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This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a U.S. Airman preparing an A-10 Thunderbolt II for flight from a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force/DVIDS via AP)2026-01-10T21:36:02Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria following last months ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country.The large-scale strikes, conducted by the U.S. alongside partner forces, occurred around 12:30 p.m. ET (1730 GMT) Saturday, according to the U.S. Central Command. The strikes hit multiple IS targets across Syria.The Jordanian military later announced it had taken part in the strikes.Saturdays strikes are part of a broader operation that is part of President Donald Trumps response to the deadly IS attack that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, the civilian interpreter, in Palmyra last month.Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Saturday. A day earlier, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of IS operations in the Levant. The U.S. military said Saturdays strikes were carried out alongside partner forces without specifying which forces had taken part.The Trump administration is calling the response to the Palmyra attacks Operation Hawkeye Strike. Both Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the Iowa National Guard. It launched Dec. 19 with another large-scale strike that hit 70 targets across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has for years been the U.S.s main partner in the fight against IS in Syria, but since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, Washington has increasingly been coordinating with the central government in Damascus.Syria recently joined the global coalition against the IS.

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)2026-01-11T05:53:01Z DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Nationwide protests challenging Irans theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the countrys capital and its second-largest city into Sunday, crossing the two-week mark as violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed at least 116 people, activists said. With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But the death toll in the protests has grown, while 2,600 others have been detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Meanwhile, Irans parliament speaker warned the U.S. military and Israel would be legitimate targets if America strikes the Islamic Republic, as threatened by President Donald Trump. Qalibaf made the threat as lawmakers rushed the dais in the Iranian parliament, shouting: Death to America! Those abroad fear the information blackout will embolden hard-liners within Irans security services to launch a bloody crackdown, despite warnings from Trump hes willing to strike Iran to protect peaceful demonstrators. Trump offered support for the protesters, saying on social media that Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!! The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. officials, said on Saturday night that Trump had been given military options for a strike on Iran, but hadnt made a final decision.The State Department separately warned: Do not play games with President Trump. When he says hell do something, he means it. Parliament rallies Iranian state television broadcast the parliament session live. Qalibaf, a hard-liner who has run for the presidency in the past, gave a speech applauding police and Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for having stood firm during the protests. The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested, Qalibaf said. He went on to directly threaten Israel, the occupied territory as he referred to it, and the U.S. military, possibly with a preemptive strike. In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets, Qalibaf said. We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.It remains unclear just how serious Iran is about launching a strike, particularly after seeing its air defenses destroyed during the 12-day war in June with Israel. Any decision to go to war would rest with Irans 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The U.S. military has said in the Mideast it is postured with forces that span the full range of combat capability to defend our forces, our partners and allies and U.S. interests. Iran targeted U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar back in June, while the U.S. Navys Mideast-based 5th Fleet is stationed in the island kingdom of Bahrain. Israel, meanwhile, is watching closely the situation, between the U.S. and Iran, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to speak to journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight on topics including Iran, the official added. Protests in Tehran and MashhadOnline videos sent out of Iran, likely using Starlink satellite transmitters, purportedly showed demonstrators gathering in northern Tehrans Punak neighborhood. There, it appeared authorities shut off streets, with protesters waving their lit mobile phones. Others banged metal while fireworks went off.Other footage purportedly showed demonstrators peacefully marching down a street and others honking their car horns on the street.The pattern of protests in the capital has largely taken the form of scattered, short-lived, and fluid gatherings, an approach shaped in response to the heavy presence of security forces and increased field pressure, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said. At the same time, reports were received of surveillance drones flying overhead and movements by security forces around protest locations, indicating ongoing monitoring and security control. In Mashhad, Irans second-largest city some 725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Tehran, footage purported to show protesters confronting security forces. Flaming debris and dumpsters could be seen in the street, blocking the road. Mashhad is home to the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest in Shiite Islam, making the protests there carry heavy significance for the countrys theocracy.Protests also appeared to happen in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Tehran.Iranian state television on Sunday morning took a page from demonstrators, having their correspondents appear on streets in several cities to show calm areas with a date stamp shown on screen. Tehran and Mashhad were not included. They also showed pro-government demonstrations in Qom and Qazvin. Ali Larijani, a top security official, went on state TV to accuse some demonstrators of killing people or burning some people, which is very similar to what ISIS does, referring to the Islamic State group by an acronym. State TV aired funerals of slain security force members while reporting another six had been killed in Kermanshah. It also showed a pickup truck full of bodies in body bags and later a morgue.More demonstrations planned SundayIrans exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who called for protests Thursday and Friday, asked in his latest message for demonstrators to take to the streets Sunday. He urged protesters to carry Irans old lion-and-sun flag and other national symbols used during the time of the shah to claim public spaces as your own.Pahlavis support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past, particularly after the 12-day war. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some protests, but it isnt clear whether thats support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the countrys economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Irans theocracy. ___Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. JON GAMBRELL Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. twitter instagram mailto

Tourists kayak at sea in front of Nuuk Cathedral in Nuuk, Greenland, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Kwiyeon Ha, File)2026-01-11T05:04:34Z Greenlands harsh environment, lack of key infrastructure and difficult geology have so far prevented anyone from building a mine to extract the sought-after rare earth elements that many high-tech products require. Even if President Donald Trump prevails in his effort to take control of the Arctic island, those challenges wont go away.Trump has prioritized breaking Chinas stranglehold on the global supply of rare earths ever since the worlds number two economy sharply restricted who could buy them after the United States imposed widespread tariffs last spring. The Trump administration has invested hundreds of millions of dollars and even taken stakes in several companies. Now the president is again pitching the idea that wresting control of Greenland away from Denmark could solve the problem. We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not, Trump said Friday. But Greenland may not be able to produce rare earths for years if ever. Some companies are trying anyway, but their efforts to unearth some of the 1.5 million tons of rare earths encased in rock in Greenland generally havent advanced beyond the exploratory stage. Trumps fascination with the island nation may be more about countering Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic than securing any of the hard-to-pronounce elements like neodymium and terbium that are used to produce the high-powered magnets needed in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robots and fighter jets among other products. The fixation on Greenland has always been more about geopolitical posturing a military-strategic interest and stock-promotion narrative than a realistic supply solution for the tech sector, said Tracy Hughes, founder and executive director of the Critical Minerals Institute. The hype far outstrips the hard science and economics behind these critical minerals. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Trump confirmed those geopolitical concerns at the White House Friday. We dont want Russia or China going to Greenland, which if we dont take Greenland, you can have Russia or China as your next door neighbor. Thats not going to happen, Trump said A difficult place to build a mineThe main challenge to mine in Greenland is, of course, the remoteness. Even in the south where its populated, there are few roads and no railways, so any mining venture would have to create these accessibilities, said Diogo Rosa, an economic geology researcher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. Power would also have to be generated locally, and expert manpower would have to be brought in. Another concern is the prospect of mining rare earths in the fragile Arctic environment just as Greenland tries to build a thriving tourism industry, said Patrick Schrder, a senior fellow in the Environment and Society program at the Chatham House think-tank in London. Toxic chemicals needed to separate the minerals out from the rock, so that can be highly polluting and further downstream as well, the processing, Shrder said. Plus, rare earths are often found alongside radioactive uranium. Besides the unforgiving climate that encases much of Greenland under layers of ice and freezes the northern fjords for much of the year, the rare earths found there tend to be encased in a complex type of rock called eudialyte, and no one has ever developed a profitable process to extract rare earths from that type of rock. Elsewhere, these elements are normally found in different rock formation called carbonatites, and there are proven methods to work with that. If were in a race for resources for critical minerals then we should be focusing on the resources that are most easily able to get to market, said David Abraham, a rare earths expert who has followed the industry for decades and wrote the book The Elements of Power. This week, Critical Metals stock price more than doubled after it said it plans to build a pilot plant in Greenland this year. But that company and more than a dozen others exploring deposits on the island remain far away from actually building a mine and would still need to raise at least hundreds of millions of dollars. Producing rare earths is a tough businessEven the most promising projects can struggle to turn a profit, particularly when China resorts to dumping extra materials onto the market to depress prices and drive competitors out of business as it has done many times in the past. And currently most critical minerals have to be processed in China. The U.S. is scrambling to expand the supply of rare earths outside of China during the one-year reprieve from even tougher restrictions that Trump said Xi Jinping agreed to in October. A number of companies around the world are already producing rare earths or magnets and can deliver more quickly than anything in Greenland, which Trump has threatened to seize with military power if Denmark doesnt agree to sell it.Everybodys just been running to get to this endpoint. And if you go to Greenland, its like youre going back to the beginning, said Ian Lange, an economics professor who focuses on rare earths at the Colorado School of Mines. Focusing on more promising projects elsewhereMany in the industry, too, think America should focus on helping proven companies instead of trying to build new rare earth mines in Greenland, Ukraine, Africa or elsewhere. A number of other mining projects in the U.S. and friendly nations like Australia are farther along and in much more accessible locations. The U.S. government has invested directly in the company that runs the only rare earths mine in the U.S., MP Materials, and a lithium miner and a company that recycles batteries and other products with rare earths.Scott Dunn, CEO of Noveon Magnetics, said those investments should do more to reduce Chinas leverage, but its hard to change the math quickly when more than 90% of the worlds rare earths come from China.There are very few folks that can rely on a track record for delivering anything in each of these instances, and that obviously should be where we start, and especially in my view if youre the U.S. government, said Dunn, whose company is already producing more than 2,000 metric tons of magnets each year at a plant in Texas from elements it gets outside of China.___Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and Naishadham reported from Madrid. JOSH FUNK Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers transportation including aviation safety and airlines along with all the major freight railroads. Funk also covers Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway, the impact of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, agriculture and other news out of the Midwest. twitter mailto SUMAN NAISHADHAM Naishadham is an Associated Press reporter covering Spain and Portugal. She is based in Madrid. twitter mailto

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)2026-01-11T07:18:35Z A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.The attack came after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO. The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators continue to communicate with the American side. Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners on Saturday, he said.Separately, Ukraines General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.The Ukrainian Defense Ministrys main intelligence directorate said Sunday that Russia this month deployed the new jet-powered Geran-5 strike drone against Ukraine for the first time. The Geran is a Russian variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed.According to the directorate, the drone can carry a 90-kilogram (200-pound) warhead and has a range of nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).___Follow the APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Pedestrians pass T-shirts featuring images of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at at a printing shop in Lima, Peru, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, two days after U.S. forces captured and removed him from Venezuela. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)2026-01-11T05:02:14Z LIMA, Peru (AP) Almost immediately after U.S. forces deposed Venezuelas president, officials from Washington to Lima, Peru, began encouraging some of the 8 million Venezuelans who have scattered themselves across the Americas over more than a decade to go home. But that idea had not even crossed the mind of Yanelis Torres.The 22-year-old graphic designer was too busy printing T-shirts with images of captured former Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro overlaid with phrases like Game Over. Her clients in Limas largest textile market were snatching them up within hours of the news of Maduros downfall.Settled or undocumented, many of the millions of Venezuelans spread across Latin America received news of Maduros capture with joy but also caution, especially after hearing U.S. President Donald Trump say that he would work with Maduros vice president, now interim President Delcy Rodrguez, rather than the opposition. Despite leaders in Peru and Chile echoing U.S. suggestions to return to Venezuela, the diaspora does not appear ready to do so. Venezuelas economy remains a shambles and with the exception of Maduro and his wife, the government remains in place.I have a lot of things here, Torres said from her shop in a bustling Lima neighborhood, adding it would take time for things to change in Venezuela. Youve got to keep an eye on it, know whats going on, but not lose hope. Crisis scatters a peopleThere are nearly 7 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Latin America. Colombia tops the list with 2.8 million, followed by Peru with 1.5 million. A further estimated 1 million are in the United States, according to the most recent data from R4V, a network tracking the diaspora and coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration. They were driven out by compounding political and economic crises. An estimated 8 in 10 people in Venezuela live in poverty in a country that was once one of Latin Americas wealthiest, with the worlds largest proven oil reserves.Some have found work or started small businesses, while others tried to the reach the U.S. or bounced from country to country. Over the past year, thousands have been deported to Venezuela or third countries and many more could be near the end of their protected status in the U.S.Eduardo Constante, 36, left Venezuela in 2017 in the middle of a hunger crisis.Speaking from a migrant shelter in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, he recalled his journey. He had spent three months in Colombia, a country overwhelmed by the numbers of arriving Venezuelans; three years in Peru, which he left during the pandemic because they wouldnt give him the vaccine; and then three more years in Chile, where he was unable to legalize his status. Finally he made the long trek through South America, the Darien jungle and up to the U.S. border just in time for Trump to close it to asylum seekers.I had plans in Europe, but if things settle down in Venezuela, Im going to Venezuela, he said. His joy at Maduros ouster was moderated by the worries of the family he still has there over food scarcity and security forces that search peoples cellphones for signs of opposition, he said. Maureen Meyer, vice president for programs at WOLA, a Washington-based human rights organization focused on Latin America, said were nowhere near where were going to have a country where people that fled feel that they could be comfortable returning.And if Venezuelans are forced to leave the countries where they are now, either under pressure or via deportation, they will be even more vulnerable to organized crime groups in the region seeking to exploit them now that the business of smuggling them north has dropped off. Yohanisleska de Nazareth Mrquez, a 22-year-old Venezuelan, heard of Maduros capture while riding across Mexico on a bus with her 3-year-old.They had left Venezuela in February 2024 and turned themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol that June. She was picked up by U.S. immigration agents in Pennsylvania last year and deported to Mexico with her son on Jan. 1. They were headed with other deportees to the southern state of Tabasco when she heard about Maduro. We all shouted with joy ... it was what we all wanted, she said. Still getting her bearings, Mrquez planned to apply for asylum in Mexico and try to find work but she is worried. She doesnt know how long they will be allowed to stay in the shelter and she heard about kidnappings in the area. Im afraid of being out on the street with my son alone. Its a bit dangerous here, she said. Meyer said forces were building to create a perfect storm for Venezuelans like Marquz who found themselves outside their country and without legal status.Turning political tideTheir prospects are not looking good.In Chile, ultra-conservative President-elect Jos Antonio Kast, who will take office in March, made deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants central to his campaign. This week, Kast said they have 63 days left to leave our country and to have the possibility of returning with all of their papers in order. Peru and Colombia are also scheduled to elect new presidents this year, and immigration will be a focus.This week, Kast met with Perus interim President Jos Jer, and among the ideas that both men have mentioned is creating some sort of humanitarian corridor passing through Chile, Peru and Ecuador to make it easier for Venezuelans to return home.Some of these big host countries, how they decide to respond to the population that are already in their countries and those that may come will be key, Meyer said.In Santiago, in the eight-block little Caracas, initial celebrations with car horns, shouts and reggaeton music, had calmed.Alexander Leal, 66, who arrived with his wife in 2018, expressed hope as he sold homemade ice cream in the southern hemisphere summer. His family is scattered across the globe, some in the United States, others in Europe and four siblings still in Venezuela. He dreams of returning one day.It wont be this year, but maybe it will be next year, he said. That is everyones aspiration, that the country is fixed. He said Trumps help would be necessary.Yessica Mendoza, a 27-year-old Uber driver and mother, knows that she is one of the thousands of undocumented immigrants in Kasts sights, but she plans stick it out. Returning is not an option. Moderating hopeVenezuelas neighbor, Colombia, has received more Venezuelans than any other country and has largely been applauded for its efforts to help them settle, like an offer of 10-year residency permits.A close security ally of the United States, Colombia is navigating a tense moment in its relationship with the U.S. under President Gustavo Petro, who has sparred with Trump and at times been the target of his ire.ngel Bruges, a 54-year-old Venezuelan who has lived in Bogota for six years with his wife and daughter and runs an empanada business there, expressed gratitude for Colombias hospitality. He said he did not celebrate Maduros capture and is well aware of the fear his relatives still in Venezuela live with. Returning would be crazy, he said.Back in Peru, Torres, the graphic designer, was measuring her expectations. It has been four years since she left Venezuela. She hoped for the possibility of returning for long visits with her family there some day. But for now, she talks of how marvelous Peru is as she fields orders for more T-shirts featuring her countrys deposed president, telling people that if she does not have what they want, she will make it.___Verza reported from Mexico City and Batschke from Santiago, Chile. Gabriela Molina in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this story. MARA VERZA Verza has focused on immigration, violence and human rights stories in Mexico and Central America for more than a decade twitter instagram mailto NAYARA BATSCHKE Batschke writes about Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay for The Associated Press, based in Santiago. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered Southeast Asia reporting from Bangkok; Latin America from Sao Paulo, and European affairs reporting from Madrid. twitter mailto

President Trump promised to fill the appeals courts with my judges. They have formed a nearly united phalanx to defend his agenda from legal challenges.

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FILE Olympic rings are seen in the snow at the Stelvio Ski Center, venue for the alpine ski and ski mountaineering disciplines at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)2026-01-11T11:00:06Z If winning gold medals were the only standard, almost all Olympic athletes would be considered failures.A clinical psychologist with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Emily Clarks job when the Winter Games open in Italy on Feb. 6 is to help athletes interpret what it means to be successful. Should gold medals be the only measure?Part of a 15-member staff providing psychological services, Clark nurtures athletes accustomed to triumph but who invariably risk failure.The staff deals with matters termed mental health and mental performance. They include topics such as motivation, anger management, anxiety, eating disorders, family issues, trauma, depression, sleep, handling pressure, travel and so forth.Clarks area includes stress management, the importance of sleep and getting high achievers to perform at their best and avoid the temptation of looking only at results.A lot of athletes these days are aware of the mental health component of, not just sport, but of life, Clark said in an interview with The Associated Press. This is an area where athletes can develop skills that can extend a career, or make it more enjoyable. Redefining successThe United States is expected to take about 235 athletes to the Winter Olympics, and about 70 more to the Paralympics. But heres the truth.Most of the athletes who come through Team USA will not win a gold medal, Clark said. Thats the reality of elite sport.Here are the numbers. The United States won gold medals in nine events in the last Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. According to Dr. Bill Mallon, an esteemed shoulder surgeon and Olympic historian, 70.8% of Winter and Summer Olympic athletes go to only one Olympics.Few are famous and successful like swimmer Michael Phelps, or skiers Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn.Clark said she often delivers the following message to Olympians and Paralympians: This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Focus on the process. Savor the moment. Youre job is not to win a gold medal, your job it to do the thing and the gold medal is what happens when you do your job, she said.Some of this might be realigning what success looks like, she added. And some of this is developing resilience in the face of setbacks and failure.Clark preaches staying on task under pressure and improving through defeat.We get stronger by pushing ourselves to a limit where were at our maximum capacity and then recovering, she said. When we get stressed, it impacts our attention. Staying on task or staying in line with whats important is what we try to train for.A few testimonialsKendall Gretsch has won four gold medals at the Summer and Winter Paralympics. She credits some of her success to the USOPCs mental health services, and she described the value this way.We have a sports psychologist who travels with us for most our season, she said. Just being able to touch base with them ... and getting that reminder of why are you here. What is that experience youre looking for?American figure skater Alysa Liu is the 2025 world champion and was sixth in the 2022 Olympics. Shes a big believer in sports psychology and should be among the favorites in Italy. I work with a sport psychologist, she said without giving a name. Shes incredible like the MVP.Of course, MVP stands not for Most Valuable Person or Most Valuable Player for Most Valuable Psychologist.I mean, shes very helpful, Liu added.Vonn: I just did it myselfAmerican downhill skier Vonn will race in Italy in her sixth Olympics. At 41, shes coming off nearly six years in retirement and will be racing on a knee made of titanium.Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister has suggested in jest that Vonn should see a psychologist for attempting such a thing in a very dangerous sport where downhill skiers reach speeds of 80 mph (130 kph).Vonn shrugged off the comments and joked a few months ago that she didnt grow up using a sport psychologist. She said her counseling came from taping messages on the tips of her skis that read: stay forward or hands up.I just did it myself, she said. I do a lot of self-talk in the starting gate. On sleepSleep is an area where athletes tend to struggle for a number of reasons, Clark said, listing issues such as travel schedules, late practices, injuries and life-related stress.We have a lot of athletes who are parents, and lot of sleep is going to be disrupted in the early stages of parenting, she said. We approach sleep as a real part of performance. But it can be something that gets de-prioritized when days get busy.Clark suggests the following for her athletes and the rest of us: no caffeine after 3 p.m., mitigate stress before bedtime, schedule sleep at about the same time daily, sleep in a dark room and get 7-9 hours.Dani Aravich is a two-time Paralympian shes been in both the Summer and Winter Games will be skiing in the upcoming Paralympics. She said in a recent interview that she avails herself of many psychological services provided by the USOPC. Ive started tracking my sleep, she said, naming Clark as a counselor. Especially being an athlete who has multiple jobs, sleep is going to be your No. 1 savior at all times. Its the thing that you know helps mental clarity.Ditto Clark.Sleep is the cornerstone of healthy performance, she added.___Follow APs Be Well coverage, focusing on all aspects of wellness, at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well STEPHEN WADE Wade has written about sports and the politics of sports around the globe for The Associated Press. He has covered nine Olympics and five soccer World Cups and has been based for AP in Madrid, London, Beijing, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, before moving to Tokyo. twitter mailto

The pinnacles of the Duomo cathedral are lit by the afternoon declining sun and backdropped by the new Business Center in Milan, northern Italy, Jan. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)2026-01-11T10:10:08Z Milans Catholic leaders faced a choice when the city was selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.They could passively wait for the event to unfold or immediately bring the Olympic spirit into their pastoral work. They chose the latter.We believe that the Olympics represent a great educational opportunity in the meanings they will carry, wrote Milans Archbishop Mario Delpini in a letter following the launch of a program aimed at promoting Olympic values among young people.The Ora Sport on Fire Tour has been underway since late 2022, with new activities led by the archdiocese planned during the Games.The city as an Olympic village is a metaphor to say that relationships are shaped by competing in mutual esteem, Delpini added. In Italy, a country shaped by Catholic tradition, the Ora Sport on Fire Tour operates in parish youth centers and schools. It was developed by the Milan archdioceses sports and youth outreach offices, in collaboration with its school pastoral services. According to the Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the archdioceses Service for Oratories and Sport, both the program and the activities that will run during the Games aim to make a specific contribution by highlighting the inclusive and social aspects of sport.We hope that these values will help young people in our city grow, he said. Turning Olympic values into actionThe first step in shaping the Ora Sport on Fire Tour was studying the Olympic Charter, the founding document of the Olympic movement.Faith leaders in Milan then rooted their project in the cultural values of the event. Through sporting events, contests and workshops, themes such as human rights and peace have been promoted. These are hosted in Christian-inspired schools and oratories, parish spaces that are turned over to afterschool activities for young people, including sports and Catholic catechism classes.Among its activities ahead of the Winter Olympics, the archdiocese has also hosted encounters between religious leaders, athletes and young people. During one of the early events tied to the programs rollout, Paralympic swimmer Arianna Talamona shared how being an athlete is both an honor and a responsibility.One thing I often feel like saying when I go into schools and meet students is to be patient and to have very clear ideas about their passions, said Talamona during the encounter, which was streamed on the archdioceses channels. And if they have dreams and passions, its important to cultivate them.A traveling torchThe Ora Sport On Fire Tour has its own Olympic torch. Its a symbolic path to bring the Games spirit to participating institutions.The torch has traveled throughout the territories of the diocese, visiting two pastoral zones per year. As each deanery welcomed it, gatherings, prayer and talks on Olympic values were held.Oratories in towns such as Tradate, in northern Italy, posted on social media how children and adolescents transported the torch and reflected on its meaning.In other cities, such as Gallarate, sports activities were focused on inclusion. They taught youths how to recognize and respect differences and diverse abilities. The approach has been a constant of the program since its beginnings. To mark the launch of the third year of the Ora Sport On Fire Tour, Paralympic swimmer Alberto Amodeo appeared as a guest at a diocesan sports gathering in Abbiategrasso.He recalled his achievements in both the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, underlining how the Games bring together athletes of different ethnicities.These are beautiful results that will remain forever in my heart, Amodeo said.A broader missionThe initiatives implemented during the Ora Sport On Fire Tour changed from one deanery to another. Some hosted sports-themed plays overseen by a professional theater company. Others organized film forums or large-scale sports activities.All remain tied to the upcoming Olympics. Yet sports have long been key to the archdioceses pastoral outreach to youths even before Italy was chosen to host the Winter Games.According to Guidi, there are about 1,000 oratories in Milans diocese. Practically all of them have a sports club that carries out activities. Some even reach 100 years of history, he said. For many kids, adolescents and families, this is their only possibility to practice sports. He added that most activities are offered at low cost, mainly thanks to volunteer work.Throughout the dioceses sport-related programs, three aspects remain key: conveying how sport helps develop the physical abilities of each person, how it supports socialization and how it develops respect for ones opponent.It therefore proposes a kind of growth that has the meaning of constant training of oneself and of ones relationships, Guidi said. And the possibility of learning from ones mistakes.____Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. MARA TERESA HERNNDEZ Hernndez is a reporter on the APs Global Religion team. She is based in Mexico City and covers Latin America. twitter mailto

Nikki Glaser rolls out the red carpet during the 83rd Golden Globes press preview on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)2026-01-11T05:00:45Z The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywoods booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday nights 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much. Youd be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying Venezuela, Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. People arent getting the news like we all are. Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.Were going to hit Leo, Glaser said. The icebergs are coming.Heres what to look for at this years Globes:How to watch and stream the Globes and red carpetThe Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews. Could Warner Bros. own the night if not itself?The overwhelming Oscar favorite One Battle After Another comes in with a leading nine nominations. Its competing in the Globes musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Cooglers Sinners, Chlo Zhaos Hamnet and Joachim Triers Sentimental Value are all in the mix.But thus far, One Battle After Another has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Andersons cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.If it and Sinners take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.How might the top acting awards go?After an audacious promotional tour for Marty Supreme, Timothe Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, hell have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie If I Had Legs Id Kick You. One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good), wont be attending due to her schedule in the West End production Dracula. Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) may win over Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams).In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgrd come in the favorites. Wholl give the most memorable speech?The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehlys Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals. But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for The Substance and gave the nights most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (Anora), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars. A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama It Was Just an Accident is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Irans ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Irans leaders. What to look for in the TV and podcast categoriesFor the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess and Up First.In TV, HBO Maxs The White Lotus another potential big winner for Warner Bros. leads with six nominations. Netflixs Adolescence comes in with five nods.But the most closely watched nominee might be The Studio. The first season of Seth Rogens Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.) The Studio is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.___For more coverage of this years Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards JAKE COYLE Coyle has been a film critic and covered the movie industry for The Associated Press since 2013. He is based in New York City. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Chicago Bears' DJ Moore catches a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)2026-01-11T05:02:51Z CHICAGO (AP) Caleb Williams dropped back, pump-faked and found DJ Moore wide open down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.His latest clutch throw propelled the Chicago Bears to yet another improbable comeback win and kept their breakout season going for at least another round of the postseason.Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers 31-27 in a wild-card game on Saturday night.The NFC North champion Bears (12-6) extended their resurgent first season under coach Ben Johnson with their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory. They split two down-to-the-wire games with Green Bay in the regular season, and this one turned out to be a thriller when it looked like it would be a breeze for the Packers (9-8-1). Chicago trailed 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, only to outscore Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth on the way to its first playoff win in 15 years.True belief, Williams said. Belief. Thats all you need. You got belief in the coaches that theyre gonna call the right play at the right time. You got belief in the players on the field that youre gonna make the right play at the right time. After Williams connected with Moore to give the Bears their first lead since it was 3-0, Jordan Love led Green Bay into Chicago territory. But on third down at the 28, he dropped the snap, scrambled and heaved a pass to the end zone with no time left. Jaquan Brisker deflected the ball, setting off a wild celebration and a curt handshake between Johnson and Packers coach Matt LaFleur. The Bears will host a divisional-round game next weekend.We just keep plugging along, Johnson said. We keep fighting. Weve been proving that this year. Thats who we are, thats what we do. Chicago pulled within 21-16 on DAndre Swifts 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The Packers responded, with rookie Matthew Golden breaking three tackles and leapfrogging a fourth defender on a 23-yard catch-and-run for his first career touchdown, making it 27-16. Brandon McManus missed the extra point wide left.The Bears went 76 yards, with Williams throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus and hitting rookie Colston Loveland for the 2-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 4:18 remaining.The Packers then drove to the Chicago 21, only to come away with nothing when McManus missed wide right on a 44-yard field goal attempt. The Bears responded with the go-ahead touchdown drive and hung on for their first playoff win since the 2010 team beat Seattle in the divisional round at Soldier Field. They had lost three straight in the postseason, starting with a loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC championship game that season.Green Bay dominated Chicago for years. But the momentum in the NFLs longest-running rivalry seems to be turning, with the Bears beating the Packers for the third time in the past five games. Were here and Im going to be here for a while, is my plan, Williams said. Be in a bunch of games, be in these moments and come out victorious. Thats the mindset for right now this year. Thats also the mindset for the future.The Bears envisioned nights like this when they drafted Williams No. 1 overall last year, and when they hired Johnson in the offseason. Williams delivered after a shaky start, throwing for 361 yards and the two late touchdowns. He completed 24 of 48 passes and was intercepted twice.Loveland caught eight passes for a career-high 137 yards for the Bears, who had closed the regular season with tight losses to San Francisco and Detroit.The Packers dropped their final five games. That certainly was not what they envisioned when they acquired star pass rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas in late August and sent expectations soaring. The two-time All-Pro suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 15 loss at Denver, and the defense struggled without him. I know we fought through a lot of adversity this year, coach Matt LaFleur said. Unfortunately we didnt do enough to overcome that adversity. Thats all of us collectively. Weve got to do more.Love threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns after missing the final two regular-season games. He hadnt played since a helmet-to-helmet hit from Chicagos Austin Booker in the second quarter of a Week 16 loss at Soldier Field.Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed each had TD catches in the first half. TyRon Hopper stopped a threat in the third quarter when he intercepted a backpedaling Williams near the goal line.I dont think its we dont have the composure, I think its just the situation we put ourselves in, Love said. Jumping out to a lead and doing what we wanted in the first half and then the second half kind of a completely different story. I think for any team thats going to be frustrating, and youve got to find ways to be able to overcome that and get back to it. I think we did, but it was just a little too late. InjuriesPackers: RT Zach Tom (knee) was inactive after missing the Packers final three regular-season games. ... Backup OL Jacob Monk (biceps) left the game in the first half.Bears: Johnson said LB T.J. Edwards (broken left fibula) is out for the remainder of the season, and LT Ozzy Trapilo (knee) likely is, too. Edwards was carted off the field in the second quarter after his left foot got caught up with the leg of Watson and bent awkwardly. He was fitted with an air cast before he was taken away. Trapilo was hurt blocking on a pass play on the go-ahead drive. ... CB Kyler Gordon (groin) was activated from injured reserve after being sidelined since Week 13.Up nextPackers: Start the offseason.Bears: Host a divisional-round game against either the Los Angeles Rams or Philadelphia. The Eagles play San Francisco on Sunday, and the Rams knocked out Carolina on Saturday.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl ANDREW SELIGMAN Seligman covers Chicago sports for The Associated Press. He has been with the AP since 2005. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Green Bay's head coach and GM have one year left on their respective contracts.

The young QB quickly formed a bond with the returning OC, and it took the Patriots to the playoffs (8 p.m. ET).

We bring you some good news about schools in a place you might not expect.

Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)2026-01-11T12:28:24Z WASHINGTON (AP) Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last.West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from competing in girls and womens sports, and is among the more than two dozen states with similar laws. Though the West Virginia law has been blocked by lower courts, the outcome could be different at the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to be enforced in the past year. The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether the sports bans violate the Constitution or the landmark federal law known as Title IX that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The second case comes from Idaho, where college student Lindsay Hecox challenged that states law. Decisions are expected by early summer.President Donald Trumps Republican administration has targeted transgender Americans from the first day of his second term, including ousting transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth. Pepper-Jackson has become the face of the nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls in athletics that has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls. I think its something that needs to be done, Pepper-Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press that was conducted over Zoom. Its something Im here to do because ... this is important to me. I know its important to other people. So, like, Im here for it.She sat alongside her mother, Heather Jackson, on a sofa in their home just outside Bridgeport, a rural West Virginia community about 40 miles southwest of Morgantown, to talk about a legal fight that began when she was a middle schooler who finished near the back of the pack in cross-country races. Pepper-Jackson has grown into a competitive discus and shot put thrower. In addition to the bronze medal in the discus, she finished eighth among shot putters.She attributes her success to hard work, practicing at school and in her backyard, and lifting weights. Pepper-Jackson has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade, though the Supreme Courts decision in June upholding state bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors has forced her to go out of state for care.Her very improvement as an athlete has been cited as a reason she should not be allowed to compete against girls. There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years, West Virginias attorney general, JB McCuskey, said in an AP interview. McCuskey said he is not aware of any other transgender athlete in the state who has competed or is trying to compete in girls or womens sports. Despite the small numbers of transgender athletes, the issue has taken on outsize importance. The NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees banned transgender women from womens sports after Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring their participation.The public generally is supportive of the limits. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults strongly or somewhat favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were strongly or somewhat opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion. About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Those allied with the administration on the issue paint it in broader terms than just sports, pointing to state laws, Trump administration policies and court rulings against transgender people.I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that its just a lie that a man can be a woman, said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom that has led the legal campaign against transgender people. And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth. And the sooner that we do that, the better it will be for women everywhere, whether that be in high school sports teams, high school locker rooms and showers, abused womens shelters, womens prisons. But Heather Jackson offered different terms to describe the effort to keep her daughter off West Virginias playing fields. Hatred. Its nothing but hatred, she said. This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.Pepper-Jackson has seen some of the uglier side of the debate on display, including when a competitor wore a T-shirt at the championship meet that said, Men Dont Belong in Womens Sports.I wish these people would educate themselves. Just so they would know that Im just there to have a good time. Thats it. But it just, it hurts sometimes, like, it gets to me sometimes, but I try to brush it off, she said.One schoolmate, identified as A.C. in court papers, said Pepper-Jackson has herself used graphic language in sexually bullying her teammates.Asked whether she said any of what is alleged, Pepper-Jackson said, I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true. The legal fight will turn on whether the Constitutions equal protection clause or the Title IX anti-discrimination law protects transgender people.The court ruled in 2020 that workplace discrimination against transgender people is sex discrimination, but refused to extend the logic of that decision to the case over health care for transgender minors.The court has been deluged by dueling legal briefs from Republican- and Democratic-led states, members of Congress, athletes, doctors, scientists and scholars.The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete. If Pepper-Jackson is forced to stop competing, she said she will still be able to lift weights and continue playing trumpet in the school concert and jazz bands. It will hurt a lot, and I know it will, but thats what Ill have to do, she said. MARK SHERMAN Sherman has covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press since 2006. His journalism career spans five decades. He is based in Washington, D.C., and previously lived in New York, Paris and Atlanta. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Immigration activists rally outside the Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments over the Trump administration's plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, in Washington, April 23, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)2026-01-11T12:54:58Z ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The next U.S. census is four years away, but two lawsuits playing out this year could affect how it will be done and who will be counted.Allies of President Donald Trump are behind the federal lawsuits challenging various aspects of the once-a-decade count by the U.S. Census Bureau, which is used to determine congressional representation and how much federal aid flows to the states.The challenges align with parts of Trumps agenda even as the Republican administration must defend the agency in court. A Democratic law firm is representing efforts to intervene in both cases because of concerns over whether the U.S. Justice Department will defend the bureau vigorously. There have been no indications so far that government attorneys are doing otherwise, and department lawyers have asked that one of the cases be dismissed.As the challenges work their way through the courts, the Census Bureau is pushing ahead with its planning for the 2030 count and intends to conduct practice runs in six locations this year. The legal challengesAmerica First Legal, co-founded by Stephen Miller, Trumps deputy chief of staff, is leading one of the lawsuits, filed in Florida. It contests methods the bureau has used to protect participants privacy and to ensure that people in group-living facilities such as dorms and nursing homes will be counted.The lawsuits intent is to prevent those methods from being used in the 2030 census and to have 2020 figures revised. This case is about stopping illegal methods that undermine equal representation and ensuring the next census complies with the Constitution, Gene Hamilton, president of America First Legal, said in a statement.The other lawsuit was filed in federal court in Louisiana by four Republican state attorneys general and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which opposes illegal immigration and supports reduced legal immigration. The lawsuit seeks to exclude people who are in the United States illegally from being counted in the numbers for redrawing congressional districts. In both cases, outside groups represented by the Democratic-aligned Elias Law Group have sought to intervene over concerns that the Justice Department would reach friendly settlements with the challengers. In the Florida case, a judge allowed a retirees association and two university students to join the defense as intervenors. Justice Department lawyers have asked that the case be dismissed.In the Louisiana lawsuit, government lawyers said three League of Women Voters chapters and Santa Clara County in California had not shown any proof that department attorneys would do anything other than robustly defend the Census Bureau. A judge has yet to rule on their request to join the case.A spokesman for the Elias Law Group, Blake McCarren, referred in an email to its motion to dismiss the Florida case, warning of a needlessly chaotic and disruptive effect upon the electoral process if the conservative legal group were to prevail and all 50 states had to redraw their political districts. Aligning with Trumps agendaThe goals of the lawsuits, particularly the Louisiana case, align with core parts of Trumps agenda, although the 2030 census will be conducted under a different president because his second term will end in January 2029.During his first term, for the 2020 census, Trump tried to prevent those who are in the U.S. illegally from being used in the apportionment numbers, which determine how many congressional representatives and Electoral College votes each state receives. He also sought to have citizenship data collected through administrative records.A Republican redistricting expert had written that using only the citizen voting-age population, rather than the total population, for the purpose of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts could be advantageous to Republicans and non-Hispanic whites. Both Trump orders were rescinded when Democratic President Joe Biden arrived at the White House in January 2021, before the 2020 census figures were released by the Census Bureau. The first Trump administration also attempted to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census questionnaire, a move that was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. In August, Trump instructed the U.S. Commerce Department to change the way the Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Neither officials at the White House nor the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, explained what actions were being taken in response to the presidents social media post.Congressional Republicans have introduced legislation to exclude noncitizens from the apportionment process. That could shrink the head count in both red and blue states because the states with the most people in the U.S. illegally include California, Texas, Florida and New York, according to the Pew Research Center.The Constitutions 14th Amendment says the whole number of persons in each state should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment. The numbers also guide the distribution of $2.8 trillion in federal dollars to the states for roads, health care and other programs. Defending the Census BureauThe Louisiana lawsuit was filed at the end of the Biden administration and put on hold in March at the request of the Commerce Department. Justice Department lawyers representing the Cabinet agency said they needed time to consider the position of the new leadership in the second Trump administration. The state attorneys general in December asked for that hold to be lifted.So far, in the court record, there is nothing to suggest that those government attorneys have done anything to undermine the Census Bureaus defense in both cases, despite the intervenors concerns. In the Louisiana case, Justice Department lawyers argued against lifting the hold, saying the Census Bureau was in the middle of planning for the 2030 census: At this stage of such preparations, lifting the stay is not appropriate.___Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social MIKE SCHNEIDER Schneider covers census, demographics and Florida for The Associated Press. Author of 2023 book, Mickey and the Teamsters. twitter mailto

A Facebook post of the Prime Minister of Israel with a retouched photo of the Prime Ministers wife, Sara Netanyahu, is displayed on a phone in Ramat Gan, Israel, Jan, 9, 2026 (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)2026-01-11T05:07:38Z JERUSALEM (AP) The photos seemed destined for posterity in Israels state archives.In the snapshots, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is joined by his wife, Sara, as well as U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and a group of Israeli soldiers, as they light Hannukah candles at Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews pray. The leaders exchange triumphant looks.But something is off. Sara Netanyahus skin is poreless, her eyes overly defined and her hair perfectly coiffed a look officials acknowledge is the result of heavy retouching.Critics say the issue isnt the use of photo-editing software, which is common on the social media accounts of celebrities and public figures. They say its the circulation of the images in official government announcements, which distorts reality, violates ethical codes and risks compromising official archiving and record-keeping efforts. All the pictures to this day in the archives in Israel are authentic pictures of reality as it was captured by the lenses of photographers cameras since the establishment of the state, said Shabi Gatenio, the veteran political journalist who broke the story in The Seventh Eye, an Israeli site that covers local media. These images, if entered into the database, will forever infect it with a virtual reality that never existed. Since the manipulation of images was revealed, the government has taken the unprecedented step of crediting Sara Netanyahu in its releases that include manipulated images. And its not clear if the official archive will include images of her taken during the second half of last year, when Gatenio said the editing appears to have begun. Mrs. Netanyahus personal spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.Nitzan Chen, director of the Government Press Office, told The Associated Press that images of the prime minister are never manipulated and that his office would not upload any retouched photos to the official archive. Personal Photoshop habit enters political realmSara Netanyahu, 67, has long used photo-editing software on her images. Her social media account is filled with images in which her face appears heavily retouched.But the topic raised eyebrows since her Photoshop habit entered the public record.Gatenio said he first noticed this last July, when the couple visited President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., and again in September, as Sara Netanyahu joined her husband on the tarmac ahead of a trip to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. At the time, the prime ministers office released a video of the send-off along with a photo, credited to Avi Ohayon, an official government photographer.Comparing the photo to the raw video, Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, said the image had been post-processed, bearing local manipulations to smooth her skin and remove wrinkles. Since then, photos showing Mrs. Netanyahu meeting with Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, in Washington also appear to have been retouched, Farid said. Theres been some Photoshop editing to lets call it beautify, lighten, smooth the face, Farid said. Is it nefarious? No. Is it a problem? Yes. This is about something bigger than, she Photoshopped her face to make herself look younger. This is about trust. Why should I trust any official photo coming out of that administration?Chen, the head of the Government Press Office, said office lawyers are trying to determine how to handle and properly identify photos processed by people other than GPO photographers. He said the Justice Ministry is also examining the criteria, limitations and possibilities of the edited images, though he stressed there is nothing illegal about touching up photos. The issue, he said, is being transparent when such changes are made.For now, the Prime Ministers Office has decided to add Sara Netanyahus name to press releases that include retouched images. Since November, press releases showing photos of her smiling next to Trump and the family of the last hostage in Gaza in Washington, visiting a Miami synagogue and attending a funeral for an Israeli mayor have included this label.At least one outlet, the Times of Israel, has said it will no longer carry official state photos that appear to have been manipulated. The Associated Press does not publish images that appear to have been retouched or digitally manipulated. A broader phenomenonChen said the prime minister is never edited: No Photoshop, no corrections, no color. Nothing. While his face may not be retouched, the prime ministers official Instagram account tells another story.The page has posted a bevy of content that appears to be AI-edited or generated, including a picture of the couple with Trump and first lady Melania Trump celebrating the new year in Washington. The photo raised suspicions in Israel because it shows Sara Netanyahu wearing a black dress absent from other photos of the event, where she wore a dark red frock. Appearing in the sky above the couples are brightly colored fireworks and American and Israeli flags that Farid said were almost certainly generated by AI. It is now marked with a tag on Instagram indicating that it may have been altered or generated using AI. It is not clear when the tag was added nor by whom. Netanyahu is not alone. Many world figures, including Trump, frequently use AI-generated image manipulation in their public output. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, who runs the Democracy in the Digital Age Program, at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, called it part of the populist playbook and said there was no question that Netanyahu was emulating how Trump uses the technology.Netanyahus official Instagram has posted video of Trump and Netanyahu in a B-2 bomber that appears entirely AI-generated. It is captioned on our victory lap, referencing the joint Israel-U.S. attacks on Iran last year.This is exactly what Netanyahu and his surrounding circle have tried to do for many years, she said. Presenting himself as a superhero, his wife as a supermodel, their family as a super loyal family. Even when it wasnt the case, even at the expense of actual political work, administrative work and social work.She said Israel has reached a critical point in official government record-keeping and communications. The question of archiving the truth, archiving history, will be one of the questions of our time.This story has been corrected throughout to note that Sara Netanyahu is not Israels first lady. JULIA FRANKEL Frankel, based in Jerusalem, has reported from across Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Her reporting focuses on war, human rights, displacement and criminal justice. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

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Civilians evacuate an area of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)2026-01-10T12:02:32Z ALEPPO, Syria (AP) Kurdish fighters were evacuated from a contested neighborhood in Syrias northern city of Aleppo, officials said early Sunday, a move that could bring an end to several days of violent clashes with government forces.State-run news agency SANA reported buses transported the last of the fighters from the Aleppo neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.Through international mediation to halt the attacks and violations against our people in Aleppo, we have reached an understanding leading to a ceasefire and the safe evacuation of martyrs, the wounded, trapped civilians, and fighters from the Achrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods to northern and eastern Syria, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said in a post on X.He called for mediators to uphold their promises to stop the violations and work towards the safe return of the displaced to their homes.An Associated Press journalist at the scene saw buses leaving Sunday and was told by officials that the transports carried 360 fighters. Other buses carrying civilians and detained fighters departed on Saturday. Drone strikes are part of intense clashesSyrian security forces deployed Saturday in Sheikh Maqsoud after days of clashes with Kurdish fighters that killed and wounded dozens. During the day, several drone strikes were reported in Aleppo, Syrias largest city, leading authorities to stop civilian flights at Aleppo International Airport until further notice, state TV said. On Saturday afternoon, an explosive drone hit the Aleppo Governorate building shortly after two Cabinet ministers and a local official held a news conference on the developments in the city. There was no immediate word on casualties.Syrias state TV aired footage showing a drone exploding as it slammed into the building and blamed Kurdish fighters for the attack. The SDF denied the reports, saying its fighters did not attack a civilian target. The fighting between the two sides is the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad in December 2024. At least 22 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced. U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks in Damascus Saturday with top officials, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and called on all parties to cease hostilities and return to dialogue. Violence risks undermining the progress achieved since the fall of the Assad regime and invites external interference that serves no partys interests, Barrack said in comments posted on X. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately cease hostilities, and return to dialogue, he added, saying that fighting undermines the deal reached in March between the government and the Kurdish leadership.He said recent developments in Aleppo were deeply concerning, and Washingtons objective remains a sovereign, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors where equality, justice, and opportunity are extended to all its people. Residents flee Kurdish-majority areas of AleppoSyrias state news agency SANA reported that two Kurdish fighters blew themselves up while surrounded by security forces without inflicting casualties, as gunfire was still heard in the neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud around noon Saturday.From the early hours, Syrian security forces were sweeping the neighborhood after calling on residents to stay home for their own safety.Hundreds of people who fled the neighborhood days earlier were waiting at Sheikh Maqsouds entrances to be allowed in once the military operations are over.Clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge their forces into the national army. Security forces have since captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.Kurdish forces said at least 12 civilians were killed in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in the five days of fighting, while government officials reported at least 10 civilians were killed in the surrounding government-controlled areas. Syria accuses Kurdish fighters of using civilian buildingsSyrias Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa told state TV that Kurdish fighters used civilian buildings including hospitals and clinics during the fighting. Each side has accused the other of starting the violence and of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure, including ambulance crews and hospitals. The Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which controls much of Syrias northeast, said that security forces targeted Khaled Fajr Hospital in Sheikh Maqsoud, putting the lives of patients and paramedics in danger. It called on the international community to intervene to force government forces to stop shelling. State TV reported that at least one security member was wounded when a drone fired by the SDF struck the neighborhood. Associated Press journalists said bursts of gunfire could be heard as government-deployed drones flew over Sheikh Maqsoud. The Syrian military declared the neighborhood a closed military zone since Friday night as it launched a clearing operation.On Friday, Barrack discussed the developments in Syria with Jordans Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman. The U.S. envoy said Jordan offered support to efforts aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and the peaceful withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from Aleppo.___Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut.

Faithful listen to Pope Leo XIV's Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)2026-01-11T10:33:25Z VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Leo XIV baptized 20 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday beneath Michelangelos frescoed ceiling, continuing an annual tradition that marks the end of the Christmas holiday period at the Vatican.Later, speaking to the crowd gathered in St. Peters Square, the pontiff offered his blessing to all infants receiving the sacrament of baptism in these days, in particular those born in difficult conditions of health or external danger.'In his first baptismal ceremony as pope, Leo celebrated the Lords gift of faith to the children, saying that it gives sense to the gift of life.When we know something is essential, we immediately seek it for those we love. Who among us, in fact, would leave a newborn without clothing or nourishment, waiting for them to choose when they grow up how to dress and what to eat?' the pontiff told the families gathered in the Sistine Chapel. Dearest ones, if food and clothing are necessary to live, faith is more than necessary, because with God, life finds salvation, he said. The pontiff personally administered the sacrament of baptism to the infants, who are the children of Vatican employees working at the Holy See. The parents approached the baptismal font placed within a bronze base representing the Tree of Life with the babies godparents and any siblings. The ceremony took place without tears and minimal fussing. The celebration marks the feast day that recalls Jesus baptism in the River Jordan and was established in 1981 by St. John Paul II. The event is depicted on the Sistine Chapels north wall in a fresco by Pietro Perugino. During the ceremony, each father was given a candle representing the Christian light that illuminates our path.I wish you to continue with joy during the year that has just begun and for all of your life, certain that the Lord will always accompany your steps.

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In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gives a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)2026-01-11T14:11:07Z Prediction markets let people wager on anything from a basketball game to the outcome of a presidential election and recently, the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro.The latter is drawing renewed scrutiny into this murky world of speculative, 24/7 transactions. Last week, an anonymous trader pocketed more than $400,000 after betting that Maduro would soon be out of office. The bulk of the traders bids on the platform Polymarket were made mere hours before President Donald Trump announced the surprise nighttime raid that led to Maduros capture, fueling online suspicions of potential insider trading because of the timing of the wagers and the traders narrow activity on the platform. Others argued that the risk of getting caught was too big, and that previous speculation about Maduros future could have led to such transactions. Polymarket did not respond to requests for comment. The commercial use of prediction markets has skyrocketed in recent years, opening the door for people to wage their money on the likelihood of a growing list of future events. But despite some eye-catching windfalls, traders still lose money everyday. And in terms of government oversight in the U.S., the trades are categorized differently than traditional forms of gambling raising questions about transparency and risk.Heres what we know: How prediction markets workThe scope of topics involved in prediction markets can range immensely from escalation in geopolitical conflicts, to pop culture moments and even the fate of conspiracy theories. Recently, theres been a surge of wages on elections and sports games. But some users have also bet millions on things like a rumored and ultimately unrealized secret finale for the Netflixs Stranger Things, whether the U.S. government will confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life and how much billionaire Elon Musk might post on social media this month.In industry-speak, what someone buys or sells in a prediction market is called an event contract. Theyre typically advertised as yes or no wagers. And the price of one fluctuates between $0 and $1, reflecting what traders are collectively willing to pay based on a 0% to 100% chance of whether they think an event will occur. The more likely traders think an event will occur, the more expensive that contract will become. And as those odds change over time, users can cash out early to make incremental profits, or try to avoid higher losses on what theyve already invested.Proponents of prediction markets argue putting money on the line leads to better forecasts. Experts like Koleman Strumpf, an economics professor at Wake Forest University, think theres value in monitoring these platforms for potential news pointing to prediction markets past success with some election outcomes, including the 2024 presidential race.Still, its never a crystal ball, he noted, and prediction markets can be wrong, too. Who is behind all of the trading is also pretty murky. While the companies running the platforms collect personal information of their users in order to verify identities and payments, most people can trade under anonymous pseudonyms online making it difficult for the public to know who is profiting off many event contracts. In theory, people investing their money may be closely following certain events, but others could just be randomly guessing.Critics stress that the ease and speed of joining these 24/7 wagers leads to financial losses everyday, particularly harming users who may already struggle with gambling. The space also broadens possibilities for potential insider trading. The major playersPolymarket is considered to be the largest prediction market in the world, where its users can fund event contracts through cryptocurrency, debit or credit cards and bank transfers. Its top competitor, Kalshi, operates similarly and has laid the groundwork for event contracts on elections and sports nationwide after winning court approval just weeks before the 2024 election to let Americans put money on upcoming political races. Kalshi began to host sports trading about a year ago.Restrictions vary by country but in the U.S., the reach of these markets has expanded rapidly over the last couple years, coinciding with shifting policies out of Washington. Former President Joe Biden was aggressive in cracking down on prediction markets. Following a 2022 settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Polymarket was barred from operating in the country. That changed under Trump late last year, when Polymarket announced it would be returning to the U.S. after receiving clearance from the commission. American-based users can now join a platform waitlist.The space is now crowded with other big names. Sports betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel both launched prediction platforms last month. Online broker Robinhood is widening its own offerings. Trumps social media site Truth Social has also promised to offer an in-platform prediction market through a partnership with Crypto.com and one of the presidents sons, Donald Trump Jr., holds advisory roles at both Polymarket and Kalshi.The train has left the station on these event contracts, theyre not going away, said Melinda Roth, a visiting associate professor at Washington and Lee Universitys School of Law. Loose regulationBecause theyre positioned as selling event contracts, prediction markets are regulated by the CFTC. That means they can avoid state-level restrictions or bans in place for traditional gambling and sports betting today.Its a huge loophole, said Karl Lockhart, an assistant professor of law at DePaul University who has studied this space. You just have to comply with one set of regulations, rather than (rules from) each state around the country.Sports betting is taking center stage. There are a handful of big states like California and Texas, for example where sports betting is still illegal, but people can now wager on games, athlete trades and more through event contracts. A growing number of states and tribes are suing to stop this. And lawyers expect litigation to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, as added regulations from the Trump administration seem unlikely.Federal law bars event contracts related to gaming as well as war, terrorism and assassinations, Roth said, which could put some prediction market trades on shaky ground, at least in the U.S. But users might still find ways to buy certain contracts while traveling abroad or connecting to different VPNs.Whether the CFTC will take any of that on has yet to be seen. But the agency, which did not respond to request for comment, has already taken steps away from enforcement.Despite overseeing trillions of dollars for the overall U.S. derivatives market, the CFTC is also much smaller than the Securities and Exchange Commission. And at the same time event contracts are growing rapidly on prediction market platforms, there have been additional cuts to the CFTCs workforce and a wave of leadership departures under Trumps second term. Only one of five commissioner slots operating the agency is currently filled.Still, other lawmakers calling for a stronger crack down on potential insider trading in prediction markets particularly following suspicion around last weeks Maduro trade on Polymarket. On Friday, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres introduced a bill aimed at curbing government employees involvement in politically-related event contracts. WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Grantham-Philips is a business reporter who covers trending news for The Associated Press. She is based in New York. twitter mailto

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