under the safe third country agreement announced by Arvalo, the deportees would then be returned to their home countries at U.S. expense.We have agreed to increase by 40% the number of flights of deportees both of our nationality as well as deportees from other nationalities, Arvalo said, speaking during a news conference with Rubio. The Guatemalan presidents offer came days after El Salvador Monday announced a similar but broader agreement.Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country would accept U.S. deportees of any nationality, including American citizens and legal residents who are imprisoned for violent crimes.

The National LGBTQ Task Force has issued a press release along with 200 LGBTQ+ organizations in solidarity, addressing a commitment to advancing freedom during the second Trump administration. Read the full release below. A Message to Our Community from 200+ Organizations Committed to Advancing LGBTQIA2S+ FreedomRemember: were stronger together. Dont run and hide. We have to be more visible and unified than ever! Miss Major Griffin-GracyMiss Majorgave the LGBTQ+ community and our allies this call to action in October 2018, under the first Trump Administration. She addressed our fear and anxiety as we reacted to a leaked draft of a rule detailing changes to how Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act would be implemented, which would remove protections from discrimination for many marginalized communities. She ended her gentle message to her beloved trans and gender nonconforming community with a powerful reminder:We are still here.We are here because of the love and care of movement leaders like Miss Major. In every community across the United States, there are trans elders who have shown us how to navigate moments like this. We honor Miss Major, our trans elders, and our trans youth by advocating for a healthcare system that cares for us from youth to our golden years because every person, across race, gender and ability, deserves to live long, healthy, joyful lives.We are here because of the grit and humor ofCeciliaGentili,who taught us that we are all worth fighting for. When this administration and its supporters act to dim our light, we honor Cecilia by showing up for our community and shining bright as our true selves.We are here because of the vision and tenacity ofLorena Borjas, mother to trans migrants, and an inspiration to all of us who believe that liberation for LGBTQIA2S+ people is a global commitment. We honor Lorena by fighting to keep our families and communities whole.We are here because ofMonicaRoberts fierce commitment to telling our stories and uplifting our history. We honor Monica by taking on those who try to bully their way into power, who ban books and medical care, and pass laws controlling who we can be and love.In these challenging times, we remind ourselves that ours is a legacy of care. Our stories, our families, our art, our voices, and our lives are powerful. We hold onto this truth:Those working to divide us cannot take away our joy because they didnt give it to us in the first place. Trans and queer joy will always exist because trans and queer people will always be here.Its crucial for LGBTQIA2S+ communities, organizations, and our allies across the country to come together. When we collaborate and when we create community, we amplify our power and strengthen our impact.For those who are ready to take action and have the capacity, there are many ways to get involved including:Joining or supporting local and national advocacy efforts. The organizations listed below are a start.Sharing stories of resilience and uplifting voices within our community.Engaging in campaigns that fight for our rights and protect our future.To everyone in our community: We are here. We will keep fighting for us, showing up for us, and creating spaces where we can all feel safe and loved. We are not alone.Through solidarity, thoughtfulness, and resilience, we will keep pushing forward. Our commitment to intersectionality and community ensures that all of us move forward as one.We are here. Together, we are stronger. Together, we will continue to fight for a world where all LGBTQIA2S+ people and our families are seen, heard, and celebrated.The following national, state, and local organizations join in solidarity:Advocates for Trans EqualityAdvocates for YouthAlbemarle/Stanly County PFLAG ChapterAlliance For Full Acceptance SCArkansas Black Gay Mens ForumAtlanta PrideBasic Rights OregonBayard Rustin Center for Social JusticeBlue Ridge PrideBrenham PFLAGCenter on HalstedCenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ CentersCentral Valley Gender Health & WellnessCharlotte Trans HealthCOLAGECompass LGBTQ Community CenterDecatur County PRIDE AllianceDiversity Center of OklahomaDiversity Collective Ventura CountyDiversity RichmondEquality CaliforniaEquality CaliforniaEquality Community CenterEquality FederationEquality FloridaEquality IllinoisEquality MaineEquality MichiganEquality New MexicoEquality North CarolinaEquality OhioEquality South DakotaFair WisconsinFairness CampaignFAIRNYFamily EqualityFranklin Pride TNGarden State EqualityGender JusticeGeorgia EqualityGLAADGrand Rapids Pride CenterGrand Rapids Trans FoundationGSAFEHenderson Equality CenterHendersonville PrideHuman Rights CampaigninTRANSitiveJim Toy Community CenterKeshetKeweenaw Chapter of PFLAGLavender Rights ProjectLGBT Center of RaleighLGBT+ Center Orlando, Inc.LGBTQ+ Center Lake CountyLouisiana Trans AdvocatesLouisville Youth GroupLPAC Action NetworkMaryland Legislative LGBTQ+ CaucusMassachusetts Transgender Political CoalitionMinnesota Transgender Health CoalitionMovement Advancement ProjectMuncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ CenterNaper Pride IncNational Center for Lesbian RightsNational LGBTQ Task Force Action FundNew Hampshire OutrightNoVA Prism CenterOgden PrideOne ColoradoOne Iowaone-n-tenOur Family CoalitionOutCenter Southwest MichiganOutFront MinnesotaOutNebraskaOutright VermontPFLAGPFLAG Acworth/DallasPFLAG Aiken SCPFLAG AkronPFLAG AnchoragePFLAG Athens, TNPFLAG AuburnPFLAG AuburnPFLAG BakersfieldPflag BaltimorePFLAG Bloomington-NormalPFLAG Bloomington-NormalPFLAG BolingbrookPFLAG BowiePFLAG Bucks CountyPFLAG Cape CodPFLAG Cape GirardeauPFLAG Carrollton GAPFLAG Carson RegionPFLAG CharlottePFLAG ChattanoogaPFLAG Clayton-ConcordPFLAG ClevelandPFLAG Clinton River CitiesPFLAG Columbus, OhioPFLAG Concord KannapolisPFLAG DallasPFLAG Danville / Central Susquehanna ValleyPFLAG DaytonPFLAG Deerfield, ILPFLAG DelawarePFLAG DenverPFLAG DuPagePFLAG EnfieldPFLAG Enid OKPFLAG Evansville/NewburghPFLAG FishersPFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville, NCPFLAG FlorencePFLAG Fort CollinsPFLAG FranklinPFLAG Franklin-HampshirePFLAG FresnoPFLAG GalesburgPFLAG Genesee FlintPFLAG Geneva/Tri-CitiesPFLAG Grayslake/Round LakePFLAG Great Lakes Bay RegionPFLAG Greater BostonPFLAG Greater BostonPFLAG Greater OrlandoPFLAG Greater Placer CountyPFLAG Greater St. LouisPFLAG GreeleyPFLAG GreensburgPFLAG GreenvillePFLAG Greenville SCPFLAG Grosse PointePFLAG Hampton RoadsPFLAG Hannibal-QuincyPFLAG Hanover/MadisonPFLAG HartfordPFLAG Homer Glen LockportPFLAG Homewood-FlossmoorPFLAG Huntsville TXPFLAG IndianapolisPFLAG Ithaca-CortlandPFLAG JuneauPFLAG Kansas CityPFLAG LafayettePFLAG Lafayette/Tippecanoe CountyPFLAG LAS VEGASPFLAG LawrencevillePFLAG LivoniaPFLAG MadisonPFLAG Manhattan Beach/South BayPFLAG MariettaPFLAG MilwaukeePFLAG Moraga/LamorindaPFLAG Mount PleasantPFLAG NashvillePFLAG NationalPFLAG New Prague AreaPFLAG NYCPFLAG Oak Park AreaPFLAG Oakland-East BayPFLAG of Port HuronPFLAG Pawleys IslandPFLAG PeoriaPFLAG Plymouth-CantonPFLAG Portland MainePFLAG Roaring Fork ValleyPFLAG RockfordPFLAG Rome Georgia ChapterPFLAG SacramentoPFLAG SalisburyPFLAG San Diego CountyPFLAG San FranciscoPFLAG San Jose/PeninsulaPFLAG Sandy SpringsPFLAG Santa BarbaraPFLAG Santa ClaritaPFLAG SarasotaPFLAG SeattlePFLAG Silver City New MexicoPFLAG SomersetPFLAG Southern MarylandPFLAG SOUTHERN PINESPFLAG Springfield/SWMOPFLAG Stanwood-CamanoPFLAG StatesvillePFLAG StillwaterPFLAG Tinley ParkPFLAG Tulare & Kings CountiesPFLAG TulsaPFLAG TulsaPFLAG WenatcheePFLAG West Chester/Chester CountyPFLAG Westminster Carroll CountyPFLAG YoungstownPFLAG-Clinton Twp, MIPFLAG-LAPFLAG-WESTCHESTER COUNTY (NY)PFLAG, Princeton NJ ChapterPFLAGStormLakePoint of PridePride Center of VermontPride Lafayette (Indiana)Queer VoxQueerLit CollectiveRainbow LabsRochester Rainbow UnionRock Hill PFLAGRockland County Pride CenterSAGEShoals Diversity CenterSolano Pride CenterSomos Familia ValleSpencer Pride, Inc.Tennessee Equality ProjectThe Frederick CenterThe LGBTQ Center of DurhamThe LGBTQ Community Center of the DesertThe LIAM FoundationThe LOFT LGBTQ+ Community CenterThe Pride Center at Equality ParkThe Prideful Path ProjectTranscanworkTransgender Education Network of TexasTransgender Law CenterTransgender Resource Center of New MexicoTranzmission, IncTwisted ArtsWaves Ahead CorpWenatchee PFlagYouth Pride AssociationThe post 200+ organizations stand up for LGBTQIA2S+ freedom appeared first on News Is Out.

YA horror fans, get ready: This Is Not a Test is getting the big-screen treatment. The apocalyptic thriller, based on Courtney Summers novel of the same name, is officially in development with Cruel Summer's Olivia Holt, The Strangers: Chapter 1s Froy Gutierrez, and Bros star Luke MacFarlane leading the cast. Directed by Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, Pyewacket), the film is being described as The Breakfast Club meets 28 Weeks Later, which sounds like a messy, emotional, and bloody good time.For those unfamiliar, This Is Not a Test follows Sloane (Holt), a high schooler grappling with her own struggles when a full-scale zombie outbreak forces her and four other students to take shelter in their high school. As the infected pound on the doors, Sloanewho initially had no will to survivestarts seeing the world through the eyes of those who desperately want to live. And when push comes to shove, she decides to take matters into her own hands.Producer Cybill Lui promises the film will be both an emotional and terrifying ride, telling Variety, Were dead set on making an intense, emotional, and gripping film set in the 90s. See on InstagramWith intentional comparisons to The Breakfast Club, we can probably expect a group of misfits, deep personal revelations, and the impending threat of zombies instead of Saturday detention.Outside of how much we love the plot, having daddy MacFarlane and hunky Gutierrez as part of the cast adds another layer of excitement to the project. While details on their roles remain under wraps, their involvement signals that This Is Not a Test could deliver some much-needed queer representation in the YA horror genre outside of just casting queer people.See on InstagramIf the film follows the book closely, theres already a notable queer character at the heart of the story. They'd be smart to tap into that, and doing so would set this adaptation apart in an era of mainstream horror that is still catching up on LGBTQ+ inclusion.See on InstagramSummers herself is thrilled with the adaptation, stating, From its stellar script to its exciting cast, [MacDonald and Luis] enthusiasm for the book and their passion for filmmaking has and continues to define every part of this process. I cant wait to see the story come to lifeor should I say death?No release date has been announced yet, but with filming set to begin in Canada this month, it likely wont be long before we get some more details, such as who will take on which character. Hopedfully, horror audiences will get the queer representation they deserve!

Netflixs upcoming YA series Olympo hasnt even premiered yet, but its already setting social media ablaze. The drama, described as lite meets Black Swan, centers on prestigious athletes at the Pirineos High Performance Center, where ambition, physical limits, and personal rivalries collide. With a cast led by Clara Galle, Nira Osahia, Agustn Della Corte, and lite alum Nuno Gallego, Olympo follows Amaia, the captain of the national synchronized swimming team, as she fights to maintain her spot at the top. When her best friend and teammate, Nria, surpasses her for the first time, Amaia realizes something strange is happeningsome athletes are getting inexplicably stronger. The question isnt just who will win but how far theyre willing to go to stay in the race.While that sounds fun and all, the undeniably queer energy we just got from newly released images is behind all the internet frenzy.I would like to call your attention to OLYMPO, a new Spanish series coming to Netflix this year that's set at a school for elite athletes[image or embed] Jarett Wieselman (@jarettsays.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 11:55 AMThe shows mix of high-stakes drama and steamy tension is already striking a chord with fans longing for the kind of unapologetic queer representation that made lite a global phenomenon. The latest stills have only added fuel to the fire. One shows two men in an intimate locker room moment, while another captures an intense wrestling match with a kind of closeness that toes the line between aggression and desire. The energy is unmistakable, and fans are eating it up.There's plenty of speculation about which characters will be at the center of Olympos queer narratives, with users praising the series for embracing homoerotic tension rather than shying away from it. Given lites track record of delivering compelling LGBTQ+ storylines, expectations are sky-high for Olympo to carry the torch.With its sleek cinematography, a cast full of rising stars, and an undercurrent of forbidden desire, Olympo is shaping up to be the next must-watch for fans of messy, high-drama queer storytelling.Netflix has yet to confirm an official release date, but the anticipation indicates it will be another smash hit for the platform. Until then, fans will have to settle for dissecting every frame of these tantalizing promo shots. If the visuals are any indication, Olympo is about to give us everything weve been craving.Check out the trailer below:Olympo Trailer.

Protesters demonstrate against Project 2025, in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-02-05T06:12:23Z Follow todays live updates on the Trump administration Thousands of demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administrations early actions, decrying everything from the presidents immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.Protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana and beyond waved signs denouncing President Donald Trump; billionaire Elon Musk, the leader of Trumps new Department of Government Efficiency; and Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society.Democracy is not a spectator sport! Do something, said a sign held aloft by one demonstrator in Philadelphia.The protests were a result of a movement that has organized online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Websites and accounts across social media issued calls for action, with messages such as reject fascism and defend our democracy. AP AUDIO: Thousands protest Trump administration policies in cities across the US AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports protests are expanding to President Trumps proposed changes. Outside the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, a crowd of about 1,000 people gathered in freezing temperatures. Catie Miglietti, from the Ann Arbor area, said Musks access to the Treasury Department data was especially concerning to her. She painted a sign depicting Musk puppeteering Trump from his outraised arm evoking Musks straight-arm gesture during a January speech that some have interpreted as a Nazi salute. If we dont stop it and get Congress to do something, its an attack on democracy, Miglietti said.In Columbus, Ohio, protesters outside the Statehouse shouted, Wake up USA! Stop the coup thats underway!Im appalled by democracys changes in the last, well, specifically two weeks but it started a long time ago, said Margaret Wilmeth, a self-described senior citizen from Columbus. So Im just trying to put a presence into resistance. Craig and Robin Schroeder drove nearly two hours from their home in Findlay for the demonstration. They described the appointment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a slap to Ohios military families. The Senate narrowly confirmed Hegseth after questions from members in both parties over his qualifications to lead the military, especially amid allegations of heavy alcohol use and aggressive behavior toward women.This is my first protest ever, but I cant imagine a more worthwhile one, said Robin Schroeder, 47.Demonstrations in several cities piled criticism on Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.DOGE is not legit, read one poster on the state Capitol steps in Jefferson, Missouri, where dozens of protesters gathered. Why does Elon have your Social Security info???Members of Congress have expressed concern that DOGEs involvement with the U.S. government payment system could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. A Treasury Department official says a tech executive working with DOGE will have read-only access.The Missouri protesters chanted we will not bend down and we will not be silenced. Trump has signed a series of executive orders in the first couple of weeks of his new term on everything from trade and immigration to climate change. As Democrats begin to raise their voice in opposition to Trumps agenda, protests have also begun. In Alabama, several hundred people gathered outside the Statehouse to protest state and federal actions targeting LGBTQ people.On Tuesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey promised to sign legislation declaring that there are only two sexes, male and female echoing Trumps recent executive order for the federal government to define sex as only male or female.The President thinks he has a lot of power, the Rev. Julie Conrady, a Unitarian Universalist minister told the crowd. He does not have the power to determine your gender. He does not have the power to define your identity.___Associated Press journalists Joey Cappelletti and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan; Julie Smyth in Columbus, Ohio; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Michael Conroy in Indianapolis, Indiana; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; and Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix contributed to this report. ___The attribution for a quote from the Alabama protest has been corrected to reflect that it was from The Rev. Julie Conrady, not Patricia Todd. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This image provided by Pringles shows the Pringles 2025 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Pringles via AP)2025-02-05T15:07:31Z NEW YORK (AP) Eugene Levys trademark eyebrows fly off for Little Caesars. A tongue dances to Shania Twain to promote Nestles Coffee Mate Cold Foam. And Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunite at Katzs Deli in an ad for Hellmanns. A frenzied mix of silliness and celebrities is hitting the airwaves and the internet, and that means one thing: it is Super Bowl ad time again.Veteran advertisers are using tried-and-true tactics like celebrity cameos, humor and cute animals to win over watchers. Meanwhile, first-time and newer advertisers are courting outrageousness and using stunts to try to stand out in the battle to capture the attention of the more than 120 million viewers expected to tune into Sundays game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Fox. Super Bowl viewers are a unique audience because theyre as primed to watch the ads as they are the game. This is a societal moment where we come together as a country, said Kimberly Whitler, marketing professor at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business. We may be on different sides, you know, of the gridiron or the field. But we come together. With 80-plus ad spots divvied up among the 50-something advertisers during the game, its tough to make sure viewers remember your brand message. And with a few ad spots going for a record $8 million for 30 seconds this year, the stakes have never been higher. But the price tag is worth it, advertisers say. Rachel Jaiven, head of Hagen-Dazs marketing, said the brand decided to make its first-ever appearance in the game due to the size of the viewership and its association with snacking.We know at the Super Bowl these days that everyone watches, its a wide audience, Jaiven said. The brands ad shows stars from the Fast & Furious franchise enjoying an ice cream bar. We thought it was time for us to tell our story, remind people what they love about Hagen-Dazs and of course, have them stock up on Hagen-Dazs in their freezer.In order to garner more publicity, many advertisers release their ads ahead of the game. Of the ads that have already been released, heres a sampling of the approaches advertisers are taking during the big game this year. CELEBRITY-PALOOZAHellmannsHellmanns ad made a splash ahead of the game by reuniting Meg Ryan and Billy Crystals When Harry Met Sally characters at Katzs Deli enjoying a sandwich with Hellmanns. Sydney Sweeney joins to utter the famous line Ill have what shes having.MetaChris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth wear Ray-Ban Meta AI-powered glasses while looking at art. Hemsworth accidently eats a banana in an art piece worth $6.2 million, and Kris Jenner appears to scold them.Michelob UltraActors Catherine OHara and Willem Dafoe star as pickleball players hustling younger players to win Michelob Ultras.Stella ArtoisSoccer star David Beckham learns he has a twin named Dave Beckham who turns out to be Matt Damon. They dont have much in common but both drink Stella Artois.Uber EatsMatthew McConaughey explains a conspiracy theory that football was invented to sell food, with cameos by Martha Stewart, Greta Gerwig, Charli XCX, Kevin Bacon and YouTuber Sean Evans. SILLY HUMORCoors LightAdorable sloths undergo mishaps because theyre slow, like a kitchen fire and running into a glass door; they have a Case of the Mondays, like many people sluggish at work the day after the Super Bowl.Little CaesarsActor Eugene Levys eyebrows fly off and fly around after he tries the pizza chains Crazy Puffs in what is strangely not the only ad with flying facial hair in it (see Pringles).Nestle Coffee MateThe first-time advertiser goes for silly humor in an ad that shows a mans tongue dancing, and even doing a flip, to a song sung by Shania Twain to represent how good Nestle Coffee Mate Cold Foam tastes.PringlesActor Nick Offerman, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and L.A. Clippers James Harden watch their famous mustaches fly away to help deliver Pringles. SERIOUS MESSAGESDoveDove highlights the problem of low body confidence in young girls and depicts a young girl running down the sidewalk to H.E.R.s version of Born to Run.Foundation to Combat AntisemitismPatriot owner Robert Kraft has an ad in the game for the second year in a row. Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady voice reasons why people hate each other in an effort to combat hate speech. Hims and HersFirst-time advertiser Telehealth company Hims & Hers highlights the obesity epidemic and says weight loss drugs should be more affordable.NovartisFirst-time advertiser Novartis is focusing on breast cancer awareness in its ad featuring Wanda Sykes and Hailee Steinfeld. FIRST-TIME ADVERTISERSHagen-DazsThe ice-cream brand reunites Fast & Furious stars Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel and Ludacris, except this time, theyre going slow. They cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway in a Chevrolet Chevelle slowly so they can enjoy eating an ice cream bar.InstacartFirst-timer Instacart joins DoorDash and Uber Eats and a battle between food delivery services during the game. Instacart loads up its ad with tons of brand characters it hopes viewers recognize: from Mountain Dews PuppyMonkeyBaby character from a 2016 Super Bowl ad to the Jolly Green Giant and the Pillsbury Doughboy. The characters represent all the things you can get delivered from the food delivery service.Totinos Pizza RollsIn one of several ads featuring aliens, comedian Tim Robinson and actor Sam Richardson say goodbye to an alien who was living in their neighborhood. Cookware brand Hexclad and Doritos ads also feature aliens.SURPRISESNot all advertisers release their ads early, so there are always plenty of surprises on game day. Only two auto brands, Stellantis Jeep and Ram, have announced Super Bowl ad plans, but they havent given any details on the ads.Dunkin has secured the first ad spot after kickoff but is staying mum on details other than teasing that it will star Ben and Casey Affleck and Jeremy Strong. Canned water company Liquid Death will advertise for the first time with an ad created in-house. Duracell has teased that its ad will feature a Duracell Scientist but hasnt given any other details.Ad experts think it is unlikely that an A.I.-generated ad will debut during advertisings biggest night after Coca-Colas holiday ad created with the help of A.I. technology drew some backlash. But if one did debut, it would be sure to make a splash. MAE ANDERSON Anderson reports for The Associated Press on a wide range of issues that small businesses face. She is based in New York. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-05T05:07:21Z President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and womens sports.The order, titled Keeping Men Out of Womens Sports, gives federal agencies, including the Justice and Education departments, wide latitude to ensure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administrations view, which interprets sex as the gender someone was assigned at birth.With this executive order, the war on womens sports is over, Trump said at a signing ceremony.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the order upholds the promise of Title IX and will require immediate action, including enforcement actions, against schools and athletic associations that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms.The timing of the order coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and is the latest in a string of executive actions from Trump aimed at transgender people. Trump found during the campaign that his pledge to keep men out of womens sports resonated beyond the usual party lines. More than half the voters surveyed by AP VoteCast said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far. He leaned into the rhetoric before the election, pledging to get rid of the transgender insanity, though his campaign offered little in the way of details. The order offers some clarity. For example, it authorizes the Education Department to penalize schools that allow transgender athletes to compete, citing noncompliance with Title IX, which prohibits sexual discrimination in schools. Any school found in violation could potentially be ineligible for federal funding.The order also calls for private sporting bodies to meet at the White House so the president can hear in person the stories of female athletes who have suffered livelong injuries, who have been silenced and forced to shower with men and compete with men on athletic fields across the country. Follow todays live updates on the Trump administration The move is the latest by the Trump administration to limit the rights of the transgender population.Previous ones have sought to have the federal government reject the idea that people can transition to a gender other than the one assigned at birth. That has implications for areas including passports and prisons. Hes also opened the door to barring transgender service members from the military; called to end federal health insurance and other funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 19 and restrict the way lessons on gender can be taught in schools.Already, transgender people have sued over several of the policies and are likely to challenge more of them in court.Civil rights lawyers who are handling the cases have asserted that in some instances, Trumps orders violate laws adopted by Congress and protections in the Constitution and that they overstep the authority of the president.There could be similar questions for this order, for instance: Can the president demand that the NCAA change its policies? NCAA President Charlie Baker told Republican senators in December that the organization would follow federal law. The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.The order came a day after three former teammates of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas filed a lawsuit accusing the NCAA, Ivy League, Harvard and their own school, Penn, of conspiring to allow Thomas to compete at conference and national championships.The lawsuit, which makes similar allegations of that filed last year by Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines and others, alleges the defendants violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to swim and acted in bad faith. Gaines joined Trump for the signing ceremony.___Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, M.L. Price, Geoff Mulvihill and Eddie Pells contributed to this report.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports WILL GRAVES Graves is a national writer for The Associated Press, based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NFL, MLB, NHL, the Olympics and major college sports. twitter facebook mailto

Elon Musk arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP, File)2025-02-05T21:30:18Z WASHINGTON (AP) Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are demanding answers after they say President Donald Trump gave billionaire Elon Musk and his staff access to sensitive data and classified secrets as part of their work to overhaul the federal government.The lawmakers on Wednesday wrote to Susie Wiles, Trumps chief of staff, and asked what security precautions had been taken to prevent unauthorized leaks of information by staff at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Trump tapped Musk to run the taskforce, which has quickly gotten to work dismantling whole agencies of the federal government.As part of that effort, Musk and his staff have gained access to computer systems that the senators say contain potentially sensitive medical and financial information about millions of Americans as well as federal payroll information, classified documents, information from foreign intelligence partners and the identities of undercover agents and intelligence sources. In the letter, the senators warned that national security and the personal privacy of Americans could be at risk if the information is mishandled intentionally or through negligence. They ask whether Musks team has met with U.S. intelligence officials to discuss how to reduce the chances of the data being misused and what steps to take to protect classified information, such as the identities of CIA informants or the actions of overseas intelligence operatives. Such information would be highly valuable to the spy agencies of Russia, China, Iran and other nations, and its loss could put lives at risk while undermining efforts to prevent terrorism and other threats to the U.S., the senators wrote. No information has been provided to Congress or the public as to who has been formally hired under DOGE, under what authority or regulations DOGE is operating, or how DOGE is vetting and monitoring its staff and representatives before providing them seemingly unfettered access to classified materials and Americans personal information, the Senators wrote. The letter was signed by seven Democrats serving on the Intelligence Committee as well as independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.The White House did not immediately respond to the senators questions. Musk has dismissed criticism of his government involvement, saying it just shows his effort is needed.

January seemed to last approximately 537 years, and February isnt looking much better as the public watches President Donald Trump and his cronies quickly dismantle the U.S. government and roll back any and all protections for the LGBTQ+ community.But while its easy to feel frozen by fear and an overwhelming sense that there is little that can done to make a difference, some Democrats arent sitting around waiting for their next chance at having a majority in Congress or a Democrat in the White House. Instead, they are standing up and fighting back against the Trump policies that threaten the very fabric of our democracy.Rep. Jasmine Crockett (@) Rep. Jasmine Crockett joined a protest outside of the Treasury on February 4 alongside Sen. Chuck Schumer to try to combat Elon Musk's seeming takeover of the US government. "We are going to be in your faces, we're gonna be on your ass, we're going to make sure you understand that this is what democracy looks like, Crockett said in a powerful speech given at the protest. Rep. Ilhan Omar (@) Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American congresswoman, has been quoted in a video as helping undocumented immigrants by advising them not to talk to ICE if they are approached in light of the mass deportation plans Trump is currently working on. "You are not obligated to answer their questions. Just state that your are advised by a lawyer not to answer questions," Omar told a reporter, according to Newsweek. "Disclosure of your name, immigration status, and the mode of entry is not mandatory. Learn the laws and prepare yourself and refrain from disclosing information that you prefer them not to know."Sen. Chuck Schumer (@) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined a rally outside the Treasury Department on February 4 to protest Musk gaining control of the U.S. government and access to the Treasury payment system.On the same day, he and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries introduced their Stop the Steal bill in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the MAGA rallying cry over false election fraud claims to prevent Musk from any unlawful meddling in the Treasury Departments payment systems.Rep. Al Green (@) We're only a little over two weeks into the Trump presidency, but he's already well on his way to being impeached again. On February 5, Rep. Al Green announced he was planning to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump after the MAGA president said the U.S. would take over Gaza, Politico reports."Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America," Green said in a floor speech on Capitol Hill. "I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done."Rep. Hakeem Jeffires (@) Instead of just sitting idly by while Trump reshapes the U.S. government, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries released a letter to his Democratic colleagues laying out a 10-point plan for combating Trump, including this intent to introduce a bill to prevent unlawful access to the Treasury Departments payment system.Sen. Brian Schatz (@) Brian Schatz saying hell put a blanket hold on Trump nominationsSen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced on February 3 that he plans to put a blanket hold on all of Trumps nominees to the State Department until the president agrees not to go forward with his plan to dismantle Americas foreign aid agency, USAID.Until and unless this brazenly authoritarian action is reversed and USAID is functional again, I will be placing a blanket hold on all of the Trump administrations State Department nominees. This is self-inflicted chaos of epic proportions that will have dangerous consequences all around the world, Schatz said in a statement, The Hill reports.Rep. Ayanna Pressley (@) Rep. Ayanna Presley protested alongside Sen Chuck Schumer and Rep. Jasmine Crockett on February 4 and gave a speech condemning Musk for how much power and influence he now seems to hold in the U.S. government. Im so tired of these billionaire boys and their grubby little hands grabbing at everything, she said to a large crowd outside the Treasury Department. Hands off our bodies. Hands off our data. Hands off our tax refunds. Hands off our Social Security checks. Hands off our constitution. Hands off our democracy. Hands off!Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (@) Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester is pushing back against Project 2024 and the MAGA agenda by issuing a statement to her constituents promising that she will oppose every cabinet-level nominee that Trump brings to the Senate floor.California Gov. Gavin Newsom (@) When Trump came to visit California after the devastating fires in Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom may have agreed to work with him, telling reporters, Its not about me, its about people we both represent, but hes also been quietly working to protect the undocumented immigrants living in the Golden State. Newsom requested a special session with the states lawmakers to use funds to protect immigrants. While they haven't been voted on yet, the two new pieces of legislation would allow the California Department of Justice to use $25 million on legal fights with the Trump administration and would grant $25 million in grants to non-profits tasked with providing immigration-related legal services. Sen. Bernie Sanders (@) Outspoken Trump critic Sen. Bernie Sanders an independent who caucuses with the Democrats took to the floor of the Senate on February 4 to give an impassioned speech against the "America's dangerous movement toward oligarchy, authoritarianism, and kleptocracy.He placed the blame firmly at the feet of Trump, Musk, and other billionaire tech CEO who suck up the nations wealth and then use it to control the government. The Trump administration is moving this country very aggressively into an authoritarian society where the rule of law, and our Constitution, are being ignored and undermined in order to give more power to the White House and the billionaires who now control our government," Sanders said, reported Common Dreams.

President Donald Trump speaks before Pam Bondi is sworn in as Attorney General by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-05T22:12:36Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump promised voters an administration that wouldnt waste precious American lives and taxpayer treasure on far-off wars and nation building.But just weeks into his second go-around in the White House, the Republican leader laid out plans to use American might to take over and reconstruct Gaza, threatened to reclaim U.S. control of the Panama Canal and floated the idea that the U.S. could buy Greenland from Denmark, which has shown no interest in parting with the island.The rhetorical shift from America First to America Everywhere is leaving even some of his allies slack-jawed and wondering if hes really serious.The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians, a flummoxed Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican and Trump ally, posted Wednesday on social media. I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood. The presidents shocking declaration Tuesday that he wants to remove roughly 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop the war-scarred territory into the Riviera of the Middle East with long-term American ownership raises anew questions about the direction of Trumps foreign policy during his norm-breaking second term. Is Trumps imperialist talk just meant to appear tough on the world stage? Is he merely trying to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cover with far-right members of his governing coalition who oppose moving forward with the second phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas? Is the Gaza takeover proposal a land grab by a president who sees the world through the prism of a New York real estate developer? Or is it, possibly, a bit of all of above?Whatever the answer, Trumps play on Gaza has perplexed Washington and the world as they try to make sense of the presidents foreign policy doctrine. Trump advisers try to temper concernsThe presidents advisers sought Wednesday to temper concerns about his plans for the territory, just a day after Trump shocked the world with his call for a world-class American rehab of Gaza that would take place after relocating Palestinians to neighboring Arab nations.Both his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, edged away from Trumps suggestion that Gazans would be relocated permanently.Rubio said Trumps proposal to take ownership of Gaza and redevelop the area should be seen as a generous offer.It was not meant as a hostile move, Rubio said during his visit to Guatemala. It was meant as ... a very generous move.Rubio added that the moment was akin to a natural disaster. People wont be able to live Gaza for years to come because there are unexploded munitions, debris and rubble.In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while youre rebuilding it, he said.Trump would not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops being deployed to carry out his plan.But Leavitt downplayed the prospects that Trumps plan would come with a cost to American taxpayers or that Trump would deploy U.S. forces. Its been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort, to ensure stability in the region for all people, Leavitt told reporters at the White House. But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort.The White House has yet to explain under what authority Trump could carry his Gaza proposal. Nor has the administration clarified how Trump would get around stiff opposition to any relocation of Gazas population from Arab allies, including Egypt and Jordan, that he expects to take in Palestinians.Still, they insist that Trump is just looking for an answer to the generational strife between Israelis and Palestinians thats convulsed the region for decades and foiled many of his White House predecessors.Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, Leavitt said. President Trump is an outside-of-the-box thinker and a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable. Democrats criticize expansionist talkThe expansionist talk in Gaza is playing out as Trump has begun an effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemics and poverty overseas. Trump sees it as a poster child of government waste and advancement of liberal social programs.That split screen has galled some of Trumps Democratic detractors.Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called Trumps Gaza proposal offensive and insane and dangerous and foolish. Even worse, he said, it risks the rest of the world thinking that we are an unbalanced and unreliable partner because our president makes insane proposals. Coons added that it was particularly infuriating that Trump floated the idea at a moment when he is also insisting that USAID be dismantled in the name of fighting government waste.Why on earth would we abandon decades of well-established humanitarian programs around the world, and now launch into one of the worlds greatest humanitarian challenges? Coons said.Mideast allies reject moving displaced Palestinians in GazaTrumps push was roundly rejected Wednesday by European and Middle East allies, including those hes calling on to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been left homeless by the war. The Arab League, the 22-member regional grouping, said the proposal represents a recipe for instability. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said displaced Palestinians in Gaza must be allowed home. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would be unacceptable and against international law.Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said the idea of Americans going in on the ground in Gaza is a nonstarter for every senator.So I would suggest we go back to what weve been trying to do, which is destroy Hamas and find a way for the Arab world to take over Gaza and the West Bank, in a fashion that would lead to a Palestinian state that Israel can live with, Graham said.But even as his Gaza proposal was panned, Trump continued to insist that it has widespread support.Everybody loves it, Trump said in a brief exchange with reporters.___Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Matthew Lee in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Farnoush Amiri and Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report. AAMER MADHANI Aamer Madhani is a White House reporter. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Zeke is APs chief White House correspondent twitter mailto

This image provided by the New York State Attorney General office shows body camera footage of correction officers beating a handcuffed man, Robert Brooks, 43, at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, N.Y., on Dec. 9, 2024. (New York State Attorney General office via AP, File)2025-02-05T16:25:11Z ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The death of a handcuffed man who was pummeled by New York prison guards was ruled a homicide in an autopsy report, lawyers for his family said Wednesday.The report issued by the county medical examiners office last week concludes that the cause of Robert Brooks death in December was compression of the neck and multiple blunt impact injuries. The manner of death was determined to be homicide, according to the attorneys.Body camera video shows corrections officers assaulting Brooks for about 10 minutes while he was handcuffed on a medical examination table at Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. One officer uses a shoe to strike Brooks in the stomach, and another yanks him up by his neck and drops him back on the table.Brooks was pronounced dead the next morning.I think what this does is rule out any argument that there was some other cause of death other than what we saw on video, family attorney Stephen Schwarz said of the autopsy report. New Yorks attorney general last month appointed Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick as a special prosecutor to investigate Brooks death. A grand jury is expected to hear evidence in the case. More than a dozen correctional officers and two nurses were suspended without pay. One officer quit.Brooks son, Robert L. Brooks Jr., has sued the people implicated in the attack, as well as the head of the upstate facility at that time and the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Target is facing the harsh reality that actions have consequences after ending their DEI initiatives. The retailer is currently being sued for allegedly hiding the risks of ending the companys DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs after customers angry about the move started a boycott. Last month, Target joined major corporations across the country who have been rolling back diversity initiatives in the wake of President Donald Trump taking power. The company also issued a memo that said it would end its Racial Equity Action and Change program and will be stopping all external diversity-focused surveys including HRCs Corporate Equality index, the Advocate reports.The backlash to the move was swift, with civil rights activists and people across social media calling for a boycott. Georgia pastor Dr. Jamal Bryan even told his congregation that they should participate in a 40-day fast from Target.Now, the mega-store is realizing that while ditching diversity programs may win over Republicans, there are also very real consequences. (@) Target shareholders, led by the City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund in Florida, filed a class action lawsuit, claiming Target defrauding them by artificially inflated stock prices and failing to warn inventors about how removing DEI and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies could cause stock prices to plummet, Forbes reports.The lawsuit also says that Target concealed the backlash it suffered from the May 2023 Pride Month campaign after the company removed the LGBTQ+ merchandise after confrontations happened in stores. Target lost $15.7 billion of market value after share prices fell 22% on Nov. 20, 2024.The lawsuit was filed after January 24, when Target announced it was ending its DEI initiatives. This move walked back the companys commitment to diversity that increased after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 when the retailer created a program to support Black businesses.

Grab your Ouija boards and brace yourselvesSchool Spirits is back for season two, and things are about to get real supernatural! Following the jaw-dropping finale of season one, our ghostly heroine Maddie Nears (Peyton List) is on a mission to uncover the truth behind her spectral existence. But this time, shes not just sleuthing from beyond the graveshes bridging the gap between the afterlife and the land of the living.A Hauntingly Good TimeSeason two of School Spirits picks up right where we left off, with Maddie realizing she must unite both her ghostly and living friends if she ever hopes to reclaim her life. As she digs deeper, new secrets unravel, shocking alliances form, and the stakes get higher. And yes, according to Nick Pugliese, who plays Charlie, this season is gayer and hotter.Thats the kind of haunting we love to see!Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/Paramount+.Related | Teen Wolf Is Making a Comeback on Paramount+Meet the Cast and Their CharactersThe show features a diverse and captivating ensemble:Peyton List as Maddie Nears A high-school girl caught between life and death, watching her own disappearance unfold from the afterlife. With the help of other spirits stuck in limbo, she seeks the truth about how she got there and whether she can return.Kristian Flores as Simon Elroy Maddies best friend and the only living person who can communicate with her. He is determined to solve the mystery of her disappearance, though his own perception of reality is challenged along the way.Kiara Pichardo as Nicole Herrera Maddies fiercely loyal best friend in the living world, who works tirelessly to uncover the truththough she has some secrets of her own.Milo Manheim as Wally Clark A charming 1980s football player who died in a tragic on-field accident and provides much of the afterlifes comic relief.Spencer MacPherson as Xavier Baxter Maddies ex-boyfriend, whose actions before her disappearance make him a suspect, but who is just as eager to uncover the truth.Nick Pugliese as Charley One of the first ghosts Maddie befriends, who is dealing with his own unresolved past while supporting his newfound friends.Rainbow Wedell as Claire Zomer The schools queen bee and a childhood friend of Maddies with hidden layers beneath her mean-girl exterior.Josh Zuckerman as Mr. Martin A former teacher and ghostly guide for spirits trapped at the schoolthough his true intentions may not be as benevolent as they seem.Fashion in the Afterlife: Ghostly DripOne of the shows quirkiest rules is that ghosts are stuck wearing the same outfit for eternity (tragic!). So, we had to ask the cast what their ghost look would be if they had a choice. Kristian Ventura is all about practicality: Ive always been a huge fan of pockets. Pockets, like a trench coat, just to have everything Tools, flashlight, matches. Maybe some canned food. Meanwhile, Rainbow Wedell loves Claires cheerleader outfit (but only if it were comfy), and Kiara Pichardo is embracing a Tumblr-era dream with tights, shorts, and a flannel jacket. Spencer MacPherson? Hes strategizing: I would want to wear something with a lot of layers kind of like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense* so you never really know whats going on.* A man with a plan!Related | Heartstopper Season 3 Stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke on Sex Scenes and SurprisesReal-Life Ghost Encounters?Playing spirits on screen apparently comes with its own set of eerie experiences. MacPherson swears he stayed in a haunted Airbnb in Burbank (110% haunted), while Ventura recalls a childhood church visit where he was inexplicably trapped inside, screaming for his momonly for her to claim she never heard a thing. If that doesnt send chills down your spine, what will?Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/Paramount+.Mystery, Mayhem, and a Possible New Ship?While the supernatural whodunit continues to unfold, fans might also be in for a new enemies-to-lovers surprise. Could there be a spark between Claire and Nicole? We were pulled into a circumstance that we probably didnt plan, but we were kind of forced to work together, teases Pichardo. Wedell adds, Thats where the most genuine friendships come out ofhonesty. Are we manifesting a new queer ship? Absolutely.More Queer Representation? We Love to See ItThe show has already won over LGBTQ+ audiences with its heartfelt and realistic portrayal of queer relationships, particularly Charlie and Emilios storyline. Pugliese recalled a gym-goer approaching him to say their real-life experience mirrored the one on-screen, proving just how impactful this representation is.And when asked for a one-word tease about season two? Gayer.Sold.Where to WatchThe new season of School Spirits is now streaming exclusively on Paramount+, with episodes dropping every Thursday. So grab your popcorn and tune inbecause this season is one hauntingly fun ride!Watch our interviews with the cast below! The post INTERVIEW: School Spirits Season 2 is Gayer, Hotter, and Full of Twists! appeared first on Gayety.

President Donald Trump gestures after signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-05T23:15:49Z WASHINGTON (AP) The federal office that enforces civil rights at schools across the U.S. has been ordered to prioritize complaints of antisemitism above all else as it molds to President Donald Trumps agenda, raising fears that other rights violations will go unpunished.Trumps new leader of the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights told staff this week they will be expected to aggressively pursue complaints involving antisemitism and hew closely to Trumps wishes, according to sources who were on the call with Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights.Already there are signs of a hard turn on civil rights enforcement, including new actions focused squarely on anti-Jewish bias and transgender issues.Responding to a White House order last week, the office launched new antisemitism investigations at five universities including Columbia and Northwestern. Days earlier, it opened an inquiry into Denver public schools over an all-gender bathroom that replaced a girls bathroom while leaving another one exclusive to boys. On Wednesday, Trump ordered schools that receive federal money to ban transgender girls from participating in womens sports, promising the Education Department would investigate schools and colleges that dont comply. The offices fleet of lawyers have mostly been sidelined while the new administration shifts priorities. Daily work has been frozen, which is typical when a new president takes office, but sources say theres a new blackout on communication with schools, colleges or those submitting complaints. Questions about how to enforce Title IX go unanswered, leaving schools in the dark as they navigate a new memo from the agency last week. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. In the staff call, Trainor said the office must be more aggressive and faster than it was under former President Joe Biden. He accused the previous administration of neglecting its duty to fight antisemitism, leaving more than 100 cases open. Trump has called for a review of all antisemitism cases opened since Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including those resolved under Biden. With a rigid focus on antisemitism and gender identity, theres fear the office wont give adequate attention to racial discrimination, mistreatment based on disability, or Islamophobia. The office is required to process all complaints it fields, but politics can play a role in setting priorities and choosing which cases to pursue.Raymond Pierce, who led the office under Democratic President Bill Clinton, said focusing on antisemitism alone doesnt fulfill the mission of the office to enforce civil rights laws.Antisemitism is an issue, he said. But the Civil Rights Act is broader than just religion.In a statement, Trainor promised his office will vigorously investigate all alleged violations of civil rights laws within its purview. Trainor had also warned staff of a coming restructuring and acknowledged that Elon Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency is examining the Education Department. It raised worries about staffing cuts in a civil rights office that has seen dwindling numbers even as it received a record 22,687 complaints last year. Additionally, theres concern Trump in his quest to shut down the Education Department will slash the offices budget and move it to the Justice Department, as suggested in the Project 2025 blueprint created by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The impact of Trumps changes are most likely to be felt by Black students and those who are disabled, according to lawyers and advocates. For decades, the Office for Civil Rights has worked to force equal access for marginalized students, said Derek W. Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina.If the office finds merit in a complaint, it has the power to withhold federal funding until schools or states comply.Are there local and state officials who want to do right by kids? Of course, there are, Black said. But are there districts that dont think its a big deal or dont want to do right by poor kids? Unfortunately, there are. Historically, most complaints to the department have involved disability discrimination, but last year accusations of sex discrimination surged to account for more than half of all complaints, according to an annual report. Disability discrimination accounted for 37%, while discrimination over race or national origin accounted for 19%.In addition to its duty to investigate complaints, the office creates federal rules to interpret federal law for schools and colleges. That role has been at the center of a political tug-of-war over Title IX, with recent administrations repeatedly rewriting the rules governing investigations of campus sexual misconduct. The Biden administration issued new rules last year expanding Title IX to protect transgender and LGBTQ+ students, and boosting victims rights. A federal judge overturned the rules in January, reverting to a previous set of rules from Trumps first term.In a memo to schools and colleges last week, the Office for Civil Rights emphasized that the earlier Trump rules would be enforced, but it created confusion about how to handle cases that were opened when Bidens rules were in effect. With no communication from the department, there has been little clarity for schools.There are also questions about how antisemitism investigations will change. Trump has used heated rhetoric to push for more aggressive action against colleges found to have tolerated antisemitism, and Trainor blasted the Biden administration for signing toothless agreements to resolve cases. No new guidance has been issued to lawyers who investigate cases.As the office awaits orders to resume its work, it faces a growing backlog of complaints. Before Trump took office, there were more than 140 open investigations involving shared ancestry, many of them dealing with antisemitism or Islamophobia. The Biden administration opened more than 100 investigations after Oct. 7, 2023. A flurry of schools reached deals to settle the cases before Trump took office amid fears that he would issue heavier sanctions.___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto BIANCA VZQUEZ TONESS Vzquez Toness is an Associated Press reporter who writes about the continuing impact of the pandemic on young people and their education. twitter mailto

Eric and Lara Trump talks as President Donald Trump attends an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event at Capital One Arena, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-02-05T18:59:44Z NEW YORK (AP) Fox News Channel has hired the presidents daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be host of a new weekend show that will debut later this month.Trump was a contributor who made appearances on Fox in 2021 and 2022, after President Donald Trump lost his bid for a second term, then served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.Her hourlong show, My View with Lara Trump, will air at 9 p.m. on Saturday nights, Fox announced on Wednesday. Shes scheduled to start her show on Feb. 22.Fox said in its announcement that Trumps show will focus on the return of common sense to all corners of American life as the country ushers in a new era of practicality.Political relatives are no stranger to television, although this is believed to be the first time someone so closely related to a U.S. president has been given such a prominent TV role while the politician is in office. Former President George W. Bushs daughter Jenna has been a longtime host on NBCs Today show. Chelsea Clinton also worked as a reporter for NBC News while her mother Hillary was secretary of state. Meghan McCain, daughter of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, was a host on ABCs daytime talk show The View. Im thrilled to bring my voice back to Fox News, talk directly with the American people, and highlight what makes this country so great, Lara Trump said in a statement released by Fox. As I cover the success of the golden age of America, I look forward to where this time will lead our country and where this opportunity will lead me in the future. Her father-in-law has had a complicated relationship with Fox News, even as many of its personalities support his policies. Hes known to complain on social media if he sees something on the network that he considers disloyal.Meanwhile, the president has staffed his new administration with several former Fox employees 19, by a recent count in The New York Times headlined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Foxs prime-time lineup is largely filled with opinion shows. Sean Hannity spoke frequently with Trump during his first term and has interviewed the president since his return to office.It was unclear how Lara Trumps show came together. Married to Donald Trumps son Eric, she said in December that she would consider running for a Senate seat in Florida in 2026.Her new show will displace one hosted by Fox personality Brian Kilmeade, which is moving to Sunday nights.In a statement, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott called Lara Trump a gifted communicator who knows how to connect to the viewers, successful entrepreneur and working mother.___David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social DAVID BAUDER Bauder is the APs national media writer, covering the intersection of news, politics and entertainment. He is based in New York. twitter mailto

Audience members gather at Made By Google for new product announcements at Google on Aug. 13, 2024, in Mountain View, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, File)2025-02-06T00:25:54Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Google is scrapping some of its diversity hiring targets, joining a lengthening list of U.S. companies that have abandoned or scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.The move, which was outlined in an email sent to Google employees on Wednesday, came in the wake of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that was aimed in part at pressuring government contractors to scrap their DEI initiatives. Like several other major tech companies, Google sells some of its technology and services to the federal government, including its rapidly growing cloud division thats a key piece of its push into artificial technology.Googles parent company, Alphabet, also signaled the shift in its annual 10-K report it filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In it, Google removed a line included in previous annual reports saying that its committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve. Google generates most of Alphabets annual revenue of $350 billion and accounts for almost all of its worldwide workforce of 183,000. Were committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year weve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there, Google said in a statement to The Associated Press. Weve updated our 10-K language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic. The change in language also comes slightly more than two weeks after Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other prominent technology executives including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood behind Trump during his inauguration. Meta jettisoned its DEI program last month, shortly before the inauguration, while Amazon halted some of its DEI programs in December following Trumps election.Many companies outside of the technology industry also have backed away from DEI. Those include Walt Disney Co., McDonalds, Ford, Walmart, Target, Lowes and John Deere.Trumps recent executive order threatens to impose financial sanctions on federal contractors deemed to have illegal DEI programs. If the companies are found to be in violation, they could be subject to massive damages under the 1863 False Claims Act. That law states that contractors that make false claims to the government could be liable for three times the governments damages.The order also directed all federal agencies to choose the targets of up to nine investigations of publicly traded companies, large non-profits and other institutions with DEI policies that constitute Illegal discrimination or preference.The challenge for companies is knowing which DEI policies the Trump administration may decide are illegal. Trumps executive order seeks to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs and other activities of the federal government, and to compel federal agencies to , combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities. In both the public and private sector, diversity initiatives have covered a range of practices, from anti-discrimination training and conducting pay equity studies to making efforts to recruit more members of minority groups and women as employees. Google, which is based in Mountain View, California, has tried to hire more people from underrepresented groups for more than a decade but stepped up those efforts in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis triggered an outcry for more social justice. Shortly after Floyd died, Pichai set a goal to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in the Mountain View, California, companys largely Asian and white leadership ranks by 30% by 2025. Google has made some headway since then, but the makeup of its leadership has not changed dramatically. The representation of Black people in the companys leadership ranks rose from 2.6% in 2020 to 5.1% last year, according to Googles annual diversity report. For Hispanic people, the change was 3.7% to 4.3%. The share of women in leadership roles, meanwhile, increased from 26.7% in 2020 to 32.8% in 2024, according to the companys report.The numbers arent much different in Googles overall workforce, with Black employees comprising just 5.7% and Latino employees 7.5%. Two-thirds of Googles worldwide workforce is made up of men, according to the diversity report.Associated Press business reporter Alexandra Olson contributed to this report. MICHAEL LIEDTKE Liedtke has been covering technology and wide range of other business topics for The Associated Press since the turn of the century. twitter mailto

Dairy cows stand in a field outside of a milking barn at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall,File)2025-02-06T00:29:59Z Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu thats different from the version that has spread in U.S. herds since last year, Agriculture Department officials said Wednesday. The detection indicates that distinct forms of the virus known as Type A H5N1 have spilled over from wild birds into cattle at least twice. Experts said it raises new questions about wider spread and the difficulty of controlling infections in animals and the people who work closely with them. I always thought one bird-to-cow transmission was a very rare event. Seems that may not be the case, said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.A version of the H5N1 bird flu virus known as B3.13 was confirmed in March after being introduced to cattle in late 2023, scientists said. It has infected more than 950 herds in 16 states. The new version, known as D1.1, was confirmed in Nevada cattle on Friday, according to USDA. It was detected in milk collected as part of a surveillance program launched in December. Now we know why its really important to test and continue testing, said Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, who helped identify the first spillover. The D1.1 version of the virus was the type linked to the first U.S. death tied to bird flu and a severe illness in Canada. A person in Louisiana died in January after developing severe respiratory symptoms following contact with wild and backyard birds. In British Columbia, a teen girl was hospitalized for months with a virus traced to poultry. At least 67 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu, mostly those who work closely with dairy or cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USDA officials said they would post genetic sequences and other information about the new form of the virus to a public repository later this week. Scientists said that would be key to understanding whether the spillover was a recent event or whether the virus has been circulating, perhaps widely, for longer. If this turns out to have been something that crossed into cattle a couple months ago, a couple months is a long time not to detect it, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who has studied the H5N1 virus in cattle. He added that its important for federal officials to share promptly information about a virus that has the potential to trigger a pandemic that could make COVID seem like a walk in the park. Its a vital part of national security, global security, the well-being of people, of animals and of businesses in the U.S., Worobey added. ___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.

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has another project in the works, and this time, hell be joined by All of Us Strangers star Jamie Bell.The new six-episode series Half Man, which is being co-produced by HBO and the BBC, was created by Gadd, who will also star alongside Bell, much like he did in Netflixs breakout hit Baby Reindeer.Half Man will follow a complicated friendship between two men that spans multiple decades.The shows official synopsis reads, When Nialls (Bell) estranged brother Ruben (Gadd) shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city a changing world, even and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question: What does it mean to be a man?Half Man will be directed by Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy, Rivals) and is set to start filming in Scotland later this year, Variety reports.This is Gadds first series since Baby Reindeer, which ended up being a smash hit for Netflix even taking home four Emmy awards but was also mired in controversy.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-05T16:59:23Z LANSING, Mich. (AP) A group that played a key role in Donald Trumps voter outreach to the Arab American community alongside his allies is rebranding itself after the president said that the U.S. would take over the Gaza Strip. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, said during a phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the group would now be called Arab Americans for Peace.The name change came after Trump held a Tuesday press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and proposed the U.S. take ownership in redeveloping the area into the Riviera of the Middle East.The talk about what the president wants to do with Gaza, obviously were completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in Historic Palestine, Bahbah said. And so we did not want to be behind the curve in terms of pushing for peace, because that has been our objective from the very beginning. Arab Americans for Trump helped lead voter outreach efforts for Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election in swing states such as Michigan and Arizona. The residents of Dearborn, Michigan -- the heart of Arab America are going to take a deep breath following President Donald Trumps Gaza comments, a community leader said (AP video: Mike Householder) The group, independent from the Trump campaign, frequently facilitated meetings between Arab American community leaders and Trumps allies, including Richard Grenell, now serving as Trumps envoy for special missions, and Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trumps daughter Tiffany and now a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. In the 2024 election, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win Dearborn, Michigan home to the nations largest concentration of Arab Americans since 2000 on his way to winning the state. Trump visited Dearborn on Nov. 1. Bahbah said the group had been thinking about changing its name for a while and ultimately made the decision Tuesday. But Bahbah had said during a phone interview just prior to Trumps Tuesday night press conference with Netanyahu that the groups name was Arab Americans for Trump. In a press release issued Wednesday by Arab Americans for Peace, the group said its members appreciate the presidents offer to clean and rebuild Gaza but take issue with the presidents suggestion of taking over Gaza and removing its Palestinian inhabitants. JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers politics and state government for The Associated Press in Michigan. He is based in Lansing. twitter mailto

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy is greeted by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)2025-02-05T09:54:30Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraine wants to collaborate with partner countries on postwar projects worth billions of dollars not just in mining rare earth elements, but also in energy and construction sectors to help rebuild the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Wednesday.Sybiha responded to comments by President Donald Trump who said Monday that he wanted to gain access to Ukraines valuable rare earth materials as a condition for continuing support for its war against Russia.Ukrainian officials have said Russia wants to get its hands on Ukraines vast natural resources.Kyiv intends to offer guarantees of the presence of major businesses in Ukraine and the vested interests of our closest allies the United States in developing these (rare earth) deposits and ensuring their protection, the foreign minister said. But cooperation should not be limited to rare earth materials, Sybiha said in a news conference alongside visiting U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.Ukraine has huge potential to become a guarantor of energy security in Europe by buying liquefied natural gas from the United States and storing it in its massive underground tanks for later distribution, he said. Sybiha also said there was joint interest from Ukrainian and American businesses in the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine, estimated to cost more than $400 billion. This will be one of the largest projects of this century and, accordingly, one of the largest opportunities for our allies. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast Tuesday night that the war has killed 45,100 Ukrainian troops. The fighting also has injured close to 390,000 troops, he told Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.On Dec. 8, he said Ukraine had lost some 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield and 370,000 wounded.Russia hasnt given its number of killed since September 2022, seven months after its all-out invasion. If the U.S. stops sending vital military aid, that could also jeopardize European support, Zelenskyy said in the interview. Without a doubt, we cannot do without this kind of (Western) support, he said.Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the United States must be part of any Western troop deployment to safeguard a peace deal with Russia and shield against another invasion. Sending only European troops would not be enough, he said.Because this is not just a matter of numbers, it is about sharing responsibility and ensuring security guarantees. This cannot be done without the United States of America, he said at a news conference with Lammy.Ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground, especially in eastern areas, where they are being pushed backward by their bigger foe.Russias Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday that Russian troops had captured the villages of Baranivka in the eastern Donetsk region and Novomlynsk in the northeastern Kharkiv region.Baranivkas capture is part of Russias effort to envelop Pokrovsk, a key road and rail hub whose loss would compromise a wider area of defense, while the seizure of Novomlynsk is part of Russias onslaught toward Kupiansk, another important train junction. Ukraine keeps hitting the Russian militarys rear areas and supply lines in an effort to disrupt the creeping advance.Ukraines Army General staff claimed Wednesday that Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region of Russia overnight, setting it on fire.According to the General Staff, the oil refinery and petroleum product manufacturing plant supplies gasoline and diesel to the Russian army.The governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev, claimed that fragments of a downed Ukrainian drone hit an oil tank at an oil depot in the village of Novominskaya early Wednesday, sparking a fire.The fire was put out shortly after and there were no injuries, emergency officials said.___Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Orville Peck, the enigmatic country singer known for his signature mask, is gearing up for his Broadway debut in Cabaret at the August Wilson Theater this spring. The artist, who has captivated audiences with his distinct voice and unique persona, will take on the iconic role of Emcee for a 16-week run, starting this spring.On Tuesday, Peck shared a glimpse into his rehearsal process, offering fans a sneak peek at his preparations for the highly anticipated Broadway role. His Instagram post included a mix of images: a selfie of the singer, a photo of his rehearsal binder for Cabaret, a screenshot of an audio file, an adorable shot with his dog, and what seemed like a maskless photo taken while sitting in a makeup chair. Alongside the images, Peck teased his followers with a cryptic caption: Lots happening [upside-down emoji].View this post on InstagramA post shared by Orville Peck (@orvillepeck)Fans are eagerly speculating whether new music is on the horizon for Peck or if the singer is hinting at an unmasked appearance in Cabaret. Of course, theres also the burning question: can we meet Pecks dog? While Peck didnt provide answers to these questions, his post has certainly piqued interest as the theater world anticipates his Broadway debut.Pecks casting in Cabaret was officially announced in mid-January, and the news sent waves through both the Broadway and LGBTQ+ communities. The role of Emcee, a charismatic and often provocative character at the center of the musical, is one that has been a dream role for Peck since his teenage years. In an interview with Deadline, he shared his excitement: The Emcee has been my dream role since I was a teenager. The nature of the character allows for complete freedom of individual expression. It can be portrayed through such a vast range of emotions, perspectives, and performance styles. That kind of freedom is every actors dream.Peck, who rose to fame as a country music artist in 2019, has roots in theater. Before his music career took off, he trained as an actor at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He also had a brief stint on the West End, appearing in Peter Pan Goes Wrong, showcasing his versatility as a performer.I truly cannot believe Im getting to make my Broadway debut in one of my favorite shows, and in probably my favorite role in all of musical theater, Peck shared with Deadline. He reflected on his career journey, adding, I grew up in the theater. I was a working actor and a dancer for many years before I started making music. I did the hustle, and the struggle, for a long time, trying to make things happen for myself. But it taught me so much of who I am as a performer and a person, so it feels very full circle to be making a return to it at this point in my career.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (@kitkatclubnyc)The excitement surrounding Pecks Broadway debut is palpable, with fans eagerly awaiting his portrayal of the Emcee. The role is known for its complexity, charm, and daring nature, and it is often seen as a perfect fit for an artist like Peck, who blends raw emotion and creative expression in his music. For Peck, Cabaret is not only a professional milestone but also a deeply personal one, allowing him to return to the world of theater that shaped his early years.As rehearsals continue, questions about what fans can expect from Pecks take on the role are growing. Will he keep his iconic mask on during performances, or will he reveal his face? Will there be surprises in store, such as new music or special performances? Only time will tell. What is clear is that Orville Pecks Broadway debut is one of the most anticipated events of the season, and fans are eager to see how his distinctive talents translate onto the stage.Pecks appearance in Cabaret is more than just a performanceits a culmination of years of hard work, passion, and perseverance in both the theater and music worlds. His journey to Broadway is a testament to the diverse paths artists take to reach their dreams, and his upcoming run as the Emcee promises to be an unforgettable chapter in his career. As the date draws closer, one thing is for certain: Orville Pecks Broadway debut will be one for the history books.Fans can stay updated on his Broadway journey and more by following Peck on social media, where he continues to share glimpses of his preparations and the exciting steps leading up to his debut.The post Orville Peck Unveils Mask and Goes Shirtless in First Cabaret Rehearsal Photos appeared first on Gayety.

The Jurassic Park franchise has always captivated audiences with its thrilling spectacle of dinosaurs, chaos, and larger-than-life action. Since the release of Steven Spielbergs iconic 1993 film, the series has evolved through sequels, reboots, and reinventions, continuously delivering the same exhilaration of watching towering prehistoric creatures on screen. While some entries have faced mockery and criticism for their outlandish plots, the franchises mix of absurdity, star power, and entertainment has remained its core appeal.With the release of the first trailer for Jurassic World: Rebirth on February 7, Universal Pictures has reignited that excitement, delivering a visual feast that promises even more high-stakes action. The film, slated to hit theaters in 2024, continues the saga five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022. While some fans may question the timelines consistency, the franchises commitment to delivering thrills over logical precision remains intact. Dinosaurs, after all, are not meant to be bound by reality.Bechir Sylvain, Jonathan Bailey, and Scarlett Johansson. Photo: Universal PicturesIn this new chapter, the world has become largely uninhabitable for dinosaurs, forcing the once-dominant creatures to seek refuge in a few remaining safe havens. Among them is the iconic original Jurassic Park, which has long been abandoned by humans due to its inherent dangers. Enter Scarlett Johansson, who plays Zora Bennett, a covert operations expert with a mission to retrieve DNA samples from the three largest dinosaurs in the world. The DNA is crucial to the development of a life-saving medical breakthrough. To accomplish her mission, Zora enlists the help of Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist played by Jonathan Bailey.While there are certainly additional plot elements that will unfold, the trailer highlights the central dynamic between Johanssons Zora and Baileys Henry, which promises to bring humor, suspense, and adventure in equal measure. One of the standout moments from the trailer showcases Baileys Henry as he gazes up in awe at a giant dinosaur, whispering, Whoa, my god! His expression of wonder echoes the audiences likely reaction, as the film invites viewers into a world where awe and danger are intertwined.The visual effects in Rebirth have notably improved, with the dinosaurs appearing more lifelike and less cartoonish than in some of the recent franchise installments. The CGI department has certainly stepped up its game, delivering impressive depictions of these prehistoric creatures in their full glory.Jurassic World: Rebirth looks set to deliver its signature action-packed set pieces, with raptors returning to the fray and promises of even more thrilling sequences. However, what has always set the franchise apart is its ability to balance high-octane action with a sense of humor. The original Jurassic Park was as much a comedy as it was an action-horror film, with moments of light-hearted banter woven into the chaos. Early indications suggest that Rebirth will follow this tradition.In one of the trailers lighter moments, Johanssons Zora quips to Baileys Henry, I can guarantee your safety. More or less, to which Henry adorably responds, More or less?! This playful back-and-forth showcases the chemistry between the two leads. Bailey, who has earned widespread recognition for his roles in Bridgerton, Wicked, and Fellow Travelers, further proves his ability to deliver charming comedic moments.Another humorous exchange comes between Baileys Henry and Rupert Friends character, Martin Krebs. When Krebs asks if they need to collect a sample from an egg, Henry sarcastically replies, I suppose we could try to get it from the parent, but theyre a flying carnivore the size of an F16. This exchange highlights Baileys impeccable comedic timing and adds a layer of levity to the otherwise high-stakes narrative.Beyond the laughs and thrills, Jurassic World: Rebirth holds significant cultural importance, especially with Jonathan Baileys starring role. Baileys casting is notable not only for his immense talent but also for being one of the first openly gay actors to lead a blockbuster action film. His role in this high-profile project marks a milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood, as he joins the ranks of major stars in a genre traditionally dominated by straight actors.In addition to his acting prowess, Baileys charm and relatability have earned him a devoted fan base, and Rebirth is poised to solidify his status as a leading man in the industry. As he continues to captivate audiences with his performances, Baileys presence in a franchise as iconic as Jurassic World is a momentous step forward for LGBTQ+ visibility in mainstream cinema.As the Jurassic World franchise continues to evolve, Rebirth promises to deliver everything fans love about the series: action, humor, and, of course, dinosaurs. Whether youre in it for the thrills, the laughs, or the spectacle, this latest installment looks set to offer it allalong with a fresh dose of star power from Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey. With Rebirth, the adventure is far from over.The post We Cant Stop Staring at Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth Thanks to This New Trailer appeared first on Gayety.

Mexican National Guards arrive to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, to reinforce the country's border with the United States. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)2025-02-06T01:08:50Z CIUDAD JUREZ, Mexico (AP) A line of Mexican National Guard and Army trucks rumbled along the border separating Ciudad Jurez and El Paso, Texas Wednesday, among the first of 10,000 officers Mexico has sent to its northern frontier following tariff threats by President Donald Trump.Masked and armed National Guard members picked through brush running along the border barrier on the outskirts of Ciudad Jurez, pulling out makeshift ladders and ropes tucked away in the trenches, and pulling them onto trucks. Patrols were also seen on other parts of the border near Tijuana.It comes after a turbulent week along the border after Trump announced he would delay imposing crippling tariffs on Mexico for at least a month. In exchange, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised she would send the countrys National Guard to reinforce the border and crack down on fentanyl smuggling. Trump has declared an emergency on the border despite migration levels and fentanyl overdoses significantly dipping over the part year. The U.S. said it would, in turn, do more to stop American guns from being trafficked into Mexico to fuel cartel violence, which has rippled to other parts of the country as criminal groups fight to control the lucrative migrant smuggling industry. On Tuesday, the first of those forces arrived in border cities, climbing out of government planes. Guard members in the Wednesday patrol confirmed that they were part of the new force. At least 1,650 officers were expected to be sent to Ciudad Jurez, according to government figures, making it one of the biggest receivers of border reinforcements in the country, second only to Tijuana, where 1,949 personnel are slated to be sent.During Secretary of State Marco Rubios trip through Latin America where migration was at the top of the agenda - the top American diplomat thanked the Mexican government for the forces, according to a statement by the Mexican government. The negotiation by Sheinbaum was viewed by observers as a bit of shrewd political maneuvering by the newly elected Mexican leader. Many had previously cast doubt that shed be able to navigate Trumps presidency as effectively as her predecessor and ally, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, second from left, and center Bam Adebayo (13) watch with their teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)2025-02-06T01:31:13Z Jimmy Butler has gotten his wish. Hes being traded out of Miami.The Heat and the Golden State Warriors have agreed on a deal that sends Butler to the Bay Area, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday. The trade ends a Miami era for Butler that will be remembered first for two trips to the NBA Finals and then three suspensions toward the end of a hostile breakup.Golden State is making it happen by moving Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and draft compensation out in the deal, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not gotten league approval.It wasnt immediately clear if all three of those players were ending up in Miami.Golden State becomes Butlers fifth team, after stints in Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami. His arrivals were celebrated in all four cities, and his departures werent exactly smooth in any of them. But with the Warriors, he joins Stephen Curry and Draymond Green the two players left who have been part of all four recent Golden State title teams, with hopes of getting back to title contention. Butlers breakup with the Heat brewed for months. The primary issue that caused the beginning of the end of his Miami stint was money; hes eligible for a two-year, $113 million extension and the Heat never offered such a deal, largely because hes missed about 25% of the teams games since he arrived in 2019. There were other factors as well. Neither side was particularly happy with the other at the end, and it became evident that the fracture couldnt be repaired. Butler can be difficult to deal with and the Heat culture is such where it works best when everyone is aligned with team ideals. When he said he didnt expect to find on-court joy with the Heat again in early January, he was suspended for seven games as the last straw on a list of what the team called detrimental conduct. That was the start of a wild ending: Butler was suspended three times in January alone, the second a two-game ban for missing a team flight, the last an indefinite one of at least five games that followed him leaving shootaround early after learning he wasnt going to start a Jan. 27 game against Orlando.There was a lot said by everybody, except for me, to tell you the truth, Butler said after his first game back following the first suspension. Well let people keep talking. ... The whole truth will come out.He never said he wanted a trade; at least, not openly, because its not allowed by league rule and would have subjected him to a fine of up to $150,000. The Heat said Butler asked for one and when that was revealed the team also changed course from team president Pat Rileys December vow not to trade him; when the suspension was announced, the Heat said they were trying to make a trade happen.But there were obvious signs; his hair color for some games just happened to be in the colors of Phoenix, Dallas, Golden State and Houston the four teams that were most prominently mentioned as possible trade partners for Miami. For at least one game, Butler also wore shoes that perfectly matched the Suns color scheme. Butler is averaging 17 points per game this season. He had one of the best statistical games in Heat history against Detroit on Dec. 16 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.It was never the same again. In his six appearances following that Detroit game, including one where he departed in the first quarter with an illness, Butler averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.The Heat-Butler marriage wasnt always bad, of course. Butler arrived to fill Dwyane Wades spot as the star of the team, the face of the franchise. He even got Wades former locker space. He was an All-Star twice in Miami, helped the Heat to the NBA Finals in the bubble in 2020 and then as a No. 8 seed in 2023 and turned in some epic postseason performances. There have been 18 40-point games in Heat playoff history; Butler is responsible for eight of them, including a team-record 56 against Milwaukee in 2023. Butler leaves Miami in third place on the teams all-time playoff scoring list, behind only Wade and LeBron James.One of the last times Butler was seen as a member of the Heat was at a padel tournament on Jan. 25, which essentially became his farewell to Miami.I love this city with everything that I have, he said that day.Two days later, he was suspended by the Heat for the third and final time. And now, his Heat era is over.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba TIM REYNOLDS Reynolds is an Associated Press sports writer, based in South Florida. twitter mailto

Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at restricting transgender women and girls from participating in sports designated for cisgender females. The order blocks federal funding for schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on womens sports teams and mandates that the Department of Justice take legal action against institutions permitting such participation.The executive order also outlines a plan to convene representatives from major athletic organizations and governing bodies to create guidelines that would prevent transgender women from competing in womens sports. Additionally, the order threatens to bar cisgender American athletes from international sports competitions if those events permit transgender athletes to compete alongside cisgender athletes.The move continues Trumps track record of opposing transgender rights, especially in the realm of education and athletics. The order argues that transgender women competing in womens sports is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous, and claims it deprives cisgender women of fair opportunities to compete. It also states that transgender female participation in female sports is a violation of womens dignity, safety, and privacy.The order underscores that the Presidents interpretation of the law governs, citing the desire to protect the integrity of womens sports. The policy argues that the inclusion of trans women in female athletic spaces results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of cisgender women and girls. It continues, It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in womens sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.This directive marks the latest development in the ongoing debate over transgender rights in sports, which has divided lawmakers and advocacy groups. Trumps executive order takes direct aim at policies implemented during the administration of President Joe Biden, which took a more inclusive stance on transgender rights. Under Biden, Title IX, the landmark civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, was interpreted to protect transgender students from discrimination.In contrast, Trumps order attempts to reinterpret Title IX in a manner that would deny the existence of transgender people in female athletics. Trumps position directly opposes the previous administrations understanding of the law, effectively reversing protections that had been extended to transgender individuals.Despite the Biden administrations inclusive stance, there have been no federal guidelines issued to regulate transgender participation in sports at the K-12 or collegiate levels. In April 2023, the Biden administration proposed a rule allowing schools to limit the participation of transgender athletes, while ensuring that outright bans would be prohibited. However, this proposal was rescinded in December 2024, with the administration stating that the issue was legally complex and too contentious to pursue further.Trumps new order directs the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice to take punitive actions against schools that violate the directive, including the possibility of lawsuits or the withholding of federal funds. The order also targets educational institutions that permit transgender athletes to compete in womens sports, and further mandates that any such policies be revoked.Furthermore, the order calls for a meeting of major athletic organizations within 60 days, urging them to adopt anti-transgender policies, particularly regarding transgender womens participation in female sports categories. The order also requests that state attorneys general develop best practices for ensuring equal opportunities for women in sports, with a focus on the alleged harm caused by the inclusion of transgender athletes.Trumps directive also addresses international athletics, asking the U.S. government to encourage other nations to adopt anti-transgender policies and pressuring the International Olympic Committee to ban transgender athletes from competing in future Olympic Games.In comments made prior to signing the order, Trump claimed that the executive action would prevent men from beating up, injuring, and cheating our women and our girls. He cited unverified claims that transgender athletes had accumulated over 3,500 victories in womens competitions, though he provided no evidence to support this assertion. He also mentioned a purported incident where a male boxer allegedly stole a womens gold medal during the Paris Olympics, a claim that has been debunked as a misunderstanding of a cisgender athletes participation.Trumps order has been met with strong opposition from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, with Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson criticizing the move. Robinson said that the order risks exposing young transgender athletes to harassment and discrimination. She added that the order would create divisive and harmful policies at a time when the country is facing pressing issues in education and society.In a separate statement, GLAAD denounced the order as inaccurate and incoherent, emphasizing that all women and girls, including transgender women, should have the right to participate in sports. GLAAD further noted that the order does not change the law or the facts, reinforcing the belief that transgender athletes should be free from legal and political attacks.As of now, 27 states have enacted laws banning transgender athletes from participating in girls and womens sports. These policies affect not only K-12 students but also extend to collegiate teams and co-ed recreational leagues. The restrictions have led to instances of trans-vestigation, where cisgender athletes are questioned or scrutinized due to their perceived gender identity, further fueling the debate over fairness and inclusion in sports.Trumps executive order represents a major escalation in the ongoing battle over transgender rights in the U.S. The decision is expected to further polarize the debate, as both sides continue to advocate for their positions on how to define fairness and inclusion in competitive athletics.The post Trump Signs Executive Order Blocking Federal Funds for Schools Allowing Transgender Women in Sports appeared first on Gayety.

Director Jacques Audiard has broken his silence regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding Emilia Prez star Karla Sofa Gascn, whose Oscar campaign has been marred by the resurfacing of racist and controversial tweets. The director, in a recent interview with Deadline, expressed his disappointment in Gascns behavior and distanced himself from the actress, stating that he does not understand why she continues to make decisions that could harm herself and those around her.I havent spoken to her, and I dont want to, Audiard said, emphasizing that he does not feel the need to engage with Gascn, whom he described as being in a self-destructive state. He further questioned her motives, saying, Why is she harming herself? Why? I dont understand it, and what I dont understand about this too is why shes harming people who were very close to her.The controversy stems from Gascns social media posts from 2020 and 2021, which sparked outrage when they resurfaced in late January. The posts, which addressed sensitive topics such as George Floyds death, Muslims, and the COVID-19 pandemic, were widely condemned and led to a significant backlash. Gascns actions subsequently undermined her Oscar campaign for Best Actress, and have also impacted Emilia Prez as a whole. Actress Zoe Saldaa, a frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress, publicly disavowed Gascns remarks, and Netflix reportedly distanced itself from the actress, removing her image from promotional materials and not inviting her to upcoming award season events.Despite the growing fallout, Gascn has continued to defend herself publicly and deactivated accounts online. In an effort to address the damage caused by her statements, she appeared in an interview with CNN in Spanish and posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, asserting that she is not racist. However, Audiard expressed frustration with Gascns approach, particularly her victim-blaming rhetoric.Shes really playing the victim, Audiard said. Shes talking about herself as a victim, which is surprising. Its as if she thought that words dont hurt. He expressed disbelief at her attempts to downplay the gravity of her actions.In her initial statement following the controversy, Gascn acknowledged the hurt caused by her past posts. As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well, and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain, she said. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.While Gascns scandal has stolen much of the attention surrounding Emilia Prez, the film itself has faced its own criticisms. Some members of the Latino community have expressed dissatisfaction with the portrayal of Mexican culture in the film, prompting Audiard to respond. The director defended his creative vision, explaining that Emilia Prez was intended as an opera rather than a realistic depiction of Mexico. It seems Im being attacked in the court of realism. Well, Ive never claimed that I wanted to make a realistic work, Audiard said. If I wanted to make a work that was particularly documented, then I would do a documentary, but then there would be no singing and dancing.Audiard further addressed a review that criticized the film for including photocopiers in night markets, a claim he dismissed as misguided. In night markets in Mexico City, one also doesnt sing and dance, he noted. You have to accept that is part of the magic here. This is an opera, not a criticism of anything about Mexico.Emilia Prez has certainly faced its share of hurdles, but Audiard is steadfast in his commitment to the project. The films unique blend of opera, musicality, and emotional depth, according to the director, is central to the story he is tellingone that is not bound by the constraints of realism.As the controversy continues to unfold, it remains unclear what the future holds for both Emilia Prez and Gascns career. While Audiard has made it clear that he no longer wishes to engage with Gascn, the actress continues to address the fallout from her past statements. Whether the film and its stars can overcome the ongoing scrutiny is yet to be seen, but Audiard remains focused on his artistic vision, confident that his work will be judged on its own terms rather than the controversy surrounding Gascn.The post Jacques Audiard Says Hes Had No Contact with Karla Sofa Gascn Since Her Apology, Calls Her Behavior Self-Destructive appeared first on Gayety.

A vendor sleeps on a hot afternoon at her shop at Market 4 in Asuncion, Paraguay, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)2025-02-06T03:03:33Z WASHINGTON (AP) The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, despite an abnormally chilly United States, a cooling La Nina and predictions of a slightly less hot 2025, according to the European climate service Copernicus.The surprising January heat record coincides with a new study by a climate science heavyweight, former top NASA scientist James Hansen, and others arguing that global warming is accelerating. Its a claim thats dividing the research community.January 2025 globally was 0.09 degrees Celsius (0.16 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than January 2024, the previous hottest January, and was 1.75 degrees Celsius (3.15 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than it was before industrial times, Copernicus calculated. It was the 18th month of the last 19 that the world hit or passed the internationally agreed upon warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. Scientists wont regard the limit as breached unless and until global temperatures stay above it for 20 years. A vendor sleeps on a hot afternoon at her shop at Market 4 in Asuncion, Paraguay, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File) A vendor sleeps on a hot afternoon at her shop at Market 4 in Asuncion, Paraguay, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Copernicus records go back to 1940, but other U.S. and British records go back to 1850, and scientists using proxies such as tree rings say this era is the warmest in about 120,000 years or since the start of human civilization. By far the biggest driver of record heat is greenhouse gas build-up from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, but the natural contributions to temperature change have not been acting quite as expected, said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate for the European weather agency. The big natural factor in global temperatures is usually the natural cycle of changes in the equatorial Pacific Ocean waters that affect the worlds weather and global temperatures. When the central Pacific is especially warm, its an El Nino and global temperatures tend to spike. Last year was a substantial El Nino, though it ended last June and the year was even warmer than initially expected, the hottest on record. El Ninos cooler flip side, a La Nina, tends to dampen the effects of global warming a bit, making record temperatures far less likely. A La Nina started in January after brewing for months. Just last month, climate scientists were predicting that 2025 wouldnt be as hot as 2024 or 2023, with the La Nina a major reason.Even though the equatorial Pacific isnt creating conditions that are warming for our global climate, were still seeing record temperatures, Burgess said, adding much of that is because of record warm water temperatures in the rest of the worlds oceans. Usually after an El Nino like last year, temperatures come down rapidly, but weve not seen that, Burgess told The Associated Press. A snowdrop blooms at Zaryadye park in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 31, 2025, while the temperature has reached 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, File) A snowdrop blooms at Zaryadye park in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 31, 2025, while the temperature has reached 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Rose bushes stand in the snow on Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File) Rose bushes stand in the snow on Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More For Americans, news of a record warm January might seem odd given how cold it was. But the U.S. is just a tiny fraction of the planets surface, and a much larger area of the planets surface was much, much warmer than average, Burgess said.January was unseasonably mild in the Arctic. Parts of the Canadian Arctic had temperatures 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average and temperatures got so warm sea ice started melting in places, Burgess said. Copernicus said the Arctic this month tied the January record for lowest sea ice. The U.S.-based National Snow and Ice Data Center had it as second-lowest, behind 2018. A person sits on the pier as ice floats on the Hudson River, Jan. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) A person sits on the pier as ice floats on the Hudson River, Jan. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More February has already started cooler than last year, Burgess said.Dont count 2025 out in the race for hottest year, said Hansen, the former NASA scientist who has been called the godfather of climate science. Hes now at Columbia University. In a study in the journal Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, Hansen and colleagues said the last 15 years have warmed at about twice the rate of the previous 40 years.Im confident that this higher rate will continue for at least several years, Hansen told The Associated Press in an interview. Over the full year its going to be nip-and-tuck between 2024 and 2025.Theres been a noticeable temperature rise even when taking out El Nino variations and expected climate change, since 2020, Hansen said. He noted recent shipping regulations that have reduced sulfur pollution that reflects some sunlight away from Earth to effectively reduce warming. And that will continue, he said. A woman reads a book while sunbathing during a summer day in Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File) A woman reads a book while sunbathing during a summer day in Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More The persistence of record warmth through 2023, 2024 and now into the first month of 2025 is jarring to say the least, said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck, who wasnt part of the Hansen study. There seems little doubt that global warming and the impacts of climate change are accelerating.But Princetons Gabe Vecchi and University of Pennsylvanias Michael Mann said they dont agree with Hansen on acceleration. Vecchi said theres not enough data to show that this isnt random chance. Mann said that temperature increases are still within what climate models forecast. ___Read more of APs climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment___Follow Seth Borenstein on X at @borenbears_____The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SETH BORENSTEIN Borenstein is an Associated Press science writer, covering climate change, disasters, physics and other science topics. He is based in Washington, D.C. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, is joined by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., left, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., right, during the Senate Republican policy luncheon press conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2025-02-05T21:23:59Z NEW YORK (AP) President Donald Trump is testing how far Republicans are willing to go in supporting his supercharged Make America Great Again agenda, tearing down government agencies and taking actions fundamentally at odds with once-traditional party principles. For now, Republicans are marching largely in lockstep. They are backing Cabinet nominees with troubling histories, turning a blind eye as he halts spending they appropriated and defending policies once anathema to mainstream GOP thinking policies that would have drawn alarm if Democrats had been responsible. Theyre pushing the envelope of what their power looks like. Its a normal part of a transition, said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.While there have been isolated voices of dissent, the Republican resistance that emerged when Trump first ran for office has largely been sidelined. That means the president, backed by Republican majorities in the House and Senate, is proceeding largely unchecked as he reimagines the federal government and greatly expands the power of the presidency. If there was any doubt about it, the Republican Partys complete acquiescence to Donald Trump, I think, was on full display this week, said Charlie Sykes, a longtime conservative commentator turned prominent Trump critic. Sykes described it as complete surrender.In his view, Republicans have just made the calculation that pretty much nothing is worth antagonizing Trump at this point. A new MAGA agendaThe defense has come as Trump has embraced a series of proposals that go far beyond anything he did during his first term or promised on the campaign trail. Last week, he threatened trade wars with Mexico and Canada, two of Americas top trading partners and closest allies. His tariffs are on hold for 30 days, but he has damaged the U.S. relationship with Canada, one of the nations with which the U.S. shares its most sensitive intelligence.On Tuesday, he suggested the U.S. seize control of Gaza, perhaps by force. He campaigned for the White House promising to end forever wars and the U.S. entanglement in the Middle East. He has proposed taking over Greenland, riffed on Canada becoming the 51st state and threatened to put the Panama Canal back under American control. He is pursuing state ownership of social media companies such as TikTok, perhaps through a government-owned U.S. sovereign wealth fund. That kind of intervention, if coming from Democrats, would almost certainly have been branded as a socialist move.After years of railing against unelected bureaucrats, Republicans are standing by as billionaire Elon Musk and his aides aim for the equivalent of a hostile takeover of government. That Trump-authorized team has seized taxpayer data, gained access to sensitive databases and government payment systems, and taken steps to close the U.S. Agency for International Development, which many Republicans long criticized but also saw as part of the U.S. efforts to counter China and Russia abroad. Whats wrong with a president who wants loyalty?The American people said we want a different direction, said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., when asked about the moves against USAID and other agencies. I dont find that outside the spirit of our system, and the courts will have to decide whether its outside the literal boundaries of the presidents authority.As for the trade taxes, he added, Most Republicans arent tariff fans, but they do understand why populism is the flavor of the day.A lot of people, they talk about Trump loyalty like theres something wrong with a president that wants loyalty. And quite honestly, I would submit that loyalty is a pretty big and pretty important part of running a country, he added. Polling finds shifts in publics views on tariffs and intervention overseasPolling has shown voters have grown more opposed to expanding tariffs over the past four years. About half of voters (49%) in the November election favored increasing taxes on goods imported to the United States from other countries, compared with 6 in 10 voters in the 2020 presidential election who supported higher tariffs. Republican voters still largely favor the policy.Theres also a shift against American intervention. Only about 2 in 10 (19%) voters in November said they wanted the U.S. to take a more active role in solving the worlds problems. Republican voters, in particular, have shifted toward advocating a less active role. About half (53%) wanted the U.S. less involved, compared with about one-third in 2020.Cabinet coming together and the White House sees a strong, united and thriving GOPEven Trumps most controversial nominees appear to be sailing through. This week, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, voted to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary despite Kennedys long history of anti-vaccine activism. Cassidy is up for reelection next year and has faced pressure from home-state Republicans to back Kennedy. Cassidy has made clear he had serious concerns about Kennedys record.Unlike the fractured and chaotic Democrat Party, the Republican Party stands strong, united and thriving, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said. There is nothing to resist - President Trump received a clear and overwhelming mandate from the American people to Make America Great Again. Cracks in support?There has been some limited pushback from key allies.Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Trump should reconsider stripping security protection from former government officials who are under threat from Iran due to their involvement in the strike on Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., criticized Trump for pardoning Jan. 6 rioters who had been convicted of attacking police, and he said Trumps proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza was problematic.The idea of Americans going in on the ground in Gaza is a nonstarter for every senator, Graham told reporters Wednesday.On the tariffs, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pleaded with Trump for an exemption for potash used in fertilizers to spare Iowa family farmers.And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has been especially outspoken.Otherwise, Republican senators this week have played down the potential negative impact of Trumps actions and stressed the importance of uniting behind him.I hope my colleagues will be supportive of him when it comes to his tariffs, said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., warning of potential danger if foreign countries see Trump facing political backlash from members of Congress or state lawmakers.Tough sell for Democrats as they make their case for GOP help Democrats are scrambling to curtail Trumps power grabs and are appealing to Republicans to join their cause.Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said Democrats are mounting an all hands on deck approach to fighting Trumps executive orders and they are contesting Musks access to sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department. She wants GOP colleagues to help push back.In the Congress we have to stand up and speak out, she said. And if its only the Democrats doing that, we have a problem because the Republicans have the majority in both the House and the Senate. Some of them have got to stand with us and call this out.But Republicans deny that Trump is overstepping and say his team is within its authority to pause programs. The Constitution, in Article 1, gives Congress the power to collect taxes, pay debts and provide for the defense and general welfare of the country.We dont see this as a threat to Article 1 at all, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said. We see this as an active, engaged, committed executive branch authority doing what the executive branch should do.___Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro and Linley Sanders in Washington and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., contributed to this report. JILL COLVIN Colvin is an Associated Press national political reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign. She is based in New York. mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Imad Hamad, executive Director of the American Human Rights Council (AHRC) speaks during a news conference outside the AMS Mosque in Dearborn, Mich., May 18, 2021. (Daniel Mears /Detroit News via AP, File)2025-02-05T22:59:59Z DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) Residents of the largest Arab American community in the U.S. had plenty to say during the 2024 presidential campaign about the roiling politics in the Middle East. But after President Donald Trumps stunning announcement on Tuesday that he wanted to remove Palestinians from Gaza and impose a U.S. takeover in the region, some leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, were treading far more cautiously.People are taking a deep breath. Its too early to render a judgment. But definitely the past two or three weeks feel unbelievable, said Imad Hamad, executive director of the Dearborn-based American Human Rights Council. Many people expressed that concern, that maybe it was a mistake to vote for President Trump, Hamad added. And now this is an eye-opener to take into consideration to the 2026 elections.So far, at least, no one has retreated from the blistering criticism of Democrats that some say cost Vice President Kamala Harris the crucial state of Michigan in November. But many are struggling to come to terms with the audacious plan Trump announced Tuesday to turn Gaza into what he described as the Riviera of the Middle East, possibly using U.S. troops. Trumps top diplomat and his main spokesperson on Wednesday walked back the idea that he wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, after American allies and even Republican lawmakers rebuffed his suggestion that the U.S. take ownership of the territory. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he only sought to move roughly 1.8 million Gazans temporarily to allow for reconstruction. Even that proposal has drawn widespread criticism in the Arab world. While no mass protests were planned in the Detroit area as of yet following Trumps remarks, community leaders many of whom refrained from endorsing Harris bid but also did not back Trump were more forceful in their response. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents Dearborn and is the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, called Trumps comments fanatical bullsh and said Palestinians arent going anywhere. Dearborns Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Trumps comments were yet another chapter in the ongoing genocide.Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate in over two decades to win Dearborn, where Arab Americans make up close to half of the citys 110,000 residents. His success came after he became the only major presidential candidate to visit the Detroit suburb on Nov. 1, and vowed at a local restaurant to bring peace in the Middle East.Faye Nemer, founder of the Dearborn-based MENA (Middle Eastern North African) American Chamber of Commerce, was among those in the community that welcomed Trump to The Great Commoner on Nov. 1. Nemer said Wednesday that some of Trumps comments relating to the Middle East have been extremely, extremely concerning to the community. Hes been in office for two weeks, and in those two weeks, hes made some very extreme remarks, she said. Nemer added that she believes Trumps comments may be a negotiating tactic and urged the president to continue working toward a two-state solution.He was very vocal that if thats what the Palestinians want, that he would be in favor and supportive of those efforts. So, now we were just asking President Trump and his administration to remain committed to those ideals, Nemer said. Some have begun to distance themselves from Trump after his joint press conference Tuesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the event, Trump proposed that the U.S. take ownership in redeveloping the area into the Riviera of the Middle East.Lebanese American Rola Makki, the Muslim vice chair for outreach of the Michigan Republican Party, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press that although she supported Trump in the last election, I dont agree with his recent stance on Gaza.I believe the U.S. should take a more hands-off approach to the Middle East, focusing on diplomacy and avoiding further entanglement, Makki said. This was the approach President Trump took during his last presidency, and I think it was more effective. A group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, which played a key role in Trumps voter outreach to the Arab American community much of it in Dearborn has rebranded as Arab Americans for Peace following Trumps comments Tuesday. In a statement, the group said it takes issue with the presidents suggestion of taking over Gaza and criticized Trump for not meeting with key Arab leaders, including the Palestinian president, to hear their views.Yet, some of Trumps most vocal Arab American supporters on the campaign trail remained silent Wednesday.Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi both Democratic mayors of Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations who endorsed Trump and appeared on stage with him did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment.___ JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers politics and state government for The Associated Press in Michigan. He is based in Lansing. twitter mailto MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Householder is an Associated Press video journalist based in Detroit. He shoots and edits his own visual pieces for online and broadcast use, while writing the occasional text news story and book review. twitter mailto